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  • Steve Smith surgery goes ‘very well’, on track for World Cup

    Steve Smith surgery goes ‘very well’, on track for World Cup

    Former Australia cricket captain Steve Smith’s surgery for an elbow injury went “very well” and he remains on track for the World Cup in England, his management said.

    Smith, whose one-year ban for ball-tampering expires in late March, was forced to drop out of the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament last month with the ligament problem.

    He went under the knife and is currently in a brace.

    Steve Christo/ AFP

    Smith’s manager Warren Craig told the Cricket Australia website late Wednesday the surgery had “gone very well”.

    “Until the brace comes off we don’t know for sure but all current opinion is that he’ll then have about three-and-a-half weeks (before being ready to play),” he said.

    “The intent is that he will play in the IPL (Indian Premier League) and then the World Cup and then the Ashes.”

    His comments appeared to rubbish reports this week that Smith may miss the one-day World Cup and return to cricket through the Australia A tour of England that coincides with the showpiece tournament that begins in late May.

    Smith and David Warner become eligible for international selection again on March 29 after serving year-long bans for their part in attempting to alter the ball during a Test against South Africa.

    Warner also returned home from Bangladesh to have an injured elbow assessed, but it is not believed to be as serious as Smith’s. He was due to undergo minor surgery in late January.

    Australian Test skipper Tim Paine on Monday said he expected both of them to play “a huge” role in this year’s Ashes series against England.

    Without the experienced pair, Australia have struggled, although they ended their summer on a high with a 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka.

    “We know how good they are and hopefully once their bans are up they’ll be welcomed back and they will win Test matches like they did before,” said Paine.

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    World Cup 2019Steve Smith
  • Starc out of India tour with ‘substantial’ muscle tear

    Starc out of India tour with ‘substantial’ muscle tear

    Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc was on Thursday ruled out of Australia’s Twenty20 and one-day tour of India with a “substantial” muscle tear, joining fellow quick bowler Josh Hazlewood on the sidelines.

    Australia play two T20s and five ODIs against the Indians from later this month as part of an important build-up to their World Cup title defence in England this year.

    But they will be doing so with a depleted attack.

    Saeed Khan/ AFP

    Starc, man-of-the-match after collecting 10 wickets in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Canberra this week, will miss the series.

    Hazlewood remains sidelined as he recovers from a back injury picked up in Australia’s Test series loss to India.

    “Unfortunately, scans have revealed that Mitchell Starc sustained a substantial tear to his left pec muscle while bowling on the final day of the Test match in Canberra,” said national selector Trevor Hohns. 

    “This means he will be unavailable for the tour of India, but we will instead target a return to play for the ODI series against Pakistan in the UAE in March.”

    Eleven of the 14 players that took on Virat Kohli’s men in a recent one-day series loss in Australia have been retained.

    But veteran seamer Peter Siddle, fast bowler Billy Stanlake and allrounder Marsh were dropped, which has opened the door for pacemen Kane Richardson and Nathan Coulter-Nile, and hard-hitting batsman Ashton Turner.

    “Kane has been in outstanding form over the summer, including his recent performances in the Big Bash League,” said Hohns.

    “Kane not only has experience playing ODI cricket for Australia, but he’s also performed well for his country when given the opportunity.

    “Nathan Coulter-Nile provides us with another quality bowling option,” he added.

    “He brings good energy in the field and can also score runs in high-pressure situations.”

    Hohns added that Western Australia’s Turner had been on his radar for some time and he now “has an opportunity to put his case forward ahead of the World Cup”.

    With Hazlewood out, Pat Cummins was named co-vice captain alongside Alex Carey. Aaron Finch remains skipper.

    Opener D’Arcy Short was included as cover for Shaun Marsh as he recovers from a hamstring injury. Short is expected to play in the two T20s with Marsh joining the squad following the birth of his second child.

