| | 1. Bad news for Australia ahead of Champions TrophyСр, 05 фев[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) 
Australia may need to find three replacements for their 15-member squad ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE, with skipper Pat Cummins and key pacer Josh Hazlewood unlikely to take part in the tournament.
The team has already suffered a setback with the loss of experienced all-rounder Mitch Marsh due to injury, and the potential absence of both Cummins and Hazlewood could further weaken their chances of securing a third Champions Trophy title. The 50-over tournament is set to begin on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.
Australian coach Andrew McDonald on Wednesday addressed the latest injury concerns, revealing that a new captain might be required for the tournament if Cummins is unavailable.
Pat Cummins hasn’t been able to resume any type of bowling, so he’s heavily unlikely, so that would mean that we do need a captain,” McDonald told Australian radio station SEN. (Times of India)
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3. Usman Khawaja Backs Journalist Dropped from SL-Aus Radio CommentaryВт, 04 фев[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) 
The Australian opener Usman Khawaja has said the cricket writer Peter Lalor “deserves better” after he was dropped from radio coverage of Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka for his social media posts relating to the war in Gaza.
Lalor, the former longtime chief cricket writer for The Australian who has appeared on SEN radio coverage for 10 years, revealed he had been dumped during the first Test in Galle in a message to subscribers of his Cricket Et Al substack on Monday night. “I figured, at some point, there would be an attempt to take me down and it has happened,” he said.
“I was told there were accusations I was antisemitic which I strongly objected to. I was told my retweeting was not balanced, and insensitive to one side and that many people had complained.”
Khawaja, who scored a double century in the match during which Lalor was dumped, posted on Instagram saying the news was “unbelievable”.
“Standing up for the people of Gaza is not antisemitic nor does it have anything to do with my Jewish brothers and sisters in Australia but everything to do with the Israeli government and their deplorable actions,” he said. “It has everything to do with justice and human rights.”
Lalor was told he would not be part of the coverage on Saturday, the fourth morning of the match, won easily by Australia.
“I was asked by station boss Craig Hutchison, who was civil, if I didn’t care that my retweeting of events in Gaza made Jewish people in Melbourne feel unsafe. I said I didn’t want anyone to feel unsafe,” Lalor said.
Hutchison issued a statement saying he and Lalor have “different views” of the impact of the writer’s social media activity on the community.
“SEN Cricket is a celebration of differences and nationalities and a place where our SEN audience can escape what is an increasingly complex and sometimes triggering world,” he said.
“We respect Pete as a journalist and long-time contributor to the game but also acknowledge the fear that many families in our community feel right now, and we also need to respect that.”
Guardian Australia has sought comment from SEN radio and Hutchison. (Guardian)
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4. Pitch Mind Games? : Aussie Camp Analyzes Galle Pitch ThreatВт, 04 фев[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) 
Australian team is anticipating an even drier and barer surface for the second Test against Sri Lanka, starting Thursday, following an additional day of preparation after the first Test concluded earlier than scheduled.
The Galle International Stadium pitch, which has been baking under clear skies, is expected to spin earlier than in the series opener. Australia’s star batter and newly crowned Allan Border Medallist, Travis Head, inspected the surface and noted that it looked even more barren than the pitch used in the first Test.
“It probably looks a little bit dry but looks a really good wicket still,” Head said. “It looks like it will spin earlier, but the first couple of days should be good for batting.”
Australia is preparing for a scenario where the pitch significantly shifts towards spin-dominance, similar to the first Test, where conditions changed on day three.
Reflecting on the previous encounter at Galle in 2022, Head recalled the distinct dryness at both ends of the pitch and the heavy rolling in the middle, designed to minimize the impact of pace bowling. However, the current surface appears more evenly prepared but likely to favor spinners earlier in the match.
With Sri Lanka aiming to bounce back, and Australia keen on adapting to the conditions, the second Test promises to be another fascinating contest in the historic coastal venue.
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5. Dimuth Karunaratne to retire after 100th Test against AustraliaВт, 04 фев[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?)
Former Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne has informed Sri Lanka Cricket that the upcoming second Test against Australia in Galle, starting on February 6, will be his final international match.
Karunaratne, who has been a pillar of Sri Lanka’s Test batting for over a decade, has recently struggled for runs, prompting his decision to step away from the game. Despite his dip in form, he remains one of Sri Lanka’s most successful Test openers, having played a crucial role in several memorable victories.
His retirement will mark the end of an era for Sri Lankan cricket, as he bids farewell after 100 Test appearances. The Galle Test is set to be an emotional send-off for the veteran batter. (NewsWire)
2025-02-04
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7. ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the year 2024 announcedПн, 27 янв[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) 
- India bowling icon named ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year
Producing his best-ever annual haul in the red-ball format, Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah has been crowned as the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year for 2024.
Bumrah was the standout bowler in the world in 2024, excelling in both home and away conditions and proving a key contributor in keeping India in contention in the ICC World Test Championship standings.
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8. ICC ODI Cricketer of the year 2024 announcedПн, 27 янв[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) 
Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai built on an impressive 2023 to become one of the world’s leading One Day International performers in 2024, with his right-arm pace bowling and multi-faceted batting game helping take the Afghanistan team to a new level.
The 24-year-old also enjoyed a strong year in T20Is and franchise cricket, but it was in ODIs where he proved most influential. He finished the year as his national team’s second-highest run scorer (behind Rahmanullah Gurbaz) and second-highest wicket taker (behind AM Ghazanfar), with Afghanistan winning four of their five ODI series in 2024.
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9. World Test Championship: Pakistan hit an embarrassing lowПн, 27 янв[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) Pakistan hit an embarrassing low on Monday as they finished at the bottom of the World Test Championship points table after West Indies beat them by 120 runs in the second and final Test match of the series in Multan. It was West Indies’ first win in Pakistan in 34 years as they ended the contest on a 1-1 draw. Pakistan won the first Test by 127 runs, also in Multan
With just five wins in 14 matches during the 2023/25 cycle, which also saw them lose nine Tests, Pakistan finished last in the WTC points table with a PCT of just 27.89. This was their worst show in a WTC cycle. In the inaugural edition of the Championship, they recorded three wins in six matches to finish sixth with a PCT of 43.3. In the following cycle (2021/23), they finished seventh after managing just four wins in 14 games, thus recording a PCT of 38.1
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10. 1st Test : Injury update Pathum, Kamindu & DDSПн, 27 янв[-/+]Категория(?) Автор(?) 
Sri Lankan batter Pathum Nissanka has been ruled out of the first Test against Australia in Galle, as he has not fully recovered from his injury.
The Sri Lanka team has been training in Galle since the 22nd, but Nissanka was absent from the nets. Team management confirmed his unavailability for the opening Test.
In better news, Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva, who faced minor injury concerns, were seen practicing and are fit to play.
The first Test begins on January 29 in Galle. (NewsWire)
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