Page 2 - Test Cricket

Steve Smith dismisses talk of rift with Nathan Lyon after 2nd Test omission

Australia's stand-in skipper Steve Smith tried to douse the controversy over the exclusion of Nathan Lyon for the second Ashes Test in Brisbane, saying that the decision was taken to strengthen the batting order and there wasn't anything personal against the spin bowling stalwart. Lyon had described his mood as "absolutely filthy" after he was dropped by Australia for the first time in 13 years in a home Test. Australia's chairman of selectors, George Bailey, had described the exclusion as a "one-Test decision" and guaranteed the 38-year-old spinner a place in the XI for the third Test in Adelaide. "It could have gone a few different ways, and it's certainly nothing against Nathan. He's a freak," Smith was quoted as saying post-match by Fox Sports. Australia defeated the Ben Stokes-led England by eight wickets in the Brisbane Test on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead int he five-match series. "He's (Lyon) been our spinner for such a long time, but the extra batting and the way the tail hun

Steve Smith's brilliance propels Australia to victory; Take 2-0 Ashes lead

Steve Smith took a brilliant reflex catch to swing momentum just before Ben Stokes' defiant half-century ended in a rush of England wickets Sunday, then he hit the winning runs in the second cricket test to give Australia a 2-0 Ashes lead. Day 4 was a tale of two captains. Set a target of 65 for victory after England was bowled out for 241 in the second innings, Australia raced to an eight-wicket win in 10 overs either side of a 20-minute interval as serious storms brewed to the southwest. Jofra Archer was bowling around 150 kph (93 mph) under the lights and it only fired up Smith. There were some theatrics involving the Australia captain and England's strike pace bowler, with Smith telling Archer to bowl faster after ducking a bouncer. He then ramped him for a boundary and hit the next ball for a six to bring up 1,000 test runs at the Gabba. With Australia at 63-2 and needing just two runs to win, Smith hit a six to finish it and finished unbeaten on 23 from nine deliveries. Jake

Starc shines in all-round show as Australia closes in on huge Ashes victory

Mitchell Starc has been menacing England with the ball in this Ashes series. Now he's doing damage with the bat, too. At stumps on Day 3 of the second test, England was teetering on 134-6 in its second innings and still needed to score 43 runs to make Australia bat again. Starc was voted player of the match for his 10-wicket haul in Australia's thumping eight-wicket win in the series opener at Perth last month. Now he's in line for another award in the day-night test in Brisbane. After taking six wickets in England's first innings of 334 on Days 1 and 2, Starc scored an innings-high 77 as Australia responded with 511 on Saturday afternoon and then took two wickets in the night session. England's hopes now rest on skipper Ben Stokes, who will resume Sunday on 4. Starc's day outThe 35-year-old Starc made England's bowlers toil all afternoon in sunny, subtropical conditions at the Gabba as he led Australia to a 177-run first-innings lead. With the lights on and the pink ball startin

Relief for Hayden family! Here's what Grace Hayden said after Root's ton

Matthew Hayden congratulated Root for his maiden Test ton in Australia after stumps on Day 1. Check what his daughter, Grace Hayden said in her Instagram story

Jinx shattered! Joe Root scores his first Test century on Australian soil

Root's first century on Australian soil is also his 40th overall Test century, which means he is now just one behind former Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting, who has the most Test tons (41)

Akram applauds Starc for taking most Test wickets by a left-arm pacer

Starc now has 417 Test wickets in 102 matches at an average of 26.53 with 18 five-wicket hauls and three 10-wicket hauls under his belt

Australia vs England 2nd Test: Brisbane pitch report, key stadium stats

Australia and England have played just 22 Test matches against each other at The Gabba, Brisbane, with Australia winning 16 matches, while England has won just four times

Australia vs England 2nd Ashes Test, playing 11, live match time, streaming

The live streaming of the Australia vs England 2nd Test in the Ashes 2025-26 will be available on the JioHotstar app and website in India

AUS vs ENG 2nd Test live streaming: Where to watch Day 1 action today?

The live streaming of Australia vs England 2nd Test Day 1 will be available on JioHotstar.

Australia vs England head-to-head stats in Ashes Test series over the years

Australia have a 1-0 lead going into the 2nd Ashes Test in Gabba and would be looking to take a healthy 2-0 lead in the 5-match Test series.

New Zealand vs West Indies 1st Test Playing 11, live time and streaming

The West Indies will be strengthened by the return of veteran fast bowler Kemar Roach, whose experience and skill with the new ball add depth to their bowling unit.

KL Rahul reflects on Test struggles and the lost art of using footwork

After a bruising Test series against South Africa, Rahul suddenly finds himself captaining India in ODIs once again, an unexpected turn he learned about only a day before the squad announcement.

Best of BS Opinion: Gautam Gambhir and India's selectors must go

Today's columnists write about long-term oil forecasts and wartime 'jugaad' to India's cricket woes, the AI investment frenzy and a new documentary probing US secrecy on non-human intelligence

Cummins, Hazlewood miss out as Aus announce playing XI for 2nd Ashes Test

Although ruled out, Cummins will accompany the squad to Brisbane to continue his rehabilitation

First time in 66 years! India lose five home Tests in span of seven games

India last endured back-to-back home Test series defeats in successive years more than 40 years ago, against the West Indies in 1983 and England in the 1984/85 season

Coach Gambhir points to past successes but leaves coaching fate to BCCI

Gambhir said in indirect terms that he would not single out any player, noting that collapses such as slipping from 95/1 to 122/7 were unacceptable at the highest level

India vs South Africa HIGHLIGHTS 2nd Test Day 5: SA complete the whitewash; beat IND by 408 runs

Gautam Gambhir addressed the media after the loss and talked about the bating collapses and how the current crop of players are part of a transition.

WTC 2025-27 points table: India slips below Pakistan after series defeat

Australia continue to dominate the leaderboard, maintaining the No. 1 spot after winning all four of their matches in the 2025-27 cycle.

IND vs SA 2nd Test live streaming: Where to watch final day action today?

Any hopes of chasing the total have long faded; the pitch has worn considerably, offering sharp turn and uneven bounce, making even basic shot-making a risky endeavour.

Why is SA coach Shukran Conrad facing backlash over comments on Team India?

It remains unclear whether coach Conrad's choice of words was deliberate or simply an unfortunate slip during the press conference.