Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith hailed his side's resounding innings and 242-run victory over Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday as "near flawless" after the visitors retained the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy.
Smith couldn't hide his emotions while recalling their work in the early days that paved the way for the entry of six IPL franchises in the league.
Namibia pulled off a shock four-wicket win over South Africa in a one-off Twenty20 international on Saturday that marked the opening of the new cricket stadium in Windhoek.
Mitchell Starc and Ben Stokes set the scene for a dramatic Ashes series.
If Smith is ruled out, then the left-hand batter Travis Head will lead the squad as he is the vice-captain of the side.
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
Scott Boland will step up and uncapped Brendan Doggett is tipped for a high-stakes debut to try to shore up the loss of a combined 604 Test wickets of experience.
Australia captain Pat Cummins is back bowling multiple overs on a reduced run-up and has targeted returning to the team for the second Ashes Test against England, a day-nighter in Brisbane starting on December 4.
England recovered from a disastrous start as captain Brook bludgeoned 135 from 101 balls and Jamie Overton made 46 to help their side finish on 223 all out in 35.2 overs for a fighting chance in the contest.
In the academic year 2024-2025, the IB had 258 authorised schools in India, up from 183 schools in 2019.
Images from Day 2 of the fourth Test between Australia and India at the MCG on Friday.
Kane Williamson has decided to skip the three-match ODI series to focus on the Test series against the West Indies next month.
Smith needs just 315 runs to become the fourth Australian batter after Ricky Ponting (13378), Allan Border (11174), and Steve Waugh (10927) to reach the landmark of 10,000 Test runs.
Though the England-South Africa game yielded less than 150 runs thanks to the brilliant display by the English bowlers, the surface at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium is regarded as batting-friendly and has often produced high-scoring contests.
Captain Ben Stokes brushed off concerns about England's Ashes preparations on Wednesday, saying there was no way the squad could prepare in the same way touring teams of the past had, given the demands of the modern game.
'That so many have reached such an advanced stage of their careers without obvious replacements is certainly a reflection of their quality, but will be a matter of concern in the case of more injuries during the series.'
Smith has rarely, if ever, doubted his own talent but even he was aware that his spell at the top of the order was proving unpopular.
Ricky Ponting advised star batters Virat Kohli and Steve Smith to stop trying hard to rediscover their best and pushing themselves too hard and just focus on watching the ball and scoring runs.
The aura of home advantage -- long regarded as a hallmark of India's Test side -- seemed secure. But in barely over a year, that fortress has not just cracked, it has collapsed, raising uncomfortable questions about strategy, selection, and temperament.
Australian batter Steve Smith is "focussed" on taking them all head on in the game beginning in Adelaide on Friday.
Four-Test-old all-rounder Jacob Bethell was awarded his maiden central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which offered two-year deals to 14 multi-format cricketers, including Test captain Ben Stokes and injury-plagued pacer Jofra Archer.
Having scored his 33rd ton in Brisbane, Smith equalled Sunil Gavaskar's then world record of 34 hundreds on the second day of the fourth Test at the MCG on Friday.
In the league stage, South Africa suffered two heavy defeats and their batting came apart against spin in both games.
Virat Kohli and Steve Smith will be "dangerous" and "hungry" for runs in the remaining two Tests
Healy's injury forces Australia rethink ahead of Women's World Cup clash against England
'I'm worried. We're going to wander in and have a little game with the 'A' team. (It will be) 'Alright mate, how are you? Good on ya' and we're going to go and perform?'
Cummins, who was previously optimistic of taking part in a significant chunk of the series, appears to have no chance of playing the series opener in Perth from November 21 and could even miss all five Tests, leaving superstar batter Steve Smith as his stand-in captain.
England claimed a 1-0 victory in their three-match Twenty20 series against New Zealand after rain curtailed Thursday's final match in Auckland.
'He should be blooded into the senior team immediately, like Sachin was all those years ago.'
"Hopefully, I'm in form, bowling well in the practice games and in the nets, and can put my hand up for that game (Ashes opener).
Smith took a leaf out of Hussey's book and did not train on the day before the Adelaide Test, hoping to be fresh for a big score.
Steve Smith was facing throwdowns from team-mate Marnus Labuschagne in the nets when the ball struck his right thumb.
'Football's role has to be to support, to unite, to give hope.'
India captain Harmanpreet Kaur described her team's narrow four-run defeat to England as 'heartbreaking'
Marnus Labuschagne, who was dropped from the Test side during the tour of West Indies in June-July, has since hit three centuries in one-dayers and a couple more in Sheffield Shield for Queensland.
A round-up of Tuesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
India, South Africa pretty close on bowling, batters will face big test in getting runs: Amla
Kasprowicz recalls being thanked "for saving Test cricket" for his Ashes 2005 Birmingham dismissal
R Ashwin says he has figured out ways to tackle Australian batting mainstay Steve Smith in the upcoming five-match Test series
This Delhi Crime series belongs to Huma Qureshi, who plays Badi Didi as a hateful woman. She also commands some admiration for the way she negotiates with venal men and even some degree of sympathy for making the best of whatever life throws at her, observes Deepa Gahlot.
