Australian captain Steve Smith has criticised the decision to overturn a ban on South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada for making physical contact with him.

Smith said ahead of Wednesday&#39;s pre-Test press conference that a &quot;line in the sand&quot; had been drawn regarding physical contact and said he was surprised he had not been asked his opinion during the appeal hearing.

Having been banned for the remaining two Tests in the series for brushing against Smith&#39;s shoulder after taking his wicket in the second Test, Rabada was cleared to play in the third Test starting Thursday after a successful appeal.

Australia spin bowler Nathan Lyon had said the team had &quot;no dramas&quot; with the decision, but Smith has told cricket.com.au website: &quot;I certainly think he (Rabada) bumped me a little bit harder than it actually looked on the footage.&quot;

Although Smith claimed &quot;it didn&rsquo;t bother me too much,&quot; he went on to say, &quot;they&rsquo;ve obviously decided what&rsquo;s deliberate contact and what&rsquo;s not and apparently it wasn&rsquo;t.

&quot;The ICC have set the standard, haven&#39;t they? There was clearly contact out in the middle.

&quot;I certainly won&#39;t be telling my bowlers to go out there and after you take a wicket go and get in their space. I don&#39;t think that is on and part of the game. But the standard has been set.&quot;

Rabada was initially given three demerit points for the incident in Port Elizabeth by match referee Jeff Crowe, triggering an automatic two-Test ban.

But judicial commissioner Michael Heron said he was not completely satisfied that the contact was deliberate and reduced the charge to acting against the spirit of the game, imposing a one-point penalty, which took Rabada one point below the threshold for the ban.

He will, therefore, line up for South Africa as they seek the edge in a series tied at one match apiece.

Smith said it was &quot;interesting&quot; he had not been asked for his version of events and said Crowe had reason to be annoyed about his judgement being questioned.

&quot;The way he handled both sides throughout the two Test matches, I thought he did a terrific job. I&#39;d be feeling a bit annoyed if I was him, to be perfectly honest.&quot;

Smith said he and senior Australia players Lyon and David Warner had spoken to incoming match referee Andy Pycroft, who will handle the remaining two Tests of what has been an often bad-tempered series.

He said the referee would also speak to South Africa captain Faf Du Plessis &quot;just to ensure that the series is continued to play in pretty good spirit.&quot;

Australian skipper Steve Smith said that he was surprised because he had not been asked his opinion during the appeal hearing

Australian captain Steve Smith has criticised the decision to overturn a ban on South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada for making physical contact with him. Smith said ahead of Wednesday's pre-Test press conference that a "line in the sand" had been drawn regarding physical contact and said he was surprised he had not been asked his opinion during the appeal hearing. Having been banned for the remaining two Tests in the series for brushing against Smith's shoulder after taking his wicket in the second Test, Rabada was cleared to play in the third Test starting Thursday after a successful appeal. Australia spin bowler Nathan Lyon had said the team had "no dramas" with the decision, but Smith has told cricket.com.au website: "I certainly think he (Rabada) bumped me a little bit harder than it actually looked on the footage." Although Smith claimed "it didn’t bother me too much," he went on to say, "they’ve obviously decided what’s deliberate contact and what’s not and apparently it wasn’t. "The ICC have set the standard, haven't they? There was clearly contact out in the middle. "I certainly won't be telling my bowlers to go out there and after you take a wicket go and get in their space. I don't think that is on and part of the game. But the standard has been set." Rabada was initially given three demerit points for the incident in Port Elizabeth by match referee Jeff Crowe, triggering an automatic two-Test ban. But judicial commissioner Michael Heron said he was not completely satisfied that the contact was deliberate and reduced the charge to acting against the spirit of the game, imposing a one-point penalty, which took Rabada one point below the threshold for the ban. He will, therefore, line up for South Africa as they seek the edge in a series tied at one match apiece. Smith said it was "interesting" he had not been asked for his version of events and said Crowe had reason to be annoyed about his judgement being questioned. "The way he handled both sides throughout the two Test matches, I thought he did a terrific job. I'd be feeling a bit annoyed if I was him, to be perfectly honest." Smith said he and senior Australia players Lyon and David Warner had spoken to incoming match referee Andy Pycroft, who will handle the remaining two Tests of what has been an often bad-tempered series. He said the referee would also speak to South Africa captain Faf Du Plessis "just to ensure that the series is continued to play in pretty good spirit."

Steve Smith criticises ICC on Rabada ruling

New Zealand judicial commissioner Michael Heron has declared Kagiso Rabada as not guilty of level two offence, though, was imposed with&nbsp;a sanction of a fine of 25% of his match fee and will receive one demerit point.

Kagiso Rabada had faced a level two charge by the match referee Jeff Crowe in the second match due to the incident when Rabada made a shoulder contact with Australian skipper Steve Smith after sending him off.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
BREAKING: Rabada cleared to play next <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvAUS</a> Test! 
 
However, he still gets a fine and one demerit point. 
 
➡️ <a href="https://t.co/Doji6J7CFl">https://t.co/Doji6J7CFl</a> <a href="https://t.co/CLUrqTmcmo">pic.twitter.com/CLUrqTmcmo</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/976001995940114432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: &quot;The ICC wholly accepts today&rsquo;s decision and I would like to thank Mr. Heron for overseeing the hearing in a short time frame before the next Test starts in South Africa.

Rabada contested the ban saying that the incident was accidental and had appealed against the ban. The appeal was heard by New Zealand judicial commissioner Michael Heron by teleconference on Monday in which he was found &quot;not guilty&quot; but he still he still gets a fine and one demerit point.

The South African management was confident and had already put Rabada&#39;s name in the 17-man squad for the test that starts at Newlands on Thursday at St George&#39;s Park, Port Elizabeth.

South African squad:

Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.

South African was confident and had already put Rabada's name in the 17-man squad for the test that starts at Newlands on Thursday

New Zealand judicial commissioner Michael Heron has declared Kagiso Rabada as not guilty of level two offence, though, was imposed with a sanction of a fine of 25% of his match fee and will receive one demerit point. Kagiso Rabada had faced a level two charge by the match referee Jeff Crowe in the second match due to the incident when Rabada made a shoulder contact with Australian skipper Steve Smith after sending him off. BREAKING: Rabada cleared to play next #SAvAUS Test! However, he still gets a fine and one demerit point. ➡️ https://t.co/Doji6J7CFl pic.twitter.com/CLUrqTmcmo — ICC (@ICC) March 20, 2018 × ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: "The ICC wholly accepts today’s decision and I would like to thank Mr. Heron for overseeing the hearing in a short time frame before the next Test starts in South Africa. Rabada contested the ban saying that the incident was accidental and had appealed against the ban. The appeal was heard by New Zealand judicial commissioner Michael Heron by teleconference on Monday in which he was found "not guilty" but he still he still gets a fine and one demerit point. The South African management was confident and had already put Rabada's name in the 17-man squad for the test that starts at Newlands on Thursday at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth. South African squad: Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.

Kagiso Rabada 'not guilty' of level 2 offence, available for next match

Myanmar&#39;s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has immunity from prosecution, Australia&#39;s attorney general said Sunday after a legal bid was launched to hold her responsible for &quot;crimes against humanity&quot;.

A group of five Australian lawyers have filed a private application in the Melbourne Magistrates Court seeking to prosecute her over the treatment of the Muslim-minority Rohingya.

It coincides with the Nobel laureate attending a special summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Sydney.

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar&#39;s troubled Rakhine state for Bangladesh since authorities launched a brutal crackdown six months ago that the UN has called &quot;ethnic cleansing&quot;.

Myanmar has vehemently denied the allegations, insisting it was responding to attacks by Rohingya militants in late August.

Attorney General Christian Porter said Suu Kyi cannot be prosecuted in Australia, nor arrested or detained.

&quot;Aung San Suu Kyi has complete immunity,&quot; he said in a statement.

&quot;This includes from being served with court documents because, under the customary international law, heads of state, heads of government and ministers of foreign affairs are immune from foreign criminal proceedings and are inviolable.&quot;

Suu Kyi has come under intense global criticism for her public silence on the atrocities in Myanmar, which include claims of rape, murder and arson.

The private prosecution alleges she committed crimes against humanity by the deportation and forcible transfer of the Rohingya people.

One of the lawyers involved, Alison Battison, told the Sydney Morning Herald that Porter&#39;s decision was appealable.

&quot;The Attorney General is yet to respond to us, but when he does, we&#39;ll address that then,&quot; she said.

&quot;We wouldn&#39;t have done it if we didn&#39;t think we had a chance ... it&#39;s a textbook example of crimes against humanity.&quot;

Suu Kyi has not commented publicly since arriving in Australia on Saturday for the regional summit but is scheduled to take questions at a media event on Tuesday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak ramped up pressure on her Saturday when he said the Rohingya issue could threaten regional security.

Speaking in Sydney with Suu Kyi sitting just metres away, he warned that many desperate people could fall prey to extremist groups like Islamic State.

&quot;Because of the suffering of Rohingya people and that of displacement around the region, the situation in Rakhine state and Myanmar can no longer be considered to be a purely domestic matter,&quot; he said.

&quot;In addition, the problem should not be looked at through the humanitarian prism only because it has the potential of developing into a serious security threat to the region.&quot;

He added that Malaysia was ready to assist in finding &quot;a just and durable solution&quot;, but did not spell out what that might involve.

Suu Kyi is due in Canberra on Monday for bilateral talks with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull before an address to Sydney&#39;s Lowy Institute on Tuesday.

A group of five Australian lawyers have filed a private application in the Melbourne Magistrates Court seeking to prosecute her over the treatment of the Muslim-minority Rohingya

Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has immunity from prosecution, Australia's attorney general said Sunday after a legal bid was launched to hold her responsible for "crimes against humanity". A group of five Australian lawyers have filed a private application in the Melbourne Magistrates Court seeking to prosecute her over the treatment of the Muslim-minority Rohingya. It coincides with the Nobel laureate attending a special summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Sydney. Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state for Bangladesh since authorities launched a brutal crackdown six months ago that the UN has called "ethnic cleansing". Myanmar has vehemently denied the allegations, insisting it was responding to attacks by Rohingya militants in late August. Attorney General Christian Porter said Suu Kyi cannot be prosecuted in Australia, nor arrested or detained. "Aung San Suu Kyi has complete immunity," he said in a statement. "This includes from being served with court documents because, under the customary international law, heads of state, heads of government and ministers of foreign affairs are immune from foreign criminal proceedings and are inviolable." Suu Kyi has come under intense global criticism for her public silence on the atrocities in Myanmar, which include claims of rape, murder and arson. The private prosecution alleges she committed crimes against humanity by the deportation and forcible transfer of the Rohingya people. One of the lawyers involved, Alison Battison, told the Sydney Morning Herald that Porter's decision was appealable. "The Attorney General is yet to respond to us, but when he does, we'll address that then," she said. "We wouldn't have done it if we didn't think we had a chance ... it's a textbook example of crimes against humanity." Suu Kyi has not commented publicly since arriving in Australia on Saturday for the regional summit but is scheduled to take questions at a media event on Tuesday. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak ramped up pressure on her Saturday when he said the Rohingya issue could threaten regional security. Speaking in Sydney with Suu Kyi sitting just metres away, he warned that many desperate people could fall prey to extremist groups like Islamic State. "Because of the suffering of Rohingya people and that of displacement around the region, the situation in Rakhine state and Myanmar can no longer be considered to be a purely domestic matter," he said. "In addition, the problem should not be looked at through the humanitarian prism only because it has the potential of developing into a serious security threat to the region." He added that Malaysia was ready to assist in finding "a just and durable solution", but did not spell out what that might involve. Suu Kyi is due in Canberra on Monday for bilateral talks with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull before an address to Sydney's Lowy Institute on Tuesday.

Bid to prosecute Aung San Suu Kyi in Australia rejected

South African seamer Vernon Philander has said his Twitter account was hacked after an inflammatory message was posted suggesting Australian captain Steve Smith could have avoided an incident that resulted in Kagiso Rabada being suspended.

Fast bowler Rabada made contact with Smith&#39;s shoulder after dismissing him in the first innings of their six-wicket victory in the second test in Port Elizabeth.

He was later found guilty of &quot;inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with a player&quot; by the International&nbsp;Cricket&nbsp;Council (ICC) and will miss the rest of the four-match series.

The 22-year-old, who took 11 wickets in the match, has appealed the decision.

The tweet, which had a video clip of the incident attached, said Smith was equally guilty and had milked the incident.

&quot;Haven&#39;t really seen the footage of this incident but by the looks of this ... Steve Smith gave KG (Rabada) the shoulder,&quot; it said.

&quot;He could have avoided any contact but to me, he is just as guilty. Trying some football skills to get a penalty??? Pity he didn&#39;t dive to top it off.&quot;

Early on Thursday, however, Philander distanced himself from the comment, saying someone else had posted to his 185,000 followers.

&quot;Waking up this morning to a lot of twitter craziness as my acc got hacked and someone posted a nice little article on my behalf,&quot; he posted after deleting the original message.

&quot;Sorry for all the drama or entertainment caused by the looks of it.&quot;

The episode is the latest twist in a tempestuous test series that has seen five players punished by the ICC.

In the first test in Durban, security cameras captured a heated argument between Warner and South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock after the teams left the field for tea on the fourth day.

Warner said the wicketkeeper had made &quot;vile and disgusting&quot; comments about his wife.

Warner was fined 75 percent of his match fee, while de Kock was fined 25 percent. Both were given demerit points.

Rabada was handed three demerit points for the shoulder bump in Port Elizabeth, taking him to eight within a two-year period, which triggered an automatic two-match suspension.

He was also given another demerit point for a send-off of Warner in the second innings.

Australians Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh are the other players to receive fines and demerit points in the series.

The third match in the series, which is level at 1-1, starts in Cape Town on March 22.

Vernon Philander deleted the tweet which had a video clip of the incident attached and captioned as Smith was equally guilty and had milked the incident

South African seamer Vernon Philander has said his Twitter account was hacked after an inflammatory message was posted suggesting Australian captain Steve Smith could have avoided an incident that resulted in Kagiso Rabada being suspended. Fast bowler Rabada made contact with Smith's shoulder after dismissing him in the first innings of their six-wicket victory in the second test in Port Elizabeth. He was later found guilty of "inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with a player" by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and will miss the rest of the four-match series. The 22-year-old, who took 11 wickets in the match, has appealed the decision. The tweet, which had a video clip of the incident attached, said Smith was equally guilty and had milked the incident. "Haven't really seen the footage of this incident but by the looks of this ... Steve Smith gave KG (Rabada) the shoulder," it said. "He could have avoided any contact but to me, he is just as guilty. Trying some football skills to get a penalty??? Pity he didn't dive to top it off." Early on Thursday, however, Philander distanced himself from the comment, saying someone else had posted to his 185,000 followers. "Waking up this morning to a lot of twitter craziness as my acc got hacked and someone posted a nice little article on my behalf," he posted after deleting the original message. "Sorry for all the drama or entertainment caused by the looks of it." The episode is the latest twist in a tempestuous test series that has seen five players punished by the ICC. In the first test in Durban, security cameras captured a heated argument between Warner and South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock after the teams left the field for tea on the fourth day. Warner said the wicketkeeper had made "vile and disgusting" comments about his wife. Warner was fined 75 percent of his match fee, while de Kock was fined 25 percent. Both were given demerit points. Rabada was handed three demerit points for the shoulder bump in Port Elizabeth, taking him to eight within a two-year period, which triggered an automatic two-match suspension. He was also given another demerit point for a send-off of Warner in the second innings. Australians Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh are the other players to receive fines and demerit points in the series. The third match in the series, which is level at 1-1, starts in Cape Town on March 22.

Vernon Philander denies making Smith remarks, says account hacked

Kagiso Rabada is appealing the guilty verdict handed to him by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching their code of conduct in a last-ditch bid to be able to play in the rest of the gripping test series against Australia.

Fast bowler Rabada was found guilty of &quot;inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with a player&quot; after leaning with his shoulder into Steve Smith when he dismissed the Australia captain in the first innings of South Africa&#39;s six wicket win in the second test in Port Elizabeth. The result levelled the four-match series at 1-1.

The 22-year-old, who took 11-150 in the game, was fined 50 percent of his match fee and given three demerit points, which took him past the tally of eight that triggers an automatic two-game suspension.

&quot;ICC confirms that Kagiso Rabada has appealed against the level two breach following the incident with Steve Smith during the Port Elizabeth Test. ICC will now appoint a Judicial Commissioner at the earliest opportunity and hearing details will be confirmed in due course,&quot; the governing body said on Wednesday.

The ICC have 48 hours to appoint a commissioner and a hearing will be heard within a seven day period. Rabada will remain suspended unless the commissioner takes a decision to allow him to play in the third test in Cape Town starting on March 22.

Although there was contact made with Smith, Rabada maintains that it was accidental and at the time he was not even aware he had brushed against his opponent.

&quot;If I knew I did it deliberately, I wouldn&#39;t have gone to contest (the charge),&quot; Rabada told reporters after the game. &quot;I didn&#39;t even feel contact in that moment because I was so pumped up.&quot;

Smith has suggested the Australian team wanted Rabada to play the remainder of the series as the seamer rose to the top of the test bowling rankings following his performance in Port Elizabeth.

&quot;He&#39;s a world class bowler and you always want to come up against the best, that&#39;s for sure,&quot; Smith said. &quot;He&#39;s right up there. He&#39;s unbelievable the way he&#39;s been bowling.

&quot;If he&#39;s there, he&#39;s there... if he&#39;s not, he&#39;s not. It&#39;s our job to try and play some better cricket.&quot;

Rabada is the fifth player to be punished by the ICC in what has been a tempestuous test series so far along with Australians David Warner, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh, and South African Quinton de Kock. 
&nbsp;

The 22-year-old, who took 11-150 in the game, was fined 50 percent of his match fee and given three demerit points, which took him past the tally of eight that triggers an automatic two-game suspension.

Kagiso Rabada is appealing the guilty verdict handed to him by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching their code of conduct in a last-ditch bid to be able to play in the rest of the gripping test series against Australia. Fast bowler Rabada was found guilty of "inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with a player" after leaning with his shoulder into Steve Smith when he dismissed the Australia captain in the first innings of South Africa's six wicket win in the second test in Port Elizabeth. The result levelled the four-match series at 1-1. The 22-year-old, who took 11-150 in the game, was fined 50 percent of his match fee and given three demerit points, which took him past the tally of eight that triggers an automatic two-game suspension. "ICC confirms that Kagiso Rabada has appealed against the level two breach following the incident with Steve Smith during the Port Elizabeth Test. ICC will now appoint a Judicial Commissioner at the earliest opportunity and hearing details will be confirmed in due course," the governing body said on Wednesday. The ICC have 48 hours to appoint a commissioner and a hearing will be heard within a seven day period. Rabada will remain suspended unless the commissioner takes a decision to allow him to play in the third test in Cape Town starting on March 22. Although there was contact made with Smith, Rabada maintains that it was accidental and at the time he was not even aware he had brushed against his opponent. "If I knew I did it deliberately, I wouldn't have gone to contest (the charge)," Rabada told reporters after the game. "I didn't even feel contact in that moment because I was so pumped up." Smith has suggested the Australian team wanted Rabada to play the remainder of the series as the seamer rose to the top of the test bowling rankings following his performance in Port Elizabeth. "He's a world class bowler and you always want to come up against the best, that's for sure," Smith said. "He's right up there. He's unbelievable the way he's been bowling. "If he's there, he's there... if he's not, he's not. It's our job to try and play some better cricket." Rabada is the fifth player to be punished by the ICC in what has been a tempestuous test series so far along with Australians David Warner, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh, and South African Quinton de Kock.

Cricket: Rabada to appeal guilty verdict and keep series hopes alive

A man&#39;s dream of driving the car of his dreams, 2013 Porche Cayenne, was crushed in under 10 minutes after he brought the brand new beast. The 37-year old was charged for speeding at 100 km/per hour in a 40 km/per hour zone.

The man was also found talking over phone while driving, as a result, the vehicle was impounded by Victoria Police for a month.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
A man&rsquo;s excitement at purchasing a Porsche lasted all but 10 minutes after he was allegedly caught doing 60km/h over the speed limit in Albert Park this morning <a href="https://t.co/FpIOTAaLsK">https://t.co/FpIOTAaLsK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VicPoliceNews?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VicPoliceNews</a> <a href="https://t.co/mSjrNqP7LK">pic.twitter.com/mSjrNqP7LK</a>
&mdash; Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/VictoriaPolice/status/972449290470633472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The incident took place at the Melbourne&#39;s Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday. The man was also found filming himself as he drove the car.&nbsp;

The defaulter from Yallambie, Melbourne will be charged with speeding and for using a mobile phone while driving.

The incident took place at the Melbourne's Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday

A man's dream of driving the car of his dreams, 2013 Porche Cayenne, was crushed in under 10 minutes after he brought the brand new beast. The 37-year old was charged for speeding at 100 km/per hour in a 40 km/per hour zone. The man was also found talking over phone while driving, as a result, the vehicle was impounded by Victoria Police for a month. A man’s excitement at purchasing a Porsche lasted all but 10 minutes after he was allegedly caught doing 60km/h over the speed limit in Albert Park this morning https://t.co/FpIOTAaLsK #VicPoliceNews pic.twitter.com/mSjrNqP7LK — Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) March 10, 2018 × The incident took place at the Melbourne's Grand Prix Circuit on Saturday. The man was also found filming himself as he drove the car. The defaulter from Yallambie, Melbourne will be charged with speeding and for using a mobile phone while driving.

Gone in 10 minutes: Melbourne man loses new Porche in speeding stunt

Usman Khawaja scored 75 runs to lead an Australia fightback on the third day of the second test against South Africa at St George&#39;s Park, but succumbed just before close of play after seeing the tourists cancel out a first innings deficit.

Australia will take a 41-run led into the fourth day after finishing Sunday&#39;s play at 180 for five wickets.

Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh put together a 87-run partnership for the fifth wicket before Khawaja, whose place in the team has been under threat because of a lack of form, was trapped leg before wicket by Kagiso Rabada in the second last over of the day.

It was a blow to the tourists who had been showing strong resistance after teetering at 86-4 just after tea.

Marsh played a solid supporting role to be 39 not out at the end of the day. He will resume on Monday with Tim Paine, who has five runs to his name.

Australia lost three wickets in the second session after lunch, including that of captain Steve Smith, and then Shaun Marsh with the second ball of the last session before Khawaja dashed home hopes of rattling through the Australian batting line-up.

Smith, ranked the world&#39;s top test batsmen, went cheaply as he was caught behind for 11 after he got a slight edge to the spin bowling of Keshav Maharaj while David Warner, also key to their hopes, was bowled by Kagiso Rabada for 13.

South Africa had a first innings lead of 139 after being bowled out for 382 just before lunch.

AB de Villiers notched up his 22nd test century in scoring an unbeaten 126 in a busy morning session to help South Africa into a good lead.

He had not scored a ton in his last 13 tests but featured in an 84-run partnership with Vernon Philander (36) for the eighth wicket and further 58 with Keshav Maharaj, who swatted at the Australian bowling to score 30 off 24 balls.

Australia lead 1-0 in the four-test series.

Usman Khawaja scored 75 runs to lead an Australia fightback on the third day of the second test against South Africa at St George's Park, but succumbed just before close of play after seeing the tourists cancel out a first innings deficit

Usman Khawaja scored 75 runs to lead an Australia fightback on the third day of the second test against South Africa at St George's Park, but succumbed just before close of play after seeing the tourists cancel out a first innings deficit. Australia will take a 41-run led into the fourth day after finishing Sunday's play at 180 for five wickets. Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh put together a 87-run partnership for the fifth wicket before Khawaja, whose place in the team has been under threat because of a lack of form, was trapped leg before wicket by Kagiso Rabada in the second last over of the day. It was a blow to the tourists who had been showing strong resistance after teetering at 86-4 just after tea. Marsh played a solid supporting role to be 39 not out at the end of the day. He will resume on Monday with Tim Paine, who has five runs to his name. Australia lost three wickets in the second session after lunch, including that of captain Steve Smith, and then Shaun Marsh with the second ball of the last session before Khawaja dashed home hopes of rattling through the Australian batting line-up. Smith, ranked the world's top test batsmen, went cheaply as he was caught behind for 11 after he got a slight edge to the spin bowling of Keshav Maharaj while David Warner, also key to their hopes, was bowled by Kagiso Rabada for 13. South Africa had a first innings lead of 139 after being bowled out for 382 just before lunch. AB de Villiers notched up his 22nd test century in scoring an unbeaten 126 in a busy morning session to help South Africa into a good lead. He had not scored a ton in his last 13 tests but featured in an 84-run partnership with Vernon Philander (36) for the eighth wicket and further 58 with Keshav Maharaj, who swatted at the Australian bowling to score 30 off 24 balls. Australia lead 1-0 in the four-test series.

South Africa vs Australia, 2nd Test: Khawaja leads fightback but Proteas strike late

Opener Dean Elgar edged towards a patient half-century as South Africa reached 110 for two at lunch on the second day of the second test against Australia at St George&rsquo;s Park on Saturday.

Elgar is 38 not out from 108 balls. He has put on 43 for the third wicket with Hashim Amla, who has 31 from 71 balls, as they reduced Australia&rsquo;s first innings lead to 133 runs to take the ascendancy in the test.

Having resumed on 39 for one, it was a fruitful morning for Proteas, who only lost nightwatchman Kagiso Rabada for 29 when he played onto his stumps from a Pat Cummins, 2-23 delivery.

There were few alarms from the wicket, which did not provide the same seam movement that South Africa enjoyed on the first day when they restricted Australia to 243 all out.

Amla was given out leg before wicket early in his innings by umpire Sundaram Ravi off a Cummins delivery, but successfully reviewed the decision when it was revealed the ball had struck him outside the line of the stumps.

Australia battled to create opportunities to take wickets, though spinner Nathan Lyon did find good turn off the wicket and was difficult to score off.

Rabada took the attack to the Australians with six fours, proving an irritation with the bat following his excellent 5-96 with the ball in the Australian innings.

His further participation in the series is in doubt though after it was revealed on Saturday that he had been charged with a Level Two offence by the International Cricket Council (ICC) with a hearing to be staged on Saturday evening.

Opener Dean Elgar edged towards a patient half-century as South Africa reached 110 for two at lunch on the second day of the second test against Australia at St George’s Park on Saturday. Elgar is 38 not out from 108 balls. He has put on 43 for the third wicket with Hashim Amla, who has 31 from 71 balls, as they reduced Australia’s first innings lead to 133 runs to take the ascendancy in the test. Having resumed on 39 for one, it was a fruitful morning for Proteas, who only lost nightwatchman Kagiso Rabada for 29 when he played onto his stumps from a Pat Cummins, 2-23 delivery. There were few alarms from the wicket, which did not provide the same seam movement that South Africa enjoyed on the first day when they restricted Australia to 243 all out. Amla was given out leg before wicket early in his innings by umpire Sundaram Ravi off a Cummins delivery, but successfully reviewed the decision when it was revealed the ball had struck him outside the line of the stumps. Australia battled to create opportunities to take wickets, though spinner Nathan Lyon did find good turn off the wicket and was difficult to score off. Rabada took the attack to the Australians with six fours, proving an irritation with the bat following his excellent 5-96 with the ball in the Australian innings. His further participation in the series is in doubt though after it was revealed on Saturday that he had been charged with a Level Two offence by the International Cricket Council (ICC) with a hearing to be staged on Saturday evening.

2nd Test, Day 2: South Africa trail Australia by 133 runs at lunch

Australia is currently on the tour of South Africa to play a four-match Test series. Australia currently lead the highly controversial and dramatic series by 1-0.

After <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/warner-de-kock-fined-for-bringing-the-game-into-disrepute-35164">David Warner and Quinton de Kock</a> row, now Kagiso Rabada has faced a level two charge by the match referee&nbsp;Jeff Crowe and&nbsp;now might miss the last two Tests of the ongoing series.

The level 2 charge&nbsp;has been implied due to&nbsp;the incident when Rabada made a shoulder contact with Australian skipper Steve Smith after sending him off&nbsp;on the first day of the opening Test.

Watch the video here:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvAUS</a> This nudge between Rabada and Smith will no doubt be reviewed by the match referee <a href="https://t.co/2ln0tmTOln">pic.twitter.com/2ln0tmTOln</a>
&mdash; Michael Sherman (@Golfhackno1) <a href="https://twitter.com/Golfhackno1/status/972089842237607936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
An aggressive send off to steven smith by kagiso rabada. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvAUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvsAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvsAUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/F9gHKVGTOQ">pic.twitter.com/F9gHKVGTOQ</a>
&mdash; Alauddin Khilji (@AlauddinKhilj10) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlauddinKhilj10/status/972088511703625728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

If a player receives four or more demerit points within a two-year period, these are converted into suspension points. A suspension point amounts to a ban from one test or two ODIs, or two T20s, whichever come first.

Though, Rabada said that he will contest all the allegations as the charges related to the incident is false. The contact was accidental not deliberated.

In just one game, a lot of things has happened already and the ugly side of cricket is visible. Recently, Australian <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-bowler-nathan-lyon-fined-for-disrespecting-ab-de-villiers-34801">off-spinner Nathan Lyon</a> was booked by ICC for disrespecting former South African skipper <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-bowler-nathan-lyon-fined-for-disrespecting-ab-de-villiers-34801">AB de Villiers</a>.

Also, ICC has charged <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/warner-de-kock-fined-for-bringing-the-game-into-disrepute-35164">David Warner</a> with 75 per cent of match fee from the first test and given three demerit points for a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/warner-de-kock-fined-for-bringing-the-game-into-disrepute-35164">level two charge</a> of bringing the game into disrepute because of an ugly verbal <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/warner-de-kock-fined-for-bringing-the-game-into-disrepute-35164">confrontation with De Kock</a>.

Quinton de Kock was fined 25 percent of his match fee and given one demerit point for the heated off-field exchange.

&nbsp;

Kagiso Rabada has faced a level two charge by the match referee Jeff Crowe on the incident when Rabada made a shoulder contact with Australian skipper Steve Smith after sending him off on the first day of the opening Test

Australia is currently on the tour of South Africa to play a four-match Test series. Australia currently lead the highly controversial and dramatic series by 1-0. After David Warner and Quinton de Kock row, now Kagiso Rabada has faced a level two charge by the match referee Jeff Crowe and now might miss the last two Tests of the ongoing series. The level 2 charge has been implied due to the incident when Rabada made a shoulder contact with Australian skipper Steve Smith after sending him off on the first day of the opening Test. Watch the video here: #SAvAUS This nudge between Rabada and Smith will no doubt be reviewed by the match referee pic.twitter.com/2ln0tmTOln — Michael Sherman (@Golfhackno1) March 9, 2018 × An aggressive send off to steven smith by kagiso rabada. #SAvAUS #SAvsAUS pic.twitter.com/F9gHKVGTOQ — Alauddin Khilji (@AlauddinKhilj10) March 9, 2018 × If a player receives four or more demerit points within a two-year period, these are converted into suspension points. A suspension point amounts to a ban from one test or two ODIs, or two T20s, whichever come first. Though, Rabada said that he will contest all the allegations as the charges related to the incident is false. The contact was accidental not deliberated. In just one game, a lot of things has happened already and the ugly side of cricket is visible. Recently, Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon was booked by ICC for disrespecting former South African skipper AB de Villiers. Also, ICC has charged David Warner with 75 per cent of match fee from the first test and given three demerit points for a level two charge of bringing the game into disrepute because of an ugly verbal confrontation with De Kock. Quinton de Kock was fined 25 percent of his match fee and given one demerit point for the heated off-field exchange.

Kagiso Rabada faces suspension for disrespecting Steve Smith

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/warner-de-kock-fined-for-bringing-the-game-into-disrepute-35164" target="_blank">Australian skipper Steve Smith</a> won the toss and opted to bat on the opening day of the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-bowler-nathan-lyon-fined-for-disrespecting-ab-de-villiers-34801" target="_blank">second test against South Africa</a> at St George&rsquo;s Park on Friday.

Australia have picked the same team for the seventh successive test.

Despite being a bowling pitch, Smith took the long view of not having to bat last on a pitch that aids reverse swing.

&quot;There is a little bit of grass on it and it might do a little bit this morning, but if we can get through that and post a big first innings total then reverse swing becomes important later on,&quot; said Smith&nbsp;

The Invincibles have won the first test by 118 runs in Durban and can end South Africa&rsquo;s hopes of a series victory with another win in Port Elizabeth in the four-match series.

&quot;It was a nice start (in Durban), we played some really good cricket. We want to keep up the pressure this week,&rdquo; the skipper added.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, South African captain Faf du Plessis said he was relieved that the decision to bat or bowl was taken out of his hands.

&quot;I was extremely happy to lose the toss,&quot; Du Plessis said.&nbsp;

&quot;I was 50-50, we probably would have gone with bowling first. With the conditions today and the forecast over the next five days, it won&rsquo;t get too hot so the pitch won&rsquo;t deteriorate much.&quot;

The home side has made one change to their line-up, bringing in seamer Lungi Ngidi for the more experienced Morne Morkel, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket after this series.&nbsp;

Australia have picked the same team for the seventh successive test

Australian skipper Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bat on the opening day of the second test against South Africa at St George’s Park on Friday. Australia have picked the same team for the seventh successive test. Despite being a bowling pitch, Smith took the long view of not having to bat last on a pitch that aids reverse swing. "There is a little bit of grass on it and it might do a little bit this morning, but if we can get through that and post a big first innings total then reverse swing becomes important later on," said Smith The Invincibles have won the first test by 118 runs in Durban and can end South Africa’s hopes of a series victory with another win in Port Elizabeth in the four-match series. "It was a nice start (in Durban), we played some really good cricket. We want to keep up the pressure this week,” the skipper added. Meanwhile, South African captain Faf du Plessis said he was relieved that the decision to bat or bowl was taken out of his hands. "I was extremely happy to lose the toss," Du Plessis said. "I was 50-50, we probably would have gone with bowling first. With the conditions today and the forecast over the next five days, it won’t get too hot so the pitch won’t deteriorate much." The home side has made one change to their line-up, bringing in seamer Lungi Ngidi for the more experienced Morne Morkel, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket after this series.

2nd Test: Steve Smith wins toss, opts to bat against South Africa

Recently,<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-david-warner-and-de-kock-row-shows-ugly-side-of-cricket-34809"> David Warner</a> was seen apparently turning on South African wicketkeeper-batsman <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-david-warner-and-de-kock-row-shows-ugly-side-of-cricket-34809">Quinton De Kock</a> during the tea break on the fourth day of the first Test.

Their captains said <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-david-warner-and-de-kock-row-shows-ugly-side-of-cricket-34809">personal insults</a> were at the root of a row between Australia&#39;s David Warner and South Africa&#39;s Quinton de Kock.

ICC has charged Warner with 75 per cent of match fee from the first test and given three demerit points for a level two charge of bringing the game into disrepute because of an ugly verbal confrontation with De Kock.

Quinton de Kock was fined 25 percent of his match fee and given one demerit point for the heated <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-david-warner-and-de-kock-row-shows-ugly-side-of-cricket-34809">off-field exchange</a>.

If a player receives four or more demerit points within a two-year period, these are converted into suspension points. A suspension point amounts to a ban from one test or two ODIs, or two T20s, whichever come first.

In the same match, Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon was booked by ICC for disrespecting former South African skipper AB de Villiers.

The incident happened when both the teams were returning to their dressing rooms during the tea break on the fourth day of the first Test.

A leaked CCTV footage showed David Warner apparently turning on De Kock as the players walked up a narrow staircase.

Watch the video here:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/davidwarner31?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@davidwarner31</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/QuinnyDeKock69?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@QuinnyDeKock69</a> Verbal Exchange during Tea Break. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvSA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvSA</a> <a href="https://t.co/6Rr4Xkx2lQ">pic.twitter.com/6Rr4Xkx2lQ</a>
&mdash; Thakur (@ThakurHassam) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThakurHassam/status/970442595464773632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Watch another video&nbsp;of David Warner repeatedly calling De Kock a &quot;sook&quot;, which is Australian slang for somebody that is perceived to be soft.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
WATCH: New footage being shown in Australia by Fox news, shows David Warner swearing at Quinton de Kock shortly before the staircase incident in Durban. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvAUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/RkVR453Isj">pic.twitter.com/RkVR453Isj</a>
&mdash; Lunga Kupiso (@KupisoLunga) <a href="https://twitter.com/KupisoLunga/status/971652048361050112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

David Warner charged with 75 per cent of match fee and given three demerit points for a level two charge

Recently, David Warner was seen apparently turning on South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton De Kock during the tea break on the fourth day of the first Test. Their captains said personal insults were at the root of a row between Australia's David Warner and South Africa's Quinton de Kock. ICC has charged Warner with 75 per cent of match fee from the first test and given three demerit points for a level two charge of bringing the game into disrepute because of an ugly verbal confrontation with De Kock. Quinton de Kock was fined 25 percent of his match fee and given one demerit point for the heated off-field exchange. If a player receives four or more demerit points within a two-year period, these are converted into suspension points. A suspension point amounts to a ban from one test or two ODIs, or two T20s, whichever come first. In the same match, Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon was booked by ICC for disrespecting former South African skipper AB de Villiers. The incident happened when both the teams were returning to their dressing rooms during the tea break on the fourth day of the first Test. A leaked CCTV footage showed David Warner apparently turning on De Kock as the players walked up a narrow staircase. Watch the video here: @davidwarner31 and @QuinnyDeKock69 Verbal Exchange during Tea Break. #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/6Rr4Xkx2lQ — Thakur (@ThakurHassam) March 4, 2018 × Watch another video of David Warner repeatedly calling De Kock a "sook", which is Australian slang for somebody that is perceived to be soft. WATCH: New footage being shown in Australia by Fox news, shows David Warner swearing at Quinton de Kock shortly before the staircase incident in Durban. #SAvAUS pic.twitter.com/RkVR453Isj — Lunga Kupiso (@KupisoLunga) March 8, 2018 ×

Warner, De Kock fined for 'bringing the game into disrepute'

A Jerusalem court on Wednesday ordered house arrest for an Israeli woman sought by Australia over accusations of sexually abusing schoolgirls under her care there, a court transcript said.

The magistrates court ruled that Malka Leifer should be released from the closed psychiatric ward where she has been held for the past week but delayed implementation of the order for 48 hours to allow prosecutors seeking her extradition to appeal.

Malka Leifer is accused of child sex abuse while she was a teacher and principal at an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne, where she had relocated from her native Israel.

According to Australian media, Leifer is facing 74 counts of child sex abuse.

After allegations surfaced against her in 2008, Leifer and her family left for Israel and have been living in the West Bank settlement of Emmanuel.

A previous extradition attempt between 2014-2016 failed after Leifer was hospitalised in mental institutions and expert opinions determined she was not fit to stand trial.

But undercover private investigators filmed Leifer depositing a cheque at the bank and shopping, prompting Israeli authorities to launch an investigation to see if she was faking mental illness to avoid extradition, leading to her February 12 arrest.

Wednesday&#39;s court ruling, seen by AFP, said that psychiatrists who examined her in custody found her to be suffering emotional distress, &quot;but not due to the mental illness she was claiming.&quot;

It said that she would be confined to a house in Kibbutz Beit Haemek, a collective community in the Galilee district of northern Israel, where she would be under the 24-hour supervision of the local rabbi and other court-approved monitors.

Leifer&#39;s case has drawn attention from Australian media since her arrest last month, with Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews saying he has lobbied Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly on the issue.

The magistrate's court ruled that Malka Leifer should be released from the closed psychiatric ward where she has been held for the past week

A Jerusalem court on Wednesday ordered house arrest for an Israeli woman sought by Australia over accusations of sexually abusing schoolgirls under her care there, a court transcript said. The magistrates court ruled that Malka Leifer should be released from the closed psychiatric ward where she has been held for the past week but delayed implementation of the order for 48 hours to allow prosecutors seeking her extradition to appeal. Malka Leifer is accused of child sex abuse while she was a teacher and principal at an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne, where she had relocated from her native Israel. According to Australian media, Leifer is facing 74 counts of child sex abuse. After allegations surfaced against her in 2008, Leifer and her family left for Israel and have been living in the West Bank settlement of Emmanuel. A previous extradition attempt between 2014-2016 failed after Leifer was hospitalised in mental institutions and expert opinions determined she was not fit to stand trial. But undercover private investigators filmed Leifer depositing a cheque at the bank and shopping, prompting Israeli authorities to launch an investigation to see if she was faking mental illness to avoid extradition, leading to her February 12 arrest. Wednesday's court ruling, seen by AFP, said that psychiatrists who examined her in custody found her to be suffering emotional distress, "but not due to the mental illness she was claiming." It said that she would be confined to a house in Kibbutz Beit Haemek, a collective community in the Galilee district of northern Israel, where she would be under the 24-hour supervision of the local rabbi and other court-approved monitors. Leifer's case has drawn attention from Australian media since her arrest last month, with Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews saying he has lobbied Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly on the issue.

Israel puts Australia paedophile suspect under house arrest

India&rsquo;s hopes of making it to the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup were crushed when they were beaten 4-2 by Australia in Ipoh on Tuesday.

Having lost to Argentina 2-3 in their campaign opener and drawn 1-1 against England in the next match, the loss leaves India with just one point from three games.

