England were spared the ignominy of the follow-on but Australia appeared on course for victory after dominating day three of the day-night second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon has joined India counterpart Ravichandran Ashwin in defending Ahmedabad's spin-friendly pitch where India thumped England inside two days of the day-night third Test on Thursday.
Pat Cummins said that the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch looks "nice and firm" with a "bit of grass coverage"
It took nearly a year longer than Australia hoped but Nathan Lyon ended his agonising wait for a 400th Test victim in style on Saturday during a match-winning four-wicket haul that sent England crashing to a stinging Ashes defeat at the Gabba.
Glenn Maxwell's hopes of reviving his Test career may be over after the all-rounder missed out on selection in Australia's much-changed squad for the Sri Lanka tour.
Any of these match ups could influence the outcome of the Perth Test.
Four students, including an Indian, at Michigan public universities have filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and immigration officials, alleging their student immigration status was unlawfully terminated. The lawsuit claims the students' status in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) was illegally terminated without proper notice or explanation. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, representing the students, says they were targeted by the Trump administration without a valid reason. The lawsuit seeks to reinstate the students' status to allow them to complete their studies and avoid the risk of detention and deportation. The case is part of a growing trend of lawsuits against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown on higher education. Experts warn that these actions could deter future international scholars from choosing the US as their academic destination, undermining the reputation of US universities.
Sri Lanka, who had conceded a 109-run lead, were bowled out for 113 in their second innings
Mitchell Starc has paid a glorious tribute to the just-retired India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin
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.
'...there was a time there where it could have been 250 or 270 (run lead) or maybe even less there for a bit.'
'Lyon has improved as a bowler in the last four-five years. He likes to bowl and he wants to bowl as many overs as possible. His line length is very good and has improved a lot, I feel.'
The Australian off-spinner claimed his seventh five-wicket haul in Tests against India to equal the record of taking five wickets or more in an innings against India with Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralitharan
'When Nathan Lyon was bowling I saw two or three balls without any drift. So, I thought of taking on Lyon so that we get some quick runs.'
Ace Australian spinner Nathan Lyon says he and India's Ravichandran Ashwin are similar yet different type of bowlers, so comparisons should not be made between the two.
Images from Day 5 in the fourth Test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday.
Australia bundled out Sri Lanka for 212 but endured a top order wobble of their own before reaching 98/3 in reply after a frenetic, spin-dominated day one of the opening Test in Galle on Wednesday.
Despite the recent injury setbacks, senior off-spinner Nathan Lyon believes that the current Australian team is the 'tightest group' that he has been a part of and is certainly in a much better space than what it was two years back, when India triumphed 1-2 in Tests.
Sri Lanka are still 518 runs behind and will need a Herculean effort to avoid the follow-on even though more rain is forecast for Saturday.
A round-up of Saturday's action the Bundesliga, Ligue 1
'I think it's more about trying to challenge both edges of the bat'
Australia, who have already secured their place in the final of the World Test Championship against South Africa, won the opening Test, also in Galle, by an innings and 242 runs.
Australia fast bowler Scott Boland believes his team is still well-placed for victory against India with two days left in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
When you are defending to save a game, a loose delivery comes along and you suddenly opt to play an attacking shot, you are unlikely to hit as well as if you were playing your naturally aggressive game all along. First Pant, then Jaiswal, found that out the costly way, observes Prem Panicker.
Gavaskar emphasised that India shouldn't focus too far ahead on the target and should plan the chase according to the hours. He added that skipper Rohit Sharma's role in providing a solid start will be key.
Spinner Nathan Lyon will be pinching himself when he dons the baggy green cap of Australia and joins the 100-Test club for the fourth and final match against India at the Gabba on Friday.
Here's Prem Panicker's unique take on all the action from the second day of the 2024-2025 Border Gavaskar series.
Australia maintained their perfect record against the south Asians on home soil and continued their recent good form in Tests since retaining the Ashes in England.
'I think it is very important for any international side to have a couple of decent spinners going into the World Cup'
Rohit has joined an upbeat Indian team for the last two matches and Lyon is aware of the threat the batsman can pose with his wide range of strokes.
It was a proper Test innings, it was of the highest class, and given the circumstances it came in, it was one of the best innings by an Indian batsman in recent memory, applauds Prem Panicker.
Ravichandran Ashwin is a prolific performer but former Australia chinaman bowler Brad Hogg believes that fellow countryman Nathan Lyon has upstaged the Indian tweaker as the best off-spinner in longest format. Ashwin has so far taken 365 wickets from 71 Tests, while Lyon has 390 wickets from 96 Tests.
India captain Kohli will leave after the opening Test in Adelaide as he has been granted paternity leave by the BCCI to be with his actor wife Anushka Sharma for the birth of their first child in early January.
Marnus Labuschagne believes India's memorable fourth innings run chase at the Gabba from 2021 is of little relevance heading into the final day of a gripping Boxing Day Test.
A refreshed Nathan Lyon is expected to pose a serious threat to India later this summer, but the bowler himself is not certain about the resumption of cricket disrupted by the pandemic.
Only James Anderson, Muttiah Muralitharan and Imran Khan have taken more Test wickets against India, earning Nathan Lyon significant praise from Indian great Sachin Tendulkar.
Rohit Sharma, who joined the team on Day 3 of the Test, was present to witness the historic win and shared a heartwarming moment with Virat Kohli, who returned to form with a brilliant century.
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich powered past third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 with an impressive display of high-pressing football on Sunday.
He overtook Australian spinner Nathan Lyon to become the seventh highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.
Australian captain Pat Cummins expressed disappointment over the rain interruptions that prevented a decisive result.
