Australia
T20 World Cop 2022: In opening match, Sri Lanka wins toss, bowling first against Namibia
Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bowl first against Namibia in the opening match of the Twenty20 World Cup on Sunday.
The Netherlands will play United Arab Emirates in the second match of the qualifying tournament, also in Geelong, which will determine four teams to advance to the main event starting later this week.
Sri Lanka, the T20 World Cup champions in 2014, sustained a big blow on the eve of the tournament when left-arm fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka was ruled out with a quadriceps injury.
Lineups:
Namibia: Divan la Cock, Michael van Lingen, Stephan Baard, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (captain), Jan Frylinck, J.J. Smit, David Wiese, Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo .
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Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan.
Umpires: Joe Wilson, West Indies, and Rod Tucker, Australia.
TV umpire: Paul Reiffel, Australia; Match Referee: Andy Pycroft, Zimbabwe
Starc out of Australia’s Twenty20 cricket tour to India
Pace bowler Mitchell Starc and allrounders Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis withdrew Wednesday from Australia’s tour to India because of injuries and will instead prepare at home for the Twenty20 World Cup title defense.
Starc played a leading role in Australia’s one-day international series wins over Zimbabwe and top-ranked New Zealand in north Queensland state over the last month but has complained of a knee problem.
Stoinis withdrew from the last ODI against New Zealand because of a side strain and Marsh missed the series because of an injured ankle.
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They will be replaced in the squad by Nathan Ellis, Daniel Sams and Sean Abbott for the three T20 internationals on Sept. 20, 23 and 25.
“Selectors felt with three games in six days across three cities, including travel to India and internally, Marsh, Stoinis and Starc are best served remaining in Australia to prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” Cricket Australia said in a statement. Opening batter David Warner had already been rested from the tour.
Aaron Finch retired from one-day cricket after last Sunday’s win over New Zealand but will continue to lead the Australian T20 squad for the India series and the World Cup, which starts with first-round matches on Oct. 16.
Read: 6 must watch T20I series before ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2022
“He’ll certainly enjoy having these games in India, he enjoys batting there,” allrounder Glenn Maxwell said Wednesday. “He was brilliant with the strategy side of things — it’s a very underrated thing in T20.
“Don’t discount his value as captain.”
India is ranked No. 1 in T20 cricket and Australia has slipped to sixth, despite winning the World Cup in the United Arab Emirates last year.
Australia will start its title defense in a final rematch against New Zealand on Oct. 22 in Sydney. India will open the World Cup against arch-rival Pakistan on Oct. 23.
Australia captain Aaron Finch says goodbye to ODI cricket
Australia's 24th men's ODI captain Aaron Finch has announced his retirement from ODI cricket.
The opening batter, who turns 36 in November, said he will retire from one-day international cricket effective Sunday after his team plays New Zealand in the third and final ODI.
A recent run of poor form has seen Finch average just 3.7 runs, including three ducks, since scoring 62 runs against Sri Lanka in an ODI in June.
Cricket Australia said in a statement Saturday that Finch will continue to captain the country's T20 side and will lead them in defence of their world title when the T20 World Cup is played in October and November in Australia.
"It has been a fantastic ride with some incredible memories," said Finch, who played 145 ODI matches, 54 as captain. "I have been extremely fortunate to be a part of some brilliant one-day sides."
"It is time now to give a new leader the best possible opportunity to prepare for and win the next World Cup. I thank all of those who have helped and supported my journey to this point."
One of the most damaging opening batters in the world when at his best, Finch has scored 5,401 runs in the ODI format and averaged close to 40, including 17 centuries. But he failed to get past 20 in his last seven innings and his continuing place in the side was in doubt.
Read: SL vs AUS 2022: Lankans eye first home series win over Australia since 1992
Finch's decision leaves Australia searching for a new one-day captain ahead of next year's World Cup in India. Australia Test skipper Pat Cummins previously indicated he does not want to captain the ODI side.
"Being a bit over 12 months out from the 50-over World Cup, I thought the timing was right now," Finch said. "I could have tried to play another series – the series against England post-World Cup – and that would have been a bit of a fairytale finishing at the MCG. But I think that's never been my style to be self-indulgent in any kind of way."
Australia has already clinched the three-match ODI series against New Zealand ahead of Sunday's final match in Cairns, north Queensland state, after winning the first two matches.
Singapore-born Tim David in Australia's T20 World Cup squad
Singapore-born allrounder Tim David has been named in Australia's Twenty20 World Cup squad for the host country's defense of its title beginning in late October.
After being bought by the Mumbai Indians for more than a million dollars in this year’s Indian Premier League auction, David decided to be part of Australia’s squad. The 26-year-old David played 14 T20 matches for Singapore in 2019 and 2020, averaging 46.5 with the bat.
David was raised in Perth but moved back to Australia with his Australian family when he was 2.
The Australian side will travel to India for three T20 Internationals in September before returning home to play the West Indies, England and India leading into the World Cup which Australia opens against New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Oct. 22.
Legspinner Mitchell Swepson has been overlooked after heading to the United Arab Emirates last year when Australia won its first T20 World Cup.
“This is a similar squad to that which became the first Australian’s men’s team to win a T20 World Cup who are now very excited about playing the tournament at home,” chairman of selectors George Bailey said Thursday.
“Tim (David) continues to establish himself with some quality performances in leagues around the world, earning a place in the squad. He is a highly gifted, natural ball striker who will add extra batting depth to the group which has had a lot of success in T20 cricket."
Read: Andrew McDonald named head coach of Australian cricket team
Veteran opener David Warner will miss the three T20s in India in preparation for a busy summer of cricket, with young allrounder Cameron Green replacing him.
The T20 World Cup final is scheduled for Nov. 13 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Afghanistan, Australia, England and New Zealand are set to play in Group 1 with two qualifiers to be determined, while Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and South Africa and two qualifiers will make up Group 2.
An eight-team qualifying tournament precedes the main event and is also being played in Australia. Namibia, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka make up one qualifying group, while Ireland, Scotland. West Indies and Zimbabwe are in the other, with the top two teams in each advancing to the main tournament.
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
Australia beat Zimbabwe by 5 wickets in 1st ODI
Cameron Green claimed his maiden five-wicket haul before David Warner and Steve Smith made light work of the run chase to set up a five-wicket victory for Australia over Zimbabwe in the first ond-day match of a three-match series, the African nation's first one-day international series in the country since 2004.
After Zimbabwe were sent in by Australian skipper Aaron Finch on Sunday, Green, took 5-33 as the tourists lost its last six wickets for 15 runs and was bowled out for 200 in the tropical north Queensland city of Townsville.
Australia then made light work of the run chase, as Warner scored 57 off 66 balls and Steve Smith played the anchor role of the innings to make an unbeaten 48 off 80 balls to set up the victory. Glenn Maxwell finished the match with consecutive sixes off Richard Ngarava in the 34th over.
Green, who had only one ODI wicket prior to Sunday's match, removed Sikander Raza and stand-in skipper Regis Chakabva cheaply and then returned to clean up the tail as Zimbabwe's hopes of posting a defendable total fell away in the final overs.
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”(We) just had a really clear gameplan, got a bit lucky at the end there, was just the right place at the right time trying to bowl back of a length on a wicket that was kind of going up and down," Green said. “I was luckily the one who got the rewards, but I think the rest of the team bowled really well and basically gave me the opportunity to be in that position.”
Wessly Madhevere scored a career-high 72 runs and opener Tadiwanashe Marumani added 45 as Zimbabwe started watchfully against Australia's bowlers.
But, when Adam Zampa got Madhevere caught and bowled and Chakabva was caught by Starc following a Green delivery, Zimbabwe’s tail quickly collapsed chasing quick runs.
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Australia lost Finch for 15 in the eighth over, before Warner and Smith combined for 65-run stand to have Australia's chase looking comfortable.
Alex Carey, Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis all fell cheaply to spinner Ryan Burl (3-60) to stall the hosts' progress but Maxwell blasted 32 off nine deliveries to seal the victory for Australia in their first of 17 ODIs before next year’s World Cup in India..
Zimbabwe is making its first appearance for a one-day international series in the country since 2004 with the teams set to play three ODIs in seven days at the 10,000-seat Riverway Stadium.
The second game of the three-match series is on Wednesday also at Townsville.
The match also held tributes for local hero and former Australia test player Andrew Symonds who died in an auto-accident in May near Townsville.
Fans, players, family and friends stood in silence before the match before further tributes to the charismatic allrounder were held at the innings break.
US, Indonesia, Australia hold drills amid China concerns
Soldiers from the U.S., Indonesia and Australia joined a live-fire drill on Friday, part of annual joint combat exercises on Sumatra island amid growing Chinese maritime activity in the Indo-Pacific region.
A total of more than 5,000 personnel from the U.S., Indonesia, Australia, Japan and Singapore are participating in this year’s exercises, making them the largest since they began in 2009.
The expanded drills are seen by China as a threat. Chinese state media have accused the U.S. of building an Indo-Pacific alliance similar to NATO to limit China’s growing military and diplomatic influence in the region.
The United Kingdom, Canada, France, India, Malaysia, South Korea, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and East Timor also sent observers to the exercises, which began early this month.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific commander, Adm. John C. Aquilino Aquilino, said the 14 nations involved in the training are signaling their stronger ties as China grows increasingly assertive in claiming virtually the entire South China Sea and holds exercises threatening self-ruled Taiwan.
“The destabilizing actions by the People’s Republic of China as it applied to the threatening activities and actions against Taiwan is exactly what we are trying to avoid,” he said at a joint news conference with Indonesian military chief Gen. Andika Perkasa in Baturaja, a coastal town in South Sumatra province.
“We’ll continue to help deliver a free and open Indo-Pacific and be ready when we need to respond to any contingency,” Aquilino said.
Read: Taiwan says China military drills appear to simulate attack
Indonesia and China enjoy generally positive ties, but Jakarta has expressed concern about what it sees as Chinese encroachment in its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
Despite its official position as a non-claimant state in the contested South China Sea, Indonesia has been “dragged along” in the territorial dispute since 2010 after China claimed part of Indonesia's exclusive economic zone in the northern region of the Natuna Islands, said Connie Rahakundini Bakrie, a security analyst at the University of Indonesia.
The edge of the exclusive economic zone overlaps with Beijing’s unilaterally declared “nine-dash line” demarking its claims in the South China Sea.
Increased activities by Chinese coast guard vessels and fishing boats in the area have unnerved Jakarta, prompting Indonesia's navy to conduct a large drill in July 2020 in waters around Natuna at the southern portion of the South China Sea.
Indonesia sees the current exercises with the U.S. as a deterrent in defense of the Natuna Islands, while for Washington, the drills are part of efforts to forge a united front against China’s military buildup in the South China Sea, Bakrie said.
"Indonesia wants to send the message that it is fully prepared for any high-intensity conflict in the South China Sea area,” she said.
The joint combat exercises end Sunday.
Australia to continue duty-free market access for Bangladesh
Australia will continue to provide Bangladesh with duty-free access in its market after the country’s graduation from the LDC category.
High Commissioner of Australia to Bangladesh Jeremy Bruer informed BGMEA President Faruque Hassan about the Australian government’s decision when he paid a courtesy call on the envoy at the High Commission in Dhaka recently.
BGMEA First Vice President Syed Nazrul Islam, Vice President Miran Ali, Directors Asif Ashraf, Barrister Vidiya Amrit Khan and Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on Foreign Mission Cell Shams Mahmud accompanied the President during the visit.
Read Bangladesh Missions in Australia, Denmark & Switzerland get new envoys
Duncan McCullough, Second Secretary (Commercial and Economic Diplomacy) at the Australian High Commission in Dhaka was also present on the occasion.
BGMEA President Faruque Hassan hailed the Australian government’s decision of continuing duty-free market access for Bangladesh, saying that it would support Bangladesh in maintaining the momentum of its economic growth after the LDC graduation.
He hoped that the friendly support of Australian for the development of Bangladesh would continue in the coming years.
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Different issues, especially potential areas of expanding trade and investment between Australia and Bangladesh were discussed at the meeting.
They opined that huge opportunities lie ahead of both countries in reaping mutual trade benefits by further deepening collaboration and cooperation.
The BGMEA leaders expressed Bangladesh’s interest in importing more cotton and wool from Australia to meet the growing demand of the RMG and textile industry.
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They sought cooperation of Australia in developing knowledge and skills of the students of BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology (BUFT) in textile, apparel, fashion, design and business through collaboration with leading Australian universities and fashion institutes.
South Africa pulls out of scheduled ODI series in Australia
Australia is likely to get the competition points from a cancelled three-game limited-overs international series after South Africa withdrew because of a crammed schedule and the launch of its domestic Twenty20 competition.
Cricket Australia on Wednesday said the scheduled ODIs in January in Hobart, Sydney and Perth against South Africa had been scrapped and dates and venues for other international matches were revised.
The ODI series was to be part of the International Cricket Council’s Super League which determines direct qualification for the 50-over World Cup in 2023.
“Given these games will not be played before the qualification cut-off date in May, (South Africa) has agreed that Australia will be awarded the competition points pending ICC approval,” Cricket Australia said in a statement.
