Australia fast bowler and Kolkata Knight Riders player Pat Cummins on Monday issued a statement urging everyone participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 to contribute and help India fight the battle against the COVID-19 surge, which is at a record high in the nation.<o:p></o:p>

Cummins, taking to the social media platforms, said that IPL is providing few hours of joy and respite to people at a time when Indian citizens are in lockdown and fighting to curb the spread of the dreaded virus. <o:p></o:p>

There has been much deliberation on whether the IPL 2021 should continue given the crisis in the country. India is reporting more than 3 lakh COVID-19 cases for the past few days and many are struggling to get medical oxygen and ICU beds in the country.<o:p></o:p>

Meanwhile, four players have already pulled out of IPL 2021 including star players Ravichandran Ashwin, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson and Andrew Tye.<o:p></o:p>

Notably, Cummins also decided to donate $50,000 to PM Cares Fund, specifically to purchase oxygen supplies to India’s hospitals.

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<h2 class="MsoNormal">Here is Pat Cummins’ statement on IPL 2021:</h2>

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India is a country I've come to love dearly over the years and the people here are some of the warmest and kindest I've ever met.<o:p></o:p>

<h2 class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></h2>

To know so many are suffering so much at this time saddens me greatly.<o:p></o:p>

There has been quite a bit of discussion over here as to whether it is appropriate for the IPL to continue with COVID-19 infection rates remain high. I'm advised that the Indian Government is of the view that playing the IPL while the population is in lockdown provides a few hours of joy and respite each day at an otherwise difficult time for the country.<o:p></o:p>

As players, we are privileged to have a platform that allows us to reach millions of people that we can use for good. With that in mind, I have made a contribution to the "PM Cares Fund", specifically to purchase oxygen supplies for India's hospitals.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-maxwell-to-dhawan-five-players-who-have-rocked-ipl-2021-so-far-379570" hreflang="en">From Maxwell to Dhawan: Five players who have rocked IPL 2021 so far</a><o:p></o:p>

I encourage my fellow IPL players - and anyone around else the world who has been touched by India's passion and generosity - to contribute. I will kick it off with $50,000.<o:p></o:p>

At times like this it is easy to feel helpless. I've certainly felt that of late. But I hope by making this public appeal we can all channel our emotions into action that will bring light into people's lives.<o:p></o:p>

I know my donation isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but I hope it will make a difference to someone.<o:p></o:p>

Australia fast bowler and Kolkata Knight Riders player Pat Cummins on Monday issued a statement urging everyone participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 to contribute and help India fight the battle against the COVID-19 surge, which is at a record high in the nation.

Australia fast bowler and Kolkata Knight Riders player Pat Cummins on Monday issued a statement urging everyone participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 to contribute and help India fight the battle against the COVID-19 surge, which is at a record high in the nation. Cummins, taking to the social media platforms, said that IPL is providing few hours of joy and respite to people at a time when Indian citizens are in lockdown and fighting to curb the spread of the dreaded virus. There has been much deliberation on whether the IPL 2021 should continue given the crisis in the country. India is reporting more than 3 lakh COVID-19 cases for the past few days and many are struggling to get medical oxygen and ICU beds in the country. Meanwhile, four players have already pulled out of IPL 2021 including star players Ravichandran Ashwin, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson and Andrew Tye. Notably, Cummins also decided to donate $50,000 to PM Cares Fund, specifically to purchase oxygen supplies to India’s hospitals. ALSO READ: Indian star Ashwin withdraws from IPL to support family in Covid fight Here is Pat Cummins’ statement on IPL 2021: pic.twitter.com/2TPkMmdWDE — Pat Cummins (@patcummins30) April 26, 2021 × India is a country I've come to love dearly over the years and the people here are some of the warmest and kindest I've ever met. To know so many are suffering so much at this time saddens me greatly. There has been quite a bit of discussion over here as to whether it is appropriate for the IPL to continue with COVID-19 infection rates remain high. I'm advised that the Indian Government is of the view that playing the IPL while the population is in lockdown provides a few hours of joy and respite each day at an otherwise difficult time for the country. As players, we are privileged to have a platform that allows us to reach millions of people that we can use for good. With that in mind, I have made a contribution to the "PM Cares Fund", specifically to purchase oxygen supplies for India's hospitals. ALSO READ: From Maxwell to Dhawan: Five players who have rocked IPL 2021 so far I encourage my fellow IPL players - and anyone around else the world who has been touched by India's passion and generosity - to contribute. I will kick it off with $50,000. At times like this it is easy to feel helpless. I've certainly felt that of late. But I hope by making this public appeal we can all channel our emotions into action that will bring light into people's lives. I know my donation isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but I hope it will make a difference to someone.

KKR's Pat Cummins donates $50,000 to PM Cares Fund for oxygen supplies, urges IPL players to contribute

Chennai Super Kings continue their dominance as they beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 18 runs in match 15 of the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/i-think-my-captaincy-is-going-great-rishabh-pant-on-leading-delhi-capitals-379095" hreflang="en">'I think my captaincy is going great': Rishabh Pant on leading Delhi Capitals</a>

Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and chose to bowl first. However, the decision backfired as the opening duo of CSK (Gaikwad and du Plessis) put up a 115-run partnership. Faf du Plessis smashed 95 runs in 60 balls, followed by Gaikwad who scored 64 runs in 42 balls. Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni, and Ravindra Jadeja's cameo powered Chennai Super Kings to 220 runs at the end of the innings.&nbsp;

KKR, on the other hand, had a terrible start as their batsmen kept falling cheaply. At one moment, KKR were certainly down and out as they were reduced to 31-5. However, last-minute heroics from Pat Cummins, Dinesh Karthik, and Andre Russell kept KKR in the game.&nbsp;

Pat Cummins smashed 30 runs off Sam Curran's over was the highest this season. The Aussie smashed unbeaten 66 runs in 34 runs including four 4s and six 6s. However, he fell short as he ran out of partners as last-minute run outs bundled KKR out. Deepak Chahar scalped four crucial wickets and conceded just 29 runs.

Chennai Super Kings go on top of the table after an all-around performance and the best net run-rate. Despite their last-minute heroics, they sit in the sixth position. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Chennai Super Kings continue their dominance as they beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 18 runs in match 15 of the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Chennai Super Kings continue their dominance as they beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 18 runs in match 15 of the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. ALSO READ: 'I think my captaincy is going great': Rishabh Pant on leading Delhi Capitals Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and chose to bowl first. However, the decision backfired as the opening duo of CSK (Gaikwad and du Plessis) put up a 115-run partnership. Faf du Plessis smashed 95 runs in 60 balls, followed by Gaikwad who scored 64 runs in 42 balls. Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni, and Ravindra Jadeja's cameo powered Chennai Super Kings to 220 runs at the end of the innings. KKR, on the other hand, had a terrible start as their batsmen kept falling cheaply. At one moment, KKR were certainly down and out as they were reduced to 31-5. However, last-minute heroics from Pat Cummins, Dinesh Karthik, and Andre Russell kept KKR in the game. Pat Cummins smashed 30 runs off Sam Curran's over was the highest this season. The Aussie smashed unbeaten 66 runs in 34 runs including four 4s and six 6s. However, he fell short as he ran out of partners as last-minute run outs bundled KKR out. Deepak Chahar scalped four crucial wickets and conceded just 29 runs. Chennai Super Kings go on top of the table after an all-around performance and the best net run-rate. Despite their last-minute heroics, they sit in the sixth position.

IPL 2021: Chennai Super Kings go on top as they beat Kolkata Knight Riders

Rishabh Pant's entertaining batting style has created a huge fanbase across the globe. The southpaw attempting daring shots against the world's best bowlers left the world stunned. KKR pacer Pat Cummins is another Pant fan.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2021-delhi-capitals-team-preview-can-dc-end-trophy-drought-under-rishabh-pants-captaincy-375935" hreflang="en">IPL 2021, Delhi Capitals - Team Preview: Can DC end trophy drought under Rishabh Pant's captaincy?</a>

Pat Cummins and Rishabh Pant shared the dressing room while their time at the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). Cummins has faced Pant in plenty of Test matches too.&nbsp;

“As a fan, you always tend to enjoy someone who is playing a completely different game than everybody else. They are fearless, you look at them and feel geez wish I could do that as well, geez he was Brave. So, I think in three recent series it was Rishabh Pant,” Cummins told Australian seamer Joshua Lalor in a show called ‘Morton Someday’.

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Joshua Lalor asked Cummins to name the cricketer he enjoys watching the most in world cricket right now. The Aussie pacer was quick to name Pant.&nbsp;

“You just got to say well done when someone plays like that, takes the game on and it comes off. You've probably got 50 other players who probably wouldn't have taken the game on like that. He's always good to watch,” Cummins added.

Pant had a prolific outing in the recently concluded Test series against Australia and England. He was instrumental in breaching the Gabba against Australia.&nbsp;

Rishabh Pant's entertaining batting style has created a huge fanbase across the globe. The southpaw attempting daring shots against the world's best bowlers left the world stunned.

Rishabh Pant's entertaining batting style has created a huge fanbase across the globe. The southpaw attempting daring shots against the world's best bowlers left the world stunned. KKR pacer Pat Cummins is another Pant fan. ALSO READ: IPL 2021, Delhi Capitals - Team Preview: Can DC end trophy drought under Rishabh Pant's captaincy? Pat Cummins and Rishabh Pant shared the dressing room while their time at the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). Cummins has faced Pant in plenty of Test matches too. “As a fan, you always tend to enjoy someone who is playing a completely different game than everybody else. They are fearless, you look at them and feel geez wish I could do that as well, geez he was Brave. So, I think in three recent series it was Rishabh Pant,” Cummins told Australian seamer Joshua Lalor in a show called ‘Morton Someday’. IN PICS: Riley Meredith, Shahrukh Khan: Surprise packages who can take IPL 2021 by storm Joshua Lalor asked Cummins to name the cricketer he enjoys watching the most in world cricket right now. The Aussie pacer was quick to name Pant. “You just got to say well done when someone plays like that, takes the game on and it comes off. You've probably got 50 other players who probably wouldn't have taken the game on like that. He's always good to watch,” Cummins added. Pant had a prolific outing in the recently concluded Test series against Australia and England. He was instrumental in breaching the Gabba against Australia.

' I think in three recent series it was..': Pat Cummins picks Rishabh Pant as the 'most enjoyable cricketer'

Australia's world-class bowling attack folded India for their lowest ever Test score on Saturday. Hazlewood's fiver and Cummins' four wickets restricted India for 36 runs in a batting collapse.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/christmas-mood-sunil-gavaskar-takes-dig-at-team-indias-poor-fielding-effort-350840" hreflang="en">'Christmas mood': Sunil Gavaskar takes dig at Team India's poor fielding effort</a>

India began their day 3 of the first Test match looking to extend their 62-run lead and build a competitive total for the hosts.&nbsp;

India's previous lowest score in Test cricket came back in 1974 when they were bowled out for 42 runs against England at Lord's.&nbsp;

India's 36 is the lowest total in the current century for any team.&nbsp;

Lowest totals in Test cricket

<ul>
	<li>26 NZ v Eng Auckland 1955</li>
	<li>30 SA v Eng Port Elizabeth 1896</li>
	<li>30 SA v Eng Edgbaston 1924</li>
	<li>35 SA v Eng Cape Town 1899</li>
	<li>36 Aus v Eng Edgbaston 1902</li>
	<li>36 SA v Aus Melbourne 1932</li>
	<li>36 Ind v Aus Adelaide 2020 *</li>
	<li>38 Ire v Eng Lord's 2019&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

It is also the second time when no batsman reached double figures in an innings.&nbsp;

No batsman reaching double figures in an innings

<ul>
	<li>SA v Eng Edgbaston 1924: 30 all out; Highest 7 by Herbie Taylor (extras 11)</li>
	<li>Ind v Aus Adelaide 2020: 36 all out; Highest 9 by Mayank Agarwal</li>
</ul>

Their capitulation left Australia needing 90 to win, with Joe Burns and Matthew Wade knocking off 15 of them before the dinner break.

After dinner, the hosts are cruising to victory with an unbeaten 54-run opening partnership between Joe Burns and Matthew Wade.

Australia's world-class bowling attack folded India for their lowest ever Test score on Saturday. Hazlewood's fiver and Cummins' four wickets restricted India for 36 runs in a batting collapse.

Australia's world-class bowling attack folded India for their lowest ever Test score on Saturday. Hazlewood's fiver and Cummins' four wickets restricted India for 36 runs in a batting collapse. Also read: 'Christmas mood': Sunil Gavaskar takes dig at Team India's poor fielding effort India began their day 3 of the first Test match looking to extend their 62-run lead and build a competitive total for the hosts. India's previous lowest score in Test cricket came back in 1974 when they were bowled out for 42 runs against England at Lord's. India's 36 is the lowest total in the current century for any team. Lowest totals in Test cricket 26 NZ v Eng Auckland 1955 30 SA v Eng Port Elizabeth 1896 30 SA v Eng Edgbaston 1924 35 SA v Eng Cape Town 1899 36 Aus v Eng Edgbaston 1902 36 SA v Aus Melbourne 1932 36 Ind v Aus Adelaide 2020 * 38 Ire v Eng Lord's 2019 It is also the second time when no batsman reached double figures in an innings. No batsman reaching double figures in an innings SA v Eng Edgbaston 1924: 30 all out; Highest 7 by Herbie Taylor (extras 11) Ind v Aus Adelaide 2020: 36 all out; Highest 9 by Mayank Agarwal Their capitulation left Australia needing 90 to win, with Joe Burns and Matthew Wade knocking off 15 of them before the dinner break. After dinner, the hosts are cruising to victory with an unbeaten 54-run opening partnership between Joe Burns and Matthew Wade.

Ind vs Aus 1st Test: Aussie pacers demolish India for their lowest total in Test cricket

A Mitchell Starc thunderbolt gave Australia a dream start Thursday before India dug in for an intimidating opening session on the first day of their day-night Test at Adelaide Oval Thursday.

Batting after captain Virat Kohli won the toss on an overcast day, the visitors ground to 41 for two&nbsp;by the first break, known as dinner despite being in mid-afternoon.

Cheteshwar Pujara was not out 17 from 88 balls and Kohli unbeaten on five as they fended off a barrage from Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins in front of a limited, but appreciative, crowd.

Cummins, the world's number one Test bowler, was the pick of the attack with 1-3 off six overs.

Australia went into the clash with their usual three quicks, but also debutant all-rounder Cameron Green, and they got off to a spectacular start.

Opener Prithvi Shaw was clean-bowled for a duck by left-armer Starc, the world's most potent pink-ball bowler, on only the second delivery, chopping onto his stumps as he looked to drive.