India were trailing 0-4 after the third quarter but scored two quick goals through Ramandeep Singh in the fourth quarter to avoid a whitewash.

Mark Knowles, Aran Zalewski, Daniel Beale and Blake Govers scored for Australia.

Still looking for their first win, India will now face Malaysia next on Wednesday.

India were trailing 0-4 after the third quarter but scored two quick goals

India’s hopes of making it to the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup were crushed when they were beaten 4-2 by Australia in Ipoh on Tuesday. Having lost to Argentina 2-3 in their campaign opener and drawn 1-1 against England in the next match, the loss leaves India with just one point from three games. India were trailing 0-4 after the third quarter but scored two quick goals through Ramandeep Singh in the fourth quarter to avoid a whitewash. Mark Knowles, Aran Zalewski, Daniel Beale and Blake Govers scored for Australia. Still looking for their first win, India will now face Malaysia next on Wednesday.

Australia outplay India 4-2 in Azlan Shah hockey

Footage of David Warner being restrained by teammates in an off-field fracas with South Africa`s Quinton de Kock has been viewed dimly in Australia, where former players have urged the vice-captain to rein in the raging `Bull`.

The opening batsman could face an ICC sanction for his part in the ugly stairwell incident at Kingsmead on Sunday which shattered cricket`s unofficial rule of `what happens on the field, stays on the field.`

His captain Steve Smith suggested De Kock had enraged the hot-headed lefthander by getting personal in his sledging, the nature of which focused on Warner`s wife, according to local media reports.

The South African camp retorted that whatever was said was payback for Warner`s own aggressive sledging of De Kock and other Proteas players out on the field.

Warner was nicknamed `Bull` early in his career, a moniker that fittingly captured his rampaging batting and tendency to rack up violations for ill-tempered episodes during play.

But his 2015 marriage to ironwoman athlete Candice and fatherhood seemed to mellow Warner to the point that his teammates re-branded him `the Reverend` for his quieter demeanor.

Warner shed his `Reverend` persona prior to the recent Ashes series, however, as he called on teammates to summon &quot;hatred&quot; for the visiting English.

If there is a comfortable middle ground between the `the Reverend` and the `Bull`, Warner has yet to find it, noted former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.

&quot;It was really extreme the opposite way, and now he`s come back again saying `old Davey`s back` and all his teammates are saying `the Reverend`s gone, Bull`s back,&quot; Gilchrist told local radio.

&quot;It`s always a worry in any situation when someone is so extreme in one direction or the other. I think Davey`s got to find somewhere in between that. Once the emotion and the aggression is taken away from it, David has to be a little bit disappointed that he`s done that and allowed this whole discussion to start up.&quot;

Warner was involved in another unsightly incident on the field during the opening test in Durban when he unleashed a withering verbal spray at Aiden Markram after the rookie opening batsman was culpable in running out AB de Villiers in South Africa`s second innings.

Warner shook hands with De Kock after Australia quickly closed out their 118-run victory on Monday, to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.

It was described by Australian media as a moment of reconciliation between the teams but Warner can expect little relief from the niggle by Proteas players for the rest of the series, according to former test all-rounder Brad Hogg 
. 
&quot;They`ll be trying to nag him in the next three test matches about his wife now,&quot; Hogg told local broadcaster Fox Sports.

&quot;To be frank, South Africa have found a little sweet spot with David Warner.&quot;

Warner was nicknamed `Bull` early in his career, a moniker that fittingly captured his rampaging batting and tendency to rack up violations for ill-tempered episodes during play

Footage of David Warner being restrained by teammates in an off-field fracas with South Africa`s Quinton de Kock has been viewed dimly in Australia, where former players have urged the vice-captain to rein in the raging `Bull`. The opening batsman could face an ICC sanction for his part in the ugly stairwell incident at Kingsmead on Sunday which shattered cricket`s unofficial rule of `what happens on the field, stays on the field.` His captain Steve Smith suggested De Kock had enraged the hot-headed lefthander by getting personal in his sledging, the nature of which focused on Warner`s wife, according to local media reports. The South African camp retorted that whatever was said was payback for Warner`s own aggressive sledging of De Kock and other Proteas players out on the field. Warner was nicknamed `Bull` early in his career, a moniker that fittingly captured his rampaging batting and tendency to rack up violations for ill-tempered episodes during play. But his 2015 marriage to ironwoman athlete Candice and fatherhood seemed to mellow Warner to the point that his teammates re-branded him `the Reverend` for his quieter demeanor. Warner shed his `Reverend` persona prior to the recent Ashes series, however, as he called on teammates to summon "hatred" for the visiting English. If there is a comfortable middle ground between the `the Reverend` and the `Bull`, Warner has yet to find it, noted former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. "It was really extreme the opposite way, and now he`s come back again saying `old Davey`s back` and all his teammates are saying `the Reverend`s gone, Bull`s back," Gilchrist told local radio. "It`s always a worry in any situation when someone is so extreme in one direction or the other. I think Davey`s got to find somewhere in between that. Once the emotion and the aggression is taken away from it, David has to be a little bit disappointed that he`s done that and allowed this whole discussion to start up." Warner was involved in another unsightly incident on the field during the opening test in Durban when he unleashed a withering verbal spray at Aiden Markram after the rookie opening batsman was culpable in running out AB de Villiers in South Africa`s second innings. Warner shook hands with De Kock after Australia quickly closed out their 118-run victory on Monday, to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. It was described by Australian media as a moment of reconciliation between the teams but Warner can expect little relief from the niggle by Proteas players for the rest of the series, according to former test all-rounder Brad Hogg . "They`ll be trying to nag him in the next three test matches about his wife now," Hogg told local broadcaster Fox Sports. "To be frank, South Africa have found a little sweet spot with David Warner."

Cricket: Australia calls ''Bull'' on Warner tantrum

The island country Australia has suddenly found itself on China&#39;s ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative. According to reports, a theme park project, to be developed by Chinese firm Songcheng in Australia&#39;s Gold Coast City, was found listed on China&#39;s Ministry of Culture website late last week.

The theme park project, that goes by the name Australian Legend World, will be developed at Nerang suburb at an estimated cost of over $400 million.&nbsp;

The project has been described as a &quot;key cultural trade and investment project&quot; and part of China&#39;s ambitious OBOR initiative.

&quot;The Australian Government may not want to not sign up to the initiative as a program but there&#39;s nothing to stop particular projects in Australia signing up on their own account,&quot; ANI reported China expert John Fitzgerald as saying.

The proposed park has been listed at number 11 among 40 other top priority government projects affiliated with the OBOR. These projects are scheduled to come up at various locations around the world.

The project is facing stiff opposition from the locals.

(With inputs from ANI)&nbsp;

The proposed park has been listed at number 11 among 40 other top priority government projects affiliated with the OBOR

The island country Australia has suddenly found itself on China's ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative. According to reports, a theme park project, to be developed by Chinese firm Songcheng in Australia's Gold Coast City, was found listed on China's Ministry of Culture website late last week. The theme park project, that goes by the name Australian Legend World, will be developed at Nerang suburb at an estimated cost of over $400 million. The project has been described as a "key cultural trade and investment project" and part of China's ambitious OBOR initiative. "The Australian Government may not want to not sign up to the initiative as a program but there's nothing to stop particular projects in Australia signing up on their own account," ANI reported China expert John Fitzgerald as saying. The proposed park has been listed at number 11 among 40 other top priority government projects affiliated with the OBOR. These projects are scheduled to come up at various locations around the world. The project is facing stiff opposition from the locals. (With inputs from ANI)

China's One Belt One Road may pass through Australia

The Australian cricket team is on tour to South Africa for a four-test match series. Currently, Aussies lead by 2-0 and looking forward to clinching the series.

In just one game, a lot of things has happened already and the ugly side of cricket is visible. Recently, Australian off-spinner <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-bowler-nathan-lyon-fined-for-disrespecting-ab-de-villiers-34801">Nathan Lyon was booked </a>by ICC for disrespecting former South African skipper AB de Villiers.

Now, another incident which was escalated after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-bowler-nathan-lyon-fined-for-disrespecting-ab-de-villiers-34801">de Villiers&#39; run out incident</a> when both the teams were returning to their dressing rooms during the tea break on the fourth day of the first Test.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/davidwarner31?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@davidwarner31</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/QuinnyDeKock69?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@QuinnyDeKock69</a> Verbal Exchange during Tea Break. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvSA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvSA</a> <a href="https://t.co/6Rr4Xkx2lQ">pic.twitter.com/6Rr4Xkx2lQ</a>
&mdash; Thakur (@ThakurHassam) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThakurHassam/status/970442595464773632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

A leaked CCTV footage showed David Warner apparently turning on De Kock as the players walked up a narrow staircase. Their captains said personal insults were at the root of a row between Australia&#39;s David Warner and South Africa&#39;s Quinton de Kock.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Australian skipper, Steve Smith says Quinton De Kock was the instigator and got very personal with David Warner. <a href="https://t.co/JftBJBmOoG">pic.twitter.com/JftBJBmOoG</a>
&mdash; Myron Naicker (@myronnaicker) <a href="https://twitter.com/myronnaicker/status/970583708414640128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Steve Smith: &quot;What was said and done during that interval was regrettable on both sides.&quot;

Faf du Plessis: &quot;From what I&#39;ve heard there was a lot of personal stuff being said, to and from.&quot;

The incident is in the hands of match referee Jeff Crowe, with no immediate clarity about when a decision could be expected.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
WATCH: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Proteas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Proteas</a> captain <a href="https://twitter.com/faf1307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@faf1307</a> on the incident involving David Warner and Quinton de Kock. Video: <a href="https://twitter.com/whamzam17?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@whamzam17</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/IOL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IOL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TheMercurySA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheMercurySA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DailyNewsSA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DailyNewsSA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvAUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DavidWarner?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DavidWarner</a> <a href="https://t.co/KbpnXviEwP">pic.twitter.com/KbpnXviEwP</a>
&mdash; IOL Sport (@IOLsport) <a href="https://twitter.com/IOLsport/status/970587201666015233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

David Warner apparently turning on De Kock as the players walked up a narrow staircase during the team break on the 4th day of first Test.

The Australian cricket team is on tour to South Africa for a four-test match series. Currently, Aussies lead by 2-0 and looking forward to clinching the series. In just one game, a lot of things has happened already and the ugly side of cricket is visible. Recently, Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon was booked by ICC for disrespecting former South African skipper AB de Villiers. Now, another incident which was escalated after de Villiers' run out incident when both the teams were returning to their dressing rooms during the tea break on the fourth day of the first Test. @davidwarner31 and @QuinnyDeKock69 Verbal Exchange during Tea Break. #AUSvSA pic.twitter.com/6Rr4Xkx2lQ — Thakur (@ThakurHassam) March 4, 2018 × A leaked CCTV footage showed David Warner apparently turning on De Kock as the players walked up a narrow staircase. Their captains said personal insults were at the root of a row between Australia's David Warner and South Africa's Quinton de Kock. Australian skipper, Steve Smith says Quinton De Kock was the instigator and got very personal with David Warner. pic.twitter.com/JftBJBmOoG — Myron Naicker (@myronnaicker) March 5, 2018 × Steve Smith: "What was said and done during that interval was regrettable on both sides." Faf du Plessis: "From what I've heard there was a lot of personal stuff being said, to and from." The incident is in the hands of match referee Jeff Crowe, with no immediate clarity about when a decision could be expected. WATCH: #Proteas captain @faf1307 on the incident involving David Warner and Quinton de Kock. Video: @whamzam17 @IOL @TheMercurySA @DailyNewsSA #SAvAUS #DavidWarner pic.twitter.com/KbpnXviEwP — IOL Sport (@IOLsport) March 5, 2018 ×

Watch: David Warner and De Kock row shows ugly side of cricket

According to the HR consultancy Aon Hewitt, the average salary hike of Indian employees this year is likely to be around 9.4%. As companies increase focus on performance and on hiring specialists, key talents may achieve as much as 15.4% increase in salary.

&ldquo;With critical skills shortage highlighted as a key concern, companies are becoming more cautious while recognising and remunerating their key talent,&rdquo; Anandorup Ghose, Partner at Aon India Consulting told reporters.

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/--YiKW-OX2Q" width="560"></iframe>

Aon Hewitt&#39;s annual &#39;Salary Increase Survey&#39; studied more than 1,000 companies from over 20 industries and estimates the average pay hike in the country to remain between 9.4-9.6%.&nbsp;

According to the survey, Indian employees received an average hike of 9.3% during 2017 -- a departure from the double-digit increments that were registered when the study was still in its nascency.&nbsp;

A look at salary-hike trends across the Asian Pacific region puts India at the top as the best paymaster in the region. China is expected to give out an average raise of 6.7% to its employees followed by the Philippines at 5.8%, Malaysia 5.1%, Singapore 4%, Australia 3.2% and Japan at a meagre 2.5%.

Professional services, consumer internet companies, life sciences, automotive and consumer products are the sectors projected to dole out double-digit salary hike in 2018.

Meanwhile, the attrition rate in India continues to see a downward trend, now standing at 15.9% from an average of 20% registered in the previous decade.

Aon Hewitt's annual 'Salary Increase Survey' studied more than 1,000 companies from over 20 industries

According to the HR consultancy Aon Hewitt, the average salary hike of Indian employees this year is likely to be around 9.4%. As companies increase focus on performance and on hiring specialists, key talents may achieve as much as 15.4% increase in salary. “With critical skills shortage highlighted as a key concern, companies are becoming more cautious while recognising and remunerating their key talent,” Anandorup Ghose, Partner at Aon India Consulting told reporters. Aon Hewitt's annual 'Salary Increase Survey' studied more than 1,000 companies from over 20 industries and estimates the average pay hike in the country to remain between 9.4-9.6%. According to the survey, Indian employees received an average hike of 9.3% during 2017 -- a departure from the double-digit increments that were registered when the study was still in its nascency. A look at salary-hike trends across the Asian Pacific region puts India at the top as the best paymaster in the region. China is expected to give out an average raise of 6.7% to its employees followed by the Philippines at 5.8%, Malaysia 5.1%, Singapore 4%, Australia 3.2% and Japan at a meagre 2.5%. Professional services, consumer internet companies, life sciences, automotive and consumer products are the sectors projected to dole out double-digit salary hike in 2018. Meanwhile, the attrition rate in India continues to see a downward trend, now standing at 15.9% from an average of 20% registered in the previous decade.

