MORE FROM Melinda Farrell

Head-spinning victory as Australia take 1-0 lead in Sri Lanka

Travis Head took 4-10 as Australia claimed a ten-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle.

Green the calm eye in a Galle storm as Australia build strong lead

It was a day that started in carnage thanks to gale-force winds and finished with some on-field carnage from a rollicking Pat Cummins in IPL mode. But those wildly different scenes were the frenetic bookends to the calm of Cameron Green as he made the day Australia’s with a cool and measured innings that gave the tourists a solid advantage in Galle.

Lyon bowls 'ugly', takes five wickets on eventful first day

Nathan Lyon took his 20th five-wicket haul at the venue where his Test career began on an eventful opening day of the series ended with Australia 3 for 98, chasing Sri Lanka's first innings total of 212.

Carey and Labuschagne survive trial by spin to seal Australia's consolation win

Australia's Test plans suffer another blow as Head joins casualty ward

Travis Head is the latest player to join Australia’s extensive injury list and has been ruled out of the final ODI against Sri Lanka with a minor hamstring strain.

CA confirm BBL draft to lure international stars to Australia

Cricket Australia hopes the introduction of an overseas draft will be enough to entice the world’s best cricketers to the BBL in the face of a growing number of competing cashed-up T20 leagues.

Asalanka ton sets up last ball thriller as Sri Lanka secure series victory

Sri Lanka held their nerve in a thriller that went down to the last ball to win the fourth ODI by four runs and secure their first ODI series win against Australia at home in 30 years.

Injured Mitchell Starc aims for ODIs but won't risk Tests

Mitchell Starc is hopeful he can recover from a lacerated finger in time to play at least one of Australia’s three remaining ODIs against Sri Lanka.

Australia suffer Kandy collapse as Sri Lanka level ODI series

On pitch that was difficult for batters on both sides, Sri Lanka made the best of the conditions before their bowlers piled pressure on Australia, culminating in the loss of five wickets for just 19 runs.

Stoinis ruled of ODIs as Australia's injury worries grow

Marcus Stoinis has been ruled out of the remainder of Australia’s ODI series against Sri Lanka after suffering a side strain.

Glenn Maxwell seals victory for Australia in first ODI

A commanding innings from Glenn Maxwell helped Australia to a two-wicket victory in their first ODI against Sri Lanka at Pallekele. 

Shanaka demolishes Australia as Sri Lanka win final T20

A blistering half-century by Dasun Shanaka blew Australia away in a thrilling chase at Pallekele as Sri Lanka claimed victory in the third T20 International.

Starc ruled out of third T20 against Sri Lanka

Mitchell Starc will continue to train with the Australian squad but will be out of the playing XI for a minimum of seven days after sustaining a lacerated finger.

Ponting joins Hurricanes as strategy expert

Ricky Ponting has signed a three-year deal with the Hobart Hurricanes as Head of Strategy for the men’s program and will lead the search for a new head coach.

Australia seal T20 series victory against Sri Lanka

Australia have sealed the T20 series on the first leg of their tour of Sri Lanka, a superb all round bowling effort paving the way for a three-wicket victory in the second T20 International.

Hazlewood's T20 evolution continues with 4-16 rout of Sri Lanka

Josh Hazlewood is cricket's dance remix of Nessun Dorma, a timeless classic that has been remade for the modern age but loses none of its spine-tingling majesty in the process.

Australia embark on road to World Cup title defence

Twelve months ago, Aaron Finch was preparing for a white ball tour of the Caribbean and Bangladesh as part of Australia’s build up to the T20 World Cup in the UAE.

Top End the winner in Australia's summer of cricket

Mott to bring fearlessness factor to England's overhaul

Matthew Mott came up on the rails to be confirmed as England's new white-ball coach. A close ally of new Test supremo Brendon McCullum, he promises a fearless approach.

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TSN's Melinda Farrell reflects on a historic visit to Pakistan as part of Australia's recent tour.

