Should Jofra Archer be selected for this year's Ashes series, he will likely be playing his first red-ball cricket in over two years.

Archer is set to represent Mumbai Indians in the IPL, which culminates on May 28, with the first Test between England and Australia taking place at Edgbaston on June 16.

England have a Test scheduled against Ireland on June 1, but should Mumbai go far in the IPL, it is unlikely Archer would be available.

The pace bowler, who turns 28 on Saturday, has not played a Test match for England since a 10-wicket defeat to India in Ahmedabad in February 2021, with his last first-class game for Sussex being in May 2021 against Kent.

Elbow and back injuries kept him on the sidelines for 17 months, but he returned to white-ball cricket in January.

Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace believes England's plan is for Archer to be ready for the Ashes after the end of the IPL.

"I think all things being equal, he will go straight into the Ashes off the back of the IPL," Farbrace told BBC Radio Sussex.

"The England plan for Jofra is he'll go and play in the IPL.

"I think their plan is that between IPL games he'll then bowl some longer spells to get his overs up and make sure that he is match-ready.

"That's the nature of international franchise cricket these days. I know there'll be a lot of people saying 'he should play at least two four-day games to be ready for a Test match', but the preparation and the work that the medical teams do around these players is exceptional."

Archer dampened expectations of significant involvement against Australia in early March, telling reporters: "If I can play one [Test] this summer, I'll be happy. If I play more than one, that's just a bonus."

England will seek revenge when they host Australia in the home Ashes series as Ollie Robinson prepares for an enticing battle with a "hunger to put it right".

Pat Cummins' side thrashed England – then captained by Joe Root – 4-0 in the last meeting between two old foes Down Under across the end of 2021 and start of 2022.

Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum's resurgent side pose a new threat now, though, winning 10 of their first 12 Tests under the stewardship of their new captain and coach combination.

That run has included home series triumphs over New Zealand and South Africa, as well as a rare 3-0 red-ball victory in Pakistan, and Robinson says England are out to prove a point in the Ashes.

"The way we're playing cricket, we feel like we can really stick one on them and win the series comfortably," said the bowler, who just weeks ago suggested England could give Australia a "good hiding".

"There's definitely a desire there still, a hunger to put it right. I felt when I got back from that trip [the 2021-22 Ashes] I didn't leave it all out there and I'd let myself down and the side down a little bit.

"So it's definitely something I want to put right and there are a few guys in that position as well. So there are a lot of hungry boys this summer to beat the Aussies again."

 

Australia great Glenn McGrath has made a habit of suggesting the Baggy Greens will whitewash England 5-0 every time the pair clash for the old urn.

When asked about his previous comments talking up England's chances, Robinson suggested his message was reported exactly how he wanted – aimed as a warning shot at Australia.

The Sussex seamer added: "I was talking to local radio but I was happy that it got out. I mean it's been happening in every Ashes series for years – Glenn McGrath says 5-0 every Ashes.

"We say 5-0 every Ashes. It's one of the biggest series we play, it only comes around every four years in England, so why not talk it up? Get it going, get it big and give the fans what they want."

The free-flowing and fearless attacking style McCullum, aided by the brilliant Stokes, has instilled continues to thrill all involved with English cricket, including the players themselves.

On past results, Robinson sees no reason why England cannot win their first Ashes since a 3-2 triumph at home in the British summer of 2015.

"I think the cricket we're playing at the moment makes it such an exciting time to play them," he continued. "We've been dominating teams in all conditions for 12 months now.

"In England we dominated, in Pakistan we dominated and in New Zealand we played most of the cricket for nine days and lost on the last day because we probably weren't quite there.

"But I think the way we're playing cricket, we feel like we can really stick one on them and win the series comfortably."

Jhanielle Fowler was perfect from the field and needed to be as the defending Suncorp Super League Netball Champions West Coast Fever held off GIANTS to win by a single goal 74-73 on Saturday at the Ken Rosewall Arena.

The Fever’s shooters missed just once with Sasha Glasgow scoring five goals from her six attempts and hit crucial super shots in the thrilling encounter that ended with the defending champions going 2-0 in their first two games of the season. They won both games by one goal.

