Tag: australia

Former captain Steve Smith and rising talent Jake Fraser-McGurk were notable omissions as Australia named their squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be co-hosted in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh will captain the side, while veteran opening batsman David Warner has been picked for what is shaping as his final international tournament.

“Mitchell has been an exemplary player and leader within the group for a long period of time,” said Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird.

Test skipper Pat Cummins, paceman Mitchell Starc and explosive batting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell are among the experienced players in the 15-man squad, with 11 having taken part in the 2021 T20 World Cup-winning campaign.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Selector George Bailey said there had been “long conversations” about whether to include talismanic batsman Smith in the side, following a dip in his limited-overs form.

Bailey said selectors would be keeping a close eye on the 22-year-old Fraser-McGurk, who has been in rampant batting form for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.

“Ultimately the balance of the final 15 needs to provide the best chance of being successful in this campaign,” Bailey said.

Australia squad for T20 World Cup

Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

READ: Rashid Khan to lead as Afghanistan announce squad for T20 World Cup

Australia cruised into the next stage of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup with a 5-0 drubbing of Lebanon in Canberra on Tuesday.

Craig Goodwin’s two goals, plus strikes from Kusini Yengi, John Iredale and a Bassel Jradi own goal gave Australia a maximum of 12 points after four games and they are now assured of progressing from Group I of the FIFA World Cup Qualifier.

It took just two minutes for Goodwin to have an impact on his return to the side after illness when his teasing cross found Yengi to open his international account.

Yengi, a striker who plays for Portsmouth in the English third tier, bundled home at the second time of asking after his initial effort hit the post.

Goodwin almost made a second with another pinpoint delivery after 43 minutes but Harry Souttar’s header struck the woodwork and it remained 1-0 at half-time.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

As in the first half, Lebanon conceded after two minutes and again Goodwin, who plays for Al Wehda in Saudi Arabia, was the creator.

His free-kick from the right was headed goalwards by Souttar where ‘keeper Mostafa Matar’s save hit hapless teammate Jradi and ricocheted back into the net.

A minute later Goodwin got his reward for a dominant display when lashing home left-footed superbly from just outside the box to make it 3-0.

Substitute John Iredale tapped in the fourth with his first touch after 68 minutes and Goodwin bagged his second from close range with nine minutes to go to cap a fine personal display.

READ: Schedule for Women’s Ashes 2025 announced

The schedule for the much-awaited Women’s Ashes 2025 series has been revealed, with England set to tour Australia in January next year.

Following a well-contested drawn and record-breaking Ashes series on home soil last year, Heather Knight’s outfit heads down under to play a multi-format series to contest three ODIs in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart.

The ODI series will be followed by the three-match T20I series, starting on January 20 at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

Manuka Oval and Adelaide Oval are set to host the next two T20Is.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will host the first Women’s Test match at the iconic venue since 1948-49.

The four-day Test starting on January 30 will be the first day-night Test at the venue.

Priority pre-sale tickets are available on June 4 to fans who have registered their interest here

Women’s Ashes 2025 schedule

Women’s Ashes ODI Series
12 January: North Sydney Oval, Sydney (Day)
14 January: Junction Oval, Melbourne (Day)
17 January: Bellerive Oval, Hobart (Day)

Women’s Ashes T20I Series
20 January: SCG, Sydney (Night)
23 January: Manuka Oval, Canberra (Night)
25 January: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (Night)

Women’s Ashes Test Match
30 January-2 February: MCG, Melbourne (Day/Night)

READ: Shadab Khan not considering Imad Wasim as competition

Cricket Australia (CA) has announced the schedule for the ODI and T20I series against Pakistan, set to take place in November 2024.

Pakistan are set to tour Australia for a white-ball series, which will mark the start of Australia’s white-ball schedule for the summer of 2024-25.

The tour will comprise three ODIs and as many T20Is, which will be played across six different venues from 4 to 18 November 2024.

Pakistan will be returning to Australia after a gap of nearly 11 months, after having competed in the Benaud-Qadir Trophy, which comprised three Test matches played across Perth, Sydney and Melbourne in December 2023-January 2024.

The three-match ODI series will begin on 4 November at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Pakistan and Australia will then play in Adelaide and Perth on 8 and 10 November, respectively.