India is the best paymaster in Asia Pacific ahead of Japan, Australia: Survey

The Trump administration and key Asian allies are preparing to expand interceptions of ships suspected of violating sanctions on North Korea, a plan that could include deploying U.S. Coast Guard forces to stop and search vessels in Asia-Pacific waters, senior U.S. officials said.

Washington has been talking to regional partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and Singapore, about coordinating a stepped-up crackdown that would go further than ever before in an attempt to squeeze Pyongyang&#39;s use of seagoing trade to feed its nuclear missile program, several officials told Reuters.

While suspect ships have been intercepted before, the emerging strategy would expand the scope of such operations but stop short of imposing a naval blockade on North Korea. Pyongyang has warned it would consider a blockade an act of war.

The strategy calls for closer tracking and possible seizure of ships suspected of carrying banned weapons components and other prohibited cargo to or from North Korea, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Depending on the scale of the campaign, the United States could consider beefing up the naval and air power of its Pacific Command, they said.

The U.S.-led initiative, which has not been previously reported, shows Washington&#39;s increasing urgency to force North Korea into negotiations over the abandonment of its weapons programs, the officials said.

North Korea may be only a few months away from completing development of a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland, despite existing international sanctions that, at times, have been sidestepped by smuggling and ship-to-ship transfers at sea of banned goods, according to officials.

&quot;There is no doubt we all have to do more, short of direct military action, to show (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un we mean business,&quot; said a senior administration official.

The White House declined official comment.

The effort could target vessels on the high seas or in the territorial waters of countries that choose to cooperate. It was unclear, however, to what extent the campaign might extend beyond Asia.

Washington on Friday slapped sanctions on dozens more companies and vessels linked to North Korean shipping trade and urged the United Nations to blacklist a list of entities, a move it said was aimed at shutting down North Korea&#39;s illicit maritime smuggling activities to obtain oil and sell coal.

Tighter sanctions plus a more assertive approach at sea could dial up tensions at a time when fragile diplomacy between North and South Korea has gained momentum. It would also stretch U.S. military resources needed elsewhere, possibly incur massive new costs and fuel misgivings among some countries in the region.

BOARDING SHIPS

The initiative, which is still being developed, would be fraught with challenges that could risk triggering North Korean retaliation and dividing the international community.

China and Russia, which have blocked U.S. efforts at the United Nations to win approval for use of force in North Korea interdiction operations, are likely to oppose new actions if they see the United States as overstepping. A Chinese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said such steps should only be taken under United Nations auspices.

But Washington is expected to start gradually ratcheting up such operations soon even if discussions with allies have not been completed, according to the senior U.S. official.

U.S. experts are developing legal arguments for doing more to stop sanctions-busting vessels, citing the last U.N. Security Council resolution which they say opened the door by calling on states to inspect suspect ships on the high seas or in their waters.

Washington is also drawing up rules of engagement aimed at avoiding armed confrontation at sea, the officials said.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told reporters in Washington on Friday the United States does not rule out boarding ships for inspections.

But U.S. officials said privately that such actions, especially the use of boarding crews, would be decided on a case-by-case and with utmost caution.

Some U.S. officials believe the risk could be minimized if Coast Guard cutters, which carry less firepower and technically engage in law-enforcement missions, are used in certain cases rather than warships.

The Coast Guard declined to address whether it might deploy ships to the Asia-Pacific region but acknowledged its ties to countries there. &quot;Future ship deployments would depend on U.S. foreign policy objectives and the operational availability of our assets,&quot; said spokesman Lieutenant Commander Dave French.

&#39;THE MORE PARTNERS WE HAVE&#39;

A senior South Korean government official said there had been discussions over &quot;intensified maritime interdictions,&quot; including at a foreign ministers&#39; meeting in Vancouver last month where U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pressed counterparts on the issue.

&quot;We are discussing with various countries including the U.S. and South Korea how to fully implement the sanctions but I have not heard talk of creating a framework or a coalition,&quot; said a Japanese defense ministry official involved in policy planning.

The Trump administration has also sought greater cooperation from Southeast Asian countries, which may have little military capability to assist but are seen as sources of intelligence on ship movements, U.S. officials said.

&quot;The more partners we have, the more resources we have to dedicate to the effort,&quot; said Chris Ford, assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation. He declined to talk about discussions with specific countries.

Washington is especially interested in detecting of ship-to-ship transfers at sea of banned goods, something North Korea has increasingly resorted to as vessels have faced greater scrutiny of their cargo in Asian ports, the officials said.

Reuters reported in December that Russian tankers had supplied fuel to North Korea at sea in a violation of sanctions. Washington also said at the time it had evidence that vessels from several countries, including China, had engaged in shipping oil products and coal. China denied the allegation.

U.S. interception of ships close to Chinese waters is something likely to be avoided, in favor of informing Chinese authorities of banned cargo onboard and asking them do the inspection, one official said.

&quot;It&#39;s probably impossible to stop everything, but you can raise the cost to North Korea,&quot; said David Shear, former deputy secretary of defense for Asia under President Barack Obama.

Washington has been talking to regional partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and Singapore, about coordinating a stepped-up crackdown

The Trump administration and key Asian allies are preparing to expand interceptions of ships suspected of violating sanctions on North Korea, a plan that could include deploying U.S. Coast Guard forces to stop and search vessels in Asia-Pacific waters, senior U.S. officials said. Washington has been talking to regional partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and Singapore, about coordinating a stepped-up crackdown that would go further than ever before in an attempt to squeeze Pyongyang's use of seagoing trade to feed its nuclear missile program, several officials told Reuters. While suspect ships have been intercepted before, the emerging strategy would expand the scope of such operations but stop short of imposing a naval blockade on North Korea. Pyongyang has warned it would consider a blockade an act of war. The strategy calls for closer tracking and possible seizure of ships suspected of carrying banned weapons components and other prohibited cargo to or from North Korea, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Depending on the scale of the campaign, the United States could consider beefing up the naval and air power of its Pacific Command, they said. The U.S.-led initiative, which has not been previously reported, shows Washington's increasing urgency to force North Korea into negotiations over the abandonment of its weapons programs, the officials said. North Korea may be only a few months away from completing development of a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland, despite existing international sanctions that, at times, have been sidestepped by smuggling and ship-to-ship transfers at sea of banned goods, according to officials. "There is no doubt we all have to do more, short of direct military action, to show (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un we mean business," said a senior administration official. The White House declined official comment. The effort could target vessels on the high seas or in the territorial waters of countries that choose to cooperate. It was unclear, however, to what extent the campaign might extend beyond Asia. Washington on Friday slapped sanctions on dozens more companies and vessels linked to North Korean shipping trade and urged the United Nations to blacklist a list of entities, a move it said was aimed at shutting down North Korea's illicit maritime smuggling activities to obtain oil and sell coal. Tighter sanctions plus a more assertive approach at sea could dial up tensions at a time when fragile diplomacy between North and South Korea has gained momentum. It would also stretch U.S. military resources needed elsewhere, possibly incur massive new costs and fuel misgivings among some countries in the region. BOARDING SHIPS The initiative, which is still being developed, would be fraught with challenges that could risk triggering North Korean retaliation and dividing the international community. China and Russia, which have blocked U.S. efforts at the United Nations to win approval for use of force in North Korea interdiction operations, are likely to oppose new actions if they see the United States as overstepping. A Chinese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said such steps should only be taken under United Nations auspices. But Washington is expected to start gradually ratcheting up such operations soon even if discussions with allies have not been completed, according to the senior U.S. official. U.S. experts are developing legal arguments for doing more to stop sanctions-busting vessels, citing the last U.N. Security Council resolution which they say opened the door by calling on states to inspect suspect ships on the high seas or in their waters. Washington is also drawing up rules of engagement aimed at avoiding armed confrontation at sea, the officials said. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told reporters in Washington on Friday the United States does not rule out boarding ships for inspections. But U.S. officials said privately that such actions, especially the use of boarding crews, would be decided on a case-by-case and with utmost caution. Some U.S. officials believe the risk could be minimized if Coast Guard cutters, which carry less firepower and technically engage in law-enforcement missions, are used in certain cases rather than warships. The Coast Guard declined to address whether it might deploy ships to the Asia-Pacific region but acknowledged its ties to countries there. "Future ship deployments would depend on U.S. foreign policy objectives and the operational availability of our assets," said spokesman Lieutenant Commander Dave French. 'THE MORE PARTNERS WE HAVE' A senior South Korean government official said there had been discussions over "intensified maritime interdictions," including at a foreign ministers' meeting in Vancouver last month where U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pressed counterparts on the issue. "We are discussing with various countries including the U.S. and South Korea how to fully implement the sanctions but I have not heard talk of creating a framework or a coalition," said a Japanese defense ministry official involved in policy planning. The Trump administration has also sought greater cooperation from Southeast Asian countries, which may have little military capability to assist but are seen as sources of intelligence on ship movements, U.S. officials said. "The more partners we have, the more resources we have to dedicate to the effort," said Chris Ford, assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation. He declined to talk about discussions with specific countries. Washington is especially interested in detecting of ship-to-ship transfers at sea of banned goods, something North Korea has increasingly resorted to as vessels have faced greater scrutiny of their cargo in Asian ports, the officials said. Reuters reported in December that Russian tankers had supplied fuel to North Korea at sea in a violation of sanctions. Washington also said at the time it had evidence that vessels from several countries, including China, had engaged in shipping oil products and coal. China denied the allegation. U.S. interception of ships close to Chinese waters is something likely to be avoided, in favor of informing Chinese authorities of banned cargo onboard and asking them do the inspection, one official said. "It's probably impossible to stop everything, but you can raise the cost to North Korea," said David Shear, former deputy secretary of defense for Asia under President Barack Obama.

US and its allies prepare high-seas crackdown on North Korea sanctions evaders: Sources

Australia&#39;s deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, announced his resignation on Friday. Joyce will resign as the leader of his party in the wake of allegations that linked him to one of the female employees. Joyce faces allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.

Joyce will officially resign on Monday as the leader of the National party. The Deputy Prime Minister is reported to have been involved in an alleged affair with his former media secretary. Joyce also expects a child with the woman.

Joyce&#39;s decision follows a fall-out with President Malcolm Turnbull who described Joyce&#39;s affair as &quot;shocking error of judgment&quot;; Joyce retorted by calling Turnbull &quot;inept&quot;.

Joyce is a practising Catholic who has been married for 24 years and is known to have campaigned on family values. Although he denies charges of any wrongdoing, he admits that the allegations did contribute to his hastening of taking the decision.

&quot;I will say on Monday morning at the party room I will step down as the leader of the National Party and deputy leader of Australia,&quot; Joyce said.

(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Joyce will officially resign on Monday as the leader of the National party

Australia's deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, announced his resignation on Friday. Joyce will resign as the leader of his party in the wake of allegations that linked him to one of the female employees. Joyce faces allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct. Joyce will officially resign on Monday as the leader of the National party. The Deputy Prime Minister is reported to have been involved in an alleged affair with his former media secretary. Joyce also expects a child with the woman. Joyce's decision follows a fall-out with President Malcolm Turnbull who described Joyce's affair as "shocking error of judgment"; Joyce retorted by calling Turnbull "inept". Joyce is a practising Catholic who has been married for 24 years and is known to have campaigned on family values. Although he denies charges of any wrongdoing, he admits that the allegations did contribute to his hastening of taking the decision. "I will say on Monday morning at the party room I will step down as the leader of the National Party and deputy leader of Australia," Joyce said. (With inputs from Reuters)

Australian Deputy Prime Minister quits amid sexual harassment allegations

The Central Bank in Australia prints one of the most advanced currencies in the world.

The notes are made from Polymer and are resistant to moisture, dirt, and water.&nbsp;

They are also hard to counterfeit.&nbsp;

The country&#39;s 5&nbsp;Dollar Bill is designed with a rolling colour effect when moved in a certain way.

It displays an image of the native bird of the nation, an eastern spinebill.

Australia was the first country to introduce polymer banknotes in 1988. This was later adopted by many other countries such as Canada and Vietnam.&nbsp;

The UK introduced polymer banknotes in 2016.

The Australian notes are made from Polymer and are resistant to moisture, dirt, and water

The Central Bank in Australia prints one of the most advanced currencies in the world. The notes are made from Polymer and are resistant to moisture, dirt, and water. They are also hard to counterfeit. The country's 5 Dollar Bill is designed with a rolling colour effect when moved in a certain way. It displays an image of the native bird of the nation, an eastern spinebill. Australia was the first country to introduce polymer banknotes in 1988. This was later adopted by many other countries such as Canada and Vietnam. The UK introduced polymer banknotes in 2016.

Australia's waterproof currency with rolling colour effects

Heavy showers disrupted the T20 tri-series finale as New Zealand take on Australia in the final of the T20 tri-series in Eden Park, Auckland on Wednesday.&nbsp;

However, the play has resumed now.&nbsp;

Tha Australian bowling attack finished New Zealand innings at 150/9 after 20 overs.

Despite a batsman-friendly Eden Park wicket, the Kiwis simply couldn&#39;t replicate their high-scoring antics from Friday&#39;s last-up clash between the sides.

They started well through openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro, but collapsed to 6-93 in the 11th over.

Meanwhile, Australia&#39;s Arcy Short and David Warner have established a 55 runs partnership of mere 36 balls. The two are playing at 41 and 13 runs respectively.