It was a poor shot and will give Indian selectors plenty to ponder after preferring him to fellow 21-year-old Shubman Gill, who has been in good touch.

Starc, who only rejoined the Australian squad this week after compassionate leave, almost trapped a tentative Pujara two balls later, catching an edge that fell just short of first slip.

But the experienced Pujara, whose 123 and 71 set up India for a 31-run win in Adelaide in 2018 en route to a maiden series victory in Australia, settled down and began blocking and grinding out runs.

It proved slow going as he and Mayank Agarwal rode their luck, with Pujara surviving again when a thick edge off Starc flew past Nathan Lyon's outstretched arm.

They scored just 21 in the first 10 overs before Cummins broke the second-wicket partnership with a beautiful delivery that clattered into Agarwal's middle stump, removing him for 17.

Superstar Kohli marched onto a ground he rates as his favourite overseas to steady the ship and see his team through to dinner without further loss.

A Mitchell Starc thunderbolt gave Australia a dream start Thursday before India dug in for an intimidating opening session on the first day of their day-night Test at Adelaide Oval Thursday.

A Mitchell Starc thunderbolt gave Australia a dream start Thursday before India dug in for an intimidating opening session on the first day of their day-night Test at Adelaide Oval Thursday. Batting after captain Virat Kohli won the toss on an overcast day, the visitors ground to 41 for two by the first break, known as dinner despite being in mid-afternoon. Cheteshwar Pujara was not out 17 from 88 balls and Kohli unbeaten on five as they fended off a barrage from Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins in front of a limited, but appreciative, crowd. Cummins, the world's number one Test bowler, was the pick of the attack with 1-3 off six overs. Australia went into the clash with their usual three quicks, but also debutant all-rounder Cameron Green, and they got off to a spectacular start. Opener Prithvi Shaw was clean-bowled for a duck by left-armer Starc, the world's most potent pink-ball bowler, on only the second delivery, chopping onto his stumps as he looked to drive. It was a poor shot and will give Indian selectors plenty to ponder after preferring him to fellow 21-year-old Shubman Gill, who has been in good touch. Starc, who only rejoined the Australian squad this week after compassionate leave, almost trapped a tentative Pujara two balls later, catching an edge that fell just short of first slip. But the experienced Pujara, whose 123 and 71 set up India for a 31-run win in Adelaide in 2018 en route to a maiden series victory in Australia, settled down and began blocking and grinding out runs. It proved slow going as he and Mayank Agarwal rode their luck, with Pujara surviving again when a thick edge off Starc flew past Nathan Lyon's outstretched arm. They scored just 21 in the first 10 overs before Cummins broke the second-wicket partnership with a beautiful delivery that clattered into Agarwal's middle stump, removing him for 17. Superstar Kohli marched onto a ground he rates as his favourite overseas to steady the ship and see his team through to dinner without further loss.

Starc, Cummins draw first blood in opening Test against India

Australian team management's decision to rest Pat Cummins has not gone down well with country's veterans. First Shane Warne, now Brett Lee have shown their disappointment after the Aussie paceman was rested after playing just two ODIs.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/playing-for-australia-is-more-important-than-playing-in-ipl-shane-warne-after-pat-cummins-rested-for-third-odi-346928" hreflang="en">'Playing for Australia is more important than playing in IPL': Shane Warne after Pat Cummins rested for third ODI</a>

Brett Lee, who often talked about Australia's rest and rotation policy and was a part of it during his playing days, said that Cummins shouldn’t be tired after playing just two games.

“It probably wouldn’t have been his call, he probably would have wanted to play, the players generally want to play,” Lee told Foxsports.com.au. “I would have thought after a couple of games they shouldn’t be tired.

“I always found that for my rhythm personally that the more games I played the better rhythm I had.

“If I had a week’s break, whether it be a break in the tournament or whether I was rested, it’s almost like you’ve got to go back and find that rhythm again.

“There could be a guy who is carrying a hamstring injury or a little niggle, shoulder might be a bit sore, and the best way to get them into their best preparation is to have a few days off. That’s fine but if they’re fully fit they should be playing.”

“The confidence is definitely back and his pace is back and I expect that to continue all summer.”

Cummins did not perform well in the series but picked up three wickets at an average of 39.66 in the first two ODIs. Cummins is likely to return the four-match Test series.&nbsp;

Australian team management's decision to rest Pat Cummins has not gone down well with country's veterans. First Shane Warne, now Brett Lee have shown their disappointment after the Aussie paceman was rested after playing just two ODIs.

Australian team management's decision to rest Pat Cummins has not gone down well with country's veterans. First Shane Warne, now Brett Lee have shown their disappointment after the Aussie paceman was rested after playing just two ODIs. Also read: 'Playing for Australia is more important than playing in IPL': Shane Warne after Pat Cummins rested for third ODI Brett Lee, who often talked about Australia's rest and rotation policy and was a part of it during his playing days, said that Cummins shouldn’t be tired after playing just two games. “It probably wouldn’t have been his call, he probably would have wanted to play, the players generally want to play,” Lee told Foxsports.com.au. “I would have thought after a couple of games they shouldn’t be tired. “I always found that for my rhythm personally that the more games I played the better rhythm I had. “If I had a week’s break, whether it be a break in the tournament or whether I was rested, it’s almost like you’ve got to go back and find that rhythm again. “There could be a guy who is carrying a hamstring injury or a little niggle, shoulder might be a bit sore, and the best way to get them into their best preparation is to have a few days off. That’s fine but if they’re fully fit they should be playing.” “The confidence is definitely back and his pace is back and I expect that to continue all summer.” Cummins did not perform well in the series but picked up three wickets at an average of 39.66 in the first two ODIs. Cummins is likely to return the four-match Test series.

'They shouldn’t be tired': Brett Lee on Pat Cummins being rested after playing two ODIs

Australia's pacer spearhead Pat Cummins was rested for the third and final ODI against India after getting an unassailable 2-0 lead against the visitors. The paceman was a part of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders so he was given rest before the much-anticipated Test series.&nbsp;

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However, Shane Warne was not pleased with the decision to rest Cummins. According to Aussie great, IPL is not more important for players than playing for Australia.&nbsp;

"Pat Cummins and the resting, I’m a little bit disappointed," Warne said on Fox Cricket.

"I know it is a big summer that we have and it is pretty jam-packed, but I don’t think Australian players should be resting after two games.

"Why are they resting? Is it because they played IPL? So they are allowed to go and play all these games in the IPL and then they need a rest because they have been playing in IPL.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/virat-kohli-fastest-to-12000-runs-in-odi-cricket-surpasses-sachin-tendulkar-346863" hreflang="en">Virat Kohli fastest to 12,000 runs in ODI cricket, surpasses Sachin Tendulkar</a>

"Surely playing for Australia is more important than playing in the IPL. So I would say you should choose. Either miss the IPL or you cannot miss games because you need a break coming off an IPL for an Australian game.

"It is a One Day International for Australia and you need a rest to get through the summer after two games," Warne signed off.

Australia's pacer spearhead Pat Cummins was rested for the third and final ODI against India after getting an unassailable 2-0 lead against the visitors. The paceman was a part of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders so he was given rest before the much-anticipated Test series.

Australia's pacer spearhead Pat Cummins was rested for the third and final ODI against India after getting an unassailable 2-0 lead against the visitors. The paceman was a part of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders so he was given rest before the much-anticipated Test series. Also read: England's Dawid Malan attains highest-ever rating points in T20I history However, Shane Warne was not pleased with the decision to rest Cummins. According to Aussie great, IPL is not more important for players than playing for Australia. "Pat Cummins and the resting, I’m a little bit disappointed," Warne said on Fox Cricket. "I know it is a big summer that we have and it is pretty jam-packed, but I don’t think Australian players should be resting after two games. "Why are they resting? Is it because they played IPL? So they are allowed to go and play all these games in the IPL and then they need a rest because they have been playing in IPL. Also read: Virat Kohli fastest to 12,000 runs in ODI cricket, surpasses Sachin Tendulkar "Surely playing for Australia is more important than playing in the IPL. So I would say you should choose. Either miss the IPL or you cannot miss games because you need a break coming off an IPL for an Australian game. "It is a One Day International for Australia and you need a rest to get through the summer after two games," Warne signed off.

'Playing for Australia is more important than playing in IPL': Shane Warne after Pat Cummins rested for third ODI

With the two-month-long series between India and Australia commencing in a week’s time, Australian speedster Pat Cummins considers Virat Kohli as the ‘big wicket’ he would target. Cummins said that commentators talk about Kohli non-stop while hoping to keep him quiet in the limited-overs series and one Test in which the Indian skipper would be a part of.

The three-match ODI series is set to start from November 27 followed by three T20Is and four-match Test series.&nbsp;

"I think every side has that one or two batters and they are the big wickets. Most teams have their captain -- Joe Root for England, Kane Williamson for New Zealand. You feel like if you get their wickets that goes a long way in winning the game," Cummins told 'Fox Cricket'.

"He (Kohli) is always a big one. You commentators talk about him non-stop, so hopefully, we can keep him quiet," he added.

Cummins, who has been named the vice-captain of both white and red-ball squads, is currently quarantining after arriving from the UE where he played in the Indian Premier League for Kolkata Knight Riders.

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The quarantine period wherein there are 11 Australian players currently will end on the eve of the ODI opener against India in Sydney.

"It's good to be back here in Sydney. Obviously, we are locked down but we are let out for couple of hours a day.

"We've been in the middle of it (cricket in bio-secure bubbles) for three or four months now so we're starting to get used to it," he said.

"But it will be weird we get out Thursday night and then we will go and join the boys at a hotel but there's a good chance we won't see them until we literally turn up to the SCG on Friday."

Cummins said Australia is well prepared to give India a tough fight in the series. "It's going to be huge. Obviously, we're back here on home soil. other than spending a lot of times in hotels and bubbles I feel like our preparation has actually been really good.

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"We went over to the UK and had a good tour there. Most of the boys here have been playing 14 T20 matches in the last few weeks and the other guys coming in will be playing shrewd cricket. So, it feels like we are all firing up and got a lot of stuff behind us," he said.

On his development as a bowler over the last couple of years, "I was probably a bit quicker a few years ago but I feel like in the last couple of years I got better, learning different tempos within the game and also when I am bowling. I feel I got a bit more control on swing and seam," Cummins said.

"Whatever conditions we come up with, I have got a couple of tools I can go to."

With the two-month-long series between India and Australia commencing in a week’s time, Australian speedster Pat Cummins considers Virat Kohli as the ‘big wicket’ he would target.

With the two-month-long series between India and Australia commencing in a week’s time, Australian speedster Pat Cummins considers Virat Kohli as the ‘big wicket’ he would target. Cummins said that commentators talk about Kohli non-stop while hoping to keep him quiet in the limited-overs series and one Test in which the Indian skipper would be a part of. The three-match ODI series is set to start from November 27 followed by three T20Is and four-match Test series. "I think every side has that one or two batters and they are the big wickets. Most teams have their captain -- Joe Root for England, Kane Williamson for New Zealand. You feel like if you get their wickets that goes a long way in winning the game," Cummins told 'Fox Cricket'. "He (Kohli) is always a big one. You commentators talk about him non-stop, so hopefully, we can keep him quiet," he added. Cummins, who has been named the vice-captain of both white and red-ball squads, is currently quarantining after arriving from the UE where he played in the Indian Premier League for Kolkata Knight Riders. ALSO READ: Players with 10 T20I caps now eligible for BCCI Central Contract: Report The quarantine period wherein there are 11 Australian players currently will end on the eve of the ODI opener against India in Sydney. "It's good to be back here in Sydney. Obviously, we are locked down but we are let out for couple of hours a day. "We've been in the middle of it (cricket in bio-secure bubbles) for three or four months now so we're starting to get used to it," he said. "But it will be weird we get out Thursday night and then we will go and join the boys at a hotel but there's a good chance we won't see them until we literally turn up to the SCG on Friday." Cummins said Australia is well prepared to give India a tough fight in the series. "It's going to be huge. Obviously, we're back here on home soil. other than spending a lot of times in hotels and bubbles I feel like our preparation has actually been really good. ALSO READ: World Test Championship finalists to be decided by percentage of points earned: report "We went over to the UK and had a good tour there. Most of the boys here have been playing 14 T20 matches in the last few weeks and the other guys coming in will be playing shrewd cricket. So, it feels like we are all firing up and got a lot of stuff behind us," he said. On his development as a bowler over the last couple of years, "I was probably a bit quicker a few years ago but I feel like in the last couple of years I got better, learning different tempos within the game and also when I am bowling. I feel I got a bit more control on swing and seam," Cummins said. "Whatever conditions we come up with, I have got a couple of tools I can go to."

Pat Cummins names 'big wicket' in India vs Australia series

Australian vice-captain Pat Cummins has said that Virat Kohli’s absence after the first Test match in Adelaide “make a bit of difference” but he was “unsure” if it could be the deciding factor in the much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Cummins further said that India always finds some incredible batsman, outside the team, waiting for his opportunity.&nbsp;

Kohli is set to miss the last three Tests of the four-match series after being granted paternity leave by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Kohli’s wife and Bollywood star Anushka Sharma are expecting their first child in early January.

Cummins, echoing his team-mate Nathan Lyon’s views, said that the players haven’t spoken about Kohli’s absence too much while adding he is not sure that it will be a deciding factor in the series.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/sachin-rightfully-deserved-to-rule-the-game-during-his-era-former-pak-speedster-aaqib-javed-343532" hreflang="en">'Sachin rightfully deserved to rule the game during his era: Former Pak speedster Aaqib Javed</a>

"To be honest, as a captain, obviously he’ll be missed but the Indian cricket side always finds some incredible batsman, who outside the team, just waiting for an opportunity, so maybe that new opportunity will be the beginning of someone else’s career," he said in a media interaction on Monday, 16 November.

"It might make a bit of a difference. I am not sure it’s gonna be a deciding factor in the series but to be honest, us players haven’t spoken too much about it," Cummins said in a media interaction on Monday.

In the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India created history as they defeated them 2-1, for the first time on their home soil. In the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner, India dominated all three departments of the game to successfully clinch the series Down Under.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/india-tour-of-australia-aussie-team-to-make-barefoot-anti-racism-gesture-343520" hreflang="en">India tour of Australia: Aussie team to make barefoot anti-racism gesture</a>

"We have got a lot to prove. India played really well here a couple of years ago. We as an Aussie cricket team, and as long as I have grown up watching them play, pride ourselves on winning at home, especially Test matches. So to lose that one, I feel like we have to make amends this summer," said Cummins.

"It’s gonna be a great series. Both teams I think are at the top of the Test Championship table at the moment. It’s going to be a high-quality series," he said.

