SYDNEY - Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke said Wednesday he was confident his troublesome back would not prevent him from leading Australia in the two Ashes series against England this year.Clarke has managed the back problem since he was first diagnosed with a degenerative condition ...

LONDONChris Rogers gave Australia a timely Ashes boost with a fine double century in Middlesex’s county championship draw against Surrey at Lord’s on Sunday.Rogers hit 214 — his ninth first-class double century — to improve his chances of featuring against England after a ...

SYDNEY  -  The recall of two 35-year-old veterans for the Ashes series against England shows the lack of quality coming through the Australian ranks, with the squad the "best of a bad lot", media said Thursday.Selectors picked Brad Haddin and Chris Rogers, with five openers among seven ...

SYDNEY  Stuart MacGill is adamant Fawad Ahmed should be selected in Michael Clarke's Ashes squad if he is granted an Australian passport in time. MacGill has been working with Ahmed, a Pakistani asylum-seeker who was granted a permanent Australian visa late last year, at the SCG this ...

SYDNEY  - All-rounder James Faulkner has surged into contention to play in this year's Ashes series in England after being a surprise recipient of a Cricket Australia contract, reports said on Thursday. The Tasmanian, who was previously regarded as a limited-overs specialist, leapfrogged ...

LONDON  – With 100 days to go until the London Olympics, Seb Coe was planting trees at Kew Gardens, Weymouth council were building sandcastles and the London 2012 motto “inspire a generation” was born. Having arrived at the same landmark ahead of this summer’s ...

SYDNEY : Australia's chief selector John Inverarity says Pakistani asylum-seeker Fawad Ahmed will be in contention for a place in the Ashes squad to tour England if he is granted citizenship in time. "Fawad is a very good leg-spinner," Inverarity said. "I've seen quite a bit of him and all those ...

KARACHI- Over a hundred shanties were burnt to ashes in a fire that broke out mysteriously at Gulshan-e-Iqbals Shanti Nagar in the Aziz Bhatti Police precincts on Friday. Three persons were also injured in the incident. Official sources in the fire-brigade department said that cause of the fire ...

SYDNEY (Agencies) - The former England fast bowler, Graham Dilley, has died aged 52 after a short illness. One of the quickest bowlers of his generation, with a memorable surge to the crease, Dilley took 138 Test wickets at 29.78 for his country but his best-remembered contribution to the England ...

MIRPUR (AJK) - The citys pioneer and busiest Zafran CNG Station on Defence Road burnt to ashes here Monday evening in a terrible fire incident, police said. The fire also caused burning of two cars to skeleton parked at the station for refilling of the gas, the police post sources told The Nation ...

England were closing in on the Ashes after routing Australia for 98 and cruising to a 59-run first-innings lead on the opening day of the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday. England skittled Australia for their lowest total in 133 years of Ashes Tests at the MCG and rubbed ...

BIPIN DANI PUNE (India) - Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes modern-day technology should ensure the Ashes winners get to house the urn. He may have reopened the age-old debate about where the Ashes urn is held by declaring Australia should be rewarded with the real item if they defeat ...

A resurgent Australia levelled the Ashes with a comprehensive 267-run victory on the fourth day of the third Test against England at the WACA Ground on Sunday. Set 391 to win, England resumed at 81-5 and offered little resistance, lasting just 10 overs and less than an hour in the opening session, ...

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia dropped three players on Friday and gambled on left-arm spinner Michael Beer after just five first-class games for next weeks crucial third Ashes Test against England in Perth. Marcus North, Xavier Doherty and Doug Bollinger paid the price for Australias crushing innings ...

LONDON (AFP) - Shane Warne is keeping cricket fans in both England and Australia guessing on whether he is ready to make a stunning comeback to Test cricket during the ongoing Ashes series. Englands crushing innings and 71 run win in the second Test at Adelaide this week, which put the Ashes ...

NEW DELHI (AFP) - Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan said on Thursday he was bemused by suggestions that spin wizard Shane Warne should come out of retirement to resurrect Australias Ashes hopes. I have not watched Warne bowl recently, but it cant be easy to play Test cricket again, Imran said at a ...

