cricket
SportAustralian Associated PressNZ spin their way to T20I win over India
Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell have strangled India with spin as New Zealand came out on top in their first Twenty20 international with a 21-run win.Santner (2-11) and Bracewell (2-31) shared four wickets in eight overs in Ranchi on Friday to put the brakes on India's chase after New Zealand had posted a lofty 6-176 thanks to half-centuries from Daryl Mitchell (59) and Devon Conway (52).
SportAustralian Associated PressAussie T20 World Cup U-19 women edged
Australia's teenage women cricket prospects have been left reflecting ruefully on a frustrating three-run defeat in their Under-19 Twenty20 World Cup semi-final with England.Rhys McKenna's Aussies had looked set to ease home to victory on Friday and set up a date with India in the inaugural final of the ICC event in Potchefstroom, South Africa, after they skittled England for just 99 and were moving along smoothly enough at 3-48.
SportAustralian Associated PressKhawaja in doubt for BBL knock-out match
Usman Khawaja has propelled the Brisbane Heat into the next stage of the Big Bash finals but is no guarantee of lining up as he considers whether to give himself a break before the Test tour of India.Khawaja was one of five members of the Test squad who played in Friday night's rain-affected eliminator final between the Heat and Sydney Thunder, won by the visiting Brisbane team.
SportAustralian Associated PressArcher and England toil on quick's return
Jason Roy has roared back into form with a masterful 79-ball hundred but England's batting collapse still saw a Rassie van der Dussen-inspired South Africa snatch an unlikely 27-run victory on Jofra Archer's international return.Roy has had a prolonged lean run but registered his first 50-plus score in 15 international innings with 113 off 91 deliveries in the first of three ODIs against the Proteas in Bloemfontein on Friday.
SportAustralian Associated PressCricket Australia honour Redpath, Jennings
Greg Chappell once said he only knew of two teammates who would kill to play Test cricket - Ian Redpath and Rod Marsh.Redpath, a key member of Australia's powerful teams during the mid-1970s, has joined former captain Marg Jennings as the latest inductees into the national cricket hall of fame.
SportAustralian Associated PressPucovski to make cricket return
Will Pucovski's rollercoaster cricket career begins its next circuit when he returns to playing with his grade club Melbourne.The Australian opener has been named for a two-day Victoria Premier Cricket match against Essendon at the Albert Ground, starting on Saturday.
SportAustralian Associated PressKhawaja stars, Heat oust Thunder from BBL
The Brisbane Heat have eliminated the Sydney Thunder from the Big Bash finals thanks to an Usman Khawaja batting masterclass and some inclement Sydney weather.Ably assisted by Test teammate Marnus Labuschagne (73), Khawaja scored 94 from 55 deliveries, shaking off a lukewarm run of BBL form and helping to hoist the Heat into another sudden-death clash with the Melbourne Renegades on Sunday.
SportAustralian Associated PressPerth's Richardson out of first BBL final
Australian representative Jhye Richardson will miss the Perth Scorchers' Big Bash qualifying final against the Sydney Sixers with the hamstring injury that has sidelined him since January 4.One of the best quicks in the country, Richardson had been considered a chance to recover in time for Saturday's game, the winner of which will advance to the grand final.
SportAustralian Associated PressLegacy on line in India and England
Steve Smith says the next six months can shape his generation's long-term legacy, with Australia's men able to enter the conversation over the nation's finest ever Test teams.The side will depart for India next week ahead of a marathon stint abroad, with some multi-format players set for up to 34 weeks on the road this year.
SportAustralian Associated PressJadeja's seven-for puts Australia on alert
Star allrounder Ravindra Jadeja has made a striking comeback after injury with a seven-wicket haul that should sound the alarm bells for Australia with the Test series against India just a fortnight away.The 34-year-old, whose inclusion in India's squad for the four-Test series beginning on February 9 in Nagpur has been subject to fitness, reported all was fine after he took 7-53 off 17.
SportAustralian Associated PressAbbott joins Aussie seamers' county trail
Sean Abbott has been snapped up to play at Surrey, the latest Australian seamer to join the English county circuit this week following news of Peter Siddle's return to Somerset.The 30-year-old Abbott has signed on at the Oval-based county side in a deal until the end of July, meaning he'll be available for fixtures in both the county championship and the T20 Blast competitions.
SportAustralian Associated PressBabar, Sciver are Cricketers of the Year
Pakistan captain Babar Azam and England allrounder Nat Sciver have been named as the ICC Cricketers of the Year.Babar won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy as men's 2022 winner, rewarded for another stellar year in which he captained his side to the T20 World Cup final in Australia and scored more than 2500 international runs in all formats.
SportAustralian Associated PressAustralia secure Pakistan T20 series win
Australia have wrapped up a Twenty20 series victory over Pakistan on the back of a clinical bowling effort and clean strikes from Beth Mooney.The hosts used nine bowlers on Thursday night at Hobart's Blundstone Arena, restricting Pakistan to 7-96 and chasing down the target in 12.
SportAustralian Associated PressEngland to contend with gun Jansen in ODIs
England will be facing the International Cricket Council's emerging men's cricketer of the year this week after South Africa's Marco Jansen picked up the award.The 22-year-old allrounder beat competition from India's Arshdeep Singh, Afghanistan's Ibrahim Zadran and New Zealand's Finn Allen after a standout 2022.
SportAustralian Associated PressSthalekar lauds record-setting women's IPL
Former Australia captain Lisa Sthalekar has thrown her support behind the record-breaking introduction of a fully fledged Indian Premier League-style Twenty20 tournament for women.Since 2018, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) has been staging a three-team Women's T20 Challenge alongside the hugely popular IPL for the men and faced demands to start a women's tournament.
SportAustralian Associated PressTahlia McGrath is world T20 player of year
Tahlia McGrath has hailed her award as the ICC women's Twenty20 International cricketer of the year as a "pretty special" reward after her spectacular 2022 breakthrough.McGrath scored 435 runs in 16 matches at an average of 62.
SportAustralian Associated PressThunder set sights on BBL finals run
Returning allrounder Jason Sangha believes the Sydney Thunder can cause some trouble in the BBL finals after sneaking into the top-five.The Thunder locked in the last spot in the BBL finals with a tense three-wicket win against the lowly Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Wednesday night.
SportAustralian Associated PressPhoenix grind out crucial win over Taipans
South East Melbourne Phoenix continue to find ways to win with their season on the line after defeating Cairns Taipans 85-80 to record their third victory on the trot and maintain their place inside the NBL's top six.A run of 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night's crucial clash at Melbourne's State Basketball Centre saw the Phoenix grind out their 15th win of the season and inch closer towards securing a place in the league's inaugural Play-In Tournament.
SportAustralian Associated PressSouth Africa under the pump in ODI series
South Africa go into a three-match ODI series against England this week in a precarious position, needing to secure a whitewash if they are to make sure of automatic qualification for this year's World Cup.South Africa are languishing in the World Cup Super League standings and are chasing the last available automatic qualifying berth for the tournament in India later this year - along with Ireland, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
SportAustralian Associated PressThunder book BBL finals spot with MCG win
The Sydney Thunder have staggered to a three-wicket win against the lowly Melbourne Stars, booking their spot in the BBL finals.Chasing just 120 to win at the MCG, the Thunder slumped to 5-60 and were in danger of blowing a golden opportunity to seal a place in the top-five.
SportYahoo Sport AustraliaCricket world stunned after 'biggest choke' in Big Bash history
The Brisbane Heat have failed to secure third spot after a meltdown. Find out more here.
SportAustralian Associated PressGill impresses India cricket captain Rohit
It might be premature to say Shubman Gill has nailed down the India opener's slot for the Cricket World Cup on home soil later this year but skipper Rohit Sharma has been impressed by the 23-year-old's understanding of the role.With veteran Shikhar Dhawan's patchy form effectively taking him out of the running for a place at the tournament, India have zeroed in on Gill and Ishan Kishan as Rohit's potential opening partners.
SportAustralian Associated PressPerth's Bancroft keen on elusive BBL title
When it comes to showering in the spoils of Big Bash glory, Perth Scorchers opener Cameron Bancroft would have to be one of the most unluckiest players going around.Bancroft has scored 1527 runs across 66 games since making his BBL debut in 2015.
SportAustralian Associated PressHobart stun Heat but miss BBL finals
The Hobart Hurricanes have pulled off a remarkable two-run victory over the Brisbane Heat, only to fall short of making the Big Bash League finals.The Heat were well on track to run down the Hurricanes' modest total of 9-120, needing 16 runs from the final three overs in Launceston with five wickets in hand.
SportYahoo Sport AustraliaPat Cummins cops massive snub in ICC's Test team of the year
Pat Cummins was overlooked as captain on the ICC Test Team of the Year, sparking a huge debate on social media. Read more here.
