IMAGES from the 1st ODI played between India and Australia in Hyderabad on Saturday
Problems surrounding his family had made it tough for Usman Khawaja to be at the top of his game for Australia
Australia are still pondering over their final selection for the game at Bristol.
Playing down comparisons drawn with Australian wicket-keeping great Adam Gilchrist, South Africa batting mainstay Quinton de Kock has insisted that he just focuses on playing his own game.
'It's a long series, our bowlers have had a really big workload and we feel we're going to need Mitch's bowling at some point.'
Captain Joe Root said conditions at Old Trafford should suit the 6 foot five tall Craig Overton.
Warner has been in excellent touch as he scored lot of runs at the top of the order for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL
Since the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, Australia's on-field histrionics had been toned down under the leadership of the wicketkeeper-captain.
Australia remain confident of grabbing a valuable first-innings lead over India in the second Test despite being stonewalled by visiting captain Virat Kohli on a grassy Perth Stadium wicket that failed to match the hype on Day 2.
Paceman Mitchell Starc retains his place in the side despite what was perceived to be a sub-par performance in Adelaide, and will be looking for a strong performance in conditions which are expected to favour his skills at the new Perth Stadium.
The 21-year-old is now level with Englishman Jack Russell (vs South Africa at Johannesburg in 1995) and South Africa's AB de Villiers (vs Pakistan at Johannesburg in 2013).
Australian explosive batsman David Warner has become the second player of his country and fourth overall to enter cricket's most exclusive 6000 runs club in Twenty20 format.
While it is generally his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who has made this habit of hitting the winning runs - in some style too, Ajinkya Rahane had that honour in Rising Pune Supergiants' match against the Delhi Daredevils.
Fitting the disgraced duo of Steve Smith and David Warner into Australia's World Cup squad will be "bloody hard" given the side's resurgence without them, according to captain Aaron Finch. Both Smith and Warner are eligible to return to the national side after their 12-month suspensions for ball-tampering ended on Thursday.
Captain Aaron Finch scored a century as Australia beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the opening One-Day International between the countries at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. Chasing 281 to win, the tourists reached their target with an over to spare and took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, with Finch making 116 and Shaun Marsh unbeaten on 91.
'If he gets a couple of early wickets, he will be a different bowler but things may not go as per plan. It might take some time for him to get back the rhythm.'
Their path to the semi-finals looking relatively easier in comparison, Australia will fancy their chances when they lock horns with a struggling Pakistan side whose hopes hangs by a thread in the ICC World Twenty20, in Mohali, on Friday.
India captain Virat Kohli, on Sunday, criticised the Decision Review System, saying 'it is not consistent at all and becoming a talking point in every game'.
Australia's new squad member Peter Handscomb will be thrust into the cauldron of Thursday's World Cup semi-final against England as replacement for Usman Khawaja, coach Justin Langer has said. Langer also confirmed that all-rounder Marcus Stoinis had passed a fitness test and was ready for Edgbaston while refusing to guarantee the mercurial Glenn Maxwell a place in the team.
Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas claimed three quick wickets as Australia hobbled their way to 136-3 on Wednesday, chasing a mammoth target of 462 in the first Test in Dubai.
Adam Voges continued to capitalise on an early reprieve by scoring his fifth test century as Australia eased to 463 for six by the close of the second day's play of the first match against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve on Saturday Voges was unbeaten on 176 at stumps with Peter Siddle on 29 as the Australians stretched their advantage to 280 runs, snuffing out any hope New Zealand had of claiming victory in captain Brendon McCullum's 100th test. The 36-year-old Voges has made the most of a lifeline when he was bowled by Doug Bracewell for seven with two deliveries remaining on Friday, only for umpire Richard Illingworth to signal a no-ball. Television replays showed the delivery was legal but because the infraction had been called on the field, New Zealand were unable to ask for a review. Voges has now scored 500 consecutive runs without being dismissed and now averages more than 100 from 19 innings. The Western Australian not only bettered Bradman's batting average, he broke the 12-year-old record of India's Sachin Tendulkar, who posted 497 consecutive runs - scores of 241no, 60no, 194no and 2 - from January to April 2004.
India's quest to find the right combination for the upcoming World Cup ended with a 35-run defeat in the decisive fifth ODI against Australia as they lost the series 2-3.
Usman Khawaja has been handed the chance to audition for an Ashes place after being named in the Australia 'A' side to face England two weeks before the first Test.
Australia coach Justin Langer said that England are obviously the red-hot favourites going into the World Cup and said the team deserves to be the number one team in the world.
Picking up where he left off in the first Test in Brisbane, the opener scored 244 not out for his third century in three innings as the hosts dominated New Zealand's bowlers as ruthlessly as they had in the 208-run victory at the Gabba.
Glenn Maxwell equalled the fastest fifty by an Australian in Twenty20 internationals as the tourists clinched a four-wicket win against Sri Lanka on Friday that secured a 2-0 series victory.
The ICC's rating is presumably due to the uneven bounce that became more prevalent later in the recently-concluded second Test between Australia and India.
A series win in Australia will certainly put Kohli on a higher pedestal even though the quality of the home team's batting line-up suffered adversely due to the bans of former skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner.
Australia have named the following 17-man squad for the five-Test Ashes series against England, which begins at Edgbaston on Aug. 1.
Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has voiced his support to Ricky Ponting's suggestion that restrictions must be imposed on bat sizes in test cricket to negate an unfair advantage for the men at the crease.
Captain Virat Kohli became the second fastest to 25 Test centuries before Usman Khawaja helped Australia extend their lead to 175 runs to give the hosts a slight upperhand at stumps on Day 3 in Perth on Sunday.
Carey was named a co-vice captain of the limited-overs sides captained by Aaron Finch during the home summer, and has impressed with his glovework during recent series against Pakistan and India.
Recently recruited New South Wales spin bowler Manjot Singh, a car salesman who was coached by Sydney Sixers wicketkeeper Daniel Smith, has described his representing the Blues as proof cricket was a game that embraced all.
Australia captain Aaron Finch says playing in the sub-continent can be intimidating, but having won an ODI series last year, he says 'Knowing that our game plan is good enough to beat India in India, that gives us a lot of confidence going there.'
Wade could get a look in as Australia bring Handscomb; Stoinis fit for semi-final
The five-times World Cup winners face the tournament hosts to decide who will meet the winner of the first semi-final between India and New Zealand in Manchester on Tuesday.
It was a last-minute [situation], to transition my mind from not playing to playing, said Ashton Turner, who made the most of his opportunity with a match-winning 84 off 43 balls to help Australia level the five-match ODI series 2-2.
The hard-hitting 27-year-old becomes the fifth Australia player to leave the Indian Twenty20 tournament early following the departures of captain Steve Smith, John Hastings and Mitchell and Shaun Marsh
The duo has been left out of Australia ODI squad for UAE despite bans ending before tour end
Langer's side secured their spot in the last four with a 64-run win over hosts England at Lord's on Tuesday and return to the famous north London ground on Saturday to face neighbours New Zealand in their penultimate round-robin tie.
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