Nathan McSweeney, who opened in the first three Tests with little success, has been dropped.
Pat Cummins is looking at the upcoming five-Test series against India as a chance to 'make amends' for the successive defeats at home against their fierce rivals.
As the prestigious Ashes gets underway, here's a look at the milestones that can be achieved.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 2nd Ashes Test Day-Night Test at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the fourth Ashes Test between England and Australia at Old Trafford in Manchester on Thursday.
Mitchell Starc remains in doubt for the Boxing Day Test against England with a bruised heel but scans have cleared the Australia pace spearhead of serious injury.
Mitchell Starc claimed his second hat-trick of the match to lead New South Wales to a 171-run victory over Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield on Tuesday.
England captain Ben Stokes' swashbuckling 155 was in vain as Australia won the second Ashes Test at Lord's by 43 runs on an extraordinary final day on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-Test series.
The fond memories of 2015 came rolling back for Mitchell Starc after beginning his World Cup campaign in near-identical fashion to his crowning moment.
Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc says he let the noise get to him when India toured Australia two years ago but "couldn't care less" now as he gears up for the upcoming home Test series against Virat Kohli's team.
Joe Root's decision to bat backfired on England, who were bowled out for just 147 on a rain-hit first day.
Australia's capitulation in Perth triggered damning assessments of the team's performance in home media.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the opening Ashes Test played between England and Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Friday.
McDonald 'disappointed' with McCullum's comment post Bairstow dismissal
'The Ashes are on the line here, if that is not motivation, I don't know what is.'
Khawaja to battle Head for openers' spot as Australia name squad for first two Tests.
Joe Root plundered a superb century to defy Australia as England recovered from a poor start to post 343 for seven on the first day of the first Ashes Test on Wednesday.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 3rd Ashes Test played between Australia and England at the MCG on Tuesday.
Scott Boland will become the first indigenous Australian Test player since Jason Gillespie played his last match in 2006 when he receives his baggy green cap on Sunday.
Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the fourth Ashes Test with a heel injury while England paceman Craig Overton will also miss the match in Melbourne with a fractured rib.
Pacer Jhye Richardson picked up five wickets as Australia beat England by 275 runs in the day-night second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval on Monday to go 2-0 up in the five-match series.
England's batting once again disappointed against Australia on Day 2 of the third Test
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 1st Ashes Test played at the Gabba in Brisbane on Friday.
Australia's mouthwatering clash with India sees the two behemoths of the modern game go head-to-head in five tests over six weeks with the tourists eyeing a third straight series triumph Down Under.
Australia were grossly under-prepared for the India challenge, while pacer Mitchell Starc virtually ran out of ideas when Rohit Sharma smashed him for 29 runs in an over in their Super Eights match in Gros Islet (Saint Lucia), says former-cricketer Brad Hogg.
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc picked up his second five-wicket haul in the match to lead Australia to a comprehensive 366-run victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka and a 2-0 series win.
The southpaw became the first to score a hundred in a session at the Gabba, propelling Australia to a 196-run lead over England.
Matthew Short has also been called up as an extra batter while Travis Head recovers from a fracture to his left hand.
Johnny Bairstow scored England's first century of the series as the tourists staged a fightback after a torrid start to the third day of the fourth Ashes Test on Friday, but Australia remained in command with a lead of 158 at the close of play.
Australia's Josh Hazlewood is a 'genius' with line and length and will have no trouble being ready for next week's Ashes opener against England
Cummins said Australia's triumph had made him fall in love with 50-over cricket again even as questions about the future of the format linger.
Travis Head smashed a T20-style century to put Australia firmly in control of the first Ashes Test on Thursday as England were hit by an injury crisis during a miserable day two in the field at the Gabba.
Usman Khawaja and Ryan Harris have been roped in the Australian squad for the second Ashes Test at Lord's. The duo will replace Ed Cowan and Mitchell Starc.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 3rd Ashes Test played in Melbourne on Sunday.
The opening match of the series begins in Brisbane on December 8, with Australia playing their first Test since losing to India in January.
KKR Mentor Gautam Gambhir was all ears as Virat Kohli did all the talking.
Since 2011, England have managed to eke out just a single draw in 13 Ashes Tests over three tours and their last two Tests in Sydney have resulted in humiliating defeats.
In a career of cross-roads, the 29-year-old feared he had reached a dead end some 20 months ago, when he suffered a fourth back stress fracture that ruled him out of the 2017/18 series on home soil.
Lyon surprised virtually everyone in the ground when he hobbled out to bat at number 11
England will require more heroics from Ben Stokes if they are to pull off an unlikely victory
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