Australia

Along with Mitchell Starc, Henriques, 33, joined the squad in Adelaide, where the first Test begins on Thursday.

The all-rounder has played four Tests, the last of which came in 2016, for Australia.

Henriques' inclusion comes after Abbott suffered a mild calf strain in Australia A's tour game against India in Sydney.

Abbott finished with match figures of 3-70 in the tour match and is expected to re-join the squad ahead of the Boxing Day Test.

His injury is just the latest worry for Australia.

David Warner (adductor) and Will Pucovski (concussion) have already been ruled out, while Cameron Green (concussion) is also in some doubt.

Hetmyer arrived at the crease at 44-2 in the sixth over but blasted four sixes on his way to 61 from 36 deliveries.

Australia captain Aaron Finch had won the toss and elected to field, but the West Indies amassed 196-4 buoyed by Hetmyer's knock, piling on 123 runs in the latter 10 overs.

Hetmyer had excellent support from Dwayne Bravo (47* from 34) and Andre Russell (24* from eight), feasting on a wayward Mitchell Starc (49-0 from four overs).

The tourists struggled again with the bat, losing openers Matthew Wade (duck) and Finch (six) cheaply, before being bowled out for 140.

Mitch Marsh, elevated to first drop, top scored with 54 from 42 balls, as Hayden Walsh took 29-3 while Sheldon Cottrell claimed 22-2.

Australia lost 39-7 after Marsh's dismissal to Walsh, with the tourists struggling to offer any significant resistance, managing only two sixes for the innings, compared to the West Indies' 13.

HETMYER HITS 'EM

After Chris Gayle failed, Guyana left-hander Hetmyer stepped up with his 61 being his international T20I best, and also only his second half-century for the West Indies.

Hetmyer said: "I think it was one of my best T20 innings. I paced it quite well. The guys backed me to take it as deep as possible. Once you do that, you have a licence."

The 24-year-old capitalized on that licence, hitting Ashton Agar, Marsh and Adam Zampa for sixes in consecutive overs.

Hetmyer was run out with 13 balls left in the innings, before Bravo and Russell added another 34 runs to set an imposing target.

The pair took a liking to Starc, with 15 runs coming from four balls in the penultimate over.

AUSSIES T20I WOES

Finch declined the blame his decision to bowl first for the defeat, while he also refused to give the series away despite trailing 2-0 and being outplayed so far.

The Australia skipper said: "I don’t think the wicket changed a huge amount. I thought it played pretty well. Chasing 190, you have to get off to a pretty good start and when your two openers get out cheaply, it puts a lot of pressure on a reasonably inexperienced international middle order."

On the series, Finch added: "We have to win three games in the series, doesn’t matter if you do it at the start of the series or come from behind."

This is Australia's first games since losing 3-2 in a five-game T20I series in New Zealand in February and March.

Finch's side also lost 2-1 in a T20I International series away to England in September last year as they strive to find their groove in the shortest format.

After winning the toss and batting, the tourists ended the day 266-8, their first time over 200 in the series.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Windies as Australia’s pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins ripped through the West Indian top order once again to leave them reeling at 64-5 at the tea interval.

After the break, a 149-run sixth wicket partnership between Joshua Da Silva and Kavem Hodge provided some much-needed stability to the innings.

Da Silva led the way with 79 off 157 balls while Hodge showed improved judgement from the first Test with a 194-ball 71, his first Test fifty.

“We knew it was always going to be a tough fight against the Australians,” Hodge said in an interview after the day’s play.

“Knowing we didn’t put out a good showing in the first Test, we knew we had to be consistent with whatever we do. It was important that whoever got in try to push on as deep as possible. Just unfortunate that we didn’t see out the end of the day but I’m really happy with the fight that the guys are showing so hopefully we can come out tomorrow and push on,” he added.

Hodge made just 12 and three in the first Test, being dismissed caught behind by Hazlewood on both occasions.

On Wednesday, however, he made a concerted effort to leave the ball outside off stump, an excellent adjustment by someone just making their way to the highest level.

