Australia | Pakistan

Australia and Indonesia agreed on Wednesday to sign a new security treaty, which includes closer military cooperation, the two countries’ leaders said following talks in Sydney. Canberra has drawn ever nearer to longtime ally Washington, bolstering its military in an attempt to deter the might of a rising China in the Asia-Pacific region. Jakarta has walked a more neutral path, wary of drawing too close to Washington and far less willing to needle Beijing. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking alongside President Prabowo Subianto at a Royal Australian Navy Base in Sydney, said they had “just substantively concluded negotiations on a new bilateral treaty on our common security”. “This treaty is a recognition from both our nations that the best way to secure … peace and stability is by acting together,” Albanese told reporters. The Australian leader said he hoped to visit Indonesia next year to sign the new treaty. He said the agreement builds on a bilateral defence pact signed in 2024, which pledged closer...

Jemimah Rodrigues hit an unbeaten 127 to make India pull off a record ODI chase of 339 against Australia in a thrilling second semi-final of the Women’s World Cup on Thursday. Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, who hit 89, put on 167 runs for the third wicket as India won with nine balls and five wickets to spare in the outskirts of Mumbai at DY Patil Stadium. Amanjot Kaur hit the winning boundary to trigger wild celebrations in the Indian camp with smiles and tears of joy in the dug out. India will face South Africa in the final at the same venue on Sunday with the 50-over marquee tournament to get a new champion. The hosts made history to get past the previous best chase of 331 by Australia against India in the league stage of this edition. Seven-time champions Australia faltered in their title defence and suffered their first defeat in the ODI World Cup after 15 victories since 2017 when India beat them in the semi-final. India looked in trouble at 59-2 in the 10th over, but Rodrigues and Kaur rode th...

A superb century from Beth Mooney dragged defending champions Australia back from the brink of disaster before they completed a crushing 107-run win over Pakistan in the ICC Women’s World Cup clash in Colombo on Wednesday. The Aussies were staring down the barrel at 76-7 and then 115-8 after being asked to bat first with the Pakistan bowlers causing mayhem, left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu finishing with 3-37 from her 10 overs. But a record ninth-wicket stand between Mooney, who was dismissed off the final ball of the innings for 109, and Alana King, who made 51 not out, turned the tide. The pair dragged their side from the doldrums to a competitive 221-9 and that proved plenty as Pakistan’s brittle batting folded meekly for 114 all out in 36.3 overs. A superb century from Beth Mooney dragged defending champions Australia back from the brink of disaster before they completed a crushing 107-run win over Pakistan in a Women’s World Cup clash in Colombo on Wednesday. The Aussies were staring down the barrel at 76-...

Seven-time champions Australia will once again be the team to beat in the Women’s World Cup as eight teams prepare to battle it out for the trophy in India and Sri Lanka. England have won four titles and New Zealand one, while Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka will be bidding for their maiden crown. Australia have a shot at cricket history when the Women’s World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, begins on September 30. The tournament presents the defending champion Australians, who won three consecutive titles from 1978-1988, with the chance to become the first team in 36 years to win back-to-back women’s one-day World Cups. They have racked up 26 wins in 30 completed matches since their 2022 World Cup triumph, but captain Alyssa Healy said there would be no complacency. “I think there’s genuinely seven other teams that have a really red-hot opportunity of winning this World Cup,” Healy said at the Captains’ Day event in Bengaluru on Friday. “I’m not going to single anybody out. It’...

Tech companies, including WhatsApp and Reddit, as well as streaming giant Twitch and gaming firm Roblox, could be among more than a dozen sites added to Australia’s social media ban for under-16s, the country’s regulator said Wednesday. Platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube were already included in the ban — a world-first. But the head of Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has written to 16 more companies to “self-assess” whether they fall under the ban’s remit. The list also included Pinterest as well as Lego Play, streaming company Kick and gaming platform Steam. Companies will need to make a case if they believe their platform should be exempt from the ban, the national broadcaster ABC said. Inman Grant told the network that while some cases were “pretty clear”, the regulator would “give them the due diligence process”. “We need to hear them all out,” she said. The regulator said it will initially focus on platforms with the greatest number of users, where there are hig...

Britain, Australia and Canada on Sunday recognised a Palestinian state in a seismic shift in decades of Western foreign policy, triggering swift Israeli anger. Portugal was also to recognise Palestinian statehood later on Sunday, as Israel came under huge international pressure over the conflict in Gaza triggered almost two years ago by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. “Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a message on X. Britain and Canada became the first G7 countries to take the step, with France and other nations expected to follow at the annual UN General Assembly, which opens Monday in New York. “Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on X. Meanwhile, Australia announced ...

Teen sprinter Gout Gout will make a much-anticipated world championships debut in Tokyo this month as he marks an early milestone in a career Australia hopes will peak with Olympic gold at Brisbane 2032. Still only 17, Gout is already one of the most exciting prospects in global athletics, earning comparisons with Jamaican great Usain Bolt and training with Adidas stable-mate Noah Lyles in Florida. All this while juggling homework and exams in his final year of high school in Ipswich, Queensland. Gout is skipping school for a few days to run in the 200 metres at Tokyo, only his second senior race abroad. His first, in June, saw him win the 200m at the Ostrava Golden Spike event in the Czech Republic in 20.02 seconds, improving on his Australia record. Australia’s Gout Gout in action during the men’s 200m in Ostrava, Czech Republic on June 24, 2025 . — Reuters/File While impressive for his age that time only puts him equal-20th in the season rankings, meaning he may need to raise the bar considerably to earn a...

