Mitchell Starc made a late-career bid for all-rounder status when he scored a half-century and grabbed two wickets under the Gabba floodlights to push Australia to the brink of victory at the close of day three of the second Ashes Test.
'The tailenders should have looked to bat with Jamie Smith. Really poor from the batters towards the end. The plan should have been to give him the strike and let him do the heavy lifting.'
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) fell silent on Friday as players from India and Australia, along with match officials and staff, paid an emotional tribute to 17-year-old cricketer Ben Austin, who tragically lost his life after being struck on the neck during a training session earlier this week.
Mitchell Starc and Ben Stokes set the scene for a dramatic Ashes series.
Australia stormed to an eight-wicket victory in the second Ashes Test on Sunday to take a 2-0 series lead as England succumbed on day four to a pace blitz from unlikely hero Michael Neser.
Chasing a world record 435 runs to win, England were reduced to 207 for six at stumps on Day 4 of the third Test, still 228 runs short of victory
Both Stokes and McCullum are contracted until 2027 and have publicly expressed their desire to stay on beyond the current tour.
The Ashes could be decided within days at an Adelaide Oval furnace where England's hopes of wresting back the urn will fire anew or flame out entirely against a strengthened Australia.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hosted players from the Australian and England cricket teams ahead of the final Ashes Test at Kirribilli House for his annual New Year's Day reception on Thursday.
Steve Smith and Travis Head hit centuries to help Australia dominate the third day's play by stretching their lead against England in the fifth and final Ashes Test.
Italy are gearing up for their Twenty20 World Cup debut, hoping a strong showing next month will help the sport break into popular culture in a soccer-obsessed nation that does not have a natural cricket pitch.
Labuschagne underlined the cricket adage that "catches win matches", while England counted the cost of dropped chances in Adelaide.
t Pat Cummins' side firmly on top of the WTC standings, with a perfect record after six matches in the current cycle.
These 8 cities have enormous celebrations actually hosting sort of giant street parties and welcome the new year in unforgettable style.
England Head Coach Brendon McCullum revealed his team may have been victims of their own thoroughness, conducting "five to 10 training sessions" in the extended break between Tests after losing the opener in Perth inside two days.
'They're all going to score because they are naturally gifted players but the real high-risk way of playing, I'm afraid it hasn't worked.'
Having hit Western Australia's golf links before being beaten by eight wickets in Perth, England's enthusiasts will have access to a selection of championship courses to play a round before a refreshing dip in the Pacific Ocean.
IMAGES from the Australian Open matches played at Melbourne Park in Melbourne on Thursday.
Greg Chappell said that while he admires positive cricket, a "full-frontal assault" approach is insult to the intelligence of the players and the public alike.
Richardson has, so far, played three Test matches since making his debut in 2018-19. The pacer has picked up 11 wickets at an average of 22.09.
Two Indian origin players -- Aryan Sharma and John James -- have been named in Australia's 15-member squad for the men's U-19 World Cup scheduled to be held in Namibia and Zimbabwe from January 15 to February 6.
'It is the biggest stage and it is the brightest lights. It is a series that could define teams, the people and players within it.'
Germany beat Spain in shoot-out to win eighth FIH Junior WC title
A wicket-laden Boxing Day Test at the MCG triggered widespread debate, with former cricketers from both Australia and England questioning whether the pitch offered far too much for the bowlers.
England captain Ben Stokes dismissed claims his team was "arrogant" following their capitulation in the first Ashes Test against Australia in Perth last week as preparations for the second game in the five-match series continued on Saturday.
An Ashes tour that began with high hopes of taking home the urn has been reduced to a desperate effort to salvage some last vestiges of dignity for England.
The England players have come in for heavy criticism since Australia wrapped up an 82-run win in the third Test in Adelaide on Sunday to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
US Vice President JD Vance has strongly criticized commentators for making derogatory remarks about his Indian-origin wife, Usha Vance, following racist comments from a right-wing podcaster.
England need to produce "something magical" on day four of the third Ashes Test against Australia if they are to have any chance of turning the tide, the visitors' spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel said on Friday.
Travis Head proved England's nemesis once again as he scored his second century of the Ashes to carry Australia toward a seemingly inevitable series triumph on day three at Adelaide Oval on Friday.
Ben Stokes eased concerns about his fitness after he captained England to a thumping eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the first Test at Christchurch's Hagley Oval on Sunday.
The contest between England's dialled-down "Bazball" approach and Australia's more methodical batting could determine who prevails in the Ashes series beginning in Perth on Friday.
Taking his 17th Test five-wicket haul, he finished with 7 for 58 off 12.5 overs.
After the incident, Austin was put on ventilator but he succumbed to his injury, which revoked the memories of Australian cricketer Phil Hughes' tragic death in 2014.
England must look to stamp their authority on the Ashes series in Australia early or risk succumbing to yet another defeat Down Under, former England bowler Stuart Broad has warned.
Surrey seamer Matthew Fisher has been added to the squad and will link up with the group this week, having been in Australia with the England Lions.
Australian cricket was rocked on Thursday by the death of a teenage player hit by a ball during training at his Melbourne club.
Bazball is in the firing line, with former players and pundits decrying the high-risk game on Australia's spicy pitches.
It was a wild ride while it lasted but the 'Bazball' revolution that enlivened English cricket for three years collapsed in 11 days on Australian soil in an Ashes defeat as harrowing as any in the modern era.
England trail 2-0 in the five-Test series after being outplayed with bat, ball and in the field during the eight-wicket loss in the day-night match in Brisbane.
