India vs Australia: 7 Year Old Archie Schiller Named Australia's 'Co-Captain' For Boxing Day Test
Cricket Australia announced on Sunday that seven-year-old Archie Schiller will lead the hosts in the iconic Boxing Day Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Schiller, who suffers from a rare heart condition, will be co-captain alongside Tim Paine in the third Test against India starting on Wednesday. The leg-spinner, who turned seven on Saturday, from Adelaide is set to partner Nathan Lyon after his ascension to the leadership role. Schiller was named in Australia's squad for the Boxing Day Test last month.
He learned of his inclusion in the extended squad for the third Test via a phone call from coach Justin Langer.
Schiller, a fan of Nathan "Gary the Goat" Lyon, confidently told Langer that he can get India skipper Virat Kohli out at the MCG.
Schiller, who aspires to be a leg-spinner, trained with the Australian players in Adelaide ahead of the first Test and was given the team jersey.
"Obviously Arch has been through a really tough period and his family," Paine said.
"When his dad asked him what he wanted to do, he said 'I want to captain Australia'.
"I think it's been picked up along the way and we're rapt to have someone like that around. He adds a bit of perspective I think.
"Sometimes we live a life, it's very good, but you can be consumed in your own life at times, so to have someone like that around is actually really inspiring for our group.
"It's great to have him around and we look forward to his debut on Boxing Day."
Australia go into the third Test of the four match series on a high after their series-levelling victory at the Optus stadium in Perth.
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Hezbollah leader vows not to disarm, criticises Lebanese government’s move
Beirut: Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Kassem on Friday (August 15, 2025) vowed that the Iran-backed group would not lay down its weapons, criticising the Lebanese government’s recent decision to disarm the group by the end of the year, according to a report published by The Hindu. Speaking during a televised address marking a Shiite religious event, Kassem said the move “serves Israel’s interests” and endangers the lives of “resistance fighters and their families.”
Kassem argued that the government should instead have “spread its authority and evicted Israel from Lebanon,” adding that it is “serving the Israeli project.” He warned that if the ongoing crisis escalates into internal conflict, the government would be responsible. While Hezbollah and its Shiite ally, the Amal movement, have not yet called for street protests, Kassem cautioned that if such a decision is made, demonstrators “will be all over Lebanon and head to the U.S. embassy.”
Last week, the Lebanese government approved a U.S.-backed plan to disarm Hezbollah and implement a ceasefire with Israel, a move urged by the international community following the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war that ended in November.
Kassem insisted that Hezbollah will only discuss a national defence strategy concerning its weapons once Israel withdraws and halts near-daily airstrikes, which have killed many of its members since the war. “The resistance will not hand over its weapons as the aggression continues and occupation remains,” he said, adding that the group is prepared for a prolonged battle if necessary.
The war has weakened Hezbollah, causing significant loss of life among its leadership, displacing over 1 million people in Lebanon, and inflicting reconstruction costs estimated at $11 billion by the World Bank.
