Captain Steve Smith frustrated England with a fighting half-century and pushed Australia to 165 for four at the close of a see-sawing day two, rescuing the hosts after a top order collapse in the series-opening Ashes Test in Brisbane on Friday.
'Ultimately the plan is to have 15 players who are fit and doing decently well, and according to the demands you can feature the best eleven that suits'
Persistent rain on Friday washed out a second day's play in England's tour match against Australia A in Hobart, frustrating the tourists' hopes of getting maximum batting practice in the lead up to the first Ashes test in Brisbane.
Australia made a meal of it but successfully chased down 128 for a four-wicket victory and an unassailable 2-0 series lead after dismissing India for 224 on the fourth day of the second Test.
An important factor in India's stupendous success in 2021 was the way the government opened its coffers to support athletes.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting has warned his players to expect the unexpected when they meet New Zealand in the first Test at the Gabba.
It is usually a sign of a day with few redeeming features when a coach rather than a player faces the media after play and Sunday's appearance of England's Trevor Bayliss was no exception.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has said he believes that the current England team might be past their absolute peak, adding that Australia can belie their status as Ashes outsiders by regaining the urn in the winter series.
Australia batsman Chris Rogers is aware he does not have the luxury of too many failures at the top of the order and is hopeful of returning among runs in this week's second Test in Adelaide.
Australia will play their first Test series in Sri Lanka in more than five years, with a three-match series beginning on July 26 in Kandy. The Australians will embark on a two-month tour of the island nation from July 11, playing three Tests, five ODIs and two T20 Internationals. Steve Smith's side leapfrogged India in February to finish the latest 12-month period in first spot on the ICC Test Championship table, while Sri Lanka have dropped to seventh place after a disappointing year following the retirements of legendary batting duo Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena. Only three members of the Australian side that beat the Black Caps in their most recent Test series - Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle and Usman Khawaja - have experienced Test cricket in Sri Lanka.
Australia's Josh Hazlewood is a 'genius' with line and length and will have no trouble being ready for next week's Ashes opener against England
The next time Darren Lehmann sends out a team will be in the Ashes opener against England and the Australia coach already has some firm ideas of who will be playing in Brisbane after a mixed tour of Bangladesh.
Since an acrimonious series defeat at home to South Africa a year ago, Australia have won nine of their past 13 Tests.
'He knows that cricket has given him an identity without which nobody will care about who Shardul Thakur is.'
Mickey Arthur feels his reputation took a big hit when he was sacked as head coach of Australia three years ago but the Pakistan mentor says he is not on a "revenge mission" as he prepares to take on his former charges.
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.
'A lot of our recent success has been based on the value of our number six batsman bowling some overs and we're comfortable continuing in that vein'
India have not beaten Australia in any format since 2013. The tourists looked like ending that barren run when they were on 277 for one, chasing 349 for victory, only to lose their last nine wickets for 46 runs in Canberra.
India might be going through a torrid time following two successive defeats Down Under, but former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes if the tourists have a chance of victory in the four-match series, it will be in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG starting on Friday.
'I do think, though, that Twenty20 cricket should become franchise dominated'
Top-order batsman Usman Khawaja has been drafted into the Australia squad for the ongoing ODI series against India in place of opener David Warner whose wife is expecting the couple's second child. Khawaja will join the squad in Brisbane and, at this stage, will remain for matches two and three of the five-game series, at the Gabba on January 15, and at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 17 respectively, Cricket Australia said. National selector Rod Marsh said Warner would be welcomed back into the squad when circumstances allow.
Mitchell Johnson will be rested for the opening One-Day International against England to freshen up for the rest of the series, Australia coach Darren Lehmann said on Thursday.
The hosts took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, which comprise three back-to-back matches in a span of five days.
A pulsating Ashes opener that had promised a grandstand finish will more than likely end early with a handsome win to Australia after Steve Smith's side pushed within 56 runs of victory at the close of day four on Sunday.
Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur has insisted that veteran cricketers Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have earned the right to decide when they want to draw curtains on their international careers. Both the batsmen, who underwent a stern examination by Josh Hazlewood and Jackson Bird, were dismissed in the space of five overs on a rain-shortened opening day of the Boxing Day Test against Australia, leaving visitors on 142-4 when play was finally called off before Tea.
Even if Ireland fail to make the quarter-finals of the cricket World Cup they and the other associate members have shown enough promise to warrant inclusion in future tournaments, skipper William Porterfield said on Saturday.
Impressed with the camaraderie India's pacers share among themselves, bowling coach Bharat Arun said that the attack is not only closely knit but can also clock high speeds consistently.
The result in the first Test against Australia was expected, if one takes a look at India's recent, or overall, record overseas. What was unexpected, though, says Bikash Mohapatra, was the Virat Kohli-led side's change of attitude.
Ravichandran Ashwin has taken a dig at Steve Smith's controversial move to seek dressing room advice for a DRS referral.
As the countdown to 2018 starts, it's time to rewind those moments in sport that stood out this year.
Root shared a 106-run partnership with Jonny Bairstow, who was standing in for injured wicketkeeper Matt Prior and fell just two run short of his half century before the tourists were bowled out for 418. England's bowlers initially struggled to impose themselves on the Invitational XI, who had reached 153 for four by close of play for a lead of 39 after their first innings 304.
Once again slamming the Indian bowlers for their poor showing in Australian conditions ahead of the World Cup, former captain Sunil Gavaskar said that the bowlers have learnt nothing from their past experiences on foreign tours.
'Aggression depends on how the situation is on the field. If the opposition is aggressive towards you then you counter it. India is not a team that starts anything but we always draw a line of self-respect. If that line is crossed we stand up to that'
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar defended Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his "unrest" comment that got the media talking about a rift within the Indian cricket team in Australia, saying that the Indian captain might have chosen a wrong word to describe the situation.
Indian batting failed for the second time in three days, against England at The Gabba, but captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not seem to be too bothered about it.
'India have been in great form in all formats over a long time now. But it is going to be a great opportunity for us to come out, play aggressively and express ourselves. We can take the game on and really try to take it to India'
Australia's new Test captain Steve Smith is excited about the prospect of playing India on a lively Gabba pitch in the second cricket Test starting on Wednesday and said he wants his team to drive the advantage to go up 2-0 in the four-match series.
In what will be a dress rehearsal of their opening game in the World Cup, an unbeaten Australia take on England in the cricket tri-series final, in Perth on Sunday.
Australian captain George Bailey is not surprised that India did not qualify for the tri-series final and said that concentrating on Test cricket before heading into the ODI event might have been the reason for their below-par showing.