Pakistan last played an ODI series on Australian soil back in 2016, which saw the home side come out on top.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Subsequently, Pakistan and Australia will face one another in the three-match T20I Series, starting on 14 November.

Pakistan’s last T20I outing on Australian soil was back in 2022, wherein the men in green appeared in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The first of the three T20I will be played at The Gabba in Brisbane. Action will then move to the Sydney Cricket Ground; Pakistan’s last T20I at the venue saw them beat New Zealand at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final.

Hobart will be the last stop on the tour, where the final T20I will be played on 18 November.

Schedule of Pakistan vs Australia

ODI Series
4 November: MCG, Melbourne
8 November: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
10 November: Perth Stadium, Perth

T20I Series
14 November: The Gabba, Brisbane
16 November: SCG, Sydney
18 November: Bellerive Oval, Hobart

READ: Andy Murray out for ‘extended period’ with ankle injury

Afghanistan cricket bosses on Wednesday expressed disappointment that Australia had scrapped a men’s T20I series because of deteriorating women’s rights in the Taliban-ruled country and called for “politics-free cricket”.

Cricket Australia said it had received advice “that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse” and postponed the three-match series scheduled in August, likely to have been hosted by the UAE.

“The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) expresses disappointment over Cricket Australia’s decision to postpone yet another bilateral series against Afghanistan and reiterates its stance on neutral and politics-free cricket across the globe,” said a statement.

The decision, announced Tuesday, was the third time since 2021, when the Taliban returned to power, that Australia have refused to play Afghanistan outside of international tournaments.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Cricket has surged in popularity inside Afghanistan in recent years, fuelled by triumphs over bigger nations on the international stage.

But under the Taliban government’s brand of Islamic rule, women are effectively barred from the game, as part of a raft of restrictions on women in Afghanistan that the United Nations has labelled “gender apartheid”.

The ACB urged the Australian government “not to impose its policies on cricket boards” and “focus on supporting the development of cricket”.

“ACB advocates for keeping cricket distinct from political influence, considering the game’s significance in Afghanistan and its connection to the happiness and joy of the Afghan nation,” the board said.

Before the return of the Taliban, Afghanistan’s cricket board was slowly making progress in growing the game among women — even contracting a small number of semi-professional players in 2020. Most of those eventually fled to Australia.

READ: PCB reveals schedule for West Indies women’s tour to Pakistan

Cricket Australia (CA) has postponed the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, citing restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan. 

The CA made the decision in consultation with the Australian Government and will continue to engage with the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in “anticipation of improved conditions for women and girls in the country”.

“Over the past twelve months CA has continued to consult with the Australian Government on the situation in Afghanistan. The government’s advice is that conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan are getting worse. For this reason, we have maintained our previous position and will postpone the bilateral series against Afghanistan,” stated CA.

“CA continues its strong commitment to supporting participation by women and girls in cricket around the world and will continue to actively engage the International Cricket Council and work closely with the Afghanistan Cricket Board to determine what actions could be taken to support the resumption of bilateral matches in the future.

“We again thank the Australian Government for its support.”

For the unversed, the three-match T20I series between Australia and Afghanistan was scheduled to take place in August this year.

This is the third time Australia have cancelled a bilateral fixture or a series with Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of Kabul in August 2021.

Earlier they postponed the one-off Test against the side scheduled to be played in Hobart in November 2021 before withdrawing from an ODI series against, supposed to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in March 2023.

READ: Wanindu Hasaranga comes out of Test retirement for Bangladesh Tests

Former Australian Test wicketkeeper Matthew Wade has called time on the red-ball game but will continue playing cricket’s shorter formats.

The 36-year-old made the announcement late Friday ahead of the Sheffield Shield final next week where his native Tasmania meet Western Australia in what will be his 166th and last first-class match.

“I would like to thank my family, my wife Julia, and kids Winter, Goldie, and Duke, for the sacrifices they have made throughout my career, as I travelled Australia and the world as a red-ball cricketer,” Wade said in a statement.

