Top seed Andy Murray could meet Roger Federer or Kei Nishikori in the third round, while Serena faces tricky Belinda Bencic in opening round
The legendary Muttiah Muralitharan only sees Ravichandran Ashwin achieving the 700-800 Test wicket mark among the current crop of spinners and feels Nathan Lyon, who is set to play his 100th Test in Brisbane, 'may be not good enough to reach that far'.
India will usher in 2016 with a three-week tour of Australia, comprising five ODIs and three T20 Internationals, starting January 12.
Hafeez had already been reported twice for illegal action and was suspended both times.
Desai, who has been handed a two-year contract, has joined the team before the the first T20 International on Friday.
Harmanpreet extends association with Sydney Thunder for BBL
Upton said sports' governing bodies are not doing enough research to address the issue.
Pliskova was down 5-1 against Williams in the final set before the seventh seed produced a fight-back for the ages to claim a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 quarter-final win over the American great.
Australia's board had hoped the 60,000-seat venue in Burswood would be ready to host the third Ashes Test between the sides from December 14-18 but construction delays ruled that out, with Perth's traditional WACA ground staging it instead.
While Federer and Nadal will look to reignite the flair and fight they showed to reach last year's final, 2018 could have a different script at play.
A refreshed Roger Federer's clinical demolition of Jarkko Nieminen in his first match of 2014 suggested he could be a factor in the first major of the year.
Images from Day 5 of the fourth Test between Australia and India, at the Gabba, on Tuesday.
'He knows that cricket has given him an identity without which nobody will care about who Shardul Thakur is.'
Summary of sports events and persons who made news on Wednesday
Suspended Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal's modified bowling action will be put through an official ICC test in Chennai on January 24. The bowler, who will miss the World Cup because of the suspension for illegal action, had said he would prefer to be tested in Brisbane and not Chennai. On Tuesday, though, he said he has no issues about taking it in Chennai.
Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal's suspect bowling action will be tested at the Cricket Australia National Cricket Centre in Brisbane tomorrow and the result will be declared in about two weeks time, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement on Sunday.
The 34-year-old replaced Iftikhar Ahmed, who managed only 44 runs in four innings in the recent tour of Australia where Pakistan lost both Tests.
Sania is returning to the circuit after a two-year break but injured her leg in practice.
The skipper lauded the performance of his bowlers, who restricted Australia to 164 for six after the home team was 68 for one in 8.3 overs, and his batsmen alike.
Statistician Rajneesh Gupta has interesting numbers from the second One-dayer, in Brisbane, on Friday. Check them out.
Kane Richardson gets nod ahead of Josh Hazlewood as replacement
Relieved at being able to break a run of recent reverses with a four-run win over India in the first T20 International in Brisbane on Wednesday, Australia coach Justin Langer said they are tired of being 'bashed up'.
South Africa must do anything to win the T20 World Cup to held later this year, including exploring the option of bringing back the great AB de Villiers from retirement, former player Jonty Rhodes said. The 36-year-old de Villiers hasn't played international cricket for nearly two years, having announced his retirement in May 2018. It was later revealed that he made an offer to play the 50-over World Cup last year, but was turned down by the national selectors.
Australia is set to play two day-night Tests against South Africa and Pakistan next southern summer in a revamp of home international scheduling, according to reports.
'I haven't thought about anything. I mean I'm just here, I'm having a good time, I'm winning. What more can I ask for in a comeback?'
Smith's (28) ODI haul of 568 runs at 63.11 from 10 innings were enough to pip Finch (23) who scored 673 runs at 56.08 from 13 innings.
England batsman Jonathan Trott has suffered more stress-related problems on his return to first class action and will take another break from the sport to undergo treatment, the country's cricket board said on Friday.
The much-awaited return of David Warner and Steve Smith from their one-year bans has bolstered the team
The Big Four were always going to come into the year's first Grand Slam knowing fully well that their days of dominance are drawing to a close, if not already a thing of the past, says Dhruv Munjal.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been an integral part of SunRisers Hyderabad in IPL in the last few years. This year the T20 league has been suspended indefinitely due to the pandemic and it is likely that it could be held overseas later this year.
Defending champions India will get an early feel of the Australian conditions ahead of next year's 50-overs World Cup after agreeing to play a Test series against the hosts and a triangular one-day series, also featuring England, between December 4 and February 1.
Former fast bowler Geoff Lawson believes the current Indian attack is one the best he has seen in a long time and will challenge the Australian batsmen in the four-Test series.
Australia have been fined for maintaining a slow over-rate in the first T20 International against India in Brisbane.
The ICC on Friday announced that following remedial work and re-assessments, the bowling actions of Bangladesh's Arafat Sunny and Taskin Ahmed have been found to be legal, and both players can immediately resume bowling in international cricket. At the re-assessments, which were carried out at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane on September 8, it was revealed that the amount of elbow extension in all of Arafat and Taskin's deliveries were now within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the ICC regulations.
'It's bloody tough to sustain it for long periods of time, particularly I think for the fast bowlers. It's extremely difficult what they put themselves through. It's great that those conversations are happening and we're trying to keep guys as mentally and physically fresh as they can be'
Australia have included uncapped George Bailey in their 12-man squad for the first Ashes encounter against England next week in a gamble the 31-year-old can replicate his "extraordinary" limited overs form in the Test arena.
'I have done the wrong thing and accept the penalty. I'm gutted to miss a Test match, but the standards are there for a reason and the fault is mine'.
Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic gave Australia an unwanted reputation as a breeding ground for tennis brats during a tempestuous 2015 and the pair will be firmly under the spotlight in front of home crowds at Melbourne Park. With former world number one Lleyton Hewitt set to retire and the last of his two grand slam titles at the 2002 Wimbledon championships a distant memory, Australia has long yearned for a new force in men's tennis to challenge at the majors. Tomic, 23, and Kyrgios, 20, have both been tagged as the future of the sport in the country but the excitement generated by their undeniable talent gave way to dismay last season as the pair hogged the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Australian cricket, in contrast, has been dogged by structural reform in the wake of the ball-tampering saga in South Africa in March and it has resulted in turbulence on the field as well.
India's Virat Kohli led from the front with a sparkling 61 not out to help secure a series-levelling six-wicket victory over Australia in the third and final Twenty20 International in Sydney.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances