Coach Darren Lehmann gave Australia a mark of '7.5' out of 10 for a year in which they won the World Cup but lost the Ashes, the series most prized by home fans.
MCG moved to improve the playing surface after receiving the negative rating from ICC following last year's drawn Test against England, when only 24 wickets fell in five days.
Australia are looking forward to getting back into competitive cricket in the first Test against India next week in the wake of Phillip Hughes's tragic death, wicketkeeper Brad Haddin said on Saturday.
Mohammed Siraj was in Australia for his first Test tour when his father Mohammed Ghaus passed away and had to tackle the emotional phase to concentrate on cricket on that trip.
Pucovski rode his luck and Marnus Labuschagne showed resolve as the duo hit half-centuries to put Australia in a dominating position in a rain-curtailed opening day at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between Australia and India in Perth on Sunday.
Sri Lanka have suffered a double injury blow with batsman Dimuth Karunaratne almost certainly out of the World Cup and spinner Rangana Herath likely to miss at least a week of action, Mahela Jayawardene said on Friday.
Both former skipper Smith and Warner have agreed to turn out at the Australia nets to bat against the pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazzlewood and Pat Cummins to help them prepare face Virat Kohli and Co in the upcoming four-Test series.
Peter Siddle has been brought into Australia's squad while uncapped fast bowler Kyle Jamieson has been called into the New Zealand squad.
India will eye revenge for their defeat in one-day series as they meet fierce rivals Australia in three Twenty20 Internationals, starting on Tuesday, January 26 at Adelaide Oval. Games will also be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (January 29) and Sydney Cricket Ground (January 31). The matches will see some of the world's explosive batsmen in action, while the series is also tipped as a much-needed preparatory ground ahead of the crucial World T20 scheduled to be held in March in India.
Rishabh Pant was hit on the left elbow while batting on Day 3 of the third Test against Australia at the SCG on Saturday and was taken for a scan.
West Indies head into the match in Nelson, New Zealand, with a shaken-up squad that has failed to gel since an acrimonious dispute over player contracts.
Australia captain Steve Smith will seek an explanation from match referee Chris Broad over a Decision Review System malfunction during his team's march to victory over West Indies in the second Test on Tuesday.
Heavy rain is expected on Sunday's match-day and also the reserve day on Monday as a multi-year La Nina weather phenomenon continues to drench much of eastern Australia.
Australia to open T20 World Cup defence against New Zealand.
Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley rejected the idea of making changes to the remaining Ashes schedule.
Among his many achievements, his 49 ODI centuries stand out as a testament to his mastery of the format.
'We're excited about Rohit coming back. Spoke to him yesterday, he's waiting to join the team.'
'The first two Tests have been tough cricket, it's 1-1 and that probably shows how close the series has been'
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar slammed Australia skipper Tim Paine for sledging Ravichandran Ashwin during the drawn third Test in Sydney, saying his behaviour was "unbefitting" of a leader and could cost him his captaincy.
The troubles plaguing the Australian Test team will have little bearing on their one-day side's performance in the three-match series against New Zealand starting on Sunday, according to Black Caps coach Mike Hesson. Steve Smith's Test side have been pilloried by fans and their own media after they lost their latest series 2-1 at home to South Africa. That defeat came on the back of a 5-0 one-day series loss in South Africa and a 3-0 Test series defeat in Sri Lanka, leading to plenty of questions being asked about administrators, management and the players.
30 years have passed since a team made Australia follow on at home! India's first innings lead of 322 is their biggest ever in Australia. Rajneesh Gupta has all the numbers.
Prithvi Shaw, on Monday, said he will be fit in time for the 12th season of Indian Premier League.
