Australia will have to dust off the cobwebs but are still fancied to successfully defend their World Test Championship crown against equally ring-rusty South Africa in the final at Lord's.
Steve Smith's manager debunks former Australian captain's retirement talks
Head smashed a swashbuckling hundred to fetch Australia a first innings lead of 157 at his home ground the Adelaide Oval.
Australia will be aiming to become the first-ever side to defend their ICC WTC mace as they take on Proteas in the 'Ultimate Test' from June 11 onwards at Lord's.
Mitchell Starc and Steven Smith believe that Virat Kohli is an Australian in the way he thinks, acts, and has the desire to perform in big games.
Aiden Markram scored an unbeaten century as South Africa edged tantalisingly close to an unlikely success in the World Test Championship final, needing 69 runs to dethrone Australia after reaching 213-2 at stumps on the third day at Lord's on Friday.
Leg spinner Adam Zampa was the most experienced bowler for the Aussies, having played 111 ODIs.
Australia hope to unlock Steve Smith's potential in Twenty20 cricket ahead of this year's World Cup
Their pre-tournament decision to fill the squad with five spinners drew a lot of flak from all corners, but it is now proving to be a masterstroke on the slow pitches in Dubai.
England skipper Jos Buttler expressed delight in Ben Duckett's record-breaking knock even as he hailed Australia for chasing down a massive total of 352 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy Group B match in Lahore on Saturday.
Virat Kohli top-scored with a fluent 84 as India overpowered Australia by five wickets to storm into the ICC Champions Trophy final, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
The Australian media summed up their team's 295-run hammering by India in the opening Test with strong headlines such as 'Perth-etic Humiliation' and 'Monster Loss', former players called for some tough decisions, including sacking Marnus Labuschagne.
Steve Smith shouldn't captain Australia again as the original skipper Pat Cummins is doing a great job, said former all-rounder Shane Watson.
Harbhajan Singh may have been a thorn in the flesh for Australia in the past but current skipper Steve Smith ranks the off-spinner among his favourite Indian cricketers alongside Sachin Tendulkar.
What each team from Group B needs to do to make the semis.
In 136 ODIs, Smith has scored 4,722 runs at an average of 44.13. His best individual score is 164.
Australia's historic pedigree in cricket's biggest tournaments will count for nothing when they run into an Afghanistan side that is fast cementing its place in the game's top table in the Champions Trophy match in Lahore on Friday.
Former skipper Ricky Ponting predicted that the Baggy Greens will dominate the Rohit Sharma-led side in the five-match series.
Cameron Green said that his body is in great shape, where he can contribute well as a bowler
Australia bring an ageing squad and a few players short of fitness to the T20 World Cup but will have the same easygoing confidence
Images from Day 4 of the third Test between Australia and India in Brisbane on Tuesday.
India's batters will need to fire on all cylinders when they come out to bat and former India spinner Harbhajan Singh lists key strategies the visitors will need to adopt to claw back into the game.
Defeat will severely dent both the teams' dreams of a semi-final berth in the tournament, as South Africa and Australia have already notched two points.
Travis Head conceded that he was immensely fortunate to survive a fine spell from Jasprit Bumrah on the Day 2 of the third Test in Brisbane on Sunday.
As he closes the most revered chapter of his career, here are some of his best Test knocks:
Former Australia opener David Warner on Tuesday said he is willing to come out of retirement and play against India in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, if the home team needs him in the opening slot.
IMAGES from the ICC Champions Trophy Group B match between Afghanistan and England at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, on Wednesday.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between South Africa and Australia at Newlands, Cape Town.
Any of these match ups could influence the outcome of the Perth Test.
Eoin Morgan said the current Indian team ranks as "one of the greatest in their own conditions".
Images from Day 4 of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the MCG on Sunday.
A survivalist's mindset sees Indian batsmen fail again on the first day of the SCG Test.
The former South African quick explained the pre-set plan against Head, though it eventually fell flat on its back.
With Smith at the non-striker's end during the Australian second innings at the Gabba, Rohit decided to do some shadow batting at the crease.
These are certainly turning out to be good days for Smith fans with an opportunity to learn a few batting techniques from the Aussie run machine.
Jadeja took 5 for 47 on his international comeback with the prized scalps of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith
Smith's selection was mostly influenced by Australia's emphasis on having bowling options in their top six.
Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh hit centuries but Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath picked up six wickets to restrict Australia's first-innings lead to 24 runs on the third day of the third and final Test on Monday.
In the next cycle, the Aussies are scheduled to play four games in India, two in Pakistan and two in Sri Lanka, besides 10 Tests at home.
Virat Kohli's struggles against balls outside the off-stump in the ongoing Test series against Australia has the great Allan Border wondering if the Indian superstar has "just lost that edge".
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