Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson hit fifties as New Zealand thrashed Pakistan by 46 runs in the first T20 International.
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.
England have not won the Ashes in Australia after losing the first Test since the 1950s but McCullum and Stokes will remain convinced they can turn the series around, just as they did against South Africa in 2022 when they won 2-1 after losing the opener at Lord's.
Australia's selectors chairman George Bailey defended sticking with the Test side's veteran core for the Ashes on Wednesday following criticism from former captain Steve Waugh about the team's ageing profile.
New Zealand folded for 171 in reply in 18 overs -- all 10 dismissals through catches -- as England grabbed a 1-0 lead heading into the third and final match in Auckland on Thursday.
Shubman Gill joined an unwanted list following the loss to Australia in the first ODI at Perth, becoming the second Indian skipper after Virat Kohli and overall ninth captain to lose their first matches in all three formats as captain.
The 26 year old rued the dropped catches, which ultimately cost India the match and the series.
England claimed a 1-0 victory in their three-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand after rain curtailed Thursday's final match in Auckland.
Kolkata Knight Riders splashed the cash as they spent a record breaking Rs 25.20 to buy Australian all-rounder Cameron Green.
Scott Boland will step up and uncapped Brendan Doggett is tipped for a high-stakes debut to try to shore up the loss of a combined 604 Test wickets of experience.
Cummins remains a doubtful for the Ashes opener at Perth starting on November 21 but Marsh is among the players who would be in fray for selection for the opening Test of the five-match series.
Cameron Green is shaping up as one of the hottest picks of the upcoming auction.
Former India all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri reflected on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's below-par showing in the first ODI against Australia in Perth.
Four-Test-old all-rounder Jacob Bethell was awarded his maiden central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which offered two-year deals to 14 multi-format cricketers, including Test captain Ben Stokes and injury-plagued pacer Jofra Archer.
'He has been benched so many times that he has lost a bit of rhythm.'
Expect nothing less than hostility, fire and close contests as Ben Stokes' England come armed with their Bazball philosophy to try and get the better of a depleted Australia.
Earlier this week, the duo arrived in Perth with the first batch of the team and practised relentlessly in the nets.
Josh Hazlewood clinically dismantled a famed Indian top-order with a probing spell to kill the contest as Australia cantered to a four-wicket victory in the second T20 International.
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.
Delhi Capitals have suffered a major setback as their Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has returned home to undergo treatment for a tear in his right hamstring.
The Indian team management has not asked for a rank turner for the opening Test of the two-match series against South Africa beginning at the Eden Gardens on Friday, Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly said on Monday.
As he made that slow walk back, Kohli turned once more to the Adelaide crowd, this time perhaps for the last time. The fans rose to their feet, acknowledging a man who has given them some of modern cricket's greatest memories.
After Sunday's defeat in Perth, the three-match series moves to Adelaide on Thursday before concluding in Sydney on Saturday.
Philippe's outing in Perth was his first International appearance on home soil after years of playing overseas, including most of his 15 previous games in COVID-19 bubbles.
K L Rahul on Saturday conceded that Indian batters' repeated struggles against spin, especially on home tracks, remain a concern.
Rohit Sharma became the seventh Indian to complete 100 catches in One-Day Internationals, while young speedster Harshit Rana went level with decorated spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for the record of most wickets for India after a player's first eight ODIs, in the third and last match of the series against Australia, in Sydney, on Saturday.
Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has said he hopes to continue playing until the 2027 World Cup as he prepares to make his return for his country in the three-match One-Day International series against England, which starts on Sunday.
'He is not changing it anymore and hopefully he sticks to it and plays many more knocks like this for us.'
Arshdeep Singh, who took three wickets for 35 runs in the third T20I against Australia, in Hobart on Sunday, said he's been working on his process, trusting his skills, and executing the plans he practised.
England 'quietly confident' heading into Ashes series, says Wood
Mitch Owen has been rewarded for his fine form in his first five Twenty20 internationals by being named in both of Australia's squads for short-format series against South Africa in the far north of the country next month.
The great Ricky Ponting expressed confidence in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's abilities despite their poor showing with the bat in the first ODI against Australia on Sunday.
Australia have tried and tested five openers in the format since David Warner had his last dance after last year's Caribbean World Cup. Marsh remained tight-lipped about the appearance of the rest of the batting unit but confirmed there were discussions about Tim David's place.
England captain Harry Brook smashes records with blistering 135 against New Zealand
For the first time in many years, India are going into a home Test match as underdogs and not favourites. Ask any player worth his salt and he would tell that it is not a happy place to be.
As Virat Kohli looks to make amends in Thursday's second ODI at the Adelaide Oval, one of his favourite hunting grounds, former India international Mohammed Kaif said that Virat did not appear to be in his batting zone.
'It was just put the ball in the right areas, don't try too much and see what happens.'
IMAGES from the fourth T20I between Australia and India played in Carrara, Gold Coast on Thursday
Mitchell Owen made an impressive debut as Australia beat West Indies by three wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.
Australian star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is hopeful of regaining fitness in time for the latter half of the upcoming T20 International series against India after undergoing surgery on his fractured right wrist.
