Australia win toss, choose to bat in Hobart

Australia captain Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bat first in the opening test against West Indies at Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Thursday.

West Indies captain Jason Holder said he probably would have chosen to bowl first had he won the toss and was fielding four pacemen in himself, Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor and Shannon Gabriel.

Left-arm orthodox spinner Jomel Warrican will play his second test after getting the nod over leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.

Opener Rajendra Chandrika was preferred to Shai Hope alongside Kraigg Brathwaite at the top of the West Indies batting order and will also win his second cap.

The 26-year-old right-hander will be hoping for a great improvement on his debut against Australia in Kingston earlier this year, when he failed to score in either innings.

Smith had already announced the Australia team, which included one change from the side which wrapped up a 2-0 series win over New Zealand with victory at the Adelaide Oval last month.

James Pattinson joins Josh Hazlewood and Peter Siddle in the pace attack in place of left-armer Mitchell Starc, who will miss the three-match series because of an ankle injury.

"He gets another opportunity back in the side and let's hope he makes the most of it," Smith said of Pattinson, who will be playing his first test in 18 months.

"(The wicket) looks pretty good, I think it might do a little bit early on then flatten right out so hopefully we can make a good start this morning."

Head groundsman Marcus Pamplin said on Wednesday he expected the captain who won the toss to bat first and played down reports that the wicket would be a lively greentop.

"I think the ball will come right through to the batsmen," he told reporters. "It will be pretty tough for the first session but then it will be a nice batting track."

The series continues with the Boxing Day (Dec. 26) test at Melbourne Cricket Ground and concludes with the New Year's test in Sydney in early January.

Teams:

Australia - David Warner, Joe Burns, Steve Smith (captain), Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon

West Indies - Kraigg Brathwaite, Rajendra Chandrika, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Jermaine Blackwood, Denesh Ramdin, Jason Holder, Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor, Jomel Warrican, Shannon Gabriel

(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by John O'Brien)

Triple-century stand as Aussies pound Windies

HOBART, Australia (AFP) — Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh pounded tons in a triple-century unbroken stand to crush the dispirited West Indies and put Australia in immediate command of the first Test in Hobart on Thursday.

In a grim foreboding of what lies ahead for the Caribbean tourists in the three-Test series, Australia cruised to 438 for three at stumps on the opening day with the West Australian pair taking the game away from the Windies.

It was the most runs scored by Australia on an opening day of a Test in 85 years against the West Indies. At the close, Voges was unbeaten on 174 with Marsh not out 139 in a unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership of 317.

Voges slammed the fastest century for Australia in Hobart, his ton coming off 100 balls and eclipsing another West Australian Adam Gilchrist's hundred off 110 balls against Pakistan in 1999.

"It's been a great day," Voges said. "To be able to bat with Shaun for as long as I have and to put on over 300, it's been terrific.

"We're obviously good mates as well as team-mates so to spend a lot of time out there together was tremendous."

It was Voges's third Test century and second against the West Indies after scoring an unbeaten 130 on his Test debut in Dominica last June.

Marsh, in scoring his third Test century and first at home also posed a dilemma for selectors about whether he will make way for the imminent return of Usman Khawaja from a hamstring injury.

"I worked really hard over the last couple of days on my preparation and I felt really confident coming into the game," he said.

"I definitely feel comfortable at this level. I just have to keep working on my consistency."

- 'Not disciplined enough' -

The West Indies had got themselves into a reasonable position to have Australia at 121 for three at lunch with key batsmen David Warner (64) and skipper Steve Smith (10) back in the dressing room.

But Voges and Marsh batted through the remaining two sessions without difficulty to leave the West Indies in despair. 

"I thought it wasn't disciplined enough – there were too many boundary balls and we just let the game get away from us," Windies spinner Jomel Warrican said.

"That Voges and Marsh partnership was very key as well. I think they batted very well. But I also think we didn't bowl as good as we can."

Voges reached his Test century on the penultimate ball before tea, scampering through for two with Marsh taking the risk running to the danger end. 

The West Indies did not help their cause with a painfully slow over rate.

They bowled only 50 overs in the first two sessions of play and needed to call on part-time spinners to get to 89 of the regulation 90 overs under the threat of disciplinary action from the match referee Chris Broad.

Australia lost three wickets in a breezy first session of play, after openers Warner and Joe Burns set about helping themselves to the West Indian bowling attack.

