Australia may opt to continue with a four-prong pace attack at Adelaide and even add another part-time seamer in all-rounder Beau Webster, who could replace batter Josh Inglis in the lower middle order.
The Indian batting great gave insights on how the Australian run-machine was able to tame England's bowlers during the recently-concluded Ashes Test series.
Australia's 45th Test captain Steve Smith started his career as a promising leg-spin bowler and middle order batsman but is now primarily a batsman.
Traditionally carved from top-quality willow, famous bat-makers, source the bulk of their willow wood from Kashmir.
Bazball is in the firing line, with former players and pundits decrying the high-risk game on Australia's spicy pitches.
Steve Smith became the fastest man to score 7,000 Test runs on Saturday, shattering a record that had stood since 1946, while moving past Donald Bradman to become Australia's 11th highest scorer.
The duo is followed by a former Sri Lanka icon, Mahela Jayawardene, with 205 outfield catches in 149 appearances.
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.
For most IPL teams, the 2026 mini auction will be all about strategic buys and role-specific additions, while for a couple of others, it is going to be a captain-centric affair.
Scott Boland will step up and uncapped Brendan Doggett is tipped for a high-stakes debut to try to shore up the loss of a combined 604 Test wickets of experience.
Steve Smith will miss Australia's first Test against the West Indies in Barbados later this month
Marnus Labuschagne, who was dropped from the Test side during the tour of West Indies in June-July, has since hit three centuries in one-dayers and a couple more in Sheffield Shield for Queensland.
Head coach Justin Langer was in awe of Steve Smith while watching him play during Australia's first practice session in London ahead of the World Cup, so much so that "it was like watching Sachin bat".
Smith dislocated his right little finger in last month's World Test Championship final and will be required to wear a splint for five weeks, Cricket Australia said.
The Perth Stadium curator has promised the wicket will be green, fast and bouncy but Stokes offered no thoughts on whether England would attack with four quicks or pick the specialist spinner, Shoaib Bashir, in their 11.
Steve Smith has once again proved why he's Australia's go-to man in crunch matches-by eclipsing none other than Sachin Tendulkar in a major ICC knockout record.
'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.'
Rajneesh Gupta previews Game 49 in IPL 12: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals.
Indian players failed to make a mark as Australians and South Africans swept the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Annual Awards with Steve Smith clinching the coveted trophies of Cricketer of the Year and the Test Cricketer of the Year.
'As a captain it makes my life a lot easier knowing you've got lots of settled players there.'
Kasprowicz recalls being thanked "for saving Test cricket" for his Ashes 2005 Birmingham dismissal
Joe Root scored his 37th Test hundred on Friday to go past the tally of former India skipper Rahul Dravid and contemporary Steve Smith.
Cummins, who was previously optimistic of taking part in a significant chunk of the series, appears to have no chance of playing the series opener in Perth from November 21 and could even miss all five Tests, leaving superstar batter Steve Smith as his stand-in captain.
Former Australia captain Steve Smith scored 20 off 16 balls on his return to the Indian Premier League but failed to inspire Rajasthan Royals to victory over Kings XI Punjab on Monday.
'He should be blooded into the senior team immediately, like Sachin was all those years ago.'
Nicholas Pooran, who announced his retirement from all international formats on Tuesday, has been appointed as the captain of MI New York in the Major League Cricket
The spotlight in the World Test Championship Final is on the electrifying duel between Australia's batting mainstay Steve Smith and South Africa's pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada.
Steve Smith has revealed that KL Rahul is someone he thinks as really impressive among Indian batsmen.
The aura of home advantage -- long regarded as a hallmark of India's Test side -- seemed secure. But in barely over a year, that fortress has not just cracked, it has collapsed, raising uncomfortable questions about strategy, selection, and temperament.
'India is much stronger in white ball than the red ball. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli... they know that these youngsters are pushing them.'
With nine Test centuries against India at home, Joe Root set a new record for the most by any batter against a single opponent in home Tests.
With South Africa's seam attack featuring Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen and Australia having Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and the ever-dependable Josh Hazlewood in their lineup, the battle between the two sides' fast bowlers is likely to be critical in determining the outcome of the World Test Championship final, as per ICC website.
Steve Smith struck his sixth century against India and found an able ally in Glenn Maxwell as Australia reached 299 for 4 on the opening day of the 3rd Test in Ranchi. Here are the statistical highlights from the 1st day's play.
Ravindra Jadeja known for his quick and sharp fielding tactics has earned praise from several former players and respect from the current stars and Steve Smith is no different.
Kohli gained two points for his half-century to get to 888 while Smith (911) lost 10 points in the table after scoring 1 and 1 in his two innings.
Showing an insatiable hunger to learn and succeed, Shubman Gill turned to senior players and former greats for insights, embodying the ethos of a student of the game.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the WTC Final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's on Wednesday
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.
Smith's tally of 774 runs from seven innings with a Bradmanesque 110-plus average in a bowler-dominated series illustrates how he single-handedly carried Australia's run-scoring burden.
'It does look like quite a dry surface and I think the footmarks will definitely come into play as the game wears on.'