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Cricket South Africa is set to launch at new domestic Twenty20 league in January and wanted its leading players available for the tournament.
Australia will host South Africa in a three-test series starting in Brisbane on Dec. 17 and scheduled to end in Sydney on Jan. 8.
Before then, Australia will host Zimbabwe, New Zealand, West Indies and England in white-ball series from late August ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup from Oct. 16-Nov. 13. The Australians will then play England in a three-game ODI series and West Indies in a two-test series in Perth and Adelaide.
Australia’s men’s team returned this week from a tour to Sri Lanka that included Twenty20 and one-day international series and two test matches.
Flood threat moves north as Sydney area emergency eases
Floodwaters were receding in Sydney and its surrounding area Thursday as heavy rain threatened to inundate towns north of Australia’s largest city.
Evacuation orders and official warnings to prepare to abandon homes were given to 60,000 people by Thursday, down from 85,000 on Wednesday, New South Wales state Premier Dominic Perrottet said.
Read:Sydney floods burden 50,000 around Australia’s largest city
But towns including Maitland and Singleton in the Hunter Valley, north of Sydney, were still threatened by inundation, Perrottet said.
Around 50 rescues were made in the past 24 hours, several of which involved people stranded in cars in floodwaters, he said.
Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said record-breaking rain that began around Sydney on Friday last week was easing.
“It is very pleasing to see that the weather situation is starting to ease after almost a week of relentless rain,” she said.
The weather system that had brought heavy rain to a vast swath of New South Wales was moving further from the coast out to sea north of Sydney, Bureau of Meteorology manager Diana Eadie said.
Read:After 3 feet of rain, 32,000 in Sydney area may need to flee
Bulga, a town about 180 kilometers (110 miles) north of Sydney by road, experienced its highest flood level since 1952, she said.
Taree, some 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of Sydney by road, was drenched by 305 millimeters (12 inches) of rain overnight — almost a third of the town’s annual rainfall average, Eadie said.
After 3 feet of rain, 32,000 in Sydney area may need to flee
More than 30,000 residents of Sydney and its surrounds have been told to evacuate or prepare to abandon their homes on Monday as Australia’s largest city braces for what could be its worst flooding in 18 months.
Parts of the city of 5 million people are facing a fourth flooding emergency in a year and a half after torrential rain since Friday caused dams to overflow and waterways to break their banks.
“The latest information we have is that there’s a very good chance that the flooding will be worse than any of the other three floods that those areas had in the last 18 months,” Emergency Management Minister Murray Watt told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Read: 500,000 people on flood alert as rain lashes Sydney
The current flooding might affect areas that managed to stay dry during the previous floods, Watt added.
New South Wales state Premier Dominic Perrottet said 32,000 people were impacted by evacuation orders and warnings.
“You’d probably expect to see that number increase over the course of the week,” Perrottet said.
Emergency services had made 116 flood rescues in recent days, 83 of them since 9 p.m. Sunday, he said. Hundreds more requests for help were made by Monday morning.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology manager Jane Golding said some areas between Newcastle, north of Sydney, and Wollongong, south of Sydney had received more than a meter (39 inches) of rain in the previous 24 hours. Some has received more than 1.5 meters (59 inches).
“The system that has been generating this weather does show signs that it will ease tomorrow, but throughout today, expect more rain,” Golding said.
Rain was forecast across New South Wales's coast, including Sydney, all week, she said.
The flooding danger was highest along the Hawkesbury River, in northwest Sydney, and the Nepean River in Sydney’s west.
“The water is flowing really quickly,” Golding said. “It’s dangerous out on the rivers and we do have some more rain to fall which means the flash-flood risk is not over yet.”
State Emergency Services Commissioner Carlene York said strong winds had toppled trees, damaging rooves and blocking roads. She advised against unnecessary travel.
Theresa Fedeli, mayor of the Camden municipality on the Nepean River southwest of Sydney, said the repeated flooding was taking a toll on members of her community.
“It's just devastating. They just keep on saying ‘devastating, not again,'” Fedeli said.
“I just keep on saying ... ‘We've got to be strong, we will get through this.” But you know deep down it's really hitting home hard to a lot of people," she added.
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Perrottet said government and communities needed to adapt to major flooding becoming more common across Australia’s most populous state.
“We’re seeing these flood events more regularly, there’s no doubt about that,” Perrottet said.
"To see what we’re seeing right across Sydney, there’s no doubt these events are becoming more common. And governments need to adjust and make sure that we respond to the changing environment that we find ourselves in,” he added.