Private investors will be allowed to buy a 33% stake in eight city-based franchises that will form Australia's Big Bash League in 2011-12

Australia's selection panel will have no specialist bowling input after Merv Hughes was cut from the group

Shane Watson has fought off injuries, succeeded at the top of the batting order, and revelled in the freedom of not having to bear an allrounder's burden

Even when Nathan Hauritz is being helped it feels like he's getting hurt

Ricky Ponting, Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson will be back on duty next week after being picked for the three-match one-day series against Sri Lanka

God-fearer and man-baiter - this book shows both sides of Matthew Hayden, a man who mostly chose to behave whichever way suited him

The Australian Cricketers' Association believes a plan being considered by the ICC to use undercover agents posing as illegal bookmakers to "entrap" players is neither "reasonable" or "lawful"

Criticism from outside the camp doesn't ruffle Kumar Sangakkara. He's used to it

Muttiah Muralitharan's team-mates expect no lessening of the offspinner's powers as he begins life as an international limited-overs specialist

The opening match of the three-game India-Australia series was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Kochi

Ashley Noffke has retired from the first-class arena after 118 matches but wants to stay on as a limited-overs player for Western Australia

Cricket Australia has downgraded its rating of Test cricket after its chief executive James Sutherland said there was now "a fine balance" between the priorities of five-day fixtures and the Twenty20 Champions League

Ben Cutting is used to aiming for the corridor of uncertainty instead of being stuck in it after an off-season spent wondering when he will return from a bad case of fast bowler's ankle

Matthew Hayden is a man of many talents but even he was surprised to learn he had won the 100m freestyle at the Commonwealth Games this week

Trent Copeland was a wicketkeeper-batsman until five years ago as he juggled the roles in St George's third grade side

Neither side can find a way to dominate this series and after another absorbing staring contest the teams finished with the honours relatively even

The split-innings format will need more of the excitement provided by Nathan Rimmington if it is to grip the nation

Tasmania survived an unexpected scare from the No.11 Nathan Rimmington to hold off a fast-finishing Queensland and win the inaugural split-innings fixture

The day before the new domestic split-innings tournament is due to start and Queensland's players are still waiting for their uniforms

Mitchell Johnson arrived just in time as Australia earned a surprising 23-run advantage after India failed to build on a series of promising half-centuries