Cricket Australia (CA) has released the list of contracted players for the 2013-14 season, including two Ashes series, and has awarded 20 contracts, with six new faces from the last season.
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.
Desperate to put an end to the controversy surrounding the suspension of four players including vice-captain Shane Watson, Australia skipper Michael Clarke said he doesn't want to "look backwards" and focus on the third Test, starting on Thursday.
Langer's side secured their spot in the last four with a 64-run win over hosts England at Lord's on Tuesday and return to the famous north London ground on Saturday to face neighbours New Zealand in their penultimate round-robin tie.
In an unprecedented move, Australia axed vice-captain Shane Watson and three other key players from the side on Monday for the third Test against India for failing to obey team management orders. Watson, pacers James Pattinson and Mitchell Johnson and batsman Usman Khawaja were dropped for failing to make a presentation on how to improve their personal as well as the team's performance after the innings and 135 runs defeat in the second Test in Hyderabad.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday offered a chadar at the dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti on the occasion of the 801st Urs. Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy offered the chadar on behalf of Dr Singh.
The government will not spare those who issued threats to Kashmiri girl band, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdulhah on Thursday said, but maintained there was no need for legal action against the grand mufti who issued Fatwa terming singing as un-Islamic.
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday halted a probe by the government's anti-graft watchdog against the chief justice's son, who was accused of receiving over Rs 342 million from a real estate tycoon to influence cases, and ordered formation of a commission to investigate the matter.
With the four-Test series against India around the corner, Shane Watson will look to touch up his batting skills at international level following his inclusion in Australia's 13-member One-Day side for the next two matches against the West Indies.
England completed a crushing 347-run victory over Australia with a day to spare in the second Ashes Test on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Dashing Australian opener David Warner took to instagram to announce the birth of his second child, a daughter with wife Candice. The daughter has been named Indi Rae. Warner and Candice have a 16-month old daughter named Ivy Mae. The proud father posted pictures of the newborn Instagram along with the mother and elder daughter. "@candywarner1 and I welcomed beautiful little Indi Rae Warner into the world this morning. Mum was absolutely amazing. #prouddaddy," Warner posted.
Australia all-rounder Moises Henriques is in line for his first Test in three years after being named in the squad for their three-match tour of Sri Lanka in July and August.
Aaron Finch has been dumped as Australia's captain in the shorTest form of the game and replaced by Test skipper Steve Smith just a month before the start of the World Twenty20.
Batsman Shaun Marsh and all-rounder James Faulkner have been ruled out of Australia's limited overs tour of South Africa, Cricket Australia said on Thursday.
Australia's players will boycott an 'A' team tour of South Africa later this month unless a new pay deal is struck with Cricket Australia beforehand, the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) said on Sunday.
Carey was named a co-vice captain of the limited-overs sides captained by Aaron Finch during the home summer, and has impressed with his glovework during recent series against Pakistan and India.
Australia swashbuckling all-rounder Glenn Maxwellbelieves that the former skipper Michael Clarke didn't have 'that same personal side' as that of his successor Steve Smith.
Australia returned to the top of the Test world rankings on Wednesday after Steve Smith and Adam Voges steered the tourists to victory in the second Test against New Zealand to seal a comprehensive 2-0 series win.
Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja reduced Australia's victory target to 131 runs with nine wickets in hand at the end of the fourth day of the second Test against New Zealand at Hagley Oval on Tuesday.
Images from Day 1 of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan, in Brisbane, on Thursday.
It was a last-minute [situation], to transition my mind from not playing to playing, said Ashton Turner, who made the most of his opportunity with a match-winning 84 off 43 balls to help Australia level the five-match ODI series 2-2.
England, says former Australia captain, were outstanding against Australia and deserve their place in the final.
A series win in Australia will certainly put Kohli on a higher pedestal even though the quality of the home team's batting line-up suffered adversely due to the bans of former skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner.
The duo has been left out of Australia ODI squad for UAE despite bans ending before tour end
Aaron Finch's team and its entourage of support staff sat down in a circle on the field, with each member taking turns to talk about the side's run in the tournament
