Australia wrap up resounding victory

Emphatic doesn't quite do it justice. Unrelenting throughout, Australia put on another exhibition of high quality bowling to seal a vast victory over New Zealand and place one hand on the ICC Mace awarded to the world's No. 1 Test team. A deflating result for the visitors in Brendon McCullum's 100th Test was only a tail-end flurry short of New Zealand's heaviest ever loss at home to Australia.

Having set up the match with expert use of seaming early conditions on the first morning, Australia's bowlers asked quite different questions on the fourth morning. Mitchell Marsh, Josh Hazlewood and Jackson Bird all used reverse swing to good effect, while Nathan Lyon homed in on a footmark outside the right-handers' off stump to gain sharp spin. The absence of Peter Siddle, resting a back complaint, was well compensated for.

Steven Smith will be a most contented captain, having overseen a performance in which many questions about this team have been answered. They chose the right XI for the conditions, they bowled impressively, and most importantly batted with command even after Joe Burns and David Warner were out cheaply with the ball still new on day one. New Zealand will be left to wonder over the significance of the "no-ball" that reprieved Adam Voges early.

Smith's section headed throughout 'right direction' with No. 1 from cards

Michael Clarke took  for the  Australian captaincy  immediately after   your  nadir  of   it is  2010-11 Ashes defeat  at  home;  The idea  took him three  years   to be able to  lift his  division  back  to  No. 1  to the  Test rankings. Even then, they  singular  sat  with the  pinnacle  intended for  three months. Steven Smith assumed  ones  leadership  by  Clarke  soon after  another failed Ashes campaign, but less  as compared to   one  year on,  ones  No. 1  area   is   within  touching distance.  your current  challenge,  In the event that  they  acquire  there,  can be   in order to  stay there.

Australia's innings victory  over  New Zealand  in the  Basin Reserve not  single  ensured they would retain  your  Trans-Tasman Trophy,  That  placed them tantalisingly close  to the  top Test ranking.  just about all  they must do  can be  avoid defeat  with the  second Test  with  Christchurch; victory  as well as   an  draw  will  push them above India  IN ADDITION TO   in  No. 1,  though   an  loss would send them  decrease   in order to  No. 3.  this can be a   remarkable  effort  intended for   an  group  The idea   features  lost  6-8  experienced men  to help  retirement  in the  past year.

Darren Bravo pulls out of World T20; 12 players in for West Indies

A West Indian cricketing crisis has been averted, with near full-strength team set to participate in the World T20; 12 of the original 15 picked by the WICB for the tournament have signed the required contracts. Among the three who have not signed is batsman Darren Bravo, who has written to the board saying he wants to focus on Test cricket. Allrounder Kieron Pollard and mystery spinner Sunil Narine had pulled out a few days ago, citing incomplete rehab work on injury and bowling action respectively.

The WICB named allrounder Carlos Brathwaite and offspinner Ashley Nurse replacements for Pollard and Narine, and an alternative for Bravo will be picked soon.

The threat of the WICB sending a second-string squad to the World T20 escalated after Darren Sammy, West Indies' Twenty20 captain, exchanged a series of emails with board chief executive Michael Muirhead, asking for the player remuneration to be revised. Muirhead was unrelenting on the matter, though, and told Sammy that if each member of the original squad of 15, which was picked on January 29, did not write individually to the WICB by February 14, the board would conclude he "refused" selection.

Stress upon senior citizens since Southerly Africa look for equilibrium.

For the first time in recent memory, South Africa will not go to a global tournament as one of the favourites. Even though they have won back-to-back T20 series in the subcontinent, they are fumbling through a summer of discontent that has been headlined by successive Test series defeats. They will travel to the scene of the first of those humblings without the expectation that has burdened them in the past.

In fact, it has almost swung completely the other way. There is a sense that the team is expected not to do well. At least that is the way a South African public that does not deal well with disappointment sees it. They could change their minds if South Africa pull off a few wins in their T20 series against England and Australia, but it won't stop the questions.

Chief among them is whether Dale Steyn will really be fit. South Africa have been wondering this since November when Steyn suffered a groin strain in the first Test against India in Mohali. Then, rumour had it that he tried too hard to get himself back to full fitness to play in AB de Villiers' 100th Test that the injury worsened to the extent that he could not play in the rest of the series. Another rumour had it that because he didn't bowl for all that time, the workload caused a shoulder injury when he was finally back on the park seven weeks later, for the Boxing Day Test against England. He has spent his 2016 trying to recover from that.