3 h. ago Pat Cummins: ‘We want to play hard and fair, and I think we’ve got it right’

The Australia captain talks about leading the side against South Africa and not getting too big for his boots – but plays a dead bat regarding the Bairstow dismissal at Lord’sAs Pat Cummins opens up at the pavilion end, while gazing across the vast empty space of Lord’s a few days before Australia face South Africa in the World Test Championship final, it’s clear that the unexpected opponents this week have helped to frame his remarkable career.On Wednesday morning, while towering a foot over Temba Bavuma, his 5ft 3in South African counterpart, Cummins will lead Australia for the 34th time, in his 68th Test. The fast bowler stands at the summit of world cricket, his grizzled matinee idol charm allied to the grit which has helped him to become such a successful captain. Australia have won almost everything during his tenure of three and a half years and they are expected to retain their Test title. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago Australia v South Africa: where the World Test Championship final will be won and lost

There are subplots aplenty in the winner-takes-all contest between the once familiar foes at Lord’s Defending champions Australia face the No 1 team in the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle with South Africa out to claim the crown for the first time and finally put to bed their “chokers” tag. Australia have played their part as much as any side in stamping that label on South Africa across three decades, but much of that pain and misery could be washed away with a shock triumph at Lord’s.South Africa might be the underdogs but topped the WTC table after taking 69.44% of their possible points from 12 Tests, with Australia the clear next best on 67.54% from 19 matches. The once familiar foes did not meet over the past two years but with an intense rivalry always simmering below the surface and a winner-takes-all contest sure to light a fuse, we look at where the WTC final will be won and lost. Continue reading...

Sport

8 h. ago Steve Smith not thinking about Ashes as Australia prepare for World Test final

Australia will face South Africa at Lord’s as they look to retain their title.

Politics

31 h. ago Heartache turns to hope as South Africa seek to shake ‘chokers’ tag in WTC final | Daniel Gallan

The Proteas choking when it matters most is a tale as old as the country itself as history again weighs heavy on their World Test Championship hopesA South African cricket fan’s standout World Cup catastrophe will depend on when they were born. Baby boomers cite the time, back in 1992, when Brian McMillan was left needing 22 runs off one ball after rain in Sydney washed away any hope of a chase. Millennials are forever haunted by Alan Donald’s dropped bat in that tied semi-final in 1999. Gen Zs must still be wondering how Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller failed to get over the line with 30 needed off as many balls in last year’s T20 final.The Proteas choking when it matters most is a tale as old as the country itself. Longer, in fact, if you consider that Nelson Mandela was elected president two years after this story began. And throughout it all, one antagonist has loomed largest. Continue reading...

Politics

50 h. ago The moment I knew: she was giving birth to another man’s child – I was in absolute awe

When Laura went into labour, her new sort-of boyfriend Adam Dalzotto never left her side. Watching her give birth sent his opinion of her stratosphericFind more stories from The moment I knew seriesIn 2018 I had just started lecturing in nursing at a university in South Australia. It was the start of the academic year and I was new to town, so a colleague and I decided to check out the open-day stalls. I’d been vegan for a few years and was hoping to meet some like-minded folk.A person in a Sea Shepherd hoodie pointed me in the right direction and I was immediately struck by this woman sitting in the middle of the stall. It’s a moment captured in resin in my mind – there was a crowd of people and cupcakes on the table. I would say I was 13 paces away from Laura when I first clapped eyes on her. She was just breathtaking; smiling, happily chatting to people. She seemed to have this immense gravity to her and I could feel myself getting pulled into her orbit. I chatted to her and a fe...

Politics

63 h. ago ‘I was locked in the bathroom sulking’: Temba Bavuma on his path from township to WTC final

The South Africa captain talks about street cricket in Langa, adapting to new schools after a scholarship and why playing at Lord’s means so much“There was always some sort of allegiance with Lord’s when we were growing up in Langa,” Temba Bavuma says of his childhood as a township boy living just outside Cape Town. Bavuma, the first black cricketer to captain South Africa, will lead his country against Australia in the World Test Championship final, which begins at Lord’s on Wednesday.In the quintessentially English surroundings of Arundel, the 5ft 3in Bavuma looks as if he has gone back to being a kid in the dusty townships. “In Langa we had a four-way street,” he says, his face crinkling with the memories. “On the right-hand side of the street the tar wasn’t done so nicely and we used to call it Karachi because the ball would bounce funny. The other side was the MCG [Melbourne Cricket Ground] but my favourite section of the street was clean, and done up nicely, and we called...

