Konstas heads home but not out of Test team's plans
Ponting called for an investigation into the ball change and now the owner of Dukes' ball is set to launch an internal probe into the row.
Opener David Warner put New Zealand's bowlers to the sword with a masterful 163 and Usman Khawaja scored his maiden Test century as Australia dominated the opening day of the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane, on Thursday.
A dominant Australia hammered India by 10 wickets in the day-night second Test on Sunday to level the five-match series 1-1.
Not Cummins, not Starc, this bowler was the difference in the end for Australia, reckons Ravichandran Ashwin
Usman Khawaja's magnificent 174 helped Australia to a dominant 556 for four declared and an imposing lead of 399 at the end of the second day of the first Test against New Zealand on Friday.
Usman Khawaja has been handed the chance to audition for an Ashes place after being named in the Australia 'A' side to face England two weeks before the first Test.
Images from Day 1 of the second Test between India and Australia, at the Arun Jaitley stadium, in Delhi, on Friday.
Images from Day 1 of the third Test between Australia and South Africa at the SCG on Wednesday.
Former coach Ravi Shastri has backed India to win the Boxing Day Test, saying the visitors have exploited Australia's "brittle" top order to have their "nose ahead" in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
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.
Smith has rarely, if ever, doubted his own talent but even he was aware that his spell at the top of the order was proving unpopular.
The touring side under Pat Cummins is not scheduled to play any tour games in between Tests, and Healy thinks that could hurt Australia's chances in the crucial series.
By avoiding the follow-on and standing firm against Australia's aggression, India ensured that they stayed alive in the series.
A team full of left-handers, Australia are working overtime to tackle the Ravichandran Ashwin threat.
Warner has also taken aim at his Ashes nemesis England veteran pacer Stuart Broad, implying that he will not be the force that derailed the opening batter's 2019 trip this time.
India will be under tremendous pressure when they face an equally circumspect Australia in a battle of two out-of-form batting units in the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Perth
'I think we all want to remember Kohli as one of the greatest cricketers ever in the game and not as somebody who was fined'
Australia have cut opening batsman Ed Cowan and wicketkeeper Matthew Wade from their list of 18 centrally-contracted players, but handed opener Phillip Hughes another chance to establish himself in the national set-up.
With 539 scalps in 134 matches at an average of 30.39 and best figures of 5/39, Lyon is the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Tests and has 24 five-wicket hauls and five ten-wicket hauls.
Clearly he didn't get the length of contract extension offer that he was after so it hasn't been ideal, but I don't subscribe to the fact that it was individuals that were key to making the decision, said selection chief, George Bailey.
'I think if you asked us at the start of the day if we'd take losing the toss and India being 9 for 250 at stumps, I think we'd bite your arm off'
Images from Day 2 of the 5th and final opening Test between Australia and England at the SCG in Sydney on Friday
Australia are already without another regular all-rounder in Cameron Green, who was ruled out of the India series after opting to have surgery on a stress fracture in his lumbar spine.
Apart from Renshaw's inclusion in place of Warner, there are no changes to the squad which beat Pakistan by eight wickets in the third and final test to sweep the series 3-0 last week.
'I'm leaning towards McSweeney now for that opening role at the start of the Australian summer.'
The Perth Test marks Bumrah's second stint as a stand-in captain, having also led his country against England in 2022, and he could not have been dealt a tougher hand.
Marsh, Smith dig Australia out of a hole in Pakistan Test
Shoaib Bashir, who is of Pakistani heritage, is one of three uncapped players named in the England squad for the Test series in India.
Australia is looking to chase down their first overseas Ashes victory since 2001 by breaking the record for the second-largest successful fourth innings chase in Ashes history on Day 5 of the fifth Ashes Test.
Australia led England by 12 runs at the end of a tense and fluctuating second day to leave the final Ashes Test at The Oval on a knife-edge on Friday.
Following David Warner's retirement from Tests, Steve Smith opened the batting for Australia in series against West Indies and New Zealand.
Labuschagne is expected to bat at number three, with Smith to return to his favoured number four slot.
A rampaging David Warner smashed a run-a-ball century to fire Australia to 278 for two and wrest back the momentum from Pakistan after Azhar Ali's unbeaten double-century buoyed the touring side on day three of the second Test on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli's struggles against balls outside the off-stump in the ongoing Test series against Australia has the great Allan Border wondering if the Indian superstar has "just lost that edge".
'There's still the World Cup, which I think is really fun but other than that...'
Nathan McSweeney is on the brink of a major debut, set to partner Usman Khawaja as Australia's opening batters in the series against India.
Australian batter Usman Khawaja believes the 50-over format needs to be reduced to 40-overs-a-side game to make it more interesting in the wake of ever-growing popularity of T20 cricket.
The 123-match veteran, affectionately nicknamed 'The GOAT'
Australia's Test regulars will skip the three-match series against Pakistan in November as they prepare for the blockbuster clash against India.
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