Australian batsman Michael Clarke has scoffed at suggestions his team’s mantle as the world’s top cricketing nation is under threat after the retirement of players ranked among the all-time greats. Opponents have been hoping that the loss of players such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist will spell the end of Australia’s long dominance.
India ended their tour of Australia on a high note when they beat the hosts by nine runs on Tuesday to win their best-of-three finals series 2-0. Sachin Tendulkar scored a superb 91 and paceman Praveen Kumar went on to capture four wickets as the tourists followed up Sunday’s six-wicket win in Sydney with a thrilling victory at the Gabba in Brisbane.
No image available
/ 22 February 2008
Sri Lanka’s chances of reaching the tri-series finals were dealt a serious blow when Australia beat them by 24 runs in a rain-shortened one-day match on Friday. The visitors’ gamble to bowl first — expecting the match to be shortened by the weather — looked to have paid off and they restricted the hosts to just 184-7 from their 50 overs.
No image available
/ 15 February 2008
Adam Gilchrist hit a century in his final hometown appearance in Perth to lead Australia to a 63-run victory over Sri Lanka in Friday’s tri-series match. Gilchrist bowed out with 118, scoring half of Australia’s all-out total of 236. It was his first one-day hundred since he made a breathtaking ton against Sri Lanka in last year’s World Cup final in Barbados.
No image available
/ 8 February 2008
Australia crushed Sri Lanka by 128 runs in a surprisingly lopsided tri-series one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. The Australians racked up a respectable total of 253-6 from their 50 overs then bowled the Sri Lankans out for just 125 in the first meeting between the sides since last year’s World Cup final in Barbados.
No image available
/ 1 February 2008
Australia captain Michael Clarke steered his side to a nine-wicket victory over India in their Twenty20 international at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday. After skittling the world champions out for just 74, with Nathan Bracken taking three wickets, Clarke then scored 37 of Australia’s runs needed for victory.
No image available
/ 27 January 2008
Australia and India are both hoping history will repeat itself and allow them to conjure a win out of nothing on the last day of the fourth and final Test. The match was evenly poised at the end of the fourth day on Sunday with India leading by just eight runs with nine second innings wickets in hand.
No image available
/ 27 January 2008
Australian captain Ricky Ponting equalled Sunil Gavaskar by notching up his 34th Test century on the fourth day of the fourth Test against India on Sunday. But retiring wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist fell cheaply in what is likely to be his last Test innings as the home side went to tea at 509 for six.
No image available
/ 25 January 2008
Captain Anil Kumble fell short of a second Test century as India’s tail wagged strongly to help the tourists post a big score in the fourth Test against Australia on Friday. After winning the toss and electing to bat, India were dismissed for an imposing 526 just after tea on the second day, Sachin Tendulkar top-scoring with a majestic 153.
No image available
/ 24 January 2008
Indian superstar Sachin Tendulkar posted a fairy-tale century to lift his side towards a challenging total on the first day of the fourth and final Test against Australia on Thursday. In what seems certain to be his last Test on Australian soil, Tendulkar shook off a personal hoodoo at Adelaide Oval to score his 39th Test hundred.
No image available
/ 17 January 2008
Australia’s bid to break their own world record for consecutive Test wins was on shaky ground on Thursday after their batting collapsed on a dramatic second day of the third Test against India in Perth. India bowled the Australians out for 212 in 50 overs and then added 52 runs for the loss of one wicket, reaching stumps with an overall lead of 170.
No image available
/ 16 January 2008
India’s master batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid made half-centuries before Australia fought back with a flurry of wickets on an absorbing opening day of the third Test on Wednesday. Dravid top scored with 93 while Tendulkar made 71 after steering the tourists out of trouble early on to reach stumps on 297-6 in their first innings.
No image available
/ 14 January 2008
Australia will hope to put the acrimony of recent days behind them as they chase a world record 17th straight Test win against India this week. Batsman Michael Clarke said the home team were ”keen as mustard” to get back on the field after the fall-out of the second Test in Sydney.
Australia beat India by 122 runs in an amazing finish to the second test on Sunday to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and equal their own world record of 16 successive victories. Part-time spinner Michael Clarke captured three wickets in five deliveries to wrap up an incredible victory with just seven balls remaining after India looked to have done enough to salvage a draw.
Matthew Hayden scored his second century of the series on Saturday to equal Don Bradman’s career tally of 29 Test hundreds and provide Australia with a glimmer of hope of pressing ahead for victory over India in the second Test. The left-handed opener hit a stylish 123 to guide Australia to 282-4 at stumps in their second innings.
Andrew Symonds smashed a breathtaking century in a record partnership with Brad Hogg to put Australia in control of the second Test against India on Wednesday. The powerful all-rounder demolished India’s bowling attack with an unbeaten 137 after Hogg made a vital 79 to steer Australia out of danger to 376-7 at stumps on the first day.
No image available
/ 29 December 2007
Australia thrashed India by 337 runs to win the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series on the fourth day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday. The Australians claimed their 15th consecutive Test victory and will look to equal their world record of 16 wins set from October 1999 to February 2001 in next week’s second Test.
No image available
/ 28 December 2007
India will have to do what no other Test team has done before to come from behind and win the first cricket Test after Australia set them an historic run chase at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday. The Australians offered the Indians 499 runs to win with two days left after declaring their second innings at 351-7 late on the third day.
No image available
/ 19 December 2007
Australia’s bowlers backed up captain Ricky Ponting’s second successive one-day international century to lead their side to a 114-run win and series victory against New Zealand in Hobart on Thursday. Ponting, who made 107 not out in Australia’s seven-wicket victory in the first game in Adelaide, struck an unbeaten 134.
No image available
/ 14 December 2007
Ricky Ponting scored his 24th one-day 100 and Adam Gilchrist clubbed a ferocious half-century to steer Australia to a convincing seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the opening Chappell Hadlee Trophy series game in Adelaide on Friday. Skipper Ponting cruised to an unbeaten 107 off 108 balls with 13 boundaries to glide Australia home to victory.
No image available
/ 30 November 2007
With Sri Lanka taking on England in a Test match starting this weekend, Muttiah Muralitharan stands on the brink of overhauling Australia’s Shane Warne to become Test cricket’s all-time leading wicket-taker. Murali needs just five victims to overhaul Warne’s total of 708 wickets. Some of those dismissed most by Muralitharan shed more light on the legend.
No image available
/ 21 November 2007
South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn has left his mark on the LG International Cricket Council (ICC) player rankings following his man-of-the-series performances against New Zealand. Steyn, who took 20 wickets in two matches against the Black Caps, has rocketed up to third in the latest listings for Test bowlers, a reflection of his recent potency.
No image available
/ 18 November 2007
Australia resisted the option to enforce the follow-on after dismissing Sri Lanka for 246 after tea on the third day of the second test at Bellerive Oval on Sunday. Sri Lanka finished 296 runs behind Australia’s first innings total of 542-5 after a batting collapse but were spared the ignominy of being sent back in after Ricky Ponting decided to give his bowlers a rest.
No image available
/ 17 November 2007
Adam Gilchrist became the first player to smash a 100 sixes in Test cricket in a brutal display of power hitting that put Australia in control of the second Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday. Gilchrist clubbed three massive sixes, including two in succession off Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, to blaze his way to an unbeaten 67.
Australia overcame a century by Yuvraj Singh to defeat India by 47 runs in the third limited-overs international on Friday in the southern city of Hyderabad. Having set a target of 291 for India, Australia bowled the home team out for 243 thanks to paceman Brett Lee (3-37) and spinner Brad Hogg (3-46). Australia went 2-0 up in the seven-match series, with the opening match abandoned.
No image available
/ 30 September 2007
Australia underlined the strength of their reserves in a rain-abandoned first one-dayer against India on Saturday, and stand-in skipper Adam Gilchrist said their performance boded well for the future. Reserve ‘keeper Brad Haddin hit 69 and then all rounder James Hopes lashed 37 in the final overs to help revive Australia’s innings after early trouble to total 307-7.
No image available
/ 20 September 2007
Openers Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist continued their prolific form to take Australia into the Twenty20 World Cup semifinals after a 10-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Newlands on Thursday. Hayden lashed 58 from 38 deliveries with seven fours and two sixes while Gilchrist remained unbeaten on 31 from just 25 balls.