Australia's title bid will be tested by injuries and Asian conditions at the T20 World Cup.
Travis Head said he was loving life as a Test opener after recording his third century of the Ashes series to help put Australia in a strong position after day three of the fifth Test on Tuesday.
Ravichandran Ashwin hails Travis Head after his 69-ball century, the second-fastest in Ashes history, helped Australia easily chase down 205 runs on Day 2 of first Ashes Test.
Travis Head was named as Australia's captain against Ireland, while left-hander Matt Renshaw made his T20 World Cup debut.
Australia were dealt an early blow in their quest to reach the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup after the depleted former champions crashed to a 23-run defeat by Zimbabwe in Colombo on Friday.
Sri Lanka beat Australia by eight wickets in a Group B match to qualify for the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup in Pallekele.
Australia, despite missing key pacers, are overwhelming favorites against Ireland in their T20 World Cup opener.
Australia's T20 World Cup campaign hangs by a thread after shock defeats to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, with injury setbacks and controversial selection decisions -- including Steve Smith's omission -- drawing sharp criticism.
Injury-hit Australia are considering including veteran Steve Smith to strengthen their batting line-up for the crucial T20 World Cup Group B match against Sri Lanka. Australia needs to win to secure a spot in the Super Eights after a defeat to Zimbabwe.
Australia, dealing with injury concerns surrounding captain Mitchell Marsh, will face a potentially tricky Zimbabwe side in their upcoming T20 World Cup Group B match. The Aussies are aiming for a Super Eights spot, but Zimbabwe's bowling attack and experienced players could pose a challenge.
Oman all-rounder Mohammad Nadeem will be the tournament's second-oldest player behind teammate Aamir Kaleem.
Already out of Super Eights contention, Australia beat Oman by nine wickets in their inconsequential final group clash of the T20 World Cup, in Kandy, on Friday.
Australia will aim to salvage pride against Oman in their final T20 World Cup match after a disappointing campaign marked by injuries and poor form.
Australia arrive in Pakistan for three-match T20I series ahead of T20 World Cup
Zimbabwe's stand-in skipper Sikandar Raza celebrates his team's stunning victory over Australia in the T20 World Cup, attributing the win to the team's culture, unity, and environment.
Pathum Nissanka's 52-ball hundred was the first century of this year's T20 World Cup and it could not have come at a better time for Sri Lanka.
Pakistan grabbed an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match Twenty20 series against Australia after skipper Salman Agha led by example to secure their comprehensive 90-run victory in the second match in Lahore on Saturday.
I don't want to feel any pressure about not bowling a certain ball because it's first ball: Ellis
Abhishek Sharma has proved to be unstoppable with the bat for India in T20 Internationals, hitting 1297 runs in 33 matches at a strike rate of 194.74.
Australia began their T20 World Cup campaign with a thumping 67-run victory over Ireland, in Colombo, on Wednesday.
A versatile and dynamic Australian unit, without key pacer Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, who is likely to miss the early stages of the tournament, will be going into the T20 World Cup with hopes of going deep in the tournament.
Opener Brian Bennett smashed a half-century and pacer Blessing Muzarabani bagged four wickets as Zimbabwe caused the biggest upset of the T20 World Cup, outclassing Australia by 23 runs.
Australia's Travis Head finished as the leading scorer of the Ashes series with 629 runs from five Tests, including three centuries.
Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup with a back injury, with left-armer Ben Dwarshuis named as his replacement.
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.
Saim Ayub produced a brilliant all-round display to power Pakistan to a 22-run victory against a largely second-string Australia in the first Twenty20 international between the teams in Lahore on Thursday.
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title. The 10th edition of the 20-overs global showpiece event will run from February 7 to March 8.
Cameron Green and Alex Carey guided Australia to an emphatic five-wicket victory against England, to claim the series 4-1, on Day 5 of the fifth Ashes Test on Thursday.
Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Ellis, Glenn Maxwell and hTim David will also be rested from the three-match T20I series against Pakistan, starting on January 29.
Statistically, Head's series stands apart. Among all players to score more than 600 runs in a single Ashes, he is the only one to do so at a strike rate north of 75 -- a reflection of how decisively he altered the tempo of games.
Usman Khawaja picked as Australia announce squad for Sydney Test against England
England Captain Ben Stokes was involved in a heated on-field exchange with Australia's No.3 Marnus Labuschagne, an incident that drew strong reactions from former players in the commentary box.
Opening batsman Travis Head hopes Australia and England will share a drink after the Ashes winds up in Sydney to revive a tradition that fell by the wayside after the 2023 series.
Joe Root contributed a magnificent 160 to England's first-innings tally of 384 but Travis Head drove Australia to 166 for two in response on the second day of the fifth and final Ashes Test.
Besides his batting, he was just as exceptional behind the stumps, taking some really clean catches to prove his mettle as one of the best glovesmen in world cricket right now.
Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin hailed New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell as a "brainy cricketer" who is capable of making the best out of his limits as a player and someone who can give a franchise 400-500 runs batting at number three or four during a tournament.
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title in familiar home conditions next month.
Head and wife Jessica Davies were recently blessed with the birth of their second child, a son named Harrison, who was born on November 11, 2024.
Rohit Sharma was replaced as India's ODI captain by Shubman Gill last year despite winning the ICC Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup within a span of nine months.
Temba Bavuma, who led South Africa to their maiden ICC World Test Championship title and a historic 2-0 series sweep in India, also made the cut, while four Australian players were included.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances