Latest news with #AustraliaVsSouthAfrica
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Australia drops Labuschagne, Smith out injured for cricket test series opener in the West Indies
Australia's Steve Smith reacts in pain as he leaves the field after getting hurt while fielding on day three of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's Steve Smith, right, reacts in pain after getting hurt while fielding on day three of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's Marnus Labuschagne reacts as he walks off the field after losing his wicket on day two of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's Marnus Labuschagne, right, makes it successfully into the crease on day two of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's Marnus Labuschagne reacts as he walks off the field after losing his wicket on day two of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's Marnus Labuschagne reacts as he walks off the field after losing his wicket on day two of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's Steve Smith reacts in pain as he leaves the field after getting hurt while fielding on day three of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's Steve Smith, right, reacts in pain after getting hurt while fielding on day three of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's Marnus Labuschagne reacts as he walks off the field after losing his wicket on day two of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's Marnus Labuschagne, right, makes it successfully into the crease on day two of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's Marnus Labuschagne reacts as he walks off the field after losing his wicket on day two of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) — Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped and injured Steve Smith has been ruled out of the Australia lineup for next week's series-opening cricket test against the West Indies. Cricket Australia on Friday said Smith would miss the opening match of the three-test seies because of a finger injury sustained in the World Test Championship final loss to South Africa last weekend at Lord's. He is expected to be fit for the second test against the West Indies. Advertisement Chief selector George Bailey said teenage opener Sam Konstas and wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis would replace Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. He said Smith needed more time for a wound to heal and he'd be reassessed after an another week. 'We have made the decision to give Josh and Sam the opportunity to replace Steve and Marnus," Bailey said. "We are excited to see them get the chance to further their fledgling test careers.' The 19-year-old Konstas has only played two tests, bursting onto the scene with an almost run-a-ball 60 against India in the Boxing Day test in Melbourne last December. Advertisement The 30-year-old Inglis has played mostly short-form cricket for Australia, playing his only two test matches to date in the series win in Sri Lanka in February, where he scored a century on debut. 'In his only opportunity in test cricket to date, Josh was outstanding in Sri Lanka, showing great intent and ability to put pressure on the opposition," Bailey said. Labuschange averages 46.19 in 104 test innings, including 11 centuries and 23 half-centuries, but has struggled for form in recent series. He hasn't scored a test hundred since the 2023 Ashes series in Manchester and hasn't scored above 26 in his most recent four test matches. Moved up to open in the WTC final against South Africa, he got starts but was out for 17 and 22. 'Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team. He understands his output hasn't been at the level we, or he, expects," Bailey said. 'We will continue working with him on the areas of his game we feel he needs to rediscover.' The batting order and starting XI will be determined closer to the start of the test next Wednedsay. The second test is scheduled to start July 3. ___ AP cricket:
Reuters
5 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
World Test Championship format needs revamping despite riveting final
LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) - A riveting World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa went a long way to boost the sagging credentials of the five-day game, but the format of the competition is in need of a revamp, according to many of the game's top observers. South Africa beat Australia by five wickets at lunch on the fourth day of a fluctuating contest at Lord's in which the bowlers dominated the opening two days. A total of 24 wickets were taken, but the tables were turned as wickets turned benign and the batsmen changed the course of the match. It was classic test cricket, as good as the excitement from any limited overs contest, but the overall WTC is a bewildering competition, devoid of uniformity and an unbalanced points system. There was much criticism of how South Africa managed to reach the final without playing either Australia and England in the two-year qualifying period. "It's very hard for the average cricket fan to understand who's the best team in the world and how exactly the top two teams make it to the final," said former England captain Michael Vaughan, now a television pundit. The two finalists are decided by a table of test results, with points awarded for wins and draws. The pair with the highest percentage of points available to them advance to the final, which in 2027 could again be at Lord's or in India, according to International Cricket Council officials. But there was a major discrepancy in South Africa playing only 12 tests compared to 19 for Australia and India, and even more by England (22). "I can't remember if I've ever even given any real time to be specifically thinking about the World Test Championship to be honest because it's utterly confusing," added England captain Ben Stokes. Countries are free to decide how many tests they want to play, and in South Africa's case, there is much less of an appetite for test cricket because they lose money. In the next cycle, which starts on Tuesday when Bangladesh begin a two-test series in Sri Lanka, the new champions will play 14 tests, this time including three test series against each of Australia and England but only two against India. Five test series are now only the preserve of contests between Australia, England, and India. "The fixture list is uneven; not everyone plays everyone else, and some have an easier ride than others," wrote Michael Atherton last week. "Everyone knows the WTC in its present guise is flawed, and that solutions, with so many competing interests, are fiendishly difficult," added the former England skipper.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Injured Steve Smith going with Australia to West Indies