He put this clarity of thought down to time at the crease.

“Definitely! I was the first to admit in the team meeting after the first Test that the butterflies got the best of me but now I’m a bit more relaxed and I can work my plan and enjoy the environment of Test cricket. I’m really happy with the time in the middle,” he said.

“I was more relaxed. Leaving the ball outside off stump was generally my game plan. It’s just like any normal cricket. The more time you spend at the wicket, the more relaxed you feel and you’ll make better judgements,” he added.

It was a similar experience for Joshua Da Silva who also came up short in the first Test with scores of six and 18. On Wednesday, he made his fourth Test fifty.

“It’s always nice to come up against Australia. Best team in the world on paper so to face an opposition like that and score some runs is nice,” said Da Silva in a post day press conference.

“Coming in 63-5, I just wanted to consolidate with Hodgie (Hodge). It was challenging at times but it had periods where it was a little bit easier,” he added.

Da Silva also adjusted well to the game plan of the Aussies. He was dismissed twice to the short ball in the first Test but made the effort to either play the ball down or to duck when faced with those deliveries on Wednesday.

“I knew it was coming after I got bounced out twice in Adelaide. I put on a chest pad this time and decided to duck from a few. Had to change the philosophy a bit because it wasn’t going well. Thankfully, it worked,” he said.

In fact, while both admit that it would be a dream come through to earn their first Test cap in the upcoming two-match series against Australia, they were quick to point out that readiness will be key should Head coach Andre Coley call upon them.

Greaves and Hodge, who are among seven uncapped players in the 15-man squad Down Under, posted scores of 65 and 52 respectively, on the first day of the warm-up contest to assist West Indies to 251-8 declared in Adelaide. Cricket Australia's XI were 52-1 at the time of writing.

After captain Kraigg Brathwaite scored 52 at the top, the Caribbean side lost wickets in quick succession, before Greaves and Hodges anchored the innings with a 120-run, fifth wicket stand, which unfortunately, was followed by another collapse.

Still, Greaves, who recently recovered from a hamstring injury took the positives from the innings, which obviously was his partnership with Hodge.

“It has been an enjoyable one (journey); sometimes plagued by injury, but you know, just try to make the most of it when you get opportunity on the field. So, to be on my first Test tour is great and I'm really looking forward to it. Spending some time with Kevin in the middle last season as well, gave me a bit of confidence up in the middle and our thing is always just try to be as positive as possible,” Greaves said.

The 29-year-old right hand batsman, while declaring that he still enjoys bowling, pointed out that even with runs on the board, it offered very little comfort about whether or not he will get the nod next week.

“No, not really. Just taking it one game at a time. You know, coming here, you just wanted to be able to get into your work and if you're selected for that first Test, you know, just make sure you're prepared,” the Barbados-born Greaves said.

“Anyone coming up in the Caribbean playing cricket, dreams of playing Test, so if I'm selected for the first Test, receiving a cap is always a very big thing. So, for me, being in this group, I've played with most of the guys as I've been travelling a bit in the Caribbean, but I am just trying to enjoy my game as much as possible,” he added.

The Dominican-born Hodge, 30, echoed similar sentiments.

“It was really nice to get some time out in the middle, as a batsman you know that is worth its weight in gold, so I'm really happy for that.

“The partnership with Justin, we understand each other's game pretty well; obviously spending some time in the middle at this level is pretty good and we're really happy for that. It's just unfortunate that we couldn't push on and bat out the rest of the day. But you know, you know, we have a lot of positives from that inning,” Hodge shared.

And like Greaves, Hodge remained modest when asked if he believes the opportunity to possibly earn his first Test cap comes at a time when he is ready.

“Yeah, I'm a firm believer that everything happens on its own timing and what's meant to be, will be. For me, it's just a matter of being ready, whenever that time comes and you know, control what I can control. So, like I said, my big, my biggest thing is just preparing and making the most of whenever the opportunity is there,” the right-hand batsman, who also bowls slow left-arm orthodox spin, declared.

