Australia | Pakistan

Australia on Monday said a woman would lead its army for the first time in history, as part of a reshuffle of the country’s defence force leadership. Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, the current chief of joint capabilities, will become chief of army in July, the government said in a statement. She will replace Lieutenant General Simon Stuart. Coyle’s appointment comes as Australia’s military seeks to boost the number of female officers in its ranks. It faces a wave of allegations of systematic sexual harassment and discrimination. “From July, we will have the first ever female chief of army in the Australian Army’s 125-year history,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement. Defence Minister Richard Marles called Coyle’s appointment a “deeply historic moment”. “As Susan said to me, you cannot be what you cannot see,” he said. “Susan’s achievement will be deeply significant to women who are serving in the Australian Defence Force today and women who are thinking about serving in the Australian Defenc...

Australia will halve a fuel tax to help motorists experiencing soaring petrol prices due to war in the Middle East, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday. Albanese announced the step after meeting with the leaders of Australia’s states and territories on Monday, agreeing a plan to tackle fuel shortages as the war in the Middle East continues. Australia charges a sales tax of 52 cents on each litre of petrol sold at the pump, which will be halved for three months. The measure will cost the government $1.75 billion (Aus$2.55 billion), officials said. “We are making fuel cheaper today because we understand that Australians are under serious pressure,” Albanese said. Albanese’s government has sought to reassure motorists that shipments of fuel continue to arrive in Australia, and petrol shortages in rural towns stem from panic buying and distribution bottlenecks. Victoria and Tasmania states have made travel on public transport free, and Albanese urged motorists nationally to do what they can to conserve pe...

The European Union (EU) and Australia struck a long-awaited free-trade deal on Tuesday, while also agreeing to boost defence cooperation and access to crucial rare-earth minerals in the face of global uncertainty over trade. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Australia comes as the 27-nation bloc and the import-reliant nation navigate renewed energy vulnerability sparked by the US-Israel war on Iran. The accord is the latest agreed by Brussels in a push to diversify trade as Europe faces challenges from the United States and China. Key sticking points on Australian use of European geographical names as well as how much beef can be exported to the continent were overcome to reach the deal after eight years of negotiations. Another compromise will see Australian winemakers allowed to use the term “prosecco” domestically, but they must stop using it for exports after 10 years. Australia will also be allowed to keep using some geographical names, such as feta and gruyere, in cases where producers have used ...

Protesters heckled and booed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday during a visit to Australia’s largest mosque for Eidul Fitr prayers, voicing anger over his stance on ally Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Some in Australia’s Muslim and Jewish communities are angry over a fine line walked by the centre-left government since Israel began its military campaign in Gaza, expressing concern for Palestinians, repeatedly urging a ceasefire, and backing Israel’s right to self-defence. Video images showed protesters interrupting proceedings about 15 minutes after Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke joined worshippers at Lakemba Mosque in western Sydney to mark the end of Ramazan. Demonstrators booed, told Albanese and Burke to “Get out!” and called them “genocide supporters”, referring to Israel’s killing of Palestinians in Gaza. “Dear brothers and sisters, keep calm a little bit,” one of the organisers told the crowd, urging people to sit down and stop filming the exchange. “It is Eid. It is a joyful day.” ...

Australia head coach Andrew McDonald put the blame for the team’s humiliating T20 World Cup exit squarely on the players, rejecting criticism of their preparations and a “false narrative” that the nation is not taking the format seriously. Australia crashed out of the group stage following losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, triggering acrimony on the home front. Former players and pundits have zeroed in on Australia’s preparations for the tournament which saw members of the squad arrive late to a warmup series in Pakistan after prioritising the Big Bash League. Australia were thumped 3-0 by Pakistan before failing to qualify for the World Cup’s Super Eight phase. McDonald dismissed criticism that Australia had not prioritised the tournament, saying the team had been “fully locked into (it) for a period of time”. “I have heard that sort of narrative that T20 World Cups don’t matter to us,” he told reporters. “I think all that is a response to the performances of Australian cricket teams in these competitions. “...

The 2021 champions Australia were knocked out of the T20 World Cup on Tuesday, with Zimbabwe qualifying for the Super Eights after their match against Ireland was washed out without a ball being bowled in Kandy. Zimbabwe joined Sri Lanka as qualifiers from Group B and will move on to face the West Indies, India and South Africa in the next phase. Ireland were also eliminated. Persistent drizzle all day at the Pallekelle stadium kept the covers on and the umpires finally called it off at 5:30pm local time (1200 GMT) with no prospect of beginning the minimum five-over match before the 6:10pm cut-off time. Australia, who had been beaten by Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, needed an Ireland victory to keep their hopes alive. Zimbabwe are now on an unassailable five points with a game to still to come, while Ireland are third on three points. Australia, on two points, have one game remaining against Oman on Friday, but cannot overtake Zimbabwe. Australia had a shambolic build-up to the tournament They lost leading pace bow...

Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka scored the first century of the 2026 T20 World Cup on Monday to put his side into the Super Eights and leave Australia on the brink of elimination. Nissanka scored 100 not out off 52 balls with five sixes and 10 fours as Sri Lanka, chasing Australia’s 181, reached 184-2 with two overs to spare in Kandy to win by eight wickets. A victory by Zimbabwe over Ireland in Group B on Tuesday, or against Sri Lanka on Thursday, would eliminate the 2021 champions. If Zimbabwe lose both, Australia will need to beat Oman in their final match on Friday by a big margin to get through on net run rate. Nissanka was involved in a 97-run stand off 66 balls with Kusal Mendis for the second wicket with the wicketkeeper-batsman posting his third fifty in the competition. Nissanka became the first Sri Lankan to score two hundreds in T20 internationals. After Mendis’s dismissal, Nissanka and Pavan Rathnayake put on 76 off 34 balls to see Sri Lanka to victory. Nissanka played some glorious cover drives off ...

Australia and Indonesia signed a security treaty on Friday, paving the way for closer cooperation and new military training facilities in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The pact will facilitate defence initiatives that include embedding a senior Indonesian officer within Australia’s defence force, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a joint statement after the signing in Jakarta. Australia will also support the development of military training facilities to boost Indonesia’s ability to conduct joint drills, he said. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund Danantara chief Rosan Roeslani show signed document at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, February 6, 2026. —Reuters Canberra has been seeking to bolster its military power in the Asia-Pacific region to counter China’s growing influence. Indonesia has proven more cautious with its foreign policy, not wanting to be seen taking sides and upsetting Beijing, its biggest trading partner. Albanese hailed the agree...

Pakistan’s Saim Ayub has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Men’s T20 All-Rounder Rankings on the back of “some excellent showings” during the recently concluded three-match series against Australia. Pakistan whitewashed Australia with a 3-0 victory in the series, during which Saim scored 119 run and claimed three wickets. An announcement by the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday that Saim moved up one slot to regain the top spot in the monthly rankings, replacing Zimbabwe veteran Sikandar Raza. The cricket’s governing body said the development “bodes well for Ayub and Pakistan just days out from the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as the Asian side look to claim their second title in the 20-over showcase event and their first since they tasted success in the second edition of the tournament back in 2009”. Meanwhile, Pakistani spinner Abrar Ahmed also moved up two places to the second spot in the T20 bowler rankings. He grabbed six wickets in the series against Australia and was “now ju...

All-rounder Mohammad Nawaz grabbed five wickets for Pakistan on Sunday as Green Shirts whitewashed Australia in a three-match T20 series by 3-0 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The last time Pakistan had clean-swept Australia in a T20 series was in October 2018 in the UAE. While defending a gigantic 208-run total, Pakistan dominated the visitors by clinching a 111-run victory. The stage was set by Shaheen Afridi, who took the wicket of the Australian captain Mitchell Marsh in the first over. In the next over, Mohammad Nawaz dismissed Australia’s Matthew Short, as Babar Azam took his catch, and in the following over, Shaheen Afridi struck back with Matt Renshaw’s wicket. In his five-wicket haul, Mohammad Nawaz also dismissed Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green. Stoinis and Green added 23 and 22 runs, respectively, for Australia, while seven other batters could not even reach double figures. Apart from Nawaz’s five and Shaheen’s two wickets, Abrar Ahmed and Naseem Shah also grabbed a wicket each. In the first inn...

Pakistan on Saturday clinched the T20I series against Australia, with a 90-run thrashing of the visitors in the second match at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead. Skipper Salman Agha hit his highest score in the shortest format before Pakistan’s spinners routed Australia by 90 runs. Agha hit a 40-ball 76 and Usman Khan smashed a 36-ball 53 as Pakistan made 198-5, their highest-ever T20I total against Australia. This was enough for Pakistan’s spin quintet, who shared all ten wickets between them with Abrar Ahmed returning the best figures of 3-14 and Shadab Khan finishing with 3-26. Australia were routed for 108 in 15.4 overs, giving Pakistan their biggest T20I victory over Australia, eclipsing the 66-run win in Abu Dhabi in 2018. “It has to be a perfect game,” said Agha. “We batted well and then were outstanding with the ball. Fielding was outstanding.” The victory gives Pakistan an unbeatable 2-0 lead after they won the first match by 22 runs, also in Lahore, on Friday. “We want to pl...

Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins was ruled out on Saturday for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup after failing to recover from a nagging back injury, and Ben Dwarshuis will replace him for the global showpiece. Cummins played just one of the five Ashes tests against England, but Australia kept him in the provisional World Cup squad hoping for his availability in the Super Eight stage of the tournament to be played in India and Sri Lanka. Matt Renshaw also replaced fellow batter Matthew Short but veteran Steve Smith could not break into the World Cup squad despite his strong form in the Big Bash League. “With Pat needing more time to recover from his back injury, Ben is a ready replacement who offers a left-arm pace option as well as dynamic fielding and late-order hitting,” selector Tony Dodemaide said. “We believe his ability to swing the ball at good pace along with clever variations will be well suited to the conditions we expect and overall structure of the squad.” The Mitchell Marsh-led side are currently...

Saim Ayub gave an outstanding all-round performance, taking two wickets after a blistering 40-run knock as Pakistan defeated Australia by 22 runs in the first Twenty20 International at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday. This is Pakistan’s first T20I victory against Australia in more than seven years. Winning the toss and batting first, Pakistan scored 168 runs at the loss of eight wickets in the allotted overs. Despite Sahibzada Farhan’s duck in the first over, Saim and skipper Salman Ali Agha managed to anchor Pakistan’s innings with a 74-run partnership. Returning to Pakistan’s T20 side after a troubled Big Bash League season, Babar Azam could score only 24 runs before losing his wicket to Adam Zampa. For Australia, spinner Adam Zampa grabbed four wickets, including the crucial ones of Babar, Saim, and Salman. Xavier Bartlett and Mahli Beardman also took a couple of wickets each for Australia. While defending the target, Pakistan’s decision to include four spinners proved to be vital in dismantling the A...

Pakistan and Australia have held discussions on expanding bilateral cooperation in the mining and gemstones sectors amid growing international interest in Pakistan’s mineral resources.

Senior players Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi have returned to the Pakistan team for the T20I series against Australia this month, as national selectors on Friday announced the 16-member squad. The duo were left out of the squad for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka earlier this month, where all-rounder Shadab Khan made his comeback. He will form part of a strong spin-bowling contingent along with Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Tariq, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement today. The matches will take place at Lahore’s Gadaffi Stadium on January 29, 31 and February 1 and will begin at 4pm PKT. Pakistan squad and player support personnel are expected to convene in Lahore on Jan 24 and will begin their preparations for the series the following day, PCB said today. Meanwhile, Australia is set to arrive in Pakistan on January 28 and will play just their second series in the format on Pakistani soil after a solitary T20I in April 2022, also at Gaddafi Stadium. A day earlier, Ba...

Australia’s lower house of parliament has passed new laws for a national gun buyback, tighter background checks for gun licences and a crackdown on hate crimes, in response to the country’s worst mass shooting in decades at a Jewish festival last month. Two bills for stricter gun control and anti-hate measures passed on Tuesday by the House of Representatives in a special parliament session will now go to the upper house Senate for debate. The gun control laws are expected to pass with the support of the Greens party despite opposition from the conservative Liberal-National coalition. The anti-hate laws are likely to pass with support from the Liberal party. Introducing the gun reforms, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said individuals with “hate in their hearts and guns in their hands”, carried out the December 14 attack at Bondi Beach that killed 15 people. “The tragic events at Bondi demand a comprehensive response from government,” Burke added. “As a government, we must do everything we can to counter bot...

Australia will rest five top players, including Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell, for a three-match Twenty20 series in Pakistan ahead of the World Cup, selectors said on Monday. Josh Hazlewood, Tim David and Nathan Ellis will also skip the series starting later this month. Their absence opened the door to fringe players Sean Abbott, Mahli Beardman, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mitch Owen, Josh Phillippe and Matt Renshaw, who come into the 17-man squad. Chief selector George Bailey said the five were either returning from injury or having their loads managed ahead of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka which begin on February 7. “The series is a great opportunity for those on the brink of selection and some young players we rate highly for valuable experience,” he added. “Some are already experienced international players, along with Mahli Beardman who has been with the group a number of times, and Jack Edwards who joined for the last one-day match against India in Sydney last year.” Australia will play Paki...

Australia has tightened checks for student visa applicants from India, moving it to the ‘highest risk’ category along with Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, according to Australian and Indian media. The Times of India reported on Sunday that the re-rating of the countries was out of cycle, quoting Australian media, while the administration said this was triggered by “emerging integrity risks”. According to the TOI report, the administration did not cite any specific reason for which India had been assigned to a new category. However, it added that the move came after reports of “fake degree busts” in India which had reached international media. “India alone accounts for almost 140,000 of Australia’s 650,000 international students, and the four nations represent nearly one-third of 2025 enrolments,” the Indian outlet said. Impact on students Assessment levels influence not only the documentary burden but also how easily prospective students can plan to study in Australia, according to The Australia Today. “Higher...

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Australia and several other countries would join a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) advanced economies that he is hosting in Washington on Monday to discuss critical minerals. Bessent said he had been pressing for a separate meeting on the issue since last summer’s summit of G7 leaders, and finance ministers had already held a virtual meeting in December. India was also invited to attend the meeting, Bessent told Reuters in an interview after touring the Minneapolis-area engineering lab of RV and boat maker Winnebago Industries. He said he was unsure if it had accepted the invitation. It was not immediately clear which other countries had been invited. The G7 includes the United States, Britain, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Canada, as well as the European Union, most of whom are heavily dependent on rare earth supplies from China. The group last June agreed on an action plan to secure their supply chains and boost their economie...

Run-machine Travis Head hit a swashbuckling 163 and Steve Smith a composed unbeaten 129 as Australia built a 134-run lead over England to seize control on day three of the fifth and final Ashes Test on Tuesday. It was destructive opener Head’s third ton of the series, to go with the phenomenal match-winning 123 he made in Perth and 170 at Adelaide. Smith was equally impressive, with his first hundred of the series driving the hosts to 518-7 by stumps at a packed Sydney Cricket Ground in reply to England’s 384. Beau Webster was alongside him on 42 at the close. Australia lead the series 3-1 and have already retained the Ashes, with England desperate for another morale-boosting win after victory at the previous Test in Melbourne. “Nice batting wicket out there. Nice to start my innings on the back of a great innings from Travis Head,” Smith told Fox Sports. “When you’re out there with him they forget about you and I was able to get into my work. Worked out well today.” Head brought up three figures off just 105...