Australian vice-captain Pat Cummins has said that Virat Kohli’s absence after the first Test match in Adelaide “make a bit of difference” but he was “unsure” if it could be the deciding factor in the much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australian vice-captain Pat Cummins has said that Virat Kohli’s absence after the first Test match in Adelaide “make a bit of difference” but he was “unsure” if it could be the deciding factor in the much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Cummins further said that India always finds some incredible batsman, outside the team, waiting for his opportunity. Kohli is set to miss the last three Tests of the four-match series after being granted paternity leave by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Kohli’s wife and Bollywood star Anushka Sharma are expecting their first child in early January. Cummins, echoing his team-mate Nathan Lyon’s views, said that the players haven’t spoken about Kohli’s absence too much while adding he is not sure that it will be a deciding factor in the series. ALSO READ: 'Sachin rightfully deserved to rule the game during his era: Former Pak speedster Aaqib Javed "To be honest, as a captain, obviously he’ll be missed but the Indian cricket side always finds some incredible batsman, who outside the team, just waiting for an opportunity, so maybe that new opportunity will be the beginning of someone else’s career," he said in a media interaction on Monday, 16 November. "It might make a bit of a difference. I am not sure it’s gonna be a deciding factor in the series but to be honest, us players haven’t spoken too much about it," Cummins said in a media interaction on Monday. In the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India created history as they defeated them 2-1, for the first time on their home soil. In the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner, India dominated all three departments of the game to successfully clinch the series Down Under. ALSO READ: India tour of Australia: Aussie team to make barefoot anti-racism gesture "We have got a lot to prove. India played really well here a couple of years ago. We as an Aussie cricket team, and as long as I have grown up watching them play, pride ourselves on winning at home, especially Test matches. So to lose that one, I feel like we have to make amends this summer," said Cummins. "It’s gonna be a great series. Both teams I think are at the top of the Test Championship table at the moment. It’s going to be a high-quality series," he said.

AUS vs IND: Virat Kohli's absence a new opportunity for someone else, feels Pat Cummins

Former Pakistan bowler Wasim Akram has picked a team who could win in the upcoming India-Australia Test series that will be played from December to January.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/wouldve-preferred-facing-kapil-dev-javagal-srinath-instead-of-bumrah-brian-lara-341376" hreflang="en">'Would’ve preferred facing Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath instead of Bumrah': Brian Lara</a>

While speaking to a YouTube channel Cricket Baaz, he said: "I think Australia’s fast bowling is the best in the world. They have Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and other top-class bowlers. It will be a close contest but I would say Australia start off as favourites."

However, Akmal also said that Indians have a competitive bowling line up.&nbsp;

"Mohammad Shami, Bumrah, [Navdeep] Saini and others are good," he said.

He went on to say that the Indian squad has been high on self-confidence. "Mohammad Shami, Bumrah, [Navdeep] Saini and others are good," he said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/eight-years-is-long-time-gautam-gambhir-wants-rcb-to-remove-virat-kohli-as-skipper-341364" hreflang="en">'Eight years is long time': Gautam Gambhir wants RCB to remove Virat Kohli as skipper</a>

"Their body language shows they believe in themselves and the hard work they are putting in. I would say ‘Indian players thode badmash ho gaye hai’, (Indian players have become a little mischievous)," he said.

According to Akram, Smith and Warner will bolster Australia's batting unit but the pitches and conditions will be a deciding factor. "When the Kookaburra ball gets old you have to think about how to keep runs down as the wickets are tough to come by," he said.

Former Pakistan bowler Wasim Akram has picked a team who could win in the upcoming India-Australia Test series that will be played from December to January. Also read: 'Would’ve preferred facing Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath instead of Bumrah': Brian Lara While speaking to a YouTube channel Cricket Baaz, he said: "I think Australia’s fast bowling is the best in the world.

Former Pakistan bowler Wasim Akram has picked a team who could win in the upcoming India-Australia Test series that will be played from December to January. Also read: 'Would’ve preferred facing Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath instead of Bumrah': Brian Lara While speaking to a YouTube channel Cricket Baaz, he said: "I think Australia’s fast bowling is the best in the world. They have Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and other top-class bowlers. It will be a close contest but I would say Australia start off as favourites." However, Akmal also said that Indians have a competitive bowling line up. "Mohammad Shami, Bumrah, [Navdeep] Saini and others are good," he said. He went on to say that the Indian squad has been high on self-confidence. "Mohammad Shami, Bumrah, [Navdeep] Saini and others are good," he said. Also read: 'Eight years is long time': Gautam Gambhir wants RCB to remove Virat Kohli as skipper "Their body language shows they believe in themselves and the hard work they are putting in. I would say ‘Indian players thode badmash ho gaye hai’, (Indian players have become a little mischievous)," he said. According to Akram, Smith and Warner will bolster Australia's batting unit but the pitches and conditions will be a deciding factor. "When the Kookaburra ball gets old you have to think about how to keep runs down as the wickets are tough to come by," he said.

'They start off as favourites': Wasim Akram picks a winner in India-Australia Test series

From Maxwell to Cummins: Most expensive flops of IPL 2020!

Pat Cummins was heavily trolled following Kolkata Knight Riders’ first match of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl">Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020</a> against Mumbai Indians where the ace Australian pacer conceded 49 runs in just three overs after being bought by KKR for a hefty INR 15.5 crore.

However, Cummins was back to his best against Sunrisers Hyderabad as he gave away just 19 runs in his four-over quota while picking up the big wicket of Jonny Bairtsow.&nbsp;

Former Australian pacer Brett Lee heaped praise on Cummins as he said the KKR pacer is worth double the price tag he was bought for whiiile adding he can be economical and take wickets in crunch situations for KKR.

The Dinesh Karthik-led KKR chased down the 143-run target with 2 overs and seven wickets in hand as they clinched their first win of IPL 2020.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2020-shubman-gill-breaks-twin-records-after-match-winning-knock-vs-sunrisers-hyderabad-330629" hreflang="en">IPL 2020: Shubman Gill breaks twin records after match-winning knock vs Sunrisers Hyderabad</a>

"He is worth double. He is worth it. Pat Cummins is a confidence player like most fast bowlers. Obviously, he got a little bit of tap in the 1st game. He proved he can be economical and take wickets when needed," Brett Lee told Star Sports.

"It's the beautiful line and length, with that wonderful seam position gets a bit of nibble. He is a class act."

Whereas former New Zealand all-rounder Scotty Styris said that handing over the new ball to Cummins changed the game for KKR and the Aussie speedster, who struggled with his line and lengths against MI.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/thats-not-acceptable-in-t20-cricket-warner-unhappy-with-srh-performance-against-kkr-in-ipl-2020-330620" hreflang="en">'That's not acceptable in T20 cricket...' - Warner unhappy with SRH performance against KKR in IPL 2020</a>

"He is a class player. You knew he was always going to come back and come back well. Slight change of role, they had operated as a third seamer (against MI) in the back half of the powerplay. Not tonight, they gave the new ball and got it to nibble around.

"They acknowledged that the skills of the Sunrisers batting, their strength is the top order. So KKR brought their best bowlers on to try and break the opening stand and put pressure on the middle order. The middle order got under pressure and they failed," Styris said.

KKR will next face Rajasthan Royals at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday as action in IPL 2020 continues. 
&nbsp;

Pat Cummins was heavily trolled following Kolkata Knight Riders’ first match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 against Mumbai Indians where the ace Australian pacer conceded 49 runs in just three overs after being bought by KKR for a hefty INR 15.

Pat Cummins was heavily trolled following Kolkata Knight Riders’ first match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 against Mumbai Indians where the ace Australian pacer conceded 49 runs in just three overs after being bought by KKR for a hefty INR 15.5 crore. However, Cummins was back to his best against Sunrisers Hyderabad as he gave away just 19 runs in his four-over quota while picking up the big wicket of Jonny Bairtsow. Former Australian pacer Brett Lee heaped praise on Cummins as he said the KKR pacer is worth double the price tag he was bought for whiiile adding he can be economical and take wickets in crunch situations for KKR. The Dinesh Karthik-led KKR chased down the 143-run target with 2 overs and seven wickets in hand as they clinched their first win of IPL 2020. ALSO READ: IPL 2020: Shubman Gill breaks twin records after match-winning knock vs Sunrisers Hyderabad "He is worth double. He is worth it. Pat Cummins is a confidence player like most fast bowlers. Obviously, he got a little bit of tap in the 1st game. He proved he can be economical and take wickets when needed," Brett Lee told Star Sports. "It's the beautiful line and length, with that wonderful seam position gets a bit of nibble. He is a class act." Whereas former New Zealand all-rounder Scotty Styris said that handing over the new ball to Cummins changed the game for KKR and the Aussie speedster, who struggled with his line and lengths against MI. ALSO READ: 'That's not acceptable in T20 cricket...' - Warner unhappy with SRH performance against KKR in IPL 2020 "He is a class player. You knew he was always going to come back and come back well. Slight change of role, they had operated as a third seamer (against MI) in the back half of the powerplay. Not tonight, they gave the new ball and got it to nibble around. "They acknowledged that the skills of the Sunrisers batting, their strength is the top order. So KKR brought their best bowlers on to try and break the opening stand and put pressure on the middle order. The middle order got under pressure and they failed," Styris said. KKR will next face Rajasthan Royals at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday as action in IPL 2020 continues.

Pat Cummins is worth double his IPL 2020 price tag: Brett Lee left impressed by KKR pacer

Australia's premier fast bowler Pat Cummins while accepting the health risk associated with the usage of saliva urged game's custodians will have to come out with an alternate option to strike a balance between bat and ball.

Cummins said applying sweat or any external substance like wax on the ball could be an alternate option if usage of saliva is banned.

The ICC's Cricket Committee has already recommended a ban on the usage of saliva on the ball due to the risk of COVID-19 sread.

"If we remove saliva, we have to have another option," the 27-year-old pacer was quoted as saying by cricket.Com.Au.

"Sweat is not bad, but I think we need something more than that, ideally. Whatever that is, wax or I don't know what."If that's what that

science is telling us, that it's high risk using saliva ... As long as we're keeping other options open, whether that's sweat or something artificial."

Cummins, currently world's no.1 Test bowler, said sweat is a viable option to keep the ball shinning.

"We have to be able to shine the ball somehow so I'm glad they've let sweat remain," he said.

"We've just got to make sure at the start of the spell we're sweating and we're nice and warm."

Australian sports gear manufacturer Kookaburra had earlier this month claimed that it had developed a wax applicator which can keep the balls shinning without the usage of saliva or sweat.

Cummins, however, hopes that they can return to the usage of saliva in future as it is the best option to shine the ball.

"Hopefully we'll get to a stage where saliva is deemed safe. Hopefully, we can go back to that, to how it was," he said.

Australia's premier fast bowler Pat Cummins while accepting the health risk associated with the usage of saliva urged game's custodians will have to come out with an alternate option to strike a balance between bat and ball.

Australia's premier fast bowler Pat Cummins while accepting the health risk associated with the usage of saliva urged game's custodians will have to come out with an alternate option to strike a balance between bat and ball. Cummins said applying sweat or any external substance like wax on the ball could be an alternate option if usage of saliva is banned. The ICC's Cricket Committee has already recommended a ban on the usage of saliva on the ball due to the risk of COVID-19 sread. "If we remove saliva, we have to have another option," the 27-year-old pacer was quoted as saying by cricket.Com.Au. "Sweat is not bad, but I think we need something more than that, ideally. Whatever that is, wax or I don't know what."If that's what that science is telling us, that it's high risk using saliva ... As long as we're keeping other options open, whether that's sweat or something artificial." Cummins, currently world's no.1 Test bowler, said sweat is a viable option to keep the ball shinning. "We have to be able to shine the ball somehow so I'm glad they've let sweat remain," he said. "We've just got to make sure at the start of the spell we're sweating and we're nice and warm." Australian sports gear manufacturer Kookaburra had earlier this month claimed that it had developed a wax applicator which can keep the balls shinning without the usage of saliva or sweat. Cummins, however, hopes that they can return to the usage of saliva in future as it is the best option to shine the ball. "Hopefully we'll get to a stage where saliva is deemed safe. Hopefully, we can go back to that, to how it was," he said.

Cummins accepts risk of using saliva but says cricket need alternate option to shine ball

Australia's leading fast bowler Pat Cummins said COVID-19 lockdowns would make it "tight" for the big-money Indian Premier League to go ahead this month as planned, leaving some of cricket's biggest stars in limbo.

"They obviously haven't cancelled it or anything like that yet. It's still a bit of a holding pattern," the Kolkata Knight Riders-contracted Cummins said, speaking from home isolation near Sydney.

"We're in contact with our teams every few days. Obviously, everyone's still really keen for it to all go ahead," he said, "but you know the priority is to minimise risk of (coronavirus) spreading."

Play is scheduled to start on April 15, the day after India's three-week lockdown is due to end and two months before restrictions on Australians travelling overseas could be lifted.

"I don't expect anything too soon to happen," Cummins said, hinting at a possible delay. "I mean obviously the preference would be to be over there playing but... I guess the silver lining is that we do get a bit of a break."

The start of the&nbsp;IPL&nbsp;season had already been pushed back from March 29 until April 15 "as a precautionary measure" over the coronavirus, the Indian&nbsp;cricket&nbsp;board said.

Even if the tournament does start after April 15, it could be without fans in the stadium and it is not clear that Australian players could attend with travel restrictions still in place.

The two-month tournament is a huge revenue earner.

The Twenty20 competition is estimated to generate more than $11 billion for the Indian economy and involves&nbsp;cricket's top international stars like England's Ben Stokes, Australia's David Warner and Indian captain Virat Kohli.

Australia's leading fast bowler Pat Cummins said COVID-19 lockdowns would make it "tight" for the big-money Indian Premier League to go ahead this month as planned, leaving some of cricket's biggest stars in limbo.

Australia's leading fast bowler Pat Cummins said COVID-19 lockdowns would make it "tight" for the big-money Indian Premier League to go ahead this month as planned, leaving some of cricket's biggest stars in limbo. "They obviously haven't cancelled it or anything like that yet. It's still a bit of a holding pattern," the Kolkata Knight Riders-contracted Cummins said, speaking from home isolation near Sydney. "We're in contact with our teams every few days. Obviously, everyone's still really keen for it to all go ahead," he said, "but you know the priority is to minimise risk of (coronavirus) spreading." Play is scheduled to start on April 15, the day after India's three-week lockdown is due to end and two months before restrictions on Australians travelling overseas could be lifted. "I don't expect anything too soon to happen," Cummins said, hinting at a possible delay. "I mean obviously the preference would be to be over there playing but... I guess the silver lining is that we do get a bit of a break." The start of the IPL season had already been pushed back from March 29 until April 15 "as a precautionary measure" over the coronavirus, the Indian cricket board said. Even if the tournament does start after April 15, it could be without fans in the stadium and it is not clear that Australian players could attend with travel restrictions still in place. The two-month tournament is a huge revenue earner. The Twenty20 competition is estimated to generate more than $11 billion for the Indian economy and involves cricket's top international stars like England's Ben Stokes, Australia's David Warner and Indian captain Virat Kohli.

