Clarke appointed Australian captain

SYDNEY: Michael Clarke was appointed Australia”s Test and one-day captain on Wednesday, a day after Ricky Ponting bowed to pressure and quit after the country”s World Cup exit.

Long seen as heir-apparent, the stylish batsman, who turns 30 on Saturday, will jump into the role immediately, leaving this week for a tour of Bangladesh.

Ponting will also be on the plane, taking orders from his former deputy, after being named in the squad to play three one-dayers.

Shane Watson will be Clarke”s vice-captain with Cameron White remaining the Twenty20 skipper.

“First of all can I say what an honour it is to be named captain and also a huge surprise to see Ricky stand down,” Clarke said at a press conference.

“I was very much unaware of where he was at and didn”t know he was going to stand down. It was a huge surprise to me.

“I know Ricky will allow me to do my job to the best of my ability,” he added. “We want to be the best team in all forms and that is going to take time.”

His Test reign will start in August when he skippers a tour of Sri Lanka.

Clarke, though, is not popular with Australian fans, and polls published Wednesday showed how cool the public are to him.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, only 26 percent of 21,000 respondents in an online poll favoured him to be the new captain.

In the Sydney Daily Telegraph, a survey of 8,500 readers placed him a distant third behind Shane Watson and Michael Hussey.

Ponting insisted Clarke was the right man for the job, and vowed to give him all the support he needed.

“He has done nothing wrong when has stood in for me over the past few years and his record in T20 cricket speaks for itself,” he said in a column for The Australian newspaper.

“I will be there in the background for him if he needs me, but from today the Test and one-day teams will be his and I will be one of many players who follow him onto cricket grounds all over the world.”

Asked how he will feel taking orders from a man who used to be his deputy, Ponting replied: “I”ve taken orders most of my life, I”m pretty used to it.”

Clarke was also endorsed by cricket legend Richie Benaud.

“I”d have Clarke, he”s vice-captain, he”s done well the times he”s been captain,” Benaud told the Nine Network.

Clarke made his professional debut for New South Wales as an 18-year-old in the 1999-2000 Australian domestic season.

He made the jump to the national one-day team in January 2003 against England at Adelaide and was chosen to make his Test debut against India at Bangalore in October 2004.

He thumped 151, helping Australia to victory, invoking comparisons to past Australian greats Doug Walters and Mark Waugh.

Since then, he has gone on to play 69 Tests, scoring 4,742 runs, including 14 centuries, with an average of 46.49. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, Clarke has captured 21 wickets.

In the one-day game, he has collected 188 caps and 5,928 runs at an average of 43.58, with 52 wickets to his name.

A part-time underwear model and a regular in the social pages, Clarke was formerly engaged to model Lara Bingle and controversially returned to Sydney during Australia”s tour of New Zealand in March 2010 for “personal reasons”.

It followed Bingle deciding to sue her former lover Brendan Fevola for disseminating naked pictures of her, which ended up in a women”s magazine.

Clarke later called off his wedding plans. (AFP)

Michael Clarke Named As Australian Captain For Bangladesh Series

Cricket Australia has announced former vice captain of Australian team Michael Clarke as new captain of Australian team. Ponting has already endorsed him as new Australian captain but now on Wednesday he is officially announced as ne captain.

Australia to field first against Kiwis

NAGPUR: Australia won the toss and chose to field first in their World Cup Group A clash with New Zealand in Nagpur.

Ricky Ponting’s defending champions have named an unchanged side after their win over Zimbabwe on Monday.

Both teams observed a minute’s silence before the match to honour victims of the Christchurch earthquake.

The Kiwis have promoted middle-order batsman Jamie How for all-rounder Jacob Oram.

The match is set to start in overcast conditions with a top temperature of 31 degrees forecast.

Teams

Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Brad Haddin, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke, Cameron White, David Hussey, Steve Smith, Jason Krejza, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait, John Hastings (12th man).

