Pat Cummins confirmed Australia's new-look batting line-up on Tuesday with Steve Smith to open and Cameron Green at number four in the team to face West Indies in the first Test at Adelaide Oval from Wednesday.
Rachin Ravindra scored his first Test century and Kane Williamson his 30th in an unbroken stand of 219 as New Zealand put on 258 for two on the opening day of the first Test against a depleted South Africa at Bay Oval on Sunday.
'I would have picked Ashwin for his batting, let alone his bowling. That is why I can't believe he isn't playing because he has got five Test centuries as well. It is very strange.'
Ajinkya Rahane's place in the India Test squad has come into question following a string of low scores in England but batting coach Vikram Rathour said they are not overly worried about the vice captain's form slump.
Hobart will stage the fifth Ashes Test between Australia and England in place of Perth, which was stripped of the hosting rights on Monday because of Western Australia border controls, Cricket Australia said on Saturday.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the 5th Ashes Test played between England and Australia at The Oval, London, on Sunday.
The Australian team on paper holds slight advantage on a bouncy track at The Oval but both Ravi Shastri and Ricky Ponting believe that the Indians are better prepared.
Inspired by a magnificent, unbeaten century from rookie wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, South Africa pulled within six wickets of a series-levelling victory in the second Test against New Zealand after dominating day four in Christchurch on Monday.
Former pacer Ashish Nehra said India should include senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, ranked No 2 in the world, in place of a fast bowler for the fourth Test against England, starting at The Oval in London on Thursday.
New Zealand have never beaten South Africa in a Test series in nearly a century of trying and will rarely have a better chance to break that drought than in two matches against a severely depleted side starting on Sunday.
Australia retained the Ashes after the fourth Test at Old Trafford was drawn on Sunday with no play possible on day five due to rain, leaving England trailing 2-1 in the series with one match to play.
Ross Taylor claimed the last Bangladesh wicket in his final act in Test cricket to seal New Zealand's series-levelling victory by an innings and 117 runs in the second and final match in Christchurch on Tuesday.
Centuries by West Indies' Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood stymied a frustrated England on Day 3 of the second Test in Barbados on Friday. Their 183-run fourth-wicket stand lifted West Indies to 288 for four in their first innings, still 219 runs behind England at stumps.
Without bigger contributions from their senior players -- Masood and Babar Azam among them -- Pakistan may struggle to prevent the losing streak from stretching to 16 in Melbourne, for all of Hafeez's fighting words.
Rookie opener Sarel Erwee savoured a maiden century as South Africa dominated day one of the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch to be 238 for three at the close on Friday.
India have posted 6 of the 7 600+ totals posted in Test cricket this year!
'We always knew we would be under pressure if the conditions went around a bit.'
Temporary drop-in pitches prepared by Adelaide Oval curator Damian Hough will be used for the upcoming T20 World Cup games in the USA with the ICC building a temporary seating gallery of 34,000 capacity for the marquee game between India and Pakistan in New York on June 9.
Without giving too much away, India head coach Rahul Dravid hinted at the possibility of playing wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the Caribbean leg of the T20 World Cup, starting with the Super 8 opener against Afghanistan.
South Africa might have faltered at the finishing line but their maiden final appearance in the T20 World Cup earned them accolades from local and expatriate fans
Pakistan transformed the course of the third Test against England at the Oval on Friday in a spectacular passage of play immediately after the tea interval on the third day. After Alastair Cook had more than doubled his previous aggregate of Test runs this summer with 110, including 16 boundaries, England appeared in control at 194 for three with a session to play.
Captain Joe Root has denied trying to heap the blame on his bowlers for England's poor start to the Ashes series but insists they must be braver with the length of their bowling in the now crucial third Test.
India and Australia will play the second Test at the Ferozshah Kotla from Friday and it is to be seen if Iyer is able to join the team.
Williamson's 109 from 132 deliveries on another sun-kissed day at Mount Maunganui made him only the fifth New Zealander to score a hundred in each innings of a Test.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan hailed Virat Kohli as an incredible leader, saying the India skipper gave a tactical masterclass to how to win a Test match.
'I got a message from Dave, which was quite personal. I tried to ring to try and talk to him about it.'
England batted with positive intent to take control of the final Ashes Test at The Oval on Saturday, moving on to 389-9 at the close on the third day with a 377-run lead over Australia.
Australia bowled out West Indies for 188 at Adelaide Oval on Day 1 of the first Test on Wednesday.
Karun Nair is only the second Indian to score a triple hundred in Test cricket.
Even while bringing the curtains down on his T20I stint, Jadeja was in the shadows of the icons.
The legendary Sachin Tendulkar said India will be happy with the Oval pitch when they take on Australia in the WTC Final.
As India faced off against Australia in their ICC Men's ODI World Cup opener at the M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai, the game saw some early drama.
Cricket Australia are expected to announce over the next few days that the fifth Test, scheduled for Jan. 14-18 at Perth Stadium, will be switched to another city because of Western Australia's hard line on quarantine.
The fifth Test could be David Warner's final outing, says McGrath
Three others of Team India support staff to remain in isolation.
All-rounder Colin de Grandhomme struck a belligerent half-century to steady New Zealand in the second Test on Saturday after South Africa's seamers torched the home side's top order during a see-sawing Day 2 in Christchurch.
Butt was suspended for five years for his role in spot-fixing during the Pakistan and England Test match in August, 2010.
Reader Amith Uppal sent us this picture from Chennai.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the WTC final against Australia?
Ajit Wadekar, who led India to its first win on English soil, tells Bikash Mohapatra that it was team effort that gave them that historic win at The Oval in 1971.
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