Steve Smith cut a relaxed figure when he named the Australia team for the opening clash in his ninth and possibly final Ashes series on Thursday.
While modern greats like Shubman Gill and Joe Root shy away from batting at No. 3, Nasser Hussain says Cheteshwar Pujara embraced the challenge and carried forward Rahul Dravid's legacy with distinction.
Australia dominated day two of the second Ashes Test on Friday with a punishing batting assault on a lifeless Gabba pitch as England fumbled their chances in the field.
The legendary B S Chandrasekhar and Brian Lara on Tuesday won the Lifetime Achievement awards.
England's Stokes praises Australia's Head, supports his own errant batters
The contest between England's dialled-down "Bazball" approach and Australia's more methodical batting could determine who prevails in the Ashes series beginning in Perth on Friday.
Mitchell Starc and Ben Stokes set the scene for a dramatic Ashes series.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the 1st Ashes Test played in Perth on Friday.
'But I think that the manner in which they play is part of the reason why I think they've got their best chance in 15 years of regaining the Ashes Down Under, because in 2010-11 when we went down there and won, we pushed back against Australia.'
Expect nothing less than hostility, fire and close contests as Ben Stokes' England come armed with their Bazball philosophy to try and get the better of a depleted Australia.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the second Test between England and Sri Lanka, at Lord's, on Saturday.
England's Ashes hopes rest largely on the all-round performance of talismanic captain Ben Stokes, who took 17 wickets against India in the recent home series.
England on Tuesday named a 16-man squad for the Ashes series starting in Australia in November with Ben Stokes, who is currently nursing a shoulder injury, set to return to lead the side.
AB de Villiers expressed disappointment at star England batter Joe Root's low string of scores during the ongoing Test series against India.
Ahead of the third Test at Rajkot, star England batter Joe Root admitted that a team has to keep players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli away from scoring runs to win the series.
Blair Tickner took 4/34 and Daryl Mitchell hit 56 not out as New Zealand beat England by five wickets in the second one-day international in Hamilton on Wednesday to seal the three-match series 2-0.
Root reached into his pocket, pulled out a white headband, and placed it on his forehead. Then, he looked skyward - a powerful and poignant tribute to Graham Thorpe, his late mentor and one of England's most cherished cricketers.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Ashes Test in Perth on Saturday.
'I am sure I will smile and enjoy it, and will try to get the best out of myself'
Noman collected a 10-wicket haul during Pakistan's 93-run triumph over South Africa in Lahore recently and moved up four places.
While ever more hostage to Twenty20's global carve-up, cricket will take a breath from next week to indulge its most time-honoured rivalry as Australia and England battle in the Ashes.
Daryl Mitchell's runs had steered the hosts to their victories in Tauranga and Hamilton and when he departed for 44 to leave his team still 27 runs from their target on 196-8, the English scented an unlikely victory.
Harry Brook disagreed with India coach Gautam Gambhir's decision to name him as Player of the Series, saying the honour should have gone to Joe Root
Joe Root picked an easy single off Mohammed Siraj in the 58th over to take his score to 31, which also took his overall Test tally to 13290 runs.
Root reached the milestone during his 69th WTC appearance - a single pushed to deep backward square leg brought up yet another half-century and sealed his place in the record books.
Joe Root was presented with a silver bat to commemorate his 10,000 runs in the longest format.
The duo is followed by a former Sri Lanka icon, Mahela Jayawardene, with 205 outfield catches in 149 appearances.
One of the standout performers in the recent Test series against England, India pacer Prasidh Krishna has opened up about his on-field exchange with Joe Root during the fifth and final Test at The Oval, saying he did not understand why the senior batter reacted in am extreme manner.
With two days still to play, England are firm favourites to secure the win in Manchester, one that would seal victory in the five-match series with one test still to come.
In mounting tension, Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton struggled to get bat on ball, surviving several frenzied appeals before the umpires decided it was too dark to continue.
'I'm worried. We're going to wander in and have a little game with the 'A' team. (It will be) 'Alright mate, how are you? Good on ya' and we're going to go and perform?'
Star England batter Joe Root has surpassed Sachin Tendulkar to become the second-highest run-scorer in home conditions in Test cricket.
England's scoring rate of 2.91 runs per over during the second session was the second-slowest in a home Test in the Bazball era, only behind their 2.72 per over effort against New Zealand at Lord's in 2022.
Since going missing from red-ball action in 2021, the 30-year-old endured a period during which injuries constantly plagued him, especially a recurring stress fracture in his right elbow.
Roger Federer, accompanied by his wife Mirka, was spotted in the Royal Box during the fourth-round match between Novak Djokovic and Alex de Minaur.
Root's patient unbeaten 99 led England to 251-4 on a compelling first day of the Lord's Test.
England had moved to within 35 runs of securing a famous victory over India when bad light and torrential rain ended an extraordinary fourth day of the final Test at The Oval on Sunday.
A rampaging England thrashed South Africa by 342 runs in the third and final ODI in Southampton on Sunday to register the biggest victory in men's One-Day Internationals.
Joe Root scored his 37th Test hundred on Friday to go past the tally of former India skipper Rahul Dravid and contemporary Steve Smith.
Joe Root was on 36 and digging in when Mohammed Siraj angled one in that rapped him square on the pads. The Indians went up in unison. But umpire Paul Reiffel stood his ground.
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