IPL 2020's highest buy Pat Cummins in 'holding pattern' with tournament in doubt due to COVID-19 pandemic

England all-rounder Ben Stokes won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for becoming the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year after&nbsp;an extraordinary 2019.

Stokes was&nbsp;‘Man of the Match’ in World Cup finals in 2019. England won the World Cup for the first time. They were playing against New Zealand.

"A World Cup winner and scorer of one of the greatest Test innings of all time, Ben Stokes is the winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the world player of the year. #ICCAwards," the ICC tweeted.

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A World Cup winner and scorer of one of the greatest Test innings of all time, Ben Stokes is the winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the world player of the year.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ICCAwards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ICCAwards</a> <a href="https://t.co/5stP1fqSAP">pic.twitter.com/5stP1fqSAP</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1217325607484305408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Pat Cummins has been awarded 'The Test player of the year 2019' after scalping 59 Test wickets in the year 2019. Pat Cummins is currently World Number 1 Bowler&nbsp;&nbsp;in Tests.

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5️⃣9️⃣ Test wickets in 2019 💪 
 
14 more than any other bowler 👀 
 
Pat Cummins is the 2019 Test Cricketer of the Year 👏 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ICCAwards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ICCAwards</a> <a href="https://t.co/QDC4LW1oHl">pic.twitter.com/QDC4LW1oHl</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1217324343539249152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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India's Prolific ODI opener Rohit Sharma won ODI player of the year award. He denied his skipper Virat Kohli a hattrick as the Indian captain&nbsp;has consecutively won the award in 2017 and 2018.&nbsp;

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5️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a> centuries 
7️⃣ ODI centuries in 2019 
 
Your 2019 ODI Cricketer of the Year is Rohit Sharma.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ICCAwards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ICCAwards</a> <a href="https://t.co/JYAxBhJcNn">pic.twitter.com/JYAxBhJcNn</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1217323220501696512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The Indian Skipper, Virat Kohli has been awarded "ICC Spirit of Cricket 2019" award. He was also made the skipper in Test team of the year and ODI team of the year.

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Who remembers this gesture from Virat Kohli during <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CWC19?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CWC19</a>? 
 
The Indian captain is the winner of the 2019 Spirit of Cricket Award 🙌 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ICCAwards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ICCAwards</a> <a href="https://t.co/Z4rVSH8X7x">pic.twitter.com/Z4rVSH8X7x</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1217321828638740481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Australian young gun, Marnus Labushagne wins big in his debut year. The run-machine has just played with 1,104 runs in 17 innings at an average of 64.94 in 2019. He is the highest run-getter in Tests in the year 2019. He was a very well deserved pick for the&nbsp;2019 ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer.

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Marnus Labuschagne had a stunning 2019 averaging 64.94 with the bat in Test cricket 🔥 
 
A deserving winner of the 2019 ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ICCAwards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ICCAwards</a> <a href="https://t.co/OGt1BLqPvy">pic.twitter.com/OGt1BLqPvy</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1217319292120829952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

&nbsp;

England all-rounder Ben Stokes won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for becoming the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year after an extraordinary 2019. Stokes was ‘Man of the Match’ in World Cup finals in 2019.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for becoming the ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year after an extraordinary 2019. Stokes was ‘Man of the Match’ in World Cup finals in 2019. England won the World Cup for the first time. They were playing against New Zealand. "A World Cup winner and scorer of one of the greatest Test innings of all time, Ben Stokes is the winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the world player of the year. #ICCAwards," the ICC tweeted. A World Cup winner and scorer of one of the greatest Test innings of all time, Ben Stokes is the winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the world player of the year.#ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/5stP1fqSAP — ICC (@ICC) January 15, 2020 × Pat Cummins has been awarded 'The Test player of the year 2019' after scalping 59 Test wickets in the year 2019. Pat Cummins is currently World Number 1 Bowler in Tests. 5️⃣9️⃣ Test wickets in 2019 💪 14 more than any other bowler 👀 Pat Cummins is the 2019 Test Cricketer of the Year 👏 #ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/QDC4LW1oHl — ICC (@ICC) January 15, 2020 × India's Prolific ODI opener Rohit Sharma won ODI player of the year award. He denied his skipper Virat Kohli a hattrick as the Indian captain has consecutively won the award in 2017 and 2018. 5️⃣ #CWC19 centuries 7️⃣ ODI centuries in 2019 Your 2019 ODI Cricketer of the Year is Rohit Sharma.#ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/JYAxBhJcNn — ICC (@ICC) January 15, 2020 × The Indian Skipper, Virat Kohli has been awarded "ICC Spirit of Cricket 2019" award. He was also made the skipper in Test team of the year and ODI team of the year. Who remembers this gesture from Virat Kohli during #CWC19? The Indian captain is the winner of the 2019 Spirit of Cricket Award 🙌 #ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/Z4rVSH8X7x — ICC (@ICC) January 15, 2020 × Australian young gun, Marnus Labushagne wins big in his debut year. The run-machine has just played with 1,104 runs in 17 innings at an average of 64.94 in 2019. He is the highest run-getter in Tests in the year 2019. He was a very well deserved pick for the 2019 ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer. Marnus Labuschagne had a stunning 2019 averaging 64.94 with the bat in Test cricket 🔥 A deserving winner of the 2019 ICC Men's Emerging Cricketer.#ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/OGt1BLqPvy — ICC (@ICC) January 15, 2020 ×

ICC awards: Ben Stokes, Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins win the top awards

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-archer-may-miss-test-against-south-africa-271563">Nathan&nbsp;Lyon</a>&nbsp;took 5-68 as a dominant&nbsp;Australia&nbsp;dismissed New Zealand for 251 before the home batsmen took over to extend their lead to 243 by the close of play on the third day of the third and final test on Sunday.

Already 2-0 down in the series after thumping defeats in Perth and Melbourne, New Zealand have been ravaged by illness and injury and now face a huge battle to avoid a third heavy loss before they head home.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-labuschagne-leads-as-australia-take-charge-in-sydney-271812">Sydney</a>&nbsp;Cricket Ground was turned pink for the 12th straight year in aid of cricketing great Glenn McGrath's breast cancer foundation but there was nothing charitable about&nbsp;Australia's approach to the match.

Openers <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-stunned-new-zealand-fight-to-save-second-australia-test-270820">David Warner</a> (23) and Joe Burns (16) steered the hosts to 40 without loss at stumps to add to the first-innings tally of 454 built on the back of Marnus Labuschagne's maiden double century.

It was the&nbsp;Australian bowling attack, though, that once again set the tone as they took all 10 New Zealand wickets for the fifth time in the series.

Off-spinner&nbsp;Lyon&nbsp;carried the ball off the pitch to huge applause an hour after tea after he had <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/aus-vs-nz-new-zealand-woes-continue-with-bowler-matt-henry-injury-272088">Matt Henry</a> stumped to end New Zealand's innings and secure the 17th&nbsp;five-wicket haul of his career, his first against the Black Caps.

"It's always special being part of the&nbsp;Sydney&nbsp;test match and playing in front of your family and friends, and to perform in the first innings was pretty special,"&nbsp;Lyon&nbsp;said.

"There's still plenty of work to do in the second dig&nbsp;but if you were rocking up today and saying we'd end up with a lead of 240 and 10 wickets in hand, we'll take that every day," he added.

Henry batted despite breaking the thumb on his non-bowling hand on day one of the match, the latest in a catalogue of misfortune that robbed the tourists of captain <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-new-zealand-sweat-on-ailing-williamson-and-nicholls-271562">Kane Williamson</a> and a string of other top players.

Glenn Phillips, flown over from New Zealand on the eve of the test to cover for the sick Williamson and Nicholls, offered the most resistance with a 52 on his test debut.

The 23-year-old enjoyed some luck when he was dropped twice by the normally reliable&nbsp;Lyon&nbsp;and again just before tea when he was caught in the deep off a James Pattinson no-ball.

He brought up his maiden half-century with a brilliant pull shot through square but two balls later were clean bowled by paceman <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-neser-likely-to-debut-in-australias-five-bowler-ploy-270113">Pat Cummins</a>, who took 3-44 to show once again why he is the world's top-ranked test bowler.

"It was a really enjoyable time out there," Phillips said. "It's a shame I wasn't able to go on and extend the innings a bit, but that's cricket."

Lyon&nbsp;tops a few lists of his own these days and it was the unassuming off-spinner who broke New Zealand's early resistance after they had resumed on 63 without loss.

He bowled opener <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/de-grandhomme-removes-labuschagne-as-australia-move-to-155-3-at-tea-270279">Tom Blundell</a> for 34 and trapped Jeet Raval leg before wicket for 31 in the first session and returned after tea to send back tailenders Will Sommerville and Neil Wagner, both for ducks, in a magnificent two-wicket maiden.

Conditions were much cooler than on Saturday's second day but there was a distinct smell of smoke in the air from the bushfires that have been raging around&nbsp;Sydney&nbsp;for the last couple of months.

Nathan Lyon took 5-68 as a dominant Australia dismissed New Zealand for 251 before the home batsmen took over to extend their lead to 243 by the close of play on the third day of the third and final test on Sunday.

Nathan Lyon took 5-68 as a dominant Australia dismissed New Zealand for 251 before the home batsmen took over to extend their lead to 243 by the close of play on the third day of the third and final test on Sunday. Already 2-0 down in the series after thumping defeats in Perth and Melbourne, New Zealand have been ravaged by illness and injury and now face a huge battle to avoid a third heavy loss before they head home. The Sydney Cricket Ground was turned pink for the 12th straight year in aid of cricketing great Glenn McGrath's breast cancer foundation but there was nothing charitable about Australia's approach to the match. Openers David Warner (23) and Joe Burns (16) steered the hosts to 40 without loss at stumps to add to the first-innings tally of 454 built on the back of Marnus Labuschagne's maiden double century. It was the Australian bowling attack, though, that once again set the tone as they took all 10 New Zealand wickets for the fifth time in the series. Off-spinner Lyon carried the ball off the pitch to huge applause an hour after tea after he had Matt Henry stumped to end New Zealand's innings and secure the 17th five-wicket haul of his career, his first against the Black Caps. "It's always special being part of the Sydney test match and playing in front of your family and friends, and to perform in the first innings was pretty special," Lyon said. "There's still plenty of work to do in the second dig but if you were rocking up today and saying we'd end up with a lead of 240 and 10 wickets in hand, we'll take that every day," he added. Henry batted despite breaking the thumb on his non-bowling hand on day one of the match, the latest in a catalogue of misfortune that robbed the tourists of captain Kane Williamson and a string of other top players. Glenn Phillips, flown over from New Zealand on the eve of the test to cover for the sick Williamson and Nicholls, offered the most resistance with a 52 on his test debut. The 23-year-old enjoyed some luck when he was dropped twice by the normally reliable Lyon and again just before tea when he was caught in the deep off a James Pattinson no-ball. He brought up his maiden half-century with a brilliant pull shot through square but two balls later were clean bowled by paceman Pat Cummins, who took 3-44 to show once again why he is the world's top-ranked test bowler. "It was a really enjoyable time out there," Phillips said. "It's a shame I wasn't able to go on and extend the innings a bit, but that's cricket." Lyon tops a few lists of his own these days and it was the unassuming off-spinner who broke New Zealand's early resistance after they had resumed on 63 without loss. He bowled opener Tom Blundell for 34 and trapped Jeet Raval leg before wicket for 31 in the first session and returned after tea to send back tailenders Will Sommerville and Neil Wagner, both for ducks, in a magnificent two-wicket maiden. Conditions were much cooler than on Saturday's second day but there was a distinct smell of smoke in the air from the bushfires that have been raging around Sydney for the last couple of months.

Aus vs NZ: Nathan Lyon takes five as Australia dominate in Sydney

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ashes-2019-marnus-labuschagne-stars-as-australia-draw-second-test-244005">Marnus Labuschagne</a> hit a double century as Australia amassed a huge 454 first innings against a weary New Zealand in the third <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-labuschagne-leads-as-australia-take-charge-in-sydney-271812">Sydney Test</a> on Saturday.

Labuschagne reached his highest Test score of 215 as the Australians were dismissed just before tea on the second day.&nbsp;

The rock-solid number three sweated on 199 for 20 minutes before he thick edged <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/slvnz-watling-colin-de-grandhomme-put-new-zealand-ahead-in-second-test-245565">Colin de Grandhomme</a> through the vacant slips to the ropes to bring up his double ton.

The milestone came off 363 balls with 19 fours and a six and eclipsed his previous Test record of 185 against Pakistan in Brisbane last November.

Labuschagne was Test cricket's leading run-getter last year with 1,104 runs and is carrying on where he left off in 2019.

The Kiwis finally got him out when Labuschagne was caught and bowled by leg-spinner Todd Astle.

Skipper <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tim-paine-takes-a-dig-at-virat-kohli-who-are-slated-to-play-test-series-next-year-264214">Tim Paine</a> provided support for Labuschagne to reach his double century before he was bowled between his bat and pad by de Grandhomme for 35.

Paine faced 92 balls and shared in a 79-run stand with Labuschagne to take Australia beyond 400.

Wickets fell quickly just before tea with James Pattinson bowled by Neil Wagner for two, Pat Cummins caught off Astle's bowling for eight and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ricky-ponting-says-mitchell-starc-needs-to-do-something-special-to-play-first-test-against-pak-262553">Mitchell Starc</a> hitting a breezy 22 off 21 balls before he was bowled by Wagner, who finished with three for 66.

The hosts lost two wickets on the second morning of the Test.

Matthew Wade was out in the day's first over, bowled off-stump while attempting to sweep off-spinner, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-nz-spinner-somerville-replaces-injured-boult-in-sydney-test-270920">Will Somerville</a>, for no addition to his overnight score of 22.

Melbourne Test centurion Travis Head fell to Matt Henry, cutting too close to his body and snicking to wicketkeeper <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/galle-test-bj-watling-puts-new-zealand-in-strong-position-243481">BJ Watling</a>.

The Kiwi bowlers had strangled his scoring shots and his 10 runs came off 42 balls.

Henry was bowling despite fracturing his left thumb on Friday. He had the injury strapped and placed in a splint to continue on playing.

The Sydney Test is being played against the backdrop of one of Australia's most devastating bushfire seasons with at least 20 people losing their lives in blazes raging across the country, including on the outskirts of Sydney.

