Australia will be without five players for next week's first Test against New Zealand after they failed to overcome injuries, Cricket Australia said, on Friday.
A revitalised England gave notice they would not be giving up the Ashes without a fight and reduced Australia to 220 for five at tea on a sweltering opening day of the third Test at the WACA on Friday.
Thrown into Jonathan Trott's vacant number three position, Joe Root led from the front to restore some pride for a wounded England on day four of the second Ashes test on Sunday, savouring a war of words with Australia's frustrated fielders.
Glenn McGrath blamed Mitchell Johnson's average Ashes show on kinks in his mind and asked the left-arm pacer to stay relaxed and keep it simple to be back among the wickets again.
Following the retirements of Chris Rogers, captain Michael Clarke and all-rounder Shane Watson, Smith will lead a team in transition into the three-match series which wraps up with cricket's first day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval.
Desperate to put an end to the controversy surrounding the suspension of four players including vice-captain Shane Watson, Australia skipper Michael Clarke said he doesn't want to "look backwards" and focus on the third Test, starting on Thursday.
In an unprecedented move, Australia axed vice-captain Shane Watson and three other key players from the side on Monday for the third Test against India for failing to obey team management orders. Watson, pacers James Pattinson and Mitchell Johnson and batsman Usman Khawaja were dropped for failing to make a presentation on how to improve their personal as well as the team's performance after the innings and 135 runs defeat in the second Test in Hyderabad.
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.
Gujarat Titans successfully acquired Johnson for Rs 10 crore
Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson, who tormented India on Saturday, will take no further part in the DLF Cup tri-series.
The franchise is expected to bid for Australia's pace sensation Mitchell Johnson in the auction on February 12 using the 'joker card', which will give them the first right of refusal.
Australia captain Michael Clarke is fit to lead the side into the first Test against India on Tuesday and his return is a "huge boost" for the hosts, fast bowler Mitchell Johnson said.
Mumbai Indians inched closer to earning a play-off berth as they rode on a disciplined bowling performance to eke out a five-wicket win over Pune Warriors in a Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Saturday.
Warner described local fans as "derogatory and pretty vulgar" after the Australians were targeted for abuse during a test and ODI tour of New Zealand in 2016.
Sacked all-rounder Shane Watson said it was "wrong" on his part not to submit the presentation to the coach, but the "harsh" punishment for such a protocol breach is hard to accept.
The victory earned Rohit Sharma's team sweet revenge for the three defeats they suffered against Pune in the league stage of the tournament and Qualifier 1.
Australia's fast bowlers Mitchell Johnson, Doug Bollinger and Brett Lee, as well as Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka, are the biggest movers in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers after stellar performances in the series which Australia won by 3-2 while Bangladesh's fast bowler Rubel Hossain has a achieved personal best in the series which his side lost 3-2 to Zimbabwe.
Senior pacer Mitchell Starc claimed his maiden Allan Border medal, while Ashleigh Gardner became the first indigenous person to win the Belinda Clarke award, the top two honours at Cricket Australia (CA) Awards.
Australia opener David Warner will miss the first two one-day internationals against the West Indies with a fractured thumb and has been replaced in the squad by Usman Khawaja, Cricket Australia said on Wednesday. Warner was struck by a Mitchell Johnson delivery while batting in the nets at Perth, suffering a minor left thumb fracture and ruling him out of the matches on Friday and Sunday at the WACA.
In the recently held Asia Cup in the UAE, India were criticised for their bowling depth (or lack of it) in the absence of Bumrah while Pakistan boasted of bowlers who rattled the batters with their express pace.
Michael Hussey ended his Test career on a high when Australia beat Sri Lanka by five wickets with a day to spare in the third Test on Sunday to sweep the series 3-0.
As many as 144 players, including Indian Test batsman VVS Laxman, pacer S Sreesanth and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, will go under the hammer at the players' auction for the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League in Bangalore on February 4.
Australia take on West Indies in a three-match T20 series starting in Hobart on Friday as part of their preparations for the June 1-29 World Cup in the Caribbean and United States.
Out of the Test team for a year now, pacer Doug Bollinger is hoping that Australia's bowling woes would fetch him a place in the side for the much-awaited series against India starting December 26.
Australia beat South Africa by two wickets in the second and final Test to draw the series after a gripping fifth day at the Wanderers on Monday.
Australia ripped out England's top order to take a vice-like grip on the second Ashes Test after completely dominating the second day at Lord's on Friday.
As India go in to the four-match Test series against Australia that commences in Adelaide on Tuesday, here is a factbox.
Australia shone with bat and ball to beat South Africa by three wickets and claim a 2-1 series victory after the third one-day international at Kingsmead on Friday.
Legendary West Indian batsman Brian Lara and dashing Australian wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist are among overseas players who have been put in the top bracket base price for the upcoming auctions of the fourth edition of Indian Premier League.
A defiant Australia regained their traditional Ashes swagger in Perth on Sunday, routing England by 267 runs to level the series while hailing the momentum-swinging return of their mercurial pace bowler Mitchell Johnson.
England march into the second battle of their Ashes campaign at another bastion of Australian cricket on Friday buoyed by the knowledge they have already spiked one of the enemy's big guns.
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.
After several losses in the early years of the new century, a resurgent India notched up two consecutive series wins in Australia to become the Aussies' nemesis.
Lasith Malinga became the first bowler to take three One-day international hat-tricks as Sri Lanka beat Australia by four wickets in the fifth and final match of their series on Monday.
Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said the way Dwayne Smith won the match for Mumbai Indians, it shows the unpredictability of the Twenty20 format, in which one individual could change the result of a match with his performance.
Australia vice-captain Shane Watson has signed up with Sydney Sixers in the Twenty20 Big Bash League and will take part in the tournament during the gap between the home Test series against New Zealand and India.
Australia's chairman of selectors George Bailey has defended the omission of explosive batter Jake Fraser-McGurk from their T20 World Cup squad, saying he is an exciting option going forward but their top-three, including David Warner, have been doing well.
Australia called up uncapped paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile for the first Test against West Indies on Tuesday as a replacement for left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc, who was ruled out of the series due to a broken foot.
Zimbabwe shocked favourites Australia with a stunning one-run win in their opening World Twenty20 warm-up match in St Lucia on Tuesday.
