World Cup co-host Australia is ranked the best ODI team in the world

Australia will start their ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 campaign as the top ranked team in the ICC ODI team rankings. Their undefeated performance in the recently concluded Tri-Series against England and India has helped them to hold their top position.

As of 2 February 2015, Australia maintained their top position with 120 rating points in the ICC ODI team rankings. With a 112-run victory against England in the Tri-Series final in Perth on Sunday, the World Cup co-host hold a six-point lead over India in the rankings.

South Africa will move into the World Cup as the third-ranked ODI team, but their two batsmen AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla are leading the batting list. George Bailey, skipper of the Australian ODI team, is the only player from his country to be among the top 10 batsmen in the list.

Glenn Maxwell and James Faulkner experienced a big move in the batting rankings. Maxwell moved 19 places to No 17 while Faulkner moved 14 places to No 19.

The interesting thing is that Pakistani spinner, Saeed Ajmal, who was banned from bowling in the international cricket, remains at the top spot of the bowling list. 

Australia wins tri-nation ODI series defeating England by 112 runs

Australia won the tri-nation ODI series defeating their Ashes rival England by 112-run on Sunday. It became possible thanks to Glenn Maxwell’s all-rounder performance and Mitchell Johnson’s tight bowling.

Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh scored 95 and 60 respectively which helped the host to recover their early loss of 60 for 4 and put 278-8 in the score card. After that, Johnson caused the big damage in the English batting line up taking the wickets of James Taylor, Moeen Ali and Captain Eoin Morgan. Maxwell also played very important role with the ball claiming four for 46. He also took a very difficult catch that saw Taylor going back to the pavilion.

England was bowled out for 166 in 39.1 overs. Ravi Bopara scored 33 runs and became the highest run scorer for his team.

Australia announces a 15-man squad for Scotland and England tour

Australia cricket has announced a 15-man squad for the upcoming ODIs against Scotland and England. The biggest change of this squad is perhaps the exclusion of David Warner. The 26-year-old left-handed batsman has been dropped from the squad due to his poor form.

David Warner has been out of form for the last few series. He was struggling with the bat. In his only ODI against England in Champions Trophy he scored just 9 runs and could not play all the matches after being suspended due to a bar incident in Birmingham.

He has not played too many ODI matches this year. In January, he has played three ODIs against Sri Lanka and scored respectively 10, 60 and 4 runs. His last big score of 42-ball 53 came against England on Saturday in the second T20 match. His performance was not satisfactory enough to select him for the future ODI series.

Coach, Darren Lehmann, said that Warner will have to get back to playing Ryobi Cup and to make his return to the national squad he will have to score huge runs.

Australia’s tour of Scotland will kick off on September 3 in Edinburgh where they will play only one ODI match. After that, they will play a five-match ODI series beginning from September 6 in Leeds.

Good news for Australian cricket is that Mitchell Starc has been included in the squad. He has made his return after recovering from lower back soreness. Australian cricket will also miss the service of Steven Smith, who was sent back home after sustaining a thigh injury.

Australia Squad: Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey, Fawad Ahmed, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Phillip Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Adam Voges, Matthew Wade (wk), Shane Watson.

Can Australia whitewash India?

The fourth and final Test match between Australia and India is going to take place on 24^th January at the Adelaide Oval. The host team has already ensured their series victory. They have won all three Tests and now hoping to clinch victory in the final Test for a 4-0 whitewash. However, India will try hard to get a consolation victory in Adelaide. It is said to be a toughest match of the series as both the teams will face each other for a victory.

India is going to face a tough challenge as they will have to play the match without their regular captain MS Dhoni, who was suspended after India's loss in Perth due to slow over rates. Hard hitter opener Virender Sehwag will lead the team in his place. The absence of Dhoni will create a big problem as the Indian selectors will have to select a player for wicket-keeping and batting at the middle order position.

The cause of concern for the touring team is their experienced middle order batsmen. This ongoing series has marked the question about the future of VVS Laxman. He seems to be very weak and vulnerable among the seniors in India's middle order.

Australia is in a buoyant form after beating India in three Tests. They are hoping to regain their lost pride by claiming the top position in the Test ranking. They will do everything to win the match.

Adelaide Oval is a lucky ground for India. So, Indian fans can expect to see their team winning the match. Let’s see if Australia can whitewash their opponent.

Three uncapped players have been included in Australia’s T20 squad against South Africa

Australia’s tour of South Africa will start with the opening T20 match of the two-match T20 series starting from October 13.

Australian Cricket Board announced a 14-man squad for the next month’s tour of South Africa. This squad includes some new faces and the combination of young and old players make it strong.

The uncapped players are Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Wade. Matthew Wade has the highest possibility to be included in the main squad as a wicketkeeper-batsman. He was called to replace Tim Paine, who will go under surgery to get recovery from injury.

Pat Cummins is the youngest player among the new comers. The 18-year-old tall player has played very few First-class and List A cricket matches but could able to catch the attention of selectors with his good form.

Mitchell Marsh is an all rounder. His inclusion in the squad will help Australian cricket team to increase their strength in both batting and bowling line up. He is currently playing for Pune Warriors, one of the franchises of the Indian Premier League.

No doubt, they will be big asset for their team in future. Their experience will lead their national cricket team reach at the top level in all forms of cricket team.

Shaun Marsh, elder brother of Mitchell Marsh, has already been selected in the squad. If Mitchell Marsh is selected with his brother in South Africa then they will become only the second set of brothers to play in the same Australian T20 side after Michael and David Hussey.

Mitchell Johnson has failed to make his place because of his poor form in the recently concluded Sri Lanka tour.

T20 specialists David Hussey and David Warner will be the main threat for the opponent team. The inclusion of all rounder, Shane Watson, also increased the strength. He is also named vice-captain of this tour.

Shaun Marsh and Mike Hussey lead Australia against Sri Lanka

Australian player, Shaun Marsh, has made his test debut against Sri Lanka at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. In his debut game, he has surprised his teammate Mike Hussey showing his test temperament. With Mike Hussey, he has added 148-run partnership in the fourth wicket stand in the second Test against Sri Lanka.

When Mike Hussey came to bat, Australia was 116 for 3 and they needed more 58 runs to level the score. At that time, Shaun Marsh was not out on 24.

Shaun Marsh scored an unbeaten 87 while Mike Hussey remained not out on 76 at the end of day two. Thanks to their contribution, Australia could put 90-run lead against the home team. The tourist team is going on to make a big chasing score against their opponent.

It seems that both Marsh and Hussey didn’t find any difficulty batting at Pallekele stadium. They handled the Lankan bowlers with ease.

The 28-year-old player Shaun Marsh is much closer from his maiden test century. If he scores triple figure in his debut game then he will become one of those elite members to get century in their first game.

Shaun Marsh should thank former Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, whose absence helped him being selected in the test squad.

Australia beat Sri Lanka by 125 runs

Australian cricket team has beaten the host team Sri Lanka by 125 runs with one day remaining at hand. They got this test match victory after a long time under the guidance of Michael Clarke.

Sri Lana needed 379 runs to win the match. However, it was not an easy chase at Galle International Stadium as it is bowling friendly pitch. In their second innings, Sri Lanka scored 253 runs losing all wickets.

Sri Lanka made very poor start after coming to chase an impossible target on a difficult pitch. Australia could win the match earlier if Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews did not make strong protest in the 6^th wicket partnership.

Mahela Jayawardene scored 105 from 231 balls, including 15 fours and 1 six. It was his 29^th Test century and second against Australia. Angelo Mathews supported him playing a passionate 95-run innings from 191 balls.

Both Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews added 142 in the sixth wicket partnership. It broke their previous record of 96 created 19 years ago. When they came to bat Sri Lanka was 5 for 68.

When they were on the crease, Sri Lankan team and supporters remained their hope of getting a miracle victory.

After the departure of these two players, no one could stand on the crease for long time.

Fast bowler Ryan Harris played the key role in this victory with taking 5 wickets for 62. It was his second haul of five wickets in an innings. He was backed by Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson who took two wickets each. Debutant bowler, Nathan Lyon, claimed just one wicket in the second innings and finished his first test with 6 for 107.

Australia is leading the series 1-0. There are two more test matches left to be played. However, Sri Lanka should try hard to make their come back and level the series. On the other hand, Australia should want to win the test series with one match left at hand.

Australia is facing spot-fixing for slow start against Zimbabwe

Australian cricket team has been reported for their alleged spot-fixing against Zimbabwe in their first match of the ICC World Cup 2011. According to an Indian newspaper, ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit has already started investigation of this matter.

The performance of Australian openers, Brad Haddin and Shane Watson, has been questioned. They made poor start against Zimbabwe and in the first 10 overs they batted slowly. It was really unthinkable for a team like Australia.

Australia scored 28 runs in 10 overs and 53 runs in 15 overs. However, in that match, Australia could score only 262 runs for losing 6 wickets. Australia’s slow run-rate surprised the supporters and it also created a lot of questions among the cricket lovers.

No doubt, Australian supporters would expect that defending champion might score more than 300 runs. Though Australia won the match by 91 runs, their performance has been criticized by cricket experts and supporters.

However, Australian cricket coach, Tim Nielsen, has backed his team saying that they played slowly according to the situation. Australia’s alleged spot fixing has become much stronger following the bans on three Pakistani players for spot-fixing last year on the England tour.

This match was played in Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad and it was helpful for spin bowlers. Australian players are not accustomed to play in this type of condition. So, if they struggle hard to score run then there is no reason to be surprised.

Related article:

THE AUSTRALIAN

Three Australian players are not certain against Bahrain

The match between Australia and Bahrain is going to be the last match in Group C. Australia will face Bahrain on 18^th January 2011 at the Al Sadd Stadium. It is scheduled to kick off at 16:15 local time (13:15 GMT).

The match against Bahrain is going to a curial one for Australia. Australia will have to win the match or at least draw to secure their place in the quarter-final round. On othe other hand, Bahrain has no other option except win the match if they want to play in the next round.

For Australia, injury will be a big problem as they are facing the threat of injury worry. Three Australian players are now doubtful about their participation in today’s match against Bahrain. They are David Carney, Jason Culina and Luke Wilkshire.

Australian coach, Holger Osieck, may think of brining some changes in the main squad and and these three players might be given rest ahead of the final group match. They will be given rest so that they can be recovered soon and join the Australian squad.

David Carney is now suffering from shoulder injury. He has less possibility to play in tonight’s match. He sustained his shoulder injury with a 1-1 draw match against South Korea.

Jason Culina hurt his knee and coach should replace him with Valeri while North will replace the 27-year-old player Luke Wilkshire.

Bahrain should want to take advantage their injuries. Let’s see if Australia can win the match.

Related article:

The Sydney Morning Herald

England put 59 runs lead against Australia in the 4th Ashes Test

Australian cricket team is struggling hard to take the control of the 5-match Ashes Test series as they got all out for 98 in the first innings of the fourth test. Their opposite team England is going to put a big chasing score in front of them.

English bowling trio- Chris Tremlett, James Anderson and Tim Bresnan demolished the Australian batting line up. Both Chris Tremlett and James Anderson took four wickets each. On the other hand, Tim Bresnan took two wickets. Their dominance over Australian batsmen took them less than two sessions to pack the host in a poor score. The most interesting thing is that Australia lost all the wickets behind the wicket.

Scoring 157 runs without losing any wicket, England put 59 runs lead ahead of Australia. Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook showed their discipline batting and scored half century centuries apiece. Andrew Strauss was unbeaten on 64 while Cook remained not out on 80.

Aussie bowlers did not look much impressive with the ball. They failed to take any wicket in the opening day. Their failure in both batting and bowling line up mean that England will take the lead 2-1 in the 5-match Ashes Test series.

Now, the series is level by 1-1. England took 1-0 lead after winning the 2^nd Test match by an innings and 71 runs. However, Australia made bounce back in the series after winning the 3^rd Test by 267 runs.

Australia will have to do something miracle to regain their Ashes trophy. However, it is also a big challenge for England to save their trophy in Australian soil.