Australia dominated day two of the second Ashes Test on Friday with a punishing batting assault on a lifeless Gabba pitch as England fumbled their chances in the field.
Images from Day 2 of the 3rd Ashes Test in Adelaide on Thursday
'The tailenders should have looked to bat with Jamie Smith. Really poor from the batters towards the end. The plan should have been to give him the strike and let him do the heavy lifting.'
Smith needs just 315 runs to become the fourth Australian batter after Ricky Ponting (13378), Allan Border (11174), and Steve Waugh (10927) to reach the landmark of 10,000 Test runs.
India's top men's doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, seeded third, also progressed without taking the court after receiving a walkover from USA's Chen Zhi Yi and Presley Smith.
'He's a quality player, it was a matter of time for him to score.'
Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith hailed his side's resounding innings and 242-run victory over Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday as "near flawless" after the visitors retained the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy.
Smith has rarely, if ever, doubted his own talent but even he was aware that his spell at the top of the order was proving unpopular.
Ricky Ponting advised star batters Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to stop trying hard to rediscover their best and pushing themselves too hard and just focus on watching the ball and scoring runs.
Images from Day 2 of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the MCG on Friday.
Smith couldn't hide his emotions while recalling their work in the early days that paved the way for the entry of six IPL franchises in the league.
The hosts lost six wickets in the first session for 94 runs after resuming on four for no loss on Day 2 of the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne.
South Africa begins their T20 World Cup campaign against Canada, while Zimbabwe faces Oman in another match. Both South Africa and Zimbabwe aim to make a strong impact in the tournament.
If Smith is ruled out, then the left-hand batter Travis Head will lead the squad as he is the vice-captain of the side.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 3rd Ashes Test played in Adelaide on Wednesday
IMAGES from football matches played on Monday.
Expect nothing less than hostility, fire and close contests as Ben Stokes' England come armed with their Bazball philosophy to try and get the better of a depleted Australia.
Both teams will be hoping their key players step up as the league phase reaches a decisive stage.
Countering Bumrah before spinners come into play will be key for SA: Graeme Smith
Table-toppers Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to make amends with the bat after two consecutive defeats and lock their berth in the final when they take on a depleted UP Warriorz in the Women's Premier League in Vadodara
At just 14 years old, Suryavanshi is already one of the most talked-about young cricketers in the world, having first made headlines with an electrifying 35-ball century in the Indian Premier League's 2025 season.
India put on a commanding performance to beat South Africa by 30 runs in their T20 World Cup warm-up clash at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, on Wednesday.
From McCullum, there was greater support for another England batter, Jamie Smith, who he said works very hard on his game. The wicketkeeper-batter joined the team at the start of 2024.
England called up spinner Shoaib Bashir and seamer Matthew Potts for the final Ashes Test against Australia beginning on Sunday with one of them set to fill the void created by Gus Atkinson's injury-induced absence.
One of the most consistent fast bowlers in world cricket, Hazlewood has been a mainstay across formats for Australia, known for his IPL-style discipline, bounce and accuracy. However, injuries have interrupted his recent run.
Australian batter Steve Smith is "focussed" on taking them all head on in the game beginning in Adelaide on Friday.
Delhi Capitals will aim to upset defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru -- the only unbeaten team in WPL 2026 with five wins in a row.
T20 World Cups have seen some explosive batting, with a few players etching their names in history by scoring centuries. Here's a look at T20 World Cup centurions over the years.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to extend their winning run when they face Gujarat Giants in the WPL 2026 match in Vadodara on Monday.
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.
Virat Kohli surpassed the great Ricky Ponting for most runs by a No 3 batter in ODIs.
Having scored his 33rd ton in Brisbane, Smith equalled Sunil Gavaskar's then world record of 34 hundreds on the second day of the fourth Test at the MCG on Friday.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Ashes Test played in Perth on Friday.
Steve Smith was facing throwdowns from team-mate Marnus Labuschagne in the nets when the ball struck his right thumb.
Smith took a leaf out of Hussey's book and did not train on the day before the Adelaide Test, hoping to be fresh for a big score.
A mouth-watering India-South Africa warm-up at the D Y Patil stadium did exactly that, igniting anticipation and hopes among fans.
R Ashwin says he has figured out ways to tackle Australian batting mainstay Steve Smith in the upcoming five-match Test series
Virat Kohli and Steve Smith will be "dangerous" and "hungry" for runs in the remaining two Tests
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.
'To see his preparation, the way he dominates the game.'
