Australia settle on new Test opener as Nathan McSweeney named in squad to face India

  • South Australian to debut at top of batting order in first match in Perth
  • In-form Josh Inglis also picked as batter in 13-player squad

Australia have settled on Nathan McSweeney to be Usman Khawaja’s opening partner for the start of the blockbuster Test series against India. After an outstanding start to the domestic season, McSweeney has beaten Marcus Harris for the vacant spot in the Australian XI.

McSweeney will become the first Australian player in 47 years to make his Test debut as an opener despite never having batted there at Sheffield Shield level. The 25-year-old top-scored in both innings of the first Australia A match in Mackay when batting at No 4. But he was unable to convert starts – 14 and 25 – in both innings as Australia A closed out a six-wicket win in the second match at the MCG.

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Ian Botham saved from crocodile-infested waters by Ashes rival Merv Hughes

  • Former England cricketer was on fishing trip in Australia
  • ‘At the end of the day Crocodile Beefy survived,’ he jokes

Ian Botham, the former England cricketer, has survived a fall into crocodile-infested waters on a fishing trip in Australia’s Northern Territory after he was rescued by his close friend and Ashes rival, Merv Hughes.

Botham, 68, got his flip-flops tangled in a rope as he tried to board a boat and fell into the Moyle River during the pair’s four-day fishing trip.

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T20 World Cup 2024: Australia beat Oman by 39 runs – as it happened

4th over: Australia 25-1 (Warner 11, Marsh 1) Shakeel Ahmed into the attack with his pacey left arm spin. Gah! His first ball is a drag down that Warner clubs away for four. The bowler is on the button after that though, round the wicket and with a flat trajectory, firing it in at the stumps and pads. He beats Warner’s edge and gets out of the over for just six runs in total.

3rd over: Australia 19-1 (Warner 6, Marsh 0) Mitch Marsh arrives at the crease. Oman have a slip in place and Bilal Khan has his dander up. Marsh blocks back the final two balls of the over. Good stuff this.

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Tayla Vlaeminck returns as Australia thrash Bangladesh in opening T20

  • Australia’s quickest bowler has been out more than two years
  • Legspinner Sophie Molineux also impresses

Tayla Vlaeminck celebrated her return to international cricket by taking with a wicket with her fourth ball, as Australia thrashed Bangladesh in their series-opening Twenty20 international.

Playing her first game for Australia since January 2022, the Victorian quick beat Sobhana Mostary for pace, splattering the stumps and finishing with 1-30 as Australia restricted Bangladesh to 4-126, before chasing the target down without loss and with seven overs to spare.

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Cricket Australia cancels men’s T20 against Afghanistan due to concern over women’s rights

  • Australia postpones a second series in as many years
  • It comes amid fears conditions under Taliban are getting worse

A second Australian men’s cricket series against Afghanistan in as many years has been postponed due to the country’s poor record on human rights for women and girls.

Australia had already cancelled a one-day international series to be played in the United Arab Emirates in March 2023 due to “a marked deterioration” in the treatment of females in the country.

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Pat Cummins says he supports changing the date of Australia Day

  • Cricket Australia not branding Gabba Test for public holiday
  • Men’s cricket captain says country could ‘choose a better date’

Pat Cummins has called for a change to the date of Australia Day, backing the decision for the term not to be used in marketing for the Brisbane Test.

Cricket Australia (CA) have chosen not to brand this week’s second Test against West Indies as “the Australia Day match”, or use the term at the Gabba on day two on 26 January.

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South Asian fans in Cricket Australia’s sights as it strives to be a ‘sport for all’

Multicultural action plan seeks to remove barriers to players and volunteers from diverse communities

Two-thirds of south Asian-Australian cricketers find it challenging to find a club, according to Cricket Australia’s multicultural action plan, which calls for the body’s staff to undergo unconscious bias and cultural awareness training.

The plan – which was released on Friday in Melbourne in the lead-up to the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan – is the result of thousands of hours of consultation with members of local communities.

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From a quadruple hat-trick to not getting a bowl: Gareth Morgan leaves third grade cricket fans hanging

The Mudgeeraba Bushman became a global star for taking six wickets in an over, but the world will have to wait to find out if he can extend his run

When a local sports reporter told Gold Coast cricketer Gareth Morgan he was going to write “a bit of an article” for the back page about Morgan’s six wickets in an over the day before, the 44-year-old was surprised.

“I said to him: that’s a little bit over the top for third grade cricket don’t you think?” Morgan recalls.

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BBC makes financial settlement with Andrew Flintoff over Top Gear crash

Former England cricket captain was hurt while filming the motoring show at its test track last December

The BBC has reached “an agreement” with Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff after he was involved in a crash while filming Top Gear, the corporation has said.

The former England cricket captain, 45, appeared with facial injuries in public for the first time in September, nine months after he was taken to hospital after he was hurt while filming the BBC motoring show at its test track at Dunsfold Aerodrome last December.

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Josh Hazlewood hoping weather can save Australia after Bairstow’s blast

  • Fast bowler admits tourists face fight to save Test
  • Bairstow hits out at criticism after unbeaten 99

Josh Hazlewood admitted he was crossing his fingers and hoping for rain at the end of another day of English domination, which ended with Australia 113 for four in their second innings, still 162 away from making England bat again.

The amount of rain likely to fall on Manchester over the weekend varies between forecasts, but all of them suggest Saturday’s play will be significantly affected, with parts of Sunday also in jeopardy. “I’d be very pleased if it rains,” Hazlewood said. “It’s obviously forecast, and forecasts can change all the time, but it would be great to lose a few overs – it would make our job a bit easier.”