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, James Franklin, Scott Styris, Jamie How, Nathan McCullum, Tim Southee, Hamish Bennett, Kane Williamson (12th man).

Ruthless Australia thump Kiwis by seven wickets

NAGPUR: Ruthless Australia compounded the miseries of rivals New Zealand by notching up a seven-wicket victory in their World Cup match on Friday.

Chasing an easy target of 207 runs for victory, Australia openers Shane Watson (62) and Brad Haddin (55) piled on 133 for the first wicket in just 18 overs as they punished the erratic bowling of New Zealand in the Group A encounter.

The start ensured that there were no hiccups, though both openers departed in the same over to paceman Hamish Bennett.

Captain Ricky Ponting (12) followed soon after, stumped brilliantly down the leg side by Brendon McCullum off Tim Southee.

Vice captain Michael Clarke and Cameron White saw Australia home in just 34 overs with an unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 40
runs to extend their team’s unbeaten run in World Cup to 31 matches.
The Kiwi bowlers did not help their cause by bowling 32 extras, which included 29 wides.

The match was played against a somber backdrop following the devastating earthquake in Christchurch earlier this week.

Both teams observed a minute’s silence and wore black arm-bands, while the New Zealand flag flew at half mast in memory of the victims of the earthquake, which has claimed at least 113 lives with 228 people still missing.

Some of New Zealand players struggled to keep their emotions in check as they linked arms while their national anthem was being played before the start of the match.

After the solemn start, the Australian pace duo of Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait vindicated Ponting’s decision to field first by skittling New Zealand for a 206.

Overnight rain and a little cloud cover prompted Ponting to bowl first in the day match and some fiery fast bowling saw the
Kiwis lose their first six wickets with just 73 runs on the board.
Johnson (four for 33) and Tait (three for 35) shared seven wickets among themselves, while Brett Lee and Shane Watson also chipped in with a wicket apiece.

Steve Smith was the only spinner to pick up a wicket. AGENCIES

Australia beat England by 4 runs

Australia finally had something to celebrate after recording an unlikely four-run win over England in the second Twenty20 international at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

After Australia battled to 147-7 thanks to an unbeaten half-century by second-gamer Aaron Finch, England looked set to cruise to victory when they were 58-0 after six overs, with opener Ian Bell on song.

But England’s quest to extend their record unbeaten T20 streak to nine matches, having defeated Australia on the last ball of Wednesday’s game in Adelaide, came unstuck as their middle order failed to deliver.

As was the case in Australia’s lone win during the Ashes series, in the third Test at the WACA Ground, it was paceman Mitchell Johnson (3-29) who turned the match on its head.Johnson claimed the vital wicket of Bell (39) when the right-hander dragged a ball onto his stumps in the seventh over to end an opening stand of 60. The left-hander then followed up by having Kevin Pietersen caught for one three balls later.

Johnson also removed the dangerous Eoin Morgan for 14, while Shane Watson backed up his brilliant effort in Wednesday’s match with a frugal 2-17 from four overs.

With 13 runs needed off the last three balls from Brett Lee, young England all-rounder Chris Woakes threatened to repeat his heroics on Wednesday when he lofted the paceman into the stands to leave seven needed from two. But Lee got the job done as Australia snapped a run of five successive losses in T20 internationals.

Man of the match Finch, playing in only his second international, hit 53 not out from 33 balls in a crucial performance with the bat for the home side.

Australia side got off to a quick start and were 57-1 after six overs, but lost 4-17 as Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy wreaked havoc, the two spinners recording identical figures of 2-19 from their four overs.

The two sides now meet in a seven-match one-day series and Australian captain Cameron White was hopeful the hope side finally had some momentum.

Aussies bounce back in Ashes with Johnsons magical spell

Mitchell Johnson produced a devastating display of swing bowling as Australia roared back into Ashes contention on day two of a riveting Perth Test.

