Australia captain Pat Cummins doesn't mind staying a bit undercooked going into the high-octane WTC final against India.
Josh Hazlewood took five for eight as Australia romped to an emphatic victory by eight wickets inside three days in the first Test at Adelaide Oval on Saturday after skittling India for 36, their lowest innings score in 88 years of Test cricket.
The legendary Allan Border feels Pat Cummins had a lot to worry about as the series against India was his "first real test as captain".
The unwavering support from skipper Pat Cummins and the entire think-tank played a big role in his success in the on-going IPL, reckoned Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma.
Nitish flaunted his six-hitting muscle in the first innings and showed signs of living up to the belief that the former Indian skipper has exuded in him. After being put to bat by Australia, rain interrupted the play on four instances, and the Indian team toiled for rhythm as well as runs.
Australia captain Pat Cummins ensured Usman Khawaja, the first Muslim cricketer to play for Australia, was not showered by champagne amid the celebrations after winning the Ashes series.
Australian great Allan Border is mighty impressed with Pat Cummins' captaincy but said the upcoming four-Test series against India will be his real "acid test and the final frontier".
Australia's Pat Cummins will contact Tim Paine before the Ashes opener on Wednesday seeking some late inspiration ahead of the fast bowler's debut as captain against England at the Gabba.
A look back at the thrilling encounters between India and New Zealand in ICC tournament knockout stages, highlighting key moments and memorable performances.
It has been 10 years since Australia won the Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Steve Smith said the decision to drop Nathan Lyonwas taken to strengthen the pace-bowling department.
'I'm so excited to go over there. I have some close friends I will be playing alongside. Can't wait.'
Pat Cummins is focused on doing justice to his appointment as Australia's new test captain and believes limited-overs leadership would be "too much" for him, the 28-year-old said on Saturday.
Konstas, 20, misses out after a poor tour with the bat in the West Indies, while Weatherald has been included after topping the Sheffield Shield runs list
Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Travis Head admitted that the hosts "didn't expect" to end the night at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium with a victory against Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
Ishan Kishan, who was dropped from India's central contracts last year, hit a blistering century on his Sunrisers Hyderabad debut in the IPL, marking his return to form in style.
'We have lots of experience around our squad, like Daniel Vetori. So, you need to balance between the objective data that you gather and what you are feeling out there.'
Australia are hosting West Indies for three T20s between Feb. 9-13 as part of their preparations for the T20 World Cup, which will be held in the Caribbean and U.S. in June.
Virat Kohli, 36, and Rohit Sharma, 38, are active internationally only in the 50-overs format but their future beyond the three-match series is uncertain.
Regular captain Pat Cummins, fellow quick Josh Hazlewood and all-rounder Mitch Marsh have been ruled out with injuries, while Marcus Stoinis withdrew himself after his shock decision to quit ODIs on Thursday.
England's Ashes hopes rest largely on the all-round performance of talismanic captain Ben Stokes, who took 17 wickets against India in the recent home series.
Tournament co-hosts India will be out to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title in familiar home conditions next month.
England 'quietly confident' heading into Ashes series, says Wood
The spotlight was firmly on the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai as captains from all ten IPL franchises gathered for the official pre-season meet ahead of IPL 2025 on Thursday.
The Aussies also named a 14-player group for the first two T20I matches against India, with Nathan Ellis and Josh Inglis earning recalls after they missed the recent T20I series with South Africa.
The fast bowler's beguiling mix of aggression, control and intellect may make him the most feared of the Australian pace trio with the Dukes ball in hand.
Australia may opt to continue with a four-prong pace attack at Adelaide and even add another part-time seamer in all-rounder Beau Webster, who could replace batter Josh Inglis in the lower middle order.
Australia's stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh continued his fine run of form on Sunday, scoring 46 not out and leading his side to a seven-wicket triumph over India in the weather-affected first one-day international at Perth Stadium.
Pat Cummins defends team behaviour, terms Travis Head 'a big boy' who can speak for himself
Australia stormed to an eight-wicket victory in the second Ashes Test on Sunday to take a 2-0 series lead as England succumbed on day four to a pace blitz from unlikely hero Michael Neser.
Ravichandran Ashwin hails Travis Head after his 69-ball century, the second-fastest in Ashes history, helped Australia easily chase down 205 runs on Day 2 of first Ashes Test.
All-rounder Cameron Green may opt for a block of red-ball cricket for Western Australia to ramp up his bowling before the Ashes.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), already qualified for the playoffs, will aim to secure a top-two league stage finish when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash in Lucknow.
South Africa beat Australia by five wickets to win World Test Championship
Only three England captains have secured the urn in Australia in the last 50 years, with Andrew Strauss the last in 2010/11.
The skipper is also counting on the likes of part-time spinners Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith to pitch in the slow bowling department.
The contest between England's dialled-down "Bazball" approach and Australia's more methodical batting could determine who prevails in the Ashes series beginning in Perth on Friday.
'Batting into day three gave us that chance to really have a crack at them on day three -- it probably went better than we expected.'
Pat Cummins leads Australia fightback after Pakistan take early honours
Rishabh Pant, who hit two centuries in the Headingley Test, now trails top-ranked batter Joe Root by just 88 points.
