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.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the opening Ashes Test played between England and Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham 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.
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.
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.
McDonald 'disappointed' with McCullum's comment post Bairstow dismissal
Joe Root's decision to bat backfired on England, who were bowled out for just 147 on a rain-hit first day.
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.
'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.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 3rd Ashes Test played between Australia and England at the MCG on Tuesday.
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.
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.
Matthew Short has also been called up as an extra batter while Travis Head recovers from a fracture to his left hand.
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.
KKR Mentor Gautam Gambhir was all ears as Virat Kohli did all the talking.
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.
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.
The southpaw became the first to score a hundred in a session at the Gabba, propelling Australia to a 196-run lead over England.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
Pat Cummins registered the first hat-trick of the 2024 T20 World Cup as Australia restricted Bangladesh to 140 for 8 in the Super Eight match at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium, in Antigua, on Friday.
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.
Most players in Australia's Test squad are "closer to the end than the start" of their careers but they should be able to play on for another three to five years after working hard on their fitness and looking after their bodies, bowler Nathan Lyon said.
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.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the opening Test between Australia and Pakistan in Perth on Friday.
The two teams last met in the ODI World Cup in 2023. It was in Mumbai where Glenn Maxwell had played a once-in-a-generation knock to notch up a sensational double hundred while battling cramps all over his body, with Pat Cummins in tow who provided sturdy support from the other end.
Nasser Hussain showered praise on Stuart Broad after the veteran pacer bid farewell to international cricket with a memorable final day of his career.
Majestic cricket milestones mark T20 World Cup journey
Travis Head returned from COVID-19 to smash a belligerent 101 and Cameron Green made 74 to revive Australia after a top-order collapse on the opening day of the day-night final Ashes Test against England on Friday.
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