Triumphant Australia will bid farewell to Usman Khawaja as England look to recover another few scraps of pride when the Ashes series comes to a conclusion with the fifth Test in Sydney from Sunday.
The victims of the Bondi massacre, first responders and community members were welcomed with a guard of honour from Australia and England players at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
'We could play a couple of all-rounders. Could play a spinner. Could play no spinner. We'll figure it out.'
England called up spinner Shoaib Bashir and seamer Matthew Potts for the final Ashes Test against Australia beginning on Sunday with one of them set to fill the void created by Gus Atkinson's injury-induced absence.
From afar on Saturday, the SCG track looked to have a distinct tinge of green on it as the groundsmen ran the roller over it.
Australia Test captain Pat Cummins congratulated veteran opener Usman Khawaja on his "incredible career" after the 39-year-old confirmed his retirement from international cricket following the conclusion of the fifth Ashes Test against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground, starting January 4.
England's young batter Jacob Bethell joined an elite list after scoring his maiden Test century against Australia on Day 4 of the fifth and final Ashes Test.
Usman Khawaja said he was delighted to end his Test career with a victory in the fifth and final Ashes Test against England at Sydney on Thursday.
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hosted players from the Australian and England cricket teams ahead of the final Ashes Test at Kirribilli House for his annual New Year's Day reception on Thursday.
Similar measures were in place during the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground from December 26, where specialist police officers armed with semi-automatic rifles patrolled the stadium precinct, nearby parks and railway stations.
Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten century, while Virat Kohli returned to form with a fluent fifty as India cruised to an emphatic nine-wicket victory in the inconsequential third and final ODI against Australia.
Virat Kohli received a thunderous standing ovation from a capacity crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground as he strode out to bat, likely for the final time in Australia.
Khawaja said his parents sacrificed a comfortable life in Pakistan, including financial security, by moving to Australia solely to give their children better opportunities and a better future.
Usman Khawaja said he hoped his long Test career, which will come to an end with his retirement after the fifth Ashes clash, inspires youngsters who are "different" that playing cricket for Australia is possible.
'In choosing to be fully himself, even when it was uncomfortable, Usman Khawaja expanded the meaning of representation and conscience in Australian sport,' notes Asif Ullah Khan.
The Aussie cricketers were joined by their families on the field as they savoured a series win that came after a decade.
With skipper Pat Cummins already out of the series opener because of a back injury, Australia are expected to send out Hazlewood with Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland as their pace attack.
With no ODI series in Australia in the next two years, it is impossible to think that the legendary duo will again be seen Down Under in India blues.
What we seek is a good contest between bat and ball and pitches that are likely to produce a result.
A record-breaking 47,566 spectators packed the stands on day one of the fifth India-Australia Test on Friday.
What began as a routine fielding effort in Sydney turned into a serious health scare for Shreyas Iyer, who suffered a ruptured spleen during the third ODI against Australia.
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.
He has since returned for key assignments, including the 2022 T20 World Cup victory and both the Ashes and ODI World Cup campaigns in 2023.
Shining sun, gentle breeze, excited fans in Sydney await India's third ODI against Australia
Rohit Sharma hit a magnificent 121, while Virat Kohli stroked 74 in India's emphatic nine-wicket victory against Australia in Sydney.
"He needs to rotate strike, keep the scoreboard moving": Pathan on Virat ahead of 3rd Sydney ODI
Steve Smith has said he had never encountered a wicket like the one at the SCG
Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma ignore each other on match eve
Young Sam Konstas took the world by surprise with his aggressive approach in the Boxing Day Test, and the skipper lauded the teenager's adaptability.
The Sydney Cricket Ground track was "not ideal" for a Test match, according to batting great Sunil Gavaskar, but India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir praised the wicket as "spicy" and "result-oriented".
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A survivalist's mindset sees Indian batsmen fail again on the first day of the SCG Test.
Watching India and Australia compete in the series-deciding fifth Test was some experience for the 54-year-old American tennis legend.
Beau Webster believes playing against India pacer Jasprit Bumrah will be an enormous challenge for the Australian pacers on the seamer-friendly SCG pitch.
Cheteshwar Pujara was the cornerstone of the Indian batting line-up in Tests, featuring in 103 matches in which he scored 7,195 runs at an average of 43.60, with 19 centuries.
Tickets for Sydney ODI, Canberra T20I of India's white-ball tour of Australia sold out: CA
The Sydney Cricket Ground honoured batting greats Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara by having a set of gates named in their honour at the SCG.
Australia all-rounder Beau Webster described his impressive debut against India during the fifth and final Test in Sydney as a 'dream come true' moment.
Former Australia Test skipper Tim Paine labelled the SCG pitch as an "absolute disgrace" which was produced for the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Tasmania.
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