Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli combined to frustrate Australia for an entire session as India held the whip-hand at 215 for two at the close of a grinding opening day of the third Test in Melbourne on Wednesday.
New South Wales paceman Abbott and Queensland veteran Neser are the reserve quicks behind regulars Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson.
Concerns that senior players would pull out of the tour due to security issues after both England and New Zealand withdrew from tours of Pakistan late last year have proven unfounded.
Peter Siddle has been brought into Australia's squad while uncapped fast bowler Kyle Jamieson has been called into the New Zealand squad.
Australian media can't have enough of 'miracle man' Stokes after Headingley thriller, compare him to Ian Botham.
'Ultimately, this shows what happens if you do a piecemeal investigation and leave questions unanswered. It will keep biting you on the backside and does not do anyone any good.'
Liverpool's Champions League winning trio of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane joined regulars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi on the shortlist for The Best FIFA Men's player award
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.
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.
'This will always remain a very important milestone in our journey as a Test side.'
CA confirmed media reports that Cummins was dining at an Adelaide restaurant on Wednesday night where a positive COVID-19 case was identified.
Pujara was the dominant figure with his second century of the series, a dogged but faultless 106 off 319 balls
Australia have named the following 17-man squad for the five-Test Ashes series against England, which begins at Edgbaston on Aug. 1.
Paine's batting lineup has been rated the worst Australia has ever, so the bowlers could well be under pressure
The Champions League will resume in August after being halted in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic with a 'Final Eight' tournament being held in Lisbon after the remaining second-leg games from the last 16 ties are decided.
Day 4 in the first Test was dominated by Australian performances. First, spinner Nathan Lyon bagged his sixth five-wicket haul as India were dismissed for 444 in the first innings. Then, opener David Warner continued in his sublime form and struck his second century of the match as the home side put up 290 for five in their second innings, an overall lead of 363 runs. Here are images from Friday's play at the Adelaide Oval.
Though Australia are still undecided about the composition of their team for the second Test, captain Michael Clarke says if they go with one spinner, it doesn't necessarily have to be Nathan Lyon.
With Warner, who missed out a major chunk of the India assignment due to a groin injury, looking fit for the job, dropping Burns was an easy decision to make.
Australia named five uncapped players in a raw tour squad to play Pakistan in a Test series in the United Arab Emirates, while recalling pace veteran Peter Siddle for the first time in two years and dropping middle order batsman Peter Handscomb.
Australia captain Steve Smith won his second Allan Border Medal on Monday, becoming the fifth player to claim the country's highest individual cricket honour more than once.
Images from Day 2 of the 4th Ashes Test played at the MCG in Melbourne on Wednesday
Australia say they're ready and waiting to take a new-look England head on in the Ashes.
'We are looking at them every single day. We are comfortable with the protocols with what they are for SA (South Australia).' The only limit on Australia's players in Adelaide are that they head out in public in small groups.
Jasprit Bumrah destroyed Australia with a six-wicket haul to give India a huge 292-run first innings lead.
India's batsmen came good on a flat track to put up 369 for 5 on Day 3 of the first Test against Australia in Adelaide on Thursday. Wriddhimaan Saha (1) and Rohit Sharma (33) were at the crease at the draw of stumps. Images from the day's play.
Australia defeated West Indies by a massive 177 runs to win the second Test match in Melbourne and claim the series 2-0.
Australia have included uncapped George Bailey in their 12-man squad for the first Ashes encounter against England next week in a gamble the 31-year-old can replicate his "extraordinary" limited overs form in the Test arena.
'England were playing with nine and a half men'
Factbox on the third Test between Australia and South Africa, which begins on Friday.
Factbox on the second Test between Australia and South Africa, which begins on Thursday.
Queensland quick Michael Neser looks set to make his Test debut against New Zealand on Thursday with Australia considering an unconventional five-man attack for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The hosts, who can clinch the three-match series with a second successive victory, are wary of the surface at MCG where bowlers had to really toil for any success in recent times.
Australian middle-order batsman, Usman Khawaja received an Ashes berth, and, opener Phillip Hughes was also lucky to retain his spot in the squad, after a poor performance in India.
Clarke said their statement finds no mention of the incident's chief protagonist, Cameron Bancroft
Manager Rafael Benitez confirmed Liverpool are weighing up bids from Aston Villa and Olympique Lyon for Milan Baros.
Australia will take the same 12-man squad to Perth for the third Ashes Test this week after humbling England by 218 runs to win the second match in Adelaide on Monday.
India came within sniffing distance of a defining victory before a stoic resistance by Australia's tail delayed the inevitable in the third Test in Melbourne on Saturday.
Factbox on the third Test match between Australia and India, which starts on Friday.
Michael Clarke struck a sublime century to become his country's highest Test run-scorer in a calendar year as Australia marched to an imperious 278-run lead at the close of day two of the second Test against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
JP Duminy, AB de Villiers, Wayne Parnell and Vernon Philander put South Africa on top as they reduced Australia to 112 for four on the second day of the second Test at St George's Park on Friday.
Team India got off to a slow start on the third morning, adding only 14 runs to their overnight total (182-3) in the first 11 overs of the day.
