Following is a fact box on the final Test of the four-match series between Australia and India
Australia coach Justin Langer says playing cricket without fans in the stadiums is an option worth considering if it helped get the game going again after the worst of the coronavirus crisis has passed. As with most sports, efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have forced the shutdown of cricket around the world and Langer thinks teams would be keen to play in empty stadiums upon resumption if the alternative is a longer furlough.
Mohammed Shami set two records on day 4 of the Perth Test, says Rajneesh Gupta.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been an integral part of SunRisers Hyderabad in IPL in the last few years. This year the T20 league has been suspended indefinitely due to the pandemic and it is likely that it could be held overseas later this year.
Khawaja passed a fitness Test on Monday after recovering from a hamstring injury and Langer confirmed the left-hander will bat at number three, while fast bowler Pattinson is set to feature in his first Test match since Feb. 2016.
Wicket-keeper Tim Paine's career was thrown into jeopardy after South Australia's state coach Darren Berry revealed that the Aussie may never play first-class cricket again due to his latest finger injury.
Cheteshwar Pujara's innings is the highest by a subcontinent batsman and third highest by any visiting batsman on the opening day of a Test in Australia, reveals Rajneesh Gupta.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli combined to frustrate Australia for an entire session as India held the whip-hand at 215 for two at the close of a grinding opening day of the third Test in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Earl Eddings was named the new permanent chairman of Cricket Australia (CA) by the board, on Wednesday, four weeks after taking up the post on a temporary basis when David Peever was forced to resign.
Earllier, Smith and Warner were reportedly banned for one year, ruling them out of the home series against India, while Cameron Bancroft was handed a nine-month suspension as Cricket Australia came down heavily on the errant trio which disgraced itself in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
Queensland quick Michael Neser looks set to make his Test debut against New Zealand on Thursday with Australia considering an unconventional five-man attack for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The hosts, who can clinch the three-match series with a second successive victory, are wary of the surface at MCG where bowlers had to really toil for any success in recent times.
Explosive batting from Jason Roy and Jos Buttler helped England record their highest ever ODI score against Australia and fire them to a second successive win by 38 runs at Cardiff.
Eoin Morgan expects Australia to be 'galvanised' when they face his team next month in their first series after the ball tampering scandal in South Africa.
Cricket Australia is considering the prospect of turning its four-match Test series against India later this year into a five-Test series as it continues looking for ways to compensate the financial losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. India's tour of Australia will begin with a T20 tri-series in October and is scheduled to end with a four-match Tests series in December. In between there is the T20 World Cup, scheduled for an October 18 start, but the mega event's future is also shrouded in uncertainty due to the global health crisis.
Veteran all-rounder Hafeez, playing in his first Test since 2016 and his 51st overall, frustrated Australia en route to his 10th century before being trapped in front of the wicket for 126 by pace bowler Peter Siddle in the final session.
A captain's century hewn from granite and two wickets in a fiery pace assault after tea saw Australia wrest the momentum away from England on day three of the series-opening Ashes Test in Brisbane on Saturday.
'They showed a lot of discipline and overall if I had to analyse the performance of these bowlers, I would say they bowled pretty well. It's a good pitch still. This is a great experience for them bowling against the best batters, and test themselves'.
All-rounder Cameron White was on Friday appointed captain of Australia's Twenty20 squad after Michael Clarke quit the post and the format in the aftermath of the team's Ashes defeat to England.
Images from the Group A match in the ICC Champions Trophy between India and Australia at Johannesburg on Monday
Young spinner Steven Smith won a national call up after a promising Twenty20 debut against Pakistan recently, while Mike Hussey and Nathan Hauritz have been rested for the final ODI.
Doing their bit to raise funds for his foundation, India's cricketers on Saturday presented Glenn McGrath signed pink caps, while many donned attires of the same colour in memory of the former Australian pacer's late wife Jane.
ICC's proposal to introduce four-day Tests has met with stiff opposition
West Indies legend Viv Richards, on Thursday, said India have a 'lot of ground to cover' in terms of winning series overseas but hoped they will have the last laugh in the ongoing duel in Australia.
'I think there's a bit of safeguarding towards the potential of India not coming (on a tour in December/January) which is worth something like 250 to 300 million dollars'
It was not long ago that Australia wicketkeeper Tim Paine was considering giving up the game entirely. Now he is set to captain the team as they look to pick up the pieces following the ball-tampering scandal.
Australia were 285 for five at stumps, with Marcus North unbeaten on 43 and Tim Paine on eight, on the opening day of the second Test against India at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Saturday.
Images from the second day's play in the first Test between India and Australia, in Mohali, on Saturday.
Fast bowlers Nathan Bracken and Stuart Clark and batsmen Brad Hodge along with David Hussey and wicketkeeper Graham Manou have been dropped from the new contract list announced by Cricket Australia in Melbourne on Wednesday.
His impressive batting notwithstanding, Tim Paine will have to make way for Brad Haddin in the wicketkeeping role once the latter recovers from injury, says Australia coach Tim Nielsen.
Injured Michael Clarke was ruled out of Australia's seven-match ODI tour of India while left-hander Shaun Marsh, who has recovered from his hamstring injury following a long injury-lay off, was named in the 15-member squad. 22-year-old left-arm spinner Jon Holland is the new addition in the squad and was selected following his recent impressive performances for Australia A.
Images from the Champions Trophy final between Australia and New Zealand in Centurion on Monday.
There will certainly be some distinct home advantage for Australia along with the experience of playing more Day/Night Tests.
The Australian national selectors on Wednesday rested wicket keeper Brad Haddin and all-rounder Shane Watson for the next two One-day matches against the West Indies, replacing them with Tim Paine and Adam Voges.
Australia captain more relieved than happy after his first win as Test captain
Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has been ruled out of next month's Test series against Pakistan after losing his race to recover from an elbow injury, Cricket Australia said on Wednesday.
The 2-0 whitewash by Tim Paine's side, Pakistan return home with more regrets than highlights.
Australia opener David Warner believes India's Rohit Sharma has the firepower to surpass West Indies great Brian Lara's record 400 not out in a Test match.
Australia have drawn inspiration from a miraculous draw against Pakistan two months ago and will be going for a win on day five of the first Test against India, in Adelaide, on Monday.
'They have got so much talent. And in the last 10 years when they have not been playing home Test matches (for security reasons), they have done a remarkable job to be as competitive as they have and continue to bring on the level of talented players they have.'
The embattled Australian team hit a 34-year low in the ICC ODI rankings, dropping to sixth place following back-to-back defeats against England in the ongoing five-match series. With defeats to the world No. 1 ODI team in London and Cardiff, Australia slipped to 102 rankings points and sits a fraction of a point below 2017 Champions Trophy winners Pakistan.
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