Politics

64 h. ago Scotsman Obituaries: Professor Allan Langlands, Scottish oncologist who made a big impact in Australia

Professor Allan Ogilvie Langlands AM, cancer treatment pioneer. Born: 1 August, 1931 in Edinburgh. Died: 28 March 2025 in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia, aged 93

Politics

3 d. ago Stuart Broad to help out South Africa bowlers but not interested in coaching job

Broad will join the Proteas as a consultant for one day ahead of their World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s.

Politics

5 d. ago The Spin | Why neutrals should back South Africa against Australia in WTC final

Wealth of Big Three is skewing Test cricket and a big win for Australia at Lord’s would only emphasise this gulfOn a recent episode of The Grade Cricketer podcast, the hosts, Sam Perry and Ian Higgins, tore lumps out of South Africa in a foul-mouthed tirade about the World Test Championship final against Australia. Perry predicted a finish “inside three days” and Higgins, practically thumping the table, said: “If I don’t look at a scorecard and South Africa are three for spit my TV is going through the window.” Cue big alpha chuckles and main-character knee slaps.I know they were joking, skewering Australian arrogance as much as South African frailty, and that they have built a formidable brand that runs on side-mouthed jibes and hyperbolic bluster. Still, the lizard part of my brain lit up in protest. How dare they dismiss my countrymen? I wasn’t alone in taking offence. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago South Africa seek Stuart Broad help in bid to beat Australia in World Test Championship final

England bowling icon to spend brief stint as coaching consultant for the Proteas at Lord’s next week

Sport

7 d. ago Stuart Broad to work with South Africa ahead of World Test Championship final

This will be Broad’s first coaching role, with the 38-year-old having been a television pundit for Sky Sports since retiring from playing.

Sport

1 week ago Ramsay art prize 2025 finalists: a giant teddy, a Scrub Daddy and a moving meditation on war – in pictures

The $100,000 award is Australia’s richest art prize for artists under 40, with finalists exhibited at the Art Gallery of South Australia until 31 August. Here’s a selectionArchibald prize 2025 finalists – in picturesGet our weekend culture and lifestyle email Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Raise a Glass to New South Wales: Australia’s Most Exciting Wine State

New South Wales is made for ultimate indulgence, with a myriad of gourmet experiences and cellar doors nestled in some of the state’s most breathtaking landscapes

Politics

1 week ago More interstate dust storms expected if South Australia drought continues, expert warns

Haze hits Sydney suburbs on Tuesday morning after crossing NSW from SA and VictoriaAustralia news live: latest politics updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastParts of Sydney faced “extremely poor” air quality warnings on Tuesday morning as a dust storm swept eastwards from inland Australia.Sydney’s north-west and central west including Parramatta had the heaviest air pollution, with very poor air quality also observed across Sydney stretching as far south as Goulburn and as far north as Muswellbrook, according to official pollution monitoring stations. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Sydney dust storm: some residents advised to stay inside due to ‘extremely poor’ air quality

Haze hits Sydney suburbs after crossing NSW from South Australia and VictoriaAustralia news live: latest politics updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastParts of Sydney faced “extremely poor” air quality warnings on Tuesday morning as a dust storm swept in from the east.Sydney’s north-west and central west including Parramatta had the heaviest air pollution, with very poor air quality also observed across Sydney stretching as far south as Goulburn and as far north as Muswellbrook, according to official pollution monitoring stations. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago ‘Desolate’: farmers in NSW’s west battle drought as east coast mops up after floods

The area is in the grips of disaster, with surrounding regions also expected to slip into drought by mid-winterAustralia news live: latest politics updatesGet our breaking news email,free app ordaily news podcastWhile parts of Australia battle floods, farmers in the south are selling off stock, abandoning crops and pleading for help as drought deepens.Farmer Paul Manwaring has been living in the shadow of rain.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Record floodwaters in eastern Australia leave 4 dead and 1 missing

Officials say record floodwaters on Australia’s east coast have left four people dead and one missing as rain eased over the disaster area

Events

2 w. ago This tiny Australian bat is the size of a matchbox. But it flies up to 150km a night in search of food

Until now, little was known about foraging flights of critically endangered southern bent-wing bats, which roost in cavesGet Guardian Australia environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as an emailGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA tiny, critically endangered bat – roughly the size of a matchbox – can fly about 150km in a single night, new research has found.Southern bent-wing bats roost in caves in south-west Victoria and south-east South Australia. They fly out at night in search of food, eating about half their body weight in insects. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump falsely says South Africans fleeing ‘white genocide’ to Australia in chaotic meeting with Ramaphosa

South Africa doesn’t rank in top 10 countries of origin for humanitarian entrants to Australia

Politics

2 w. ago Record floodwaters in eastern Australia leave 1 dead and 3 missing

Australian officials say record floodwaters on the country's east coast have left one person dead and three others missing, as more heavy rain is forecast in the area

Events