Australia captain Michael Clarke said he was not going to promise his country "the world" on the eve of the first Ashes test on Wednesday.
Younus Khan led Pakistan's fightback with a dogged century after the hosts made a terrible start to the first Test against Australia in Dubai on Wednesday. After opting to bat first, Pakistan put up 219 for four wickets at stumps on the first day, with captain Misbah-ul-haq (34) and Asad Shafiq (9) at the crease.
Aus coach Darren Lehmann refused to blame selection errors and concedes being outplayed by England
Australia will have to win both Tests in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to go one point clear of South Africa, who displaced them at the top in July, but there is still little clarity about the side who would walk out for the first match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
How do India and Australia's teams stack up? Rajneesh Gupta presents all the numbers.
After resuming on 384-4, the hosts declared their first innings closed after lunch. Kurtis Patterson, in just his second Test innings, was unbeaten on 114 after posting his maiden century and captain Tim Paine was 45 not out.
Harbhajan Singh has rated the current Australian team led by Steven Smith as the 'weakest ever' in recent times to tour the Indian sub-continent.
.jpg)
Australia have named swashbuckling batsman Aaron Finch captain of the Twenty20 cricket team, replacing George Bailey, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Monday.
England were caught out by Australia's aggression during the ill-fated 2013/14 Ashes campaign but captain Joe Root says they are fully prepared for short-pitched bowling and on-field chatter when the series kicks off in Brisbane next week.
Under financial stress, Cricket Australia has already put 80 per cent of its staff on 20 per cent salary till end of June, while a handful of others, including the executives, remained on 80 per cent pay.
Cricket fans paid tribute to the late Test batsman Phillip Hughes on the first anniversary of his death.
Alex Carey has yet to play a Test match. Indeed, he has played many fewer matches with a red ball than he has with white and made his name in the T20 Big Bash League. But the 27-year-old left-hander is proving to be mature, adaptable and dependable for side.
Ferguson, who will need five to six weeks to recover, is returning to New Zealand and a replacement for him will be named on Tuesday, coach Gary Stead told reporters on Monday.
Australia are the unsurprising favourites to clinch a fifth World Cup.
'I thought Virat Kohli was the best batsman I've ever seen because of the way he plays in all forms, but Steve Smith... that's another level.'
The funeral of Australian Test cricketer Phillip Hughes began to the strains of a song entitled "Forever Young" in his home town on Wednesday as a nation united to celebrate the life of a sportsman cut down in his prime.
Australia bundled out England for a paltry 103 in their second innings to win the second Test match at Lord's on Sunday by a massive margin of 405 runs on the fourth day.
Pakistan's spinners scythed through Australia's top order in the second innings to get them close to victory in the first Test after twin centuries from Younus Khan and youngster Ajmal Shehzad helped the hosts set an improbable target.
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.
Two late goals in two minutes from Sergi Roberto and Luis Suarez gave European champions Barcelona a dramatic 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Centurion Michael Clarke played a true captain's innings as Australia shrugged off another umpiring controversy to produce an Ashes fightback and rack up 303 for three on the first day of the third Test on Thursday.
Poland midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak urged his team mates not to get carried away by their first ever victory at a European championship finals against Northern Ireland at Euro 2016 on Sunday. The 1-0 victory in Group C was the Poles' first win in seven games at the finals. It put the country in a strong position to reach the knockout stages as they prepare for a tough clash with world champions Germany in Paris on Thursday. But Krychowiak said: "We understood that the first match is very difficult, we were prepared for that. The next matches will show that we can be even better and go further. "We can do a lot, but we shouldn't be overly optimistic, having only won the first match. We should take it calmly with a cold-headed approach. We need to run our socks off, but I'm not hiding the fact that we want to win it."
Former Australian cricketer Geoff Lawson feels India would need a combination of tight technique and tough minds to get the better of the Aussies.
Having set the visitors an impossible 603-run victory target, Pakistan claimed the remaining six wickets in a little over a session on the final day to secure their first Test series victory against Australia in 20 years.
Australia were staring at a 2-0 series defeat after Pakistan's bowlers exposed their frailties against spin and reverse swing on day three of the second and final test in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Take a look at images from events that caught our attention in the week gone by.
Australia will play their first Test series in Sri Lanka in more than five years, with a three-match series beginning on July 26 in Kandy. The Australians will embark on a two-month tour of the island nation from July 11, playing three Tests, five ODIs and two T20 Internationals. Steve Smith's side leapfrogged India in February to finish the latest 12-month period in first spot on the ICC Test Championship table, while Sri Lanka have dropped to seventh place after a disappointing year following the retirements of legendary batting duo Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena. Only three members of the Australian side that beat the Black Caps in their most recent Test series - Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle and Usman Khawaja - have experienced Test cricket in Sri Lanka.
Captain Steven Smith took a sharp catch to snare India's first wicket after scoring a big century to fire Australia to a mammoth first innings total of 530 on day two of the third Test in Melbourne on Saturday.
India have set an aggressive tone to the ongoing four-match Test series.
Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of this week's third Test against India in Melbourne with uncapped batsman Joe Burns coming into the 13-man squad to replace him.
Skipper Steve Smith scored a controlled 133, Mitchell Johnson a game-changing 88 and Australia's tail wagged vigorously as the hosts barged their way back into the second Test against India on day three in Brisbane on Friday.
Injured pacer Harris sidelined; Siddle dropped.
Olympic 200 metres gold medallist Allyson Felix has chosen to run the 400 metres at next month's world championships, her coach told Reuters on Wednesday.
Dale Steyn produced a ferocious spell of fast bowling to inspire South Africa to a crushing 231-run victory over Australia in fading light on day four of the second Test on Sunday.
Poland's Arkadiusz Milik scored the winner as they downed Northern Ireland 1-0 in their Euro 2016 Group C opening match in Nice on Sunday.
Although Steve Smith was named man of the match after scoring 273 runs it was Australia's rejuvenated pace bowlers who made the biggest statement in their side's brutal mauling of England in the second Ashes Test.
Australia captain Michael Clarke was left to thank his bowlers and centurion Chris Rogers for the hosts' escape in the fourth Ashes Test on Sunday, having risked his team's winning streak by opting to bowl first after winning the toss.
Nathan Lyon's wish to see the end of some England careers after another Ashes whitewash could easily come true if the tourists' struggling senior players fail to lift quickly, former Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson said.
Trying to focus everyone's attention on playing a game of cricket when one of their best mates has passed away will be almost impossible.
Kevin Pietersen defiantly struck a mature century but England were staring down the barrel at 294 for seven at stumps on the third day of the third Ashes Test on Saturday, still 233 adrift on first innings.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances