Australia cruised to their 20th successive World Cup win at the expense of an under-strength Sri Lanka today to make almost certain of topping the Super Eight table.

AUSTRALIA ruthlessly dispatched Ireland yesterday to go clear at the top of the Super Eight standings.

SHANE WARNE is backing Australia to continue their relentless domination of world cricket — even after more than a third of their star-studded line-up has retired.

UNDERFIRE coach Duncan Fletcher has admitted he made selection blunders in choosing the England team for the disastrous Ashes series against Australia.

SHANE WARNE was carried off the field on the shoulders of his team-mates yesterday after the incomparable star helped Australia inflict another soul-destroying Ashes defeat on England.

ADAM GILCHRIST is confident Australia will retain their status as the world’s best Test side even though several of their great players are approaching the end of their careers.

SHANE WARNE is set to announce his retirement from international cricket today. And he could be joined by another Australia legend, fast bowler Glenn McGrath.

Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen entered Ashes folklore today with big hundreds as England approached a formidable first-innings total in the second Test.

AUSTRALIAN selectors yesterday opted for bowling cover ahead of Friday’s second Ashes cricket Test, amid doubts over Glenn McGrath’s ability to get through back-to-back Test matches with a heel problem.

IRISH cricket chiefs expect the sport to benefit from Ed Joyce’s call up to England’s Ashes squad.

KEVIN PIETERSEN toasted the best day of his life after his maiden Test hundred sealed England’s first Ashes success for 18 years.

Kevin Pietersen’s maiden Test hundred powered England to Ashes glory as the fifth Test finished in a draw at The Oval.

England’s hopes of mounting a fightback in the deciding Ashes Test were frustrated by Australia’s best opening partnership of the summer at The Oval.

ENGLAND are hoping to prove their point to Glenn McGrath in person next week as they enter the final Test seeking to end 16 years of Ashes torment.

AUSTRALIA are hoping their bowling attack is not a case of out with the old and in with the new when the fourth npower Ashes Test begins at Trent Bridge tomorrow.

Richard Gibson

Richard Gibson

ENGLAND narrowly failed to claim a major advantage in the Ashes series after Australia clung on to claim a draw in another tense and dramatic finish to the third Test at Old Trafford.

BRETT LEE took two late wickets to remove some of the shine from England captain Michael Vaughan’s 166, the first century of this Ashes series, on the first day of the third Test at Old Trafford yesterday.

AUSTRALIA have reacted to the mounting injury crisis within their ranks by calling up seamer Stuart Clark to boost their bowling options for this week’s crunch third Ashes Test.

England reignited their hopes of regaining the Ashes for the first time in 16 years when they completed a dramatic two-run victory over Australia in the second npower Test at Edgbaston.

ENGLAND responded to the partisan atmosphere of Edgbaston by exploiting Australia’s injury-hit attack and dominating a dramatic opening day to the crucial second Ashes Test yesterday.

Australia paceman Glenn McGrath was carried off the field at Edgbaston this morning after being injured in the pre-match warm-up ahead of the start of the second Test.

MICHAEL Vaughan has insisted he has no fears about facing Glenn McGrath after proving his fitness for the second Ashes Test match at Edgbaston, which starts this morning.

DAVID GRAVENEY has urged England to avoid a repeat of the errors which blighted their performance in the first npower Test if they are to gain revenge over Australia at Edgbaston.

ENGLAND have become the second best Test side in the world by persevering with selections — so to ditch such a policy when beaten once by the best would be premature and could be ultimately damaging.

GLENN MCGRATH’S superb spell of four wickets for three runs in 23 balls saw Australia beat England by 239 runs to win the first Ashes Test with more than a day to spare at Lord’s.

Kevin Pietersen was given a harsh introduction into Test cricket after Australia ruthlessly exploited his fluctuating fortunes to take command of the opening Test at Lord’s.

GLENN McGRATH settled back into his usual Lord’s routine to secure his place in cricket’s hall of fame and ruin England’s fine start to the first Test yesterday.

Glenn McGrath joined cricket’s hall of fame today by becoming the fourth player in history to claim 500 Test wickets on the first day of a first Ashes Test at Lord’s.

Kevin Pietersen earned England a dramatic victory to piled on the agony for Australia in their NatWest Series meeting at Bristol.

SUNDAY, April 25, 2004, was a bright day, full of promise, and as the red hordes streamed ... hang on ... just give me a second.

AUSTRALIA clinched their third Cricket World Cup with a thumping 125-run victory over India.

DEFENDING champions Australia demonstrated their ruthless ambition to hang onto their title as they stormed into the World Cup final with a brutal dismissal of Sri Lanka at Port Elizabeth yesterday.

Brad Hogg claimed three crucial wickets as Australia took command of their World Cup Pool A match with Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

Shane Warne is hopeful of making Australia's team for the first VB Series final against England.

Mark Butcher marked his 50th Test for England with a determined century today after he battled through an uncertain start to his innings in the final Test against a new look Australian line-up at the SCG.

ALTHOUGH Michael Vaughan was understandably delighted to finish the year on a high with his sixth century to help England record their highest total of the series of 387, once again his efforts were not enough to influence the result against a powerful Australian side.

ENGLAND’S Barmy Army have been branded a disgrace after playing an unwitting role in inspiring Brett Lee’s most hostile spell of the series and plunging the tourists further into trouble in the fourth Test.

GLENN MCGRATH was enjoying himself. Australia were totally in control of their match with Zimbabwe and the world’s best fast bowler was relishing his customary task of mopping up the tail — the weakest of the remaining batsmen — these were easy wickets for McGrath.

ENGLAND’S Ashes dream was spectacularly ended in only 25 days with fiery fast bowler Brett Lee ruthlessly completing another emphatic Test and series defeat with a hostile new ball spell at the WACA.

MICHAEL VAUGHAN benefited from the hard nosed approach of modern cricket to continue his prolific year for England and provide Australian audiences with evidence of real competition during the remainder of the Ashes series.