An Ashes tour that began with high hopes of taking home the urn has been reduced to a desperate effort to salvage some last vestiges of dignity for England.
Blaring music and thousands of screaming India and Pakistan fans made it to the iconic MCG on Sunday to soak in the carnival-like atmosphere.
'Someone with a strong record against Australia, especially as a coach, is worth considering. Looking ahead to the Ashes in 2027, England might benefit from a different voice -- that extra 1% that helps teams win.'
The all-time attendance record at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was smashed on Monday when the total attendance for the fourth Test touched an unprecedented 350,700.
The overwhelmingly bowler-friendly Melbourne pitch on which 20 wickets fell on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test has prompted Kevin Pietersen and Dinesh Kartik to point out the selective criticism of Indian tracks when spinners get wickets in a heap.
Australia pacer Michael Neser found day one of his maiden Boxing Day Test a dream come true.
'I think it's a huge credit to (head coach) Andrew McDonald, the coaching staff and the medical staff that we feel like we've got a big squad that we can draw on.'
'I was playing country cricket and working as a carpenter, and that was the dream for me.'
The England players have come in for heavy criticism since Australia wrapped up an 82-run win in the third Test in Adelaide on Sunday to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
England called up spinner Shoaib Bashir and seamer Matthew Potts for the final Ashes Test against Australia beginning on Sunday with one of them set to fill the void created by Gus Atkinson's injury-induced absence.
During England's run-chase of 435 runs, Lyon had taken three crucial wickets in the second innings and a total of five throughout the game to help his side gain an upper hand.
'We could play a couple of all-rounders. Could play a spinner. Could play no spinner. We'll figure it out.'
Australia has made a couple of changes to its squad, addressing Hazlewood's absence and the top-order issues. Sam Konstas replaces Nathan McSweeney in the squad for the fourth Test.
'Can I ask why in Sri Lanka where they get huge thunder storms they cover all the ground and get play back on quickly?'
'He is not changing it anymore and hopefully he sticks to it and plays many more knocks like this for us.'
Spinner Todd Murphy has been called into the Australia squad in place of the injured Nathan Lyon for this week's fourth Ashes Test, while captain Pat Cummins will skip the rest of the series as his back issue is managed.
Australia head coach and selector Andrew McDonald has confirmed Usman Khawaja will play in the fifth Ashes Test against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground amid media speculation it could be his last international.
Australia finished marginally on top at the end of a chaotic opening day of the fourth Ashes Test after an extraordinary 20 wickets fell in front of a record crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
From afar on Saturday, the SCG track looked to have a distinct tinge of green on it as the groundsmen ran the roller over it.
A record-breaking 47,566 spectators packed the stands on day one of the fifth India-Australia Test on Friday.
Will Pucovski was once seen as the future of Australian cricket as he made a half-century on his Test debut against India in 2021.
Joe Root and Harry Brook hit half-centuries to put England in control before bad light ended play early on the opening day of the fifth Ashes Test.
Ramesh didn't mince words when criticising the decision to send Harshit Rana ahead of Shivam Dube, arguing that the management must respect each player's primary role.
Hazlewood said he was keyed up for the massive summer with the Ashes beginning November 21.
Cowper played 27 Tests for Australia between 1964 and 1968, scoring five centuries including a 12-hour 307 off 589 balls
Aryan Sharma, a 17-year-old inspired by Virat Kohli, saw his 2018 message to the Indian batting great to 'watch him play for Australia in 2025' come to life.
England Captain Ben Stokes was involved in a heated on-field exchange with Australia's No.3 Marnus Labuschagne, an incident that drew strong reactions from former players in the commentary box.
'It was just put the ball in the right areas, don't try too much and see what happens.'
both Kohli and Rohit have struggled to find their best form, attracting scrutiny following India's recent 0-3 series loss against New Zealand.
India enjoy a dominant 9-3 win loss record against Pakistan in T20 Internationals, including a 7-1 margin in T20 World Cups.
The Bellerive Oval is one ground where the side boundaries are smaller in size, hence hitting the right lengths would be paramount considering anything short would be flying over cover, point, square leg or mid-wicket on either side of the fence.
Their last eight Tests in Perth have all been defeats, with the most recent setback a bitter innings and 41-run capitulation in 2017 that saw Joe Root's team surrender the urn.
With skipper Pat Cummins already out of the series opener because of a back injury, Australia are expected to send out Hazlewood with Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland as their pace attack.
Mohammed Shami has made a stunning return to competitive cricket after a year-long injury layoff, excelling for Bengal in their Ranji Trophy victory against Madhya Pradesh. Shami's impressive performance included seven wickets across two innings and a quickfire 37 with the bat, helping Bengal secure a narrow 11-run win.
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar expressed his displeasure after not being invited to present the trophy, named after him and Allan Border, to Australia following their victory over India in the high-voltage five-Test finale at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.
The photo, captioned "Harrison's first smile," melted hearts across social media as fans celebrated the tender moment.
An aggressive shot-maker with a love for hooking fast bowlers, Stackpole topped the runs list during Australia's successful tour of India in 1969 - the nation's last series win in the subcontinent until 2004.
Playing in just his second BBL match, Jerrssis Wadia made an instant impact in the Australian Big Bash League, delivering a thrilling cameo for the Adelaide Strikers.
Joe Root contributed a magnificent 160 to England's first-innings tally of 384 but Travis Head drove Australia to 166 for two in response on the second day of the fifth and final Ashes Test.
'I feel like as long as I prepare as well as possible, I tick all the boxes ... and then just let my reactions do the talking. Just try and keep it simple, see ball hit ball.'
