England still blinking after perfect Ashes start.
Having spent much of the home summer suffering 'pad rash' from waiting to bat, Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has put the pent-up energy to good use when thrown the ball.
Top-order batsman Shaun Marsh has been dropped from Australia's side for their second Test against West Indies, despite scoring 182 in the comprehensive first Test victory in Hobart.
Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has been ruled out of the Test series against West Indies and is no certainty to play in Australia's tour of New Zealand early next year as he recovers from a broken foot, the left-armer said on Monday.
Batsmen have dominated Australia's series against New Zealand, but the pink ball and a green-tinged wicket should swing the balance of power back to the bowlers when Adelaide hosts Test cricket's inaugural day-night match.
A mis-firing Australia head into the second Test against South Africa in Hobart under pressure to save the series and avert a full-blown crisis which would almost certainly be triggered by a fifth consecutive Test defeat.
Images from Day 2 of the first Test between Australia and South Africa in Perth, on Friday.
Hashim Amla's blistering stroke-play and Morne Morkel's fearsome bowling put South Africa in control of the second Test against Australia as they closed the third day on 192 for four on Saturday.
Australia cricketer Phillip Hughes remains in an induced coma on Thursday after spending a second night in a Sydney, with the local ambulance service now under scrutiny for their response to the accident.
Tasmanian batsman Alex Doolan could be in line for a test debut pending the fitness of all-rounder Shane Watson after being named in Australia's 14-man squad for the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney.
Pakistan spinners Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah took nine wickets in the second innings as the hosts beat Australia by 221 runs in the first Test on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Paceman Mitchell Johnson is still a class act despite a poor first Test with the ball but Australia know he will not get the fast pitches he thrives on in the rest of the Ashes series, coach Darren Lehmann said.
Australia last won an Ashes series in England in 2001 and captain Michael Clarke is expecting five hard Tests.
Australian quick Pat Cummins has not played a first class match for two years but is confident his body will hold up to the rigours of Test cricket should he get the call during the Ashes series against England.
Jimmy Anderson is the first Englishman to take 500 Test wickets.
Factbox on major ball-tampering incidents in international cricket in the wake of South Africa being penalised five runs during the second test against Pakistan in Dubai on Friday for attempting to alter the state of the ball:
West Indies have said they are embracing their underdog status for the three-Test series against Australia, which starts in Hobart on Thursday, but the reality is they have very little choice in the matter.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum refused to blame third umpire Nigel Llong's controversial review decision for his team's loss in the third and final Test against Australia but said the "frustrating" ruling had a major bearing on the game.
Scans reveal early stage stress fracture in Starc's right foot after he was forced from field for treatment
While Shaun Marsh gets another go at resurrecting his career
After taking a first innings lead of 233 on Friday before conceding three quick wickets, England batted throughout the day to reach 333 for five at the close with Joe Root unbeaten on 178, his second Test hundred.
Veteran Western Australian batsman Adam Voges in 17-man tour squad but give the cold shoulder to Glenn Maxwell.
New Zealand's cricket team have run a gamut of emotions this week after they slumped to a heavy first Test loss to Australia then won three awards at their country's premier sports awards on Thursday.
Swing and seam friendly conditions, a lack of truly scary Australian bowlers and New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum's retirement are all themes that will resonate when the first Test gets underway in Wellington on Friday.
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.
Pakistan's spinners scythed through Australia's top order in the second innings to get them close to victory in the first Test after twin centuries from Younus Khan and youngster Ajmal Shehzad helped the hosts set an improbable target.
Younus Khan led Pakistan's fightback with a dogged century after the hosts made a terrible start to the first Test against Australia in Dubai on Wednesday. After opting to bat first, Pakistan put up 219 for four wickets at stumps on the first day, with captain Misbah-ul-haq (34) and Asad Shafiq (9) at the crease.
Australia captain Steven Smith said he was embarrassed by his team's performance against South Africa and accused his players of lacking pride in their wickets after another batting collapse paved the way to a crushing 2-0 series defeat.
Kagiso Rabada claimed five wickets as South Africa crushed Australia by a huge margin of 177 runs, to win the first Test against Australia, on Day 5 in Perth, on Monday.
Top class left-armers are in short supply and chief selector Rod Marsh joked that he had mulled telephoning Johnson to see whether he might like to come out of retirement.
Australia will resist the temptation to tinker with their team on tour against West Indies and plan to field their best 11 in a bid to sweep the two-Test series and build momentum for the Ashes, selector Rod Marsh has said.
Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland defended the use of the controversial pink ball in the face of players' criticism and is adamant it will prove a success during Test cricket's first day-night match in Adelaide next month.
The Men in Blue have never won a bilateral ODI contest on Australian soil.
Australia reduced England to 203 for six to move to the brink of a consolation victory on the third day of the final Ashes Test at The Oval on Saturday.
England crumbled meekly to 107 for eight in reply to Australia's 481 to put the touring side firmly on course for victory in the final Ashes Test after a dramatic second day at The Oval on Friday.
A series win in Australia will certainly put Kohli on a higher pedestal even though the quality of the home team's batting line-up suffered adversely due to the bans of former skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner.
Australia have cut opening batsman Ed Cowan and wicketkeeper Matthew Wade from their list of 18 centrally-contracted players, but handed opener Phillip Hughes another chance to establish himself in the national set-up.
Pujara was the dominant figure with his second century of the series, a dogged but faultless 106 off 319 balls
'We just have to pick the right three fast bowlers to take the 20 wickets in that first Ashes Test'
Australia will have to win both Tests in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to go one point clear of South Africa, who displaced them at the top in July, but there is still little clarity about the side who would walk out for the first match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
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