Team Australia in action© AFP

Former Australia cricket team skipper David Warner found himself involved in a bizarre incident during a Big Bash League (BBL) encounter on Friday. During the match between Sydney Thunder and Hobert Hurricanes, Warner broke his bat while playing a shot and ended up hitting himself on the back of the head in a scene that left everyone in splits. Facing a delivery from the fast bowler Riley Meredith, Warner went for a big shot through mid-wicket but the bat broke just after making contact. The broken piece flew back and hit Warner on the back of his head as the veteran Australia batter was left confused.

David Warner’s bat broke and he’s hit himself in the head with it#BBL14 pic.twitter.com/6g4lp47CSu

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 10, 2025

Steve Smith lauded the inclusion of rising talent Cooper Connolly in the squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour and backed the youngster to come out good in the subcontinent, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The 21-year-old West Australian, considered one of Australia’s most promising young players, brings a unique skill set as a batting all-rounder with left-arm off-spin–a craft particularly valuable in subcontinental conditions.

Connolly’s selection, despite just four wicketless first-class games to his name, points to Australia’s long-term vision of building a balanced squad capable of succeeding in spin-friendly conditions.

“I had a little chat to Ron and Dodders [coach Andrew McDonald and selector Tony Dodemaide] in [the dressing sheds] after the game,” Smith revealed to The Sydney Morning Herald.

“I was quite big on someone like Cooper coming in, to be able to spin the ball the other way,” he added.

“You watch India–they have Axar [Patel] and Ravindra Jadeja–when a spinner gets tired or nothing’s happening, they can turn to another spinner,” he said.

“I like the fit, having a couple of spinners going each way, it matches up really nicely,” he added.

“He’s a talented young kid and every opportunity he’s got, he’s done really well,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

(With ANI inputs)

Retirements in sports are something that evokes a variety of emotions, be it regret, heartbreak, relief, a sense of unfinished business or a fairytale-like feeling, both on the part of players and their fans. Very few get a privilege of retiring at the peak of their powers, with a major trophy in their hands and their fans screaming their names out loud. Cricket in 2024 was no different as it saw many players put an end to their careers. Plenty of these retirements sent emotional fans on a nostalgic trip, watching all the highlights of their major performances, trending their names on social media through hashtags and fan-made video edits and in all, just hoping that they got to accomplish slightly more in their careers. Here are the 10 biggest retirements in cricket from 2024.

Rohit Sharma (T20Is)

Perhaps the most heartwarming retirement of 2024. After the heartbreak of succumbing to Australia after a 10-match win streak in the ICC Cricket World Cup last year at home, Rohit during the T20 WC was a man on a mission. From a record fifth-T20I ton against Afghanistan at home to smashing Mitchell Starc for 29 runs in an over including four sixes, to his revengeful fifty against England in the semis, Rohit was at his destructive best in T20Is, scoring 378 runs at an average of 42.00, strike rate of 160.16, with a century and three fifties.

He top-scored for India in T20 WC, with 257 runs in eight matches at an average of 36.71, a strike rate of over 156 and three half-centuries, with his 41-ball 92 against Australia being his best knock. The final pictures of Rohit in T20I clothing saw the ‘Hitman’ laying down on the pitch in relief, tasting the Barbados soil which helped his side end their 11-year-long ICC title drought.

Virat Kohli (T20Is)

Virat and one-man carryjobs during T20 World Cups, a story repeated too often for his country’s good. After a bumper Orange Cap winning Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, in which he made 741 runs at an average of 61.75 with a century, five fifties and 38 sixes, the 36-year-old experienced a sharp dip in his form in a tournament where he thrived the most. Instead of playing the anchor role like the old days, Virat would throw his wicket in the most ‘un-Virat’ ways possible on tough pitches of the US and Caribbean and it seemed that the new-age T20I formula of slogging would not work on him. However, during the final, he played a ‘vintage Virat’ knock of 76 in 59 balls, helping his team secure a seven-run win over South Africa to win the title.

In his final T20I game, India’s biggest match-winner in T20Is ended up with a match-winning fifty, a ‘Player of the Match’ award, the highest amount of runs in T20 WC history (with 1,292 runs in 35 matches, average of 58.72, 15 fifties), and 4,188 runs in 125 T20Is at an average of 48.69, strike rate of 137.04, a century and 38 fifties.

David Warner (All formats of international cricket)

Perhaps Australia’s finest all-format opener retired from all formats of the game after a Super Eight exit from the T20 World Cup, in which he made 178 runs in seven matches with two fifties. In his final T20I game against India, concluded an era of audacious hitting, unmatched charisma and aggression on the field and all-format brilliance.

In 112 Tests for Australia, Warner scored 8,786 runs at an average of 44.59, with 26 centuries and 37 fifties in 205 innings. His best score is 335*. He is the fifth-highest run-getter for Australia in Tests.

Playing 161 ODIs, Warner scored 6,932 runs at an average of 45.30 and a strike rate of above 97, making 22 centuries and 33 fifties in 159 innings. His best score is 179. He is the sixth-highest run-getter in ODIs for Australia.

Warner is Australia’s highest run-getter in T20Is, scoring 3,277 runs in 110 matches at an average of 33.43 and a strike rate of 142.47. He scored a century and 28 fifties, with the best score of 100*.

With 18,995 runs in 383 games, 49 centuries, 98 fifties, two ICC Cricket World Cup titles, one ICC T20 World Cup and ICC World Test Championship title each, Warner retired as Australia’s second-highest run-getter and one of the greatest all-format openers of all time.

James Anderson (all formats of international cricket)

England’s ageless pace wonder finally pulled down curtains on his glorious career during the first Test against West Indies at Lord’s in July, taking four wickets in his final match. As inspiring Anderson was to deliver remarkable, low-economy spells, taking crucial wickets, staying at the top of his fitness game at the age of 42, retirement had to come for the sake of future generations.

The fast bowler bid farewell to Test cricket after the first Test at Lord’s as the third-highest Test wicket-taker to grace the game. The 41-year-old took four wickets in the Test match to finish with 704 career scalps in 188 Tests at an average of 25.45, the third behind Muttiah Muralidaran and the late Shane Warne. In 401 international matches, he ended up falling short of 1,000 wickets, at 991 wickets at an average of 27.28, 34 five-wicket hauls and best figures of 7/42. He is also England’s leading wicket-taker in ODIs (269 scalps) and overall, their first pacer to reach 700 Test scalps and a T20 WC winner in 2010.

Shikhar Dhawan (All formats of international cricket and Indian domestic cricket)

A name that often slipped under the radar due to the otherwordly brilliance of Rohit Sharma and Virat in ODIs particularly, Dhawan was India’s crisis man in ICC ODI tournaments, often giving explosive starts to make things easier for Rohit-Virat in later overs.

Having last played for India in December 2022, in 167 ODI appearances, the southpaw produced swashbuckling performances and racked up 6,793 runs at an average of 44.1, including 17 centuries and 39 fifties.

In the longest format of cricket, where he stitched up memorable partnerships with Murali Vijay, Dhawan garnered 2,315 runs in 34 matches at an average of 40.6. His Test career was laced with seven tons and five half-centuries.

In the T20I format, Dhawan made 68 appearances and scored 1,759 runs at an average of 27.9, including 11 fifties.

He top-scored in the 2013 and 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, with former a title-winning campaign in the UK. With 701 runs in 10 matches at an average of 77,88, three centuries and three fifties, he is India’s top run-getter in the tournament and overall third. He was also India’s top run-getter and fifth-overall in 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup with 412 runs at an average of 51.50, with two centuries and a fifty. His best score was 137.

He was crowned Player of the Tournament in U-19 WC 2004, Champions Trophy in 2013 and Asia Cup 2018.

