England batter Joe Root defended fellow teammate Jamie Smith for his dismissal in the first innings of the final Sydney Test
Spinner Todd Murphy has been called into the Australia squad in place of the injured Nathan Lyon for this week's fourth Ashes Test, while captain Pat Cummins will skip the rest of the series as his back issue is managed.
Captain Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon have returned to the Australia XI for the third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide.
Australia's Jake Weatherald says he is excited about the possibility of opening the batting with Usman Khawaja in the first Ashes Test against England later this month.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Ashes Test played in Perth on Friday.
Reeling from injuries to captain Pat Cummins and paceman Josh Hazlewood, Australia have received a boost ahead of the first Ashes Test in Perth starting Friday, with Cameron Green telling reporters he is ready to bowl free of any restrictions.
'The moment was right': Head floors England with match-winning hundred
Mitch Owen has been rewarded for his fine form in his first five Twenty20 internationals by being named in both of Australia's squads for short-format series against South Africa in the far north of the country next month.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Ashes Test in Perth on Saturday.
During England's run-chase of 435 runs, Lyon had taken three crucial wickets in the second innings and a total of five throughout the game to help his side gain an upper hand.
Besides his batting, he was just as exceptional behind the stumps, taking some really clean catches to prove his mettle as one of the best glovesmen in world cricket right now.
Chasing a world record 435 runs to win, England were reduced to 207 for six at stumps on Day 4 of the third Test, still 228 runs short of victory
All-rounder Max Maxwell, who has been sidelined by a wrist injury, will come in for the last three games, while Test certainty Josh Hazlewood will skip the last three games.
Steve Smith said the decision to drop Nathan Lyonwas taken to strengthen the pace-bowling department.
Australia's selectors chairman George Bailey defended sticking with the Test side's veteran core for the Ashes on Wednesday following criticism from former captain Steve Waugh about the team's ageing profile.
The hosts lost six wickets in the first session for 94 runs after resuming on four for no loss on Day 2 of the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne.
'If opener is where I need to bat to be playing in the Test team, that's fine.'
He also admitted to learning a lot from 'one of the best players in the world', his teammate Steve Smith.
Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja would open the innings for Australia in the WTC final against South Africa while the fit-again Cameron Green would bat at the No. 3 position.
The cricketing ecosystem has learned to survive the prolonged absence of Kohli and Rohit -- at least in two formats -- in this interim period.
Bavuma said his hamstring was 'feeling good' ahead of his return, and the South African skipper also confirmed he would bat at number three for the opening match of the three-game series behind openers Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram.
The contest between England's dialled-down "Bazball" approach and Australia's more methodical batting could determine who prevails in the Ashes series beginning in Perth on Friday.
Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne will be pushed up in the order to open alongside Usman Khawaja.
England's Stokes praises Australia's Head, supports his own errant batters
Virat Kohli, 36, and Rohit Sharma, 38, are active internationally only in the 50-overs format but their future beyond the three-match series is uncertain.
Their last eight Tests in Perth have all been defeats, with the most recent setback a bitter innings and 41-run capitulation in 2017 that saw Joe Root's team surrender the urn.
'That so many have reached such an advanced stage of their careers without obvious replacements is certainly a reflection of their quality, but will be a matter of concern in the case of more injuries during the series.'
Captain Pat Cummins reflected on the significance of this Christmas gathering, highlighting the strong bond within the Australian cricket team.
'I don't see an end date with the way he's training, the way he's preparing, the way he's moving.'
Gillespie said that he feels that either one of Labuschagne or Usman Khawaja, the 38-year-old who failed to touch double-digits in both WTC final innings, will miss out on West Indies tour, which comprises three Tests, starting June 25.
Skipper Pat Cummins, who missed the tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child in February and was also ruled out of the Champions Trophy campaign with an ankle injury, will take the reins against South Africa.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald hinted at a rejig in the top order after misfiring in the World Test Championship final defence against South Africa at Lord's.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj produced a career-best 5-33 to dismantle Australia and bowl South Africa to an emphatic 98-run victory in the opening one day international in Cairns on Tuesday.
England have not won an Ashes Test match in Australia for nearly 15 years but their batting firepower could prove decisive in the series starting in Perth next month, according to former captain Alastair Cook.
Marnus Labuschagne praised the Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah on Sunday for his outstanding performance throughout the Test series.
On Day 5 of the 3rd Test at the Gabba in Brisbane, Bumrah shook up Australia's top order early after lunch to carve his name in the annals of Indian cricket history.
The right-hander feels that keeping India's relatively inexperienced pace attack, aside from Jasprit Bumrah, on the field for as long as possible could be the key for the hosts in the five-Test series beginning in Perth on Friday.
Australia, who won the preceding T20 series between the sides, lost opener Travis Head and number three Marnus Labuschagne inside four overs.
Root reached the milestone during his 69th WTC appearance - a single pushed to deep backward square leg brought up yet another half-century and sealed his place in the record books.
The Indian team's heavy reliance on all-rounders will be tested by a plucky Australia in the second ODI but the spotlight will continue to stay firmly on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom would look to turn back the clock with series-saving knocks in Adelaide on Thursday.
