Oz keeper Haddin ready to take on the ‘Poms’

LEICESTER - Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has said that he is ready to match his playing skills with rival England, and is not keen on comparisons with his predecessor Adam Gilchrist.

Poms not the issue, real fight is among quicks: Clark

LEICESTER - A spot in Australia’s pace-bowling attack, it seems, is a more pressing issue for the team than strategizing plans to overwhelm the Poms in the Ashes.

Hughes, North waiting for their Ashes debut

SYDNEY - Australian Test opening batsman Phillip Hughes and Marcus North are eagerly counting their days to become part of the historic Ashes series.

Pietersen and Flintoff hold Ashes key, says Tendulkar

LONDON - Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar feels England’s challenge in the Ashes this summer lies heavily on the shoulders of Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen.

Pietersen says he may not play all Ashes Tests

LONDON - England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who has been struggling with an achilles injury, might not play in all the Ashes Tests this summer.

Lee not upto Test standard, says Lawson

MELBOURNE - In a brutal assessment of fast bowler Brett Lee’s form,ex-Australian cricketer and former coach of the Pakistan cricket team, Geoff Lawson has said that the 32-year-old quick wasn’t up to Test standard and would have been dumped from the Australian team if injury hadn’t forced him out of the game at the end of last year.

Flintoff back in action, says reserving best for Ashes

LONDON - England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff Friday made a comeback to competitive cricket for Lancashire and is upbeat about his performance in the Ashes.

Australia’ Watson says team unfazed by Buchanan’s shift in loyalty

LEICESTER - Australia’s cricketers have said that they are not to too bothered about appointment of their former coach John Buchanan to a consultancy role with the ECB.

Freddie says he is on course to play the Ashes

LONDON - England all rounder Andrew Flintoff has said that he is confident about making it to the Ashes squad, and he proved it by knocking over former Aussie opener Michael De Venuto with his second ball.

Middlsex stint will give Hughes confidence ahead of Ashes

SYDNEY - Australian opener Phillip Hughes feels that his quick stint with Middlesex will help him to adjust well to the English conditions for the Ashes series starting next month.

Buchanan will complicate things for England, says Warne

SYDNEY - Former Australian spin wizard Shane Warne has taken a swipe at his former coach John Buchanan saying that his presence in the England team will create more chances for Australia to win the Ashes.

Nielsen not worried with Buchanan’s England assignment

SYDNEY - Australian coach Tim Nielsen isn’t losing his sleep over his predecessor John Buchanan’s decision to joining the England cricket board ahead of the Ashes.

Simpson to help Katich improve his tweakers

SYDNEY - After helping Simon Katich sharpen his batting skills for the last Ashes tour, former Australian captain and coach Bob Simpson can again be seen helping the left-handed batsmen improve his leg spin for this year’s series starting next month.

Spin caused Aussies downfall in World T20: Warne

SYDNEY - Shane Warne feels that the inability of Australians to play spin resulted in their early exit from the World Twenty20.

Flintoff confident of playing in Ashes

LONDON - Injured all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has brightened England’s chances in the forthcoming Ashes series against Australia by announcing he will be fit for the tournament.

Collignwood takes an innovative swipe on Warne’s jibes

LONDON - Australian spin legend Shane Warne may have slated Paul Collignwood for showing a lack of imagination in his captaincy, but England T20 captain took innovative swipe on Australia’s elimination from the World Twenty20.

Buchanan says may expose Oz cricketers’ chinks during ECB consulting stint

SYDNEY - Former Australian cricket team coach John Buchanan has said that he may give England inside knowledge of Australia’s cricketers as he takes up a short-term coaching job with England later this month.

Lee and Hussey get Ponting’s Ashes vote

LONDON - Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has backed Michael Hussey and Brett Lee to perform in the Ashes after their mediocre stint in World Twenty20.

Ponting backs Hussey, Lee to perform in the Ashes

LONDON - Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting is backing veteran batsman Mike Hussey and fast bowler Brett Lee to find their best form in time for the Ashes.

Pietersen to see Ashes through with pain-killers

LONDON - Kevin Pietersen will have to rely on pain-killing injections to see him through the Ashes series after he ruled out the long break he would need to cure the problem.

Flintoff on course for a comeback

LONDON - Andrew Flintoff revived hopes of an Ashes comeback with his second successful workout at Old Trafford.

Ponting sings Ashes tune to lessen ouster pain

LONDON - Knocked out of the World Twenty20, Australian captain Ricky Ponting was left singing the Ashes tune to lessen their pain.

Ponting now sets sights on Ashes after 20-20 title dream ends

LONDON - Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has said that his team’s early exit from the World Twenty20 cricket tournament will now give him and the boys more time to prepare for the Ashes to be played this summer.

Australians satisfied with Lee’s progress despite thrashing

SYDNEY - Australians remain satisfied with Brett Lee’s progress since returning from a foot and ankle surgery, despite getting a good thrashing from Chris Gayle.

KP could miss Ashes due to Achilles heel injury

LONDON - England’s Ashes hopes may have suffered a potentially devastating blow with their best batsman, Kevin Pietersen, yet to recover from his Achilles heel injury.

Cricket Australia did all they could for Symonds: Ponting

LONDON - Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting believes Cricket Australia officials did all they could for Andrew Symonds before banishing the wayward all-rounder from the World Twenty20 squad over another alcohol-related incident.

Symonds dropped from Australian World Twenty20 squad

LONDON - Australia have dropped Andrew Symonds from the Twenty20 World Cup squad after another disciplinary breach.

Lee is getting back to full fitness in time

SYDNEY - Confidence is growing within the Australian camp that Brett Lee is getting back to full fitness in time for the Twenty20 world championships and, more crucially, the Ashes campaign that follows.

Merv Hughes approves of Poms’ clowning ways ahead of Ashes

LONDON - England’s pre-Ashes treatment of Australian all rounder Andrew McDonald has the backing of Australian selector and former master on-field sledger Merv Hughes.

Oz pacer Johnson asks girlfriend Bratich to marry him

LONDON - Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has asked his karate champ girlfriend Jessica Bratich to marry him.

I don’t known when I will be fit: Flintoff

LONDON - England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is not sure whether he will be fit in time for the Ashes series starting July 8.

Symonds axed from Australia A team

MELBOURNE - All rounder Andrew Symonds’ fall from grace appears to be complete with his omission from an Australia A side to take on Pakistan A in several matches in Queensland this winter.

Buchanan helping England for Ashes

LONDON - John Buchanan, architect of Australia’s 5-0 win in the 2006 Ashes, can switch loyalties this year.

Brett Lee expects Ashes series to be tight

LONDON - Unlike his captain Ricky Ponting and vice-captain Michael Clarke, who refused to predict the outcome of the Ashes series, Australian fast bowler Brett Lee feels it would be pretty close.

Australia to use Ashes series to prove their best: Ponting

MELBOURNE - Skipper Ricky Ponting insists that Australia will use the Ashes series to show it is still the most intimidating force in world cricket.