    “With the World Cup on the horizon, we see the ODI tours of India and the following tour against Pakistan as important windows for the squad to continue their preparations for our title defence,” said Hohns.

    “We were really pleased with the progress we made during the recent ODI series against India, and we feel the progress is reflected in the squad selection, with only a couple of changes.”

    The squad for the Pakistan series, that immediately follows India, will be named later with the possibility that Steve Smith and David Warner may be considered for the latter part once their bans for ball-tampering expire on March 29. 

    Squad: Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Turner, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa, D’Arcy Short

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    India vs AustraliaMitchell Starc
  • Pakistan end South Africa tour with win in final T20

    Pakistan end South Africa tour with win in final T20

    Pakistan finished their tour of South Africa with a 27-run win in the third and final Twenty20 international at SuperSport Park on Wednesday.

    The tourists owed their win to the new-ball bowling of left-arm spinner Imad Wasim and left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as they defended a moderate total of 168 for nine.

    Rodger Bosch/ AFP

    The pair restricted South Africa to 30 for two in the first seven overs and the hosts were always behind the required rate as they limped to 141 for nine in their 20 overs.

    South Africa won the series against the world’s top-ranked Twenty20 international team 2-1, adding to a 3-0 success in a three-match Test series and a 3-2 win in a five-match one-day series.

    “Tonight was disappointing but we’re really chuffed with a series win against the best T20 team in the world,” said South African stand-in captain David Miller. “We’ve beaten them with a young side. There’s a lot of depth in South African cricket.”

    “A win is always something that gives you satisfaction,” said Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik. “Our youngsters have learnt a lot from this tour and we played really good white-ball cricket.”

    Left-arm opening bowler Beuran Hendricks took a career-best four for 14 as Pakistan’s batsmen struggled after being sent in.

    Seven Pakistan batsmen reached double figures but the highest score was 26 by Mohammad Rizwan.

    A mid-innings collapse when three wickets fell for five runs in nine balls reduced Pakistan to 94 for five, with Rizwan, Malik and Hussain Talat falling in quick succession. Malik was run out for 18 after a mix-up with Talat.

    Shadab Khan hit three sixes in the final over from Andile Phehlukwayo to finish with 22 not out off eight balls. He took two wickets in South Africa’s innings, including the key wicket of Miller, and was named man of the match. Miller was the man of the series.

    South Africa never recovered from their slow start despite innings of 41 by Rassie van der Dussen and an unbeaten 55 off 29 balls by Chris Morris.

    Mohammad Amir followed up the tight bowling of Imad and Afridi to take three for 27, while Shadab and Faheem Ashraf took two wickets each.

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    PakistanSouth Africa
  • Cricket Australia target coaching roles for Ponting, Waugh ahead of World Cup

    Cricket Australia target coaching roles for Ponting, Waugh ahead of World Cup

    Former Australian Test stalwarts like Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Glenn McGrath could be given short term coaching and mentoring roles in the wake of David Saker’s sudden resignation, said Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts.

    Speaking in an interview to Cricinfo, Roberts said: “I think it’s really important that we do involve those ex-players in the game more and give them a stronger voice, embrace their perspective to a greater degree, and it could be involving them in a mentoring capacity or in a formal coaching capacity.” 

    William West/ AFP

    The Cricket Australia chief executive went on to add, “I’ve got a really good relationship with Steve Waugh and I’ve been fortunate to have had that for I guess 25 years now, and he’s one of the most universally respected people in our game” while also acknowledging his close links to Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist courtesy their commentary duties. 

    Ricky Ponting was previously appointed to coach the T20 side for a triangular series alongside New Zealand and England. He has to discontinue the role due to an Achilles tear and ever since has been caught up with broadcasting responsibilities. But with the World Cup only a few months away, a similar short-term appointment for Punter is being mulled over. 

    “I think there’s opportunities to utilise some of those ex-players in shorter bursts if you like, given they’re not all in a position to be a coach 52 weeks of the year either, given their other commitments in other parts of the game.” concluded Roberts. 

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    Steve WaughAustraliaRicky Ponting
  • Australia’s bowling coach Saker quits ahead of World Cup

    Australia’s bowling coach Saker quits ahead of World Cup

    Australia’s bowling coach David Saker quit Thursday just months out from the World Cup and an Ashes tour to England “for the best interests of the team”.

    Saker, who performed a similar role with England before joining the Australian set-up in 2016, resigned after lengthy talks with coach Justin Langer.

    Punit Paranjpe/ AFP

    “David and I have had ongoing discussions over the past nine months about his role with the team, and we agreed it’s the right time to head in a different direction in the best interests of the team,” Langer said.

    “I’d like to thank David for his significant contribution, in particular in the role he has played in helping develop a core group of Australian pace bowlers.”

    Saker, who has nurtured the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, said he had enjoyed his time with the Australian team.

    “I’d like to thank Cricket Australia for the opportunity to help coach the Australian men’s team over the past three seasons,” he said.

    “I’ve enjoyed my time with the team, in particular working closely with a great group of fast bowlers and in time will look forward to a new coaching role.”

    Cricket Australia said Troy Cooley will oversee the bowling group for Australia’s upcoming one-day series against India and Pakistan, with discussions about the coaching structure for the World Cup and Ashes ongoing.

    Cooley has previously worked as an England bowling coach and is seen as instrumental in helping players such as Andrew Flintoff and James Anderson.

    Related tags:

    World Cup 2019Australia
  • Windies add pacer Paul to the squad for third Test

    Windies add pacer Paul to the squad for third Test

    Randy Brooks/ AFP

    Young fast bowler Keemo Paul has been added to the Windies squad for their dead rubber final Test against England, scheduled to start on the 9th of February in Saint Lucia. 

    “With Jason Holder missing out on the last Test, Kraigg Brathwaite will take the reins of captaincy. We also welcome Keemo Paul back to the squad. He is having a good showing in the West Indies first-class championship at the moment,” said Courtney Browne, the Windies Chairman of Selectors.

    Paul was part of the U-19 Windies team that won the World Cup in 2016. He made his Test debut last year in the sub-continent against Bangladesh and has also played 11 ODIs for his country. He would be expected to take the place Of captain Jason Holder who is currently serving a controversial one match suspension from the ICC for slow over-rate. 

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    West IndiesKeemo PaulEngland
  • West Indies cricket boss slams ‘crippling’ Holder ban

    West Indies cricket boss slams ‘crippling’ Holder ban

    Cricket West Indies president Dave Cameron on Tuesday criticised the ICC’s “punitive” and “crippling” decision to ban captain Jason Holder for the third Test against England in St Lucia.

    The all-rounder was suspended and fined 40 percent of his match fee for a slow over-rate during the Caribbean side’s famous 10-wicket thrashing of England in the second Test at Antigua.

     

    Randy Brooks/ AFP

    Holder has scored 229 runs and taken seven wickets in the series so far as the Windies have shown signs of a revival in claiming an unassailable 2-0 lead.

    “We will, of course, abide by the ICC ruling, but we have to wonder if such punitive action at a pivotal stage of the series is good for cricket,” said Cameron.

    “What a shame if the series is remembered not for the sparkling play of the reinvigorated West Indies players but for a crippling decision made by a rule that ought to be modified.”

    The ICC said in a statement on Monday that the Windies were two overs short of their target for the match and also fined all of the hosts’ other players 20 percent of their match fees.

    The 27-year-old Holder was also found guilty of a slow over-rate during his team’s third Test defeat by Sri Lanka last June.

    Opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite will skipper the side in Holder’s absence, with seamer Keemo Paul called up to replace Holder in the squad.

    Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph has been included, despite the death of his mother during the second Test.