“There certainly isn’t (an element of) ‘I’m not playing well enough or I don’t feel I can contribute enough’,” he said. “It’s more the younger players have managed to shove me out the door.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Matthew Wade, who played 36 Tests as both a wicketkeeper and specialist batter between 2012 and 2021, will continue to be available for one-day and Twenty20 cricket.

Wade has scored a total of 1613 runs in Test cricket, including four centuries.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges that the long-form game provides, and although I will continue to play white ball cricket, wearing the Baggy Green while playing for my country remains a highlight of my career.”

“Not playing the longer format of the game will give me an opportunity to get stronger, get in the gym a bit more and have some longevity in that (shorter) format,” he concluded.

READ: Aaqib Javed appointed as Sri Lanka’s fast bowling coach

CHRISTCHURCH: An unbeaten 98 from Alex Carey dragged Australia to victory over New Zealand by three wickets in a thrilling second Test on Monday to give the tourists a 2-0 sweep of the two-match series.

Carey and Mitchell Marsh have struggled for form but their formidable 140-run partnership rescued Australia at the Hagley Oval.

New Zealand’s wait for a first home Test victory over their neighbours in more than three decades goes on.

Carey and Marsh produced a vital partnership when the tourists had their backs to the wall at 80-5 in their chase of 279.

At 220-5, a nail-biting Test took another turn on Monday afternoon when Black Caps seamer Ben Sears claimed Marsh and Mitchell Starc in successive deliveries.

It left Australia needing a further 59 runs with three wickets remaining.

Skipper Cummins joined Carey to bring the tourists home.

“I kept to a really solid game plan and read the conditions and read the bowlers,” Carey said.

“I guess losing one wicket this morning was okay. We got through to lunch and then that’s when the game opened up a little bit and the partnership started to flow.”

The series sweep earned Australia valuable points in the World Test Championship standings.

New Zealand were left deflated after starting the fourth day with high hopes of a first home Test victory over Australia in 31 years.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

When Australia resumed the day at 77-4, after a one-hour delay because of rain, Marsh was dropped on 28 by Rachin Ravindra in the second over. Travis Head was out on the next ball from Southee.

New Zealand were buoyant, aware that Marsh and Carey were struggling for form, with Marsh coming off back-to-back ducks.

Carey had compiled just 27 from his three previous innings in the series.

The Australian pair found their touch when it mattered most.

Rather than be cautious, they went on the attack at more than five an over in the morning session as batting conditions became easier with the ageing ball.

The breakthrough New Zealand desperately sought came after lunch when debutant Sears took his double.

Marsh, who made 80 off 102 deliveries, went lbw and Starc followed first ball, caught at square leg by Will Young.

The hat-trick ball however was wide of the mark and the new batsman Cummins edged it for four.

Carey had an anxious moment when given out lbw to Matt Henry on 19 but on review, the ball tracker placed the ball outside leg stump.

He gave few other chances in a 123-ball innings which included 15 boundaries.

For New Zealand, Sears took 4-90 while Henry’s 2-94 gave him nine wickets for the Test.

READ: Quetta Gladiators edge Lahore Qalandars in a last-ball thriller to reach PSL 9 Playoffs

CHRISTCHURCH: A timely return to form by New Zealand opener Tom Latham hauled the Black Caps back into the second Test against Australia on Saturday as they overhauled a 94-run deficit to lead by 40 at the stumps. 

Latham, dropped by Alex Carey on 59, was unbeaten on 65 in New Zealand’s second innings at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval exactly a year after his last half-century against Sri Lanka at the same ground.

Following the early dismissal of Will Young for one, Latham and Kane Williamson put on a partnership of 105 for the second wicket.

Williamson, celebrating his 100th Test, reached his half-century with a single off Mitchell Starc, but faced only two more balls before he edged a Pat Cummins delivery onto his middle stump.

At the close, New Zealand were 134 for two with Rachin Ravindra not out 11 alongside Latham.

Australia were all out midway through the day with Marnus Labuschagne’s masterful 90 laying the foundation for their first innings 256 in reply to New Zealand’s 162.

With the pitch becoming more benign than it was when 21 wickets fell in the first five sessions, Latham and Williamson produced a morale-boosting century stand for New Zealand, who had struggled against Australia’s intimidating attack.