Warner, who was dropped on four, was out nearing lunch for 64 off 61 balls to a leg-side catch by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin off left-arm spinner Warrican.

It was a big relief for Ramdin, who had dropped Warner in the second over from a tough chance off Kemar Roach, diving across first slip with his outstretched left glove.

The tourists had two other successes in the morning session with muscular paceman Shannon Gabriel bowling Burns on the top of middle stump for 33 in the 11th over.

Warrican, picked as the West Indies' spin option ahead of wrist-spinner Devendra Bishoo, then had Smith caught by Jermaine Blackwood at first slip for 10.

Gabriel left the field with ankle trouble and will be further assessed overnight, a team spokesman said.

Mike Mitchell responds to Steve Smith's 'hit list' bounty

Former teammates in Carolina, Smith has been of the most talkative players in NFL history over the course of his 15-year NFL career. With that in mind, Mitchell paid little attention to Smith's comments saying that the Steelers safety is on his 'lifetime hit list' after Baltimore's win over Pittsburgh last Thursday.

Smith left the game with an injury and is questionable for the Ravens next game with micro fractures in his back suffered in Thursday night's game. After a strong start to the season that included 25 catches for 325 yards in Baltimore's first three games, Smith had to exit Thursday's night's game after getting hit in the back by Lawrence Timmons. The Ravens wide receiver said that Mitchell crowed at him after the hit, saying, “How do you like that?” as Smith lingered in pain on the field before exiting the game.

"The best thing I could do without threatening him and saying, 'I will assault him when I see him' is I will say, 'I look forward to playing him again, and he's on my lifetime hit list," Smith said after the game. "I got speared in my back by an ex-teammate. I kinda know his character and who he is."

(Photo: Ted Hyman, 247Sports)

Mitchell has since responded to his ex-teammate's remarks, saying it's a non-issue as Mitchell and the Steelers prepare to take on the Chargers on Monday night football.

“It is something that he tries to use to fuel himself,” Mitchell said. “It isn't even something I concern myself with. I didn't think of anything when I heard about it, and I don't think anything about it now. I am going to continue on and play football.

“If you look at my fine history, I am more of a helmet-to-helmet kind of guy,” Mitchell said in reference to his fines while playing for the Panthers in 2013. “I am not going to spear you. I wasn't even involved in the play.”

Mitchell, signed by the Steelers last season to start at free safety opposite Troy Polamalu, has enjoyed a solid season thus far after an up and down first season in Pittsburgh. He has 19 tackles after four games while forcing a fumble in Pittsburgh's Week 1 game against the Patriots. He also deflected passes against the 49ers and Ravens while making five tackles in the Steelers game against Baltimore.

The hard-hitting safety has been one of the reasons for the defense's success since their Week 1 loss to New England, as the unit has allowed an average of just 16 points a game over the past three weeks. Mitchell has quickly gained a rapport with strong safety Will Allen, who was inserted into the starting lineup this season over Shamarko Thomas.

On Monday, Mitchell and the Steelers defense will face one of the game's best quarterbacks in Philip Rivers, who has completed nearly 71 percent of his passes this season.

While Mitchell brushed off Smith's warnings of future retribution, it will certainly be something to watch for when the teams meet again in Baltimore on Dec. 27.

Mitchell Starc's four wickets help NSW Blues flatten South Australian Redbacks

Mitchell Starc's four-wicket haul not only spearheaded an incredible fightback for NSW to win their Matador Cup match against South Australia by 110 runs, but it proved – yet again – why he is considered the world's best white-ball bowler.

The Blues' bowling attack had been set what appeared an unenviable task on Thursday, defending 266 runs at North Sydney Oval, a ground notorious for big scores. And they were up against a South Australian team that blasted 354 in their last match.

Captain's knock: Steve Smith plays a stroke during the Blues innings. Photo: Brendon Thorne

A day after Starc revealed he had put off surgery on painful spurs in his ankle to soldier on this summer, he looked fearsome as he marked out his run-up.

His 4-27 proved the purposefulness was not a show, but South Australian opener Tim Ludeman did not share in the excitement of the NSW squad, who praised their man for generating the zip needed to zap the Redbacks out on a pitch with less life than a doornail.

"He bowled full and swung it back in, as he tends to do, so it's nothing we haven't seen before," Ludeman said. 

Some of Ludeman's teammates, however, batted as though they had never seen anything quite like the Starc express. He knocked Travis Head – who scored 202 against Western Australia on Monday – for a duck in the opening over.

And he produced a third-over hammer blow when Callum Ferguson, who scored a century on Monday, was caught by Sean Abbott for one run.

Later in the match skipper Steve Smith unleashed Starc on the tail, and he produced a ball Adam Zampa had no hope of playing before ending the game when he bowled the Redbacks' No.11, Gary Putland.

"We knew if we just put [the ball] in the right area and probably bowl as if we were defending 330 or less, we knew we had the bowling attack to restrict them," said Starc.

"[The 266 NSW scored] was probably a little bit below ... where we thought it might be at the start of the day.

"I think we played really well in the first 10 overs to get through that new ball ... I think the batsman did really well there, but we probably didn't capitalise on that enough through the middle and at the end."

NSW made a winning total thanks to skipper Smith, who was the anchor of the innings after losing the toss and being sent into bat.

As Smith watched his players fall to rash shots and saw Peter Nevill and Sean Abbott run out by Sam Raphael – who has the reflexes of a cobra – Shane Watson came to an inglorious end when he was bowled trying to blast a Zampa full toss into orbit. It was cruel to watch.

It was left to Smith to salvage the innings, and after being dropped by a diving Putland in the deep when he was on 43 and surviving a run-out appeal, he was dismissed for 72. It put the Blues on course for another two bonus points.

NSW have effectively won three games through their four bonus points, which have followed dominant victories over South Australia and the Cricket Australia XI.

While Starc performed brilliantly, he received great support from Gurinder Sandhu, who sent Ludeman packing in the second over.

Abbott's pace and aggression earned him 2-14, while the NSW spin twins, Stephen O'Keefe (2-21) and Nathan Lyon (1-32), added to a collective effort.

Steve Smith's personal photos show his journey from market stall to Poundland multimillionaire

Poundland founder Steve Smith went from market stall trader to multi-millionaire by the time he was 30 years old.

He was dragged to his father's stall in Bilston as a toddler, and set up his first high-street bargain goods store when he was a teenager. He turned that into the retail empire Poundland, which he later sold for £50 million ($74.2 million).

His next venture is EstatesDirect, an online property agent.

After trading a humble townhouse in Wolverhampton, West Midlands for a 15,000-square-foot-mansion in Shropshire in 2000, he told Business Insider how he did it. 

Smith also shared with us some early photos from his days on his father's Bilston stall. We've mixed them with other images of his roots in the Midlands.

Steve Smith Sr., Lorenzo Taliafero, Crockett Gillmore miss practice Wednesday

Four important cogs in the Ravens offense missed practice Wednesday, their first since last week’s 23-20 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers nearly a week ago.

Wide receivers Steve Smith Sr. (back) and Breshad Perriman (knee) weren’t present during the early portion of practice, nor were tight end Crockett Gillmore (calf) and running back Lorenzo Taliaferro.

Smith hasn’t officially been ruled out of the game Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, and along with Gillmore, who missed the Steelers game with a calf strain, is considered week-to-week.

Perriman had his knee scoped last week to see what was holding up his recovery from a sprained PCL. He returned to practice on a limited basis two weeks ago, but hasn’t appeared on the field since pregame warmups against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 27.

Taliaferro missed practice earlier this year with a foot injury and a sprained MCL, and was listed on the injury report as still dealing with the foot issue Wedneday.

Guard Marshal Yanda was a surprise inclusion on the injury report, and was limited in practice Wednesday with an ankle injury.

Ravens' Harbaugh backtracks on declaring Steve Smith 'out'

Last Saturday on the sideline during his brother's Michigan-Maryland game, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Steve Smith Sr. would miss the team's Week 5 game against Cleveland. 

Harbaugh sang a different tune during his Monday press conference, saying nothing is official on Smith just yet. 

“He’s week-to-week,” Harbaugh said via the team's official website. “The injury report rules people out. I’ve got my own thoughts on it, as I’ve stated, but I’m just telling you there’s a process.”

Smith is dealing with microfractures in his back from a hit by Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons last Thursday night. His ability to play will be determined by how much pain he can play through, Harbaugh said. 

“Knowing Steve, he’ll want to be out there,” Harbaugh added. “He probably has one of the all-time high pain tolerances that you’ll ever see. He’s in the Hall of Fame of Pain Tolerance. That’s what our doctors told me, so that’s quite a compliment.”