England face a rejuvenated Australian team who have turned day-night cricket into a competitive advantage, winning all eight of their Tests under lights dating back to the format's 2015 debut.
Former Test skipper Allan Border says that if Australia take the last eight English wickets on the final day of the fourth Ashes Test on Sunday and retain the coveted urn, the credit can go only to one man -- Steve Smith.
In the cold light of defeat and without Smith's large shadow, Australia's batsmen have nowhere to hide and most head to Old Trafford in dire form.
Hazlewood to miss out again as Australia announce unchanged playing XI for final Test
Waugh did not find any problems with Archer's stamina either after the Barbados-born 24-year-old bowled 44 overs and took 5-91 at Lord's.
Compulsory neck guards on helmets for Australian cricketers are "not far away", the national team's sports medicine chief said on Monday after Jofra Archer's snorter felled Steve Smith during the second Ashes Test.
"Out on the field Jofra has clearly made a big impact," England captain Joe Root said.
Washington Sundar is ready to bowl 50 in an innings if that's what the side wants of him.
Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha and young opener Prithvi Shaw are unlikely to be picked for the remaining Tests in Australia as India look to ring in wholesale changes after the batting debacle in Adelaide.
India would eye nothing less than a clean sweep when they take on an Australian side significantly weakened by injury blows, in the third and final T20 International, in Sydney, on Tuesday.
A series win will be an ideal confidence booster for India before the visitors hit Test match mode.
India's vacant cupboard of all-rounders will give Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri numerous points to ponder.
Quarantine restrictions might hamper the Indian team's preparations for next month's ICC World Test Championship final against New Zealand but bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar feel that the players' abundant experience will be enough to counter that challenge.
Usman Khawaja found his scoring touch and fast bowler Mitchell Starc returned to his fiery best as Australia moved within sight of victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Manuka Oval on Sunday.
Australia made a good start before a dramatic collapse saw them slip from 144 for two in the run chase to be 207 all-out.
Australia buried India under an avalanche of runs for a 51-run drubbing in the second ODI and an unassailable 2-0 series lead after the majestic Steve Smith produced another master-class in the form of a 64-ball 104, in Sydney, on Sunday.
Chasing a record 468 for victory, New Zealand were teetering at 31 for two at the break with Tom Latham 10 not out and Ross Taylor unbeaten on five. Images from Day 4 of the first Test between Australia and New Zealand in Perth on Sunday.
Australia pick two uncapped players for first two Tests
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.
Pakistan, who have lost 13 consecutive Tests in Australia, were in big trouble at 39 for three when rain forced an early end
Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas destroyed Australia, picking up five wickets in both innings, as the hosts won the second and final Test by a huge margin of 373 runs to clinch the series 1-0.
Smith's (28) ODI haul of 568 runs at 63.11 from 10 innings were enough to pip Finch (23) who scored 673 runs at 56.08 from 13 innings.
Victory in the fourth Test at Old Trafford meant the Australians could not lose the series and the 2-2 scoreline meant they retained the urn.
A few bruised egos will eye redemption when India square off against Australia in the second Test in Melbourne from Saturday, ready to bounce back in skipper Ajinkya Rahane's hour of reckoning after their batting debacle in the series opener in Adelaide.
The Australia batsman has overtaken New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and is now only nine points behind India skipper Virat Kohli.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and Australia, at the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi, on Friday.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh leads a 14-man squad packed with international experience, a group featuring Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb, Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Joel Paris, Matthew Renshaw and Chris Tremain.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list the Most Valuable Players during the India-Australia ODI series.
Nathan Lyon took 5-68 as a dominant Australia dismissed New Zealand for 251 before the home batsmen took over to extend their lead to 243 by the close of play on the third day of the third and final Test in Sydney on Sunday. Already 2-0 down in the series after thumping defeats in Perth and Melbourne, New Zealand have been ravaged by illness and injury and now face a huge battle to avoid a third heavy loss before they head home. Images from Day 3 of the third Test in Sydney on Sunday.
Australia likely to play the same squad in Sydney; Both teams to pay tribute to firefighters.
Coming into the series at the back of a convincing series win over Pakistan, Australia will look to seal their seventh day-night Test win when they face New Zealand in the opening Test beginning in Perth on Thursday.
Pujara has been criticised for his ultra-defensive approach in the series so far and instead of propping up his team's response to Australia's first innings total
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 1st Ashes Test played at the Gabba in Brisbane on Friday.
Chappell still believes that Australia might have a slight edge in Test matches
India showed commendable character in Rajkot to level the series, proving that the panic buttons were pressed prematurely following the 10-wicket loss in Mumbai.
Left chasing shadows in the first two games, a listless Indian team would most certainly tweak its bowling combination in order to avoid a second successive clean-sweep when it takes on Australia in the third and final ODI, in Canberra, on Wednesday.
Images from Day 4 of the fourth Ashes Test, at Old Trafford, Manchester.
'I think there'll be a huge fallout from this (defeat). There's not too many times that you lose to the second or third (choice) side.'
On the upcoming ODI series in India, Steve Waugh feels the home team starts favourites despite Australia winning the five-match series 12 months ago.
On the back of some great all-round performance, Australia thumped New Zealand by 247 runs to win the Boxing Day Test and take a 2-0 series lead. Images from Day 4 of the Boxing Day Test played at the MCG on Sunday.
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