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Andrew McDonald is in the box seat to become full-time coach of the Australian men’s side, but the question remains whether or not he wants the job.

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Australia will have to go back to the drawing board to contain Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq if they are to win the ODI series against Pakistan, according to Marnus Labuschagne.

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The second ODI was only three balls old when Ben McDermott came to the crease, Australia’s No.3 batter by default, thanks to the absence of tired Test players, injuries and a Covid-19 outbreak.

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Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the remaining three matches of Australia’s tour of Pakistan and will head straight to India to continue his recovery from a minor hip-flexor strain.

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Ashton Agar has tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the first One-Day International against Pakistan and will remain in isolation for five days, keeping him out of the three-match ODI series.

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Mitch Marsh is likely out of the white ball series against Pakistan after sustaining a hip flexor injury at training on Saturday that could also see him miss the IPL.

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If Karachi was an epic draw, then Lahore was a monumental victory, the magnitude of which can hardly be overstated.

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It may have been Pakistan Day everywhere else - but in the middle of Gaddafi Stadium, it was definitely Australia’s day.

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Watching the progress of Cameron Green feels a little like checking on the health and growth of a favourite plan...Cameron Green is a long-term project for Australia, a rare cricketing orchid highly coveted and delicately handled.

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Australia have named an unchanged XI for the third Test against Pakistan in Lahore.

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For three-and-a-half days, Australia had done virtually everything right in Karachi - but a Test is played over five days, not three-and-a-half, and the best laid plans of would-be conquerors can be thwarted by a determined resistance.

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In terms of experience in the subcontinent, let alone captaining a Test side, Pat Cummins is a toddler, with two Tests in India and one at Rawalpindi under his belt. But he is learning fast. Scary fast. And he’s not alone.

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Khawaja century fulfils homecoming destiny

Out of the wings and into the spinning spotlight for Swepson

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Mitchell Swepson and Ashton Agar grew up idolising Shane Warne and, with both spinners in the mix for selection in Australia’s second Test, the pair have spoken about the influence the Test great had on their respective careers. 

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Initial discussions are underway between Cricket Australia and the Pakistan Cricket Board for Australia Women, Australia A and the national U19s side to tour Pakistan after the Australian Men’s side have paved the way for possible future tours.

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Australian interim coach Andrew McDonald is backing Nathan Lyon to bounce back from a gruelling Test in Rawalpindi and has hinted selectors may opt for two spinners for the second Test in Karachi.

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Us cricket fans are a funny lot - we can be difficult to please, even at the best of times. We know Test matches last five days and yet we often fall into the trap of thinking the first session has decided the result.

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It was a truly historic occasion and the buildup to the first ball was laden with meaning and emotion; no one could be in doubt that this was a major occasion.

Warney: Larger than life, bigger than the game

Sporting News' Melinda Farrell pays tribute to Australian cricket icon Shane Warne, following his death at age 52.

Magnitude of Australia's tour makes way for team selections

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Labuschagne embarks on the tour that could define his career

Marnus Labuschagne mentions tempo several times as he sits in his hotel room in Islamabad - and he believes that will be an important component of the tour of Pakistan that could define his career.

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The first training session of the tour is the Australian players’ first venture outside the hotel; so, too for the small number of journalists to have arrived in Islamabad.

Threat to Agar deemed 'not a risk' after investigation

A threatening social media message sent to Ashton Agar’s wife has been investigated and deemed not credible ahead of the first Test of Australia’s historic tour of Pakistan.

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While players have been calling for more women’s Test matches for years, the dramatic conclusion to the Women’s Ashes Test at Manuka Oval has provided the strongest argument yet that there is an appetite to watch women compete in the longest format.

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Australia are prepared for all-out aggression from England in the three remaining matches of the Women’s Ashes series after the thrilling drawn Test match left the home side just one win away from retaining the Ashes.

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Nothing that came before mattered - all that mattered now was the chase. England needed 257 runs from 48 overs - and it went down to the wire.