Australia have also had their batting issues, but Labuschagne found some form after a string of single-digit performances to anchor their innings.

Their second-highest scorer was paceman Mitchell Starc with 28 and behind Cameron Green’s 25 was 23 from Pat Cummins.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Cummins’s innings included some big blows, including three fours and a six off successive deliveries from Ben Sears.

The chief destroyer for New Zealand was Matt Henry, relishing the responsibility of taking the new ball with Trent Boult out of the picture and being rewarded with 7-67. Henry has taken 15 wickets so far in the series.

Australia resumed the day at 124-4. Labuschagne had an early issue with the umpires for standing too far out of his crease and potentially scuffing the wicket in the spinners’ target area.

As he neared his century, New Zealand keeper Tom Blundell stood up to the wickets for pace bowler Tim Southee, tempting Labuschagne to hit out.

The ploy worked, as the Australian steered the ball to the gully, where Glenn Phillips made an acrobatic catch.

Henry bagged nightwatchman Nathan Lyon for 20, caught at first slip by Daryl Mitchell, who had dropped him off Tim Southee at the start of the day.

Mitchell Marsh, who is also struggling for runs, was trapped leg before by Henry without scoring for his second consecutive duck, facing just four balls.

Part-time bowler Phillips removed Alex Carey (14) when he paddled a simple catch to Tom Latham at mid-wicket, leaving Henry to mop up the tail.

READ: James Anderson becomes third bowler to take 700 Test wickets

CHRISTCHURCH: A five-wicket haul by paceman Josh Hazlewood ensured Australia finished Friday with the upper hand against New Zealand on a wicket-laden opening day of the second Test at Hagley Oval.

Fourteen wickets fell as Australia reached 124 for four at stumps after the Hazlewood-inspired pace attack rolled New Zealand for 162 in two sessions.

Hazlewood, who took 5-31, put his success down to the conditions as the pitch quickened during the day.

“There was a bit of nip there, a little bit of swing so plenty for the quicks during the day. Fourteen wickets in a day so it’s obviously doing enough,” he said.

New Zealand’s chief wicket-taker Matt Henry called Hazlewood’s performance “world-class” and a “blueprint for how we wanted to bowl as well”.

Henry dismissed Usman Khawaja for 16, bowled Cameron Green for 25 and had Travis Head caught behind for 21 to finish the day with figures of 3-39.

New Zealand debutant Ben Sears, whose first delivery was whipped to the boundary by Steve Smith, claimed his first Test wicket two balls later when he had the Australian opener trapped in front for 11.

At stumps, Marnus Labuschagne was unbeaten on 45, including eight fours, with night-watchman Nathan Lyon on one. Australia trail by 38 runs.

Australia, looking to sweep the two-Test series, won the toss and put New Zealand in to bat on a green-tinged wicket.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

After being kept at bay by Tom Latham and Will Young for the first 90 minutes, Australia picked up wickets at regular intervals.

Hazlewood produced a masterly display of seam bowling while Mitchell Starc took 3-59.

It moved Starc up to fourth on the all-time Australian wicket-takers list with 357, overtaking Dennis Lillee, who ended his stellar career with 355.

New Zealand lost eight wickets for 60 runs before the Australian onslaught was frustrated by a ninth-wicket partnership of 55 by Henry and Tim Southee in his 100th Test.

After Starc accounted for Young, Hazlewood bowled a precise line and length to claim the next four wickets including New Zealand talisman Kane Williamson, who was trapped in front for 17.

Williamson, who received a standing ovation as he arrived at the crease for his milestone 100th Test, sought a review but he knew it was a lost cause and started to walk before the three red lights were shown.

Hazlewood also accounted for Latham (38) and Daryl Mitchell (four), both caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey as well as Rachin Ravindra caught by Usman Khawaja at first slip.

The impressive Carey took five catches including Tom Blundell (22) off Cameron Green and Glenn Phillips (two) off Starc, who then dismissed Scott Kuggeleijn lbw with his next delivery.

Hazlewood was also in on the action when he caught Southee (26) to give Cummins a wicket, then finished the innings in the next over when he had Henry (29) caught behind.

READ: Karachi Kings’ Mir Hamza defends captain Shan Masood’s on-field aggression