Three key battles in the Australia v India World Test Championship final
Australia and India meet this week in the second World Test Championship final in a match worth $1.6 million to the winners and $800,000 to the runners-up.
Steve Smith Sport News
"Not Thinking About Opposition...": Steve Smith Ahead Of WTC final against India
Ahead of the high-octane ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final 2023, Australia's star batter Steve Smith said he is not thinking much about 'The Ultimate Test' and hoped that the summit clash will be a "good game of cricket." The WTC Final is all set to be played at The Oval from June 7-11. Australia, led by Pat Cummins, will face off against India, captained by Rohit Sharma, for the coveted Test Mace.
"Their Two Main Guys...": Steve Smith's Massive Praise For India Stars Ahead Of WTC Final
Talking about the World Test Championship final, Steve Smith said he expects the Indian attack to pose a stiff challenge irrespective of the combination they go with. Not so long ago in India, Australia's preparations revolved around Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja but now they also need to be wary of Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami.
'Slightly Concerned About Future Of Test Cricket': Steve Smith Ahead Of WTC Final
Star Australia batter Steve Smith on Monday expressed his concerns over the future of the five-day game ahead of the World Test Championship final against India beginning at The Oval on Wednesday. The rapid growth of franchise cricket around the world has put pressure on the international schedule. The smaller nations are not playing enough Test cricket, with India, Australia and England effectively driving the longest format. It was, though, ironical that Smith spoke about the uncertain future ahead of the biggest game in Test cricket -- the WTC final.
Travis Head "Likes" The Way Ben Stokes, Brendon McCullum Leading England
Australian batter Travis Head likes the way England skipper Ben Stokes and Head coach Brendon McCullum are leading the English Test team. He said that their style of cricket is "new and fresh". "I like it, I think the way they're going about it is exciting. It's new and it's fresh, and they're coming up with a style that's true to them and true to 'Baz' (McCullum) and Stokes," Travis Head said to cricket.com.au. The Australian batter had a great stint in the last Ashes. Australia had clinched the series 4-0 where Head had a great contribution. In the first match at Gabba, he scored a brilliant hundred.
Watch: "The Man of India" - How Australian Players Described Virat Kohli
Ahead of the ICC World Test Championship between Australia and India at The Oval, Australian stars were given a task of describing Star India batter Virat Kohli in a few words. India and Australia will take on each other in the WTC final at The Oval from June 7 onwards. This will be India's second straight successive final in the tournament after 2021. "What the Aussies think of Virat Kohli #WTC23 #cricket #cricketreels," said an Instagram post from ICC. Australian skipper Pat Cummins described Virat as "Good player. Always up for a fight." Star batter Steve Smith, who is also part of the 'Fab Four' batting stars of the modern era along with Virat, Kane Williamson and Joe Root, described the batter as "Superstar".
Greater stability will boost Australian hopes, says Labuschagne
Batsman Marnus Labuschagne believes Australia will benefit from increased stability in their Ashes squad as they prepare to face England in the first test of the series later this month.
"Felt Disrespected": David Warner Slams Cricket Australia Over Captaincy Ban Saga
Veteran batter David Warner has slammed Cricket Australia (CA) for attempting to revoke his lifetime captaincy ban last year. In 2018, Warner, alongwith Steve Smith, was banned for two years, having played his part in a ball-tampering scandal. CA had also imposed a leadership ban on him. However, after CA reworded its code of conduct which initially stated players could not review a sanction once they had accepted it, Warner submitted an appeal to have his ban overturned in November last year.