A total of 12 wickets fell on a rain-hit day as Australia 'A' found themselves 100 runs adrift of victory against India 'A' on the third day of the first unofficial four-day Test at the Allan Border Field, in Brisbane, on Saturday.
Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the fourth Test against South Africa and the upcoming Indian Premier League due to a stress fracture in his leg.
Australia will field the same team in the second Ashes Test against England, captain Steve Smith said on Friday, with uncapped local seamer Chadd Sayers and quick Jackson Bird again missing out.
Australia's selectors have responded to the threat of a first ever Test series sweep on home soil by dropping five players from their squad for the third match against South Africa, which begins in Adelaide on Thursday. Joe Burns, Adam Voges and Callum Ferguson, as well as wicketkeeper Peter Nevill, paid the price for a string of batting collapses, while seamer Joe Mennie was also axed after the innings defeat in the second Test in Hobart.
All-rounder James Faulkner has been named captain of Australia's 'A' team for the four-day series against India 'A' and South Africa 'A' in July and August, Cricket Australia said on Friday.
New Zealand strike bowler Tim Southee will miss the upcoming One-Day International series against Australia but Blackcaps coach Mike Hesson is optimistic the seamer would recover from a foot injury in time for the subsequent Test series.
Opener Aiden Markram led the way with a career-best 152 as South Africa had the better of the opening day of the fourth Test against a much-changed Australia, reaching the close on 313 for six on Friday.
Australia recalled wicketkeeper Tim Paine for the first time in seven years in a selection bombshell while dropping opening batsman Matt Renshaw in a surprising Ashes squad for the series against England.
Australia have named the unchanged 12-man squad for the second Test of the three-match series against Pakistan beginning at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Boxing Day. The Steve Smith-led side are going with the same side that clinched a nail-biting 39-run win after Pakistan's epic run chase in the opening day and night Test at the Gabba, cricket.com.au reported.
The 26-year-old would be expected to offer a fourth pace option to back up the strike trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, who secured Australia a 120-run victory to give them a 2-0 lead in the series on Wednesday.
Manish Pandey blasted a quickfire 76-ball 77 before Mitchell Swepson returned with a four-wicket haul to dismiss India 'A' for 230 in their first innings against Australia 'A' in the opening match of the unofficial four-day Test Series in Brisbane, on Thursday.
Phillip Hughes will forever be 63 not out after Cricket Australia (CA) adjusted the scorecard of his final match as a mark of respect for the promising cricketer who lost his life following a freak injury on the field.
Indian bowlers' efforts at making a match of it went in vain as Australia A pulled off a three-wicket win in a tight chase on the fourth and final day of the first four-day Quadrangular A series game at the AB Field in Brisbane on Sunday. Despite a delayed start to the day due to a wet outfield following heavy rain, the hosts chased down the 159-run target set by India A on Saturday.
Penpix of players in Australia's Ashes squad.
In-form Naman Ojha struck his third successive century while No.10 batsman Umesh Yadav smashed a quickfire 90 to give India 'A' the upperhand against Australia 'A' on Day 3 of the second unofficial Test match.
Pacer Vernon Philander claimed six for 21 as South Africa thrashed Australia by a huge margin of 492 runs to claim the four-match series 3-1, in Johannesburg, on Tuesday.
Following is a factbox on the first Test match between Australia and England, which starts on Thursday:
Australia may unleash an all-pace attack against Pakistan for the series-opening day-night Test in Brisbane, home captain Steve Smith said.
Opener Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson will all play their first Tests at Adelaide Oval after selectors wielded the axe following the Hobart humiliation, which gave South Africa an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
Pat Cummins exceeded expectations in his first Test match in more than five years and the speedster will pose a sweet selection headache for Australia, bowling coach David Saker said on Saturday.
Factbox on the second Test match between Australia and England, which starts on Saturday: