West Indies vs Australia LIVE: Lyon dropped for Boland as Cummins wins toss and bats in Jamaica
Lyon dropped from Australian XI
Big story brewing from Tom Decent in Kingston.
Nathan Lyon has been dropped from Australia's XI.
Selectors have gone for a five-pronged pace attack of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc (100th Test), Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, as well as all-rounder Beau Webster.
Cummins flagged the move on Friday, saying 'all options' were on the table.
It's a bold call but shows Australia feel their best chance of a quick result is to blast the Windies off the park.
'[There are] a few more unknowns, so we just want to have another look at the wicket and give it a bit of time and work out a team later on today,' Cummins told reporters in the build-up to the clash.
'I think mainly pink ball [is a consideration] and trying to get our heads around exactly what it's going to do.
'That last session [under lights] might be a little bit longer than Adelaide.'
4.05am
Why this could be Australia's final Test tour of the West Indies
By Tom Decent
Australian cricket tours of the West Indies are steeped in nostalgia – long viewed as the dream trip for players and spectators alike.
But heading into this third Test in Jamaica, the venue of Australia's famous series win in 1995, a sobering question hangs in the air: could this be Australia's last visit to the Caribbean for a Test series?
That might sound alarmist, but it reflects genuine concern amid confidential discussions between global cricket's powerbrokers about the future of the longest format.
The International Cricket Council's Future Tours Program – the blueprint that maps out bilateral series – is still being finalised.
But according to well-placed sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the talks, there are currently no Tests locked in between Australia and the West Indies in the Caribbean from 2027 onwards.
4.05am
Good morning
Hello, and good morning (well, it's a very early good morning from Australia anyway).
I'm Daniel Brettig and I'll be taking you through day one of the pink-ball, day-night Test in Jamaica between the West Indies and an Australian side looking to clinch a clean sweep of the Frank Worrell Trophy.
Sabina Park has been the scene of many indelible moments in the history of Test cricket, not least Steve Waugh's 200 in 1995, which formed the backbone of the victory that helped Mark Taylor's team become the first to beat the West Indies in a Test series for 15 years. In doing so, they claimed global supremacy for Australia, and began the start of 30 years of sad, protracted decline for the Caribbean side.
That said, the following series in 1999 was one of the greatest ever played, as Bria Lara's own Sabina Park double century was the catalyst for the West Indies to rebound from being bowled out for 51 in the opening game in Trinidad and set up a breathless 2-2 drawn series. That was the last time Australia lost on his ground.
Play is set to begin at 4.30am AEST.
4.05am
Lyon dropped from Australian XI
Big story brewing from Tom Decent in Kingston.
Nathan Lyon has been dropped from Australia's XI.
Selectors have gone for a five-pronged pace attack of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc (100th Test), Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, as well as all-rounder Beau Webster.
Cummins flagged the move on Friday, saying 'all options' were on the table.
It's a bold call but shows Australia feel their best chance of a quick result is to blast the Windies off the park.
'[There are] a few more unknowns, so we just want to have another look at the wicket and give it a bit of time and work out a team later on today,' Cummins told reporters in the build-up to the clash.
'I think mainly pink ball [is a consideration] and trying to get our heads around exactly what it's going to do.