Play will be suspended in the match at the umpire's discretion, should smoke significantly affect air quality or visibility, but the sky above the ground has remained clear so far.&nbsp;

Marnus Labuschagne hit a double century as Australia amassed a huge 454 first innings against a weary New Zealand in the third Sydney Test on Saturday. Labuschagne reached his highest Test score of 215 as the Australians were dismissed just before tea on the second day.

Marnus Labuschagne hit a double century as Australia amassed a huge 454 first innings against a weary New Zealand in the third Sydney Test on Saturday. Labuschagne reached his highest Test score of 215 as the Australians were dismissed just before tea on the second day. The rock-solid number three sweated on 199 for 20 minutes before he thick edged Colin de Grandhomme through the vacant slips to the ropes to bring up his double ton. The milestone came off 363 balls with 19 fours and a six and eclipsed his previous Test record of 185 against Pakistan in Brisbane last November. Labuschagne was Test cricket's leading run-getter last year with 1,104 runs and is carrying on where he left off in 2019. The Kiwis finally got him out when Labuschagne was caught and bowled by leg-spinner Todd Astle. Skipper Tim Paine provided support for Labuschagne to reach his double century before he was bowled between his bat and pad by de Grandhomme for 35. Paine faced 92 balls and shared in a 79-run stand with Labuschagne to take Australia beyond 400. Wickets fell quickly just before tea with James Pattinson bowled by Neil Wagner for two, Pat Cummins caught off Astle's bowling for eight and Mitchell Starc hitting a breezy 22 off 21 balls before he was bowled by Wagner, who finished with three for 66. The hosts lost two wickets on the second morning of the Test. Matthew Wade was out in the day's first over, bowled off-stump while attempting to sweep off-spinner, Will Somerville, for no addition to his overnight score of 22. Melbourne Test centurion Travis Head fell to Matt Henry, cutting too close to his body and snicking to wicketkeeper BJ Watling. The Kiwi bowlers had strangled his scoring shots and his 10 runs came off 42 balls. Henry was bowling despite fracturing his left thumb on Friday. He had the injury strapped and placed in a splint to continue on playing. The Sydney Test is being played against the backdrop of one of Australia's most devastating bushfire seasons with at least 20 people losing their lives in blazes raging across the country, including on the outskirts of Sydney. Play will be suspended in the match at the umpire's discretion, should smoke significantly affect air quality or visibility, but the sky above the ground has remained clear so far.

Aus vs NZ: Marnus Labuschagne hits double ton in Australia's 454

New Zealand were facing a massive run chase to save the second Test and the series after they were <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-new-zealand-collapse-to-148-all-out-under-australian-pace-barrage-270701">dismissed for 148</a> in Melbourne on Saturday, with Australia batting again to rub salt in the wounds and extend their lead.

At the close on day three, the home team were 137 for four,&nbsp;building on their first innings 467 to be 456&nbsp;runs in front.

First innings century-maker Travis Head was not out 12 and Matthew Wade was on 15, with skipper Tim Paine so far resisting the temptation to declare.

New Zealand began the day already in trouble on 44 for two, having lost batting kingpin Kane Williamson and makeshift opener Tom Blundell in a fiery bowling spell late Friday.

They didn't survive long with a world-class pace barrage from Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc destroying their middle order.

Paine could have enforced the follow-on, but opted to bat again and Australia raced to 62 without loss before Neil Wagner tempted David Warner into a drive on 38 and he was caught by Blundell.&nbsp;

Form-player Marnus Labuschagne was run out for 19 and spinner Mitchell Santner snared opener Joe Burns for 35, caught behind off a bottom edge.

When Steve Smith departed for seven, Wagner's 200th Test wicket, the Black Caps were on a roll. But Head and Wade steered them to the close, leaving New Zealand with a monumental task.

They need a result to keep the three-Test series alive after being crushed by 296 runs in the opening day-night clash in Perth.

Opener Tom Latham was the only one to offer resistance in their first innings demolition, surviving 144 balls in a dogged 50 before he too succumbed to the Australian fast-bowling machine.

The world's top bowler Cummins was the chief destroyer, ending with 5-28.

They resumed with Latham on nine with Ross Taylor on two, but had a disastrous morning and went to lunch at 102 for six, before Australia finished the job.

The experienced Taylor was removed in just the third over and Henry Nicholls followed for a golden duck as they crumbled under consistent pace and accuracy.

Cummins was virtually unplayable, with Taylor getting an edge to a searing delivery on four. Labuschagne juggled the slip catch and Burns grabbed the ball.

A stunned Nicholls was then out lbw after unsuccessfully reviewing the decision, before BJ Watling nervously managed to defend Cummins' hat-trick ball.

At the other end, Pattinson, playing for the injured Josh Hazlewood, was equally menacing and Latham should have gone the next over, but a diving Smith put down a slip catch he would normally hold.

Pattinson soon got his reward with a rising ball catching Watling's glove and Burns taking an easy catch to leave them at 58 for five.

New Zealand staged a mini recovery before Starc got in on the action, having Colin de Grandhomme caught in the gully by Warner for 11.

Santner was lucky to survive a review decision before scoring after he was caught off a Starc bouncer.

Australia were convinced he was out and replays showed it skimmed off the wristband of his glove, but third umpire Aleem Dar deemed it inconclusive and Santner remained.

Latham brought up his 16th Test half-century before he got a thick edge to wicketkeeper Paine off Cummins, and once he was gone Australia wrapped up the tail.

New Zealand were facing a massive run chase to save the second Test and the series after they were dismissed for 148 in Melbourne on Saturday, with Australia batting again to rub salt in the wounds and extend their lead.

New Zealand were facing a massive run chase to save the second Test and the series after they were dismissed for 148 in Melbourne on Saturday, with Australia batting again to rub salt in the wounds and extend their lead. At the close on day three, the home team were 137 for four, building on their first innings 467 to be 456 runs in front. First innings century-maker Travis Head was not out 12 and Matthew Wade was on 15, with skipper Tim Paine so far resisting the temptation to declare. New Zealand began the day already in trouble on 44 for two, having lost batting kingpin Kane Williamson and makeshift opener Tom Blundell in a fiery bowling spell late Friday. They didn't survive long with a world-class pace barrage from Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc destroying their middle order. Paine could have enforced the follow-on, but opted to bat again and Australia raced to 62 without loss before Neil Wagner tempted David Warner into a drive on 38 and he was caught by Blundell. Form-player Marnus Labuschagne was run out for 19 and spinner Mitchell Santner snared opener Joe Burns for 35, caught behind off a bottom edge. When Steve Smith departed for seven, Wagner's 200th Test wicket, the Black Caps were on a roll. But Head and Wade steered them to the close, leaving New Zealand with a monumental task. They need a result to keep the three-Test series alive after being crushed by 296 runs in the opening day-night clash in Perth. Opener Tom Latham was the only one to offer resistance in their first innings demolition, surviving 144 balls in a dogged 50 before he too succumbed to the Australian fast-bowling machine. The world's top bowler Cummins was the chief destroyer, ending with 5-28. They resumed with Latham on nine with Ross Taylor on two, but had a disastrous morning and went to lunch at 102 for six, before Australia finished the job. The experienced Taylor was removed in just the third over and Henry Nicholls followed for a golden duck as they crumbled under consistent pace and accuracy. Cummins was virtually unplayable, with Taylor getting an edge to a searing delivery on four. Labuschagne juggled the slip catch and Burns grabbed the ball. A stunned Nicholls was then out lbw after unsuccessfully reviewing the decision, before BJ Watling nervously managed to defend Cummins' hat-trick ball. At the other end, Pattinson, playing for the injured Josh Hazlewood, was equally menacing and Latham should have gone the next over, but a diving Smith put down a slip catch he would normally hold. Pattinson soon got his reward with a rising ball catching Watling's glove and Burns taking an easy catch to leave them at 58 for five. New Zealand staged a mini recovery before Starc got in on the action, having Colin de Grandhomme caught in the gully by Warner for 11. Santner was lucky to survive a review decision before scoring after he was caught off a Starc bouncer. Australia were convinced he was out and replays showed it skimmed off the wristband of his glove, but third umpire Aleem Dar deemed it inconclusive and Santner remained. Latham brought up his 16th Test half-century before he got a thick edge to wicketkeeper Paine off Cummins, and once he was gone Australia wrapped up the tail.

Cricket: Stunned New Zealand fight to save second Australia Test

New Zealand collapsed under an unrelenting Australian pace barrage led by Pat Cummins on Saturday, all out for 148 and in danger of a big defeat in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-smith-strikes-a-blow-against-new-zealand-on-boxing-day-270526">second Test in Melbourne</a>.

The visitors began the day in trouble on 44 for two in reply to Australia's 467, having lost batting kingpin Kane Williamson and makeshift opener Tom Blundell in a fiery bowling spell late Friday.

They didn't last long with world-class bowling from Cummins, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc destroying the middle order.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/de-grandhomme-removes-labuschagne-as-australia-move-to-155-3-at-tea-270279">Australia</a> could have enforced the follow-on but opted to bat again and rubbed salt in the wounds by going to tea at 28 without loss. David Warner was not out 16 and Joe Burns on four, leaving them 347 runs ahead on day three.

Opener Tom Latham offered the only resistance for New Zealand, surviving 144 balls in a dogged 50 before he too succumbed to the Australian fast-bowling machine.

The world's number one bowler Cummins was the chief destroyer, ending with 5-28.

New Zealand needs&nbsp;a result at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to keep the three-Test series alive after being crushed by 296 runs in the opening day-night clash in Perth.

They resumed with Latham on nine with Ross Taylor on two, but had a disastrous morning and went to lunch at 102 for six before Australia finished the job.

The experienced Taylor was removed in just the third over and Henry Nicholls followed for a golden duck as they crumbled under consistent pace and accuracy.

Cummins was virtually unplayable, with Taylor getting an edge to a searing delivery on four. Marnus Labuschagne juggled the slip catch and Joe Burns grabbed the ball.

A stunned Nicholls was then out lbw after unsuccessfully reviewing the decision before BJ Watling nervously managed to defend Cummins' hat-trick ball.

At the other end Pattinson, playing for the injured Josh Hazlewood, was equally menacing and Latham should have gone the next over, but a diving Steve Smith put down a slip catch he would normally hold.

Pattinson soon got his reward with a rising ball catching Watling's glove and Burns taking an easy catch to leave them at 58 for five.

New Zealand staged a mini recovery before Starc got in on the action, having Colin de Grandhomme caught in the gully by David Warner for 11.

Mitchell Santner was lucky to survive a review decision before scoring after he was caught off a Starc bouncer.

Australia were convinced he was out and replays showed it skimmed off the wristband of his glove, but third umpire Aleem Dar deemed it inconclusive and Santner remained.

Latham brought up his 16th Test half-century before he got a thick edge to wicketkeeper Tim Paine off Cummins, and once he was gone Australia wrapped up the tail.

A Head century and 79 from Paine took the game away from New Zealand on Friday with former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum slamming his team's tactics, claiming they "rolled over".

New Zealand collapsed under an unrelenting Australian pace barrage led by Pat Cummins on Saturday, all out for 148 and in danger of a big defeat in the second Test in Melbourne.

New Zealand collapsed under an unrelenting Australian pace barrage led by Pat Cummins on Saturday, all out for 148 and in danger of a big defeat in the second Test in Melbourne. The visitors began the day in trouble on 44 for two in reply to Australia's 467, having lost batting kingpin Kane Williamson and makeshift opener Tom Blundell in a fiery bowling spell late Friday. They didn't last long with world-class bowling from Cummins, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc destroying the middle order. Australia could have enforced the follow-on but opted to bat again and rubbed salt in the wounds by going to tea at 28 without loss. David Warner was not out 16 and Joe Burns on four, leaving them 347 runs ahead on day three. Opener Tom Latham offered the only resistance for New Zealand, surviving 144 balls in a dogged 50 before he too succumbed to the Australian fast-bowling machine. The world's number one bowler Cummins was the chief destroyer, ending with 5-28. New Zealand needs a result at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to keep the three-Test series alive after being crushed by 296 runs in the opening day-night clash in Perth. They resumed with Latham on nine with Ross Taylor on two, but had a disastrous morning and went to lunch at 102 for six before Australia finished the job. The experienced Taylor was removed in just the third over and Henry Nicholls followed for a golden duck as they crumbled under consistent pace and accuracy. Cummins was virtually unplayable, with Taylor getting an edge to a searing delivery on four. Marnus Labuschagne juggled the slip catch and Joe Burns grabbed the ball. A stunned Nicholls was then out lbw after unsuccessfully reviewing the decision before BJ Watling nervously managed to defend Cummins' hat-trick ball. At the other end Pattinson, playing for the injured Josh Hazlewood, was equally menacing and Latham should have gone the next over, but a diving Steve Smith put down a slip catch he would normally hold. Pattinson soon got his reward with a rising ball catching Watling's glove and Burns taking an easy catch to leave them at 58 for five. New Zealand staged a mini recovery before Starc got in on the action, having Colin de Grandhomme caught in the gully by David Warner for 11. Mitchell Santner was lucky to survive a review decision before scoring after he was caught off a Starc bouncer. Australia were convinced he was out and replays showed it skimmed off the wristband of his glove, but third umpire Aleem Dar deemed it inconclusive and Santner remained. Latham brought up his 16th Test half-century before he got a thick edge to wicketkeeper Tim Paine off Cummins, and once he was gone Australia wrapped up the tail. A Head century and 79 from Paine took the game away from New Zealand on Friday with former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum slamming his team's tactics, claiming they "rolled over".

Cricket: New Zealand collapse to 148 all out under Australian pace barrage

Queensland quick <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/iplauction-complete-players-list-and-their-base-price-30869">Michael&nbsp;Neser</a>&nbsp;looks set to make his test&nbsp;debut&nbsp;against New Zealand on Thursday with Australia considering an unconventional&nbsp;five-man attack for the Boxing Day Test at the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/rain-fails-to-dampen-spirits-as-indian-fans-flock-melbourne-cricket-ground-for-second-t20-178922">Melbourne&nbsp;Cricket&nbsp;Ground</a> (MCG).

The hosts, who can clinch the three-match series with a second successive victory, are wary of the surface at MCG where&nbsp;bowlers had to really toil for any success in recent times.

They will unveil their playing XI on Thursday morning but captain Tim Paine suggested playing a fifth specialist&nbsp;bowler, a&nbsp;ploy&nbsp;they last employed in 2013 in Sydney against Sri Lanka.

"Looking at the wicket in the last two or three Boxing Day test matches, it's been very hard to take 20 wickets," Paine told reporters on Wednesday.

"Our batting team has been scoring a lot of runs so if we were to go one more&nbsp;bowler, we would be comfortable they could do the job.

"The&nbsp;bowlers we would be bringing in an all bat so while we're taking a batter out, we're probably lengthening our line-up."

Travis Head could be sacrificed to accommodate&nbsp;Neser&nbsp;while <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/james-pattinson-banned-for-first-test-against-pakistan-for-personal-abuse-262662">James Pattinson</a>, replacing the injured Josh Hazlewood, will join the pace attack which also features Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Nathan Lyon is their lone specialist spinner.

Earlier this month, a Sheffield Shield match at the MCG was abandoned after several batsmen sustained blows to the body on a dangerous pitch.

New Zealand have confirmed two changes with Tom Blundell shoehorned into the makeshift opener's role replacing the off-color Jeet Raval, and quick Trent Boult returning from a rib muscle injury.

"It's a brilliant opportunity. I guess there's a sense of romance about being involved in the Boxing Day Test," skipper Kane Williamson said.

"The guys have all grown up watching whoever's been involved so it's quite cool to be part of it."

"He's a positive player and a smart&nbsp;cricketer so it's just trying to adapt to the conditions," Williamson said of Blundell who will be playing his first test in two years.

With 10 days to recover from the shellacking in the day-night test in Perth, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/nzvsl-new-zealand-thrash-sri-lanka-to-level-series-1-1-245853">New Zealand </a>are confident of doing better with the red ball.

"Perth was tough and Australia is very good and tactically sound," Williamson said.

"It's important we learn from some bits of Perth but turn our focus to Melbourne and changing conditions and perhaps not be too reactive to that performance."

Queensland quick Michael Neser looks set to make his test debut against New Zealand on Thursday with Australia considering an unconventional five-man attack for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Queensland quick Michael Neser looks set to make his test debut against New Zealand on Thursday with Australia considering an unconventional five-man attack for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The hosts, who can clinch the three-match series with a second successive victory, are wary of the surface at MCG where bowlers had to really toil for any success in recent times. They will unveil their playing XI on Thursday morning but captain Tim Paine suggested playing a fifth specialist bowler, a ploy they last employed in 2013 in Sydney against Sri Lanka. "Looking at the wicket in the last two or three Boxing Day test matches, it's been very hard to take 20 wickets," Paine told reporters on Wednesday. "Our batting team has been scoring a lot of runs so if we were to go one more bowler, we would be comfortable they could do the job. "The bowlers we would be bringing in an all bat so while we're taking a batter out, we're probably lengthening our line-up." Travis Head could be sacrificed to accommodate Neser while James Pattinson, replacing the injured Josh Hazlewood, will join the pace attack which also features Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Nathan Lyon is their lone specialist spinner. Earlier this month, a Sheffield Shield match at the MCG was abandoned after several batsmen sustained blows to the body on a dangerous pitch. New Zealand have confirmed two changes with Tom Blundell shoehorned into the makeshift opener's role replacing the off-color Jeet Raval, and quick Trent Boult returning from a rib muscle injury. "It's a brilliant opportunity. I guess there's a sense of romance about being involved in the Boxing Day Test," skipper Kane Williamson said. "The guys have all grown up watching whoever's been involved so it's quite cool to be part of it." "He's a positive player and a smart cricketer so it's just trying to adapt to the conditions," Williamson said of Blundell who will be playing his first test in two years. With 10 days to recover from the shellacking in the day-night test in Perth, New Zealand are confident of doing better with the red ball. "Perth was tough and Australia is very good and tactically sound," Williamson said. "It's important we learn from some bits of Perth but turn our focus to Melbourne and changing conditions and perhaps not be too reactive to that performance."

Cricket: Neser likely to debut in Australia's five-bowler ploy

The 26-year-old, ranked number one in tests, Australian pacer Pat Cummins attracted an intense bidding war between the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Delhi Capital before Kolkata joined in to bag his services for the 2020 edition of the tournament.

Cummins&nbsp;was part of the Kolkata squad in 2014 and 2015 and last played in the tournament for Delhi in 2017. The Mumbai Indians picked him up the following season but he was ruled out with a back injury.

England all-rounder <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/englands-ben-stokes-travels-rocky-road-en-route-success-245836">Ben Stokes</a> was the most expensive overseas buy before&nbsp;Cummins&nbsp;when Pune paid 145 million rupees in 2017 while Yuvraj Singh, the hero of India's 2011 World Cup triumph, got the highest bid for a home-based player of 160 million in 2015 from Delhi.

A total of 62 players were sold at the auction for the 13th edition with the eight franchises spending a total of 1.403 billion rupees ($19.73 million).

There was a hefty payday for more Australians with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/maxwells-confession-remarkable-sets-right-example-virat-kohli-261831">Glenn Maxwell</a> going to Kings XI Punjab for 107.5 million rupees ($1.51 million) and reigning champions Mumbai paying 80 million rupees for paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Maxwell recently returned to Twenty20 cricket after taking six weeks off from the game to deal with mental health issues and was left out of the Australia squad for next month's limited-overs tour of India.

Australia's one-day captain Aaron Finch joined Bangalore for 44 million rupees while England World Cup-winning skipper <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/england-win-by-9-runs-in-super-over-against-new-zealand-clinch-t20i-series-by-3-2-261223">Eoin Morgan</a> returned to his old side Kolkata for 52.5 million. The franchise's new head coach Brendon McCullum said on Twitter:

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Two outstanding gentlemen will return to <a href="https://twitter.com/KKRiders?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KKRiders</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/Eoin16?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Eoin16</a> with his power middle order game &amp; outstanding leadership help for <a href="https://twitter.com/DineshKarthik?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DineshKarthik</a> &amp; one of the games premier fast bowlers <a href="https://twitter.com/patcummins30?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@patcummins30</a> who I feel was the best player on offer for this years <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IPL</a> auction Welcome boys! 💪🏻
— Brendon McCullum (@Bazmccullum) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bazmccullum/status/1207625201887768578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
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South African fast bowler Dale Steyn twice went unsold before his former team Bangalore picked him up in the last leg at his listed price of 20 million.

Former India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was the top buy among home-based players, going to MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings for 67.5 million, while Kolkata signed 48-year-old leggie Pravin Tambe, the oldest player in the auction.

The 26-year-old, ranked number one in tests, Australian pacer Pat Cummins attracted an intense bidding war between the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Delhi Capital before Kolkata joined in to bag his services for the 2020 edition of the tournament.

The 26-year-old, ranked number one in tests, Australian pacer Pat Cummins attracted an intense bidding war between the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Delhi Capital before Kolkata joined in to bag his services for the 2020 edition of the tournament. Cummins was part of the Kolkata squad in 2014 and 2015 and last played in the tournament for Delhi in 2017. The Mumbai Indians picked him up the following season but he was ruled out with a back injury. England all-rounder Ben Stokes was the most expensive overseas buy before Cummins when Pune paid 145 million rupees in 2017 while Yuvraj Singh, the hero of India's 2011 World Cup triumph, got the highest bid for a home-based player of 160 million in 2015 from Delhi. A total of 62 players were sold at the auction for the 13th edition with the eight franchises spending a total of 1.403 billion rupees ($19.73 million). There was a hefty payday for more Australians with Glenn Maxwell going to Kings XI Punjab for 107.5 million rupees ($1.51 million) and reigning champions Mumbai paying 80 million rupees for paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile. Maxwell recently returned to Twenty20 cricket after taking six weeks off from the game to deal with mental health issues and was left out of the Australia squad for next month's limited-overs tour of India. Australia's one-day captain Aaron Finch joined Bangalore for 44 million rupees while England World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan returned to his old side Kolkata for 52.5 million. The franchise's new head coach Brendon McCullum said on Twitter: Two outstanding gentlemen will return to @KKRiders! @Eoin16 with his power middle order game & outstanding leadership help for @DineshKarthik & one of the games premier fast bowlers @patcummins30 who I feel was the best player on offer for this years @IPL auction Welcome boys! 💪🏻 — Brendon McCullum (@Bazmccullum) December 19, 2019 × South African fast bowler Dale Steyn twice went unsold before his former team Bangalore picked him up in the last leg at his listed price of 20 million. Former India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla was the top buy among home-based players, going to MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings for 67.5 million, while Kolkata signed 48-year-old leggie Pravin Tambe, the oldest player in the auction.

Australian Cummins becomes IPL's most expensive overseas buy

IPL auctions got underway in Kolkata on Thursday as Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab splurged in millions to buy foreign cricketers for the upcoming 2020 season.

Pat Cummins took the cake as former champions Kolkata Knight Riders lapped him up for a record 15.5 crore(approximately $2.2 million) even as Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers fought for the Australian.

Cummins has now become the most expensive foreign acquisition in IPL history.

Another Australian Glenn Maxwell was bought by Kings XI Punjab for 10.75 crore (approximately $ 1.5 million) and Royal Challengers picked up Australia opener Aaron Finch for 4.4 crore (approximately $620,000).

Aussie bowler Mitchell Marsh, 28, was brought by SRH for 2 crores and his teammate Josh Hazlewood was taken by CSK for 2 crores.

Shimron Hetmyer who is currently playing the ODI series against India and making a name for himself was taken by Delhi Capitals for a whopping 7.75 crores going way past the base price of 50 Lakh as Royals and Knight Riders fought for him which was followed by Delhi Capitals and Royals.

As far as Indian players are concerned, Rajasthan Royals bid for Mumbai's Yashasvi Jaiswal, 17, and got him for &nbsp;2.4 crore(approximately $3,38,000). The uncapped player is the youngest batsman to score a List A double century.

Varun Chakravarthy was another catch for Kolkata Knight Riders who fended off Royal Challengers to take the 28-year-old Tamil Nadu leg-spinner for 4 crores(approximately $563,000).

IPL auctions got underway in Kolkata on Thursday as Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab splurged in millions to buy foreign cricketers for the upcoming 2020 season.

IPL auctions got underway in Kolkata on Thursday as Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals and Kings XI Punjab splurged in millions to buy foreign cricketers for the upcoming 2020 season. Pat Cummins took the cake as former champions Kolkata Knight Riders lapped him up for a record 15.5 crore(approximately $2.2 million) even as Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers fought for the Australian. Cummins has now become the most expensive foreign acquisition in IPL history. Another Australian Glenn Maxwell was bought by Kings XI Punjab for 10.75 crore (approximately $ 1.5 million) and Royal Challengers picked up Australia opener Aaron Finch for 4.4 crore (approximately $620,000). Aussie bowler Mitchell Marsh, 28, was brought by SRH for 2 crores and his teammate Josh Hazlewood was taken by CSK for 2 crores. Shimron Hetmyer who is currently playing the ODI series against India and making a name for himself was taken by Delhi Capitals for a whopping 7.75 crores going way past the base price of 50 Lakh as Royals and Knight Riders fought for him which was followed by Delhi Capitals and Royals. As far as Indian players are concerned, Rajasthan Royals bid for Mumbai's Yashasvi Jaiswal, 17, and got him for 2.4 crore(approximately $3,38,000). The uncapped player is the youngest batsman to score a List A double century. Varun Chakravarthy was another catch for Kolkata Knight Riders who fended off Royal Challengers to take the 28-year-old Tamil Nadu leg-spinner for 4 crores(approximately $563,000).

IPL auction: Cummins, Maxwell, Hetmyer star in big splash

Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins led an Australian fightback as Pakistan lost five wickets for just 19 runs after lunch on the opening day of the first cricket Test at the Gabba on Thursday.

At tea, Pakistan were 125 for five, with Asad Shafiq not out on 18 and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan alongside him on 19.

The visitors had frustrated the Australian pace attack in the first session, going into lunch at 57-0 with openers Azhar Ali and Shan Masood unbeaten on 28 and 21 respectively.

The pair began to open up after the break with some sparkling attacking shots, but Hazlewood and fellow quick Cummins, at last, found their length and began to turn the screws.

The pressure began to tell and with the score on 75, Masood waved at a Cummins delivery outside off stump and got an edge to Steve Smith at second slip.

Azhar went the next ball when he edged Hazlewood to Joe Burns at first slip before Haris Sohail (1) and Babar Azam (1) fell in quick succession to poor shots as the visitors crashed to 78-4.

When Nathan Lyon had Iftikhar Ahmed caught at bat-pad for seven, Pakistan were reeling at 94 for five before Shafiq and Rizwan steadied the ship in the half-hour before tea.

Pakistan earlier won the toss and chose to bat on a hot and humid morning in Brisbane.

Azhar and Masood began cautiously against the Australian pace duo of Mitchell Starc (1-35) and Hazlewood (2-30), who bowled quickly but without ever really troubling the Pakistan openers.

The visitors crawled to 33 at the first drinks break and took almost two hours to reach 50, bringing up the half-century opening stand with a Masood boundary through the square leg in the penultimate over before lunch.

Pakistan had earlier caused a major surprise when they left out experienced seamer Mohammad Abbas, opting instead for&nbsp;pacemen Shaheen Afridi, Imran Khan and 16-year-old Naseem Shah, who were impressive in their lead-up game against Australia A.

Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins led an Australian fightback as Pakistan lost five wickets for just 19 runs after lunch on the opening day of the first cricket Test at the Gabba on Thursday.

Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins led an Australian fightback as Pakistan lost five wickets for just 19 runs after lunch on the opening day of the first cricket Test at the Gabba on Thursday. At tea, Pakistan were 125 for five, with Asad Shafiq not out on 18 and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan alongside him on 19. The visitors had frustrated the Australian pace attack in the first session, going into lunch at 57-0 with openers Azhar Ali and Shan Masood unbeaten on 28 and 21 respectively. The pair began to open up after the break with some sparkling attacking shots, but Hazlewood and fellow quick Cummins, at last, found their length and began to turn the screws. The pressure began to tell and with the score on 75, Masood waved at a Cummins delivery outside off stump and got an edge to Steve Smith at second slip. Azhar went the next ball when he edged Hazlewood to Joe Burns at first slip before Haris Sohail (1) and Babar Azam (1) fell in quick succession to poor shots as the visitors crashed to 78-4. When Nathan Lyon had Iftikhar Ahmed caught at bat-pad for seven, Pakistan were reeling at 94 for five before Shafiq and Rizwan steadied the ship in the half-hour before tea. Pakistan earlier won the toss and chose to bat on a hot and humid morning in Brisbane. Azhar and Masood began cautiously against the Australian pace duo of Mitchell Starc (1-35) and Hazlewood (2-30), who bowled quickly but without ever really troubling the Pakistan openers. The visitors crawled to 33 at the first drinks break and took almost two hours to reach 50, bringing up the half-century opening stand with a Masood boundary through the square leg in the penultimate over before lunch. Pakistan had earlier caused a major surprise when they left out experienced seamer Mohammad Abbas, opting instead for pacemen Shaheen Afridi, Imran Khan and 16-year-old Naseem Shah, who were impressive in their lead-up game against Australia A.