Australia's Steve Smith, left, and bowling coach Daniel Vettori watch players warm up before the start of play on day four of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's captain Pat Cummins, left, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma on day four of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's captain Pat Cummins, left, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma on day four of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's Steve Smith, left, and bowling coach Daniel Vettori watch players warm up before the start of play on day four of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia's captain Pat Cummins, left, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma on day four of the World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's cricket ground in London, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) LONDON (AP) — Star batter Steve Smith and his dislocated finger are going with Australia to the Caribbean. Smith doesn't need surgery on the compound dislocation to his right pinkie from the World Test Championship final at Lord's, captain Pat Cummins said on Saturday. Advertisement But Smith's appearance in the three-test series against the West Indies starting on June 25 in Barbados remained a major doubt. "I'd say first test maybe unlikely and then go from there, but it's a bit early just to tell,' Cummins said. Smith became the highest non-English run-scorer in tests at Lord's and was hurt at a decisive moment in the final against South Africa on Friday. Standing at first slip and closer to the wickets than usual, his finger was smashed by an edge off South Africa captain Temba Bavuma and he dropped the catch. Bavuma was on 2 and went on to 66 in a match-winning stand with opener Aiden Markram, who scored 136. Advertisement Smith's finger should heal in two weeks and he could play depending on his tolerance for wearing a splint. He has to wear the splint for eight weeks, which encompasses the entire series. Cummins was grateful that the West Indies tests — their opening series in the 2025-27 WTC cycle — mean they don't have long to lick their wounds after losing the final by five wickets inside four days. 'To make these finals, it's normally off the back of being really strong at home, but you've got to win some away series too,' Cummins said. "We've got a good chance to do that straight away. A three-test-match series out there, it means we're into some really important cricket. 'So, in some ways, it's good we get to dust ourselves off and turn around in a couple of weeks and start looking ahead to the next one. That's one of the good things about the World Test Championship, every test series and every test match feels like you're playing for something significant.' Advertisement Cummins said they naturally want to be in the 2027 final but the makeup of what is an aging team has to be balanced between giving new talent a chance while trying to win matches, with an Ashes home series coming up in November. It wouldn't surprise if there are test retirements after that. 'It does feel like a little bit of a fresh start,' Cummins said. "Fast forward a couple of years, you start thinking about who's going to win. Hopefully if we make the final, who's going to be in that? Do we want to get some games into them? Do we feel like now is the right time to change? Or do you hold with the team that got us to the final? 'A new WTC cycle in some ways does feel like a bit of a reset.' Cummins had a good final, taking seven wickets and reaching 300 for his career, but he believes Australia let slip a second straight WTC title after having the upper hand at times. He felt their 74-run first-innings lead could have been more. Advertisement 'There's lots of moments where both teams wrestled back control,' he said. "Our first-innings lead was really important. But it was an opportunity where we could have batted the opposition out of the game by putting on well over 300 plus. 'We didn't give ourselves a big enough buffer and we let them back into the game. It's disappointing to miss a huge opportunity like this, and when it happens by a little bit it leaves you feeling a bit empty.' ___ AP cricket:
Daily Telegraph
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Telegraph
Australia v South Africa World Test Championship: live day four scores
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News. Australia is eyeing early wickets to pull off a World Test Championship final boilover as play resumes on day four at Lord's. South Africa is in command at 213-2 in their second innings, needing just 69 runs to win, with eight wickets still standing. 'The hope for us is we need to get a wicket or two in the morning and see what that looks like,' Australian assistant coach Daniel Vettori said. 'But (needing) 8-69 is a real challenge for the group. 'There was some optimism (after Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood half century stand set up the 282 target) but it's obviously going to be a real challenge tomorrow.' Aiden Markram's superb century has left South Africa on the brink of a dramatic victory after decades of heartbreak in major tournaments. Opener Markram, dismissed for a duck in the first innings, was 102 not out and South Africa captain Temba Bavuma unbeaten on 65 despite spending most of his innings limping with a hamstring injury. The pair have shared an unbroken stand of 143 as South Africa pursue what will be, if they achieve it, the second-highest successful run chase in a Test at Lord's. Originally published as Australia v South Africa World Test Championship Final Day 4 Live Scores