“It would mean a lot to me, obviously, you know, as a little boy growing up, I wanted to play Test cricket, so it's been a dream of mine, and it would definitely be a dream come true. So, until then, you know I'm keeping my fingers crossed and just try and be ready for it,” Hodge ended.

Paine came under fire during Australia's 2-1 Test series loss to India, with the skipper apologising for his behaviour during the Sydney Test.

Amid questions over the 36-year-old's future, Paine retained the captaincy as Australia's Test squad for their tour of South Africa was named on Wednesday.

Hohns said there was no doubt over the wicketkeeper's leadership, hitting out at what he feels has been unfair criticism.

"Tim's leadership in our mind was never in question. We did not spend one minute on Tim's leadership during our selection meeting," he told a news conference.

"He's been a terrific leader of this Australian team through some pretty trying circumstances since he's been in the top position. And I must say too, if you don't mind, some of the criticism he's had to endure in our view has been pretty wide of the mark, in particular some of it has been in poor taste from overseas people.

"I think the criticism of Tim Paine has been totally unfair."

Star Australia paceman Pat Cummins, 27, has been touted as a possible future captain.

Hohns said it was important for Australia to have options going forward.

"Of course, we're always looking for leaders and when the opportunity arises to possibly give somebody some experience," he said.

"Over the last week or two, there has been various names thrown up and let's face it, we've got to canvas all of those options and try to come up with a leader or a group of leaders, which is what we've tried to do over the last couple of years, who can take Australian cricket forward."

Initially, England and West Indies adopted the anti-racism stance ahead of their three-Test matches in July as part of the worldwide protests following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. 

Sports like the NBA and English Premier League (IPL) have, however, continued the gesture of taking a knee.  In cricket, England and Ireland also took the knee in their ODI series, after the West Indies, but that position was shelved when the home side welcomed Pakistan and Australia later in the year.

"I personally was a bit disappointed to see how the Pakistan and Australia tours went on after ours. That they were not showing their solidarity afterwards,” Holder said, after he and his team were given the Cricket Writers' Club's Peter Smith Award for becoming the first international team to tour amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's a hard challenge and a long hard road. It's not an overnight fix but the most important thing is we come together and see each other as equal human beings,” he added.

Legendary West Indies bowler turned commentator Michael Holding was critical of the lack of action.

Khawaja has been told by the ICC to keep his humanitarian appeal for the people of Palestine away from the cricket field. He was officially warned for wearing a black armband during the first Test between Australia and Pakistan in Perth.

He wanted to sport a black dove on his shoe and bat in the upcoming Boxing Day Test but even that was rejected by the ICC, and Holding says he is not “surprised” by their stance of “hypocrisy”.

“The ICC regulations say re messaging ‘approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes,” Holding explained.

“So how the f*** people were allowed to take a knee for BLM (Black Lives Matter), and stumps were covered with LGBTQ colors?” Holding questioned while speaking to The Weekend Australian.

Holding argued that the ICC has not made their stance clear.

“If it would have been some other organisation with a consistent track record, I would have been surprised, but not the ICC," he declared.

The fast-bowling legend accused the ICC of being “hypocrite” and have shown again that “they lack spine as a governing body”.

Like Holding, other observers believe that by banning Khawaja's move, as well as his subsequent request to adorn his bat with the peace symbol of a dove holding an olive branch, the ICC has inadvertently boosted his message, while revealing its own hypocrisy.

During the West Indies tour of England in July, players took the knee in support of the global movement for equality for people of colour. However, that has since ended with subsequent tours triggering the ire of the former West Indies fast bowler.

"Now that the West Indies team has gone home, that doesn't mean that you still shouldn't be respecting the message and exactly what it stands for," Holding said.

He explained that the movement had generated global momentum and awareness. The ECB should do what it can to help maintain it.

"So for Pakistan and England not to then take that signal - because you are not doing anything other than going down on one knee - you are not chanting anything, you are not saying anything, all you are doing is making a signal to keep the awareness going.”

