Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of this week's third Test against India in Melbourne with uncapped batsman Joe Burns coming into the 13-man squad to replace him.
- 'Yes, quite happy with a draw' - 'Bowlers did a very good job' - 'We have found ways to trouble ourselves'
The mood in the Indian camp was summed up best by the skipper after a green pitch was unveiled on eve of the maiden Test at the new facility.
Australia captain Steve Smith brushed off concerns about his fitness on the eve of the fifth and final Ashes Test against England on Wednesday before Mitchell Starc's return to spearhead the pace attack was confirmed as the only change to his team.
Australian captain Aaron Finch is confident Glenn Maxwell's ODI absence won't last long.
Australia have chosen the experience of Peter Siddle over the potential of the uncapped Joe Mennie as their third seamer for the opening Test against South Africa, which starts on Thursday.
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.
The two players were eligible for Aaron Finch's national side after their 12-month suspensions for ball-tampering ended last month.
The selection of opener Cameron Bancroft, wicketkeeper Tim Paine and number six Shaun Marsh all looked to have backfired early in the series-opener but all three finished strongly in Brisbane to help Australia to victory and boost their confidence ahead of the second test in Adelaide starting on Saturday.
It was only the fourth time in history that a side has lost an ODI chase with two centurions.
Australia captain Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bat against an Indian side missing their inspirational skipper Virat Kohli through injury in the fourth and final Test in Dharamsala on Saturday.
Australia remain 'hopeful' that opening batsman Chris Rogers will feature in next week's third Test at Edgbaston despite requiring further specialist treatment.
The former captain added, "So for Australia it's about enjoying it, working together and not looking too far ahead."
A play-offs spot having sealed after a resounding victory in their previous match, Kolkata Knight Riders would aim for a top-two finish with a win when they take on an inconsistent Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match, in Mohali, on Tuesday.
Home skipper Glenn Maxwell invited Hyderabad to bat but could hardly trouble the visitors who negotiated the attack with remarkable ease.
As India go in to the four-match Test series against Australia that commences in Adelaide on Tuesday, here is a factbox.
Injured fast bowler James Pattinson has returned to the Australia set-up when he was named on Tuesday for the One-day series against England in January.
A mis-firing Australia head into the second Test against South Africa in Hobart under pressure to save the series and avert a full-blown crisis which would almost certainly be triggered by a fifth consecutive Test defeat.
Just into his second Test as India captain, Virat Kohli has come under severe criticism for his tactics from Australian batting greats Ian Chappell and Michael Clarke for the way he shuffled his bowlers during the ongoing fourth and final cricket Test.
Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar will join Australia's squad for the fourth and final Test against India in Sydney, captain Steven Smith said on Tuesday.
With Australia taking a 2-0 lead in the four-match Test series against India, the scales are titled highly in favour of the hosts. History also shows that the Melbourne Cricket Ground has been a happy hunting ground for the hosts. With the Boxing Day Test around the corner, here is a quick look at how the teams stand.
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.
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson says he will be 'extremely surprised' if captain Michael Clarke does not score a hundred in honour of the late Phillip Hughes in the first Test against India, starting Tuesday.
The 21-year-old is now level with Englishman Jack Russell (vs South Africa at Johannesburg in 1995) and South Africa's AB de Villiers (vs Pakistan at Johannesburg in 2013).
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.'
Aaron Finch's team and its entourage of support staff sat down in a circle on the field, with each member taking turns to talk about the side's run in the tournament
The 28-year-old Starc finished with a match haul of nine for 109, enabling him to overtake South Africa's new-ball bowlers Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander among others, eclipsing his previous best sixth position that he enjoyed in December 2016.
Kings XI Punjab produced a clinical all-round display to register a convincing 16-run win over Rajasthan Royals and consolidate their position at the top of the table in the Indian Premier League in Mohali on Friday.
Half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik combined with excellent performances from their bowlers helped India 'A' outclass Australia 'A' by 50 runs to win the 'A' teams tri-series in Pretoria, on Wednesday.
Joe Burns will bat at number six when he makes his debut for Australia in the third Test against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, starting on Friday. The 25-year-old, regarded as one Australia's most promising young batsmen, replaced injured all-rounder Mitch Marsh in one of two changes to the Australian team that won last week's second Test in Brisbane. Paceman Ryan Harris, who missed the second Test because of a thigh problem, returns at the expense of Mitchell Starc.
Penpix of players in Australia's Ashes squad.
Australia are still pondering over their final selection for the game at Bristol.
Batsmen Usman Khawaja, Adam Voges and Joe Burns have been rewarded for their strong form over the past 12 months by being awarded central contracts by Cricket Australia on Friday.
Little-known batsman Craig Simmons scored the fastest century in Big Bash League history to inspire the Perth Scorchers to a thrilling five-run victory over the Adelaide Strikers in Thursday night's Twenty20 match at the WACA. The 31-year-old opening batsman hammered eight fours and eight sixes on the way to a 39-ball hundred, which easily eclipsed the previous record of 44 balls, by Luke Wright of Melbourne Stars in 2012.
Australia are hopeful T20 captain Aaron Finch will be available for the World T20, but say it's too early to declare him fully fit for the tournament in India next month. Finch injured his left hamstring during Friday night's loss to India at the MCG, ruling him out of the final T20 match against India and the series in New Zealand. While the injury doesn't require surgery, Cricket Australia's medical staff are yet to give Finch clearance for the World T20, which starts on March 8.
Images from the fifth One-Day International between Australia and India in Sydney, on Saturday.
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.
James Pattinson will replace fellow-quick Mitchell Starc in the Australia team for this week's opening test against West Indies, captain Steve Smith said on Wednesday, reviving a promising career that had stalled because of injury.
Virender Sehwag credits Axar Patel and Mitchell Johnson for the victory.
As much as support was great, it was also so confronting...I wanted to go further into my little hole and not come out. I felt like I was letting a lot of people down, I felt like I was taking an easy-out, I didn't know what I was doing, revealed the Australian all-rounder, who had taken a break from international cricket last October for issues related to mental health.
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