Margaret court arena, Sports venue in the City of Melbourne, Australia

Barbados-born Archer had one of the most memorable Test debuts in the recent times during the second Ashes Test between England and Australia at Lord's.He announced himself in the red-ball circuit with a relentless, hostile spell of fast bowling which put even the likes of Steve Smith in all sorts of discomfort during the course of the game, reminding fans of the famous bodyline series.Even though the second Ashes Test ended in a draw, it provided cricket lovers across the world with a glimpse of what was there in store in the future.One of the moments of the game although it led to the England player skipping a beat was when Archer bowled a ferocious bouncer to Smith which floored the former Australian skipper.Smith, who had struck twin centuries in the Ashes 2019 opener, was on 80 not out on the fourth afternoon when he was struck in the neck by a steepling 92.4mph (148 kmph) bouncer from the debutant.Before that, the 32-year-old had already received treatment for a nasty blow on the left forearm and fended off a lightning fast 96.1mph ball aimed at his ribs. But the ball which hit his neck had him at the deck immediately and he remained on the floor for an extended period before heading back to the dressing room for treatment.The Archer delivery which made Smith retire was a unique one in the sense that it wasn't that short. However, it was the pace of 92.4mph that made it such a lethal delivery and gave fans and cricketers the fright.Marnus Labuschagne, who replaced Smith as Test cricket's first ever concussion substitute, too had to face the fire from the 24-year-old England pacer on the fifth day of the Test match.Just like Smith, Archer served up another brutal short ball just the second one that Labuschagne faced that struck the batsman flush on the helmet grill.Labuschagne, like Smith, too was floored, but he was quickly back on his feet and wanted to get a quick move on even as England fielders showed concern for him.In fact, Smith has ruled himself out of the third Test after the blow.( With inputs from IANS )

Margaret Court ArenaFOLLOW

Margaret court arena, Latest News

The Asia-Pacific Group, a regional affiliate of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), has placed Pakistan in the Enhanced Expedited Follow Up List (Blacklist) for its failure to meet its standards. ...

Australia opener David Warner heaped praise on Marnus Labuschagne, who scored his second consecutive half-century, saying that the 25-year-old has got a lot of fight in him. ...

In a blow to Pakistan, the Asia-Pacific Group (APG), a regional affiliate of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), has placed the country in the "Enhanced Expedited Follow Up List (Blacklist)" for its failure to meet its standards. ...

23 Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane rescued India from a precarious situation on Day 1 of the first Test against West Indies in Antigua. Rahane walked in when India were reeling at 25/3 and, together with KL Rahul and Hanuma Vihari, rebuilt the innings. ...

David Warner seemed to be getting back among runs as Australia crawled to 54/2 at tea on a rain-affected opening day of the third Ashes Test here at Headingley on Thursday. ...

Australian men have the highest life expectancy -- 74.1 years -- as compared to any other group of males in the world, finds a study. ...

Cameron Bancroft, who failed to find a spot in the third Ashes Test, is not at his best at the moment, said Australia coach Justin Langer. ...

Former England skipper Kevin Pietersen has found a hilarious way of playing tearaway pacer Jofra Archer as he took to Instagram to post a video which shows the batsman heading the bouncer to the slip fielder. ...