Reigning MVP Fowler scored 59 goals from as many attempts and has now scored 167 straight goals without a miss in the league. Her last miss came during the first quarter of last season’s final.

The GIANTS welcomed back Maddie Hay and Jo Harten into their line-up and they proved to be exactly what their team needed. Still, the Fever led 21-20 at the end of the first quarter.

On the back of Fowler’s accurate shooting, the Fever opened up a lead, which extended to as wide as 10 goals but were eventually reeled in by the GIANTS, who were eventually outscored 19-17 in the second quarter to lead by three at the half.

Harten scored 22 goals from 23 attempts and Sophie Dwyer 21 from 24 as GIANTS looked to rally but were forced to depend heavily on super shots to keep them close to the champions who outscored them 23-15 in the third quarter.

However, the GIANTS did rally with Harten and Dwyer shooting the lights out to outscore The Fever 21-11 in the final quarter but the lead proved too much to overcome.

Over at the Nissan Arena, Kadie-Ann Dehaney’s Sunshine Coast Lightning defeated Queensland Firebirds 65-55. Meanwhile, a power outage at the SA Netball Stadium resulted in a 25-25 tie between the Adelaide Thunderbirds and the New South Wales Swifts.

Romelda Aiken-George had scored 15 goals from 19 attempts when the game was called off.

Jackson Irvine, Awer Mabil and Garang Kuol fired Australia to a 3-1 victory against Ecuador at the CommBank Stadium on Friday.

In their first game since the World Cup in Qatar, Australia's preparations for the Asian Cup got off to an ideal start.

First-half goals from Jackson and Mabil came either side of Felix Torres' equaliser in an action-packed opening period.

A much quieter second half saw few opportunities before 18-year-old Kuol scored his first senior international goal, ensuring there would be no late fightback from the South American side.

The hosts took the lead after 13 minutes, Mitchell Duke brilliantly volleying Craig Goodwin's free-kick back across the face of goal to Irvine, who converted into the empty net – though replays showed Duke should have been flagged for offside.

Ecuador responded quickly to the setback and, having seen Michael Estrada drag a glorious chance wide of the mark, levelled when Torres met Jeremy Sarmiento's cross and guided a header past Mathew Ryan.

Australia regained the lead in the 32nd minute, with Irvine dispossessing Piero Hincapie on the edge of the area and seeing the ball fall kindly for Mabil, who smashed a fierce strike into the top-right corner.

Manchester City's Alex Robertson made his debut in the second half, despite having yet to make a senior appearance for the Premier League side, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in featuring for the Socceroos.

There were few opportunities in the second half, but Moises Ramirez clawed an effort from Kye Rowles off the line, with Goodwin's set-piece delivery again causing problems for the visitors.

Though Ecuador dominated possession for much of the latter exchanges, the South Americans were unable to create opportunities to test Ryan and the hosts held on to secure victory.

The win was secured in the 84th minute, with teenage substitute Kuol on hand to poke in Aziz Behich's driven cross.

India captain Rohit Sharma backed Suryakumar Yadav after he suffered a hat-trick of golden ducks in the ODI series loss to Australia.

A 21-run Australia victory on Wednesday saw the tourists leapfrog India at the top of the 50-over rankings, with the series defeat India's first at home since 2019.

Suryakumar's display highlighted the hosts woes, facing just three balls over the course of the series without getting his bat to any of them.

He was trapped lbw by Mitchell Starc both in India's opening win and Australia's dominant subsequent response in the second match.

There was therefore immense pressure on Suryakumar ahead of the decider in Chennai, and he was bowled by Ashton Agar.

But the batter retained the support of skipper Rohit.

"He played only three balls in the series. I don't know how much you can look into it. He got three good balls," Rohit said after the match.

"Today [Wednesday] I didn't think it was that great a ball. He just chose the wrong shot. He should have, maybe, come forward. He knows best.

"He plays spin so well, which is why we wanted to hold him back and give him that role of last 15 to 20 overs.

