Regular captain Pat Cummins was named in the Australia squad on Wednesday for the third Ashes Test against England, a strong indication that the inspirational fast bowler will see his first action of the series in Adelaide next week.
Usman Khawaja will return to training on Tuesday after being cleared to play the second Test
Pakistan pacer Zaman Khan comes under scrutiny over his bowling action in BBL
'We could play a couple of all-rounders. Could play a spinner. Could play no spinner. We'll figure it out.'
Usman Khawaja suffered a setback after his appeal against the sanction imposed on him for wearing a black armband during the opening Test against Pakistan was rejected by ICC.
Cricket Australia expects Khawaja to abide by rules in Gaza support
Australian batters Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschange entered record books for the slow pace of their batting during the fifth and final Ashes Test against England at The Oval.
Spinner Todd Murphy has been called into the Australia squad in place of the injured Nathan Lyon for this week's fourth Ashes Test, while captain Pat Cummins will skip the rest of the series as his back issue is managed.
ICC rejected Khawaja's application to have a sticker showing a black dove holding an olive branch on his bat and shoes during the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan.
India have won all the last four series of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, taking into account their home wins in 2016-17 and 2022-23 -- both also 2-1 results in a four-match contest.
Travis Head proved England's nemesis once again as he scored his second century of the Ashes to carry Australia toward a seemingly inevitable series triumph on day three at Adelaide Oval on Friday.
Australia opener Usman Khawaja will join his Test team mates in India later on Thursday following a delayed approval of his visa.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Ashes Test played in Perth on Friday.
Australia may opt to continue with a four-prong pace attack at Adelaide and even add another part-time seamer in all-rounder Beau Webster, who could replace batter Josh Inglis in the lower middle order.
It took Usman Khawaja three trips to India and a tweaked batting approach to register his first Test hundred in the country.
'...It's just nice to show I can score runs. I am happy to be out there and show the real me. I don't know why I threw my bat in the air, but that is me.'
Captain Pat Cummins reflected on the significance of this Christmas gathering, highlighting the strong bond within the Australian cricket team.
Khawaja steers calm course on Ashes rollercoaster
Besides his batting, he was just as exceptional behind the stumps, taking some really clean catches to prove his mettle as one of the best glovesmen in world cricket right now.
Khawaja and Green were the bedrock of Australia's innings
With a massive 1,608 runs in the WTC 2021-2023 cycle, Khawaja was the major reason Australia qualified for the WTC final.
Khawaja said his next opening partner shouldn't be picked on the basis of how many runs he had scored at the first-class level.
Images from Day 2 of the third Test between Australia and South Africa at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Thursday
The Aussie cricketers were joined by their families on the field as they savoured a series win that came after a decade.
'That so many have reached such an advanced stage of their careers without obvious replacements is certainly a reflection of their quality, but will be a matter of concern in the case of more injuries during the series.'
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Ashes Test in Perth on Saturday.
'It's on track and pulling up pretty well. (I'm) half a chance for the next game.'
Australia captain Pat Cummins ensured Usman Khawaja, the first Muslim cricketer to play for Australia, was not showered by champagne amid the celebrations after winning the Ashes series.
The hosts lost six wickets in the first session for 94 runs after resuming on four for no loss on Day 2 of the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne.
Star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is in contention for the prestigious title of Test Cricketer of the Year
Konstas, 20, misses out after a poor tour with the bat in the West Indies, while Weatherald has been included after topping the Sheffield Shield runs list
Labuschagne underlined the cricket adage that "catches win matches", while England counted the cost of dropped chances in Adelaide.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the opening Ashes Test played between England and Australia at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on Saturday.
Following the match, Australian batsman Usman Khawaja took to social media to congratulate Afghanistan on their well-deserved win.
Usman Australia's Usman Khawaja was reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday for sporting a black armband after the global body's rules prevented him from wearing shoes with messages of support for Gaza in a Test against Pakistan.
The 33-year-old has been in strong form in 50-overs cricket too and famously quipped "I'm back, baby" during an ODI against England in November after a successful technique tweak.
Statistically, Head's series stands apart. Among all players to score more than 600 runs in a single Ashes, he is the only one to do so at a strike rate north of 75 -- a reflection of how decisively he altered the tempo of games.
Throughout the series, Konstas had altercations with Indian players. His first major incident occurred at the iconic MCG during the Boxing Day Test when he was involved in a bumping exchange with Virat Kohli. Usman Khawaja, who was batting at the other end, was seen trying to calm things down.
India's biggest challenge could come from an unexpected source -- Pakistan's mystery spinner Usman Tariq.