Australia needs 96 more runs in 84 balls to win the T20 tri-series finale. 
&nbsp; 
Australia had pulled off the highest run chase in T20 international cricket history when they chased down the target of 244 set by the New Zealand with seven balls to spare in a tri-series T20 match in the same venue last week.&nbsp;

New Zealand's innings ended at 150/9 after 20 overs

Heavy showers disrupted the T20 tri-series finale as New Zealand take on Australia in the final of the T20 tri-series in Eden Park, Auckland on Wednesday. However, the play has resumed now. Tha Australian bowling attack finished New Zealand innings at 150/9 after 20 overs. Despite a batsman-friendly Eden Park wicket, the Kiwis simply couldn't replicate their high-scoring antics from Friday's last-up clash between the sides. They started well through openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro, but collapsed to 6-93 in the 11th over. Meanwhile, Australia's Arcy Short and David Warner have established a 55 runs partnership of mere 36 balls. The two are playing at 41 and 13 runs respectively. Australia needs 96 more runs in 84 balls to win the T20 tri-series finale. Australia had pulled off the highest run chase in T20 international cricket history when they chased down the target of 244 set by the New Zealand with seven balls to spare in a tri-series T20 match in the same venue last week.

T20 tri-series final: Play resumes in Auckland after rain delay, Australia need 96 more runs to win

Australia won the 5th T20 international tri-series match against New Zealand in the&nbsp;Auckland on Friday.

Earlier, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat and for New Zeland, Martin Guptill played magnificently and slammed a century.

Martin Guptill and Colin Munro inspire the team to set a giant target of 243.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-australia-new-zealand-ausvsnz-martin-guptill-colin-munro-33064">Despite Guptill&#39;s 105 splendid ton</a>, New Zealand lost the match as Australian were very quick in scoring to achieve the mammoth target.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
What a game we&#39;ve had at Eden Park! Australia pull off the biggest successful run chase in T20I history to beat New Zealand by 5 wickets in a classic! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvAUS</a> scorecard ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/Cidk6uRryy">https://t.co/Cidk6uRryy</a> <a href="https://t.co/RQm52tEXev">pic.twitter.com/RQm52tEXev</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/964429877649670144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Australian opener David Warner and D Arcy Short started off for the team well and scored 121 runs together.

Warner played with a strike rate of 245.83 and scored 59 of 24 balls which is commendable and D Arcy Short scored 76 of 44 balls for his magnificent performance, Arcy Short was awarded the man of the match award.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
An outstanding chase! <a href="https://twitter.com/ShortDarcy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShortDarcy</a> is the Player of the Match for his brilliant 76 that led Australia&#39;s record-breaking pursuit! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvAUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/wb1Lz0mnki">pic.twitter.com/wb1Lz0mnki</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/964434134864187393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Also, Chris Lynn (18), Glenn Maxwell (31) and Marcus Stoinis (4) contributed well to the team.

Aaron Finch played an unbeaten knock of 36 runs of 14 balls to lead the Oz to victory.

Australia had already reached the series finale after winning all of their three previous matches, with two victories against England and one against New Zealand.

Now, New Zealand would either have to beat England on the weekend or hope to scrape through on run rate to enter the decider. 
&nbsp;

D Arcy Short played a match-winning knock and awarded player of the match for leading the team to victory

Australia won the 5th T20 international tri-series match against New Zealand in the Auckland on Friday. Earlier, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat and for New Zeland, Martin Guptill played magnificently and slammed a century. Martin Guptill and Colin Munro inspire the team to set a giant target of 243. Despite Guptill's 105 splendid ton, New Zealand lost the match as Australian were very quick in scoring to achieve the mammoth target. What a game we've had at Eden Park! Australia pull off the biggest successful run chase in T20I history to beat New Zealand by 5 wickets in a classic! #NZvAUS scorecard ➡️ https://t.co/Cidk6uRryy pic.twitter.com/RQm52tEXev — ICC (@ICC) February 16, 2018 × Australian opener David Warner and D Arcy Short started off for the team well and scored 121 runs together. Warner played with a strike rate of 245.83 and scored 59 of 24 balls which is commendable and D Arcy Short scored 76 of 44 balls for his magnificent performance, Arcy Short was awarded the man of the match award. An outstanding chase! @ShortDarcy is the Player of the Match for his brilliant 76 that led Australia's record-breaking pursuit! #NZvAUS pic.twitter.com/wb1Lz0mnki — ICC (@ICC) February 16, 2018 × Also, Chris Lynn (18), Glenn Maxwell (31) and Marcus Stoinis (4) contributed well to the team. Aaron Finch played an unbeaten knock of 36 runs of 14 balls to lead the Oz to victory. Australia had already reached the series finale after winning all of their three previous matches, with two victories against England and one against New Zealand. Now, New Zealand would either have to beat England on the weekend or hope to scrape through on run rate to enter the decider.

Despite Guptill's massive knock, Australia outplays New Zealand to win T20 match

New&nbsp;Zealand&nbsp;won the toss and elected to bat against Australia in the fifth T20 tri-series match in Auckland on Friday.

Playing first, New Zealand has given a target of 243 runs.

For New Zealand, Martin Guptill and Colin Munro started off well and gave a good start for the team.

Guptil slammed a magnificent century and scored 105 of 54. His splendid knock included six fours and nine sixes balls.

He found a determined ally in Colin Munro who scored 76 runs of 33 balls.

Together they made 132 runs for the first wicket an both of them edged the ball of Andrew Tye in the safe hands of Maxwell.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Glorious Guptill&#39;s record-breaking century guides New Zealand to a giant Eden Park record 243/6! It&#39;s New Zealand&#39;s joint-highest total in T20Is too! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvAUS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvAUS</a> LIVE ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/Cidk6uRryy">https://t.co/Cidk6uRryy</a> <a href="https://t.co/6Uj1ce7JuC">pic.twitter.com/6Uj1ce7JuC</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/964402551738195976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Tim Seifert (12), Mark Chapman (16), Colin de Grandhomme (0) and Kane Williamson (1) lost their wickets&nbsp;at a low score.

Ross Taylor and Ben Wheeler remained unbeaten at 17 runs and 1 run respectively.

Earlier, New Zealand&#39;s captain Kane Williamson said that the team needed to set up a solid platform to challenge the unbeaten Australians at Eden Park.

&quot;It&#39;s a used surface but it won&#39;t change too much, so it&#39;s important we do the job first up with the bat,&quot; he said.

He said&nbsp;New&nbsp;Zealand&nbsp;had called up seamer Ben Wheeler to replace spinner Mitchell Santner, who has a knee injury.

Australia has already reached the series finale after winning all of their three previous matches, with two victories against England and one against&nbsp;New&nbsp;Zealand.

A win would guarantee&nbsp;New&nbsp;Zealand&nbsp;a spot in the decider, rendering their match against England in Hamilton on Sunday a dead rubber.

A loss means they would either have to beat England on the weekend or hope to scrape through on run rate.

Australian skipper David Warner said he would have bowled first regardless.

He said Australia retained the same team that beat England by seven wickets in Melbourne on Sunday and has dominated the series so far.

&quot;They&#39;re playing with freedom (and) they&#39;re executing their skills,&quot; he said.

Squad:

New&nbsp;Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (capt), Mark Chapman, Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Seifert, Ben Wheeler, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.

Australia: David Warner (capt), D&#39;Arcy Short, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Andrew Tye, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake.

Guptil slammed a magnificent century and scored 105 and inspires the team to put up a modest total of 243

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat against Australia in the fifth T20 tri-series match in Auckland on Friday. Playing first, New Zealand has given a target of 243 runs. For New Zealand, Martin Guptill and Colin Munro started off well and gave a good start for the team. Guptil slammed a magnificent century and scored 105 of 54. His splendid knock included six fours and nine sixes balls. He found a determined ally in Colin Munro who scored 76 runs of 33 balls. Together they made 132 runs for the first wicket an both of them edged the ball of Andrew Tye in the safe hands of Maxwell. Glorious Guptill's record-breaking century guides New Zealand to a giant Eden Park record 243/6! It's New Zealand's joint-highest total in T20Is too! #NZvAUS LIVE ➡️ https://t.co/Cidk6uRryy pic.twitter.com/6Uj1ce7JuC — ICC (@ICC) February 16, 2018 × Tim Seifert (12), Mark Chapman (16), Colin de Grandhomme (0) and Kane Williamson (1) lost their wickets at a low score. Ross Taylor and Ben Wheeler remained unbeaten at 17 runs and 1 run respectively. Earlier, New Zealand's captain Kane Williamson said that the team needed to set up a solid platform to challenge the unbeaten Australians at Eden Park. "It's a used surface but it won't change too much, so it's important we do the job first up with the bat," he said. He said New Zealand had called up seamer Ben Wheeler to replace spinner Mitchell Santner, who has a knee injury. Australia has already reached the series finale after winning all of their three previous matches, with two victories against England and one against New Zealand. A win would guarantee New Zealand a spot in the decider, rendering their match against England in Hamilton on Sunday a dead rubber. A loss means they would either have to beat England on the weekend or hope to scrape through on run rate. Australian skipper David Warner said he would have bowled first regardless. He said Australia retained the same team that beat England by seven wickets in Melbourne on Sunday and has dominated the series so far. "They're playing with freedom (and) they're executing their skills," he said. Squad: New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (capt), Mark Chapman, Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Seifert, Ben Wheeler, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult. Australia: David Warner (capt), D'Arcy Short, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Andrew Tye, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake.

T20 Australia Vs New Zealand: Martin Guptill slams century

Indian resources conglomerate Adani Enterprises Ltd is looking to buy mines in countries such as Indonesia, a company executive told Reuters on Wednesday, despite its struggles to develop a controversial coal project in Australia.

The company already owns a coal mine in Indonesia, but has been unable to secure financing for the long-delayed Carmichael mine in Australia amid numerous court challenges from environmental groups concerned about climate change and potential damage to the Great Barrier Reef.

&quot;We have a mine in Indonesia, and we are looking for more options there,&quot; Rajendra Singh, chief operating officer of Adani&#39;s coal trading business, said on the sidelines of the Coaltrans India conference in the coastal town of Bambolim in Goa state.

&quot;We&#39;re also keeping our eyes open for options in other areas like south African countries, countries like Russia. We are not eyeing for specific grades, we are looking for viable options. We mainly look at reserves, production costs and logistics.&quot;

He said there was &quot;opportunity in the U.S.&quot; as well given that India imports coal from there. Singh, however, did not say if any deal was in the works.

Adani is also India&#39;s biggest trader of coal, with volumes of 81 million tonnes in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2017, sourced mainly from Indonesia and Africa. India, the world&#39;s second biggest coal importer after China, brought in a total of 190 million tonnes last fiscal year.

Singh said the company&#39;s market share in coal trading in the country was going to increase after it extended to retail markets, especially brick kilns and sponge irons.

The company has also recently started trading coal in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, in addition to its operations in Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and China, he said.

&quot;Asian countries are going to add a lot of demand in the coal market, especially South Asian countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan,&quot; Singh said. &quot;On the supply side, there are limitations. Tonnages are increasing, but quality is decreasing. And to compensate for quality, they have to increase tonnages.&quot;

Pakistan imported 11.2 million tonnes of coal last year, up from around 3.4 million tonnes bought in 2013. Its purchases are expected to jump to 40 million tonnes by 2025.

Populous and power-starved Bangladesh is also ramping up coal imports to light up new homes in an election year. Adani Group&#39;s Adani Power in November signed a long-term agreement to sell electricity to Bangladesh.

Adani is also India's biggest trader of coal, with volumes of 81 million tonnes in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2017, sourced mainly from Indonesia and Africa.

Indian resources conglomerate Adani Enterprises Ltd is looking to buy mines in countries such as Indonesia, a company executive told Reuters on Wednesday, despite its struggles to develop a controversial coal project in Australia. The company already owns a coal mine in Indonesia, but has been unable to secure financing for the long-delayed Carmichael mine in Australia amid numerous court challenges from environmental groups concerned about climate change and potential damage to the Great Barrier Reef. "We have a mine in Indonesia, and we are looking for more options there," Rajendra Singh, chief operating officer of Adani's coal trading business, said on the sidelines of the Coaltrans India conference in the coastal town of Bambolim in Goa state. "We're also keeping our eyes open for options in other areas like south African countries, countries like Russia. We are not eyeing for specific grades, we are looking for viable options. We mainly look at reserves, production costs and logistics." He said there was "opportunity in the U.S." as well given that India imports coal from there. Singh, however, did not say if any deal was in the works. Adani is also India's biggest trader of coal, with volumes of 81 million tonnes in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2017, sourced mainly from Indonesia and Africa. India, the world's second biggest coal importer after China, brought in a total of 190 million tonnes last fiscal year. Singh said the company's market share in coal trading in the country was going to increase after it extended to retail markets, especially brick kilns and sponge irons. The company has also recently started trading coal in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, in addition to its operations in Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and China, he said. "Asian countries are going to add a lot of demand in the coal market, especially South Asian countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan," Singh said. "On the supply side, there are limitations. Tonnages are increasing, but quality is decreasing. And to compensate for quality, they have to increase tonnages." Pakistan imported 11.2 million tonnes of coal last year, up from around 3.4 million tonnes bought in 2013. Its purchases are expected to jump to 40 million tonnes by 2025. Populous and power-starved Bangladesh is also ramping up coal imports to light up new homes in an election year. Adani Group's Adani Power in November signed a long-term agreement to sell electricity to Bangladesh.

Adani looking for foreign coal mines despite challenges in Australia

Joe Root today pulled out of England&#39;s Twenty20 tri-series against Australia and New Zealand, as Ben Stokes confirmed his return to international cricket would be delayed by a court appearance.

Test captain Root, who has played in all five Ashes matches and the first three ODIs against Australia this month, will return to England before playing in the one-day international series against New Zealand in late February.

Root said he did not like missing games but made a decision to &quot;have a little break&quot;. His replacement has not yet been named.

&quot;I came into this tour wanting to play everything. I love playing for England and I don&#39;t like missing games of cricket,&quot; the 27-year-old Yorkshire batsman said in a statement.

