The Ashes

Doug Bollinger will be hoping to claim his first 10-wicket haul in a match when play resumes on Monday in the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington.
Australia took 11 wickets on Sunday to have the Kiwis in a miserable position at 5-187, needing another 115 runs to make Australia bat a second time with [...]

Rival captains Cameron White and Chris Simpson are at odds over the best format for the Sheffield Shield final, after Victoria turned the MCG decider into a run-fest against Queensland.
This season’s final was evenly placed after two days before the Bushrangers batted the Bulls out of the game by amassing 8-591 in their second innings [...]

Marcus North knew he was “under the pump”. Young NSW all-rounder Steven Smith was in the Test squad and under consideration for a place in the side for the first Test against New Zealand, while North hadn’t made a strong case after averaging under 30 in Shield cricket this summer.
North’s form in the baggy green [...]

Big fast bowler Doug Bollinger took the prize wicket of Ross Taylor as Australia put New Zealand under enormous pressure on day two of the first Test.
The Black Caps were 4-108 at stumps on Saturday at Wellington’s Basin Reserve in reply to Australia’s first innings of 5-459 declared.
Marcus North capped his return to form with [...]

Victoria will on Sunday be crowned Sheffield Shield champion again, and it’s only a case of whether it comes after a win or draw against Queensland in the final at the MCG.
The Bushrangers set Queensland a monstrous victory target of 640 after amassing 8-591 in their second innings on day four before declaring an end [...]

Some time during the very slow period of play during the Test at Wellington, when Simon Katich and Michael Clarke seemed becalmed, I heard one of the good old boys at the Basin Reserve say to a weather-beaten mate: “They’re batting as if they’re Kiwi batsmen.”
It was very slow batting. There was a succession of [...]

“I’ve read every paper possible,” Australian Test cricket’s vice-captain Michael Clarke said, breaking all the rules of sports stars talking to the media.
While generally a player will tell reporters he doesn’t read the papers and couldn’t care less what they say, Clarke is quick to admit the extensive coverage of his broken engagement to bikini [...]

It has been said that Australia’s premier first class cricket competition will be ditching its final to make way for a bigger Twenty20 competition.
It is an idea that has been brought up by Cricket Australia, in order to increase the amount of people taking interest in domestic cricket.
But since when has cricket become about the [...]

Michael Clarke will lead Australia when Ricky Ponting retires and will finish his career as a respected and successful skipper. The chaos of the past couple of weeks will not hinder this in any way. Rather, it genuinely begins Clarke’s path to the post of captain.
Just like Ricky Ponting’s wake up call came at the [...]

Marcus North will hold his spot in the Test side for at least one more match, although skipper Ricky Ponting admits North is feeling the heat.
Ponting says talented NSW youngster Steven Smith, who is also in Australia’s squad for the two-Test series against New Zealand, will just have to wait a little longer.
North has scored [...]