After being snubbed at the IPL auctions, Australian Steve Smith has moved to the Pakistan Super League to revive T20 career.
England Captain Ben Stokes was involved in a heated on-field exchange with Australia's No.3 Marnus Labuschagne, an incident that drew strong reactions from former players in the commentary box.
Glenn McGrath said his prediction this time is based on how England were held to a 2-2 series draw by India in the recent Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy five-Test series.
Australia pace spearhead Pat Cummins says his injury-forced withdrawal from the T20 World Cup was also driven by a desire to be completely fit for the upcoming Test season.
England last won the Ashes in 2015 and have not won a series in Australia since 2011 but Root was optimistic about their chances this time around.
'You do not progress unless you have some pretty honest and truthful conversations.'
Despite England securing their first Test victory on Australian soil since 2011, Australia have already retained the Ashes by winning the first three Tests to take an unassailable 3-1 lead.
Virat Kohli, 36, and Rohit Sharma, 38, are active internationally only in the 50-overs format but their future beyond the three-match series is uncertain.
'The prospect of Konstas facing Jofra Archer with the first ball of the Ashes on November 21 -- potentially delivered at 155km/h -- doesn't feel like a fair fight.'
All-rounder Max Maxwell, who has been sidelined by a wrist injury, will come in for the last three games, while Test certainty Josh Hazlewood will skip the last three games.
One of the most consistent fast bowlers in world cricket, Hazlewood has been a mainstay across formats for Australia, known for his IPL-style discipline, bounce and accuracy. However, injuries have interrupted his recent run.
'Someone with a strong record against Australia, especially as a coach, is worth considering. Looking ahead to the Ashes in 2027, England might benefit from a different voice -- that extra 1% that helps teams win.'
From afar on Saturday, the SCG track looked to have a distinct tinge of green on it as the groundsmen ran the roller over it.
With the Ashes urn in their hands, Australia decided to rule Cummins out of the two remaining Tests.
England on Tuesday named a 16-man squad for the Ashes series starting in Australia in November with Ben Stokes, who is currently nursing a shoulder injury, set to return to lead the side.
Rain washed out the final day of the fourth Ashes Test, forcing a draw which ensured England, trailing 2-1 with one match to go, cannot win the series and leaving Australia, as holders, guaranteed to return home with the Urn.
Now 29, Renshaw is hopeful of having another run in Test whites and believes being father to two young children has helped give him a sense of perspective.
Both Stokes and McCullum are contracted until 2027 and have publicly expressed their desire to stay on beyond the current tour.
England's young batter Jacob Bethell joined an elite list after scoring his maiden Test century against Australia on Day 4 of the fifth and final Ashes Test.
Cricketer-turned-commentator Vaughan has expressed his thoughts regarding the fourth Test. The former cricketer praised England's win but added that cricket fans should not celebrate after seeing a Test match ending in two days.
Australia head coach and selector Andrew McDonald has confirmed Usman Khawaja will play in the fifth Ashes Test against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground amid media speculation it could be his last international.
Pat Cummins will undergo final scans later in the month to determine his participation in the World Cup, Cricket Australia said.
England lost the first three matches in the ongoing Ashes series but chased down 175 to win the fourth by four wickets and score a first Test victory in Australia in 15 years.
Statistically, Head's series stands apart. Among all players to score more than 600 runs in a single Ashes, he is the only one to do so at a strike rate north of 75 -- a reflection of how decisively he altered the tempo of games.
He added that to win Test matches in Australia, a team needs to do well in all three departments, which his side didn't do throughout the Ashes series.
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.
Khawaja said his parents sacrificed a comfortable life in Pakistan, including financial security, by moving to Australia solely to give their children better opportunities and a better future.
Batters Jamie Smith and Jordan Cox have been axed while seamer Saqib Mahmood could not retain his place either.
Form and familiarity favour India in T20 World Cup
England called up spinner Shoaib Bashir and seamer Matthew Potts for the final Ashes Test against Australia beginning on Sunday with one of them set to fill the void created by Gus Atkinson's injury-induced absence.
'It's a double-edged sword, but I'm enjoying it.'
Despite flashes of talent, Sam Konstas' domestic form -- marked by erratic shot choices and a lack of consistent runs -- has intensified debate over Australia's opening options for the Ashes.
England's batting mainstay Joe Root scored his 41st Test century during the fifth Ashes Test against Australia in Sydney on Monday.
Kevin Pietersen criticises England after their Ashes loss in Adelaide
'They're all going to score because they are naturally gifted players but the real high-risk way of playing, I'm afraid it hasn't worked.'
All-rounder Cameron Green will miss the three-match ODI series against India due to side soreness.
England's batting star Harry Brook is on 'a final warning' after being involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer during the tour of New Zealand ahead of the Ashes.
Mitchell Starc, who picked up 26 wickets in four matches with an average of 17.42, has moved one rung up to share the second spot with Pakistan spinner Noman Ali.
Batting great Alistair Cook says England's 2-2 home series draw against Shubman Gill-led India was against "not a great Indian side", flagging concerns over the team's preparation for the Ashes.
Australia skipper Pat Cummins' chances of playing at next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka are "quite grey at the moment" as he battles a back stress issue that has affected his participation in the ongoing Ashes series against England.
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