The 10th season of the Big Bash League (BBL) will coincide with the much-anticipated India's tour of Australia, the host board announced on Wednesday unveiling a 61-match schedule for the country's premier T20 event.
Rohit Sharma smashed 150 as India outclassed minnows Afghanistan by 153 runs in the World Cup warm-up match in Adelaide.
World champions India will clash against hosts Australia in their first warm-up match of the ICC World Cup 2015 in Adelaide on February 8 before they take on minnows Afghanistan at the same venue two days later.
Thirty years after Imran Khan's Pakistan claimed the 1992 World Cup, Babar Azam's team may feel it is their destiny to deliver trophy.
India were 36 for one at stumps, with debutant Shubman Gill 28 not out and Cheteshwar Pujara on seven after the loss of opener Mayank Argarwal for a duck, after dismissing Australia for 195.
'We came in very excited and there was a good feel around the group ... I thought everyone, from one to 11, stood up today.'
A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup.
Opener David Warner thumped a maiden Twenty20 international century as Australia kicked off their home summer with a ruthless 134-run thrashing of Sri Lanka, at Adelaide Oval, on Sunday.
The first Test of the four-match series, beginning on December 17 will be played at the Adelaide Oval in a day-night contest. Australia have an unbeaten record in day-night Tests having won all the pink ball Tests they have played.
CA said it had built quarantine periods for touring squads into the schedule but it is unlikely at this stage that England fans will be able to travel
Shane Watson has roared back to his classy best.
Erskine said he had told Warner to keep quiet so that everyone could move on from the scandal.
Jadeja, Shami also return for limited overs series starting Jan 12
Unbeaten on 72 after another dismal batting display by England on Saturday, Ian Bell said Australia's Mitchell Johnson held no fear for him.
Last week, Team India roared into the final of the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) following an emphatic 3-1 series win over England.
Sundaram Ravi retained his place among the 'Elite', while C Shamshuddin was elevated to 'Emerging', in the ICC's panel of umpires for the coming season.
Let's go to Australia with Divyanka!
Indian openers Prithvi Shaw and Mayank Agarwal looked clueless against the Australian attack in both the innings.
Australia and India are currently gearing up for the four-match Test series. The first Test will get underway on Thursday at the Adelaide Oval and it will be a day-night contest.
Travis Head scored his second successive hundred while veteran Steve Smith wore the opposition down with a statement century to put Australia in control
'Hard one to swallow for the guys. We had the confidence and the belief to get to the knockouts. You can pick out a lot of things when you lose that way.'
On the ropes at 43-4 early in their innings, Pakistan rallied behind spectacular half centuries from Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan to post 185 for nine and delight the lively crowd of 30,000 roaring them on at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Rishabh Pant's disappointing outing against Zimbabwe isn't a cause of concern for head coach Rahul Dravid, who hinted that the flamboyant left-hander could start in the T20 World Cup semi-final against England at Adelaide on Thursday.
Australia captain Michael Clarke is fit to lead the side into the first Test against India on Tuesday and his return is a "huge boost" for the hosts, fast bowler Mitchell Johnson said.
David Warner and Glenn Maxwell struck blistering centuries as Australia flexed their batting muscles to expose defending champion India's bowling limitations in a World Cup warmup match in Adelaide on Sunday.
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.
India might be left with a mountain of runs to climb in the first Test in Adelaide but fielding coach R Sridhar was confident that the batsmen will make up for the bowlers' poor show.
Mitchell Starc claimed his second hat-trick of the match to lead New South Wales to a 171-run victory over Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield on Tuesday.
As India and Bangladesh gear up for their first-ever day-night Test, veteran umpire K Hariharan said that the match officials should worry about the twilight period.
'Full credit to our bowling attack again. Nice to get off to a good start. Chuffed with the way we bowled in this Test'
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, on Wednesday, called for severing all sporting ties with Pakistan in the wake of Pulwama terror attack which left 40 CRPF personnel martyred.
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson says he will be 'extremely surprised' if captain Michael Clarke does not score a hundred in honour of the late Phillip Hughes in the first Test against India, starting Tuesday.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya will not be considered for India's Test series against Australia starting next week despite starring with the bat in the white-ball series, captain Virat Kohli said.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was reprimanded by the ICC for celebrating aggressively after taking a wicket during the first Twenty20 International against Australia in Adelaide, on Tuesday.
Virat Kohli smashed his 39th one-day international century as India claimed a dramatic six-wicket victory over Australia at a sweltering Adelaide Oval on Tuesday to level up the three-match series at 1-1.
Usman Khawaja hit Australia's first century of the series and Peter Handscomb scored a half-century on debut as the hosts reached 307 for six with a lead of 48 at end of the second day of the day-night third Test against South Africa in Adelaide.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland believes there will be more day-night Tests in the future
To have 11 fielders on the field, Australia had to field their masseur and logistics coordinator Grant Baldwin.
"You look at the CPL which becomes more important with the next World Cup being there in the Caribbean, and how many players can you get put into that tournament to get an idea of conditions. It is an advantage,"
Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt has said that the present PCB set-up should stop wasting its time trying to organise a series against India as "it would never happen".