BBC News
7 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Markram helps South Africa close in on World Test Championship win
World Test Championship final, Lord's (day three of five)Australia 212: Webster 72; Rabada 5-51 & 207: Starc 58* ; Rabada 4-59South Africa 138: Bedingham 45; Cummins 6-28 & 213-2: Markram 102*, Bavuma 65*ScorecardSouth Africa need 69 more runs to win Aiden Markram made a brilliant unbeaten century to put South Africa within tantalising distance of a historic victory over Australia in the World Test Championship Starc and Josh Hazlewood had shared a stand of 59 for Australia's last wicket in the morning session of day three which appeared to give them the upper top-scored for Australia with a gritty unbeaten half-century as they were eventually dismissed for 207 on the stroke of any frustration South Africa may have felt gave way to a sense of what might be possible in more appreciable conditions for batting after the they were set a target of 282 for victory.A Lord's pitch which had seen 28 wickets fall during two days of cricket chaos suddenly looked a wildly different beast on a sun-kissed afternoon in St John's Wood with Markram playing a stellar 30-year-old has not played a competitive game of red-ball cricket since January but he batted with finesse during a classical Test-match innings which now looks set to define this seesaw shared an unbroken 143-run partnership with South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma, who was hampered by a hamstring injury but tenaciously stayed at the crease to play his part with an unbeaten pair will resume on day four with 69 runs required to wrap up the win. A win which would more pertinently ensure South Africa end their long wait for a victory in a major men's final, putting an end to their tag as international cricket's is unless Australia's bowlers can summon something quite remarkable with the ball on Saturday and provide an unexpected twist. Markram puts Proteas on brink of history The scale of the challenge facing South Africa when they began their innings was not quite the summit of Everest, but it certainly felt a fair way above base the start of their innings, WinViz gave South Africa a 38% chance of pulling off the joint second-highest successful chase for a Test match at Lord' chased down the same target against New Zealand - for the loss of three wickets - in 2004 while West Indies managed a nine-wicket victory against England in 1984 in pursuit of 342. In the 148-year history of Test cricket - in excess of 2,000 matches - there have also been just 26 occasions when the team batting last has scored the highest total of the match as South Africa require been rolled for 138 in the first innings, and up against an Australian bowling attack with more than 1,500 Test wickets between them, it felt like big burden of history, and data, did not seem to weigh too heavily on the shoulders of Markram and Bavuma, though, as bat truly dominated ball for the first time in this Africa lost Ryan Rickleton - who chased an away swinger from Starc and edged into the gloves of Alex Carey - early on for six but it not stymie the Proteas' intent. Markram and Wiaan Mulder were positive rather than tentative during a 69-run stand for the second wicket which provided a solid had reached 27 before he rather tamely chipped Starc, who had swapped to the Nursery End, into the hands of Marnus Labuschagne in the brought Bavuma, South Africa's leading run-scorer in Tests since December 2019, to the crease and he had an escape on when Steve Smith shelled a tough chance when he was on just suffered a compound dislocation of the little finger on his right hand after shelling the chance and left the field to go hospital for further the while Markram was quietly going about his business, during an authoritative and measured knock offering barely a carefully picked his moments to gracefully drive, square drive and guide boundaries alongside sensible accumulation on both sides of the wicket. South Africa's scoring rate slowed as the match headed towards stumps, but there was still time for Markram to reach three figures in the penultimate over of the strayed on to his pads and Markram effortlessly flicked the ball square for four before he took off his helmet to salute the crowd. Starc's defiance unwittingly shows the way Cummins had spied another 20 or 30 runs for Australia's last two wickets at the conclusion of the previous had added just four more when Lyon was given out lbw - despite reviewing - in the third over of the day after Rabada nipped one Africa hoped for a quick execution but for the next 80 minutes or so, Australia managed to dodge the guillotine.A Lord's pitch which had proved tricky for batters in the first two days - especially in the face of some truly top-class bowling - began to flatten the morning sunshine, with barely a breath of wind, it suddenly looked easier out in the middle than it had been at any point in this 0.5 degrees of swing and seam movement through the air and off the pitch, at that point the lowest of any session in the match according to CricViz, no wonder Starc and Hazlewood appeared so run that Australia managed to eke out for their final wicket would have gnawed away at Bavuma who was, if we are being hypercritical, guilty of a slight captaincy two left-handers at the crease he could arguably have posed more questions with Markram's part-time off-spin sooner than he brought up his half-century with a slash over the slip cordon, but it mattered little - he had earned the right for a stroke of before the lunch interval Markram burgled the wicket of Hazlewood when the Aussie number 11 slapped a long hop to Keshav Maharaj at cover and was dismissed for appeared satisfied with their morning's work - but in a curious way it had maybe given South Africa a psychological lift and was portent of what was to come in the remainder of the day.
