Triumphant Australia will bid farewell to Usman Khawaja as England look to recover another few scraps of pride when the Ashes series comes to a conclusion with the fifth Test in Sydney from Sunday.
No fewer than 36 wickets fell during two chaotic days in the fourth Ashes Test, leaving the captains of both Australia and England unimpressed with the Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch.
'The tailenders should have looked to bat with Jamie Smith. Really poor from the batters towards the end. The plan should have been to give him the strike and let him do the heavy lifting.'
Kevin Pietersen criticises England after their Ashes loss in Adelaide
Labuschagne underlined the cricket adage that "catches win matches", while England counted the cost of dropped chances in Adelaide.
t Pat Cummins' side firmly on top of the WTC standings, with a perfect record after six matches in the current cycle.
Australia's Usman Khawaja has declared himself fit for the third Ashes Test against England next week, brushing aside speculation about his future and saying he will keep playing as long as he is valued by the team.
Captain Ben Stokes believes England can build on the positives from their loss in the third Ashes Test to Australia in Adelaide as they look to claim the country's first win Down Under in almost 15 years in the series' two remaining tests.
England batter Joe Root defended fellow teammate Jamie Smith for his dismissal in the first innings of the final Sydney Test
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.
Usman Khawaja said he hoped his long Test career, which will come to an end with his retirement after the fifth Ashes clash, inspires youngsters who are "different" that playing cricket for Australia is possible.
As 20 wickets fell on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test on Friday, the carnage prompted sharp criticism from former England cricketers.
'It's a double-edged sword, but I'm enjoying it.'
Steve Smith returns to action in the Boxing Day Test against England as Australia opted to include four fast bowlers in their 12-man squad.
'In choosing to be fully himself, even when it was uncomfortable, Usman Khawaja expanded the meaning of representation and conscience in Australian sport,' notes Asif Ullah Khan.
Taking his 17th Test five-wicket haul, he finished with 7 for 58 off 12.5 overs.
The wealth of experience in Australia's ranks helped them remain calm in a difficult lead-up to the Ashes, fast bowler Mitchell Starc said after they defeated England on Sunday to win the series with two matches to spare.
Australia pacer Michael Neser found day one of his maiden Boxing Day Test a dream come true.
Cricket Australia were left millions of dollars out of pocket, having to refund tickets for a confirmed sell-out crowd on day three at the 100,000-seat stadium and for another large crowd for day four.
Australia batter Usman Khawaja's first run-in with Brendon McCullum, during the 2011 Test series between Australia and New Zealand, was far from pleasant, as per Fox Cricket.
Starc eclipsed Pakistan legend Wasim Akram's tally of 414 wickets to become the most successful left-arm pacer in the longest format.
It was a relieved Ben Stokes bidding good riddance to more than a decade of pain for English cricket in Australia on Saturday as his team rallied from the depths to complete a drought-breaking Test win in Melbourne.
Starc also pointed out that the wicket did not assist pacers that much with the new ball and expressed concerns over Nathan Lyon's injury on the final day of the Test and the setback to Hazlewood.
Sarfaraz last featured in the IPL in 2023, turning out for Delhi Capitals in a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He failed to attract bidders in the auctions that followed, despite consistently strong returns in domestic cricket.
Starc reached his second fifty of the series in 73 balls, striking eight fours, before England finally struck back. Archer ended Lyon's resistance, trapping him plumb in front for 9, and Australia were soon bowled out for 371 in 91.2 overs.
Steyn, however, said his team had "exceeded expectations" on their tour of India.
England opener Zak Crawley said Australia had shown why they were favourites coming into the Ashes after a tough day four at Adelaide Oval left the tourists staring down the barrel of a series defeat on Saturday.
From McCullum, there was greater support for another England batter, Jamie Smith, who he said works very hard on his game. The wicketkeeper-batter joined the team at the start of 2024.
A wicket-laden Boxing Day Test at the MCG triggered widespread debate, with former cricketers from both Australia and England questioning whether the pitch offered far too much for the bowlers.
Meanwhile, Australian captain Pat Cummins also commented on the DRS controversy, noting that RTS appeared to be different from UltraEdge.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting tips confident England to pose real Ashes threat.
Bazball is in the firing line, with former players and pundits decrying the high-risk game on Australia's spicy pitches.
The England players have come in for heavy criticism since Australia wrapped up an 82-run win in the third Test in Adelaide on Sunday to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
Australia opener Usman Khawaja has been ruled out of the second Ashes Test against in England in Brisbane later this week by a back problem.
'...we carry all this love with us, and we will definitely return, hopefully one day to play a match or on another occasion, but we will definitely return to visit India.'
England need to produce "something magical" on day four of the third Ashes Test against Australia if they are to have any chance of turning the tide, the visitors' spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel said on Friday.
The Perth Stadium pitch that saw Australia complete a thumping eight-wicket Ashes win inside two days over England has earned the ICC's (ICC) highest rating.
'I think it's a huge credit to (head coach) Andrew McDonald, the coaching staff and the medical staff that we feel like we've got a big squad that we can draw on.'
England need to alter their approach if they hope to claw their way back after their disastrous start to the Ashes series and avoid another drubbing, former Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson said.
He said he might have reviewed the caught-behind decision himself had he been given out -- but not with great confidence.
