Former England captain Kevin Pietersen feels ICC needs to lure cricketers to longer version of the game by creating Test wages that trump what T20 leagues such as IPL and BBL offer to the players.
Plucked from obscurity when called up by selectors on Christmas Eve, the 32-year-old Victoria paceman finished with outrageous innings figures of 6-7 in four overs, sending his home crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground into delirium.
With Australia taking a 2-0 lead in the four-match Test series against India, the scales are titled highly in favour of the hosts. History also shows that the Melbourne Cricket Ground has been a happy hunting ground for the hosts. With the Boxing Day Test around the corner, here is a quick look at how the teams stand.
'We're absolutely confident the Australian Open will go ahead'
Jordan striker Ahmad Hayel has been ruled out of Friday's Asian Cup match against Palestine in Melbourne after a "cancelled" doping test, the team said on Wednesday.
Sent in to bat on a grassy MCG pitch on Sunday, England were skittled for 185
The 50-year-old former Australia batsman opined that India have a potent bowling attack and if their batsmen cope with the bounce well, then the tourists could stage a comeback in the series.
England and Pakistan to use T20 series to gauge World Cup readiness
Australian allrounder Shane Watson is unlikely to play the second Test against India next week as he returned home to continue rehab on his hamstring injury.
'We are expecting him (Dhoni) to be 100 percent in the next few days.' 'It's a big moment for me personally'
The captain couldn't be more happier with Ashwin's success.
For the much-awaited 10th 'Pink Test', the Australian and English cricket teams on Tuesday donned pink caps at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) alongside veteran cricketer and McGrath Foundation founder, Glenn McGrath.
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar said the Test series triumph in Australia last year ranks among the team's 'greatest wins' of all time and can be considered a golden chapter in the country's cricket history.
Indian wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha was, on Tuesday, ruled out of the third and final Test against South Africa due to a hamstring injury and will be replaced by Dinesh Karthik in the squad.
The Sports Authority of India on Friday formed a three-member inquiry committee to look into gymnast Aruna Budda Reddy's allegations of being video-graphed without consent during a physical fitness test conducted in March.
Pat Cummins said the Adelaide wicket had played a part in the humbling of India in the first test and the Australia paceman is hoping for another good track when the teams meet again in the second Test in Melbourne on December 26.
Following is a factbox on the first Test match between Australia and England, which starts on Thursday:
Hair, who no-balled Muralitharan for throwing in the 1995-96 Melbourne Test, will officiate in Lanka's match against England in Sydney.
'We're excited about Rohit coming back. Spoke to him yesterday, he's waiting to join the team.'
Dashing opener Virender Sehwag became the fifth Indian batsman to complete 8000 runs in Test cricket when he reached an individual score of 20 against Australia in the first Test.
England resumed their first innings on 491 for nine but Cook was unable to add to his overnight total, with Pat Cummins dismissing tail-ender James Anderson for a duck with the first ball of the morning.
India's opener Shikhar Dhawan and vice-captain Virat Kohli have recovered from their injuries sustained during the second Test against Australia and are fit to play the third match beginning in Melbourne on December 26.
Cricket Australia will be understanding of players who feel uncomfortable about playing in the wake of the death of Phillip Hughes when the rescheduled India Test series starts next week, chief executive James Sutherland said on Tuesday.
Indian vice-captain Rahul Dravid refused to believe that the heat would be on India alone in the crucial Melbourne Test.
Factbox on the four-Test series between Australia and India, which begins on Thursday
Virat Kohli urged his batsmen to complement the superb effort of his bowling unit in the upcoming Boxing Day Test against Australia starting on Wednesday.
Former Sri Lanka captain Duleep Mendis once remarked that 'Murali' could turn the ball even on concrete and it was no exaggeration.
On Wednesday, 10 people associated with the Grand Slam -- including four players -- had tested positive for the virus.
'(And) we've got a fourth guy who's a regular opener for India who's not fit (Vijay). We've got all four openers firing now. Shikhar was supposed to go (home) to Melbourne, now he's got a 190 in Galle. So, anything can happen in life'
Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar will join Australia's squad for the fourth and final Test against India in Sydney, captain Steven Smith said on Tuesday.
Following is a fact box on the final Test of the four-match series between Australia and India
Karnataka pacer R Vinay Kumar was named as his replacement for the four-match Test series beginning in Melbourne on December 26.
COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria said 12 people linked to the tournament exited isolation on Sunday, leaving three active cases still to be cleared.
Rahane was left to pick up the pieces at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and responded in emphatic style.
Australia named an unchanged 12-man squad for the fourth Test in Melbourne following the team's dominant 267-run win over England in Perth on Sunday.
India pacer Mohammed Siraj revealed that words of encouragement from head coach Ravi Shastri during the team's tour of Australia made him change his mind about returning home after his father's death.
The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Bruce Oxenford and Paul Reiffel, third umpire Paul Wilson and fourth umpire Gerard Abood.
Top order batsman Usman Khawaja has suffered a setback in his bid to return to the Australia team for the second Test against West Indies after being ruled out of a domestic Twenty20 match by his Sydney Thunder side on Monday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances