David Warner is set to make his 100th Test appearance for Australia, and is determined to put his run of poor form behind him.
Warner has gone 10 Test innings without a half century, and is averaging just 26.07 in his last 27 trips to the crease in the longest format.
He was out for a first ball duck in the first innings of the first Test against South Africa at The Gabba before managing just three in the second, albeit on a green pitch where the majority struggled with the bat as Australia won by six wickets inside two days.
Should he score 78 or more in the second Test at the MCG, Warner will become just the eighth player to score 8,000 Test runs for Australia, and he promised to take on the Proteas bowling attack in the Boxing Day Test.
"I know when I'm at my best, I'm taking the bowlers on," he said. "It goes well and it flows with the team and the guy at the other end. Now I've probably gone a bit more responsible and trying to put the team into a good position without playing a bit rash.
"If anything I can probably be a bit more aggressive and go back to the older me, take them on a little bit more. But I think that also is dictated from what wickets you are getting.
"You don't want to have a dig at the curators, but the last two years our wickets have been green. If I go out there play a cover drive and nick one, you guys [the media] will have a feeding frenzy.
"But now I'm in good positions and I'm nicking off, that's the nature of the beast. This might be a wicket where I can go out and play like the old me. So you have to adapt to those conditions that's what I've been doing the last 18 months."
In what will be the 100th men's Test between Australia and South Africa, the hosts' selectors have a tough decision to make on whether to recall Josh Hazlewood, who has recovered from a side strain, or retain Scott Boland, who took a combined 4-42 in the first Test.
Australia must keep their Head in Melbourne
The pitch in the first Test in Brisbane was labelled "below average" by the ICC, though Travis Head was still able to muster 92 from 96 balls in the first innings, a crucial contribution that made a key difference.
Although he was out for a first ball duck in the second innings, it was immaterial as Australia eased to victory shortly after, and the man of the match will be keen to show his worth again in Melbourne.
Landmark looms for Elgar
South Africa captain Dean Elgar was not happy with The Gabba surface, but will be hopeful of scoring more than the combined five runs he managed in the first Test.
Elgar is just 24 away from becoming the eighth player to score 5,000 runs for the Proteas in men's Tests, though his Test batting average in Australia of 18.4 is his lowest in any country.
Ipswich Town 0-1 Crystal Palace: Mateta seals Eagles' first away win of season
Crystal Palace moved three points clear of the relegation zone after a 1-0 victory over Ipswich Town.
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the only goal at Portman Road, where Oliver Glasner's side recorded their first away win of the league campaign.
The French striker made the decisive impact in the 59th minute, with a neat lofted finish over Arijanet Muric after a swift counter by the visitors.
Ipswich could not respond and their wait for that elusive first home win since returning to the top flight goes on.
Palace climb a place to 16th and take their tally to 12 points, which is three more than Kieran McKenna’s side, who stay 19th.
Data Debrief: Eagles end away drought as Mateta matches Johnson
Palace could be forgiven for lacking confidence upon arriving at Portman Road. Without a win in four matches – drawing three – Glasner's side had failed to record a success on the road this term.
Mateta made the difference as he became only the second Palace player to score in four successive Premier League games against newly promoted sides, after Andy Johnson in the 2004-05 season.
The Eagles held out for their first away clean sheet since their 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield in April.
As for Ipswich, they have now failed to score in five of their 14 league games this season, with only Everton (seven) drawing a blank more often.
Hubert Busby aims to build on positives after Reggae Girlz two-match triumph over South Africa
Jamaica’s Head coach, Hubert Busby, took heart from a successful two-match friendly series against South Africa, as he intends to use the victories as a foundation to sharpen his Reggae Girlz ahead of critical future competitions.
The Reggae Girlz, who dominated the first match with a 3-0 win last Friday, followed up with a hard-fought 3-2 victory in the second match on Monday at the Montego Bay Sports Complex in Catherine Hall.
Goals from Vyan Sampson (58th), Drew Spence (63rd), and substitute Kayla McKenna (76th) overturned Linda Motlhalo’s 19th-minute opener and rendered Amogeland Motau’s added-time strike inconsequential.
For Busby, the series wasn’t just about securing wins but about testing the squad in challenging scenarios.
This, as he pointed out that the quick turnaround between matches posed a physical challenge for both teams, but in the same breath, stressed the importance of resilience and adaptability, particularly after a lackluster first half in the second game.
“Yeah, I mean, look, the quick turnaround for both teams was always going to be a little bit tedious. You could see that a little bit in the first half—us trying to find our legs a bit. Credit to the medical and high-performance staff for getting the players ready,” Busby said post-match.
“These games are why we play them. We're going to be put in stressful situations; I wouldn't like it to be as stressful in the 90th minute, but that's football, you know, and credit to the team for how they responded and were worthy winners in the end,” he added.
Busby credited late adjustments for the team’s second-half resurgence after a lukewarm first half. They struggled to find rhythm and squandered a few half chances against a more confident-looking South African outfit that moved the ball well on this occasion.
“We recognized how they were building their play, so we spoke about it at halftime and showed the players what we wanted to do in terms of pressing higher. They responded really well, and those adjustments and then the impetus of players to carry out those instructions is really why we were able to turn around the game in the second half,” he explained.
Despite the team’s offensive prowess, Busby admitted disappointment at failing to maintain a clean sheet.
“Keeping a clean sheet is about the whole team and shows a good defensive performance. Overall, I still think we played well, but football is about moments. We have to manage those moments better because quality opposition at this level will punish you if we don’t. So it’s another chance for us to learn, grow, and take it into the next window,” he said.
The tactician also addressed the absence of veteran Tiffany Cameron, explaining that the decision allowed younger players to gain valuable experience as they aim to balance development and performance.
“Everybody here is ready. This camp was about evaluating players and seeing how they handle stressful situations. Tiffany is a veteran, so we know what she brings. But it’s also about embedding younger players into the group because it is us building a programme so that we can go to this 2027 World Cup and consecutive World Cups thereafter,” he stated.
With the February international window next in their line of sight, Busby is already planning for tougher tests to further prepare the team for the World Cup qualifiers.
“Plans are already in place to get an opposition. We’ve had conversations with different federations, and we’ll confirm that in the next four to five weeks. Another quality opposition that is going to test us in a stressful environment will make us better for World Cup qualifiers,” he ended.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old goalkeeper Liya Brooks, who earned her first two caps during the series, welcomed the opportunity.
“For me, it was kind of like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I knew the team had my back, and that made it easier. I'll say that I feel like my communication with my team is quite solid, and I feel like that's probably the most important thing.
“Moving forward, it’s about getting comfortable and learning my teammates individually. Also to make sure that I'm locked in and focused for every ball played back, and just making sure that I take time to breathe and live in the moment and also ensure that I'm confident in what I'm doing,” Brooks shared.
Sufiyan's record-breaking five-for seals T20I series for Pakistan
Sufiyan Muqeem took career-best figures of 5-3 as Pakistan thrashed Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to clinch their three-match T20I series with a match to spare on Tuesday.
After electing to bat first, Zimbabwe were bundled out for just 57 runs in 12.4 overs, their lowest-ever score in the format, beating the 84 they scored against Sri Lanka in January.
Opening duo Brian Bennett (21) and Tadiwanashe Marumani (16) top-scored for the hosts, but when the former fell to Muhammad Abbas Afridi (2-2), their capitulation began.
The hosts lost four wickets in quick succession, including Ryan Burl (1) and Tashinga Musekiwa (0) in consecutive deliveries from the impressive Sufiyan in the eighth over.
Zimbabwe were only able to add 20 runs to their total following Bennett's dismissal, with Salman Ali Agha (1-7), Haris Rauf (1-13) and Abrar Ahmed (1-21) chipping in for Pakistan.
Pakistan made light work of the chase and reached their target with 87 balls remaining, helped by unbeaten knocks from Omair Bin Yousuf (22) and Saim Ayub (36).
After the tourists also won the first game of the series by 57 runs, the third and final fixture will take place on Thursday at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
Data Debrief: Sufiyan smashes Gul's T20 record
Having won only one of their last eight multi-game bilateral men’s T20I series (D2 L5), Pakistan improved their record in the format with a comprehensive showing on Tuesday.
They recorded their third 10-wicket T20I triumph, needing just 33 balls to reach their target, with the damage already done by Sufiyan with the ball in hand.
In just his seventh T20I for Pakistan, Sufiyan registered the best bowling figures for the team in the short-over format, surpassing Umar Gul's previous record (5-6 - against New Zealand in 2009 and South Africa in 2013).
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