'That last session [under lights] might be a little bit longer than Adelaide.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Perth Now
Aussie CEO says working from home is the ‘worst thing ever'
The CEO of a luxury travel company has hit out against employees who want to work from home, telling them to move to 'somewhere that does that'. Adam Schwab, Luxury Escapes chief executive, said his workers are expected to be in office for the entire five day working week. He told the Herald Sun that working from home is 'the worst thing ever', and that it is hard to 'progress your career if you can't learn from other people'. Mr Schwab went on to claim that work promotions are often based on 'who's in your proximity'. 'It's hard to progress your career if you can't learn from other people. If people can't see you. Unfortunately, getting promoted is often based on just who's in your proximity,' he said. He says flexible working arrangements can be available when needed, but that employees must always provide a reason. 'Obviously, if someone has a real need we'll work around that.' Luxury Escapes was founded in 2013 by both Mr Schwab and his friend from school, Jeremy Sane. The company has grown from a small Australian based team, to a now global company with more than 600 employees. Mr Schwab said Luxury Escapes' employee retention rate is very high, with less than 10 per cent leaving the company each year. The CEO said this is a good number and that percentage of people leaving represents those who get a different job or are retiring. He said he believes in collaboration, and told employees that would rather work from home to instead find another job, claiming Luxury Escapes is 'not for (them)'. Luxury Escapes now has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, London, Barcelona and Singapore. Mr Schwab began his professional career as a lawyer. 'I thought I really wanted to be a lawyer. And then you do it and you realise it's really not good. It's pretty boring. It's really long hours. I was an okay lawyer … but (there were) people who were really, really good lawyers. I wasn't ever going to be that.' Both Mr Schawb and Mr Sane decided to leave their corporate jobs behind and started a short term accommodation business in Melbourne. They then created Luxury Escapes after deciding to work in the travel business, and the company now has more than eight million members.

The Age
6 hours ago
- The Age
The ‘Sincaraz' era is here: Sinner gets revenge for Paris with Wimbledon win
Loading The sport's powerbrokers could not have dreamed of the 'Sincaraz' emergence when they began imagining tour life after the magic carpet ride they went on with Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Alcaraz believes the rivalry is producing tennis no one else is capable of – and warns it will only get better. 'I'm really happy about having this rivalry with him. I think it's great for us, and it is great for tennis,' Alcaraz said. 'Every time we play against each other, I think our level is really high. I think we don't watch a level like this [anywhere else], if I'm honest with you. I don't see any player playing against each other, having the level that we are playing when we face each other. 'We're building a really great rivalry because we're playing the final of a grand slam, of Masters, the best tournaments in the world. It's going to be better and better. 'The level that I have to maintain, and I have to raise, if I want to beat Jannik is really high, so I'm really grateful.' Sinner and Alcaraz, as a rivalry, are on the way to becoming everything Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray were, along with Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, and any combination of John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors. Alcaraz had beaten his Italian opponent five times in a row before the Wimbledon final – four of which went the distance – so Sinner's victory in London was significant. 'It is important because when you lose several times against someone, it's not easy,' Sinner said. Loading 'But at the same time, in the past, I felt that I was very close. If you watch all the match-ups, I'm starting Beijing, [and it was] 7-6 in the third. Then Rome, I had a set point in the first set – I couldn't use it. Then, in Paris, happened what happened. 'I keep looking up to Carlos because, even today, I felt like he was doing a couple of things better than I did … [and] he's going to come for us again. There is not only Carlos, but everyone. 'We have a big target on us, so we have to be prepared. Then, we see what's happening in the future.' Sinner's Australian co-coach, Darren Cahill, also does not believe it will be a 'two-man show' for the next decade, but there is a widening chasm between them and the rest for now. 'The rivalry, I think, is amazing already, and I think it can get better with both these players pushing each other … [but] it's difficult to compare this rivalry to what we've just had,' he said. 