Reaction after Australia's Steve Smith, who has stepped down as captain, confessed on Saturday that the team's "leadership group" had hatched a plan to alter the condition of the ball during the third day of the third Test against South Africa.
Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis were left out of the Australia squad for next month's limited overs tour of India while Labuschagne comes into the squad on the back of some fine form in Test cricket.
A series win will be an ideal confidence booster for India before the visitors hit Test match mode.
The Australians, led by Steve Smith, arrived in Chennai from Bangladesh after drawing a two-Test series and the match tomorrow would give them opportunity to at least switch to the One-day format.
Travis Head, D' Arcy Short and Chris Lynn have been dropped, while the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have been rested.
Australia are yet to hit their stride, but that's exactly why the rest should worry, says former Aussie great Allan Border.
Australia coach Justin Langer said that England are obviously the red-hot favourites going into the World Cup and said the team deserves to be the number one team in the world.
Australia captain Aaron Finch says playing in the sub-continent can be intimidating, but having won an ODI series last year, he says 'Knowing that our game plan is good enough to beat India in India, that gives us a lot of confidence going there.'
Australia coach Darren Lehmann said on Thursday he would step down after this week's Test match against South Africa, as he took ultimate responsibility for the culture of a team embroiled in a ball-tampering scandal that has rocked the sport.
Tit-for-tat accusations of cheating and foul play only for it to rise magnificently in the wake of some quality cricket by the bitterest of antagonists.
Langer's side secured their spot in the last four with a 64-run win over hosts England at Lord's on Tuesday and return to the famous north London ground on Saturday to face neighbours New Zealand in their penultimate round-robin tie.
Australia warmed up for the limited-overs series against India in style by crushing Board President's (BP) XI by 103 runs in the lone practice match, in Chennai, on Tuesday.
All-rounder James Faulkner has been named captain of Australia's 'A' team for the four-day series against India 'A' and South Africa 'A' in July and August, Cricket Australia said on Friday.
Sri Lanka have not played a match at the World Cup since June 4, forced to split points with Bangladesh and Pakistan following two washed out games.
India showed commendable character in Rajkot to level the series, proving that the panic buttons were pressed prematurely following the 10-wicket loss in Mumbai.
Surprisingly, Jeff Bezos is the new entrant to the list and ends up holding the first position.
Tournament records and personal bests came by the bucketload but Nathan Coulter-Nile fears his West Indies heroics may not be enough to make Australia's next XI.
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Joining a select group that was last represented more than a decade ago, two brothers will play alongside each other in the same Australia Test side after Shaun and Mitchell Marsh were named to face India on Tuesday.
Images from Friday's second One-day International between India and Australia, at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, in Rajkot.
Having struggled in the past one year after suspensions of Steve Smith and David Warner, Australia finally seemed to have picked their pieces and playing exactly like a five-time champions ought to.
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon has been dropped from Australia's squad for the one-day international series in New Zealand next month, while in-form batsman Usman Khawaja has also been overlooked for the three-match series.
Punjab Kings, who had paid Rs 10.75 crore for Maxwell in the previous auction, had released the 32-year-old following the 2020 edition in which he made 108 runs in 13 games at 15.42.
Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins has been called into the squad for the remainder of the One-day series against South Africa to give Mitchell Johnson time to rest up before next month's Test series against India.
Anil Kumble was re-appointed as Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee for a three-year term.
Langer said Smith and Warner's experience made them natural authority figures and that their leadership would be 'crucial' for success on and off the field.
Rajasthan Royals held their nerve under extreme pressure to beat Kolkata Knight Riders via the Super Over in a fifth round match in the Indian Premier League match in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night.
Backing Shaun Tait's surprise return to the Australian T20 squad for the three-match series against India, former pacer Jason Gillespie said the tearaway speedster will cause a lot of damage on Indian tracks if he makes the squad for the World T20 starting March 8.
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.
Australia named five uncapped players in a raw tour squad to play Pakistan in a Test series in the United Arab Emirates, while recalling pace veteran Peter Siddle for the first time in two years and dropping middle order batsman Peter Handscomb.
Australia will start favourites in Thursday's clash but a passionate Bangladesh are expected to make life tough for the holders.
South Africa cricket captain Faf du Plessis expressed disappointment on Wednesday that his sanction for ball-tampering had taken the "shine" off the Proteas' series-winning triumph in Australia and denied he had intended to cheat.
Images from the fourth One-Day International between Australia and India in Canberra, on Wednesday.
A ball-tampering scandal that devastated Australia cast a dark cloud over a dramatic cricketing year
Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood received his reward for some fine domestic form on Wednesday when he was included in a pace-heavy 13-man squad for the first two One-Day Internationals against South Africa next month.
Factbox on the second Test match between Australia and England, which starts on Saturday:
Aaron Finch and his men arrived in India as clear underdogs, having endured a wretched couple of years in the format during which they lost six ODI series in a row and were ravaged by a ball-tampering scandal.
Images from Wednesday's World Cup mach between Australia and Pakistan, at The County Ground, in Taunton.
Virat Kohli's Indian team will be aiming for another comprehensive show against a depleted Australia when the two sides square-off in the opening encounter of the five-match series, in Chennai, on Saturday.
The Australians are struggling against India's new spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal and the hosts would like to ensure that it doesn't get any easy as the series progresses.
Australia skipper Steve Smith said Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh lived up to his expectations after the middle order batsmen scripted the team's great escape in the drawn third Test against India on Monday.
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