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Australia add Stella Campbell to Ashes squad

Australia has drafted fast bowler Stella Campbell into the squad as a replacement for the injured Tayla Vlaeminck, who sustained a stress fracture in her foot.

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It was vaguely ludicrous from the very first ball.

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While selectors mull over the make up of Australia’s fast bowling line up and the possible inclusion of Usman Khawaja for the pink ball Test in Hobart, their thoughts are also turning towards the subcontinent and a string of tours with vastly different requirements to the current home Ashes series.

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Labuschagne warns the best of Smith is yet to come

Marnus Labuschagne expects England to continue their short ball barrage in the third Test, but sounded a warning he is ready for the likely return of Mark Wood to bolster England’s bowling attack

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Mitchell Starc may have had better Test matches in the 63 he has played for Australia but the day-night Test in Adelaide must surely go down has one of his most mature performances.

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Cummins asks for kindness as he rejects Baggy Green Halo

In the week since Tim Paine resigned as Australian captain, the appointment of Pat Cummins as the 47th holder of the title has been the worst kept secret in cricket.

Paine's legacy: A stable captaincy bookended by tears

A week after resigning from the Australian Test captaincy, Tim Paine has stepped away from cricket indefinitely, the fallout from the texting scandal eventually proving to be too great a strain.

Harris confident of Ashes duel with Broad

There was a tactical theme that ran through the last Ashes series; England’s right-arm seamers bowling around the wicket to Australian left-handed openers with great success.

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'Underestimated' Zampa and Australia defy expectations, T20 wisdom

Wade laid the platform for semi-final heroics

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The hurdles standing in front of England juggernaut

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Warner, Australia find balance in win over Sri Lanka

Balance is a word you hear often in cricket - and Australia are starting to find it in the T20 World Cup.

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Australia claim scrappy win in T20 World Cup opener

Starc wants Australia's men to emulate women's winning ways

Mitchell Starc is hoping the Australian men’s T20 World Cup squad will display the same self-belief he has witnessed first hand within the national women’s camp.

WBBL thrown into chaos after Tasmania COVID-19 development

The WBBL has been thrown into chaos with a COVID-19 case in Tasmania putting in doubt several matches on the opening weekend in Hobart as the state’s south enters a three-day lockdown.

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Australia could play their postponed Test series against South Africa in 2023, according to Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley.

Inglis looking beyond Australia for World Cup inspiration

Josh Inglis may be part of Australia’s T20 World Cup squad but there’s a cosmopolitan flavour to the Western Australian.

Mitch Marsh firms as favourite to bat at No.3 in Australia's World Cup campaign

Mitch Marsh’s strong performances during Australia’s recent tours of the Caribbean and Bangladesh have put him in prime position to claim the number three slot for Australia in the ICC World Cup.

Ashes stars given green light for beach and golf but Perth remains a problem

Australia and England players will be able to enjoy relative freedom to dine outside, play golf and go to the beach during much of the Ashes series but face tighter restrictions for the final stage of the tour in Perth.

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Frustrating draw between Australia and India exposes issues for women's Tests

The Test may have ended in a draw, but there could be no doubt that India outplayed Australia in every department at Carrara Stadium.

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Vice-captain Rachael Haynes has been ruled out for the remainder of Australia’s multi-format series against India after suffering a hamstring strain.

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So Australia’s record winning streak ends at 26. It started against India in 2018 with an eight-wicket victory in Vadodara and in finished against India with a nerve-wracking two-wicket victory in Mackay.

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The coach who took Australia from timid to fearless

As far as careers go, coaching an Australian cricket side is not always a stable and long-term gig, but instead one punctuated by intense pressure and speculation - just ask Justin Langer.

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What the Taliban's takeover means for Afghanistan cricket and women players

The global community has complex and serious ethical questions to answer on the future of Afghanistan's favourite sport as female players go into hiding.

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Series confirmation leaves Australia raring to go

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It was no real surprise when Cricket Australia announced a vastly different squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup than the one that has just returned home from the West Indies and Bangladesh.

