Opener Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson will all play their first Tests at Adelaide Oval after selectors wielded the axe following the Hobart humiliation, which gave South Africa an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
Batsmen have dominated Australia's series against New Zealand, but the pink ball and a green-tinged wicket should swing the balance of power back to the bowlers when Adelaide hosts Test cricket's inaugural day-night match.
Adelaide, which was due to host the second Test from December 12-16, will now host the series opener from December 9-13, in what is sure to be a highly emotional occasion.
Ponting said that he has never been more impressed by a young cricketer than Hughes.
Australia paceman Josh Hazlewood has expressed concerns about the safety of the pink ball to be used in the maiden day-night Test match against New Zealand.
Steve Smith's importance to Australia in the Ashes series has not just been in the torrent of runs he has scored but also in timing of his big innings, according to his team mate Pat Cummins.
A guitar-strumming rocker when not keeping wickets, Australia's Peter Nevill will hope to hit the right note when he makes his surprise Test debut against England in the second Ashes match on Thursday.
Young off-spinner Arjun Nair, the Canberra-born son of Indian immigrants, has been included in the New South Wales (NSW) squad for their upcoming Sheffield Shield match against South Australia.
Australia's opening batsman David Warner and girlfriend Candice Falzon are set to tie the knot on Saturday, and they couldn't wait to share the news on social media just one day before their surprise wedding.
Steve Smith capped a remarkable season by sweeping the main awards at the annual Allan Border Medal ceremony
Rashid Latif has told PTI in an interview that it was the duty of the ICC to ensure that the quality of cricket and players was not reduced in a mad rush to make more money.
Australia pace bowler Kane Richardson is to return home for further examination on a back injury and has been replaced by Joel Paris in the squad for their final one-day match against New Zealand in Hamilton on Monday. Richardson, 24, did not play in Australia's four-wicket victory in the second match in Wellington on Saturday. "Kane Richardson's back pain hasn't subsided sufficiently to take part in the final ODI in Hamilton," a Cricket Australia spokesperson told Australian reporters in Wellington on Sunday.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann will have a 'private chat' with Usman Khawaja after the top order batsman publicly criticised selectors for dropping him during the Sri Lanka tour. Khawaja and opener Joe Burns were omitted for the third and final test in Colombo, which Australia lost to slump to a 3-0 series whitewash. Although both the Queenslanders struggled for runs, Khawaja told local media over the weekend he felt they were unfairly singled out.
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.
A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup.
Celebrated wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist and late former captain and selector Jack Ryder will be inducted into Australian Cricket Hall of Fame at the annual Allan Border Medal ceremony in Sydney on January 27.
Notwithstanding his successful Indian Premier League stint with champions Mumbai Indians, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting is not tempted at Big Bash coaching roles for now and is keen to concentrate on his commentary assignments for Channel Ten in the Australian T20 league.
Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen impressed with the bat as a much-changed South Africa defeated Sri Lanka by 16 runs to seal the Twenty20 International series at Centurion Park on Friday.
Australian captain Michael Clarke has dismissed the idea of being driven into retirement by a degenerative back problem and believes he could play three more Ashes series over the next five years.
Former Australia captain Steve Smith scored 20 off 16 balls on his return to the Indian Premier League but failed to inspire Rajasthan Royals to victory over Kings XI Punjab on Monday.
The waiting ends for England's new Test captain Joe Root on Thursday when he leads his side out for the start of a four-match series against South Africa at Lord's on Thursday, nearly four months after his appointment.
Factbox on the 12th edition of the Cricket World Cup
'If he carries on playing and if he stays fit, he will go past Tendulkar.'
Ganguly had said India will lock horns with England, Australia and one other top cricketing side in an annual ODI series starting 2021.
Australia captain Michael Clarke urged mourners to "dig in and get through to tea" as he choked back tears in an emotional eulogy delivered to Phillip Hughes at the cricketer's funeral in Macksville, New South Wales, on Wednesday.
Australia captain Michael Clarke, who is struggling with his hamstring injury, could be fit in time for the upcoming four Tests against India starting December 4, with reports surfacing that the batsman may not require surgery.
The cricket community in Pakistan has reacted cautiously to reports that the Indian and English Boards were willing to play Pakistan at neutral venues with some asking the PCB not to fall in the "trap".
Rain denied England's batsmen a chance to inflict further misery on Australia A's hapless bowlers, washing out the entire second day's play in the four-day Ashes tour match in Hobart on Thursday.
Troubled England all-rounder Ben Stokes and India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin are among the 16 marquee players for the upcoming Indian Premier League Players' Auction in Bengaluru on January 27 and 28.
Test cricket returned to Pakistan for the first time in ten years with the Sri Lankan team playing two matches in Rawalpindi and Karachi, with the hosts winning the second match to clinch the series 1-0 after the rain-curtailed first game ended in a draw.
'We hope the boys can find the inner strength to play the game in the way Phillip would have wanted in Adelaide' 'We left a bit of heart in Macksville yesterday'
Penpix of players in Australia's Ashes squad.
Atletico Madrid have taken the decision to cut the wages of their staff, including the players, to ease the financial burden on the club as they struggle with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the La Liga club said
Impressed with Josh Hazlewood's performance during his five-wicket haul on Test debut, Australian pace legend Glenn McGrath has said that the New South Wales seamer can become a member of the 200-wicket club if he continues the good work.
Paine's batting lineup has been rated the worst Australia has ever, so the bowlers could well be under pressure
Australia and West Indies are set to lock horns in five T20Is and three ODIs in July this year.
Steyn has confidence in his team of match-winners
Long called upon to rescue his team from treacherous situations, Australia captain Michael Clarke could do little to save his close friend Phillip Hughes, but bore his grief quietly in a vital supporting role for his "little brother's" family.
The Australia all-rounder feels that the Indian team with its strong batting line-up will find the conditions challenging Down Under.
ICC chief executive David Richardson warned that the growing popularity of the domestic Twenty20 leagues like the Indian Premier League, Big Bash and Caribbean Premier League are threatening the survival of bilateral series.
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