"But it's really unfortunate that he could only play three balls in the series. That can happen to anyone. The potential, the quality is always there. He's just going through that phase right now."

Steve Smith's gamble to bat first in Chennai paid off as Australia's 21-run victory over India clinched their ODI series and the number one ranking.

Australia headed into Wednesday's third and final match with the series level at 1-1, looking to end India's best ever seven-series winning streak at home.

Brave captaincy from Smith was required to do that, with Australia batting first on a dry and soft surface and scoring 269.

No touring batsman was able to build on a strong start, but the same was then true of the India line-up – Virat Kohli leading the way on 54 but out cheaply – as their target proved just beyond them.

The two innings followed similar patterns, with Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh combining for 68 before the former was caught for 33 three balls after being dropped.

Marsh went on to score 47, but Smith was unable to contribute as he departed for a duck, while each of the next five batters passed 20 but did not reach 40.

It left Australia with a competitive score but one India would have been confident of matching after their own opening stand of 65.

Even after a pair of wickets, the home side rallied to 146-2 with Kohli in fine form.

But Adam Zampa (4-45) and Ashton Agar (2-41) worked through the middle order, meaning Kohli's surprise departure to the latter – picking out David Warner at long-off – represented a blow that ultimately cost India.

Australia bookend India's winning run

Australia's win in the second ODI had snapped India's nine-match winning run in home ODIs, and another sequence was ended on Wednesday.

This was India's first defeat in a multi-game ODI series at home since Australia beat them 3-2 back in March 2019.

Kohli's needless departure

After sharing a 69-run partnership with KL Rahul that set India back on track after two wickets, Kohli looked set to play a part in another strong stand for the fifth wicket.

But after combining for 34 with Hardik Pandya – who scored 28 of those runs off 20 balls – the great batsman gave Warner a simple, vital catch.

Australia's Josh Hazlewood has moved to the top of the ICC's ODI bowler rankings for the first time in his career after Mohammed Siraj slipped to third. 

Siraj conceded 37 runs off just three overs in India's 10-wicket loss to Australia on Sunday, which caused the paceman to slump behind Hazlewood and New Zealand's Trent Boult.

Mitchell Stark took 5-53 in that rout, equalling the record number of five-wicket ODI hauls by an Australian bowler.

Hazlewood's rise to the top of the rankings comes despite the 32-year-old having not played in an ODI since November, while his last appearance in any format came in January.

However, he is expected to be back playing for this year's Ashes series in England, which commences on June 16 at Edgbaston.

Meanwhile, Kane Williamson has moved up four spots to second in the Test batting rankings behind Marnus Labuschagne. 

Williamson scored a remarkable 215 runs in New Zealand's victory over Sri Lanka in their two-match series, which the Black Caps won 2-0.

Steve Smith brushed off the personal plaudits and hailed the efforts of Mitchell Starc and Australia's openers after a 10-wicket trouncing of India on Sunday.

The tourists dominated in Visakhapatnam to level their three-match ODI series at 1-1, bowling out India for 117 in 26 overs before taking just 11 overs to pick off their target.

Victory at YS Raja Reddy Cricket Stadium sets up a decider in Chennai on Wednesday, with India's nine-match winning run in home ODIs having been brought to a halt.

Australia pace spearhead Starc took 5-53 in a dazzling display, before Mitchell Marsh (66 not out) and Travis Head (51 not out) made it a rout.

Smith made a stunning catch to dismiss Hardik Pandya midway through India's innings, diving away to his right at first slip to give Sean Abbott (3-23) a wicket.

That prompted Smith to be asked about whether it could be considered a "catch of the century", but he appeared slightly bemused by the suggestion.

"I don't know about catch of the century," he said at the post-match presentation. "It was nice I held on today.

"I had a couple of opportunities in the last game that were quite similar and they were just out of reach. I couldn't get my hand quite around it, but I was fortunate I was able to do that today.

"It was a big wicket, Hardik's an unbelievable player, so it was nice to hang on to it."

This match rapidly got away from India, who had won the series opener by five wickets.

"It was a quick one – 37 overs for the game, you don't see that too often," Smith said. "I thought our bowlers were outstanding this afternoon. Mitchell Starc in particular with that new ball swinging it back down the line and putting them under early pressure.

"He complemented really well with the rest of our bowling group and it was a nice start to the day. It was one of those days when every time they nicked it, it went to hand. Fortunately we were on the right side of it."

The batting went well too.

"The way that Heady and Mitch went out and went after against the bowlers, put them under pressure early. When you're chasing 118 you can break the back of it pretty quickly," Smith said. "It was a really good day, and I'm really proud we managed to bounce back after the last game."

India captain Rohit Sharma said his team let themselves down.

"We always knew that was not enough runs on the board," Rohit said. "Obviously it was not a 117 pitch at all. By no means. We just didn't apply ourselves and kept losing wickets. That didn't allow us to get the runs we wanted."

Australia hammered India by 10 wickets with 39 overs to spare in Visakhapatnam to level their three-match ODI series at 1-1.

The Baggy Greens lost badly in the opening match, being bowled all out for 188 runs, but they cruised to victory at YS Raja Reddy Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

India were bowled out for just 117 runs off 26 balls after being sent out to bat first, with Mitchell Starc (5-53) claiming a five-wicket haul in a truly dominant display from the tourists.

Australia's opening batters Mitchell Marsh (66 not out) and Travis Head (51 not out) remained unbeaten to confirm victory inside four hours.

The sides will reconvene in Chennai on Wednesday for the deciding match.

India had lost only one of their nine ODIs at this venue prior to Sunday, but Shubman Gill was sent packing for a duck off the third ball to set the tone for what was to come.

Returning skipper Rohit Sharma (13) started well with a couple of boundaries, but he did not last much longer and India never found any real rhythm.

Only four players reached double figures, with Virat Kohli (31), Ravindra Jadeja (16) and Axar Patel (29 not out) struggling to cause Australia any real problems.

Starc starred with the ball, responsible for the wickets of Mohammed Siraj (0), KL Rahul (9), Suryakumar Yadav (0), Shubman Gill (0) and Rohit.

India's target of 118 for victory was never going to trouble Australia, and so it proved as the explosive pair of Head and Marsh made light work of the hosts' bowlers.

Head smashed Siraj for four successive boundaries in a 50-run stand with Marsh for the first wicket, with the Aussies sealing an emphatic win in just 11 overs.


Marsh and Head blitz completes the job

The best India could hope for after a rather embarrassing batting effort was prolonging this second ODI for as long as possible for the paying spectators.

Marsh and Head clearly had other ideas as they put up an unbeaten partnership of 121 from 66 balls.

That strike rate of 183.33 is the highest for any opening stand in an ODI in India from a minimum of 10 balls.

Sensational Starc leads the way

Take nothing away from Marsh and Head, but the foundations for this incredible victory were laid by Starc, who got five wickets in an ODI for the ninth time.

The defeat was India's first in 10 ODI matches on home soil, ending what was the second-longest active winning streak of any nation in the format.

Jamaican superstar Jhaniele Fowler was at her dominant best to help the West Coast Fever win a dramatic rematch of the 2022 Suncorp Super Netball League grand finale over the Melbourne Vixens at the RAC Arena in Perth on Saturday.

The end of the first quarter saw the Fever enjoy a 17-12 lead before the Vixens won the second by one to reduce the halftime deficit to four, with the Fever leading 32-28.

The third quarter saw the Vixens chip into the lead a little more to set up a tense fourth quarter with the score now being 48-46 in favour of the Fever.

The teams fought to the end in the final stanza, with the Fever eventually coming out 62-61 winners.

Fowler, who has won the league’s player of the year award for the past five seasons, shot a perfect 55/55 to lead the Fever to a win to kick off the defence of their 2022 title.

Elsewhere, Shimona Nelson scored 53 goals from as many attempts to lead the Collingwood Magpies to a 71-63 win over the New South Wales Swifts, for whom Romelda Aiken-George scored 30 goals from 35 attempts.

KL Rahul led the way in a superb match-winning partnership with Ravindra Jadeja as India prevailed by five wickets in the first ODI with Australia.

