A host of changes for England. No Anderson, who was born to bowl on pitches like this. Jonny Bairstow didn’t come up. A Test debut for Sam Billings, currently the keeper for the Sydney Thunder, and England’s 700th Test cap.
An absolute no brainer.
Immigration minister Alex Hawke revokes Serbian player’s visa
Novak Djokovic’s Australian visa has again been cancelled just days before the start of the Australian Open.
On Friday, the Australian immigration minister, Alex Hawke, exercised a personal power to cancel Djokovic’s visa, likely to result in the world No 1’s deportation and putting him out of contention for the grand slam tournament barring an against-the-odds court victory.
Continue reading...Novak Djokovic’s preparations for the Australian Open continued on Wednesday as the question of his presence in the country remained unresolved. Australia’s immigration minister, Alex Hawke, continues to deliberate over whether or not he should revoke Djokovic’s visa.
On Wednesday afternoon, Djokovic returned for his third practice at Melbourne Park since he was released from immigration detention. With a small contingent of media present, Djokovic trained with the Australian youngster Tristan Schoolkate and he continued to ease himself back into practice, working through a series of drills.
Continue reading...Andy Murray has welcomed Novak Djokovic’s release from immigration detention but he anticipates the men’s world No 1 will have a number of questions to answer in the coming days if he remains in Australia.
Djokovic spent his first full day of freedom focusing on tennis matters as he took to Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena behind closed doors for much-needed practice after the best part of five days spent in a hotel room fighting the cancellation of his visa.
Continue reading...Novak Djokovic ended an extraordinary day in Melbourne with his Australian Open dreams revived – for now – after winning an appeal against his visa cancellation. But his battle to stay in the country may yet have another twist in the tale, with the Australian government threatening to revoke his entry visa for a second time.
The circumstances have left the the world’s No 1 men’s tennis player, who spent four days in an immigration detention centre after his medical exemption from strict coronavirus vaccination rules was denied by border officials, in limbo days before he is due to begin the defence of his title next Monday.
Continue reading...Lawyers for the Australian government have rejected tennis star’s claim he was given assurances a medical exemption would allow him to enter the country for the Australian Open as case heard in court
I have a live stream up and running now. Updates coming soon.
A spokesperson for the court says the hearing is going ahead, but the live stream is still down:
I am now advised the hearing has started. The court is working to rectify the situation. Apologies.
Continue reading...Dead rubber? What dead rubber? As Steve Smith stood at the top of his mark in the gloaming and readied himself to bowl the last ball of a captivating final day to Jimmy Anderson – the kind of job swap only Test cricket and its light rules can throw up – the Sydney Cricket Ground felt gripped with all the tension of an Ashes thriller.
Australia were one wicket away going 4-0 up in a series they have dominated, England were one safely negotiated part-time leg-break away from shutting down the whitewash before the fifth Test in Hobart. Ben Stokes hid his face in the old pavilion, knowing his earlier three-hour 60 could easily amount to very little, while Pat Cummins, whose two-wicket burst with the second new ball had blown the session wide open, was suddenly a fast-bowling captain under a helmet among the wake of close-catching vultures.
Continue reading...NSW records 30,062 new Covid cases and 16 deaths; Victoria reports 44,155 cases and four deaths; Queensland records 18,000 cases, South Australia 4,506 cases and one death, Tasmania 1,406 cases, ACT 1,039, NT 481 and WA one. This blog is now closed
The health minister, Greg Hunt, has been asked about Novak Djokovic’s court case.
Hunt declined to comment, citing the fact the matter is before the court but did reveal that two other people connected with the Australian Open tournament have left Australia after their visas were cancelled.
In relation to Novak Djokovic, as this is now a matter before the courts, I will respectfully leave any commentary until after it has been heard by the court and my understanding is that there is a hearing tomorrow.
My other advice from border force is that their assessment of any visas relating to the Australian Open has now been completed and two other individuals have now voluntarily left the country – as is the case with an individual who has their visa cancelled is entitled to leave the country at any time, even while they are going through a court proceeding but that is a matter for them. Beyond that, the advice is that there is an ongoing court case so we respectfully are not making any additional comment.
Continue reading...World No 1 challenging visa cancellation but legal experts split on whether court process can be resolved in time for Australian Open draw
A bid by the Morrison government to delay Novak Djokovic’s visa hearing by two days has been rejected by the federal circuit court.
In an order, published on Sunday, judge Anthony Kelly rejected the move which would have delayed the hearing until Wednesday – after Tennis Australia’s stated deadline to include the world number one in the Australian Open draw.
Continue reading...Tennis star accuses Australian government officials of unfairly pressuring him to accept visa cancellation, documents show
Novak Djokovic relied on a weeks-old Covid infection to justify his vaccine-free travel to Australia and was given a green light by the federal government just days before arriving in the country, court documents reveal.
Court documents associated with Djokovic’s challenge to his visa cancellation were published by the federal circuit court late Saturday, ahead of an urgent hearing on Monday.
Continue reading...Whatever the outcome on the final day, the fourth Test of this one-sided Ashes series will always be remembered as Usman Khawaja’s match after the returning son of Sydney followed his emotional century on day two with a stylish sequel on the fourth.
Recalled to the side after a two-year absence after Travis Head’s positive Covid-19 result, Khawaja described himself as living the Australian dream upon compiling his initial 137 in the first innings.
