It is usually a sign of a day with few redeeming features when a coach rather than a player faces the media after play and Sunday's appearance of England's Trevor Bayliss was no exception.
Mickey Arthur feels his reputation took a big hit when he was sacked as head coach of Australia three years ago but the Pakistan mentor says he is not on a "revenge mission" as he prepares to take on his former charges.
Australia opening batsman David Warner is unsure how he will cope with an emotional first return this week to the venue in Sydney where Phillip Hughes was fatally struck by a bouncer.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting has warned his players to expect the unexpected when they meet New Zealand in the first Test at the Gabba.
The Australian media did not take too kindly to the dubious lbw decision that the Indian maestro got from veteran umpire Steve Bucknor.
The prospects of any further play were gloomy with thunderstorms forecast for the afternoon.
India chose Virender Sehwag and Akash Chopra as their openers leaving out Anil Kumble and S Ramesh from the XI.
India face what must rank as the poorest opposition they have played in a tour game in any country in many years as they take on a virtual Queensland academy side in their last practice match before the first Test.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has said he believes that the current England team might be past their absolute peak, adding that Australia can belie their status as Ashes outsiders by regaining the urn in the winter series.
The hosts took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, which comprise three back-to-back matches in a span of five days.
More than his hundred on debut as captain Steven Smith was happy that Australia putting up 500 runs on the board on Day 3 of the second Test against India.
Australia is poised to score a huge total after Langer's ton placed them at 262-2 at the end of first day's play.
Persistent rains on day one of the first Test between India and Australia at the Gabba suspended play again.
Australia's head cricket coach Darren Lehmann hopes the test team can avenge the Wallabies' Rugby World Cup final defeat by the All Blacks with a victory in the series opener in Brisbane starting this week.
India might be going through a torrid time following two successive defeats Down Under, but former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes if the tourists have a chance of victory in the four-match series, it will be in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG starting on Friday.
Vice-captain Brad Haddin is hopeful of Michael Clarke leading the Australian outfit in the first Test against India starting December 9 after the hamstrung skipper reported to training at the Adelaide Oval.
England were caught out by Australia's aggression during the ill-fated 2013/14 Ashes campaign but captain Joe Root says they are fully prepared for short-pitched bowling and on-field chatter when the series kicks off in Brisbane next week.
It will come as little comfort to India after going 2-0 down in the four-match Test series against Australia but the young touring party have already put on a much better showing than the much vaunted 2011-2012 vintage.
'There is a growing concern that David Warner's thuggish behaviour has gone too far' 'At the minute, people aren't happy with the way people are holding themselves on the field'
Michael Clarke's fitness for the Test series against India fading fast.
Indian speedster Ishant Sharma has been fined 15 percent of his match fees for breaching ICC's 'Code of Conduct' during the second cricket Test between India and Australia while Steve Smith was fined 60 percent for his team's slow over-rate.
Co-hosts Australians have already started by giving us a taste of the Aussie humour.
Umesh Yadav took three wickets on his comeback to Test cricket before Australia reached 221 for four at the close of play on the second day of the second Test against India on Thursday after battling their way back into the contest on the back of debutant paceman Josh Hazlewood's five for 68.
'Someone's got to do it and I might put my hand up. It's part of the game and what happened the other day with Shane (Watson) and Wahab (Riaz) was exceptional'
'A lot of our recent success has been based on the value of our number six batsman bowling some overs and we're comfortable continuing in that vein'
Australia will start as favourites to reclaim the Ashes over the next seven weeks if only because of their home advantage but picking the winners in cricket's oldest Test rivalry has become a fool's game in recent years
'I do think, though, that Twenty20 cricket should become franchise dominated'
Top-order batsman Usman Khawaja has been drafted into the Australia squad for the ongoing ODI series against India in place of opener David Warner whose wife is expecting the couple's second child. Khawaja will join the squad in Brisbane and, at this stage, will remain for matches two and three of the five-game series, at the Gabba on January 15, and at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 17 respectively, Cricket Australia said. National selector Rod Marsh said Warner would be welcomed back into the squad when circumstances allow.
- 'I honestly think Michael will be back after this hamstring surgery' - 'Thanks for all the well wishes. Surgery went really well'
Traumatised players from the New South Wales and South Australia teams are being offered counselling after batsman Phillip Hughes was taken to hospital following a shocking head injury that needed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and surgery.
England fast bowler Steven Finn has been ruled out of the Ashes series against Australia after scans showed he has torn his left knee cartilage, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Tuesday.
Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur has insisted that veteran cricketers Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have earned the right to decide when they want to draw curtains on their international careers. Both the batsmen, who underwent a stern examination by Josh Hazlewood and Jackson Bird, were dismissed in the space of five overs on a rain-shortened opening day of the Boxing Day Test against Australia, leaving visitors on 142-4 when play was finally called off before Tea.
Injured Australia captain Michael Clarke is back in the nets and could return to competitive action by the end of the month in a major boost to the hosts before the start of the Ashes series on November 21.
Australia have decided to put captain Michael Clarke under wraps with fast bowlers Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle ahead of next week's Ashes opener, withdrawing the trio from domestic fixtures to prepare for the test in Brisbane.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni says the Indian cricket team's approach to batting in overseas tours has 'improved'.