&quot;I had a long chat with (coach) Trevor Bayliss about things and there&#39;s obviously a big summer ahead and a lot of cricket still to be played.

&quot;It&#39;s going to be really important to make sure that I&#39;m available for all of that.&quot;

Stokes is due in court to face charges of affray on February 13, the same day England play New Zealand in the T20 series.

The 26-year-old missed England&#39;s Ashes series defeat in Australia after he was suspended from international duty by the England and Wales Cricket Board following his involvement in an incident outside a nightclub in September.

He was last week included in the squad to play the triangular T20 tournament.

&quot;As has been confirmed in the media a first hearing date at court has been set for 13th February,&quot; Stokes tweeted Tuesday.

&quot;In the circumstances, I have decided that it would not be right to join my teammates until after attending court on the 13th.&quot;

The news came ahead of this year&#39;s Indian Premier League auction set for January 27-28 in Bangalore, with both Root and Stokes lining up as among the top-ranking players the eight teams can bid for.

Australian captain Steve Smith has been rested for the T20 games ahead of the crucial Test tour to South Africa, with David Warner stepping up to lead the team.

The T20 tri-series takes place in Australia and New Zealand from February 3-21.

England&#39;s five-match ODI series against New Zealand runs from February 25 to March 10.&nbsp;

Root's replacement has not yet been named

Joe Root today pulled out of England's Twenty20 tri-series against Australia and New Zealand, as Ben Stokes confirmed his return to international cricket would be delayed by a court appearance. Test captain Root, who has played in all five Ashes matches and the first three ODIs against Australia this month, will return to England before playing in the one-day international series against New Zealand in late February. Root said he did not like missing games but made a decision to "have a little break". His replacement has not yet been named. "I came into this tour wanting to play everything. I love playing for England and I don't like missing games of cricket," the 27-year-old Yorkshire batsman said in a statement. "I had a long chat with (coach) Trevor Bayliss about things and there's obviously a big summer ahead and a lot of cricket still to be played. "It's going to be really important to make sure that I'm available for all of that." Stokes is due in court to face charges of affray on February 13, the same day England play New Zealand in the T20 series. The 26-year-old missed England's Ashes series defeat in Australia after he was suspended from international duty by the England and Wales Cricket Board following his involvement in an incident outside a nightclub in September. He was last week included in the squad to play the triangular T20 tournament. "As has been confirmed in the media a first hearing date at court has been set for 13th February," Stokes tweeted Tuesday. "In the circumstances, I have decided that it would not be right to join my teammates until after attending court on the 13th." The news came ahead of this year's Indian Premier League auction set for January 27-28 in Bangalore, with both Root and Stokes lining up as among the top-ranking players the eight teams can bid for. Australian captain Steve Smith has been rested for the T20 games ahead of the crucial Test tour to South Africa, with David Warner stepping up to lead the team. The T20 tri-series takes place in Australia and New Zealand from February 3-21. England's five-match ODI series against New Zealand runs from February 25 to March 10.

Ahead of IPL XI auction, Joe Root pulls out of England's T20 tri-series

Rafael Nadal d&nbsp;Diego Schwartzman,&nbsp;16,&nbsp;6-3, 6-7 (4/7)

Rafael Nadal saw off&nbsp;Argentine Diego Schwartzman to win in the fourth round,&nbsp;6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3&nbsp;on Rod Laver Arena.

To showcase the abilities of a world&nbsp;number one, he&nbsp;broke in the eighth game on the way to taking the opening set.

He encountered stiff resistance in the second set but fought back to take one more step towards the title.

With this win, he ensured that he will be&nbsp;world number one&nbsp;when the new rankings will release.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Relief. 
 
After almost four hours on court, that&#39;s the best way to describe <a href="https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RafaelNadal</a>&#39;s feeling right now...<a href="https://twitter.com/Kia_Motors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Kia_Motors</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KiaTennis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KiaTennis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ex6ixCMGvw">pic.twitter.com/Ex6ixCMGvw</a>
&mdash; #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) <a href="https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/954994941331058688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&quot;Of course, I feel&nbsp;little&nbsp;bit tired, but yeah good. I was able to keep fighting until the end,&quot; he said.

&quot;It is the first big match I played in 2018. I started later than usual so a match like this probably helps because you know that helps confidence in myself.

&ldquo;That&rsquo;s confidence for myself - knowing that I can resist almost four hours on court at a good intensity so quarterfinals already... I&rsquo;m very happy for that,&rdquo; he added.

This is his 10th Australian Open quarter-final appearance and he will face Croatia&#39;s sixth seed Marin Cilic.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-open-caroline-wozniacki-books-quarter-finals-berth-30206">&nbsp;Australian Open: Caroline Wozniacki books quarter-finals berth</a>

&nbsp;

Rafa was taken to four gruelling sets in almost four hours before winning 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena

Rafael Nadal d Diego Schwartzman, 16, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7) Rafael Nadal saw off Argentine Diego Schwartzman to win in the fourth round, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena. To showcase the abilities of a world number one, he broke in the eighth game on the way to taking the opening set. He encountered stiff resistance in the second set but fought back to take one more step towards the title. With this win, he ensured that he will be world number one when the new rankings will release. Relief. After almost four hours on court, that's the best way to describe @RafaelNadal's feeling right now...@Kia_Motors #KiaTennis #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/Ex6ixCMGvw — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2018 × "Of course, I feel little bit tired, but yeah good. I was able to keep fighting until the end," he said. "It is the first big match I played in 2018. I started later than usual so a match like this probably helps because you know that helps confidence in myself. “That’s confidence for myself - knowing that I can resist almost four hours on court at a good intensity so quarterfinals already... I’m very happy for that,” he added. This is his 10th Australian Open quarter-final appearance and he will face Croatia's sixth seed Marin Cilic. Australian Open: Caroline Wozniacki books quarter-finals berth

Australian Open: Rafael Nadal through to quarterfinals

Veteran Indian doubles legend Leander Paes and Purav Raja have crashed out of the Australian Open after losing to Juan Cabal and Robert Farah in Men`s Double third round on January 21 at Court 8.

The Indian pair lost to the 11th seeded Colombian duo 1-6, 2-6, in an hour-and-nine-minute-long match.

Paes and Raja, who won two Challenger-level titles to close the 2017 season, were playing their second Grand Slam together. At the 2017 US Open, they had fallen in the second round.

The last time 44-year-old Paes played a quarterfinal at a Grand Slam was in 2016 at French Open.

He recently posted on social media, &quot;Thank you to all of you for your consistent&nbsp;support !&nbsp;We&rsquo;re still improving as a team &amp; I just want to say always work hard towards your goals. Don&rsquo;t rest on past laurels or get bowed down by what critics say. Take it in your stride and keep going. Age is just a number&quot;

Now, Rohan Bopanna, along with Hungarian tennis player Timea Babos, will play the Australian duo of Ellen Perez and Andrew Whittington in the first round of Mixed Doubles later today.

The Indian pair lost to the 11th seeded Colombian duo 1-6, 2-6, in an hour-and-nine-minute-long match

Veteran Indian doubles legend Leander Paes and Purav Raja have crashed out of the Australian Open after losing to Juan Cabal and Robert Farah in Men`s Double third round on January 21 at Court 8. The Indian pair lost to the 11th seeded Colombian duo 1-6, 2-6, in an hour-and-nine-minute-long match. Paes and Raja, who won two Challenger-level titles to close the 2017 season, were playing their second Grand Slam together. At the 2017 US Open, they had fallen in the second round. The last time 44-year-old Paes played a quarterfinal at a Grand Slam was in 2016 at French Open. He recently posted on social media, "Thank you to all of you for your consistent support ! We’re still improving as a team & I just want to say always work hard towards your goals. Don’t rest on past laurels or get bowed down by what critics say. Take it in your stride and keep going. Age is just a number" Now, Rohan Bopanna, along with Hungarian tennis player Timea Babos, will play the Australian duo of Ellen Perez and Andrew Whittington in the first round of Mixed Doubles later today.

Australian Open: Indian duo Leander Paes Purav Raja crash out

England beat Australia in the second One Day International at the Gabba, Brisbane on Friday and now lead the series with 2-0.

Australia had won the toss and opted to bat. After restricting Australians to 270/9, the English achieved the total with 5.4 overs to spare.

Though Australia started off well, it was assumed that they would give a target of more than 300 runs but English bowlers struck and restricted the team at an achievable total of 270 runs.

For Australia, both the openers, Aaron Finch and David Warner made a good&nbsp;start, Finch slammed a century and David Warner scored 35 runs for the team before Moeen Ali had caught him at slip.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-david-warners-daughter-cheering-for-england-29956" target="_blank">Watch: David Warner&#39;s daughter cheering for England</a>

Joe Root had taken two very crucial wickets of Steve Smith and Travis Head for 18 and 7 respectively and Plunkett got another important wicket of Aaron Finch for 106 runs.

Adil Rashid trapped Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis LBW at 36 runs and 4 runs respectively and Chris Woakes brilliantly run out debutant Alex Carey for 27 runs and Andrew Tye for 3 runs.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default">
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
2-0! England&#39;s batsmen back up the work of the bowlers to chase down their target of 271 and win the 2nd <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvENG</a> ODI by 4 wickets.<a href="https://t.co/BQE9tjgWuh">https://t.co/BQE9tjgWuh</a> <a href="https://t.co/Wlp7oVPThb">pic.twitter.com/Wlp7oVPThb</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/954304219124830209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#">&times;</a></div>

Aaron Finch was dominating fast bowlers, then English captain E Morgan turned to his spinners with immediate effect.

&quot;I thought our bowlers were exceptional,&quot; England captain Eoin Morgan said.

&quot;On a really hot day, they coped very well.&quot;

All of England&#39;s batsmen contributed to the run chase, which was always in control following a 117-run second wicket partnership between Jonny Bairstow (60) and Alex Hales (57).

Joss Buttler (42), Morgan (21) and Chris Woakes (39 not out) all made handy contributions, while Joe Root held the innings together with a measured 46 not out and got player of the match.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
A superb all round performance with both bat and ball sees <a href="https://twitter.com/root66?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@root66</a> win the Player of the Match award for the 2nd <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvENG</a> ODI. 
 
SCORECARD: <a href="https://t.co/BQE9tjgWuh">https://t.co/BQE9tjgWuh</a> <a href="https://t.co/EyRUuBaPyw">pic.twitter.com/EyRUuBaPyw</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/954308561290579968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

After losing the game Smith conceded Australia were well beaten.

&quot;We&#39;re not playing good enough one day cricket at the moment,&quot; he said.

&quot;We were in a good position at 3-209 with 11 overs to go and we only scored 60 with seven wickets in hand,&quot; he added.

&quot;That&#39;s not enough against a quality English batting line up.&quot;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Joe Root held the innings together with a measured 46 not out and awarded player of the match

England beat Australia in the second One Day International at the Gabba, Brisbane on Friday and now lead the series with 2-0. Australia had won the toss and opted to bat. After restricting Australians to 270/9, the English achieved the total with 5.4 overs to spare. Though Australia started off well, it was assumed that they would give a target of more than 300 runs but English bowlers struck and restricted the team at an achievable total of 270 runs. For Australia, both the openers, Aaron Finch and David Warner made a good start, Finch slammed a century and David Warner scored 35 runs for the team before Moeen Ali had caught him at slip. Watch: David Warner's daughter cheering for England Joe Root had taken two very crucial wickets of Steve Smith and Travis Head for 18 and 7 respectively and Plunkett got another important wicket of Aaron Finch for 106 runs. Adil Rashid trapped Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis LBW at 36 runs and 4 runs respectively and Chris Woakes brilliantly run out debutant Alex Carey for 27 runs and Andrew Tye for 3 runs. 2-0! England's batsmen back up the work of the bowlers to chase down their target of 271 and win the 2nd #AUSvENG ODI by 4 wickets.https://t.co/BQE9tjgWuh pic.twitter.com/Wlp7oVPThb — ICC (@ICC) January 19, 2018 × Aaron Finch was dominating fast bowlers, then English captain E Morgan turned to his spinners with immediate effect. "I thought our bowlers were exceptional," England captain Eoin Morgan said. "On a really hot day, they coped very well." All of England's batsmen contributed to the run chase, which was always in control following a 117-run second wicket partnership between Jonny Bairstow (60) and Alex Hales (57). Joss Buttler (42), Morgan (21) and Chris Woakes (39 not out) all made handy contributions, while Joe Root held the innings together with a measured 46 not out and got player of the match. A superb all round performance with both bat and ball sees @root66 win the Player of the Match award for the 2nd #AUSvENG ODI. SCORECARD: https://t.co/BQE9tjgWuh pic.twitter.com/EyRUuBaPyw — ICC (@ICC) January 19, 2018 × After losing the game Smith conceded Australia were well beaten. "We're not playing good enough one day cricket at the moment," he said. "We were in a good position at 3-209 with 11 overs to go and we only scored 60 with seven wickets in hand," he added. "That's not enough against a quality English batting line up."

England beat Australia in second ODI, lead 2-0

England finished their testing tour of Australia on a high today with a thrilling 12-run win in the fifth and final one-day international in Perth.

In the first match at the new Perth Stadium, the tourists set Australia 260 to win in front of a record West Australian cricket crowd of 53,781.

Despite resting frontline bowlers Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, and having quick Jake Ball struggling with illness, the tourists managed to defend their total.

Young seamer Tom Curran was the match-winner with five wickets as Australia were dismissed for 247 with 10 balls remaining.

England, beaten 4-0 in a lopsided Ashes Test series, bounced back to claim the limited-over series 4-1.

The result continued the dismal recent run of the World Cup holders in one-dayers and Australian captain Steve Smith was again left frustrated with both batting and bowling.

&quot;We thought we&#39;d pulled it back really well, but we didn&#39;t start well with the ball -- been a bit of trend,&quot; he said.

&quot;Again we lost wickets in clumps and you can&#39;t do that. Our batting again wasn&#39;t good enough, these lapses are happening way too often in one-day cricket.&quot;

Australia, thanks largely to Marcus Stoinis who was promoted to number three and made 87, looked to be cruising to victory on 189 for four.

