Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has opted out of the Indian Premier League and a possible US $1.5 million income as he fears playing in the Twenty20 event may lead to injury and burn-out, his manager said. The names of Johnson and Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke were not among the 416 released for next month's player auction in Bangalore.
India opener Gautam Gambhir had his numero uno status intact while team-mate Virender Sehwag slipped a place to sixth in the latest ICC ranking for the Test batsmen.
Captain Ricky Ponting, his deputy Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Jason Gillespie and Cameron White are the Australians who have joined the IPL.
Australia recovered from a top order collapse in their second innings to end Day 3 in the first Test 307 runs ahead of Pakistan at the MCG on Monday. After dismissing Pakistan for 258 just before tea for a first-innings lead of 196, they were 111 for 3 at stumps.
Poor ground conditions may prevent the second ODI between India and Australia on October 2 from getting underway.
Australian captain Michael Clarke once again failed with the bat as his side lost their one-off international Twenty20 against Sri Lanka at the WACA Ground in Perth on Sunday.
Star-power is missing after heavyweights from both the teams were either rested or ruled out but weather-permitting, a cracker of a contest can still be expected when India and Australia lock horns in the first ODI of a three-match series in Kochi on Sunday.
Australia captain Michael Clarke termed India captain Kohli's hundred as a great knock and as good as any second innings hundred, while being effusive in his praise for his own team.
Australian batsman Cameron White scored a trouble-free century to consign England to a six-wicket defeat in the third one-day international in Southampton on Wednesday.
Al-Qaeda is obsessed with using commercial airliners to carry out terror attacks and it may try again to use aircraft to strike Western targets, a leading British defence think-tank warned on Tuesday. The warning comes a day after three British men of Pakistani origin were convicted of plotting to blow up flights from London to North America using bombs disguised as soft drinks.
Australia notched 145-4 from their 20 overs and had reduced the hosts to four for two before rain intervened in the first of two internationals.
Amidst calls for his head after the recent Ashes loss, Australia skipper Ricky Ponting today said he would not mind sharing the captaincy, with his deputy Michael Clarke being made in-charge of the shorter versions of the game.
Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has said that the prospect of changes to the team's batting line-up for October's Test tour of India is remote.
Australia's captain steered his team to 136 for two at the close, just 34 runs behind Pakistan who bowled out the Australians for 88 on the first day of the second Test at Headingley.
Pakistan exploited heavy cloud cover and humidity to the full on Tuesday to seize the advantage over Australia in an old-fashioned English Test match in which ball dominated the bat throughout.
Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds has been fined after sleeping in and missing the team bus to a training session in Barbados. Symonds was 10 minutes late for the bus but did not miss any part of practice after finding his own way to Kensington Oval.
Australia overhauled England's first innings total of 435 on Friday during a productive second session on the third day of the first Ashes Test.
Attack will be the best form of defence for Team India against a rampaging Australian pace battery when the two sides square off on the dreaded green-top wicket of WACA in the do-or-die third Test starting on Friday.
Captain Ricky Ponting has dismissed talks of Australia being underprepared for the World Twenty20 Championships by missing the Indian Premier League (IPL) and said his side is instead "in the best shape" following the break before the big event. Ponting along with Michael Clarke and Mike Hussey, deliberately skipped IPL preferring rest ahead of a busy summer for them.
'When Michael made his decision to retire last week it was a very straight forward decision for us to nominate Steve as his successor' 'He is highly regarded by the selectors and we congratulate him on being appointed to the role on an ongoing basis. He should be incredibly proud'
Images form the World Twenty20 match between Austalia and Bangladesh played at Bridgetown on Wednesday.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat in the Twenty20 international against Australia.
Sacked Australia coach Mickey Arthur has been left "extremely upset and disappointed" after his confidential lawsuit against Cricket Australia was leaked to the media leading to a massive controversy.
Australia secured a consolation victory in the final Test by an innings and 46 runs on Sunday before England captain Alastair Cook lifted the Ashes urn at the end of a dramatic and fluctuating series.
And despite a slowdown, media planners say advertisers are pouring in over Rs 600 crore (nearly half the ad budget for cricket in 2009). This represents a more than 10 per cent increase over last year's spends on television, co-branding of teams and marketing, among others.
Peter Siddle took three wickets to give Australia the upperhand as South Africa were reduced to 198 for seven at stumps on day two of the second Test at the MCG in Melbourne on Saturday. Captain Graeme Smith scored a fine 62 but kept losing wickets at regular intervals in reply to Australia's first innings score of 394.
A report in The Australian said senior Australian players are uncertain about going to India in the near future and player managers have also expressed concern. Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke said security is one of the issues he had to weigh up when considering signing for the second edition of the IPL next year.
Harbhajan Singh said it was a barrage of vulgar personal remarks from the Australian fielders that provoked him to a verbal duel.
Michael Clarke top-scored with an unbeaten 61 as Australia dug out a draw against the West Indies on the fifth and final day of a dramatic second Test in Adelaide on Tuesday. Chasing 330 for victory, Australia went through several anxious moments before finishing on 212 for 5 when stumps were drawn.
India were 43 for 2 in their second innings after taking a 36-run lead on Day 4 of the third Test. Michael Clarke scored 112 as Australia were dismissed for 577.
The visitors were 102 for 4 at stumps, after India posted a formidable first innings score of 469, on Day 2 of the second Test.
Captain Ricky Ponting (5) continued to come a cropper in India as Australia floundered against Rajasthan Cricket Association's Centre of Excellence team in a two-day practice match, folding up for 218 on the first day.
Australia last won an Ashes series in England in 2001 and captain Michael Clarke is expecting five hard Tests.
Suresh Raina figures among the 10 players, who will "define" cricket in the next decade.
Michael Clarke will take over as captain of Australia's Twenty20 team to play England after Ricky Ponting was given permission to go home after the last Ashes Test. Ponting will return to Britain to take charge for the bulk of one-day international series but the selectors wanted to give him a rest as they start blooding younger players for next year's Twenty20 World Cup in West Indies.
Australia will attempt to add a final twist to a consistently gripping Lord's Ashes Test against England on Monday by chasing down a world-record fourth-innings target of 522. At the close of the fourth day of the second Test on Sunday, Michael Clarke (125) and Brad Haddin (80) had added an unbroken 185 for the sixth wicket to take Australia to 313 for five.
Images from Day One of the first Test between Australia and India at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday. Australia ended the day on 354-6.
Mike Hussey will lead Australia for the three-match Chappell-Hadlee Trophy one-day series against New Zealand.
Australia captain Michael Clarke has absolutely no doubt England will be a weaker side without batsman Kevin Pietersen when the Ashes rivalry resumes in Cardiff on July 8.
Herschelle Gibbs hit a sparkling century and Dale Steyn took four wickets to lift South Africa to a series-clinching 61-run win over Australia in the fourth one-dayer on Monday.
