Pat Cummins tore through South Africa before a Proteas fightback left the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 on a knife-edge at the end of an absorbing second day at Lord's.
Steve Smith was facing throwdowns from team-mate Marnus Labuschagne in the nets when the ball struck his right thumb.
Australia and South Africa, two teams renowned for their batting prowess, will go head-to-head in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, aiming to secure a place in the Champions Trophy semifinals.
India were dealt a solid blow on Saturday, Day 2 of the fifth Test against Australia, as skipper and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah left the Sydney Cricket Ground for precautionary scans after feeling some discomfort in the post-lunch session.
Australia bowled out Sri Lanka for 231 in the hosts' second innings and then chased down the target of 75 losing the lone wicket of opener Travis Head.
Marnus Labuschagne arrived at the crease in Perth with a plan: channel his inner Cheteshwar Pujara.
Former pacer Mitchell Johnson reckons that Australia should drop out-of-form Marnus Labuschagne from the playing XI for the day-night Adelaide Test against India.
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.
The Aussie cricketers were joined by their families on the field as they savoured a series win that came after a decade.
Australia's historic pedigree in cricket's biggest tournaments will count for nothing when they run into an Afghanistan side that is fast cementing its place in the game's top table in the Champions Trophy match in Lahore on Friday.
Young spin-bowling all-rounder Cooper Connolly will replace injured Matthew Short in the Australian squad for the knock-out stages of the ongoing Champions Trophy.
In a high-pressure clash against India in the Champions Trophy semi-finals, Steve Smith seemed to have destiny on his side.
Adam Gilchrist has called upon the struggling Marnus Labuschagne to stop overthinking his approach and advised him to bat more freely in the second Test against India.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting advised struggling batters Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith to trust their game akin to star India batter Virat Kohli.
Labuschagne said he is focused on winning matches for Australia, not on convincing anyone about his return to form.
Australia must avoid defeat in Melbourne to keep their hopes alive of taking back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Harbhajan Singh has strongly criticised the Indian team management for their handling of pacer Jasprit Bumrah
Marsh was nonetheless retained in Australia's list of contracted players released on Tuesday for the 2025/26 season in an endorsement by selectors.
Shubman Gill fell to a bizarre dismissal to a loose shot off the final ball of the morning session.
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.
Labuschagne, known for his ability to score runs, especially against India, reminisced about the first time he saw Kohli don India's Test colours in the 2018 series.
Nathan McSweeney, who opened in the first three Tests with little success, has been dropped.
If the humiliation of India being able to declare their second innings on 487/6 reflected poorly on the bowling unit, it was the Australian batting line-up dismissed for 104 in their first innings that bore the brunt of the blame.
Starc's withdrawal comes after pace stalwarts Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were ruled out due to injuries.
Cummins had no qualms in admitting that his team was thoroughly outplayed in the series opener but he promised to bounce back in Adelaide
Images from Day 3 of the fifth Test between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.
ODIs will remain relevant because World Cup is Olympics of cricket: Steve Waugh
Starc was the standout performer on a lively Adelaide pitch, returning excellent figures of 6/48 to dismiss India for a mere 180 runs.
The opening day of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground saw its share of thrilling moments, the stump mic provided a unique insight into the intensity within the Indian camp.
Even with the pressure of planning the Rajasthan Royals' IPL auction strategy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, former Team India head coach Rahul Dravid couldn't resist keeping an eye on the enthralling opening of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth.
Images from the first One-Day International between England and Australia, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on Thursday.
'They have won everything but the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and they know that, they've spoken about that, this is the one they want to tick off.'
'This wasn't an easy decision, but I believe it's the right time for me to step away from ODIs and fully focus on the next chapter of my career.'
Skipper Jasprit Bumrah has suffered back spasm and the team is waiting for an update from the medical staff about the availability of the pacer on Day 3 on Sunday.
Alex Carey reckons Australia might need to put at least 400 runs on the board if they bat first against South Africa
Images from Day 2 of the fifth Test between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
Pat Cummins will captain Australia at the Champions Trophy after being named in a preliminary 15-man squad also featuring fellow quick Josh Hazlewood on Tuesday.
Pakistan's ODI series victory in Australia showcased the raw pace and skill of their fast bowling attack, spearheaded by Haris Rauf.
IMAGES from the Group B Champions Trophy match between Australia and England in Lahore on Saturday
Smith's unbeaten 120 is his second successive hundred of the series while Carey made a career-best 139 not out hitting 22 fours and three sixes between them.