But the loss of Stoinis, caught at long-on off leg- spinner Adil Rashid, proved crucial.

Curran returned to the attack and removed Glenn Maxwell (34) and Mitchell Starc (0) in the space of three balls as Australia lost their way.

When Tim Paine and Adam Zampa threatened to snatch the match with a gritty ninth-wicket stand, Curran came back into the attack and clean-bowled the latter with his third ball.

In just his third one-day international and his first of the series, the 22-year-old then delivered the last rites by bowling Paine for 34.

Curran finished with 5-35 and also had two catches dropped from his bowling, both by the normally reliable Jonny Bairstow.

Curran, named man of the match, was ecstatic with the result.

&quot;Watching the boys play one-day cricket recently has been a pleasure and to come in and try and take my chance is a great feeling,&quot; he said.

&quot;I&#39;ve been training hard. To come and play the first one-day international at this unbelievable stadium, in front the Barmy Army... The game was unbelievable, what a finish.&quot;

Moeen Ali&#39;s horror tour with the bat continued when he went cheaply in the English innings. But he claimed 3-55, including the crucial wickets of Smith (12) and Mitch Marsh (13) -- the latter falling to a superb reflex return catch.

Curran&#39;s heroics came after the tourists failed to capitalise on a fast start after being sent in to bat.

Test captain Joe Root made a typically busy 62 but the English appeared to have fallen start after a flying start when they were bowled out for 259 in 47.4 overs.

The English openers blazed away early in a polar opposite to their nightmare start in Adelaide on Friday.

In that game they were 5-8 and went to suffer their first defeat of the series, but there were no such problems on Sunday.

Jason Roy led the charge and enjoyed some good fortune when he was brilliantly caught behind by Paine off Starc, only for it to be ruled a no-ball.

The dashing Roy went on to make 49 off 46 balls before being the first man to fall, caught by Josh Hazlewood off local rookie Andrew Tye to end a 71-run partnership with Bairstow (44).

A number of England batsmen made similarly good starts but only Root went on to make a significant score.

Much to the delight of the crowd, Tye was the star with the ball, cleaning up the English tail to finish with 5-46 off 9.4 overs.

England bounced back to claim the limited-over series 4-1

England finished their testing tour of Australia on a high today with a thrilling 12-run win in the fifth and final one-day international in Perth. In the first match at the new Perth Stadium, the tourists set Australia 260 to win in front of a record West Australian cricket crowd of 53,781. Despite resting frontline bowlers Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, and having quick Jake Ball struggling with illness, the tourists managed to defend their total. Young seamer Tom Curran was the match-winner with five wickets as Australia were dismissed for 247 with 10 balls remaining. England, beaten 4-0 in a lopsided Ashes Test series, bounced back to claim the limited-over series 4-1. The result continued the dismal recent run of the World Cup holders in one-dayers and Australian captain Steve Smith was again left frustrated with both batting and bowling. "We thought we'd pulled it back really well, but we didn't start well with the ball -- been a bit of trend," he said. "Again we lost wickets in clumps and you can't do that. Our batting again wasn't good enough, these lapses are happening way too often in one-day cricket." Australia, thanks largely to Marcus Stoinis who was promoted to number three and made 87, looked to be cruising to victory on 189 for four. But the loss of Stoinis, caught at long-on off leg- spinner Adil Rashid, proved crucial. Curran returned to the attack and removed Glenn Maxwell (34) and Mitchell Starc (0) in the space of three balls as Australia lost their way. When Tim Paine and Adam Zampa threatened to snatch the match with a gritty ninth-wicket stand, Curran came back into the attack and clean-bowled the latter with his third ball. In just his third one-day international and his first of the series, the 22-year-old then delivered the last rites by bowling Paine for 34. Curran finished with 5-35 and also had two catches dropped from his bowling, both by the normally reliable Jonny Bairstow. Curran, named man of the match, was ecstatic with the result. "Watching the boys play one-day cricket recently has been a pleasure and to come in and try and take my chance is a great feeling," he said. "I've been training hard. To come and play the first one-day international at this unbelievable stadium, in front the Barmy Army... The game was unbelievable, what a finish." Moeen Ali's horror tour with the bat continued when he went cheaply in the English innings. But he claimed 3-55, including the crucial wickets of Smith (12) and Mitch Marsh (13) -- the latter falling to a superb reflex return catch. Curran's heroics came after the tourists failed to capitalise on a fast start after being sent in to bat. Test captain Joe Root made a typically busy 62 but the English appeared to have fallen start after a flying start when they were bowled out for 259 in 47.4 overs. The English openers blazed away early in a polar opposite to their nightmare start in Adelaide on Friday. In that game they were 5-8 and went to suffer their first defeat of the series, but there were no such problems on Sunday. Jason Roy led the charge and enjoyed some good fortune when he was brilliantly caught behind by Paine off Starc, only for it to be ruled a no-ball. The dashing Roy went on to make 49 off 46 balls before being the first man to fall, caught by Josh Hazlewood off local rookie Andrew Tye to end a 71-run partnership with Bairstow (44). A number of England batsmen made similarly good starts but only Root went on to make a significant score. Much to the delight of the crowd, Tye was the star with the ball, cleaning up the English tail to finish with 5-46 off 9.4 overs.

Tom Curran steps up as England beat Australia in final ODI

Top seed Simona Halep defeated&nbsp;Lauren Davis in a three-set thriller match on Rod Laver Arena to make the fourth round.

Halep saved three match points&nbsp;as she won a marathon third round encounter 4-6, 6-4, 15-13 against the 76th ranked American, Lauren Davis.

In a&nbsp;3hr 44min long match, both the player were not ready to give up.&nbsp;Simona Halep and Lauren Davis just played the most games of any women&#39;s match in Australian Open history.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Three. Set. Thriller. 
 
All in a day&#39;s work for the world No.1 at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> ????<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KiaTennis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KiaTennis</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Kia_Motors?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Kia_Motors</a> <a href="https://t.co/GxxPTumzNH">pic.twitter.com/GxxPTumzNH</a>
&mdash; #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) <a href="https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/954566620017393666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

In 3hr 44min, Simona Halep and Lauren Davis played the most games of any women&#39;s match in Australian Open history.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/australian-open-karolina-pliskova-madison-keys-enter-fourth-round-30123" target="_blank">Australian Open: Karolina Pliskova &amp; Madison Keys enter fourth round</a>

Davis lost&nbsp;a toenail in the third set but even with that, she fought like a warrior. She had taken a medical timeout at 11-11 against after holding Halep in the third round.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Is there anything this match doesn&#39;t have?! 
 
A medical timeout for Lauren Davis locked at 11-11 against Simona Halep. 
This is intense. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/5wztMP3caD">pic.twitter.com/5wztMP3caD</a>
&mdash; #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) <a href="https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/954555541564547072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

In the most thrilling match of this Grand Slam, It was Halep who made it through.

After finishing the gruelling match, she said,&nbsp;&quot;I never played the third set so long. I&#39;m almost dead,&quot;&nbsp;

&ldquo;My muscles are gone. My ankle - I don&rsquo;t know how it is because I can&rsquo;t feel it... It&#39;s great to be in 4R.&quot;

&ldquo;I won with my heart today,&rdquo;&nbsp;she added.

Finally, her red dress saved her, again.

&nbsp;

Simona Halep showed some determined defensive techniques to defeat an inspired, gutsy, fearless Lauren Davis in almost four-hour-long rally

Top seed Simona Halep defeated Lauren Davis in a three-set thriller match on Rod Laver Arena to make the fourth round. Halep saved three match points as she won a marathon third round encounter 4-6, 6-4, 15-13 against the 76th ranked American, Lauren Davis. In a 3hr 44min long match, both the player were not ready to give up. Simona Halep and Lauren Davis just played the most games of any women's match in Australian Open history. Three. Set. Thriller. All in a day's work for the world No.1 at the #AusOpen ????#KiaTennis @Kia_Motors pic.twitter.com/GxxPTumzNH — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2018 × In 3hr 44min, Simona Halep and Lauren Davis played the most games of any women's match in Australian Open history. Australian Open: Karolina Pliskova & Madison Keys enter fourth round Davis lost a toenail in the third set but even with that, she fought like a warrior. She had taken a medical timeout at 11-11 against after holding Halep in the third round. Is there anything this match doesn't have?! A medical timeout for Lauren Davis locked at 11-11 against Simona Halep. This is intense. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/5wztMP3caD — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 20, 2018 × In the most thrilling match of this Grand Slam, It was Halep who made it through. After finishing the gruelling match, she said, "I never played the third set so long. I'm almost dead," “My muscles are gone. My ankle - I don’t know how it is because I can’t feel it... It's great to be in 4R." “I won with my heart today,” she added. Finally, her red dress saved her, again.

Australian Open: Simona survives epic rally, beats Lauren Davis 4-6, 6-4, 15-13

Travis Head, promoted to the top of the order, led Australia to a drought-breaking win over England in the fourth one-day international in Adelaide on Friday.

Replacing injured opener Aaron Finch, Head anchored a shaky Australian run chase with a polished 96, falling just shy of a deserved century and with victory imminent.

England was dismissed for 196 after being sent in to bat in bowler-friendly conditions, losing four of their top six batsmen for ducks as the possibility of a record low score in one-day cricket briefly loomed.

In reply, Australia reached the modest target with 13 overs to spare, finishing on 197 for seven, but the chase was not without concerns as they struggled to win their first game in the five-match series and turn around their dismal recent one-day form.

England had already secured the series by taking an unbeatable 3-0 lead in Sydney last Sunday, and that result had left the current World Cup holders with just one win in their past 11 completed ODIs.

Australian captain Steve Smith admitted it wasn&#39;t the most convincing of wins.

&quot;Nice to get over the line, a pretty ordinary (batting) display,&quot; he said, noting that the start to the English innings decided the match.

&quot;It all happened pretty quickly for a moment there, five for eight you&#39;d take any day.&quot;

England captain Eoin Morgan said his team fell victim to a lively pitch early.

&quot;To be five down after 10 overs and no boundaries in the first 15 really shows how much there was in the wicket,&quot; he said.

Head looked certain to notch his second limited-overs century as Australia closed in on victory, but pulled a short ball from Mark Wood straight to Morgan at mid-on, having faced 107 balls and hit 15 fours.

That England was able to post any sort of competitive total was quite remarkable given their horror collapse in the early overs.

On Australia Day, it was all the home side as the tourists lost five wickets with just eight runs on the board.

Steve Smith had sent them in to bat for the second successive match, this time in humid conditions which favoured seam bowlers.

Their lowest total of 86 looked in danger until all-rounder Chris Woakes came to the rescue.

In the end, solid resistance from Woakes (78) along with Morgan and Moeen Ali (33 each) -- and Tom Curran (35) -- enabled England to scramble to a decent total.

Woakes continued his excellent form with the bat in the series, hitting five sixes in the 82 balls he faced before being caught on the boundary off Andrew Tye (3-33).

The rot set in early for the tourists.

Jason Roy, who got England rolling in the series with a record-breaking 180 in the opening match, fell to the second ball of the innings, caught at point by Smith off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood (3-39) for a duck.

Alex Hales (3) was the second to fall, bowled off his pads by Pat Cummins, who snared a career-best 4-24.

&nbsp;

Replacing injured opener Aaron Finch, Head anchored a shaky Australian run chase with a polished 96, falling just shy of a deserved century and with victory imminent

Travis Head, promoted to the top of the order, led Australia to a drought-breaking win over England in the fourth one-day international in Adelaide on Friday. Replacing injured opener Aaron Finch, Head anchored a shaky Australian run chase with a polished 96, falling just shy of a deserved century and with victory imminent. England was dismissed for 196 after being sent in to bat in bowler-friendly conditions, losing four of their top six batsmen for ducks as the possibility of a record low score in one-day cricket briefly loomed. In reply, Australia reached the modest target with 13 overs to spare, finishing on 197 for seven, but the chase was not without concerns as they struggled to win their first game in the five-match series and turn around their dismal recent one-day form. England had already secured the series by taking an unbeatable 3-0 lead in Sydney last Sunday, and that result had left the current World Cup holders with just one win in their past 11 completed ODIs. Australian captain Steve Smith admitted it wasn't the most convincing of wins. "Nice to get over the line, a pretty ordinary (batting) display," he said, noting that the start to the English innings decided the match. "It all happened pretty quickly for a moment there, five for eight you'd take any day." England captain Eoin Morgan said his team fell victim to a lively pitch early. "To be five down after 10 overs and no boundaries in the first 15 really shows how much there was in the wicket," he said. Head looked certain to notch his second limited-overs century as Australia closed in on victory, but pulled a short ball from Mark Wood straight to Morgan at mid-on, having faced 107 balls and hit 15 fours. That England was able to post any sort of competitive total was quite remarkable given their horror collapse in the early overs. On Australia Day, it was all the home side as the tourists lost five wickets with just eight runs on the board. Steve Smith had sent them in to bat for the second successive match, this time in humid conditions which favoured seam bowlers. Their lowest total of 86 looked in danger until all-rounder Chris Woakes came to the rescue. In the end, solid resistance from Woakes (78) along with Morgan and Moeen Ali (33 each) -- and Tom Curran (35) -- enabled England to scramble to a decent total. Woakes continued his excellent form with the bat in the series, hitting five sixes in the 82 balls he faced before being caught on the boundary off Andrew Tye (3-33). The rot set in early for the tourists. Jason Roy, who got England rolling in the series with a record-breaking 180 in the opening match, fell to the second ball of the innings, caught at point by Smith off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood (3-39) for a duck. Alex Hales (3) was the second to fall, bowled off his pads by Pat Cummins, who snared a career-best 4-24.

Head guides Australia to victory in fourth England ODI

australia

Australia, News on Australia, stories on Australia, articles on Australia, Australia stories at Wion, Australia news, Australia latest news