'I think they're feeling the pressure a little bit to be honest'
Australia qualified for the final of the triangular one-day international series (ODI) with a six-wicket win over West Indies in Barbados on Tuesday.
The left-armer was made to toil on a typically lifeless pitch in the drawn first Test in Dubai, grabbing only a solitary wicket while conceding 108 runs for more than 40 overs' work in broiling heat.
The 30-year-old Holland played two Tests in Sri Lanka in 2016 but has not appeared for his country in any format since.
Australia's cricketers have demanded a review of performance-related pay for contracted players who stand to take another financial hit after an under-strength One-Day International team was defeated by New Zealand last week.
Australia's head cricket coach Darren Lehmann hopes the test team can avenge the Wallabies' Rugby World Cup final defeat by the All Blacks with a victory in the series opener in Brisbane starting this week.
tung by the defeat in the series opener despite putting up a big score, India will have to plug their bowling loopholes when they take on Australia in the second One-Day International on Friday, fully aware that any slip-up will make their task of bouncing back difficult.
David Warner's 12th one-day international hundred and brisk fifties from Glenn Maxwell and Travis Head set up Australia for an 86-run win over Pakistan in the fourth match on Sunday as the hosts secured an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series.
The on-field verbal duel between rival captains Virat Kohli and Tim Paine has been one of the talking points of the second Test in Perth but Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood played it down, saying it was done in good spirits.
A hard-hitting 92 by Marlon Samuels, which included three consecutive sixes in the 42nd over, helped lift West Indies to a four-wicket over Australia in the fifth game of a triangular one-day international (ODI) series in St Kitts on Monday.
Australia have employed former India all-rounder Sridharan Sriram as a coaching consultant to help with their troubles playing spin bowling in the leadup to their tour of Bangladesh.
Australia were two wickets from victory at the end of day four of the first day-night test against Pakistan on Sunday, but the tourists were buoyed by a feisty fourth innings chase and a brilliant unbeaten century from Asad Shafiq.
After a week dominated by back and forth between the camps over the sledging of England's Jonny Bairstow in the first Test, the tourists clearly decided to target Smith with a few choice words in a bid to unsettle him.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and Australia, at the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi, on Friday.
The series is an opportunity for players like Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair and Karn Sharma to impress the selectors and stake their claim in the national side.
Failing to put up any fight against a rampaging Australia A, India A suffered a 10-wicket loss in the second unofficial Test to go down 0-1 in the two-match series on Saturday.
Chief selector MSK Prasad told reporters last month that most of the players in the current India side pick themselves and it was a matter of finalising a couple of slots before the World Cup in England and Wales.
Australian great Glenn McGrath says the handling of the 'homework gate' saga during the team's tour of India earlier this year was "pretty poor" and felt it "all blew up" in the middle of the 0-4 Test series drubbing.
Australia have left no stones unturned in their preparation as they chase their first Test series win in over a year, captain Tim Paine said.
John Hastings claimed six wickets before Aaron Finch and George Bailey's attacking half-centuries powered Australia to a series clinching six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the fourth one-day international in Dambulla on Wednesday. Australia rode on Finch's 19-ball 55 and an unbeaten 90 from Bailey to chase down 213 in 31 overs and take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
Dhananjaya de Silva hit a maiden century and combined with Dinesh Chandimal to resurrect Sri Lanka's innings after a poor start against Australia on the opening day of the third and final Test on Saturday.
Considering the Test format as the ultimate challenge for any cricketer, Cheteshwar Pujara, on Friday, said if he had to get an opportunity, he would still like to play the longest format.
Australia will need to defy history to chase down the total and survive the wiles of Ravichandran Ashwin on a fifth day pitch.
A thick gloom that has pervaded the West Indies lifted briefly on Monday as paceman Carlos Brathwaite struck a defiant half-century on debut and celebrated wildly upon taking his first wicket during the second Test against Australia.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 3rd Test played between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town on Saturday
Rising Pune Supergiant, who have gone from strength to strength, will look to seal their place in the Play-offs with a win over inconsistent Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League in New Delhi, on Friday.
Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc will return from a broken foot during Australia's limited-overs triangular series in the West Indies in June.
Shane Watson's unbeaten hundred could not prevent Australia falling to a seven-wicket defeat to India in the third and final Twenty20 match on Sunday as Suresh Raina hit a four on the last ball to complete a 3-0 clean sweep in the series.
Shane Watson also named in T20 squad to be captained by Aaron Finch
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.
Under fire from all quarters after an abysmal start to their tour, West Indies have pledged to be more competitive at the traditional Boxing Day Test but will struggle to prevent hosts Australia from taking an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Mitchell Marsh's spot in a rebuilding Australia side is assured for at least the Boxing Day Test against West Indies but the all-rounder is feeling some heat to score runs to shore up his place.
Australia, with Steve Smith back in their line-up, will retain the Ashes with victory in the fourth Test, while a win for England would set up a decider at the Oval next week.
Unbeaten half-centuries from Manish Pandey (95) and Ambati Rayudu (62) helped India 'B' and India 'A' register victories against South Africa 'A' and Australia 'A' respectively in separate quadrangular one-day series matches in Bengaluru.
Jofra Archer's first five-wicket haul in Test cricket put England in command on a weather-affected opening day of the third Ashes Test at Headingley on Thursday as they bowled Australia out for 179.
Factbox on the second Test match between Australia and England, which starts on Saturday:
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja's maiden 10-wicket match haul against England in Chennai has propelled him to second position behind teammate and India's star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the ICC Test bowler rankings released on Wednesday.
Images from Day 3 of the 4th Ashes Test played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday
Australia captain Steve Smith said the players drafted in for the third-Test victory over South Africa had energised the team and contributed to a "good start" to the new era of Test cricket in the country.
Jonny Bairstow kept his head with a fine century for England but Steve Smith showed a captain's poise to guide Australia to 203 for three at the close of day two of the third Ashes Test on Friday.
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