Meanwhile, the ECB responded to the SkySports commentator that while they respect his opinion, they have chosen to go in the direction of a more sustainable form of action.

"Many of cricket’s teams, both domestic and international, took the knee in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement for their opening games, with the Men's Test Team continuing throughout the entire series with the West Indies,” the ECB statement said.

"Our response to the Black Lives Matter debate has been to view the issue alongside the whole inclusion and diversity space, to ensure that long-term and sustainable change happens for all communities who are not treated equally. We remain committed to this philosophy.

"Our refreshed inclusion and diversity strategy, published at the start of the West Indies Series, commits to several comprehensive initiatives that focus on eliminating discrimination from all areas of cricket.

"England's men’s and women’s players all remain committed to using their reach and influence to keep promoting inclusion and diversity in perpetuity, for the betterment of cricket and sport. We understand the importance of symbolism, and its power to keep an issue high on the agenda, our goal is to ensure we deliver both reach and change.”

However, believes that change will require more than just education.

"It is not a matter of which one is more important. Education is very important - I said that when I had my talk on Sky - but you can't just say that education is the most important thing and do nothing else. We have still got to keep the awareness going.

“I don’t care about any politics behind the Black Lives Matter – I just care about those three words. Black Lives Matter. And it’s time for the world to accept that black lives matter and move the entire world towards that agreement and that realisation because it is obvious that we need to do something in this world if we are going to get equality for all races and all nations.”

The Home of Cricket has staged 37 Ashes Test matches since 1884 with Australia holding a fine track record at the ground.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the main moments of Ashes history at Lord’s.

The top prize up for grabs, England and Australia are vying to lift the small urn at the conclusion of the series.

The name “Ashes” was coined when England lost to Australia for the first time on home soil in 1882 and the Sporting Times published an obituary of English cricket, stating: “the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia”.

England captain Hon Ivo Bligh vowed to “return the ashes” while on tour to Australia and was gifted a terracotta urn while away.

Although its contents are debated, the urn is said to contain the ashes of a bail and Bligh kept it until his death in 1927 when it was subsequently donated to the MCC.

The original urn can be seen at the MCC Museum at Lord’s and the winner of the Ashes will lift a replica along with the urn-shaped Waterford Crystal trophy introduced in the 1998-99 series.

The first Ashes Test at Lord’s took place in 1884 when Allan Steele’s 148 put England in the driving seat along with George Ulyett’s seven wickets to earn victory by an innings and five runs.

Another win followed in 1886, but Australia picked up their first success in 1888 after a low-scoring affair saw Charlie Turner shine with the ball and take 10 wickets across the match.

England then earned a six-wicket win in 1896, but it would be their last at Lord’s until 1934.

Clem Hill and Victor Gregory’s contribution of 135 each set Australia up for a 10-wicket win in 1899 and victories swiftly followed in 1909 and 1921.

Australian great Don Bradman then made his mark on English soil in 1930 with an incredible double century of 254, which led to the touring party declaring on 729 for six and easing to a six-wicket win.

Centuries from Les Ames and Maurice Leyland gave England an innings victory in 1934, but Lord’s has certainly since been advantage Australia with the visitors exerting a 75-year period of dominance.

After drawing in 1938, Australia won by 409 runs in 1948 and went on to pick up another eight victories until 2009 when England finally broke their losing run.

Their last win at the ground came in 2015 when a huge double century from Steve Smith in the first innings allowed Australia to set England a target of 509 in the second innings, but they crumbled to 103 all out.

Australia’s overall Test record at the Home of Cricket makes for far better reading with the tourists winning 16 matches compared to England’s six, while 15 draws have taken place between both sides.

Alongside Bradman’s mammoth knock in 1930, Lord’s has thrown up plenty of memorable Ashes moments with most being in Australia’s favour.

Allan Border put on an impressive batting display with a first innings 196 to guide his team to victory in 1985.

Working with Greg Ritchie (94), the pair dragged their side back into the game from 101 for four to 398 for seven by the time the Australian captain was dismissed, setting them on track for a four-wicket win.