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    West IndiesJason Holder
  • Smith to return to national team ‘as soon as practical’, says Cricket Australia

    Smith to return to national team ‘as soon as practical’, says Cricket Australia

    Banned Australian cricketer Steve Smith will make a return to International cricket ‘as soon as practical’, confirmed Cricket Australia thereby quelling doubts of his 2019 World Cup absence. 

    Peter Parks/ AFP

    “We’re talking about two great players. We’re not talking about two really good players, they’re two great players who, on paper, we’d be crazy not to have them in the team (for the World Cup),” said Australian coach Justin Langer in a press conference after the Sri Lanka Tests. 

    Smith is currently recuperating from an elbow surgery after suffering a broken elbow at the Bangladesh Premier League. However, his team are confident that the 29-year-old will make a recovery in time for the World Cup and the Ashes. 

    “Until the brace comes off we don’t know for sure but all current opinion is that he’ll then have about three and a half weeks (before being ready to play),” Smith’s manager, Warren Craig told cricket.com.au while going on to add “The intent is that he will play in the IPL and then the World Cup and then the Ashes.”

    Smith and teammate David Warner’s bans officially end on the 29th of March, which means the duo will be available for selection for the final two ODIs against Pakistan in UAE before they head to the World Cup.  

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    Steve SmithAustralia
  • New Zealand come right as India crash to worst T20 defeat

    New Zealand come right as India crash to worst T20 defeat

    India crashed to their worst ever Twenty20 defeat when an aggressive 84 by Tim Seifert set New Zealand up for an 80 run win in Wellington on Wednesday. 

    Seifert and Colin Munro blazed away at the top of the innings as New Zealand, looking to bounce back after being outplayed in the recent one-day international series, posted their third highest Twenty20 total of 219. 

     

    Marty Melville/ AFP

    India were all out in reply for 139 with four balls remaining, in only the eighth time they have failed to bat through in a 20-over innings.

    Their previous worst defeat was by 49 runs against Australia at Bridgetown in 2010. 

    Seifert, whose previous best innings in eight internationals was an unbeaten 14 on debut, gave New Zealand a flying start.

    With Munro also lashing out, they put on 86 in 50 balls for the first wicket before Munro fell for 34. 

    Seifert had a life on 71 when dropped on the boundary by Dinesh Karthik and added a further 13 runs before he was bowled by Khaleel Ahmed. 

    His 43 ball innings included seven fours and six sixes.

    Kane Williamson added a vital 34 to the New Zealand cause and there were enterprising cameos late in the innings from Ross Taylor with 23 off 14 and an unbeaten 20 from seven deliveries by Scott Kuggeleijn. 

    Faced with batting at 11 an over, India faltered from the start when Rohit Sharma went for one. 

    Shikhar Dhawan blazed away with a quick 29, but five wickets fell for 26 runs in 33 deliveries once he was bowled by Lockie Ferguson. 

    MS Dhoni (39) and Krunal Pandya (20) arrested the slide with a 52-run partnership before the last three wickets fell for 10 runs.

    Tim Southee, who was dropped for the last three ODI’s against India, marked his return to the side with three for 17 off his four overs.

    The second match in the series is in Auckland on Friday.

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    New ZealandIndiaNew Zealand vs India
  • Extras top score as Australian side all out for 10

    Extras top score as Australian side all out for 10

     

    It’s not a good look when the extras are the top score, but that’s what happened to an Australian women’s side who were all out for 10 on Wednesday.

    It took six extras for South Australia to reach double figures at the National Indigenous Cricket Championship in Alice Springs.

    Opener Febi Mansell scored the only runs off the bat with four followed by 10 ducks against New South Wales.

    Roxsanne Van-Veen returned the unbelievable figures of five wickets for one run off two overs. Naomi Woods took two wickets with the only two balls she bowled.

    The innings was over in just 62 deliveries and NSW only needed 15 balls to knock off their target in the scheduled Twenty20 match.

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    Australia