Tactician par excellence Gautam Gambhir couldn't have envisaged a battle of brains with a more different kind of adversary than the smiling yet ruthless Pat Cummins as Kolkata Knight Riders face a spirited Sunrisers Hyderabad in a mega IPL final in Chennai on Sunday.
England roared back in the final session following a feeble batting display as wickets tumbled on a dramatic opening day of the first Ashes Test against Australia at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon doesn't believe Australia's preparations for the World Test Championship final will be affected by the talk around the Ashes.
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'I wouldn't want that to be the same case going to India, bowling on tracks which are unresponsive to my type of bowling; slamming the front knee down at 34 is not really ideal when I want to play a lot of white-ball cricket moving forward.'
The 30-year-old said he will look to bowl at the nets on the third day of the Boxing day Test and will rely more on feel than on medical assessment.
Ben Stokes will play as a batsman only after injuring his shoulder at Old Trafford.
Nasser Hussain showered praise on Stuart Broad after the veteran pacer bid farewell to international cricket with a memorable final day of his career.
'The hardest place to play in the world is India.'
The upcoming three-match series, starting December 14, is part of the World Test Championship.
Head coach Rahul Dravid did not see Indian batters replying to England's 'Bazball' in kind but he said they will not be taking a backward step in the five-match Test series beginning in Hyderabad from Thursday.
The injury forced Smith to wear a wrist brace and miss the white ball tour of South Africa.
All-rounder Ben Stokes will not travel with the rest of England's squad for the Ashes, though no final decision has been taken on his participation in the Test series in Australia, the England Cricket Board said on Friday.
Stokes acknowledged that he is nearing the conclusion of his career rather than the beginning, but he stated he still wants to stick around to play in the upcoming Ashes series in Australia at the end of 2025.
For Pat Cummins's side, the addition of Flower to the coaching staff will only add more to the expectations as they strive to become the first Australian team to win an Ashes series in England since 2001.
Australia captain Pat Cummins admitted his team had endured an uncomfortable time before winning the second Ashes Test against England at Lord's.
Australia opener David Warner looks likely to get the Test farewell of his choice after being named in the 14-man squad for the opening clash in the three-match series against Pakistan on Sunday.
England have retained old warhorse James Anderson who is seven shy of reaching the landmark 700 wickets and become the first pacer to achieve the feat.
Hosts England ended a 44-year wait to win the World Cup as they beat New Zealand side on boundary count after a tied Super Over in a dramatic final on Sunday.
Where do Vijay and his TVK expect to get their votes from? Vijay has a huge fan following among women, but will they automatically become his voters like they had done for MGR's AIADMK, asks N Sathiya Moorthy.
'I don't think the target was a lot. It was just 10 over-par. We bowled well in patches. Just made a few mistakes.'
World champions Australia will hope to round off one of the nation's most successful seasons in cricket with victory in a rare Test series in New Zealand starting at Wellington's Basin Reserve on Thursday.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said the hosts would field their strongest side against Pakistan, which means a welcome return for spinner Nathan Lyon, who will chase his 500th Test wicket after injury ruled him out of the last three matches of the Ashes.
Broad posted his picture on Instagram, saying the Test match will be glorious at Lord's.
England's batting once again disappointed against Australia on Day 2 of the third Test
Rain looked set to wash out the first day of the second Ashes Test at Lord's on Wednesday, without a ball bowled as of the scheduled lunch break and a grim weather forecast clouding the outlook for action later in the day.
Former captain Smith, who has endured boos from the home crowds for his role in last year's ball-tampering scandal but has responded by piling up 671 runs in five innings, said it was incredibly special to retain the Ashes in England, something Australia have not done for 18 years.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 2nd Ashes Test played in Adelaide on Thursday.
Stuart Broad finished on a high as he claimed the final two Australian wickets to bowl England to a series-levelling 49-run victory in the final Ashes Test.
Stokes, who is still recovering from a knee surgery, hasn't bowled since the second Ashes Test in June last year.
Jofra Archer has aggravated his troublesome right elbow and Morgan said he's not sure of his participation in the ODI series
It is developing ash parks at Varanasi, Raipur, Pune and Cuttack, to make it available to ash-based product manufacturing units at these centres. It recently signed an agreement with NHAI for supply of ash for use in road construction.
Mitchell Marsh is expected to lead in Cummins's absence. The all-rounder is also in contention to be named Australia's T20 skipper.
'And I think Pat really hit that home. Let's be calm. Let's go do the basics really well and when our chance comes let's be ruthless.'
Pattinson will have to get through the county season unscathed to be considered for the Ashes starting in August.
But former Australia captain Ponting says he saw signs in both the first Edgbaston innings and Warner's knock against India in the World Test Championship Final that suggest he's close to getting back among the runs.
'Whenever you lose a series, it hurts. I've to take that on the chin. You have to look at areas you want to get better at, both in yourself and as a team'
England are desperate to win the final Ashes Test against Australia despite a series victory no longer being possible.
ECB will review his progress next month
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