Usman Khawaja celebrated his recall to the Test arena after two years in the wilderness with a stylish 137 to drive Australia to a declaration on 416 for eight shortly before the close of play on the second day of the fourth Ashes Test on Thursday.
Images from the second ODI between England and Australia, at Old Trafford in Manchester, on Sunday
Nasser Hussain reckons James Anderson will pip Stuart Broad for a place in the 2nd Test starting on Thursday in Adelaide.
Hosts Australia will pull on a classic uniform from the 1980s featuring green strip on bright gold top and pants when they take on India in the three-match ODI series.
Kane Richardson gets nod ahead of Josh Hazlewood as replacement
Since 2011, England have managed to eke out just a single draw in 13 Ashes Tests over three tours and their last two Tests in Sydney have resulted in humiliating defeats.
Usman Khawaja will replace Travis Head in Australia's middle order for this week's fourth Ashes Test against England in the only change to the side that wrapped up the series in Melbourne last week.
England produced a brilliant comeback to beat Australia by two runs on the final ball of their first T20 international in Southampton on Friday after the visitors looked to be cruising to victory in their first competitive match for six months.
The two groups will unite late on Thursday night and with the opening ODI slated for Friday, the players will have no scope to wriggle in a practice session as one unit.
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah found his mojo as India got back to winning ways with a morale-lifting 13-run triumph over Australia in the third and final ODI in Canberra on Wednesday, salvaging some of the lost pride in a 1-2 series defeat.
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.
Travis Head smashed a T20-style century to put Australia firmly in control of the first Ashes Test on Thursday as England were hit by an injury crisis during a miserable day two in the field at the Gabba.
Hazlewood to miss out again as Australia announce unchanged playing XI for final Test
The opening partnerships at this World Cup have been more prolific than at almost any time in the tournament's history.
Ponting, who coached Delhi Capitals in the currently-suspended Indian Premier League, said one of the reasons for Australia not having a good finisher was that all of the best batsmen of the country bat in top four in Big Bash League.
'I'm in the team to take wickets and I've had two wicketless games, so we'll see how we go.'
KKR are heading into the contest after an embarrassing batting performance against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Kohli (886 points) and Rohit (868 points) have gained two and three ratings points, respectively to occupy the top two positions in the batting rankings.
England face a rejuvenated Australian team who have turned day-night cricket into a competitive advantage, winning all eight of their Tests under lights dating back to the format's 2015 debut.
Images from Friday's second One-day International between India and Australia, at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, in Rajkot.
Pat Cummins took a five-wicket haul in a dream start to his Australia captaincy as England were skittled for 147 by tea at the Gabba before rain brought the opening day of the Ashes to an early close.
Among those who impressed were Shubhman Gill, Hanuma Vihari and Rishabh Pant.
Ricky Ponting believes all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is playing 'five times better' than what he was a year ago and could take up multiple roles for Australian cricket in limited overs cricket, including the job of a finisher.
Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore go into the virtual quarter-final, having lost four and three games on the trot respectively
Whether it was promoting Sam Curran to the opener's slot or finishing pacer Deepak Chahar's quota upfront while using seven bowlers to dry up runs, every move produced desired result.
Australia concluded their World Cup preparation on an emphatic note, beating a struggling Sri Lanka by five wickets in their final warm-up game, in Southampton, on Monday. Usman Khawaja, who opened alongside skipper Aaron Finch in place of a rested David Warner, anchored the chase with 89 off 105 balls.
Mumbai Indians pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult could be the key in the most sought-after contest of this IPL.
The player registration deadline closed on Thursday and the list comprises 207 international players including 21 capped Indians.
'I just had so much clarity of what (Finch) expected of me in that role'
It was only the fourth time in history that a side has lost an ODI chase with two centurions.
The incoming player, who will be allowed to bat and bowl, must be deemed a "like for like" replacement approved by the match referee.
Handscomb was picked ahead of regular wicket-keeper Alex Carey in the first T20I against India at Visakhapatnam, giving a boost to his hopes of making Australia's World Cup squad.
Pace bowler Mitchell Starc's patchy form is among the few worries for a rampaging Australia in the ongoing ODI series against India but skipper Aaron Finch on Tuesday threw his weight behind the seasoned campaigner, saying there is no need to panic just yet.
'To have Glenn Maxwell sitting in the sheds ready to go with two, three overs to go, I think that's a pretty powerful position for our cricket side to be in'
The third and deciding one-dayer will be played in Bengaluru on Sunday.
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.
Warner has been in excellent touch as he scored lot of runs at the top of the order for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL
While form is important, Tim Paine's hopes of retaining his spot may ultimately rest on whether selectors feel he might be a major distraction amid the pressures of an Ashes series.
Having suffered back-to-back defeats against Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals will aim to get back to winning ways against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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.
