A groin injury has ruled David Warner out of at least the first Test against India and Australia coach Justin Langer says the temporarily vacant opening slot will go to the one who performs well for Australia 'A' in the upcoming tour games against the visitors.
Australia have named the unchanged 12-man squad for the second Test of the three-match series against Pakistan beginning at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Boxing Day. The Steve Smith-led side are going with the same side that clinched a nail-biting 39-run win after Pakistan's epic run chase in the opening day and night Test at the Gabba, cricket.com.au reported.
Captain Steve Smith raised a composed century to push Australia to a 22-run first innings lead in the second Test against Pakistan but the home side's hopes of pushing their advantage were washed away by rain on day four on Thursday.
Aryaman Birla coping with severe anxiety related to sport, takes break
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.
'It's bloody tough to sustain it for long periods of time, particularly I think for the fast bowlers. It's extremely difficult what they put themselves through. It's great that those conversations are happening and we're trying to keep guys as mentally and physically fresh as they can be'
Selectors name the Test squad on Thursday but will have to rely on their gut rather than hard numbers
Pakistan reached 142 for four wickets before play was abandoned due to rain after tea on day one of the second Test against Australia in Melbourne on Monday.
Former Australia fast bowler Rodney Hogg has accused skipper Steve Smith of favouritism in team selection, and also ripped apart the selectors for the run of losses in the ongoing ODI series against India.
The Indian under-19 team's batting capitulated for the second time and put Australia within sniffing distance of victory in the three-day match at the WACA in Perth on Monday. After being shot out for 165 in the first innings, the Indians fared as badly in the second essay and could score only 184 runs before collapsing.
In another blow to Mumbai Indians' campaign in IPL-7, pace spearhead Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament, according to skipper Rohit Sharma.
Check out the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for IPL 2014.
Kuldeep Yadav, among all the players in this team, has more experience of playing with pink ball and the kind of revolution he produces, he could make it difficult for batsmen to spot the black seam of the pink kookaburra under lights.
Usman Khawaja hit Australia's first century of the series and Peter Handscomb scored a half-century on debut as the hosts reached 307 for six with a lead of 48 at end of the second day of the day-night third Test against South Africa in Adelaide.
The fourth and final day's play between India 'A' and Australia 'A' was called off without a ball being bowled due to persistent rain and a wet outfield as the second unofficial Test ended in a draw with the home side clinching the two-match series 1-0 in Brisbane.
Mandeep Singh stroked a brilliant 95 while Yuzvendra Chahal claimed four wickets to help India 'A' clinch the Quadrangular one-day series, thrashing Australia 'A' by 57 runs in the final, at Harrup Park in Mackay, on Sunday.
Riding on the disciplined performances of their bowlers, Royal Challengers Bangalore thrashed Mumbai Indians by seven wickets for their second straight victory, in the Indian Premier League.
Cameron White scored an unbeaten 41 and steered Australia to a dramatic two-wicket victory over South Africa on the penultimate ball of the match to clinch the Twenty20 international series 2-1 on Sunday.
Before the two teams face off in a much-anticipated four-Test series starting on December 17, Australia A are scheduled to play two three-day tour games against India A, which features Test specialists.
The only phase in which Kohli battled self doubt was the 2014 tour of England in which he failed to even get a half-century and copped a lot of criticism.
Hardik Pandya stood tall amid the ruins with an unbeaten 79 as India collapsed to 169-9 on a rain-hit opening day of the second four-day Quadrangular A Series match against Australia, in Brisbane, on Thursday.
Australia's opening batsman David Warner brushed aside former fast bowler Rodney Hogg's accusation that skipper Steve Smith prefers to "pick his friends" in the national team.
A strong fourth innings fightback that had nearly clinched a remarkable record run chase in the first Test loss to Australia in Brisbane had given Pakistan the confidence they needed for the rest of the series, captain Misbah-ul-haq has said. The visitors, who were dismissed for 142 in their first innings, had Australian cricket fans chewing their fingernails to the quick as they counter-attacked in chasing 490 for victory.
Back in the mix after one and half years, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha justified the selector's faith by rocking Australia A top-order with three quick wickets as the visitors reached 185 for four against India A at stumps on the second day of the first unofficial cricket Test in Chennai.
Half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik combined with excellent performances from their bowlers helped India 'A' outclass Australia 'A' by 50 runs to win the 'A' teams tri-series in Pretoria, on Wednesday.
Shaun Marsh is in a battle with his brother Mitchell and hard-hitting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for the middle order position for the forthcoming four-Test series in India.
Australia vice-captain David Warner found it "bizarre" that pundits and fans continue to criticise the team despite winning their last two Test matches after a run of five losses.
Australia captain Steve Smith said the players drafted in for the third-Test victory over South Africa had energised the team and contributed to a "good start" to the new era of Test cricket in the country.
All-rounder Hilton Cartwright will make his debut for Australia in the dead rubber third Test against Pakistan in Sydney on Tuesday, with left-armer Steve O'Keefe returning to the side as a second spinner alongside Nathan Lyon.
Australia A all-rounder Ashton Agar has said his side is excited about taking on India Test skipper Virat Kohli when he turns up for India A in the final four-day cricket match starting here tomorrow but insisted that there is no specific plan to tackle the star batsman.
Pragyan Ojha bagged an impressive five-wicket haul as India 'A' dismissed Australia 'A' for 268 before extending their lead to 154 runs by the end of the third day's play in the first unofficial cricket Test, at the M A Chidambaram stadium, in Chennai, on Friday. At the close of play, the hosts were 121 for 3 in their second innings.
Sunrisers Hyderabad surprised quite a few by opting to release the fast bowling duo of Ishant Sharma and Dale Steyn, while they also let go of England discard Kevin Pietersen.
Pushed to the bottom of the heap after three successive losses, it will take an extraordinary effort from Royal Challengers Bangalore to overpower table-toppers Rajasthan Royals when the two sides clash in an Indian Premier League match in Ahmedabad on Friday.
An upbeat Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to carry on their winning momentum to book a berth in the play-offs when they take on an equally-keen Royal Challengers Bangalore in a crucial IPL match at Uppal, in Hyderabad, on Friday.
Mitchell Starc shone with bat and ball as Australia dismissed Pakistan for 163 to secure an innings and 18 run victory in the second Test on Friday, the win giving the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Chennai Super Kings beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 24 runs in their Indian Premier League match at Chepauk.
Long called upon to rescue his team from treacherous situations, Australia captain Michael Clarke could do little to save his close friend Phillip Hughes, but bore his grief quietly in a vital supporting role for his "little brother's" family.
Rajasthan and Bangalore are locked 7-7 on the head-to-head count, but Wednesday's IPL Eliminator in Pune battle carries the weight of a title dream for both sides.
Humiliated in their previous face-off this season, table toppers Rajasthan Royals will be desperate to seek revenge against a resurgent Royal Challengers Bangalore in Wednesday's Indian Premier League match in Bengaluru.
Expect a battle of wits when Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings lock horns in Wednesday's Indian Premier League match in Bangalore.