Swing bowler Mitchell Johnson took six wickets to help Australia bowl out England for 187, giving the hosts an 81-run first innings lead in the third Ashes test. Then, Shane Watson scored 61 not out as Australia, trailing 1-0 in the series, reached 119-3 for a lead of 200 runs at the end of play.

In reply to Australias 268, England collapsed from a 78-0 to be bowled out just before tea on Friday, with Johnson taking 6-38.

Ian Bell top scored for England with a defiant 53 but the day belonged to Johnson and Australia, which positioned itself to push for a victory that would square the series. Johnson was supported by Ryan Harris who took 3-59.

England seamers rout Australia top order, smell Ashes victory

PERTH: England’s seamers obliterated Australia’s top order early in the third test in Perth on Thursday to leave the hosts reeling at 65 for four at lunch and buoy the tourists’ hopes of sealing the Ashes before Christmas.

Andrew Strauss, bidding to become the first English captain since Mike Gatting 24 years ago to bring the Ashes home, landed the first psychological blow by winning the toss and sending Australia in to bat on a green-topped pitch at the WACA.

The call proved a masterstroke as towering seamer Chris Tremlett celebrated his return to the test side by bowling Phillip Hughes for two with his sixth ball and removing vice captain Michael Clarke for four in his fourth over.

In between, James Anderson clinched the key wicket of captain Ricky Ponting for 12, while Steve Finn trapped Shane Watson lbw for 13 to leave the large English contingent in the

Cook hits double century but Ashes opener drawn

BRISBANE: Australia and England drew the first Ashes test on Monday but the tourists will claim a moral victory after Alastair Cook dominated the last two days with an unbeaten double century to rescue a match that had looked lost.

Cook, who was unbeaten on a career-high 235, and Jonathan Trott, who was 135 not out, had built a record partnership of 329 when captain Andrew Strauss declared England’s second innings closed at 571-1 before tea.

Australia, who were 296 runs behind, lost Simon Katich before the break but skipper Ricky Ponting, who hit 51 for his 56th test half century, and opener Shane Watson (41) ushered the hosts safely through the remaining overs to finish on 107 for one.

Cook and Trott completely dominated the first two sessions of the day in front of a sparse fifth day crowd at the Gabba, where England supporters were more numerous and much

Sydney: Srilanka beat Australia, win ODI series

Srilanka have defeated the Kangroos in the Sydney one-dayby 29 runs and have also won the One-Day International (ODI) series for the first time in Australia.
Batting first the islanders made 213 runs with Upal Tharanga as the top scorer with 86 runs, with Tilkaratne Dishan 47 and captain Kumara Sangakkara 45. The kangaroos managed a respectable start of 40 runs by Shane Watson but after his dismissal no batsman could stay for long at the crease. Rain also proved an obstacle for the kangaroos to reach the victory stand. The host team was given a target of 240 runs in 38 overs after the delay caused by the rain but the whole team could only play for long and hence lost the game. The success alos resulted in Srilanka winning the 3-ODI series with the kangaroos.

Australia slump to defeat, Sri Lanka win series

SYDNEY: Sri Lanka beat Australia by 29 runs in the second one-day international on Friday to claim their first series victory on Australian soil and condemn the hosts to a seventh straight defeat in all forms of the game.

Australia, who start the Ashes series at the end of the month, never looked like reaching their initial victory target of 244 in 39 overs or the 240 in 38 overs they were handed under the Duckworth-Lewis method after rain stopped play for a third time.

Impressive opener Upul Tharanga contributed an unbeaten 86 to Sri Lanka’s 213 for three, which they achieved in 41.1 overs as showers interrupted the action for a total of nearly three hours.

Shane Watson (40), Cameron White (35) and Steven Smith (33) offered the faintest glimmer of hope for the Australians but it was always going to be an uphill battle and they crumbled to 210 all

Next Page »