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Ashes over for Cummins, uncertainty over T20 World Cup too
Australia captain Pat Cummins won’t feature again in the Ashes and there is uncertainty about whether he will be available for the T20 World Cup in February, with selectors and medical staff unwilling to take any risks over his long-term health.
When Australia’s squad for the MCG Boxing Day Test was named on Tuesday morning, it was confirmed, as Cummins had flagged after Adelaide, that he would sit out the match. Head coach Andrew McDonald said a few hours later that Cummins’ series was over after one appearance, which helped secure the Ashes.
Cummins was diagnosed with a lumbar stress reaction after the tour of the West Indies, but following an aggressive rehab programme, he bowled brilliantly in Adelaide where he claimed six wickets as Australia won by 82 runs.
“He’s pulled up fine,” McDonald said. “He won’t play any part in the rest of the series and that was a discussion that we had a long time out around his return.
“We were taking on some risk and people that reported on that would understand the risk associated with that rebuild. We’ve now won the series and that was the goal. So, to position him for further risk and jeopardise him long-term is not something that we want to do and Pat’s really comfortable with that.”
Even though Cummins’ Ashes has been limited to one match, McDonald said it had been a huge effort from all involved to even get to that point.
“If he had any setback in the build as well, we would have shut him down straight away,” he said. “Everything went really smoothly and full credit to him [and] the medical team. To navigate through that risk profile to get him back and take six wickets in that game and nail the Ashes series was incredibly pleasing for everyone associated with that.
“If you look at the… decision sort of four months ago and the journey he went on to get to where he was to be able to play the third Ashes Test when people thought it was nigh on impossible, that took an incredible amount of work from our SSSM [Sports Science Sports Medicine] team.”
McDonald said that would be part of a discussion with the other selectors later on Tuesday about the T20 World Cup squad, which is due to be named soon, and indicated that further medical advice would be taken around Cummins’ participation.
Cummins has not played a T20I for Australia since mid-2024 at the previous World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA. Shortly after the upcoming edition takes place in India and Sri Lanka, IPL 2026 will begin, where Cummins is due to captain Surisers Hyderabad (SRH).
“That’ll be an assessment,” McDonald said of Cummins’ T20 World Cup chances. “I’m assuming he’ll have a check-in scan at some point and gather more information around where his back is at… looking forward to the World Cup, whether he’ll be there or not. I can’t really say. It’s quite grey at the moment. We’re hopeful.”
Cummins’ injury along with the one suffered by Josh Hazlewood, who won’t feature at all in the Ashes, and Sean Abbott, who was ruled out before the first Test, has tested the depth of Australia’s pace resources.
Mitchell Starc, led the attack superbly in the first two Tests before producing a series-clinching three wickets on the final day in Adelaide and has already stated his desire to continue through all five matches.
“Starc’s amazing, he’s pulled up fine, I don’t know how he does it,” McDonald said. “I walked into the physio room the other day and sort of just went through the body count and how we’re going. I won’t use exactly what [the physio] said, but he just said he [Starc] is a freak.
“He keeps running in, presenting the pace that he does. There’s a lot to be learned around preparing yourself and targeting the right matches at the right time. He’s given up a lot of IPL opportunities and you’re seeing a player that wants to play Test cricket and he’s still at his best. It’s an incredible story. Let’s hope it continues for a long time yet but he’s a freak, end of story.”
Australia have added Jhye Richardson to their pace options for the fourth Test at the MCG following his recovery from shoulder surgery. Richardson last played a Test during the 2021-22 Ashes.
[Cricinfo]
Marco Rubio has assured European leaders the US does not plan to abandon the transatlantic alliance, saying its destiny “will always be intertwined” with the continent’s.
The US secretary of state told the Munich Security Conference: “We do not seek to separate, but to revitalise an old friendship and renew the greatest civilisation in human history.”
He criticised European immigration, trade and climate policies, but the overall tenor of the closely-watched speech was markedly different to Vice President JD Vance’s at the same event last year, during which he scolded continental leaders.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “very much reassured” by Rubio’s remarks.
Rubio, the Trump administration’s most senior diplomat, said it was “neither our goal nor our wish” to end the transatlantic partnership, adding: “For us Americans, our home may be in the Western Hemisphere, but we will always be a child of Europe.
“And I am here today to leave it clear that America is charting the path for a new century of prosperity, and that once again we want to do it together with you, our cherished allies and our oldest friends.”
However, he repeated several criticisms repeatedly levelled at Europe by the Trump administration, including describing immigration policies as a threat to civilisation, and saying a “climate cult” had taken over economic policy.
On trade, he said Europe and the US had “made mistakes together” by adopting a “dogmatic vision of free and unfettered trade”.
He repeated familiar calls from the US for Europe to invest more in defence, saying: “We want allies who can defend themselves so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength.”
In response, von der Leyen said: “Rubio is a good friend, a strong ally. And this was, for me, very reassuring to listen to him.”
She continued: “We want a strong Europe. And this is, I think, the message of today.”
Elsewhere in his half-hour address, Rubio said the system of international co-operation “must be rebuilt” and singled out the UN for particular criticism, saying it had “played virtually no role” in resolving the Gaza and Ukraine conflicts.
He also said the organisation was “powerless to constrain the nuclear programme” of Tehran.
In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump has threatened strikes on Iran if a deal to curb its nuclear programme can be reached, as negotiations between the two intensify.
A second round of talks will be hosted by Oman in Geneva next week, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Saturday.
Outside the conference, an estimated 200,000 protesters held a rally against the Iranian government, local police report.
The demonstrators denounced the country’s leadership, following the government crackdown on January’s protests in which thousands of people were killed.
Rubio also said the US did not know whether the “Russians are serious about ending the war” in Ukraine, before adding: “But we’re going to continue to test it.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky told the conference later on Saturday that no one in Ukraine believed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would leave the country alone, describing the Russian leader as a “slave to war”.
Zelensky has come under pressure from the White House to hold presidential elections, which have been suspended while the country is under martial law.
Asked about a Financial Times report that his administration was planning for elections as soon as May, Zelensky said it was “something new to me” and repeated that “nobody supports elections during the war”.
He said that Ukraine would need “two months of ceasefire” and “security infrastructure” to safely conduct elections.
[BBC]
From being one hit away from beating England to being hammered by T20 World Cup debutants Italy four days later, Nepal have seen the whole spectrum of emotions in Mumbai. Among the Associate teams at this World Cup, Nepal could easily have the biggest travelling contingent of fans, who must be wondering what would have been had Nepal sealed the thriller last Sunday that would have kept them far from their current bottom spot in Group C.
Fans’ expectations and social media distractions are things Nepal head coach Stuart Law has warned his team about, now that they have slipped to a must-win situation. Nepal need to pick themselves up after being trampled by the Mosca brothers to face their table-toppers and the in-form West Indies. This is the same West Indies side Nepal had taken down 2-1 a few months ago in Sharjah, in the first bilateral series between the two teams. But this is, in reality, not the same West Indies side because that one in September was without most of the first-choice players that have turned West Indies’ form around in this tournament after recent series losses against South Africa and Afghanistan at the start of the year.
It might take a mountain to climb for this defeated Nepal side to bring down West Indies, but there is hope. Nepal could learn from their two wins in September – and from Zimbabwe against Australia on Friday – that batting first might be the way to go to put pressure on stronger teams. Ever since West Indies have landed in India, they haven’t been put under the pressure of chasing so far.
Nepal also have the advantage of being stationed only in Mumbai so far, which would have given them a fair idea of the red-soil conditions at Wankhede. Since it’s a day game, Nepal may not mind being put in to bat if the toss doesn’t go their way.
West Indies hardly have any headaches. Their batters are belting sixes, their pace bowlers have picked wickets, their spinners strangled England and they took excellent catches too. They would want to continue their winning streak and seal the Super Eights spot soon.
After being beaten by Michael Leask’s arm ball in their opening match, Shai Hope would have been miffed for falling to a not-so-great ball against England. He bagged a duck and will be eager to lift his strike rate of 76 from the two games – the only West Indies batter who has struck at under 100 – as the tournament picks up pace and teams firm up their plans as per conditions and opposition. Hope will, however, draw confidence from the fact that he has been West Indies’ leading scorer since the last T20 World Cup and their top boundary-hitter too, for both fours and sixes.
Nepal will be looking for a cracking start to overcome their Italian heartbreak, and they don’t need to look any further than opening batter Kushal Bhurtel. He had taken down Jofra Archer and Luke Wood with a boundary barrage against the new ball that saw him smash 29 off 17. He is, however, due a big score and with his jersey number 14 as a dedication to Ricky Ponting, the muscular batter would want to emulate his idol in a crunch match.
West Indies packed a punch against England and won’t feel the need to tinker with their XI on the same ground.
