Australian star Steve Smith continued to find his way back into consistent runs as he slammed a record-breaking century against India during the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), continuing his love affair with the venue and the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023 runners-up. Having entered the series under scrutiny for poor form and being century-less for over a year, Smith got some respite with a century at the third Test in Brisbane, which saw him grind and play some scratchy cricket on his way to the century. However, 'cometh the hour, cometh the man'. During a crucial MCG Test, Smith continued his consistent Boxing Day Test record, slamming a dominant 139 (not out) in 194 balls, with 13 fours and three sixes at a strike rate of over 71 and finishing the first session of day two on a high. Smith now has 11 centuries in 43 innings against India, outdoing England's Joe Root, who has 10 tons against India in 55 innings. In 23 Tests against India, he has made 2,305 runs at an average of 2,305 runs at an average of 64.02, with 11 centuries and five fifties. His best score is 192. Smith is also the first-ever player to have 10 centuries in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, outdoing Virat Kohli (9) and Sachin Tendulkar (9). At MCG and Boxing Day Tests so far, Smith has made 1,232 runs in 12 Tests and 19 innings at an average of 88.00, with five centuries and five fifties and their best score is 192. Now, Smith has risen to joint-sixth highest among century makers in Tests alongside Younis Khan (Pakistan), Sunil Gavaskar (India), Brian Lara (West Indies) and Mahela Jayawardena (Sri Lanka). Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. Half-centuries from Konstas (60 in 65 balls, with six fours and two sixes), Usman Khawaja (57 in 121 balls, with six fours), Marnus Labuschagne (72 in 145 balls, with seven fours) and Steve Smith (68*) justified the decision with their fine knocks, pushing Australia to 311/6 at the day one end despite India taking some quick wickets. On day two, Smith scored a century and had a 112-run stand with skipper Pat Cummins (49 in 63 balls, with seven fours) which helped Australia end the first session at 454/7.
27 December,2024 08:14 AM IST | Melbourne | mid-day online correspondentAustralia's Steve Smith slammed his second century of the series against India on Friday, reaching three figures on day two at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Steve Smith Test hundred, number 34!He brings it up in style too 🙌#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/jRjwC6bdIZ — 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 27, 2024 It was a patient and well-constructed innings from the 35-year-old, who hit nine fours and two sixes in the 167-ball knock to help put the hosts in a strong position. Smith also scored a ton at the last Test in Brisbane -- his first since June 2023 -- with the latest his 34th in his 113th match. It moves him alongside four other players on the all-list of century-makers, including Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara. Only six players have scored more, led by Sachin Tendulkar's 51. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 December,2024 06:28 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPSeveral former players disapproved of Virat Kohli’s avoidable tiff with young Sam Konstas on Thursday while Australia opener Usman Khawaja said he stepped in to diffuse the tension because he did not want the situation to go out of hands. Khawaja was at the crease when the incident took place in the 10th over of the Australian innings on the opening day of the fourth Test here. While crossing over, Kohli and Konstas bumped shoulders and quickly turned around to glance at each other, engaging in a heated exchange of words. “I like the emotion. There was a bit of chirp going on between Sam and (Jasprit) Bumrah and Virat the whole time. But I didn’t want it to be tainted by any physical contact,” Khawaja told the ABC. Khawaja immediately stepped in to separate them, putting his arm around Kohli. The on-field umpires also had a word with the two, as things cooled down rather quickly. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 December,2024 06:16 AM IST | Melbourne | PTIThe foundation of Sam Konstas’ whirlwind 60 off 65 balls on his Australia Test debut against India in the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was of the teenager playing ramp shots and taking down the lethal Jasprit Bumrah in a way no one ever thought would happen. Revealing in the joy of Konstas’ hitting a breathtaking half-century on debut have been his family members, including his elder brother Billy. “In the backyard, we did have the auto-wicketkeeper, so the ramp [shot] was out of play. I didn’t know what to expect, to be honest with you. “I was shaking, my heart rate was up, and I was like, ‘Sammy, straight bat, straight bat’, but yeah … it works! We had no expectation coming into today. We were just taking it moment by moment,” said Billy on SEN Radio. Asked about his view on Konstas’ shoulder collision with Virat Kohli, Billy said, “I didn’t mind it — it added a bit of a spectacle to cricket, a bit of rugby league action going on in the cricket space. Out on the field [Sam] has got such a hard exterior, but off the field he’s such a humble guy.