Despite reducing Australia from 129-2 to 188 all out, India looked in significant trouble at the Wankhede Stadium as their top order crumbled in reply.

They lost three wickets inside the first five overs and were 83-5 when Hardik Pandya fell to Marcus Stoinis.

But, on a pitch favourable to fast bowlers, Rahul (75 not out) and Jadeja (45 not out) masterfully guided India over the line to delight the Mumbai crowd.

It initially looked as if Mitchell Marsh might be the match-winner as he bludgeoned 81 off 65 balls for Australia, hitting 10 fours and five sixes.

However, after Jadeja drew a thick edge to end his innings, Australia never rediscovered their momentum, Mohammed Shami (3-17) ensuring their early platform was not built upon.

The swing of Mitchell Starc caused chaos as Australia sought to defend a disappointing total, Starc accounting for Virat Kohli (4), Suryakumar Yadav (0) and Shubman Gill (20).

Rahul counter-attacked with Hardik (25) for a stand of 44 but it was left-hander Jadeja who proved the perfect foil, their partnership one of supreme composure.

It was capped with a flourish, Jadeja getting India over the line with a pair of fours from an impressive but ultimately frustrated Starc as the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Sensational Shami

The exit of Marsh provided an opening for the India attack, and it was one Shami made sure they took.

Dismissing both Cameron Green and Stoinis with length balls, he allowed just one four and a single six while bowling 30 dot balls from 66 deliveries, two of his six overs being maidens.

India end Mumbai misery

India had previously lost their last three men's ODI matches at the Wankhede, their longest run at the venue in the format.

That streak is now over, and India are a victory away from making it 14 wins in 15 multi-game bilateral men's ODI series at home.

David Warner will captain Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League this season in the absence of injured regular skipper Rishabh Pant.

The Capitals confirmed on Thursday that Warner had been selected to stand in for Pant, who is recovering from a serious car accident.

Pant's car caught fire in December causing multiple injuries that required surgery earlier this year. He has been ruled out of cricket for 2023.

Head coach Ricky Ponting was among the figures to make the decision to name Warner as captain, meaning Axar Patel will again serve as vice-captain as he did in the 2022 campaign.

"Rishabh has been a terrific leader for Delhi Capitals, and we're all going to miss having him around," Warner said in a team statement.

"I would like to thank the management for the faith and trust they've always shown in me.

"This franchise has always been home for me, and I couldn't be more excited to lead such a supremely talented bunch of players."

Warner was an IPL winner with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016 and returned to Delhi last season, having previously played for the franchise when they were known as the Daredevils.

The batter is set to play in a three-match ODI series for Australia against India ahead of the IPL, which starts on March 31.

He will be spending much of the year in India, with those two commitments helping his preparation for the Cricket World Cup, which is being held in the country from October.

Warner, 36, was the leading run-scorer for the Capitals in last year's IPL, tallying five fifties and a total of 432 runs at an average of 48 and a strike rate of 151.

However, Delhi narrowly missed making the play-offs, the first time in four seasons they had failed to qualify. Gujarat Titans took the title in their first season.

India and Australia will renew their rivalry following a gripping Test series with a three-match One-Day International series starting Friday.

It offers an ideal precursor for this year's World Cup, hosted by India in October and November, with both nations eager to rip the title off 2019 winners England.

Australia have assembled a strong squad for the tune-up series, where Steve Smith will lead the tourists as skipper, with Pat Cummins remaining at home following the death of his mother last week.

David Warner returns from the fractured elbow that prematurely ended his Test series, while big-hitting all-rounders Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell are also back following long-term ankle and leg injuries.

They are two of several all-rounders in the squad as Australia search for the best mix for their World Cup side, with Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott and Ashton Agar in contention.

"We've gone in with a structure with eight batters to bat a little bit deeper, we've tried that," said Australia coach Andrew McDonald.

"There'll be a mix of combinations as we lead into the World Cup. A lot of all-rounders [have been] picked in the squad and they can all play in the one team, so we've got to answer a few of those questions."