Finch admits Langer speculation 'not ideal'

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Matthew Wade admitted Australia’s performances were simply not good enough, after their winter tour finished with a drubbing by Bangladesh that included Australia’s lowest ever total in a T20.

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Marsh a 'real find' at No.3, says Langer

Marsh filled in at the top of the order in the absence of injured star Steve Smith during Australia's white-ball tour.

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Kurtis Patterson mentally prepared to lead 'Baby Blues'

Kurtis Patterson hopes the responsibility of captaining the New South Wales Sheffield Shield side will help him return to the batting form that elevated him into the Australian Test side.

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Australia's twin spin dilemma

Cricket Australia confirm T20 tour of Bangladesh

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If ever anyone needed proof that T20 and 50-over cricket are entirely different beasts, Australia and West Indies provided it in the first ODI in Barbados.

Alex Carey ready to repay the faith as captain in absence of injured Aaron Finch

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The wind in Saint Lucia has played a major role in plenty of games over the years - but for Justin Langer's outfit, it somehow came as a surprise.

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Mitchell Starc has thrown his support behind Australia’s less experienced players as the squad attempts to regroup after a 4-1 loss to West Indies in the T20 series and ahead of three One-Day Internationals.

Australia's cricketers blown away by Gayle force

Marsh resistance no match for West Indies

Australia’s dismal start to their winter tour continued when they were comprehensively beaten by West Indies in the second of five T20 Internationals in St Lucia.

Australia collapse as West Indies take 1-0 lead

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Wade: I've got nothing to lose

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Swaggering into a tavern, smoke still curling from the end of her rifle.

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Saker calls for CA to release full report into Cape Town ball-tampering incident

England debutant apologises for old tweets

Big to-do list awaits new Cricket Australia CEO Hockley

Hockley was this week confirmed as Kevin Roberts' permanent replacement as Cricket Australia's new chief-executive officer.

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150ms outside of Sao Paulo, 15 cricketers are inspiring the next generation.

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Australia and India to play historic women's day-night Test at the WACA

Australia and India will play their first women’s day-night Test as part of a multi-format series in September and October.

Australia could face India in rare Test match

Australia women could play a rare Test match against India in September as part of a multi-format series.

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It’s more than three years since television cameras captured the unedifying image of Cameron Bancroft stuffing a piece of sandpaper down his pants in an effort to hide a ball-tampering scheme.

Paine backs Smith for Australian Test captaincy

Tim Paine said he will consider his role as Australian Test skipper at the end of next summer’s Ashes series and flagged his support of Steve Smith should he regain the long-form captaincy.

Stranded Aussies headed for Maldives

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Zampa and Richardson on flight to Melbourne

Australian cricketers Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson will land in Australia today after they managed to secure flights out of India amid the country’s coronavirus crisis.

Australia's IPL cricketers facing uncertain future as border closes with India

There are fears Australian cricketers Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson may be stranded in Mumbai after the Australian government suspended all passenger flights from India amid the country’s worsening coronavirus crisis.

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Australia's Rose Bowl Victory leaves Haynes hungry for more

Australia have retained the Rose Bowl after defeating New Zealand by 71-runs in the second ODI at Mount Maunganui.

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It started with an eight-wicket victory in Vadodara, India, three years ago. And it may not end for some time yet, this incredible world-record winning streak.

Cricket legend Ellyse Perry faces greatest challenge in evolving game

It’s never a surprise seeing Ellyse Perry’s name on an Australian team sheet, such is her status as arguably the women’s game’s best all-rounder of the past decade.

World record beckons for Aussies

Australia women will break a world-record winning streak if they are victorious in the opening match of their ODI series against New Zealand on Sunday.

Key takeaways from New Zealand's incredible last-ball victory in Napier

Steve Smith wants to be captain - should he be?

Australian cricket's cost-benefit analysis on another Steve Smith captaincy reign isn't straightforward

Five key takeaways from Australia's victory in the first T20I in Hamilton