tag

* Starc takes four late wickets with second new ball to finish with 6-72* Ackerman and Markram put on 158 for first wicket before South Africa collapse* Smith ruled out with neck injury, Cummins again chooses to field   Marques Ackerman scored a career-best 95 for South Africa and Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc took 6-72 as the hosts were bowled out for 329 on a seesaw first day of the decisive third Test at Newlands on Tuesday.Australia will bat on the second morning after Starc ran through the South African tail with the new ball and the home side let a commanding position slip.Australia were dealt a blow before play started when key batter Steve Smith was ruled out due to a neck injury on the ground where he was involved in the infamous Sandpapergate scandal in 2018.For the third time in the series, Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to field, only the 12th time a team has done so in Tests at Newlands since 1889.At the time it looked an odd decision, even more so after South Africa made an excellent start."We probably expected more out of the wicket, it was not our best start and South Africa took advantage," Starc told reporters."(The wicket) was quite slow, with a tennis ball type bounce. We had to reassess at lunch, problem solve and find a way to be effective. The last two sessions for us went well."At one point we thought we would have to bowl a fair bit tomorrow, so to get them out today is good." QUICK STARTThe home side were fast out the blocks as Ackerman and Aiden Markram put on 158 in 31.4 overs for the first wicket in a display of attacking intent.Approaching his maiden century in his second Test, however, Ackerman had a rush of blood to the head as he charged down the wicket at spinner Nathan Lyon (2-71) and was stumped.It was not only a rash shot that denied him a century, but the catalyst for a collapse as South Africa lost six wickets for the addition of 74 runs, several to poor shots.Markram (78) and David Bedingham (50) were caught on the boundary attempting pulls, and Wiaan Mulder was caught behind by wicketkeeper Alex Carey playing the same shot as Australia employed an effective short-ball plan.Ryan Rickelton (42) and Marco Jansen (52) put on 95 for the seventh wicket to edge South Africa ahead again before both were removed in the same over by Starc.He also took the wickets of Gerald Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada to end the innings just before the scheduled close of play.The series is level at 1-1 after Australia won the first Test by 214 runs in Durban and South Africa responded with a victory by an innings and 31 runs in Gqeberha.The team who win the match will occupy the number one position in the test world rankings, a position currently held by Australia. BRIEF SCORESSouth Africa 329 (Ackerman 95, Markram 78, Jansen 52, Starc 6-72, Lyon 2-71) vs Australia 

Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Starc said an unusually timed tour of South Africa presents an element of the unknown for both teams, with rain and unfamiliar early-season conditions likely to shape the series.South Africa host Australia in a three-match one-day series starting on Thursday before the teams meet in a three-Test series next month, Australia's first test tour of the country in eight years.With the tests scheduled for October, when rain is often a major factor in parts of South Africa, Starc said conditions could differ significantly from those traditionally associated with the country."There's an element of the unknown," Starc told reporters on Tuesday. "It's part of Test cricket and you just adapt to what's in front of you."The 36-year-old, who took nine wickets in Australia's last test at Durban, said recent wet weather could produce a different surface from the dry conditions that traditionally aid reverse swing."It's quite muggy and humid," Starc said. "There has been talk about the rain before we got over here. It's probably not that typical dry part of the season just yet."It could be interesting to see what the weather does over the next couple of days and then for the game as well."Starc also praised fast bowler Nathan Ellis, who impressed during Australia's one-day series in Zimbabwe while several senior quicks were rested.Ellis helped lead the attack in the absence of Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood and strengthened his case for a regular place in Australia's one-day side."He is really pushing his case as a lock as a pick in the one-day team, and no doubt he'll look to perform in these three as well," he said.The first Test of the three-match series begins in Durban on October 9.  

Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc remains driven by the competitive nature of cricket and hopes to extend his ‌16-year international career for a few more ​years, he said ‌on Saturday, keeping the door open for ‌a potential ⁠appearance at ‌the 2027 World Cup.The ‌36-year-old left-armer, Australia's third-highest wicket-taker with 759 across formats - ⁠behind only Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath - retired from Twenty20 internationals in September to prolong his career in tests and 50-over cricket.The next ODI World Cup is scheduled to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October-November 2027."I'm pretty competitive, ​so I just enjoy that aspect of cricket," Starc told reporters. "For Australia, I get to play with some of ‌my best mates. I ⁠enjoy the ​hard work, but I also enjoy competing, and ​it's still fun."Starc, who has been managing elbow and shoulder niggles, said his body was holding up well despite the demands of international cricket."There's always something going on. I've had a bit of a niggle with my elbow and shoulder, which is still being managed, but there's probably a little less impact in T20 cricket," he ‌said."I'm still going okay ‌after 16 years ⁠and hopefully there are a couple more left."Starc, who ⁠made his Australia ⁠debut in 2010, is currently playing for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, in which they sit eighth in the 10-team table.He was named player of the series in Australia's recent 4-1 Ashes victory over ​England."It's (2027 World Cup) a long way down the road, but I'll hopefully be there. The World Cup is always a goal for every cricketer," he added."I've stepped away from T20 internationals, but I'm still enjoying my cricket. I don't set timelines - I just see where the body is and where the cricket is." 

Australia paceman Mitchell Starc has urged curators to prepare bowler-friendly pitches for the Ashes, warning against flattening surfaces to maximise five-day revenue as England's aggressive "Bazball" approach looms.Australia defeated India 3-1 in the last home summer on pitches that offered encouragement for batters and bowlers alike, and Starc said he hoped that would continue in the five-Test series against England. "I hope the groundsmen stick to their guns and prepare the wickets they want," Starc told Australian media. "If we are worried about five days of revenue then there's bigger problems at hand."Left-armer Starc took a four-wicket haul for New South Wales on a tepid Sydney Cricket Ground pitch on Monday in the Sheffield Shield match against Victoria. Though encouraged by his bowling in his first first-class match since July, Starc said the wicket would have played right into the England batters' hands. "Yeah no doubt. Especially if they’re pretty docile wickets like this," he said. "We know the way they're trying to play their cricket. We’ll worry about that next week."Starc, who recently quit T20I cricket to extend his career in Tests, said his bowling rhythm was back after a long layoff from red-ball cricket and he was building nicely for the Ashes series-opener in Perth starting on November 21."I think the break was a good thing, but I just tend to be someone who continuous bowling keeps in rhythm," said the 35-year-old. "I’ve just been speaking to (head coach) Ronnie (Andrew McDonald) then, I think I’ve sorted it out and now it’s just getting the engine going again."

Australia’s white-ball pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has retired from Twenty20 internationals six months out from the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka to focus on extending his career in Test and one-day cricket.The 35-year-old left-armer retires as the nation’s most prolific fast bowler in the format, with 79 wickets from 65 T20Is, second on the all-time Australia list to spin bowling teammate Adam Zampa.“Test cricket is and has always been my highest priority,” he said in a Cricket Australia statement Tuesday.“I have loved every minute of every T20 game I have played for Australia, particularly the 2021 World Cup, not just because we won but the incredible group and the fun along the way.“Looking ahead to an away Indian Test tour, the Ashes and an ODI World Cup in 2027, I feel this is my best way forward to remain fresh, fit and at my best for those campaigns.“It also gives the bowling group time to prepare for the T20 World Cup in the matches leading into that tournament.”Starc was not included in Australia’s T20I squad released Tuesday for the upcoming series against New Zealand.Selectors chairman George Bailey said the rangy, swing-bowling maestro would be hard to replace.“His ability to impact early with the new ball and bowl clutch overs at the death (will be missed),” he told reporters Tuesday.“You don’t find many swinging it at 145km per hour. His fielding’s also outstanding.“We won’t replace him like-for-like, but we’ve exposed others to key roles – Nathan Ellis, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, and Xavier Bartlett.”Starc played a pivotal role in Australia’s first and only T20 World Cup title in 2021, taking nine wickets in seven matches in the United Arab Emirates.His retirement, 13 years on from his 2012 debut, is a big blow for Australia’s hopes of another T20 World Cup triumph next year and continues the winding-down of a golden generation of players.Following opening batsman David Warner’s retirement last year, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis have all retired from the one-day game. Cricket Australia boss Todd Greenberg praised Starc for making “significant sacrifices” to play for his country. “To allow the next crop of fast bowlers a clear path to the T20 World Cup early next year is another example of putting team first,” he said.Australia T20I squad vs New Zealand:Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa