Cricket

Australia coach Andrew McDonald has confirmed Marnus Labuschagne is an option to open in the first Test as he revealed it was not the batter’s runs that had impressed him the most.

Pat Cummins could soon learn if he will be fit for the first Ashes Test, with coach Andrew McDonald insistent his captain is still a chance to play.

MITCHELL JOHNSON: Sam Konstas was not unlucky in the first Sheffield Shield hit-out and Marnus Labuschagne’s century should not lock him into the Ashes squad.

Mike Atherton never won a series against Australia, but he has been quick to lay the boot in with Pat Cummins unlikely to play in the first Test.

JUSTIN LANGER: Losing the Australian skipper for the first Test — or worse, the entire summer — will have monumental consequences for the series. Put simply, he is irreplaceable.

The Aussie skipper’s prospects of leading the side are getting slimmer by the day.

MITCHELL JOHNSON: The side has a proven track record, but face an age-old problem heading into this summer.

LISA STHALEKAR: Cricketers pour fuel on border tensions by entering the political sphere.

The transformation of a once gritty opener is near complete after his ascension into the national one-day squad.

Queensland No.3 Marnus Labuschagne has top-scored with 160, making a big statement in his bid for a Test recall, while NSW's Sam Konstas fell cheaply again.

LISA STHALEKAR: They start every tournament as the favourites, but nothing is guaranteed with the world’s best female cricketers facing an uphill battle this time around.

With star WA allrounder Cam Green to return to the bowling crease this weekend, Test captain Pat Cummins has shared his thoughts on whether Cam is still the man to be Australia’s long-term No.3

A WA product has earned a last-gasp call-up to Australia’s squad for their T20 series against New Zealand after Glenn Maxwell was felled in a nasty incident in the nets.

The presence of one man on the podium was enough for the cricket giants to reject the silverware.

England’s selectors have gone for aggression. But it’s one thing to unleash a 150kmh rocket in Perth on day one; it’s another to be doing it in Sydney six weeks later when the series is still alive.