'It's been a golden age in tennis with Novak, Roger, Rafa and Andy. They dominated for 20 years … these guys still have a ways to go, but they've started incredibly well. I have fingers crossed that they're going to have a great 10 or 15 years to go, and they'll have some more amazing matches.' Sinner and Alcaraz won the last seven major titles combined, starting with last year's Australian Open. Alcaraz also claimed the 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon championships, and there have been only three Djokovic interventions in that time. Australia's Rinky Hijikata has not played against either of them, but watched in awe as they slugged it out at Roland-Garros. 'The French Open was one of the best matches I've ever seen. I thought the level was a joke,' Hijikata said. 'Sometimes, you were watching, and you didn't feel like they were playing the same sport as you. The rivalry that they have is great for the sport, and [they are] two unbelievably, genuinely good guys also, so I'm pumped for both of them.' The 'Sincaraz' rivalry 2021: Paris Masters, round of 32, Alcaraz d Sinner, 7-6 (7-1), 7-5 2022: Wimbledon, round of 16, Sinner d Alcaraz, 6-1, 6-4, 6-7 (8-10), 6-3 Umag, final, Sinner d Alcaraz, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-1 US Open, quarter-final, Alcaraz d Sinner, 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-7 (0-7), 7-5, 6-3 2023: Indian Wells Masters, semi-final, Alcaraz d Sinner, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 Miami Masters, semi-final, Sinner d Alcaraz, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-2 Beijing, semi-final, Sinner d Alcaraz, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 2024: Indian Wells Masters, semi-final, Alcaraz d Sinner, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 Roland-Garros, semi-final, Alcaraz d Sinner, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 Beijing, final, Alcaraz d Sinner, 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) 2025: Rome Masters, final, Alcaraz d Sinner, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 Roland-Garros, final, Alcaraz d Sinner, 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2) Wimbledon, final, Sinner d Alcaraz, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 Total: Alcaraz leads 8-5 The decisive moment Sinner, who was banned for three months earlier this year after coming to an agreement with WADA over an anti-doping rule breach, enjoyed good fortune to make it this far. He trailed Grigor Dimitrov by two sets in the fourth round at the start of the week, before the Bulgarian retired with a right pectoral muscle injury that has since required surgery. A four-point sequence from double-break-point down while serving for a 5-3 lead in the fourth set proved the decisive moment for Sinner as he avoided the cruel fate that befell him on the brink of victory in France. He landed only one first serve in that stretch, but played courageously – and was rewarded. Sinner was two sets from the title in the next game on Alcaraz's serve, but the script demanded that the Italian close it out himself, to banish the demons from five weeks ago. Sinner did not flinch, starting with outlasting Alcaraz in a baseline exchange on the first point. He raced to triple championship point, and fired down a 220km/h serve – his fastest of the day – on the second of them that Alcaraz could not return. A huge smile instantly broke out on Sinner's face, with arms aloft, before he met Alcaraz for a wholesome exchange at the net, as the latest – but certainly not the last – chapter in their captivating rivalry concluded. 'It's always a bad feeling losing matches. I think it's a little bit even worse when you lose in a final,' Alcaraz said. 'I'm just really proud about everything I've done; the last four weeks on grass here in London. I leave Wimbledon with the head really high because I did everything that I could today. I just played against someone who played an unbelievable game.' In a match with little between the combatants, Alcaraz bemoaned his first-serve percentage of 53, compared to Sinner's 62, which was costly when coupled with seven double faults despite him adding 15 aces. Living up to the hype The second grand slam final between the ATP Tour's new superstars was hugely anticipated, so much so that the queue to occupy a patch of grass on Henman Hill – or Murray Mound, whatever tickles your fancy – was hundreds of metres long. Even Prince William made the trek to Wimbledon, joining the Princess of Wales, who backed up from the women's final, while the Hewitts – Lleyton and Bec – were one row back in the royal box with Andre Agassi. King Felipe of Spain jumped on a plane to be there, too. Alcaraz ended his post-match speech by saying how honoured he was that the king came to watch him. Loading Sinner doubted after his straight-sets semi-final win over seven-time champion Djokovic two days ago whether he and Alcaraz could live up to their Roland-Garros thriller. But these two prizefighters don't know how to do routine, at least when they are on opposite ends of a baseline. The theory in tennis circles was that Sinner needed this one, since Alcaraz had won all five of their on-court stoushes since the start of last year. They were all close, but the Spaniard kept winning them. Until now.