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian newspapers Wednesday said the countrys cricket team was in a parlous state and the coveted Ashes series all but lost after Ricky Pontings men were smashed by England in Adelaide. Australia were comprehensively outplayed in the second Test losing by an innings and 71 runs ...

BRISBANE (Australia) (AFP) England were battling to save going one down in the Ashes series after Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin posted centuries to give Australia a massive innings lead in the first Gabba Test on Saturday. Hussey registered his highest Test score of 195 and Haddin contributed 136 in ...

PUNE (India) Englands tallest fast bowler Steven Finn may have been the most successful bowler (six wickets for 125 runs) in the first Ashes Test at Gabba on Saturday, but his one-time coach at Middlesex Ian Pont was not impressed with his performance. Its not pretty to look at, Ian Pont, ...

PUNE (India) England coach Andy Flower has barred his players from seeing their wives and girlfriends (WAGs) for the first five weeks of the on-going tour to Australia. The first Test is on November 25 but the squad will not be allowed to see their families until after the second Test in Perth, ...

SYDNEY (AFP) Selectors will unveil their thinking on the likely makeup of the Australian team when they announce a squad on Monday for the opening Ashes Test against England. The selectors met on Sunday to choose their squad for the first Test in Brisbane, starting on November 25. Vice-captain ...

SYDNEY (AFP) Former Australia coach John Buchanans move to help England prepare for this years Ashes series in Australia may be scuppered by a cash crunch caused by Londons 2012 Olympics, reports said on Thursday. Buchanan, 57, helped England in a consultancy role last year as Andrew Strausss side ...

PUNE (India) The ashes of former Kiwi player Bert Sutcliffe, MBE, who died of emphysema on April 20, 2001, at the age 77, was buried at the spot in the ground where he took a fantastic catch to end Englands Bill Edrichs innings (1946-47), this was revealed by his son Gary Sutcliffe. Burt ...

SWABI Four tyre shops were burnt in an inferno in old Swabi general bus stand market on Swabi-Mardan Road here on Tuesday. The fire that broke out first at the shop of a leading tyre seller was believed to be caused by setting on fire the pieces of tyres near the shop by one of the employees early ...

LONDON (AFP) Steve Harmisons announcement that he will not be available for the 2010-11 Ashes tour of Australia contributed to him being left out of the upcoming tour of South Africa, national selector Geoff Miller revealed on Thursday. Harmison, who failed to make either the one-day or Test ...

"When we were bad, we were awful and when we were good, we were just good enough". Aptly put words by Andrew Strauss the England captain, they just about summarise England's regaining of the Ashes. Australia lost even though their best bowlers - Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus and Mitchell Johnson - ...

EDINBURGH (AFP) - David Hussey smashed his first one-day international century as Australia began life without the Ashes by cruising to a 189-run win against Scotland in a 50-over clash at Edinburgh on Friday. An Australia side much-changed from the team that lost to England at the Oval five days ...

BATTING Player M Inn NO R Highest Avg 100s 50s cts stmps ENGLAND Jonathan Trott 1 2 0 160 119 80.00 1 0 1 0 Andrew Strauss 5 9 0 474 161 52.66 1 3 4 0 Kevin Pietersen 2 4 0 153 69 38.25 0 1 1 0 Graeme Swann 5 8 1 249 63 35.57 0 2 1 0 Andrew Flintoff 4 7 1 200 74 33.33 0 1 1 0 Matt ...

BIRMINGHAM (AFP) - Australia captain Ricky Ponting saluted the resilience shown by batsmen Michael Clarke and Marcus North to guide his side to a draw here in the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Vice-captain Clarke made 103 not out, his 12th century in 50 Tests and second in as many matches and ...

BIRMINGHAM (AFP) - The third day's play in the third Ashes Test between England and Australia at Edgbaston here on Saturday was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of persistent rain. Overnight and early morning rain meant the pitch and square were fully covered when the game, which had ...