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Mitchell Johnson wants the new ball back again but Ricky Ponting has told his star pace bowler his best role for the team is at first-change.
Ponting was thrilled with the contribution of Johnson (12 wickets at 18.33) in last week’s one-day international series against New Zealand.
Bowling at first-change behind Ryan Harris and Doug Bollinger, Johnson [...]

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting says Michael Clarke will definitely play in Friday’s first Test against New Zealand in Wellington.
The team’s vice-captain missed the final three games of the one-day series against the Kiwis, which Australia won 3-2, to sort out his relationship with model Lara Bingle.
They have since announced the end of their engagement.
While the [...]

Despite having already clinched the series Australia did not cut New Zealand any slack in the fifth and final one-day international at Wellington on Saturday.
Ross Taylor (30) and Scott Styris built a solid partnership of 53 but it was brought undone by Shane Watson as the home side battled to 4 for 114 after 25 [...]

Melbourne, Mar 13 (ANI): Former skipper Steve Waugh has warned Ricky Ponting and the Australian squad that they are not match-hardened heading into this year’s home Ashes series because of a lack of competition from rival teams.
Waugh said Australia would be competitive when the first Test starts in November, but stopped short of predicting a [...]

Sydney, Sep.17 (ANI): Experienced Australian seamer Stuart Clark has warned that he can only hope the next generation of Australian cricketers values playing for their country ahead of chasing the almighty dollar on offer in the Indian Premier League and next month’s [...]

London, Sep.17 (ANI): All-rounder Andrew Flintoff may have unwittingly incited the break-up of international cricket by his refusal of an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) incremental contract, but he has played down reports of a possible backlash.

Flintoff has assured that his rejection of [...]

Nottingham (UK), Sep.16 (ANI): Australian skipper Ricky Ponting expects more cricketers to follow Andrew Flintoff and Andrew Symonds in going freelance.

Flintoff has rejected an incremental contract with his country and is reportedly been the target of interest from South Australia and Northerns in South Africa.

Symonds is considering Twenty20 options around the world after his [...]

London, Sep.13 (ANI): Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has made it clear he wants to return to England for the 2013 Ashes.

Ponting said that having made the decision to retire from Twenty20 cricket internationally, he was hopeful about prolonging his Test career and making it to the 2013 Ashes squad.

“It’s hopefully going to give me a [...]

London, Aug.26 (ANI): Skipper Ricky Ponting is adamant that the immediate future of Australian cricket is bright in spite of the Ashes loss and that several emerging players have come of age in England.

Writing in his exclusive column in The Australian today, Ponting says: “While we had bad sessions at Lord’s and The Oval which [...]

Melbourne, Aug 25 (ANI): Chairman of Australian selectors, Andrew Hilditch, has rejected criticism for not playing spinner Nathan Hauritz in the fifth Ashes Test, and said that Australia lost the Test because they got 160 in the first innings.

Hilditch admitted that his panel was “gutted” by Australia’s 2-1 Ashes loss to England.

He said the Australian [...]

Melbourne, Aug 25 (ANI): Spin legend Shane Warne would jump at the chance to replace Ricky Ponting and come out of retirement “in a heartbeat” if offered the Australian captaincy, former Test star Dean Jones has said.

Ponting’s captaincy is under scrutiny after he became only the second Australian captain to lose two Ashes series on [...]

London, Aug.24 (ANI): Former spin king Warne, Test opener Michael Slater and former captain Ian Chappell have led the chorus on calling for the selection panel, chaired by Andrew Hilditch, to be made accountable for Ashes failures [...]

London, Aug.24 (ANI): Andrew Flintoff signed off from Test cricket with Ashes glory and declared that Stuart Broad would adequately make up for his absence.

The 31-year-old said: “What a Test for Stuart Broad – I think once I’ve gone, they’re not going to be missing me. They seem to have found someone far better. [...]

London, Aug.24 (ANI): The Australian press and commentators have reacted along predictable lines to the latest Ashes series defeat to England in England.

“The Australian selectors have faced serious issues right through the series and they have not been solid. The selectors need to be made answerable at the end of this campaign, said former Australian [...]

Sydney, Aug.23 (ANI): Noted cricket columnist Peter Roebuck believes Australia’s weaknesses have been brutally exposed in the fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval and the urn seems destined to change hands for the third time in three series.

While accepting that two dreadful umpiring decisions had gone against Australia in the game, he said: [...]

London, Aug.20 (ANI): With the Ashes up for grabs during the next five days, Australia needs to play positive cricket from ball one tonight to retain the famous little urn, says former leg spinner Shane Warne in an article for the Herald Sun.

“Australia must remain aggressive and try to win the Test match. The Poms, [...]

Sydney, July 16 (ANI): Former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh has declared that opener Phillip Hughes is twice as tough as he was at the same age, as the young Australian continues his gruelling Ashes examination on cricket’s most prestigious stage.

Waugh overcame a weakness against short-pitched bowling early in his career and Hughes faces a [...]

London, July 15 (ANI): Australian opener Phillip Hughes has said that he is eyeing off another showdown with giant England quick Steve Harmison, who has been drafted into the host squad for the second Test, beginning at Lord’s tomorrow.

Harmison twice bounced out Hughes in a tour match at Worcester and England insists the 20-year-old opener [...]

London, July 8 (ANI): The epic cricket battle between England and Australia has sparked a deluge of wagers.

Betting exchange Betfair said it alone could take 200-million-pounds in stakes from punters all over the world.

Another betting outfit – Corals-predicted 100-million pounds of bets as the series gets under way in Cardiff.

The Aussies are [...]

Sydney, July 4 (ANI): This year’s Ashes series between Australia and England promises to be a ripper because the two sides possess both experience and freshness to deliver what is asked of them, feels noted cricket columnist Peter Roebuck.

According to Roebuck, the general verdict is that the series is too close to call.

“As a [...]