Moeen Ali (All formats of international cricket)

One of the most underrated names in world cricket, left the international scene quietly in September after helping England retain the 2023 Ashes with some impactful performances and sticking around till the T20

World Cup during his team’s semifinal run.

The all-rounder featured in 298 international matches from 2014-2024 for the English side in his cricketing career.

Moeen made his international debut in 2014 against West Indies. He scored 6678 international runs at an average of 25.20, with eight tons and 28 fifties and picked 366 wickets at an average of 39.09. He won the 2019 Cricket World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup with the Three Lions.

Tim Southee (all formats of international cricket)

One of the many modern-day greats from the class of 2008 ICC U19 World Cup, Southee made an incredible impact for Kiwis, mostly with the ball, but sometimes with the bat as well.

After the home series against England recently, Southee walked away from the game with 776 international wickets at an average of 29.57, the most by any Kiwi bowler across all formats. Southee secured 391 Test wickets at an average of 30.26, the second-most by any NZ bowler, behind Richard Hadlee (431 scalps). He is the leading wicket-taker in T20Is with 164 wickets at an average of 22.38, the most by any bowler. With 221 ODI wickets, he also is the third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs for Kiwis, behind Kyle Mills (240 wickets) and Daniel Vettori (297 wickets).

He was also a capable lower-order batter, with 3,288 runs in 394 matches at an average of 14.11, with eight fifties. Most of these runs came in Tests, making 2,245 runs at an average of 15.48, with seven fifties. His tally of 98 sixes in Tests is the fourth-highest by any Test cricketer.

However, he could not win any white-ball trophy with Kiwis, and secured the inaugural ICC World Test Championship 2019-21 title, NZ’s first-ever world title in any form of the sport.

Ravichandran Ashwin (all formats of international cricket)

Words like ‘nerd’, ‘scientist’, ‘genius’ are regularly associated with cricketers. However, with his understanding of the game’s rules, the right use of the right tactics at the right time and role in a 12-year-long unbeaten home run for Team India, Ashwin earned a repute as one of the greatest thinkers in the sport. Be it his insightful interviews or his well-thought out YouTube discussions, they garnered as much attention as his all-round excellence.

However, the rare home set-back to NZ was the breaking point for this champion player, who announced his retirement during the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia after the Brisbane Test, having last played the pink-ball Adelaide Test and picking up a wicket, scoring 29 runs.

In 106 Tests for India, the legendary all-rounder took 537 wickets at an average of 24.00, with best figures of 7/59. He took 37 five-wicket hauls and eight ten-fers in his Test career. He is the seventh highest wicket taker in Tests overall and second-highest for India behind legendary spinner Anil Kumble (619 scalps). He also has 2nd most five-wicket hauls in Tests, behind Sri Lankan spin icon Muttiah Muralitharan (67).

He also made 3,503 runs at an average of 25.75, with six centuries and 14 fifties in 151 innings and best score of 124.

In 116 ODIs, the ace spinner took 156 wickets at an average of 33.20, with best figures of 4/25. He also made 707 runs at an average of 16.44, with one fifty, a knock of 65 in 63 innings. He is the 13th-highest wicket …

With 765 scalps in 287 matches, he is India’s second-highest wicket-taker across all formats, next to Kumble (953). He also won the 2011 50-Over World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy with India.

South Africa’s Dean Elgar (All forms of international cricket)

Though not the biggest in the list in terms of superstardom, Elgar’s tough Test innings have made him one of the grittiest and gutsiest players on this list. He retired from all of international cricket after the home Test series against India at home.

Elgar, 37, enjoyed an impressive Test career since making his debut for South Africa in 2012, scoring 5,347 runs across 86 matches at an average of 37.92, with 14 centuries and 23 fifties. Though in eight ODIs, he could score just 104 runs in seven innings with best score of 42. His rock-solid knocks and defence provided stability to Proteas as they moved on from the golden era of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis etc.

