Australia captain Michael Clarke said he was confident paceman Ryan Harris would be fit to face England in the third Ashes Test on Friday but all-rounder James Faulkner has been ruled out of the match with a broken thumb.
Australia's stunning turnaround from Ashes joke to juggernaut in a few months has been the culmination of good, hard grind and paceman Mitchell Johnson finding himself in a supportive attack, according to captain Michael Clarke.
Michael Clarke's stylish 148 on day two of the second Ashes Test against England on Friday was another glorious consummation of his love affair with Adelaide Oval, and moved his deputy Brad Haddin to rate him the world's best batsman.
Resurgent Australia had enigmatic paceman Mitchell Johnson to thank for their crushing win over England in Brisbane and will put their hopes on another unknown quantity when the coin is tossed for the second Ashes Test in Adelaide.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann added fuel to the fiery Ashes series by urging Australia fans to keep the heat on England and said he wants his own team to continue playing "aggressive, in-your-face" cricket.
Australia captain Michael Clarke backed his players on Wednesday, stating that none of his teammates used silicone tapes on their bats to beat the controversial Decision Review System.
Michael Clarke is giving nothing away on the eve of the Ashes. Not his starting XI, not comparisons between this and the previous series, not praise nor predictions, not even observations on England.
Former Australian Test captain Michael Clarke is set to return to first-class cricket six months after he announced international retirement and the lucrative India Premier League is on his radar, according to reports in the Australian media. The 34-year-old, who retired from international cricket following Australia's Ashes defeat last August, has also refused to rule out wearing the baggy green once more, insisting he was in good shape ahead of a grade cricket comeback. Clarke is likely to make his return for grade team Western Suburbs against Randwick-Petersham in a Sydney club match on February 20-21. "I'll start with playing this grade game for Western Suburbs and see if I miss it as much as I feel like I'm going to. If I do, the option is there to train the entire winter and then we'll see what happens," local media reported Clarke as having told 'News Corp'.
Factbox on the third Test between Australia and South Africa, which begins on Friday.
Pace legend Glenn McGrath feels sacked Australian cricket coach Mickey Arthur's allegations of facing racial discrimination and having to deal with a divided team are "pretty poor" and show that he is "not too concerned" about the side he mentored.
Factbox on the second Test between Australia and South Africa, which begins on Thursday.
A controversial incident involving England's Stuart Broad was played down by players from both sides after a gripping third day of the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge on Friday.
Australia Test skipper Michael Clarke's will captain the Melbourne Stars in Australia's Big Bash League for the next two seasons after not playing Twenty20 for three years.
Rediff.com brings you the buzz around celebrity sportspersons and their glamorous lives!
Australian skipper Michael Clarke says the disrespectful attitude of the four players was "the straw that broke the camel's back" but believes that Shane Watson can still comeback to the side as vice-captain.
According to AFP, Clarke said the six-and-a-half weeks he had spent recuperating from hamstring surgery had not driven a wedge between him and the squad.
As Michael Clarke gets ready to play the final Test of his career, what will be remembered -- like his predecessor Ricky Ponting -- will not be their many triumphs, but the failure to win the Ashes on English soil.
Photos of the fifth One Day International between Australia and England being played at Adelaide Oval.
Ricky Ponting once harboured doubts over the suitability of Michael Clarke to succeed him as captain of Australia.
Australian captain Michael Clarke has been selected to play in the first Ashes tour warm-up game against Somerset on Wednesday, giving a much-needed boost to Australia's Ashes campaign.
Rubbishing those claims, Clarke said 'The players are as tight as any team I've been a part of'
# Sachin Tendulkar (71 not out) has registered his 16th fifty against Australia -- his 67th in Tests, extending his record.
Troubled opener David Warner has risked his place in Australia's Ashes team after his late night bar-room fracas with England player Joe Root, captain Michael Clarke said on Monday.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell believes struggling Alastair Cook is not good enough to lead the England team.
Australia's problems in the lead-up to the Ashes has stemmed from captain Michael Clarke's absence as he is in a major way accountable for the general manner in which the team conducts itself and the general direction in which it is travelling, according to the Australian media.
Defending champions Australia look more vulnerable than ever as they brace up against a confident England in their Champions Trophy Group A opener in Birmingham on Thursday.
Australia captain Michael Clarke has been ruled out of the side's first Champions Trophy group match against England on Saturday due to injury, Cricket Australia said on Friday.
Former Australian coach John Buchanan has backed Michael Clarke's side to beat India.
A look the squads of the eight participating teams in the ICC Champions Trophy.
England skipper Alastair Cook admits to feeling less than 100 percent as he contemplates a possible 5-0 Ashes drubbing but he could look to the experience of his opposite number for an object lesson in how quickly fortunes can turn around.
Legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne has slammed Cricket Australia (CA) for hiring 'muppets' from other sports such as high-performance chief Pat Howard instead of people with cricketing backgrounds to help captain Michael Clarke.
Australia's transformation over the last three months came about because the players simply got fed up with losing and decided to put in the hard work to turn their fortunes around, captain Michael Clarke said after they won the Ashes on Tuesday.
Very few young Australian cricketers have generated as much buzz in recent years as the 22-year-old, thanks to his prolific form in Sheffield Shield.
Australia captain Michael Clarke is licking his lips at the prospect of seeing how much damage his confident pace attack can wreak on a teetering England when the teams clash in the third Ashes Test in Perth.
England coach Andy Flower has called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to change the regulations regarding bad light after his side narrowly missed out on a dramatic victory in the final Ashes Test on Sunday.
Alastair Cook and Michael Clarke both have particular reasons for wanting to win the upcoming Ashes series that begins with the first cricket Test in Cardiff starting on Wednesday.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann has accused England's Stuart Broad of "blatant cheating" and called on fans to send the fast bowler home from the return Ashes series in tears.
Australia recalled all-rounder Mitchell Marsh to the squad for their Champions Trophy defence and named George Bailey as vice-captain on Wednesday.
Australian middle-order batsman, Usman Khawaja received an Ashes berth, and, opener Phillip Hughes was also lucky to retain his spot in the squad, after a poor performance in India.
Australia's coach Darren Lehmann believes that a happy high-heeled WAGs makes a happy cricketer.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances