Australian captain Steve Smith was, on Saturday, ruled out of the Twenty20 series against India due to a shoulder injury, a massive setback for the already struggling visitors.
Josh Hazlewood hat-trick may not be enough to make WT20 XI.
It's not all doom and gloom for Australia because they have got an amazing squad and I do believe for the first time that they do have a team that can win this ICC Men's T20 World Cup, says Brett Lee.
With injuries to regular fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, Australia have included a uncapped duo Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser in their squad and recalled veteran Peter Siddle for the two-match series next month.
With the addition of two IPL teams and a mega players auction coming up ahead of the new season in 2022, star performers at the T20 World Cup could be rewarded with handsome bids.
Peter Siddle has been brought into Australia's squad while uncapped fast bowler Kyle Jamieson has been called into the New Zealand squad.
'If there were ever a PR exercise to fix the seemingly irreparable image of Australian cricket in the aftermath of the most notorious on-field scandal in recent memory, then this is it,' observes Dhruv Munjal.
The Australian team management chose Peter Handscomb ahead of Travis Head
How India's players fared in Australia.
The Australian media on Tuesday dubbed India captain Virat Kohli as Donald Trump of world sport and accused him of spreading fake news regarding their players.
Smith, playing for the Toronto Nationals, showed few signs of rust in his 41-ball innings of 61, which included eight fours and a six, before being stumped and leaving the field to a standing ovation.
India 'A' bowlers were largely ineffective, allowing Steve Smith and senior batsman Shaun Marsh to strike comfortable hundreds as Australia started their Test tour in impressive fashion in the three-day warm-up game in Mumbai on Friday.
Skipper Rishabh Pant (234 from nine games) showed glimpses of his destructive power but the team would want more from its skipper who is more than capable of hammering any attack into submission.
Former left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan believes bowlers will decide the fate of this summer's India vs Australia contest as both the teams boast of some of the world's finest bowlers in their squads.
"It's got nothing to do with the cricket - it's in the past."
Rahul didn't provide any definitive answers about three key slots in the team -- the wicketkeeper, the third spinner and the number five in the batting order.
Australia cricket coach Darren Lehmann has defended wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and the team's vocal aggression.
David Warner led from the front with a destructive cameo as Australia beat Pakistan by two wickets to clinch their first ever Hong Kong Super Sixes cricket trophy.
Images from the IPL match between SunRisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings, in Delhi, on Wednesday.
India would look to finalise their batting order for the tournament-proper when they take on Australia in their second and final warm-up game in Dubai on Wednesday.
The accused was an important link in the scam with German national Freddy Peats, who operated the sex racket in Goa until his arrest in 1991, which subsequently led to his conviction five years later.
As soon as the Aussies clinched the victory, David Warner was seen having a good time with his daughter Ivy Mae.
The humiliation in Adelaide has opened up 'serious wounds' for India and Australia now have a good chance of inflicting on the visitors a whitewash in the four-Test series, reckons former captain Ricky Ponting.
Chappell still believes that Australia might have a slight edge in Test matches
Australian fans in Cape Town dismayed at actions of scandal-hit team
Smith's career was thrown into turmoil in March for his role in the incident that took place in South Africa and earned the former Australia captain a 12-month ban from national and state teams. However, the suspension does not extend to domestic tournaments outside his home nation.
In David Warner's absence, Shikhar Dhawan lead from the front.
I'm confident Australia can do it and it all starts against South Africa -- a brilliant match to start what will hopefully be a brilliant tournament for the Baggy Greens, says Brett Lee.
Only the top ten teams will be taking part in this World Cup and they all will play each other in a round-robin format before the semi-finals stage.
Kohli is the leading Indian batsman in the chart with 886 rating points behind Australia's Steve Smith (911 points).
World Cup-winning former Sri Lanka coach Dav Whatmore believes that India have a good chance of winning a maiden Test series in Australia, in the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 1st Ashes Test played at the Gabba in Brisbane on Friday.
Virtually out of the play-off race, bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad will hope to keep their new-found momentum intact when they face table toppers Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, in Sharjah, on Thursday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad looked racing towards a huge total before the Rajasthan Royals bowlers staged a superb comeback in the final few overs.
Match-fixing scandals and payment delay of some foreign players have shattered the image of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) which was launched in 2011, forcing the country's cricket board to take control of the event and rename it the 'Bangabandhu BPL'.
Daryl Mitchell and Matthew Wade were the heroes for their respective teams as New Zealand and Australia set up a Trans-Tasman final in the T20 World Cup.
West Indian opening batsman Chris Gayle will appear for the Sydney Thunder side in Australia's Big Bash League.
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.
England fans were seen wearing crying Steve Smith masks during the first Ashes Test.
Despite the recent injury setbacks, senior off-spinner Nathan Lyon believes that the current Australian team is the 'tightest group' that he has been a part of and is certainly in a much better space than what it was two years back, when India triumphed 1-2 in Tests.
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