Shakib Al Hasan (Tests and T20Is)

One of the ‘Big Five’ stars for Bangladesh alongside Tamim Iqbal, Mahmadullah, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mashrafe Mortaza that defined their cricket in the 21st century, pulled down curtains on his Test and T20I career in 2024 after the Test series against India.

With an eye on the ICC Champions Trophy, Shakib will feature in ODIs but his team will miss his all-round services in other two formats dearly considered his unmatched consistency with both bat and ball.

In 71 Tests, he scored 4,609 runs at an average of 37.77, with five centuries and 31 fifties and best score of 217. He is Bangladesh’s third-highest Test run-getter. With 246 runs in 71 Tests at an average of 31.72, best figures of 7/36 and 19 five-wicket hauls, he is Bangladesh’s top wicket-taker in Tests.

Coming to T20Is, he is the team’s leading run-getter with 2,551 runs in 129 matches and 127 innings at an average of 23.19 and 13 fifties. His best score is 84. With 149 scalps in 129 matches at an average of 20.91 and two fivers, he is also the team’s leading wicket-taker.

Lavishing praise on young Sam Konstas, former opener David Warner has urged Australia’s senior players to adopt a similar aggressive approach when facing Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has been a dominant force with the ball in the ongoing series. The 19-year-old Konstas played some stunning scoops and laps off Bumrah en route to a 65-ball 60 on his Test debut during the fourth Test at Melbourne, which the Aussies won by 184 runs on Monday. “It was very special. People are going to criticise him as well. That’s the nature of the beast, that’s the way he is going to play,” Warner told AAP.

“When someone like Bumrah is bowling to you, you have to try and execute somehow. They put a third-man in and fine leg to him and bowled him through the gate (in the second innings).

“He will look back on that and go ‘what a great experience in the Boxing Day Test’. He now gets to come here for New Year’s Test.” Konstas had scored 107 off 97 balls against India for the Prime Minister’s XI. He had also scored an unbeaten 73 at the MCG against India A, besides making two centuries in the Sheffield Shield and a record-breaking 50 on debut for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League.

“What he did in the Prime Minister’s XI shows he has that talent. But it also shows he is brave.” “Him being brave at the top of the order, you’ve got guys who have played 50 Tests, they could have been brave as well, they could have played different shots, they could have moved out of their crease and batted different.” Warner added that while players like Steve Smith had experimented with various approaches, it shouldn’t take a newcomer’s boldness to shift the momentum.

“Smudge (Steve Smith) tried a million different things. But it shouldn’t take someone to come out there and be brave to get that momentum shifting. You have experience at the top of the order, experience in that whole line up,” Warner said.

“Travis Head took the game away from them in Adelaide with that magnificent hundred. It shouldn’t take that guy just to come and do that. It’s the way the Australians played but other people can be braver as well.”

Bumrah is a genius

Bumrah on Sunday became the second fastest Indian along with Ravindra Jadeja to complete 200 Test wickets and the first bowler ever to reach that milestone with a sub-20 average during the fourth day’s play of the fourth Test.

The India speedstar has taken 30 wickets at an average of just 12.83 this series, including nine wickets in Melbourne.

“You’re also hoping Bumrah gets it off that handkerchief, he’s a genius. He is averaging under 20. His record is incredible,” Warner said.

“To put him off that is tough. You can’t just try and negate that. ‘Uzzy’ (Usman Khawaja) managed to face two balls in his first spell. That’s luck batters need as well.

“Fortunately for him, he got a half-century. Hopefully that builds momentum and gives him that positive energy to come into Sydney where he’s got a good record as well.” 