India captain Rohit Sharma will miss the opening ODI at Wankhede Stadium due to family reasons, with Hardik Pandya to lead the side in his absence, while Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the series with a back injury.

Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will also be absent due to a long-term back injury.

It is difficult to establish any form lines given the disjointed nature of ODIs, but India have won their last seven matches against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, while the tourists have won nine of their last 10 (L1), including their last six on the bounce, having secured a 3-0 win against England in their last ODI series.

India's imposing home ODI record

India are always a difficult assignment at home, having won their last seven home multi-game bilateral ODI series, along with 13 of their last 14.

However, Australia are the side responsible for that one defeat, winning 3-2 in March 2019 in India where Usman Khawaja was Player of the Series.

Warner not a spent force

Warner may be in the twilight of his international career, with speculation about his future in the Test side, but he is not a spent force in white-ball cricket and is targeting this year's 50-over World Cup.

The 36-year-old is one century away from 20 ODI hundreds, with only Ricky Ponting (29) boasting more for Australia. The left-handed opener has scored 50 or more in six of his past eight ODIs against India.

Reigning World 100m champion Fred Kerley has described Jamaica’s Usain Bolt as the gold standard of sprinting, saying he and others have been inspired by the iconic Jamaican, who holds the world records in both 100 and 200m.

Kerley returned to the United States recently after a stint in Australia where he clocked a fast 20.32 in a 200m race at the Maurie Plant Meet in February before storming to victory in 44.65 over 400m at the Sydney Track Classic last Saturday.

In a subsequent interview on ABC Radio in Australia, Kerley, who has a wild-card entry to the World Championships in Budapest in August, said he plans to add to the gold medal he won last year in Oregon but ultimately wants to win Olympic gold in Paris in 2024.

His career goal, however, is surpassing Usain Bolt’s accomplishments. The Jamaican is the only man to win the sprint double at three consecutive Olympic Games and holds the Olympic records of 9.63 and 19.30 in the 100m and 200m, respectively.

“He inspired a lot of generations,” Kerley said of Bolt. “We try to duplicate or step foot where he stepped foot on. He is the golden standard for track and field. We all try to achieve all he achieved in his lifetime.”

Though he would love to be able to break the Jamaican’s world records, winning gold medals remains his top priority, Kerley said.

“For us to step in the same journey is all about the gold medals and stuff right now,” he reasoned. “The more gold medals I get, the more I can put in the history book. Records come and go, but golds last forever.”

 

India secured their spot in the World Test Championship Final after a draw in the fourth Test with Australia sealed a 2-1 series win.

Travis Head (90), Marnus Labuschagne (63no) and Steven Smith (10) took Australia to 175-2 and 84 runs ahead when handshakes were exchanged at Narendra Modi Stadium, with the hosts keeping hold of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

With New Zealand beating Sri Lanka with the final ball earlier on Monday, India will now look ahead to the WTC Final at the Oval in England in June – where they will face Australia again.

A largely uneventful day of cricket in Ahmedabad favoured the batters, with India having established a 91-run first-innings lead on Sunday.

Matthew Kuhnemann (six) fell early to an lbw from Ravichandran Ashwin (1-58) but Australia found their batting rhythm with Head and Labuschagne forging a 139-run stand before Axar Patel (1-36) dismissed the former.

On a slow pitch, no further wickets fell and the only question heading into the final session was whether Labuschagne could achieve what Head fell just short of – reaching a century.

However, the teams shook hands at the earliest possible opportunity, with 17.5 overs remaining, to declare a draw and confirm a fourth-successive Border-Gavaskar Trophy series that ended 2-1 to India.

Head falls short

On a day that offered little excitement, Head hit 12 boundaries to finish agonisingly short of reaching his first Test hundred overseas.

However, a score of 90 now stands as Head's highest tally not on Australian soil, with a total of 760 runs in the 2022-23 season his best ever.

Patel limits Australia

The pitch in Ahmedabad did not favour bowlers yet it was navigated well by Patel, who brought the end to Head's charge for a century.

In 19 overs, Australia scored 36 runs with Patel bowling to result in an economy rate of 1.89 – the second-lowest tally on the day from a player with more than five overs.

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