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Josh Hazlewood out of Adelaide Test with injury
Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood has been ruled out of the second Test – a pink-ball, day-night fixture – against India in Adelaide from December 6, due to a ‘low grade left side injury’, Cricket Australia said. This will be Hazlewood’s first absence from a home Test against India. With this, for the first time since the Sydney Test of 2015, Australia will be without one of the four stalwarts – Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon – in a home BGT match. The quartet featured together in nine successive home Tests vs India.
Uncapped pacers Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett have been added to the home team’s squad. Australia though, are likely to fill the Hazlewood void with the inclusion of Scott Boland, who was part of the original squad picked. Boland will be in action during the two-day warm-up game for the Prime Ministers XI, starting on November 30. His last Test appearance came in the Ashes Test in Leeds in 2023.
Hazlewood will be a significant miss for the hosts who are trailing the five-match series 0-1. The pacer bowled a devastating spell against India the last time they played in Adelaide in December 2021, which was also a pink-ball, day-night game. In India’s abysmal 36 for 9, he walked away with figures of 5 for 8 in 5 overs, including three maidens. Hazlewood also made a good start to the current series in Perth, picking 4 for 29 in the first innings where India were bundled out for 150. In the second too, where India piled on the runs, he gave away just 28 runs in 21 overs.
Both Abbott and Doggett arrive on the back of impressive performances in the Sheffield Shield. Abbott, who has been on the fringes of the Test squad for a while, picked 4 for 71 in 16 overs against Tasmania at the SCG in the last round of the Sheffield Shield, and comes with 261 first-class wickets to his name. Doggett meanwhile, bagged a five-fer against Western Australia recently, to take his tally of wickets up to 11 in three Shield fixtures. He also turned heads with his career-best returns of 6 for 15 in the A game against India A in McKay in the lead-up to this Test series.
Both the uncapped pacers were previously picked in the Test squad without getting a game – Doggett during the series against Pakistan in UAE in 2018, and Abbott during the 2020-21 home series against India, while also being in the squad as a reserve in last year’s Ashes.
Australia squad for second Test:
Usman Khawaja, Nathan McSweeney, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Sean Abbott, Brendan Doggett, Scott Boland, Beau Webster.
Worshippers have been forced to flee an Australian synagogue after it was set on fire in what the prime minister has condemned as an “act of hate”.
Firefighters were called to Melbourne’s Adass Israel synagogue just after 04:00 local time on Friday (17:00 GMT Thursday), finding the building fully ablaze when they arrived.
Community leaders have told local media that “a few people” were inside at the time for morning prayers, and they reported seeing firebombs thrown inside. One person was injured and the fire caused extensive damage.
Police say that they believe the fire was deliberately lit but are keeping an “open mind” on a motive.
(BBC)
French President Emmanuel Macron said he will name a new prime minister “in the coming days”, after Michel Barnier resigned following a no-confidence vote in parliament.
In a 10-minute address to the nation on Thursday, he rejected opposition pressure to stand down, vowing to stay in his post “fully, until the end of the mandate” in 2027.
He thanked Barnier for his dedication during his brief term as prime minister, and accused the French far right and hard left of collaborating in an “anti-republican front” to bring down the government.
French MPs voted overwhelmingly to remove Barnier on Wednesday, just three months after he was appointed by Macron.
(BBC)
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Rickelton’s maiden ton propels South Africa but Asitha, Kumara ensure opening day is evenly shared
Ryan Rickelton scored first Test century in his eighth Test and became the eighth batter in the team to bring up a hundred in 2024 on an evenly shared day at St George’s Park.
After choosing to bat first in blustery conditions, South Africa teetered on 44 for 3 in the morning session but a 133-run fourth wicket stand between Rickelton and Temba Bavuma who brought up his third successive score over fifty, saw them take control. They were rocked again at 186 for 5 but Rickelton and Kyle Verreynne put on 77 for the sixth-wicket to re-steady them. Sri Lanka came back with two late wickets in the day and will eye dismissing South Africa for under 300 and making the most of what are expected to be good batting conditions on day two.
Sri Lanka, who wanted to bowl first on a surface with a significant grass covering, and got their wish despite losing the toss, will feel fairly pleased with their performance, especially as their seamers asked plenty of questions. Asitha Fernado and Vishwa Fernando found just enough movement upfront whileLahiru Kumara was used effectively in bursts and all three were threatening with the short ball. They were not helped by two chances being put down and a few others falling short but on what is usually a good batting surface on the first day, they should not be too displeased with their efforts.
Brief scores:[Stumps]
South Africa 269 for 7 in 86.3 overs (Ryan Rickelton 101, Temba Bavuma 78, Kyle Verreynne 48*; Lahiru Kumara 3-54, Asitha Fernando 2-67) vs Sri Lanka
Worshippers flee arson attack at Melbourne synagogue
Emmanuel Macron vows to name new French PM within days
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