The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Garner takes reins for Kangaroos' AFLW flag defence
Jasmine Garner has added another accolade to her glittering AFLW career, named captain of North Melbourne for their premiership defence this season. Garner will lead a new-look leadership group of six players in 2025, after flag-winning skipper Emma Kearney stepped down last week. The 31-year-old Garner is a seven-time All-Australian and has won the Kangaroos' best-and-fairest award five times. "I never thought I would captain a team one day," Garner said. "To be voted in by my teammates, it's really special. "When I think of my whole career, it's definitely something I'm most proud of." Garner will be supported as vice-captain by fellow inaugural North Melbourne player and premiership teammate Ash Riddell. Experienced defender Libby Birch, Nicole Bresnehan, Bella Eddey and Jasmine Ferguson round out the leadership group. "Ash leads the way with her standards year in year out," Garner said. "You can't question what she does, we all look up to her. "Alongside the other leaders, I'm really looking forward to working with them." Kearney led the Kangaroos from their first season in 2019 and played a crucial role in last year's breakthrough grand final triumph. The 35-year-old has long been admired as one of the competition's best leaders. "Kearns has helped build my leadership along the way," Garner said. "I know she's still going to be there to lean on and I'm just excited that she doesn't have to worry about captaincy. "She can just go out there and play footy." North Melbourne's premiership defence starts in a round-one clash with Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on August 16. Jasmine Garner has added another accolade to her glittering AFLW career, named captain of North Melbourne for their premiership defence this season. Garner will lead a new-look leadership group of six players in 2025, after flag-winning skipper Emma Kearney stepped down last week. The 31-year-old Garner is a seven-time All-Australian and has won the Kangaroos' best-and-fairest award five times. "I never thought I would captain a team one day," Garner said. "To be voted in by my teammates, it's really special. "When I think of my whole career, it's definitely something I'm most proud of." Garner will be supported as vice-captain by fellow inaugural North Melbourne player and premiership teammate Ash Riddell. Experienced defender Libby Birch, Nicole Bresnehan, Bella Eddey and Jasmine Ferguson round out the leadership group. "Ash leads the way with her standards year in year out," Garner said. "You can't question what she does, we all look up to her. "Alongside the other leaders, I'm really looking forward to working with them." Kearney led the Kangaroos from their first season in 2019 and played a crucial role in last year's breakthrough grand final triumph. The 35-year-old has long been admired as one of the competition's best leaders. "Kearns has helped build my leadership along the way," Garner said. "I know she's still going to be there to lean on and I'm just excited that she doesn't have to worry about captaincy. "She can just go out there and play footy." North Melbourne's premiership defence starts in a round-one clash with Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on August 16. Jasmine Garner has added another accolade to her glittering AFLW career, named captain of North Melbourne for their premiership defence this season. Garner will lead a new-look leadership group of six players in 2025, after flag-winning skipper Emma Kearney stepped down last week. The 31-year-old Garner is a seven-time All-Australian and has won the Kangaroos' best-and-fairest award five times. "I never thought I would captain a team one day," Garner said. "To be voted in by my teammates, it's really special. "When I think of my whole career, it's definitely something I'm most proud of." Garner will be supported as vice-captain by fellow inaugural North Melbourne player and premiership teammate Ash Riddell. Experienced defender Libby Birch, Nicole Bresnehan, Bella Eddey and Jasmine Ferguson round out the leadership group. "Ash leads the way with her standards year in year out," Garner said. "You can't question what she does, we all look up to her. "Alongside the other leaders, I'm really looking forward to working with them." Kearney led the Kangaroos from their first season in 2019 and played a crucial role in last year's breakthrough grand final triumph. The 35-year-old has long been admired as one of the competition's best leaders. "Kearns has helped build my leadership along the way," Garner said. "I know she's still going to be there to lean on and I'm just excited that she doesn't have to worry about captaincy. "She can just go out there and play footy." North Melbourne's premiership defence starts in a round-one clash with Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on August 16.