Continue reading...Speaking of the sounds of cricket, here’s The Final World Daily podcast for your ears.
“I am envious of Mr. Ineson’s ability to fall gently to sleep to the sound of cricket commentary (earlier),” emails Damian Clarke. Accustomed as I am at failure in the art of slumbering, I often listen to the sound of rain through my earphones as an aid to rest. This evening I can combine my two favourite aural relaxants, and listen to the patter of precipitation on the roof of the SCG. Lovely.” This would make an excellent sleep meditation story, wouldn’t it? Stephen Fry gently reading old match reports with the sound of rain falling on a corrugated iron roof in the background. Aahhh, I feel calmer already.
Continue reading...Australian Open champion is challenging his deportation after the Australian prime minister said officials were ‘following the rules’
Novak Djokovic is awaiting his Australian Open fate in a Melbourne immigration hotel as the world No 1 mounts a legal challenge against Australia’s decision to cancel his visa.
Djokovic’s lawyers succeeded in a bid to stop him from being deported on Thursday with a full hearing in the federal circuit court now scheduled for Monday.
Continue reading...Novak Djokovic’s attempts to compete at the Australian Open this month were thrown into fresh doubt on Wednesday amid a spiralling outcry over his controversial “medical exemption” agreed by the tournament’s organisers.
The whereabouts of the world No 1 and reigning Australian champion were in doubt after he was held up at passport control at Tullamarine airport in Melbourne, the host city of the tournament, for several hours late at night.
Continue reading...There are dream Test debuts and then there is the match that Scott Boland just experienced. The 32-year-old Victorian was handed his Baggy Green cap on Boxing Day and just three days later ripped through England with a quite remarkable six-wicket haul that saw Australia retain the Ashes at the earliest opportunity.
The coup de grâce came at 11.49am on the third morning, less than half way through the scheduled series, when Cameron Green pegged back Jimmy Anderson’s off-stump to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead. England were all out for a meagre 68 in just 27.4 overs, having somehow conspired to lose by an innings and 14 runs in a match where their opponents had stuck just 267 on the board.
As Australia’s players managed to catch up with Green’s haring sprint of celebration (Boland among the throng that engulfed the giant all-rounder, and Pat Cummins savouring his first series win as captain) English cricket was in a state of humiliation. Joe Root had top-scored with 28, falling 80 runs short of Mohammad Yusuf’s record 1,788 in a calendar year, but once again his team-mates had melted around him.
Instead the only records set by way of calendar year were England registering their ninth defeat in 2021, surpassing a previous worst of eight, achieved four times, and registering 54 ducks to match a mark set by their forebears in 1998. They had also found themselves on the receiving end of the fastest Ashes five-wicket haul by an Australian, Boland requiring just 17 deliveries either side of stumps on day two to cap a stunning debut.
This was also England’s lowest total in Australia since 1904 and yet despite the previous evening’s collapse against a rampant attack, stumbling to 31 for four in response to a first innings deficit of 82, the tourists started the day with Root and his vice-captain, Ben Stokes, at the crease with a chance of setting their hosts a tricky target on what was clearly a spicy pitch for the seamers.
England are on their way. Start time delayed by 30 minutes.
You can also listen to Geoff (and Adam Collins and Emma John) dissect play on The Final Word Podcast if you like.
Continue reading...England’s batting flopped again as they slumped to 185 all out on day one of the Boxing Day Test, leaving Australia with one hand on the urn.
The tourists have yet to reach 300 in the series and the familiar frailty of their top seven reared its head again as Australia, who only need to draw to retain the Ashes, bossed proceedings in front of more than 51,000 fans at the MCG. The hosts finished on 61-1 at stumps.
Continue reading...From jellyfish in the Caribbean to hypothermia in the English Channel, swimming hasn’t been easy for Chloë McCardel – but can feel ‘so wild and free’
We’re not off to a good start. I’m fumbling with my cap, the rubber clinging to my head lopsidedly, my hair straggling out. I take it off to start again and the woman who has swum the fickle English Channel more times than any other human, the “Queen of the Channel”, instructs me in how to correctly apply a swimming cap.
Chloë McCardel and I are going for an ocean swim at Bondi. She dives into the foamy sea ahead of me – more slender mermaid than broad-shouldered Amazonian. Knee deep, I feel the current suck at my flesh. It’s not one of Bondi’s better days. Chest deep, I realise I’m being dragged out and my very amateur ocean-swimming abilities are no match for this surf. Panic rises. McCardel is an impatient white-cap in the distance. What was I thinking, suggesting a swim with superwoman?
Continue reading...Broad thumps the pad and wheels into one of his celebrappeals, not even looking at the umpire – bad move. It’s not given and it’s umpire’s call on impact, so not out.
OMG. Another tough chance, and this time he can’t hold on, low to his right. A big escape for Steve Smith.
Continue reading...When the England brains trust held Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad back at the Gabba under a belief they might work their magic under lights in Adelaide, it is fair to assume – although perhaps we cannot be certain – the scenario envisaged was not the pair trying to eke their team past the follow-on mark with the bat.
Yet here they were, England’s two most decorated seamers united out in the middle and Mitchell Starc bounding in with a hard, new, pink Kookaburra ball in hand. The specialist batsmen above them had earlier produced their latest heinous collapse, the crowd was up, the famous Edwardian scoreboard on the grass hill read 220 for nine and the deficit was 253 runs. The gulf felt greater to be honest.
Continue reading...