Resurgent Australia completed a 5-0 whitewash of Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, with all top four batsmen posting half-centuries in a commanding 20-run win, the team's eighth in succession.
A slew of Cricket Australia executives have resigned or been axed since the Longstaff report was released last week, shining a spotlight on cultural problems in the game's administration.
Fitting the disgraced duo of Steve Smith and David Warner into Australia's World Cup squad will be "bloody hard" given the side's resurgence without them, according to captain Aaron Finch. Both Smith and Warner are eligible to return to the national side after their 12-month suspensions for ball-tampering ended on Thursday.
Cummins, who fractured his wrist during the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval (July 27-31), has been advised rest for six weeks.
The visiting Australians are wary of the threat Bumrah could pose in the series starting in Mumbai on January 14.
'We know he'll come good and we'll be patient with him'
Pace bowler Mitchell Starc's patchy form is among the few worries for a rampaging Australia in the ongoing ODI series against India but skipper Aaron Finch on Tuesday threw his weight behind the seasoned campaigner, saying there is no need to panic just yet.
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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.
Cummins said the injury was "nothing major at all."
Beers in hand, the 'super troopers' were all smiles as Finch clobbered three sixes during his match-winning knock -- the Aussie now has the 3rd highest number of sixes in T20Is, a dizzying 125 sixes.
Steve Smith will lead Australia against India in the upcoming three-match ODI series as regular captain Pat Cummins, who lost his mother recently, will not return for the white-ball contest.
With Hardik Pandya not yet to fit to bowl, Kohli said it is affecting the balance of the team.
While ODI captain Aaron Finch said the team backed Justin Langer "100%", reports of players being put off by the coach's "grumpy" temperament have continued to surface.
The Virat Kohli-led team ticked all the boxes in their opening win of the series Australia on Saturday.
Captain Aaron Finch scored a century as Australia beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the opening One-Day International between the countries at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. Chasing 281 to win, the tourists reached their target with an over to spare and took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, with Finch making 116 and Shaun Marsh unbeaten on 91.
Australia captain Aaron Finch says playing in the sub-continent can be intimidating, but having won an ODI series last year, he says 'Knowing that our game plan is good enough to beat India in India, that gives us a lot of confidence going there.'
'With the two T20 matches (against India), it's a chance for the guys to continue on their Big Bash form and test themselves against the best in the world in their own conditions'
Images from the World Cup match played between Australia and Sri Lanka at the Oval in London on Saturday.
'He's arguably the best Twenty20 batter in the world over a long period of time. His record's so good and he's our captain, so maybe that's what's going on off-field but in our heads we just trust him'.
India captain Virat Kohli had no qualms conceding that the visitors were outplayed by a confident and ruthless Australia in the second ODI in Sydney on Sunday, pinning the blame on the ineffective and inconsistent bowling by his side.
Nathan Lyon has failed to take a wicket in Australia's ongoing One-day series against India but captain Aaron Finch is pleased with the off-spinner's role as they head into a series-decider against India in Melbourne on Friday.
Poor application and their failure to build substantial partnerships was the reason for India's downfall while chasing a target of 270 in the third ODI against Australia, said captain Rohit Sharma.
Opening batsman Aaron Finch marked his return to the Australia side with a defiant century in the third One-Day International against India but the thrill was tempered by another loss for Steve Smith's struggling side.
Apart from Rohit, Guptill is closely followed by former India captain Virat Kohli (3,308), Ireland's ODI skipper Paul Stirling (2,894), and Australian captain Aaron Finch, who is fifth in the list with 2,855 runs.
Zampa picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in one-day internationals to help the hosts defeat New Zealand
India's vacant cupboard of all-rounders will give Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri numerous points to ponder.
Pandya's absence means that India will have to rejig their bowling attack. Jasprit Bumrah has already been rested for this series, as well as the tour of New Zealand, and this allows the think-tank to conduct one final experimentation with their bowling attack.
'Warner shaken up after hitting bowler in nets'
It was only the fourth time in history that a side has lost an ODI chase with two centurions.
Cameron Green braved cramps to smash a career-best 89 not out and secure Australia's nervy two-wicket victory against New Zealand in the opening one-day international in Cairns on Tuesday.
Australia fret over Warner injury ahead of T20 World Cup opener
In 136 ODIs, Smith has scored 4,722 runs at an average of 44.13. His best individual score is 164.
Mitchell Starc and Adam Zampa collected three wickets apiece in Australia's eight-wicket demolition of Zimbabwe on Wednesday, giving the home side an unassailable 2-0 series lead from the second One-Day International at Riverway Stadium in Townsville.
David Warner says he still considers leadership roles a privilege and is ready to talk to Cricket Australia about ending the ban imposed on him for his part in the Newlands ball-tampering incident.
'He knows what works best for him in the shortest format, T20. It's probably just about finding that balance at international level as well'
Paceman Mitchell Starc retains his place in the side despite what was perceived to be a sub-par performance in Adelaide, and will be looking for a strong performance in conditions which are expected to favour his skills at the new Perth Stadium.
Kane Richardson will take his place in the 15-man squad for the tour, which starts with two Twenty20 matches later this month and is being used a warm-up for their World Cup title defence in England.
Andrew McDonald backs Mitch Marsh for Australian captaincy
Travis Head, D' Arcy Short and Chris Lynn have been dropped, while the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have been rested.
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