Officials said they were projecting a crowd in excess of 78,000 on the opening day of the traditional Boxing Day fixture, the largest attendance at the ground for a non-Ashes Test.
Roger Federer has done everything necessary to etch his name in the annals of tennis immortality and all that remains for the Swiss world number one is to add more Grand Slams to his remarkable tally of 15.
Cricket Australia is open to the idea of shifting the Boxing Day Test to Perth, where the situation is under control.
Pacer Umesh Yadav was on Thursday ruled out of the remainder of the series against Australia due to the calf injury he sustained during the second match in Melbourne and the Indian team management is likely to prefer Shardul Thakur over left-arm pace sensation Thangarasu Natarajan for the third Test.
Rajneesh Gupta presents all the numbers you need to know about Virat Kohli in Test cricket.
Aaron Finch bows out as one of his country's greatest limited-overs players and as the captain who delivered Australia a first global T20 title in the United Arab Emirates in 2021.
The spin legend was on a three-month holiday in Thailand.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has received an official warning after the pitch for the fourth Ashes Test was rated 'poor' by the International Cricket Council (ICC) earlier this month.
A rejuvenated David Warner said he has "parked" the acrimony over his permanent leadership ban and is focused on helping Australia take series wins in India and the Ashes next year.
'I am heartbroken at his dismissal, but I a happy Mayank has almost cemented his place in the team. Look at his consistency. He has now two half-centuries and a good 42 in the three innings he had played so far Down Under'
The McLaren Racing team has withdrawn from this weekend's season-opening Australian Grand Prix after a team member tested positive for coronavirus, the team said on Thursday. The positive test at McLaren follows four crew members of fellow Formula One team Haas being quarantined due to the outbreak.
Australia bowling coach Daniel Vettori was asked by reporters whether a trip to the Indonesian tourist destination was the ideal preparation for the second Test against South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test played between Australia and New Zealand at the MCG on Saturday.
So prior to their Melbourne Park rematch, former champion Sharapova said she was primed and ready for another drawn out dog-fight against the 14th seed.
Australia completed victory at the Gabba in two days, batting marginally better than the Proteas on a perilous, grassy pitch that South Africa captain Dean Elgar complained was unfair to the batters. T
India's 2-0 series sweep over Bangladesh in Mirpur on Sunday consolidated their position at the No 2 spot behind leaders Australia in the ICC World Test Championship standings.
Five Indian players to watch in the Test series against Australia, which begins in Adelaide on December 17:
The last time India won a Test inside two days was in 2018, beating Afghanistan in Bengaluru.
Melbourne will host the traditional Boxing Day Test before the final match is played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from January 3.
Injured New Zealand pace bowlers Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson are "tracking nicely" as the side begin their preparations for the Test series against India, according to captain Kane Williamson. Both missed the Twenty20 and One-Day International series against India but Williamson said there are hopes they could be available for the first match against the world's top ranked Test team that starts on February 21 in Wellington.
"There was extra bounce and occasional excessive seam movement. The odd delivery also kept low on the second day, making it very difficult for batters to build partnerships."
Mayank Agarwal will make his debut in the Boxing Day Test.
The rapid molecular test is highly accurate and easy to use, making it a prime candidate for use in settings with limited testing capabilities, according to the researchers.
India's batsmen must step up and help their bowlers if the world's top-ranked Test side are to win more consistently away from home, vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane said.
Third Test will be played in front of a crowd of some 10,000 to allow social distancing in a ground that can hold 48,00
At the close, after 75 overs were squeezed in around two lengthy rain interruptions, the West Indies were 207 for six with Denesh Ramdin on 23 and Carlos Brathwaite not out 35 after winning the toss.
Ravichandran Ashwin, who was left out of the first Test, is back in the mix as Shardul Thakur seems to have done his hamstring some damage during the training session at Lord's on Monday.
'The pink ball Test is probably going to be a bit more challenging in terms of conditions and how the ball moves around in the evening and stuff like that.'
The Melbourne Cricket Ground was kept on standby to host back-to back matches against India, who won the traditional Boxing Day Test at the MCG by eight wickets on Tuesday.
Opening batsman Prithvi Shaw, who had suffered a left ankle injury while attempting a catch in the practice game against Cricket Australia XI has been ruled out of the ongoing four-Test series against Australia.
Riding on his stupendous performance in the series against South Africa, India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, on Thursday, rose to a career-high first in the International Cricket Council's Test rankings for bowlers.
Number of Tests won by India outside Asia in 2018 now stands at 4 -- the most they have ever won in a calendar year, points out Rajneesh Gupta.
More than 110,000 people are expected on the opening day at the world's largest cricket stadium
Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who had hinted at calling it quits after his side's crushing defeat by an innings and 18 runs in the second Test against Australia in Melbourne, will play in the third and final Test in Sydney and will lead the team, an official confirmed on Sunday.
A state memorial service for cricketing great Shane Warne will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the evening of March 30.
The bowling stocks looks good, but the major concern will be around the batting line-up, which struggled on the recent tour of England.
'... at times when I see the aftermath of things, I do tend to ask myself if I should just sit back and enjoy my benefits instead of paying attention to other people's struggles.'
According to Kartik, Pant has an 'X-factor' in his batting and believes that he can produce results for the side
Ricky Ponting feels Ajinkya Rahane has done a great job for India 'to pick up the pieces' from the Adelaide debacle
Rajneesh Gupta surveys the bowling landscape in India-Australia Tests.
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