Traditionally carved from top-quality willow, famous bat-makers, source the bulk of their willow wood from Kashmir.
Steve Smith cut a relaxed figure when he named the Australia team for the opening clash in his ninth and possibly final Ashes series on Thursday.
Burns, who played 23 Tests and six ODIs for Australia, qualified to play for his adopted country through his mother's side.
England's Stokes praises Australia's Head, supports his own errant batters
Mitchell Starc and Ben Stokes set the scene for a dramatic Ashes series.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Ashes Test played in Perth on Friday.
The contest between England's dialled-down "Bazball" approach and Australia's more methodical batting could determine who prevails in the Ashes series beginning in Perth on Friday.
Expect nothing less than hostility, fire and close contests as Ben Stokes' England come armed with their Bazball philosophy to try and get the better of a depleted Australia.
'But I think that the manner in which they play is part of the reason why I think they've got their best chance in 15 years of regaining the Ashes Down Under, because in 2010-11 when we went down there and won, we pushed back against Australia.'
'Non-compatible with Western Civilization' is about as vague and jingoistic as it gets and Trump saying this gives full license to his acolytes to go full throttle on making life as difficult and scary as possible for as many non-white people as possible,' notes Sree Sreenivasan.
Liverpool shrugged off the absence of Mohamed Salah as midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai scored an 88th-minute penalty to give them a 1-0 Champions League win at Inter Milan.
England's Ashes hopes rest largely on the all-round performance of talismanic captain Ben Stokes, who took 17 wickets against India in the recent home series.
The US is "pretty close" to reaching a "fair trade deal" with India, President Donald Trump has said, adding that he will lower the tariffs imposed on Indian goods at "some point".
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Ashes Test in Perth on Saturday.
Alastair Cook backs Joe Root to surpass Sachin Tendulkar as leading run-getter in Test cricket
The legendary B S Chandrasekhar and Brian Lara on Tuesday won the Lifetime Achievement awards.
While ever more hostage to Twenty20's global carve-up, cricket will take a breath from next week to indulge its most time-honoured rivalry as Australia and England battle in the Ashes.
Blair Tickner took 4/34 and Daryl Mitchell hit 56 not out as New Zealand beat England by five wickets in the second one-day international in Hamilton on Wednesday to seal the three-match series 2-0.
A US Homeland Security official says America will continue using the H-1B visa programme, emphasizing integrity and vetting, while highlighting increased naturalization rates under the Trump administration.
Americans are united by their shared vision for the future of the country, Vice President Kamala Harris said on Monday, making a surprise appearance on the opening day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Daryl Mitchell's runs had steered the hosts to their victories in Tauranga and Hamilton and when he departed for 44 to leave his team still 27 runs from their target on 196-8, the English scented an unlikely victory.
United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday lavished praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the 'nicest-looking guy' while describing him as a 'father' but also calling him 'a killer' and 'tough as hell', while hinting at an imminent trade deal between the two countries.
Noman collected a 10-wicket haul during Pakistan's 93-run triumph over South Africa in Lahore recently and moved up four places.
While modern greats like Shubman Gill and Joe Root shy away from batting at No. 3, Nasser Hussain says Cheteshwar Pujara embraced the challenge and carried forward Rahul Dravid's legacy with distinction.
This was Joe Root's 64th half-century in Test cricket, making him the England batter with the most fifties.
It was Leeds's first win in four league matches but for West Ham their worst start since 1973-74, when they had the same record after nine games.
'She was brave. She didn't care a hoot. And India was not the strongest of nations as it is now.'
'She was brave. She didn't care a hoot. And India was not the strongest of nations as it is now.'
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.
Second-string Liverpool were thumped 3-0 by Crystal Palace as Ismaila Sarr struck twice for the visitors in the League Cup on Wednesday, booking the London side's spot in the quarter-finals and piling more misery on Arne Slot's struggling side.
'I'm worried. We're going to wander in and have a little game with the 'A' team. (It will be) 'Alright mate, how are you? Good on ya' and we're going to go and perform?'
There is a sharp 19 per cent decline in Indian Americans supporting incumbent President Joe Biden between the last election of 2020 and the 2024 election cycle, according to a bi-annual Asian American Voter Survey (AAVS), the longest-running survey of Asian-American voters released on Wednesday.
Since going missing from red-ball action in 2021, the 30-year-old endured a period during which injuries constantly plagued him, especially a recurring stress fracture in his right elbow.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said the US threats of tariffs against India and China are failing and there is a growing understanding in Washington of the futility of talking in such language with two ancient civilisations.
United States President Joe Biden, while commemorating the 23rd anniversary of 9/11 terror attacks at a fire station, donned a red hat that read 'TRUMP 2024', a gesture the White House has termed a show of bipartisan unity.
France's perfect record in their World Cup qualifying campaign ended as they were held to a 2-2 draw away to Iceland who got a late equaliser in an entertaining Group D clash on Monday.
Whether Trump will actually press ahead with the oil sanctions remains unclear, since keeping Russian oil out of the world market risks high oil prices which could boomerang on the US economy and be damaging politically for Trump, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
One of the standout performers in the recent Test series against England, India pacer Prasidh Krishna has opened up about his on-field exchange with Joe Root during the fifth and final Test at The Oval, saying he did not understand why the senior batter reacted in am extreme manner.
Root reached into his pocket, pulled out a white headband, and placed it on his forehead. Then, he looked skyward - a powerful and poignant tribute to Graham Thorpe, his late mentor and one of England's most cherished cricketers.
Harry Brook disagreed with India coach Gautam Gambhir's decision to name him as Player of the Series, saying the honour should have gone to Joe Root