Australia’s white-ball pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has retired from Twenty20 internationals six months out from the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka to focus on extending his career in test and one-day cricket. The 35-year-old left-armer retires as the nation’s most prolific fast bowler in the format, with 79 wickets from 65 T20Is, second on the all-time Australia list to spin bowling teammate Adam Zampa. Test cricket is and has always been my highest priority,” he said in a Cricket Australia statement on Tuesday. “I have loved every minute of every T20 game I have played for Australia, particularly the 2021 World Cup, not just because we won but the incredible group and the fun along the way. “Looking ahead to an away Indian test tour, the Ashes and an ODI World Cup in 2027, I feel this is my best way forward to remain fresh, fit and at my best for those campaigns. “It also gives the bowling group time to prepare for the T20 World Cup in the matches leading into that tournament.” Starc was not included in ...

Cameron Green slapped a 47-ball century with Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh also blasting tons as Australia crushed South Africa by 276 runs in a record-breaking third and final one-day international on Sunday in Mackay. The hosts were playing for pride, down 2-0 in the series, and responded magnificently, posting an ominous 431-2 after opting to bat — their highest ODI total on home soil. They then dismissed the Proteas for 155 in the 25th over, with spinner Cooper Connolly taking 5-22. Head was supreme in blazing 142 off 103 balls, ably supported by skipper Marsh (100 from 106). Their 250-run platform at Great Barrier Reef Arena was Australia’s highest ever opening partnership against the Proteas, bettering the 170 by Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist in Durban in 2002. Green then took over with a whirlwind 118 not out to mark the first time Australia’s top three have all scored centuries. Alex Carey was unbeaten on 50, with the 18 sixes slogged between them also a record at home. “A pretty crazy day, a ful...

South Africa’s Aiden Markram hit 82 before left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj tore through Australia’s new-look batting order as the Proteas claimed the One-Day International series opener by 98 runs in Cairns on Tuesday. Sent in to bat, Markram — opening for the first time in ODIs since 2021 — crunched nine boundaries in his 81-ball knock to power South Africa to a formidable 296-8. Skipper Temba Bavuma (65) and Matthew Breetzke (57) also helped set the tone for the three-match ODI series. In reply, openers Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head flattened South Africa’s pacemen as Australia raced to 60-0 after seven overs. But the match flipped after the introduction of spin, with Maharaj conjuring rampant turn, and he picked up four wickets in his first 15 balls. He finished with career-best figures of 5-33 from 10 overs as Australia were dismissed for 198 in the 41st over. It was a strong bounce back from South Africa after their 2-1 defeat in the Twenty20 series between the teams. “I just tried to utilise the condit...

England batter Joe Root said his experience of 158 tests makes him better equipped than ever to end a victory drought in Australia, as he ramps up preparations for the upcoming Ashes series. Joe Root, who moved to second on the all-time test run-scorer charts during England’s five-match series against India, which was drawn 2-2 […]

Shamar Joseph produced a magnificent spell on his return to Tests as he ripped through the Aussies’ top order in the first Australia vs West Indies Test in Barbados. The right-arm pacer looked dangerous from the start after Australia won the toss and elected to bat first at Kensington Oval on Wednesday. The 25-year-old got […]

South Africa won the World Test Championship on Saturday, completing a remarkable turnaround to beat Australia by five wickets as they successfully chased down an imposing 282-run target. But it was an edgy finish as they took 27.4 overs to slowly score the 69 runs needed to secure success on the fourth day at Lord’s after resuming at 213-2 overnight. In so doing, South Africa completed a successful pursuit of the joint second-highest winning fourth-innings total in test history at the London venue. It was a first major cricket triumph for South Africa, who had earned an unwanted reputation for failure when on the cusp of victory over the last decades in limited overs competitions. This was their first appearance in the WTC final, with opener Aiden Markram delivering a heroic innings of 136 to ensure success. Markram, who reached his century late in the third day, added 34 more runs on Saturday, accumulating carefully before falling to a sharp catch by Travis Head with six runs needed to win. Kyle Verreynne h...

A calf injury forced Josh Hazlewood to miss being part of Australia’s World Test Championship (WTC) final win two years ago and the fast bowler is keen to avoid a second such heartbreak as they defend their title next week. Hazlewood is vying with Scott Boland to claim the last slot in Australia’s pace attack […]

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has retired from one-day internationals to focus on next year’s T20 World Cup, the country’s cricket board said on Monday. Maxwell took the decision to prioritise his preparation for the T20 World Cup, to be held in India and Sri Lanka, and his commitment to franchise leagues, Cricket Australia (CA) said in a statement. “I think back to right at the start I was picked ahead of my time and out of the blue. I was just proud just to be playing a couple of games for Australia. I thought I was just going to have that,” the two-time World Cup winner said in the statement. “Since then, I have been able to go through the up and downs of being dropped, being brought back, playing in a few World Cups and being a part of some great teams.” View this post on Instagram The 36-year-old has played 149 ODIs for Australia, scoring 3,990 runs at a strike rate of 126.7 — second only to Andre Russell’s 130.22. Maxwell’s 201 not out from 128 balls while battling cramps in a 2023 World Cup match...