Skipper Pat Cummins, who missed the tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child in February and was also ruled out of the Champions Trophy campaign with an ankle injury, will take the reins against South Africa.
Glenn Maxwell's hopes of reviving his Test career may be over after the all-rounder missed out on selection in Australia's much-changed squad for the Sri Lanka tour.
Australia will be aiming to become the first-ever side to defend their ICC WTC mace as they take on Proteas in the 'Ultimate Test' from June 11 onwards at Lord's.
Taking aim at senior players like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, among others, he said that if their aim was to prolong their send-offs till after the Ashes, it was a wrong mindset.
Australia's 45th Test captain Steve Smith started his career as a promising leg-spin bowler and middle order batsman but is now primarily a batsman.
Gibbs said leadership develops with time, and Gill possesses the composure to grow into the role.
Aiden Markram scored an unbeaten century as South Africa edged tantalisingly close to an unlikely success in the World Test Championship final, needing 69 runs to dethrone Australia after reaching 213-2 at stumps on the third day at Lord's on Friday.
Australian batter Steve Smith is "focussed" on taking them all head on in the game beginning in Adelaide on Friday.
Starc's withdrawal comes after pace stalwarts Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were ruled out due to injuries.
Steve Smith became the fastest man to score 7,000 Test runs on Saturday, shattering a record that had stood since 1946, while moving past Donald Bradman to become Australia's 11th highest scorer.
Team India donned black armbands during their Champions Trophy semi-final clash on Tuesday, paying heartfelt respect to the late Padmakar Shivalkar
A 'special message' from India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah on the eve of Cameron Green's back surgery gave the Australian all-rounder the much-needed reassurance about his decision to go under the knife.
Except in the IPL, the Australians have not had a good look at Varun Chakravarthy's bowling and that could spell trouble for Steve Smith and Co.
Ashwell Prince, South Africa's batting coach, labelled Aiden Markram as the "man for the big occasion" after the opener steered the Proteas towards what could be a famous run-chase in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia on Friday.
Steve Smith became the 15th member of Test cricket's 10,000-run club as he and opener Usman Khawaja smashed hundreds to help Australia rack up 330/2 on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Australia took the upper hand in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's, ending day two on 144-8 in their second innings with a lead of 218 runs after wickets tumbled freely again on Thursday.
Head coach Justin Langer was in awe of Steve Smith while watching him play during Australia's first practice session in London ahead of the World Cup, so much so that "it was like watching Sachin bat".
Artherton's successor and former England captain Nasser Hussain believes Kohli transformed the way India plays Test format with his "aura, swagger, and passion".
Pat Cummins tore through South Africa before a Proteas fightback left the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 on a knife-edge at the end of an absorbing second day at Lord's.
Rajneesh Gupta previews Game 49 in IPL 12: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the third Test match between England and India at Lord's, London, on Friday.
Leg spinner Adam Zampa was the most experienced bowler for the Aussies, having played 111 ODIs.
Indian players failed to make a mark as Australians and South Africans swept the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Annual Awards with Steve Smith clinching the coveted trophies of Cricketer of the Year and the Test Cricketer of the Year.
Alex Carey reckons Australia might need to put at least 400 runs on the board if they bat first against South Africa
Smith's unbeaten 120 is his second successive hundred of the series while Carey made a career-best 139 not out hitting 22 fours and three sixes between them.
Having scored his 33rd ton in Brisbane, Smith equalled Sunil Gavaskar's then world record of 34 hundreds on the second day of the fourth Test at the MCG on Friday.
Former Australia captain Steve Smith scored 20 off 16 balls on his return to the Indian Premier League but failed to inspire Rajasthan Royals to victory over Kings XI Punjab on Monday.
After seeing a lifeline fall his way, Smith never looked back and went on to complete his 35th Test ton.
R Ashwin says he has figured out ways to tackle Australian batting mainstay Steve Smith in the upcoming five-match Test series
If Smith is ruled out, then the left-hand batter Travis Head will lead the squad as he is the vice-captain of the side.
Virat Kohli top-scored with a fluent 84 as India overpowered Australia by five wickets to storm into the ICC Champions Trophy final, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
Star India opener Shubman Gill has been named the ICC Men's Player of the Month for February, following his impressive performances, including his contributions to India's Champions Trophy title win. Gill beat out competition from Steve Smith (Australia) and Glenn Phillips (New Zealand) for the award.
'Especially in the middle overs. That's going to be a key challenge.'
Skipper Steve Smith said the opener, who suffered the quad injury while fielding but struggled on to scored 20 runs from 15 balls before the game was washed out, is unlikely to be fit to face India or New Zealand on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Their pre-tournament decision to fill the squad with five spinners drew a lot of flak from all corners, but it is now proving to be a masterstroke on the slow pitches in Dubai.
Steve Smith has revealed that KL Rahul is someone he thinks as really impressive among Indian batsmen.
Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith hailed his side's resounding innings and 242-run victory over Sri Lanka in Galle on Saturday as "near flawless" after the visitors retained the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy.
Steve Smith was facing throwdowns from team-mate Marnus Labuschagne in the nets when the ball struck his right thumb.
This is Sri Lanka's biggest victory over Australia in ODIs in terms of runs.
From the lad with spiked hair lifting the U19 World Cup to the statesman in whites scoring one final ton -- Virat Kohli's journey is one of relentless ambition, transformation, and enduring legacy.
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