Battle commences at Edgbaston on Thursday and the last time Australia won there was the opening match of the 2001 series which they ended up dominating 4-1.
Dejected after a 133-run loss (D/L method) against India in the second One-dayer in Cardiff on Wednesday, England skipper Alastair Cook said that his team has a lot of improvement to do if it wants to overturn the 1-0 deficit in the five-match series.
India captain Virat Kohli remained in second spot behind Steve Smith while Alastair Cook jumped nine places to be eighth in the latest ICC Test rankings after his unbeaten double century in the ongoing Ashes.
Sri Lanka held their nerve after a brilliant century by Jos Buttler to beat England by seven runs in the fourth one-day international at Lord's on Saturday and level the series at 2-2.
England ended a well contested first day of the fourth and final Test against South Africa on 260 for six with the late loss of Ben Stokes giving heart to the tourists.
'It's an exciting time to play,' says Alistair Cook.
Wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow and fast bowler Mark Wood produced a rearguard counter-attack to drag England back into the second Test against New Zealand on Friday as the visitors ended the first day at Hagley Oval on 290 for eight.
Factbox on the second Test match between Australia and England, which starts on Saturday:
South Africa took full advantage of an abject England batting display on Monday to complete an easy 340-run win in the second Test to level the series 1-1 with two games left to play.
The Barmy Army are bringing much more than just their thirst and their songs to the Test cricket arena in South Africa over the next month - an expected 10,000 visitors also provide a marked income boost for the sport, says South African cricket supremo Haroon Lorgat.
Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen appeared to have brought the curtain down on his cricket playing career on Saturday, announcing his decision to step away from the game in a series of messages on social media.
Joe Root does not admit to being a natural leader but England's new Test captain says the time spent as Alastair Cook's understudy has groomed him for the responsibility.
Pakistan finished the third day of the first Test in a strong position after Yasir Shah took six wickets as England were dismissed for 272 then the visitors reached 214 for eight in their second innings for a lead of 281.
England's pacers chipped away at the wickets to reduce to India to 174 for six in their first innings at stumps on Day 2 in the fifth and final Test at the Oval in London on Saturday.
England skipper Eoin Morgan will go into the World Cup desperately seeking form after registering a third duck in his last four innings in the four-wicket loss to Pakistan in a warmup match on Wednesday.
Eoin Morgan vowed not to make too many changes from Alastair Cook's tenure as captain.
India need one more wicket to thrash England in the third Test at Trent Bridge after the hosts ended the fourth day on 311 for nine, 210 runs short of their target.
England will not look to play for a draw on the final day of the fourth test against India but would rather try to score quickly to set the hosts a target and keep alive the series, fast bowler James Anderson said on Sunday. The touring side, down 2-0 in the five-match series, trail India by 49 runs with four second-innings wickets remaining at the close of the fourth day. On a turning Wankhede Stadium pitch, batting fourth will not be easy for the hosts, who made 631 in their first innings.
Sachin Tendulkar feels the secret of India's No.1 batsman Virat Kohli's success is playing with a "straight bat" and "visualising all three formats without ever compromising on his technique".
England cricket chiefs have moved quickly to make it clear that Alastair Cook's dismissal as one-day captain has not opened the door for a return to international cricket for batsman Kevin Pietersen.
Chris Woakes hit his maiden Test century to put England firmly in control before bad light ended play early, on Day 3 of the second Test at Lord's, on Saturday.
Ravindra Jadeja struck a career-best 70 not out as he and his lower order colleagues earned India a substantial 71-run first innings lead by lunch on the third day of the third Test against England on Monday. - Scorecard: The hosts were 354 for seven at the break with Jayant Yadav batting on 26, the pair having already amassed 53 runs for their flourishing eighth-wicket partnership.
Jonny Bairstow saved England the blushes after his half-century helped the team amass 268 for 8 after an early flurry of wickets.
Limited overs specialist Jos Buttler will replace the struggling Ben Duckett in a rejigged England batting line-up, skipper Alastair Cook confirmed ahead of his team's third Test against India beginning on Saturday.
Joe Root's third hundred powered England to a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the fifth One-day international in Pallekele on Thursday and kept alive their hopes in the seven-match series. After rain forced play to be suspended on Wednesday, the visitors returned to chase down a 240-run victory target and won with five balls to spare.
India are leading the five-match series 3-0 and should they taste success in the final Test, it will be their biggest against England, the previous being the 3-0 whitewash in 1992-93 under Mohammed Azharuddin's captaincy.
Rookie England pacer Sam Curran says it was unreal to perform the way he did only in his second Test though bowling to Indian captain Virat Kohli made him think more about his bowling.
Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara hit centuries and shared a stand of 209 to lead India to 319-4 in their first innings on the third day of the opening Test in Rajkot, on Friday, trailing England by 218 runs.
England will play four Tests, five One-Day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches on a 10-week tour of South Africa during the 2015/16 summer season.
What should India's playing 11 be for the 1st Test against England?
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