Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne will be pushed up in the order to open alongside Usman Khawaja.
The Pakistan Cricket Board in a bid to attract more crowds to the Test match have for the first time announced free entry for several enclosures.
Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri firmly believes Australia should select experienced pacer Josh Hazlewood ahead of Scott Boland for the WTC Final against South Africa in June.
Australia's opening partnership has been the subject of much debate since David Warner retired and remains unresolved less than a month before the World Test Championship final against South Africa.
Australia stormed to the top of the ICC World Test Championship 2025 standings with a thumping 10-wicket victory over India in the second Test at Adelaide.
Pat Cummins tore through South Africa before a Proteas fightback left the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 on a knife-edge at the end of an absorbing second day at Lord's.
From 'hope to history': Cricketing world explodes with joy as SA finally win major ICC title
Rishabh Pant posted a heartfelt message for Chris Woakes, who had left him with a severe injury during the fifth Test in Manchester early this year.
India qualified for the World Test Championship final after New Zealand edged Sri Lanka by two wickets off the final ball in a dramatic finish to the first Test in Christchurch on Monday.
Fresh from a hard-fought 2-2 draw in England, Shubman Gill's men will be eager to translate their overseas resilience into home dominance.
Pakistan's players were fined 25 percent of their match fee and docked World Test Championship points for failing to maintaining a slow over-rate during the second Test against South Africa.
South Africa clinched their berth in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final with a thrilling two-wicket victory over Pakistan in Centurion.
South Africa's run to the WTC final has been driven by their dominant performances, especially at home. In those matches, their potent pace attack, featuring Kagiso Rabada (37 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 19.8) and Marco Jansen (29 wickets in 7 matches), has proved to be a game changer.
In the recently concluded five-match Test series against England, India's star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant stood tall as a beacon of determination, battling through injuries to deliver a string of gutsy, crowd-pleasing knocks that underlined his value to the side.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan slammed the International Cricket Council (ICC) for penalising only England for slow over rates during the third Test against India at the Home of Cricket, Lord's.
India will set themselves up as Australia's opponents in that final if they win the fourth Test in Ahmedabad next week.
Besides, Bangladesh's star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was fined 10 percent of his match fee and received a demerit point for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct.
Australia's senior batter Steve Smith has been ruled out of the remainder of the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's after suffering a compound dislocation of his right pinkie on Friday.
Australia opener Usman Khawaja has vented his frustration after the team lost 10 World Test Championship (WTC) points for slow over-rates.
India stumbled to second place in the ICC World Test Championship 2025 table after suffering a 0-3 series whitewash against New Zealand.
Pakistan's loss has had a detrimental impact on their WTC aspirations. India continues to lead the WTC table with a commanding 68.52 points in 9 games.
'There is a lot of inspiration we can draw from in the brand of cricket we have played in the last three or four years.'
South Africa have eight wickets in hand and are now overwhelming favourites to finish off the job, and take the title away from champions Australia, who had set them a daunting fourth innings target of 282 in the final on Friday.
India stayed on course to make it to their third straight WTC final.
Kagiso Rabada stamped his class on the biggest stage-rocking Australia and leapfrogging legends in the record books.
The over rate regulations must be modified according to the playing conditions in different continents, England Test captain Ben Stokes said on Tuesday, arguing that current rules unfairly penalise pace-heavy attacks.
With South Africa's seam attack featuring Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen and Australia having Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and the ever-dependable Josh Hazlewood in their lineup, the battle between the two sides' fast bowlers is likely to be critical in determining the outcome of the World Test Championship final, as per ICC website.
'1st look at Inaugural men's test championship wicket. Needs a shave.'
Australia and India control their own destiny as they edge towards the conclusion of the competition
'Bumrah's 2024 exploits were a masterclass in skill, precision, and relentless consistency,' ICC said in a statement.
India lead the table with 360 points and Australia are placed second with 296 points.
Proteas edge Pakistan to win thriller at Centurion
The series marks the beginning of a new cycle for both India and England in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC).
The win propelled New Zealand from sixth to fourth in the updated standings, with a win-loss percentage of 44.44%,
ICC chairman Jay Shah added his name to Lord's legendary tradition by ringing the bell before the World Test Championship (WTC) final
Australia is on the cusp of scripting another milestone. If the Baggy Greens trounce the Proteas, they will become the first team to defend the WTC mace successfully.
A B de Villiers described South Africa's squad as a well-balanced unit and backed them to pull off an upset against defending champions Australia.
India, Australia and England are likely to be joined by South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in the top division, while Pakistan, the West Indies, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Ireland will be placed in the second division.
India won their seventh ICC trophy, while registering their third Champions Trophy triumph.
A dominant 2-0 series win over New Zealand has elevated Sri Lanka to the third position in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 standings.
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