Cricket: Australia storm back as Pakistan wickets clatter

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting believes that Mitchell Starc will need to do something special to find a place in the playing XI for the upcoming first Test against Pakistan.

In the Ashes, Starc played just one match for the team from Down Under and managed to take six wickets.

"I absolutely love everything that Mitchell Starc brings to the table. But at the same time, they have been reluctant to play him in the last few series. He only played the one Ashes Test match and he did OK in that game," cricket.com.au quoted Ponting as saying. "I think Starc will have to do something pretty special at training to be part of that team," he added.

As Australia are slated to take on Pakistan at the Gabba in Brisbane for the first Test, Ponting brought up James Pattinson's record at the stadium and said it will go in his favour when it comes to selection.

"Pattinson's got a good record in&nbsp;Brisbane as well. That's the other thing that might go in his favour; in a place where the ball does swing a bit, he generally pitches it up and takes it away from the right-handers," he said.&nbsp;

"The reluctance to play Starc in the past has been that he has generally leaked runs," he added.

The 44-year-old Ponting also hailed Josh Hazelwood and Pat Cummins for not leaking runs and being outstanding for a consistent period.

"What we know with Hazlewood and Cummins is they are not leaking runs and they have been outstanding for a long time now. Not only are they getting guys out, but they are making it harder to score as well," Ponting said.

Australia squad for Test Series against Pakistan- Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head (vc), Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

Australia and Pakistan are slated to play two Tests against each other and the second match of the series would be a day-night Test at Adelaide. The first match of the series will be played in Brisbane from November 21-25.&nbsp;

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting believes that Mitchell Starc will need to do something special to find a place in the playing XI for the upcoming first Test against Pakistan.

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting believes that Mitchell Starc will need to do something special to find a place in the playing XI for the upcoming first Test against Pakistan. In the Ashes, Starc played just one match for the team from Down Under and managed to take six wickets. "I absolutely love everything that Mitchell Starc brings to the table. But at the same time, they have been reluctant to play him in the last few series. He only played the one Ashes Test match and he did OK in that game," cricket.com.au quoted Ponting as saying. "I think Starc will have to do something pretty special at training to be part of that team," he added. As Australia are slated to take on Pakistan at the Gabba in Brisbane for the first Test, Ponting brought up James Pattinson's record at the stadium and said it will go in his favour when it comes to selection. "Pattinson's got a good record in Brisbane as well. That's the other thing that might go in his favour; in a place where the ball does swing a bit, he generally pitches it up and takes it away from the right-handers," he said. "The reluctance to play Starc in the past has been that he has generally leaked runs," he added. The 44-year-old Ponting also hailed Josh Hazelwood and Pat Cummins for not leaking runs and being outstanding for a consistent period. "What we know with Hazlewood and Cummins is they are not leaking runs and they have been outstanding for a long time now. Not only are they getting guys out, but they are making it harder to score as well," Ponting said. Australia squad for Test Series against Pakistan- Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head (vc), Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner. Australia and Pakistan are slated to play two Tests against each other and the second match of the series would be a day-night Test at Adelaide. The first match of the series will be played in Brisbane from November 21-25.

Ricky Ponting says Mitchell Starc needs to do something 'special' to play first Test against Pak

Australia batsman Steve Smith and fast bowler Pat Cummins remain at the top of the ICC Test rankings after the Ashes, which culminated with a 135-run victory for England on Sunday as the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/england-win-fifth-test-to-square-ashes-series-249870">five-match series ended in a 2-2 draw</a>.

Smith's scores of 80 and 23 have helped him remain 34 points ahead of Virat Kohli with 937 rating points, an incredible effort since he started the series in the fourth position with 857 points before his surge that came courtesy 774 runs in four Tests.

Cummins too is well clear of other bowlers as he enjoys a lead of 57 points over second-placed Kagiso Rabada after finishing as the top wicket-taker with 29 scalps.

Other players from Australia to make notable gains are Matthew Wade and Mitchell Marsh. Wade's fourth Test century has lifted him 32 places to 78th, his highest since being ranked 52nd in March 2013. Marsh's maiden five-wicket haul has helped him gain 20 places to reach 54th place, his best since March 2017.

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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿's Jos Buttler and Rory Burns have taken giant leaps in the <a href="https://twitter.com/MRFWorldwide?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MRFWorldwide</a> ICC Test Rankings for batting after the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ashes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ashes</a>. 
 
Matthew Wade has also gained big after his 💯 at The Oval. 
 
Latest rankings ▶️ <a href="https://t.co/kQBAqvkrLp">https://t.co/kQBAqvkrLp</a> <a href="https://t.co/lb94Pna8KB">pic.twitter.com/lb94Pna8KB</a>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1173517968413794304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2019</a></blockquote>
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David Warner has lost seven places after the Test to finish in 24th position among batsmen. He has slid 19 places during the five matches with a tally of 95 runs in 10 innings, starting the series in the fifth position. Josh Hazlewood has dropped from 12th to eighth after briefly making to top-10 among bowlers.

For England, fast bowler Jofra Archer has moved into the top 40 for the first time after grabbing six first-innings wickets while left-arm seamer Sam Curran has gained six slots to reach 65th position with three wickets.

Jos Buttler's scores of 70 and 47 have lifted him back into the top 30 for the first time since January this year while Joe Denly's career-best score of 94 has taken him to a career-highest 57th place. Rory Burns has also moved up five places to the 56th position.

Australia batsman Steve Smith and fast bowler Pat Cummins remain at the top of the ICC Test rankings after the Ashes, which culminated with a 135-run victory for England on Sunday as the five-match series ended in a 2-2 draw.

Australia batsman Steve Smith and fast bowler Pat Cummins remain at the top of the ICC Test rankings after the Ashes, which culminated with a 135-run victory for England on Sunday as the five-match series ended in a 2-2 draw. Smith's scores of 80 and 23 have helped him remain 34 points ahead of Virat Kohli with 937 rating points, an incredible effort since he started the series in the fourth position with 857 points before his surge that came courtesy 774 runs in four Tests. Cummins too is well clear of other bowlers as he enjoys a lead of 57 points over second-placed Kagiso Rabada after finishing as the top wicket-taker with 29 scalps. Other players from Australia to make notable gains are Matthew Wade and Mitchell Marsh. Wade's fourth Test century has lifted him 32 places to 78th, his highest since being ranked 52nd in March 2013. Marsh's maiden five-wicket haul has helped him gain 20 places to reach 54th place, his best since March 2017. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿's Jos Buttler and Rory Burns have taken giant leaps in the @MRFWorldwide ICC Test Rankings for batting after the #Ashes. Matthew Wade has also gained big after his 💯 at The Oval. Latest rankings ▶️ https://t.co/kQBAqvkrLp pic.twitter.com/lb94Pna8KB — ICC (@ICC) September 16, 2019 × David Warner has lost seven places after the Test to finish in 24th position among batsmen. He has slid 19 places during the five matches with a tally of 95 runs in 10 innings, starting the series in the fifth position. Josh Hazlewood has dropped from 12th to eighth after briefly making to top-10 among bowlers. For England, fast bowler Jofra Archer has moved into the top 40 for the first time after grabbing six first-innings wickets while left-arm seamer Sam Curran has gained six slots to reach 65th position with three wickets. Jos Buttler's scores of 70 and 47 have lifted him back into the top 30 for the first time since January this year while Joe Denly's career-best score of 94 has taken him to a career-highest 57th place. Rory Burns has also moved up five places to the 56th position.

Steve Smith, Pat Cummins remain on top in Test rankings after Ashes

From batting woes to pace aces, major takeaways from Ashes 2019

Despite admitting to have Australia pacer Pat Cummins for all five Test matches, head coach Justin Langer has said that it won't be 'humanly possible'&nbsp;for the bowler to play all the matches.

Cummins displayed a brilliant performance in the first Ashes Test as he took seven wickets in two innings. Australia registered a massive 251-run victory against England in the first Ashes Test match.

"In theory, you would like him to play all five Tests. Those back-to-back Test matches depend a lot on how much he bowls. He bowled the most overs [among Australia`s fast bowlers] in the first Test, but depends on how the game goes and how many overs he bowls, on how much batting there is in between [bowling innings], whether we've bowled last or we`ve bowled in the third innings of the game," ICC quoted Langer as saying.

"All those things will come into it. You'd like him to play all five, but I am not sure it's humanly possible," he added.

Australia have many pace options in the squad as they got Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. Both missed the first Ashes Test as the team went with Cummins, Peter Siddle, and James Pattinson for the match.

"You also have Josh Hazlewood, who has played 40-odd Tests and is a gun, and Mitch Starc, who took 10 wickets in his last Test match. They're all there and we`ve talked about having the squad of fast bowlers," Langer said.

"I think everyone would like to play all five. I think it`s one of those things, where it`s just great that we've got that flexibility, so I think every game you`re going to pick your best three bowlers you think are going to win that match," he added.

The second Ashes Test between Australia and England will start from August 14.

Despite admitting to have Australia pacer Pat Cummins for all five Test matches, head coach Justin Langer has said that it won't be 'humanly possible' for the bowler to play all the matches.

Despite admitting to have Australia pacer Pat Cummins for all five Test matches, head coach Justin Langer has said that it won't be 'humanly possible' for the bowler to play all the matches. Cummins displayed a brilliant performance in the first Ashes Test as he took seven wickets in two innings. Australia registered a massive 251-run victory against England in the first Ashes Test match. "In theory, you would like him to play all five Tests. Those back-to-back Test matches depend a lot on how much he bowls. He bowled the most overs [among Australia`s fast bowlers] in the first Test, but depends on how the game goes and how many overs he bowls, on how much batting there is in between [bowling innings], whether we've bowled last or we`ve bowled in the third innings of the game," ICC quoted Langer as saying. "All those things will come into it. You'd like him to play all five, but I am not sure it's humanly possible," he added. Australia have many pace options in the squad as they got Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. Both missed the first Ashes Test as the team went with Cummins, Peter Siddle, and James Pattinson for the match. "You also have Josh Hazlewood, who has played 40-odd Tests and is a gun, and Mitch Starc, who took 10 wickets in his last Test match. They're all there and we`ve talked about having the squad of fast bowlers," Langer said. "I think everyone would like to play all five. I think it`s one of those things, where it`s just great that we've got that flexibility, so I think every game you`re going to pick your best three bowlers you think are going to win that match," he added. The second Ashes Test between Australia and England will start from August 14.

Justin Langer says not 'humanly possible' for Cummins to play all five Test matches

Australia captain Tim Paine won the toss and decided to bat in the first <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/anderson-could-hold-key-to-ashes-says-mcgrath-239251">Ashes</a> Test against England at Edgbaston on Thursday.

Ashes-holders Australia has not won a match of any kind at Edgbaston since 2001, while England has won their past 11 internationals at the Birmingham ground.

Australia is looking for their first <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ashes-contest-too-close-to-call-says-former-australia-captain-steve-waugh-238960">Ashes series win</a> in England in 18 years.

"The wicket looks nice and hard and dry," said Tim Paine at the toss. "Hopefully we post a good total and we've got (off-spinner) Nathan Lyon up our sleeve at the back end of the game."

As expected, the visitors included all three players given lengthy bans for their roles in a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa last year -- David Warner, Cameron Bancroft and former captain Steve Smith.

Openers Bancroft and Warner knew they would be booed on their way to the middle, judging by the hostile reception Warner and top-order batsman Smith received during the recent World Cup in England and Wales.

They did not have to wait even that long to face the boo-boys, with the Australia team as a whole jeered onto the field for a pre-match anthem ceremony -- an unusual occurrence before a Test match in England.

Reserve wicketkeeper Matthew Wade was included as a specialist batsman after making three hundred for Australia A on their tour of England.&nbsp;

Usman Khawaja was also back in the top order following a hamstring injury that cut short his involvement in the World Cup, which saw Australia defeated by eventual champions England in an Edgbaston semi-final.

Australia also included experienced paceman Peter Siddle, who has been playing English county cricket this season for Essex, in an attack featuring James Pattinson and Pat Cummins.

"He's a class performer there," said wicketkeeper Paine. "He complements the other two seamers really nicely."

But there was no place for World Cup spearhead Mitchell Starc. &nbsp;

England captain Joe Root named his side on Wednesday.

James Anderson, England's all-time leading wicket-taker, returned after missing last week's win in a one-off Test against Ireland at Lord's.

But World Cup hero Jofra Archer was left waiting for a Test debut after struggling with a side injury.

Fellow World Cup winners Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler returned after being rested against Ireland.

Root had no qualms about losing the toss, saying: "I'm not disappointed at all. It's overcast conditions. It'll be nice to get off to a good start.

"We've go so many great options to go to, especially with the ball. This morning is a great opportunity to exploit that.&nbsp;

"We love playing here, we get fantastic support wherever we go. The atmosphere here, in particular, is extremely exciting."

The Edgbaston match is the first of a five-Test series and the first of the ICC's new World Test Championship, with players' names and squad numbers displayed on the backs of their shirts for the first time in this format.&nbsp;

Australia captain Tim Paine won the toss and decided to bat in the first Ashes Test against England at Edgbaston on Thursday. Ashes-holders Australia has not won a match of any kind at Edgbaston since 2001, while England has won their past 11 internationals at the Birmingham ground.

Australia captain Tim Paine won the toss and decided to bat in the first Ashes Test against England at Edgbaston on Thursday. Ashes-holders Australia has not won a match of any kind at Edgbaston since 2001, while England has won their past 11 internationals at the Birmingham ground. Australia is looking for their first Ashes series win in England in 18 years. "The wicket looks nice and hard and dry," said Tim Paine at the toss. "Hopefully we post a good total and we've got (off-spinner) Nathan Lyon up our sleeve at the back end of the game." As expected, the visitors included all three players given lengthy bans for their roles in a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa last year -- David Warner, Cameron Bancroft and former captain Steve Smith. Openers Bancroft and Warner knew they would be booed on their way to the middle, judging by the hostile reception Warner and top-order batsman Smith received during the recent World Cup in England and Wales. They did not have to wait even that long to face the boo-boys, with the Australia team as a whole jeered onto the field for a pre-match anthem ceremony -- an unusual occurrence before a Test match in England. Reserve wicketkeeper Matthew Wade was included as a specialist batsman after making three hundred for Australia A on their tour of England. Usman Khawaja was also back in the top order following a hamstring injury that cut short his involvement in the World Cup, which saw Australia defeated by eventual champions England in an Edgbaston semi-final. Australia also included experienced paceman Peter Siddle, who has been playing English county cricket this season for Essex, in an attack featuring James Pattinson and Pat Cummins. "He's a class performer there," said wicketkeeper Paine. "He complements the other two seamers really nicely." But there was no place for World Cup spearhead Mitchell Starc. England captain Joe Root named his side on Wednesday. James Anderson, England's all-time leading wicket-taker, returned after missing last week's win in a one-off Test against Ireland at Lord's. But World Cup hero Jofra Archer was left waiting for a Test debut after struggling with a side injury. Fellow World Cup winners Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler returned after being rested against Ireland. Root had no qualms about losing the toss, saying: "I'm not disappointed at all. It's overcast conditions. It'll be nice to get off to a good start. "We've go so many great options to go to, especially with the ball. This morning is a great opportunity to exploit that. "We love playing here, we get fantastic support wherever we go. The atmosphere here, in particular, is extremely exciting." The Edgbaston match is the first of a five-Test series and the first of the ICC's new World Test Championship, with players' names and squad numbers displayed on the backs of their shirts for the first time in this format.

