Tasmanian batsman Alex Doolan could be in line for a test debut pending the fitness of all-rounder Shane Watson after being named in Australia's 14-man squad for the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney.
Australia have every faith wicketkeeper Peter Nevill will make a strong impression on his debut at Lord's on Thursday when he replaces Brad Haddin for the second Ashes Test, captain Michael Clarke said.
Rajneesh Gupta picks fun sledging through the decades.
Most Australian players are heading off to join their India Premier League sides after beating Bangladesh 3-0 in just concluded ODI series.
Australia's pace bowlers took eight quick wickets to skittle out Sri Lanka for 174 runs on day one of the second Test in Kandy on Thursday, as the home team struggled against fast bowling from the start of the innings. Australia were 60 without loss at stumps. Shane Watson was unbeaten on 36, and Phil Hughes on 23.
Criticism continues to dog Australia's selectors in the run-up to the World Cup despite a comprehensive 6-1 one-day drubbing of England being wrapped up at the weekend.
Former Australian coach John Buchanan has reacted to the criticism by recently retired skipper Michael Clarke, saying that the captaincy role is quite demanding and the former needs to work on it.
Australia have named Michael Clarke in a 12-man squad for the first Test against India starting in Brisbane next week, but the hamstrung captain must prove his fitness in a tour match starting on Friday.
Factbox on Saturday's World Cup match between Australia and Bangladesh.
Paceman Tim Bresnan claimed three early wickets to scuttle Australia's unlikely second-innings run-chase and leave England on the brink of an Ashes-winning victory in the fourth Test.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's in-form bowling unit could take a lot of encouragement out of the struggling Australian batting.
Michael Clarke, long the heir apparent to Ricky Ponting, finally assumed the throne when he was named Australia's 43rd Test captain on Wednesday, a day after his mentor quit the post.
Pakistan have now suffered defeat in 11 consecutive international matches against Australia. The sequence started in September 2009 with the Champions Trophy match at Centurion when Australia registered a two-wicket win off the last ball.
Simon Katich and Shane Watson have shared an opening stand of 99 -- Australia's best at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, surpassing the 91 between Mark Taylor and Michael Slater in March 1998.
Captain Michael Clarke said Australia had the world's best Twenty20 opening batsmen after his team crushed India by 49 runs on Friday.
Australia have a huge hunger for an Ashes triumph in England, according to all rounder Shane Watson, while batsman Steve Smith believes this year's series will not even be close if the tourists play to their potential.
Jos Buttler made an unbeaten half-century as England shrugged off Clint McKay's hat-trick to win the fourth one-day international against Australia by three wickets on Saturday to set up a series decider on Monday.
Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has said that the prospect of changes to the team's batting line-up for October's Test tour of India is remote.
Australia's captain steered his team to 136 for two at the close, just 34 runs behind Pakistan who bowled out the Australians for 88 on the first day of the second Test at Headingley.
The World Cup quarter-final at the Adelaide Oval looked set for a tame ending after Australia shot out Pakistan for a meagre 213. Paceman Wahab, however, sparked the match into life with two wickets and an enthralling duel with Shane Watson.
Pakistani leg-spinner Danish Kaneria spun a web around the Australian batsman to reduce the hosts to 286 for 8 on Day 3 of the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
Australia recovered from a top order collapse in their second innings to end Day 3 in the first Test 307 runs ahead of Pakistan at the MCG on Monday. After dismissing Pakistan for 258 just before tea for a first-innings lead of 196, they were 111 for 3 at stumps.
Pat Cummins has been ruled out of Wednesday's World Cup match against Afghanistan, captain Michael Clarke confirmed.
Australia have called batsman Shaun Marsh into their squad for the opening Test of the four-match series against India, which was pushed back to next week after the death of Phillip Hughes.
Andrew Flintoff's sparkling 74 was the catalyst as England took control of the third Ashes Test against Australia on Sunday.
Australia batsman Michael Hussey doffed his hat to in-form Gautam Gambhir and had no hesitation admitting that the visitors will be happy if the banned left-hander is not allowed to play the fourth and final Test, starting in Nagpur on Thursday.
Former captain Sunil Gavaskar says the Indian team has an advantage in the upcoming five-match ODI series against Australia as the home team's bowling attack looks thin in the absence of the 'Two Mitchells' -- Johnson and Starc.
Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson has admitted that he considered calling it quits after four of his closest teammates retired from the Test arena following the team's failure to retain the Ashes series against England.
Kushner, in a meeting with the Russian envoy to the US Sergey Kislyak, discussed the possibility of setting up a secret and secure communications channel between the then transition team and the Kremlin using Russian diplomatic facilities in the US, The Washington Post reported.
Factbox World Cup match between Australia and England at the MCG.
Interesting numbers from day two of Ranchi Test
Shane Watson currently tops the list, with Adam Gilchrist in second place. Michael Hussey and Matthew Hayden are still in the top 10 although they played just four matches.
Australia finished second in Pool A after Mitchell Starc bowled the World Cup co-hosts to a seven-wicket victory against Scotland in a match that lasted just 41 overs at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart, on Saturday.
Australia will continue to experiment with their batting line-up against Scotland on Saturday as they attempt to give players some time in the middle before the knockout phase, captain Michael Clarke said.
Suresh Raina figures among the 10 players, who will "define" cricket in the next decade.
Australia completed a dominant eight-wicket victory in the fourth Ashes Test before tea on day four, swatting away a toothless England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday to take a 4-0 lead in the five-Test series.
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Australia have named swashbuckling batsman Aaron Finch captain of the Twenty20 cricket team, replacing George Bailey, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Monday.
Dashing opening batsman David Warner won his third Allan Border Medal, while Ellyse Perry claimed her second Belinda Clark Award at the Australian Cricket Awards, in Melbourne, on Monday.
India made a couple of changes, with Dinesh Mongia and Mohammad Kaif replacing S Sreesanth and Yuvraj Singh respectively.
A disciplined England attack shrugged off the challenge of a bland Adelaide Oval wicket to limit Australia to 273-5 and leave the second Ashes Test delicately poised after the opening day on Thursday.
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