Their bowling has also showcased some fine moments and in 1972 Bob Massie produced one of the finest Test match debuts, taking eight for 84 in the first innings and eight for 53 in the second.

His ability to get the ball swinging like no one else saw him finish with match figures of 16 for 137, a record for a Test debutant until bettered by India’s Narendra Hirwani in 1988.

Lord’s is no stranger to impressive bowling spells and Glenn McGrath etched his name into the history books in 1997 with a first innings eight-wicket haul.

On his first tour of England, the seamer ripped through the England batting line-up, reducing them to 77 all out and taking eight for 38.

Although Australia ultimately hold the happier memories at Lord’s, Andrew Strauss’ 161 and Andrew Flintoff’s second innings five-for earned England a first victory at the ground in 75 years in 2009.

Lord’s hosted the second Test of the last Ashes series in 2019, when an intriguing five days boiled down to a draw.

With day one washed out, Rory Burns and Jonny Bairstow made half-centuries on day two, but England were bowled out for 258 with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon taking three wickets each.

There was plenty of buzz in the build-up to the game with fast bowler Jofra Archer making his Test debut and his sheer speed became one of the talking points when his 92mph bouncer caught Steve Smith on the neck.

The Australian batter fell to the floor and was taken off the field, but returned after passing concussion protocols before being bowled lbw by Chris Woakes with Australia all out for 250.

Smith was subsequently ruled out of the fifth day of the Test with concussion and would go on to miss the Headingley Test, with Marnus Labuschagne brought into the team as the first concussion substitute.

Ben Stokes then smashed an unbeaten 115 as England declared on 258 for five, but despite three wickets each from Archer and Jack Leach, Australia managed to hold on for the draw.

There was much talk about the Test team and its seven uncapped players, among them rising fast bowler Shamar Joseph, who braved a toe injury to snare a seven-wicket haul and lead West Indies to a famous eight-run win –their first in Australia in 27 years.

With the excitement of that victory still very much fresh in the air, Hope and is unit, which includes five players from the Test squad, is intent on extending the celebrations.

The three-match series bowls off on Thursday at 10:30pm.

“It was a very inspiring win that they had in the last Test. It’s great momentum for us, of course it’s a different format, but great signs for us to continue what happened in the last Test in this ODI series,” Hope said in a pre-game press conference.

“It (the mood in the camp) is pretty good. Everyone's up and ready to roll. Seeing some of these grounds here in Australia, that in itself (makes you) want to play cricket so the guys are upbeat and ready to go,” he added.

It was a mixed bag for West Indies last year where results are concerned with their failed World Cup qualifying campaign and a loss to India at the height of their disappointments. However, they rebounded with 3-0 and 2-1 series victories over United Arab Emirates (UAE) and England, followed by a stalemate with South Africa.

Despite the fact that they have won seven of 12 ODIs last year, Hope is mindful that West Indies is yet to beat Australia in a series in almost three decades.

“Like we always say in the dressing room, every game matters, not necessarily about series or an opponent. You have to take every single game as a final and it's nice to see that the guys are really taken to the new system and the we're trying to play our cricket. So yeah, it's just one game at a time and then the results will take care of themselves,” Hope noted.

That said, Hope welcomed the challenge for his fairly inexperienced squad, which includes eight players with 10 or less ODIs under their belts, as they commence the rebuilding phase to towards possible qualification for the next ODI World Cup in four years. Teddy Bishop and Tevin Imlach are both uncapped.

“Yeah, it's I think it's great to widen that pool and what is a better way to start a career than here in Australia for some of the guys. But yes, I think four years seems like a long time, but it really isn't and as much games as these guys can play over that span, I think it's going to widen the pool and then give us a headache when that time comes to hopefully select a strong squad, and then they would also gain a lot more experience with that time,” Hope, who has been at the helm for almost a year declared.

WEST INDIES – Shai Hope (captain), Alzarri Joseph, Alick Athanaze, Teddy Bishop, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Gudakesh Motie, Kjorn Ottley, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.

