The Ashes could be decided within days at an Adelaide Oval furnace where England's hopes of wresting back the urn will fire anew or flame out entirely against a strengthened Australia.
Mark Wood, who was one of England's standout bowlers in the 2021-22 series when he claimed 17 wickets, had been sidelined since February due to a knee injury and was hoping to build up match fitness in this week's warm-up match ahead of the Ashes.
Australia have suffered another blow ahead of the Ashes opener against England after fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was ruled out due to a hamstring injury on Saturday, further weakening their bowling attack after the loss of captain Pat Cummins.
In a must-win situation to keep the five-match series alive, England would be hoping to put a much improved performance with the bat.
Fast bowler Gus Atkinson and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith will make their red-ball debuts for England in the first of the three-match home series
'It's always frustrating to miss out. I've got some good things to focus on, so even though I'm not playing I've got a goal in mind.'
Adil Rashid was, on Tuesday, named as the sole specialist spinner in the England playing XI for the series opener against India, creating more pressure on the leg-spinner after his controversial recall to the Test side.
A magnificent 110 by Shikhar Dhawan and sterling contributions from Rajat Kumar and Milind Bhatia enabled Delhi beat an England XI by six wickets in a warm-up match ahead of the One-Day International series, at the Feroz Shah Kotla, on Tuesday. Chasing England's huge 294 for 5, Delhi finished with 295 for 4 wickets, in 48.3 overs.
In the absence of the injured Ollie Pope, big-hitting Harry Brook has been promoted to No 3 in what is a must-win Test for the hosts.
Tongue is the only change to the side that lost the first Ashes Test
Can the subcontinent giants maintain their 12-year invincibility?
Photos from Day 1 of the warm-up game between India 'A' and England XI at the Brabourne stadium.
His duel with India stalwart Virat Kohli will be an interesting sub-plot of the match.
England batsmen failed to get their acts together in the first warm-up game as Hyderabad XI bowled them out for 219 in only 47.2 overs on a low and slow Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium track in Hyderabad on Saturday.
England batsmen failed to get their acts together in the first warm-up game as Hyderabad XI bowled them out for 219 in only 47.2 overs on a low and slow Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium track in Hyderabad on Saturday.
England's makeshift one-day international team put the COVID-19 issues that hit the previous squad behind them to bowl out Pakistan for 141 runs before cruising to a clinical nine-wicket win in the series opener in Cardiff on Thursday.
Team combination a worry for India
Jonny Bairstow was selected to play as a specialist batsman in England's fourth Test against India even though he fractured a finger while keeping wicket in the third-Test loss.
Jonny Bairstow will keep wicket for England in the fifth and final Test against India after recovering from a broken middle finger.
England gave themselves a much-needed boost by beating Dhoni's India A side in their first warm-up match ahead of the limited overs series.
Left-arm paceman Neil Wagner has been rewarded with a place in New Zealand's squad for the first Test against England after taking six wickets in the ongoing tour match in Queenstown.
Chasing a target of 283, India 'A' knocked off the runs in 39.4 overs.
Fast bowler Stuart Meaker feels by taking three wickets against Haryana on a flat batting strip, he has done a decent job which may help him get into England XI for the first Test against India.
Haryana's bowlers failed to impress in the morning session as England XI scored briskly to reach 136 for no loss at lunch on the opening day of their final practice match in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
India 'A' coach Lalchand Rajput is confident that the left-hander is ready to return to the Test squad for the four-match series against England, starting next month.
Comeback batsman Yuvraj Singh was picked in the India A squad which will play England XI in their opening three-day practice game scheduled from October 30 in Mumbai.
Jonny Bairstow slammed an unbeaten century and Scott Borthwick claimed five wickets for 31 runs, as an England XI beat Hyderabad XI by 253 runs in their second 50-over warm-up match in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
Reader Vikas Chawla spotted members of the Indian women's cricket team during his vaction in Bath, UK.
Pace bowler Graham Onions won selection ahead of Durham team mate Steve Harmison in the England squad named on Sunday for the first Ashes test against Australia starting in Cardiff next week.
The mountain of runs that he has plundered so far in first-class cricket has ensured that the focus will be firmly on Delhi youngster Rishabh Pant as India 'A' take on the visiting England XI, in the second and final warm-up match in Mumbai, on Thursday.
The new managers of Manchester United and Manchester City will face an early confrontation when the teams meet in a friendly in Beijing on July 25. Jose Mourinho, officially confirmed as United boss on Friday, and old adversary Pep Guardiola, who is replacing Manuel Pellegrini at City, will renew hostilities in the pre-season International Champions Cup. There was little love lost between the pair when Mourinho was in charge at Real Madrid and Guardiola led Barcelona. The rivalry is likely to be just as fierce when United attempt to make up ground on their neighbours, who have finished above them in the Premier League for the past three seasons.
England were 85 for no loss at lunch on the opening day of the first Test against West Indies.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni offered words of comfort to his die-hard fans, still coming to terms with his decision to sign off as India captain, with an assurance that he would continue to play the aggressive brand of cricket.
Coach Trevor Bayliss thinks England left some "scars" on the Australia team during the second Ashes Test and can still enjoy success Down Under despite being 2-0 down with three matches to play.
'The players who performed were selected.'
England batsman Jonny Bairstow conceded that facing up to the twin threat from India's spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja would continue to pose a big challenge to his side in the One-Day International series starting at Pune on January 15.
It was the final time that India's most successful skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was seen leading the national side although it is an 'A' team.
According to industry experts, television has lost the young urban viewer for English or Hindi shows. Urvi Malvania finds out what is making more and more of them turn to digital platforms like Voot and Hotstar.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni will have captain written against his name one last time when the talismanic wicketkeeper-batsman leads out India 'A' against England in the first practice match, in Mumbai, on Tuesday.
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