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 December,2024 06:15 AM IST | Melbourne | IANSSam Konstas tore the MCC coaching manual to shreds with his brazen batting approach and flippant treatment of an intimidating Jasprit Bumrah, former India coach Ravi Shastri said on Thursday, adding that the Australian teenager reminded him of legendary Virender Sehwag. Konstas, 19, grabbed eyeballs with his scintillating batting on Test debut. He had the Indian camp in disbelief with his bold ramp shots off Bumrah, one of the most revered fast bowlers in modern-day cricket. “I don’t think anyone’s taken or treated Bumrah like that in any format of the game, let alone red-ball cricket,” Shastri told Star Sports. “For him to go out there with that swag and attempt some outrageous shots, it was something else. He tore that MCC coaching manual to shreds.” Shastri said at one point, it felt like “India had run out of ideas”. “They actually didn’t know what hit them. Initially, he missed the first two shots, and there was a smile on the faces of the Indian players. They thought, ‘If he takes chances, we’ll get him quickly.’ But as soon as this started happening, all the smiles disappeared. The ideas disappeared.” Shastri said Konstas is a pure entertainer like former India opener Sehwag and predicted a successful Australia career for the teenager. “I’d say he’ll have his odd failures with the way he plays and the chances he takes. It reminds me a lot of Sehwag when he first burst onto the scene. He’ll entertain when he gets going, and he’s born to entertain. If he plays for any length of time for Australia, he’ll do exactly that.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 December,2024 06:14 AM IST | Melbourne | PTIMayank Agarawal’s unbeaten 139 took Karnataka over the line against Punjab by one wicket, while Mumbai recorded a nine-wicket win in their Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday. Skipper Agarawal carried his bat with an unbeaten 139 as Karnataka recorded a thrilling one-wicket win. Batting first, Punjab were bowled out for 247. In reply, Karnataka kept losing wickets regularly, but Agarawal held one end, scoring 17 fours and three sixes in his 127-ball knock as his side made 251 for nine. Meanwhile, Angkrish Raghuvanshi cracked 18-ball 50 not out as Mumbai, who had earlier bowled out Arunachal Pradesh for a mere 73 in 32.2 overs, scored 77-1 in 5.3 overs to record a one-sided win. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 December,2024 06:13 AM IST | Ahmedabad | PTIIndia would aim to push their boundaries in the batting department when they face a down-and-out West Indies in the third and final Women’s ODI here on Friday. Following another series loss against the mighty Australia, India have been able to dominate the West Indies in home conditions. What has stood out is their ability to put scores in excess of 300 consistently in the series, something they must do against the likes of Australia to get themselves out of the doldrums. Pratika Rawal, who has been opening the innings alongside Smriti Mandhana, did not set the stage on fire in her maiden international appearance, but improved her play considerably in the second ODI. The Delhi-based cricketer was able to clear the ropes once, which is expected considering she has replaced Shafali Verma. Harleen seeks momentum Harleen Deol has been around for a long time, but it was only in the previous game that she was able to record her maiden ODI hundred. She stuck at a 100 plus strike-rate batting at No. 3 and she would like to carry the momentum in the final game of the series. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur has looked good since regaining full fitness, but is yet to get a big knock. With series in the bag, the skipper will have another reason to play freely and get a substantial knock under her belt. On the bowling front, Renuka Thakur has once gain led the pace attack well with the young Titas Sadhu also chipping in with the wickets. Leg-spinner Priya Mishra has impressed in her fledgling career and would be eying another productive outing. Hosts may try fringe players With the game being a dead rubber, India can also afford to test a few fringe players including Tanuja Kanwar and Tejal Hasanbis. West Indies will need to pull something out of the bag to upset India. Having conceded 300-plus run in both the games, the Hayley Matthews-led side needs to improve on all fronts. Matthews is the lone West Indies batter who has made an impact. That will need to change on Friday. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
27 December,2024 06:12 AM IST | Vadodara | PTIAn electric start, an excellent fightback, an extraordinary debut, an unprecedented turnout. Day One of the Boxing Day Test lived up to its hype as Australia and India went toe to toe, both perhaps reasonably satisfied with their efforts. Head goes without scoring Rohit Sharma lost a toss he’d rather have won — the first toss India haven’t won in four Tests this series — and must have feared the worst when Australia rode in the wake of the Sam Konstas show to pull away to 237 for two, midway through the final session. Then, like he has done so often in the past, Jasprit Bumrah returned them into the contest with the scalps of Travis Head, dismissed without scoring, and Mitchell Marsh in quick succession to throw a spanner in the Aussie works. Steve Smith after scoring his 50 yesterday. Pic/Getty Images By the time stumps were drawn on a hot, overcast day, the hosts had made their way to 311-6, a decent but by no means out-of-reach total, with former skipper Steve Smith and current captain Pat Cummins tasked with weathering the storm of the second new ball, which is only five overs old now. Konstas is only 19, but showed no signs of nerves in front of 87,242 excited fans (the most for a day in an Australia-India Test in this country), setting about dismantling the Bumrah threat with gusto. Adopting a fearless approach that can only come to the very young or the very foolhardy, he treated the best bowler in the world with disdain, scooping and reverse-scooping him repeatedly. Bumrah’s first spell was 6-2-38-0, unthinkable at the start of play. Usman Khawaja was the ice to Konstas’s fire during an 89-run alliance that set the tone for what was to follow. Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep both bowled very good spells without any luck — it’s been the story of the series so far — and it was Ravindra Jadeja who provided the breakthrough, trapping Konstas in front for a dazzling 60 with a ball that shot through on pitching. By then, Konstas had not just tamed Bumrah, but also been dragged into physical contact with Virat Kohli. Top-order shines Like India, Australia too have been in the quest for top-order runs and on the best batting strip of the series to date — there was seam, but not outlandishly so, and there was bounce, but not disconcertingly so — their prayers were answered. Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne, chancily, put on another half-century stand for the second wicket when Bumrah forced the former to toe-end a pull to mid-wicket. Labuschagne slowly found his rhythm in Smith’s company, the two piling on the pressure whilst adding 83. Against the run of play, the former thrashed Washington Sundar straight to mid-off. Washington replaced Shubman Gill in the only change to the India XI that played in Brisbane, a selection that raised many eyebrows and confirmed that Rohit would move up the batting order, hopefully at some stage on Friday. Labuschagne’s wicket sparked a mini-collapse of three for nine with Bumrah, back for a fourth spell, now a threat with every ball. Head shouldered arms to one that kept coming back in and hit top of off, the struggling Marsh essayed an optimistic half-pull to be caught behind and when Deep finally tasted reward for perseverance by accounting for Alex Carey with the second new ball, India believed they were back in the contest. At least for now. Brief scoresAustralia 311-6 (M Labuschagne 72, S Smith 68*, S Konstas 60, U Khawaja 57, A Carey 31; J Bumrah 3-75) v India
27 December,2024 06:10 AM IST | Melbourne | R KaushikFormer International Cricket Council (ICC) umpire, Daryl Harper, who officiated in Virat Kohli’s debut Test —against West Indies (WI) at Jamaica in June 2011, has expressed dismay over the champion Indian batsman’s shoulder barge at Australia’s opening batsman Sam Konstas. “I vividly recall my colleague Ian Gould and me asking ICC Match Referee Jeff Crowe to take him aside and explain that his persistent and unnecessary appealing was not the acceptable behaviour for players at the Test level,” Australian Harper revealed. Daryl Harper In what should have been a celebration of sportsmanship and skill, the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was marred by an incident that left many in the cricketing community disappointed. The altercation between Virat Kohli and Sam Konstas during the opening session has sparked widespread criticism and reflection on the spirit of the game. Former ICC Australian umpire, Daryl Harper, who has witnessed Kohli’s journey since his debut Test in Jamaica in June 2011, expressed dismay at the turn of events. Harper remembered about officiating Kohli’s first match, where his enthusiasm bordered on excessive, leading to a caution from ICC Match Referee Jeff Crowe. Harper stated, “I vividly recall that my colleague Ian Gould and I asked ICC Match Referee Jeff Crowe to take him aside and explain that his persistent and unnecessary appealing was not the acceptable behaviour for players at the Test level.” Harper noted that despite Kohli’s fiery debut, the West Indian players, led by Darren Sammy, displayed exemplary sportsmanship. “I can also recall that none of the West Indian players targeted the young Kohli on his debut with any kind of deliberate physical contact. In fact, I can’t recall any verbal comments from Darren Sammy’s team towards any opponent. They understood the meaning of the Spirit of Cricket,” he remarked. Reflecting on the recent incident, Harper expressed his disappointment at Kohli’s actions against Konstas. “To see any player take a course that ensured contact with an opponent, as Kohli clearly did with Konstas in the opening session on the big stage at the MCG was quite deflating for anyone who cares about our wonderful game.”