West Indies (probable): Brandon King, Shai Hope (capt), Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph
Nepal captain Rohit Paudel was down with fever on Friday night but should be good to go on Sunday after taking some medicines, Stuart Law said.
Nepal (probable): Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Rohit Paudel (capt), Dipendra Singh Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Lokesh Bam, Gulshan Jha, Karan KC, Nandan Yadav, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi
[Cricinfo]
Marco Jansen’s first four-wicket haul in T20Is broke the back of two New Zealand assaults to give South Africa an easy win and a likely top spot in Group D. Not that the finish matters as the teams’ games in Super Eights are pre-decided as long as they make it out of the first group.
This was the first successful chase in a night game of this World Cup, but this was also arguably the first night match between evenly matched sides. Having survived Afghanistan in this group of death, both sides played with freedom. New Zealand kept coming at South Africa, reaching 33 for 0 in 3.1 overs, 57 for 1 in 5.1 and then 138 for 4 in 13.5.
However, Jansen pegged New Zealand back every time, the final strike resulting in a practical shutdown: only 37 came off the last 37 balls as New Zealand ran out of batting. In response, Aiden Markram’s personal best of 86 off 44 ended the game with 17 balls to spare, making it 5-0 for them against New Zealand in T20 World Cups.
Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada kept the dangerous duo of Tim Seifert and Finn Allen quiet for two overs, but the eventual onslaught arrived on a pitch where the ball came onto bat beautifully. Allen started off with three fours and a six in the third over, bowled by Ngidi. The powerplay hitting involved no innovation or cuteness, just timing and power.
Jansen’s first ball of the night was dismissed disdainfully for a six over mid-on by Siefert. Jansen immediately went to Plan B. Mid-on went back, leaving no boundary riders on the off side. Siefert looked to exploit that field but Jansen bowled an accurate short ball to take an edge through to the keeper.
Allen didn’t slow down, but then Jansen came back for the last over of the powerplay to take out Rachin Ravindra and Allen. While Ravindra got a thick edge to short third, Allen got too close to a slower offcutter and couldn’t find the elevation to clear mid-off.
Mark Chapman still kept coming, but when Keshav Maharaj bowled Glenn Phillips to make it 64 for 4 in seventh over, New Zealand finally had to go into recovery mode.
To be absolutely accurate, only Mitchell was in recovery mode. Chapman looked in fine touch, and pulled Maharaj for a six two balls after Phillips’ fall. Ngidi managed to bowl the 10th over without a boundary, but in the 11th and 12th the duo took 29. Corbin Bosch was hit for a four by each batter, and Markram a six each. At 131 for 4 in 13, New Zealand were back on track for 200, which looked like the bare minimum to stay competitive.
Jansen had got one wicket with a slower ball already, but on his return he unveiled a knuckle ball, which completely bewitched Chapman, who was 48 off 25 at that point. When Ngidi had Mitchell caught at long-on – for a change, with an on-pace delivery that hit the inner half of the bat – New Zealand had lost six wickets with more than four overs left. Only James Neesham could do some damage in the end but 175 looked paltry with dew already apparent.
It almost looked like a footnote that he brought up the fastest half-century for South Africa in T20 World Cups in 19 balls and took South Africa to their joint-highest powerplay score in t20 World Cups, 83. Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton didn’t do badly either, scoring 20 off 14 and 21 off 11, but it wasn’t possible to take your eye off Markram’s driving.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 175/7 in 20 overs (Tim Siefert 13, Finn Allen 31, Rachin Ravindra 13, Mark Chapman 48, Daryl Mitchell 32, James Neesham 23*;Lungi Ngindi 1-34, Marco Jansen 4-40, Keshav Maharaj 1-24, Corbin Bosch 1-34) lost to South Africa 178/3 in 17.1 overs (Aiden Markram 86*, Quinton de Kock 20, Ryan Rickelton 21, Dewald Brevis 21, David Miller 24*; Lockie Ferguson 1-33, James Neesham 1-15, Rachin Ravindra 1-09) by seven wickets
[Cricinfo]
Rubio says US and Europe ‘belong together’ despite tensions
Nepal fight to stay alive against in-form West Indies
Jansen, Markram hand South Africa statement win
Russia killed opposition leader Alexei Navalny using dart frog toxin, UK says
Tom Banton 63* sets up nervy win for England
Landslide Early Warnings issued to the districts of Kandy and Nuwara Eliya extended
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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