Australia win toss and bat against England in first Ashes Test

Australia batsman Shaun Marsh has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup after suffering a broken arm while batting in the nets against team-mate Pat Cummins.

Thursday's Old Trafford training session, which took place two days before reigning champions <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-india-and-australia-are-standout-teams-says-clive-lloyd-232470&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi11u6IkZ3jAhUJpI8KHfQlAHUQFjAAegQIBBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2_MOWgfsKv_zKd2MEkJ0gk">Australia's </a>final group game against South Africa at the Manchester ground, also saw all-rounder Glenn Maxwell struck a painful blow batting against left-arm quick Mitchell Starc.

No sooner had Maxwell been escorted away by medical staff after going down in pain when a rising delivery from Starc, the tournament's leading wicket-taker, reared up and hit him on the right forearm, than Marsh, batting in the same net, was struck on the wrist by Cummins.

Both players were sent to a hospital for scans, with left-hander Marsh subsequently ruled out, although Maxwell has not suffered any serious damage according to Australia coach Justin Langer.

One consolation for Australia is that 35-year-old left-hander Marsh, who will be replaced by Peter Handscomb, has become the squad's reserve batsman and has not featured in a World Cup match since he made three against Sri Lanka at the Oval last month.

The International Cricket Council confirmed Marsh's exit from the World Cup in a statement, saying its event technical committee had approved Handscomb as a replacement for Marsh for the remainder of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Langer said it was "shattering news" that Marsh's World Cup was over.

"Shaun Marsh has had scans on his right forearm after being struck while practising in the nets at training today," Langer said.

"Unfortunately, the scans have revealed Shaun has suffered a fracture to his forearm which will require surgery.''

"This is obviously shattering news for Shaun and the squad. Throughout this tournament, his spirit, professionalism and the way he has competed has been typically outstanding."

"We are right behind Shaun in his recovery and rehabilitation," the former Australia opener added.

Langer, explaining why Handscomb had been called up, said,&nbsp;"Pete is a like for like player, in terms of batting in the middle order, and he performed very well for us during our recent tours in India and the UAE."

Meanwhile, Langer was optimistic about Maxwell, saying,&nbsp;"We are hopeful he will be fit to perform for us on Saturday against South Africa."

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-mitchell-starc-five-for-trumps-boult-hat-trick-as-australia-beat-new-zealand-231633&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwi11u6IkZ3jAhUJpI8KHfQlAHUQFjADegQIDxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw3fPbL4Po_FNLTYzgzjEeXa">Australia </a>have a maximum of three World Cup games left to play, with the South Africa match coming ahead of next week's semi-finals and the final at Lord's on July 14.

Australia batsman Shaun Marsh has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup after suffering a broken arm while batting in the nets against team-mate Pat Cummins.

Australia batsman Shaun Marsh has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup after suffering a broken arm while batting in the nets against team-mate Pat Cummins. Thursday's Old Trafford training session, which took place two days before reigning champions Australia's final group game against South Africa at the Manchester ground, also saw all-rounder Glenn Maxwell struck a painful blow batting against left-arm quick Mitchell Starc. No sooner had Maxwell been escorted away by medical staff after going down in pain when a rising delivery from Starc, the tournament's leading wicket-taker, reared up and hit him on the right forearm, than Marsh, batting in the same net, was struck on the wrist by Cummins. Both players were sent to a hospital for scans, with left-hander Marsh subsequently ruled out, although Maxwell has not suffered any serious damage according to Australia coach Justin Langer. One consolation for Australia is that 35-year-old left-hander Marsh, who will be replaced by Peter Handscomb, has become the squad's reserve batsman and has not featured in a World Cup match since he made three against Sri Lanka at the Oval last month. The International Cricket Council confirmed Marsh's exit from the World Cup in a statement, saying its event technical committee had approved Handscomb as a replacement for Marsh for the remainder of the tournament. Meanwhile, Langer said it was "shattering news" that Marsh's World Cup was over. "Shaun Marsh has had scans on his right forearm after being struck while practising in the nets at training today," Langer said. "Unfortunately, the scans have revealed Shaun has suffered a fracture to his forearm which will require surgery.'' "This is obviously shattering news for Shaun and the squad. Throughout this tournament, his spirit, professionalism and the way he has competed has been typically outstanding." "We are right behind Shaun in his recovery and rehabilitation," the former Australia opener added. Langer, explaining why Handscomb had been called up, said, "Pete is a like for like player, in terms of batting in the middle order, and he performed very well for us during our recent tours in India and the UAE." Meanwhile, Langer was optimistic about Maxwell, saying, "We are hopeful he will be fit to perform for us on Saturday against South Africa." Australia have a maximum of three World Cup games left to play, with the South Africa match coming ahead of next week's semi-finals and the final at Lord's on July 14.

Australia's Shaun Marsh ruled out of World Cup; Peter Handscomb named replacement

Australia paceman Pat Cummins has fired a warning at the nation's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/search?q=cricket+world+cup">Cricket World Cup</a> rivals, saying the champions may have "clicked" but are yet to put in a complete performance at the global showpiece.

Aaron Finch's Australia booked their place in the semi-finals early with a comprehensive win over England and carried on the form with another convincing victory over New Zealand at Lord's on Saturday.

A relaxed Australia will head into their final round-robin match against already-eliminated South Africa in Manchester on Saturday with the benefit of a week's rest before bigger tests await.

"I think just everything's clicked, the batting, the bowling, our game plan is the way we've wanted to play," Cummins told reporters.

"Even just everyone being comfortable in their roles and comfortable around each other. I think it takes time but everyone's in a really good place.

"The thing we have spoken about, we have managed to scrape home wins without really putting through a complete performance," Cummins added.

"With each game, we have got a little bit better."

Led by pace spearhead Mitchell Starc, Australia's quicks have bowled superbly throughout the tournament but have gone up a level in recent matches, skittling England's vaunted batting lineup for 221 before routing New Zealand for 157.

Jason Behrendorff's promotion to open the bowling with Starc, with Cummins switched to first change bowler, has been key to the improvement.

Cummins has only nabbed one wicket from the last two matches but has proved highly effective at keeping the batsmen pinned down during the middle overs.

He captured veteran Ross Taylor's wicket and conceded a miserly 14 runs from his six overs' work against New Zealand.

"I think it's a massive change," he said of the shift from new ball to first change bowler. "I think it's a lot different to say red ball cricket where the ball kind of stays hard and there might be some swing on offer.

"I think it's kind of outside of those first eight to 10 overs, there is no swing, the ball is not as hard, normally the batters are set.

"Jason and Starcy have been brilliant up front. My role is to just try and hold them a little bit and hopefully they take a risk. It (feels) like I have done that job pretty well."

The match against South Africa will be a dead rubber but also the first that opener David Warner and former skipper Steve Smith have had against Faf du Plessis's side since they were suspended for ball-tampering during the Cape Town test in March, 2018.

Warner and Smith, whose one-year ban expired at the end of March, have been jeered at stadiums throughout the tournament but have not let it affect them, with the former leading the tournament's runs list with 516 and the latter chipping in 287.

Cummins did not feel the ball-tampering history would add much significance to the Proteas game.

"I know Dave and Smithy have played quite a bit with (South Africa's players) in IPL and played heaps of times before so I wouldn't have thought so," he said.

Australia paceman Pat Cummins has fired a warning at the nation's Cricket World Cup rivals, saying the champions may have "clicked" but are yet to put in a complete performance at the global showpiece.

Australia paceman Pat Cummins has fired a warning at the nation's Cricket World Cup rivals, saying the champions may have "clicked" but are yet to put in a complete performance at the global showpiece. Aaron Finch's Australia booked their place in the semi-finals early with a comprehensive win over England and carried on the form with another convincing victory over New Zealand at Lord's on Saturday. A relaxed Australia will head into their final round-robin match against already-eliminated South Africa in Manchester on Saturday with the benefit of a week's rest before bigger tests await. "I think just everything's clicked, the batting, the bowling, our game plan is the way we've wanted to play," Cummins told reporters. "Even just everyone being comfortable in their roles and comfortable around each other. I think it takes time but everyone's in a really good place. "The thing we have spoken about, we have managed to scrape home wins without really putting through a complete performance," Cummins added. "With each game, we have got a little bit better." Led by pace spearhead Mitchell Starc, Australia's quicks have bowled superbly throughout the tournament but have gone up a level in recent matches, skittling England's vaunted batting lineup for 221 before routing New Zealand for 157. Jason Behrendorff's promotion to open the bowling with Starc, with Cummins switched to first change bowler, has been key to the improvement. Cummins has only nabbed one wicket from the last two matches but has proved highly effective at keeping the batsmen pinned down during the middle overs. He captured veteran Ross Taylor's wicket and conceded a miserly 14 runs from his six overs' work against New Zealand. "I think it's a massive change," he said of the shift from new ball to first change bowler. "I think it's a lot different to say red ball cricket where the ball kind of stays hard and there might be some swing on offer. "I think it's kind of outside of those first eight to 10 overs, there is no swing, the ball is not as hard, normally the batters are set. "Jason and Starcy have been brilliant up front. My role is to just try and hold them a little bit and hopefully they take a risk. It (feels) like I have done that job pretty well." The match against South Africa will be a dead rubber but also the first that opener David Warner and former skipper Steve Smith have had against Faf du Plessis's side since they were suspended for ball-tampering during the Cape Town test in March, 2018. Warner and Smith, whose one-year ban expired at the end of March, have been jeered at stadiums throughout the tournament but have not let it affect them, with the former leading the tournament's runs list with 516 and the latter chipping in 287. Cummins did not feel the ball-tampering history would add much significance to the Proteas game. "I know Dave and Smithy have played quite a bit with (South Africa's players) in IPL and played heaps of times before so I wouldn't have thought so," he said.

Australia's Pat Cummins issues warning to World Cup rivals

Australia coach Justin Langer thinks it unlikely that frontline quicks Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins will be rested at the World Cup even if the defending champions have already qualified for the semi-finals.

Langer's side secured their spot in the last four with a 64-run win over hosts England at Lord's on Tuesday and return to the famous north London ground on Saturday to face neighbours New Zealand in their penultimate round-robin tie.

With the Ashes test series in England to come after the World Cup, <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-i-thrive-on-crowd-booing-i-love-it-says-australias-david-warner-230818&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiN-6XY5YvjAhVEc3AKHTaUA2w4ChAWMAF6BAgPEAI&amp;usg=AOvVaw2UoBSHL1BdMQ1TwX3542EY">Australia </a>might be forgiven for giving the pace duo a rest but Langer said the players would probably not want to put their feet up at any stage of the tournament.

"I would be surprised if either of those guys rest up," Langer told a news conference.

"The challenge is going to be that we have long layoffs now, a bit of a layoff here, then five or six days in Manchester, we have to manage that really well. So I don’t think they will want to rest," Langer said.

Left-armer Starc is the top wicket-taker at the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-world-cup-semi-final-scenario-pakistan-stay-alive-england-vs-australia-at-lords-key-to-shaping-top-four-230038&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiN-6XY5YvjAhVEc3AKHTaUA2w4ChAWMAN6BAgQEAI&amp;usg=AOvVaw0CkvlpSb3Qm_zBJJtGp8ta">World Cup</a> so far with 19 from seven matches and while Cummins started well with 11 from his first five matches, he drew blanks against Bangladesh and England.

Langer said he was not concerned at all with the 26-year-old's form.

"He hasn't got the wickets in the last two games, but he's still been a huge part of our side," Langer added.

"He's someone who's so reliable that you go to when you either need a wicket or you need some control in a game. He provides so much for the side," he said.

Both pacemen were put into the shade a little on Tuesday, however, when Jason Behrendorff took five for 44 after bowling James Vince through the gate for a duck with the second ball of the England innings.

"To come to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-people-are-waiting-for-us-to-fail-says-englands-jonny-bairstow-231113">England </a>and bowl on the big stage as well as he did, it will be a great confidence boost for him," said Langer, who coached the left-arm seamer at Western Australia.

"I've seen it for a long time ... he is a very good athlete and he's an incredible professional so he will do everything possible to play. And he's a really nice person. To see those sort of people get a reward is really pleasing,"&nbsp;Langer said.

Australia coach Justin Langer thinks it unlikely that frontline quicks Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins will be rested at the World Cup even if the defending champions have already qualified for the semi-finals.

Australia coach Justin Langer thinks it unlikely that frontline quicks Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins will be rested at the World Cup even if the defending champions have already qualified for the semi-finals. Langer's side secured their spot in the last four with a 64-run win over hosts England at Lord's on Tuesday and return to the famous north London ground on Saturday to face neighbours New Zealand in their penultimate round-robin tie. With the Ashes test series in England to come after the World Cup, Australia might be forgiven for giving the pace duo a rest but Langer said the players would probably not want to put their feet up at any stage of the tournament. "I would be surprised if either of those guys rest up," Langer told a news conference. "The challenge is going to be that we have long layoffs now, a bit of a layoff here, then five or six days in Manchester, we have to manage that really well. So I don’t think they will want to rest," Langer said. Left-armer Starc is the top wicket-taker at the World Cup so far with 19 from seven matches and while Cummins started well with 11 from his first five matches, he drew blanks against Bangladesh and England. Langer said he was not concerned at all with the 26-year-old's form. "He hasn't got the wickets in the last two games, but he's still been a huge part of our side," Langer added. "He's someone who's so reliable that you go to when you either need a wicket or you need some control in a game. He provides so much for the side," he said. Both pacemen were put into the shade a little on Tuesday, however, when Jason Behrendorff took five for 44 after bowling James Vince through the gate for a duck with the second ball of the England innings. "To come to England and bowl on the big stage as well as he did, it will be a great confidence boost for him," said Langer, who coached the left-arm seamer at Western Australia. "I've seen it for a long time ... he is a very good athlete and he's an incredible professional so he will do everything possible to play. And he's a really nice person. To see those sort of people get a reward is really pleasing," Langer said.

No rest for the pacers even though Australia have qualified, says coach Justin Langer

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