27 December,2024 06:08 AM IST | Mumbai | Bipin DaniThe legendary Sunil Gavaskar on Thursday criticised Virat Kohli for his heated altercation with young Australian debutant Sam Konstas, saying there was "no need" for the incident and the Indian star wouldn't want his legacy to be tarnished by such an episode. Former Indian skipper was was fined 20 per cent of his match fee and awarded one demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct after he and Konstas bumped shoulders in the 10th over of the Australian innings on the opening day of the fourth Test here. "Well I'm not sure what was the reason but there really was no need for that, we don't need to have this in any grade of cricket, certainly not at the highest level. You can play very very competitive cricket without getting physical," Gavaskar told India Today. "I think we all want to remember Kohli as one of the greatest cricketers ever in the game and not as somebody who was fined whatever it is or censured by the ICC, we don't want to hear that. "You don't want a legacy left where that is going to be also a talking point or a sticking point. So maybe hopefully, he'll learn from that and not want to to repeat this again." The incident happened after the 19-year-old Konstas had left India in a state of shock with his sensational stroke-play, taking down Jasprit Bumrah, on his way to a 65-ball 60. In the 10th over, while crossing over, Kohli and Konstas bumped shoulders and quickly turned around to glance at each other, engaging in a heated exchange of words. The Australian opener Usman Khawaja immediately stepped in to separate them, putting his arm around Kohli. The on-field umpires also had a word with the two, as things cooled down rather quickly. Known for his passionate on-field persona, Kohli has courted controversy in the past, often for rubbing the opposition the wrong way in the past too. He was sanctioned by the ICC in 2019 for another shoulder-barging incident with South Africa's Beuran Hendricks. "I think confrontational is absolutely in built in him, we've always seen that how he celebrates every wicket taken, every catch, every good fielding by his teammates, we understand that and that is great, there's nothing wrong with that but I think getting physical I think it should not be done," Gavaskar continued. "I don't know, I mean when you're playing for India if that's not big enough incentive then I don't know what incentive you need. "Playing for India itself is such a huge privilege that we could be playing you know the number 69th ranked team in the world or the number one team in the world that should be enough motivation." Australia were 311 for six at stumps on the opening day of the Boxing Day Test. (With PTI inputs)
26 December,2024 11:07 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentVirat Kohli was called out by some of the game's greats on Thursday after appearing to deliberately bump shoulders with young Australian batsman Sam Konstas in the fourth Test. The Indian veteran made forceful contact with the 19-year-old debutant after Konstas belted the bowlers around the Melbourne Cricket Ground on his way to a blistering 60 off 65 balls. It sparked a heated exchange between the pair in the first session, with Konstas' fellow opener Usman Khawaja and umpire Michael Gough intervening. "Virat walked one whole pitch over to his right and instigated that confrontation," Ricky Ponting said on Australia's Channel Seven. "No doubt in my mind whatsoever. "I have no doubt that the umpires and the referee will have a good look at that." Former India coach Ravi Shastri called Kohli's actions "absolutely unnecessary". "Virat's a senior player, he's been captain... he'll have his own explanations with regards to that, but it's one thing you don't want to see," he said on Fox Sports. "One person who will be watching, his eyes locked into the proceedings, is (match referee) Andy Pycroft." Konstas, called into the side after Nathan McSweeney was axed, played down the incident in a post-match news conference. "I was just doing my gloves and I think he accidentally bumped me. But that's just cricket, the tension," said the teenager, Australia's youngest-ever opener. However, Indian fans quickly called out Ponting's hypocrisy, as an old video resurfaced online, showing the former Australian captain provoking a confrontation with Harbhajan Singh in a similar fashion. Look what ponting did to 17 year old Harbhajan singh and how shamelessly commentators are bashing Harbhajan not Ponting and our indians feel bad for konstants,half of them are Kohli haters pic.twitter.com/gwQ6wi3PTI — Ranveer Singh (@ranveersingh_28) December 26, 2024 Don't Cry over this, Aussies have a long history of Abusive behavior. Just remember the debue of Harbhajan Singh Vs Ricky Ponting. 😠#INDvsAUS #INDvAUS #BoxingDay pic.twitter.com/nryofgN1kb — ForeFront India (@Fore_FrontIndia) December 26, 2024 For Australians,- Slapping cricketers is fine when David Warner does it- Abusing Harbhajan is fine when Ponting and Shane Warne does it- Cheating is fine when Australia does it — 𝐊𝐨𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭!𝟎𝐧_👑🚩 (@bholination) December 26, 2024 In a 1998 India-Australia ODI in Sharjah, Ponting attempted to sledge and mock 19-year-old Harbhajan after the spinner dismissed him. Later during the day, Kohli was fined 20 per cent of his match fee and given a demerit point, despite it being deemed an accidental shoulder bump by the 19-year-old debutant.
26 December,2024 05:55 PM IST | Melbourne | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