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Australian PM hands Sunak picture of Bairstow stumping at Nato meeting

Anthony Albanese tries to ambush UK counterpart, but Sunak was ready with image of England team at Headingley

The Australian prime minister tried to ambush his British counterpart at the Nato summit with a picture of the controversial stumping of England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow in the Ashes cricket series.

Rishi Sunak was unexpectedly prepared, and produced from his official portfolio his own photo of England’s Mark Wood and Chris Woakes celebrating getting the winning runs at Headingley on Sunday, giving the host nation their first victory after two consecutive Australian wins.

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‘Stay in your crease’: Anthony Albanese offers Rishi Sunak advice following controversial Ashes dismissal

  • Australian PM says he wishes his UK counterpart well
  • Rishi Sunak had claimed Australia contravened ‘the spirit of cricket’

The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has offered some advice to his UK counterpart after Rishi Sunak weighed into the controversy over Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal at Lord’s on Sunday.

Mr Albanese said on Tuesday he understood Sunak’s disappointment.

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Australia’s actions in Ashes Test not in the spirit of cricket, says Rishi Sunak

Spokesperson says PM agrees with Ben Stokes about Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal at Lord’s

Rishi Sunak has weighed into the row over Jonny Bairstow’s controversial dismissal at Lord’s on Sunday, saying Australia did not act in the spirit of the game.

Downing Street said it was the prime minister’s belief that the Australian team had contravened the spirit of cricket by stumping Bairstow out when the England batsman appeared to believe the ball was not in play during a heated final day of the second Ashes test.

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Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has had three out of four rape charges against him dropped

The 32-year-old was facing four counts of sexual intercourse without consent, but the public prosecutor withdrew three of the charges on Thursday

Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has had three out of his four sexual assault charges dropped after he allegedly raped a Sydney woman.

The 32-year-old was facing four counts of sexual intercourse without consent while in Sydney for the T20 World Cup, but the public prosecutor withdrew three of the charges in a Sydney court on Thursday.

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Man charged with foreign interference to remain behind bars until Monday – as it happened

The 55-year-old businessman appeared via video link at Parramatta magistrates court. This blog is now closed

‘Really disturbing footage’: David Pocock responds to gas seep video

Senator David Pocock has called the video showing large methane gas bubbles active on the surface of Queensland’s Condamine River “really disturbing footage”.

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Australia crash to defeat against India in first ODI after losing eight wickets for 59

  • Hosts chase down 189 despite shaky start left them on 89-5
  • Australians imploded in Mumbai from 129-2

India have overcome a scintillating spell from Mitchell Starc to post a five-wicket win over Australia in the series-opening one-day international clash in Mumbai.

Australia were bowled out for a paltry 188 in 35.4 overs on Friday after suffering a collapse of 8-59.

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Australia politics live: NAB passes on full rate hike; pre-departure Covid testing to end for China, Hong Kong, Macau travellers

Covid measures had been in place since 5 January, after China halted a lot of its own protocols. Follow the day’s news live

Gallagher aware of funding issue on national partnership agreements

A lot of funding in Australia is tied up in national partnership agreements. They are usually for short periods – the commonwealth works with the states to come to an agreement on funding, but it often means that agreements almost come to an end (or indeed, do end) and need emergency funding to continue while the next national partnership is worked out.

That agreement, which this money flows through is part of the national housing and homelessness agreement. And we are in active negotiations with the states. I’m aware of the funding issue. This is, you know, to give appropriate remuneration funding for or funding for payment for staff and Julie Collins is working hard on it. I can’t give you an answer today because it is right literally on our table.

We certainly were aware of the inflation problem in October. So you saw that we were we had upside, revenue coming in to the budget that we banked that – I think it was 99% in the first two years and 94% of the upside revenue over the forward estimates.

Now that was an important message, not just from the fact that we’re going to be fiscally responsible, but that where we can, you know, show restraint in spending.

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Police say stabbing murder investigation could take weeks – as it happened

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Two teenagers are dead and a man has been hospitalised after a crash in South Australia’s mid-north.

Emergency services were called to the Augusta Highway at Lochiel at 7.30pm on Tuesday after a northbound car left the road and crashed into a tree.

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Sydney flats evacuated after shopping strip fire and gas leak; sunfish knocks yacht out of Sydney to Hobart – as it happened

Firefighters forced to flee scene of Newport fire after part of the roof collapsed revealing a ruptured gas line; Louis Ryckmans of the crew of Yeah Baby says he initially thought collision with ‘leviathan’ sunfish was boat hitting a reef. This blog is now closed

Heavy rainfall expected across northern Australia: BoM

Howe says the tropical monsoon period is “very active” at the moment across northern Australia.

That’s associated with ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie which is continuing to deliver heavy rainfall across the NT.

There is a warning for intense rainfall and damaging winds. We’ve already seen rainfall totals of more than 200mm over the last few days, causing roads to be washed out. Reminding travellers to take care and check conditions before heading out.

We will see a cool change move through Adelaide late tonight and towards midnight, moving through western Victoria in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

We will see the cool change move through around lunchtime today for Melbourne and also tomorrow afternoon for Hobart.

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Boxing Day Test: Victorian fast bowler Scott Boland retains spot over Hazlewood

  • Victorian quick will return to the scene of his famous Test debut last December
  • Boland has taken 25 wickets in his five Tests

Boxing Day Test hero Scott Boland has retained his spot in Australia’s star bowling attack and will line up at the MCG against South Africa.

The Victorian quick will return to the scene of his famous Test debut last December, with Australia selectors opting for Boland over Josh Hazlewood, who continues his recovery from a side strain.

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