Coach Darren Lehmann voiced concern about Australia's batting lineup after a catastrophic display in which the hosts were bowled out for 85 by South Africa on the first day of the second Test in Hobart on Saturday.
With a batting average of just a shade under 30, the pugnacious Mitchell Johnson plundered the Indian bowling to register his ninth Test fifty and give Australia a fighting chance in the second Test at the Gabba.
Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson is set to return from his month-long rest period and the tri-series final against England will be his first competitive match since the Boxing Day Test against India.
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.
Centurion Michael Clarke played a true captain's innings as Australia shrugged off another umpiring controversy to produce an Ashes fightback and rack up 303 for three on the first day of the third Test on Thursday.
Anderson's performance, his first five-wicket haul in Australia, turned out be in vain in the end, though, as the hosts steadily chipped away at England on the fourth day when they were chasing 354 for victory.
The injured and banned duo of Steven Smith and David Warner are unlikely to take part in Australia's final two ODIs against Pakistan despite serving out their one-year suspensions.
The 30-year-old Holland played two Tests in Sri Lanka in 2016 but has not appeared for his country in any format since.
Australia's pace sensation Mitchell Johnson will reportedly compete with teammate David Warner as the country's most valuable Twenty20 player at next month's Indian Premier League player auction following a successful return to the elite ranks of international cricket.
Ecstatic after his match-winning performance in only his second international game, Australia's rookie left-arm speedster Jason Behrendorff says his ultimate aim is to play Test cricket for a long time.
Indian touring parties that have left Australia empty-handed over the last 70 years
Ian Bell joined an elite trio on Thursday with his third Ashes century in successive Tests after England had lost three cheap wickets on the opening day of the second Test against Australia at Lord's.
India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara jumped a couple of rungs to second, while skipper Virat Kohli held on to the fifth spot in the latest ICC rankings for Test batsmen.
Aruneel Sadadekar/Rediff.com takes a look at some players Indian fans will miss following their exploits in the Indian Premier League.
Australia have achieved what Steve Smith set out to do when he assumed the captaincy last year by climbing to the top of the test rankings after beating New Zealand on Wednesday with the batsman admitting the trick now "was to stay there". The seven-wicket victory coming just after lunch on the final day at Hagley Oval sealed a 2-0 series win against Brendon McCullum's side and confirmed Australia's ascendancy to the pinnacle of test cricket for the first time since July 2014. "It's a good start for us. We want to win every series we play and winning away from home is a big goal of mine and the team's," Smith told reporters. "We came here at the start of the series wanting to win 2-0 and we knew if we did that we would be number one in the world. "I guess the challenge for this group now is to extend that gap and try and play some very good cricket home and away." Smith, who first captained the side for three tests against India in Michael Clarke's absence at the end of 2014, assumed the role in a full time capacity after his predecessor retired following the Ashes series loss to England last year.
Australia will play two spinners in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Pallekele on Tuesday, captain Steve Smith said, as the world's top-ranked side eye a turnaround in their poor record on the slow pitches in Asia.
As the countdown to 2018 starts, it's time to rewind those moments in sport that stood out this year.
Australian captain Michael Clarke has said his side still has room for improvement after their utterly dominant 405-run win in the second Ashes Test against England at Lord's.
In what will be a dress rehearsal of their opening game in the World Cup, an unbeaten Australia take on England in the cricket tri-series final, in Perth on Sunday.
But the man known as "Gazza" to his team mates has become much more than a sum of his statistics, and seems to add a new string to his bow every season.
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.
Lokesh Rahul is hopeful that premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin would be able to match Nathan Lyon's performance on a track that has crumbled on the first day itself.
The 21-year-old Renshaw has averaged 36.64 from his 10 Tests in a positive start to his international career but has had a tough Shield campaign for Queensland, failing to surpass 20 runs in his four innings.
Despite the weeks of debate about the make-up of the Australia team for next week's first Ashes Test, captain Michael Clarke is of the opinion that 11 of the 12 players are "no-brainer" selections.
Australia have opted for experience over youth in an attempt to win a maiden World Twenty20 title by selecting veterans Brad Hogg, Brad Hodge and Brad Haddin in their 15-man squad for the tournament in Bangladesh next month.
Australia captain Steve Smith was delighted with the way his side rebounded from a series defeat to South Africa to sweep Pakistan 3-0 on Saturday but warned their next Test campaign in India would present a challenge on a whole different level.
Pakistan-born Fawad Ahmed is likely to make his full Australia debut over the next month after being named as the specialist spinner in the squad for six one-day and two Twenty20 internationals against England on Thursday.
Australia bundled out England for a paltry 103 in their second innings to win the second Test match at Lord's on Sunday by a massive margin of 405 runs on the fourth day.
Injured Australia captain Michael Clarke will arrive in the United Arab Emirates five days ahead of the rest of the Test squad as he races to be fit for the two-match series against Pakistan.
Australia will miss captain George Bailey in the One-dayer against England on Friday but their focus will be to seal a place in the ODI tri-series final.
A rejuvenated Mitchell Johnson needs only one victim to become Australia's third-highest Test wicket-taker but will hope for a bigger haul at his home ground in Perth, where New Zealand will be fighting to keep the three-match series alive.
Steve Smith reached his maiden Test century with a six as Australia, trailing 3-0 in the series, took control of the fifth and final Ashes Test against England at the Oval on Thursday.
Rain frustrated Australia's bid to win the third Test against England at Old Trafford on Sunday and keep alive their slender hopes of regaining the Ashes. At the premature close of the fourth day, Australia led England by 331 with three second innings wickets remaining.
Going into the final Test against South Africa, Australia are staring at the lowest ebb in their 140-year cricketing history.
Australia's remarkable Ashes fightback left England staring at a first innings total of 527 for seven on Friday and the loss of two late wickets on day two of the third Test made the task look even more imposing.
India's batting ace Yuvraj Singh commanded the highest price, Royal Challengers Bangalore paying a massive 14 crore for him, while Dinesh Karthik was a surprise pick at 12.5 crore by Delhi Daredevils.
MS Dhoni knows how to win World Cups and that goes quite a long way.
- 'Always strong at the psychological game, the Aussies put the pressure on the opponents, knew how to handle the pressure themselves and exploited virtually every situation to their advantage' - 'They are firmly and categorically told never to allow success to go to their heads. You don't find Australian cricketers getting even a little complacent'
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