Sydney Thunder’s Tanveer Sangha and Sam Billings were involved in a fielding mix-up.© X (Twitter)

India captain Rohit Sharma has come under the scanner for his captaincy on Day 2 of the ongoing 3rd Test against Australia in Brisbane on Sunday. Jasprit Bumrah and Nitish Kumar Reddy gave India a bright start, reducing Australia to 3/75 early in the morning session. However, centuries from Travis Head (152) and Steve Smith (101) saw Australia end the day at a commanding 405/7. Head was the wrecker-in-chief for Australia, scoring at almost run-a-ball during the 241-run stand with Smith.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, however, lashed out at Rohit for his defensive field placements, and allowing Head and Smith to dictate proceedings

“Worst set ups,” Shastri was heard as saying on-air, while sharing his views on Rohit’s field placements.

Former Australia opener David Warner also questioned Rohit’s approach, saying that India should’ve attacked Head and Smith with short balls.

Speaking after the match, India bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted that the bowlers failed to execute plans against Smith and Head.

“First of all, we can say he’s (Head) in pretty good form. But I think for us with the ball, if you look at it from overs 50 to 80, even in the last game, is where we fall short, leaking (runs) a little bit. So, that’s one area I think we need to get better at,” Morkel said in the post-day press conference.

Morkel said the Indian bowlers could not sustain the momentum after taking three wickets in the morning session.

“First up with the ball this morning, we were pretty good, at 3 for 70, but took nothing away from two world-class players, Smith we know, he’s a guy who also can bat long and score runs. They (Smith and Head) put a partnership there and put us under pressure with a softer ball.

“It’s definitely an area that we need to focus on, maybe deeper in the innings. Yes, we’ve got the game plans, but are we executing those game plans with a softer ball from both ends? That’s something we need to get better at,” getting added.

The likes of David Warner and Steve Smith did not find any takers in IPL 2025 auction.© BCCI

Marnus Labuschagne returned to form with a well-crafted 62 in the first innings in Adelaide.© AFP

As Australia gears up for the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India, former Aussie opener David Warner has stressed the importance of the top order delivering big runs, given the “relentless” nature of the Indian bowling attack when they operate in partnerships. The third Test of the series is set to begin on December 14 at the Brisbane Cricket Ground. Following a humbling 295-run defeat to the visitors at Perth’s Optus Stadium–where standout performances from Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and Yashasvi Jaiswal shone through–the hosts made a strong comeback. Exceptional bowling displays from Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, along with a counter-attacking century by Travis Head, helped Australia secure a dominant 10-wicket win, chasing a modest target of 19 runs.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, as quoted by Wide World of Sports, Warner urged the Australian batters to step up their game, alleviating the pressure on the pacers.

“I think the pressure is on all of the top order, not just Uzzie (Usman Khawaja). Travis came out and counterpunched with a brilliant hundred–we know he’s capable of that–but it’s about everyone else around him providing support,” Warner remarked.

“It’s not just one player in particular; it’s the top six scoring bulk runs and giving the fast bowlers a break. The first game was high-paced, but in the last one, we saw Mitchell Starc at his best with the pink ball. Come Brisbane, we need to see some big runs from the top order.”

“This Indian bowling attack is relentless when they bowl in partnerships. If they maintain the intensity we saw with Bumrah the other day, the boys will need to dig deep and put big runs on the board,” he added.

Warner’s concern is well-founded. Key batters have struggled to perform this series, including Khawaja (308 runs in seven Tests at an average of 25.66, with one fifty in 14 innings), Steve Smith (232 runs in seven Tests at 23.20, with one fifty in 13 innings), Marnus Labuschagne (309 runs in seven Tests at 28.09, with four fifties in 13 innings), Mitchell Marsh (272 runs in seven Tests at 24.72, with two fifties in 11 innings), and Alex Carey (317 runs in seven Tests at 31.70, with two fifties in 11 innings).

Travis Head, however, has been the standout performer, amassing 438 runs in seven Tests at an average of 39.81, with two centuries and a fifty in 11 innings. Despite his relatively limited contributions in terms of quantity, Head looks to be the most in-form batter among Australia’s top-order players.

Warner also commended opener Nathan McSweeney for his temperament and handling of the role under challenging conditions.

“He’s faced four of the five toughest challenges for an opening batsman and handled them well. The intent he showed the other day was promising. While there were questions about his selection, his performance shows why he was chosen. He has a good temperament and setup, and I think he has a bright future ahead,” said Warner.

McSweeney, after low scores of 0 and 10 in Perth, impressed with a composed 39 in Adelaide, contributing to a half-century stand with Labuschagne, followed by an unbeaten 10 in the second innings.

Despite growing calls for U19 sensation Sam Konstas to make his debut, Warner believes it’s a decision for the selectors and that Konstas may not yet be ready.

“That’s up to the selectors. If they thought he was ready, they would have picked him by now,” Warner stated.

Konstas played a vital role in Australia’s ICC U19 World Cup 2024 triumph, scoring 191 runs in seven innings at an average of 27.28, including a century. He also impressed in the series between Australia A and India A ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring 92 runs in four innings, highlighted by a match-winning 73*. In the warm-up pink-ball game against India, he stamped his authority with a classy 107 off 97 balls against a formidable Indian attack.

In the ongoing Sheffield Shield season, Konstas is the fifth-highest run-getter with 471 runs in five matches at an average of 58.87, including two centuries and a fifty, with a best score of 152.

It’s not just Usman Khawaja but the entire Australian top-order that is feeling the “pressure” despite the series-levelling win in Adelaide, reckons former opener David Warner. While the under-fire Marnus Labuschagne found form with a resolute fifty, batting mainstay Steve Smith and rookie opener Nathan McSweeney continue to search for runs in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. “I think the pressure is on all the top order, not just ‘Uzzie’,” the former Australian left-hander was quoted saying by Fox Cricket.

Travis Head smashed a memorable hundred at home as Australia bounce back to level the five match series after a crushing loss in Perth.

“Travis came out and counterpunched and scored a brilliant hundred, and we know he’s capable of doing it. But it’s everyone else around supporting that,” said Warner.

“It’s not just one player in particular, it’s the top six scoring bulk runs and making sure you’re giving rest to the fast bowlers. It was a fast-paced Test in the first game, but this last one was Mitchell Starc at his best as usual with the pink ball.

“Come Brisbane, we need to see some big runs from the top order,” he said about the third Test beginning here on Saturday.

McSweeney had a forgettable debut in Perth being trapped LBW by Jasprit Bumrah in both his innings for 10 and 0, while in Adelaide he managed 49 runs.

Khawaja has 34 runs in the first two Tests and in his last 16 innings he has reached fifty only once.

Former skipper Smith is also in the middle of a woeful run, having scored 19 in his three innings of the series.

On McSweeney, Warner said: “He’s had four of probably the five hardest jobs when it comes to an opening batsman, and I think he’s handled it well,” Warner said.

“We saw glimpses the other day of the intent that you show when you’re scoring, and there are a lot of question marks around why they chose him, but the glimpses that you’ve seen, we now know why.

“He’s got a good temperament, I like the way he sets up, and I think he’s got a good future ahead of him. It’s just this bowling attack from India is relentless if they bowl in partnerships.” On whether Sam Konstas should replace the struggling Khawaja, Warner said: “They would have picked him if they thought he was ready by now. That’s up to the selectors.” There have also been talks about a Test comeback for gun all-rounder Glenn Maxwell but Warner feels the white ball specialist “doesn’t deserve that opportunity”.

“If you’re not being picked for your Shield team, then why do you deserve it? You’ve got to actually want it, to want to play four-day cricket,” Warner told CODE.

“Unless he’s putting his hand up, he’s playing all the club cricket stuff and all that, to want to play Test cricket. He in my (opinion), doesn’t deserve that opportunity.” Maxwell, who has a career average of 26.07 in the format, last played a Test against Bangladesh in September 2017.