AUSTRALIA – Steve Smith (captain), Travis Head, Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Matt Short, Adam Zampa

The West Indians went 0-1 down in the three-match ODI series after suffering a comprehensive eight-wicket loss at the hands of the reigning World champions.

Australia won the toss and elected to field first before dismissing the tourists for 231 in 48.4 overs. They then needed just 38.3 overs to reach 232-2.

“Starting a tour like that…you would want to take the first win but unfortunately we’ve got to go back to the drawing board now,” Hope said in a post-match press conference.

“We’ve still got two more games to go so we’ve got some room to improve,” he added.

As is usually the case, quick wickets at the top of the order made things tough for the West Indies with the bat. They lost the wickets of Justin Greaves (1), Alick Athanaze (5) and Shai Hope (12) all in the first powerplay, eventually reaching just 37-3 in the first ten overs.

Hope believes this period was ultimately what led to the poor total batting first.

“As you see we lost too many wickets in the powerplay. I didn’t think we showed as much intent as we needed to in the beginning of the innings. That would’ve changed their mindset in terms of where they need to bowl at us,” he said.

“We probably need to show a bit more intent and just be up for the fight. We’re playing in their backyard so they’re not just going to roll over and allow us to score freely and win games so we need to find a way to put them under pressure and to score some big totals,” Hope added.

“Definitely not,” was Hope’s response when asked if he felt at the time like 231 would be enough to win.

He continued, “even if we score 10 or 15, any time you cross the line as a fielding group you’ve got to believe that you can win the game. I still think it was a way below par score. We need to be looking at excess of 300 to give ourselves a chance.”

One could easily argue that the poor performance for the West Indies was down to the absence of a number of their first-choice players. Hope, on the other hand, says that is no excuse.

“One thing I always say is that you miss the performance more than the player. People can misunderstand that comment at times but you can have all the players in the world but if we’re not hitting our straps then what’s the point? It’s about trying to get the guys to understand that they all belong,” Hope said.

“We just need to learn quickly because we’re not at home. We’re not used to these conditions, most of the guys, so the faster we adjust, the faster then we can come better for the next game,” he added.

That next game will take place on Saturday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The hosts are 2-0 behind and need to win to keep the series alive, while their opponents have the chance to become the first Australia team to win in England since 2001.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the key issues heading into the game.

What impact will the Bairstow row have?

Alex Carey’s decision to throw down Bairstow’s stumps when the Englishman felt the ball was dead may well have changed the whole tone of the series. Relations between the teams are sure to be frostier, while Ben Stokes’ furious century in the immediate aftermath of the incident suggested something had been awoken in the home team. Can England harness that righteous anger in the right way and can others follow Stokes’ lead? Will Bairstow continue his career-long habit of turning in big performances when he feels most under pressure? Will Carey dare try it again? Finding out the answers to these questions should prove entertaining.

Headingley hostility

If Australia were taken aback by the vitriol they attracted at Lord’s, where even the usually serene environment of the Long Room took a turn, then they can expect the volume to be turned up again in Leeds. It would be no surprise if the touring side had to draw straws to find out who takes up fielding duty in front of the Western Terrace, a notoriously raucous stand that will be eager to make its collective voice heard. Measures are being taken to ensure things do not cross a line, but England will hope the partisan atmosphere serves them well.

A new-look England attack

The congested schedule meant England always planned to rotate their bowlers they have chosen this week to roll the dice, with record wicket-taker James Anderson making way alongside rookie Josh Tongue. Most striking is the return of Mark Wood, whose ability to bowl at speeds of more than 96mph mark him out as a major point of difference. Australia struggled with his pace at times in the last Ashes series and Stokes will be delighted to have his Durham colleague back. Moeen Ali is also ready after missing Lord’s, meaning a specialist spin option and some headaches for Australia’s left-handers. Finally there is a first appearance of the ‘Bazball’ era for the ultra-reliable Chris Woakes, whose record in England is outstanding.

Brook on the up

Harry Brook enjoyed a remarkable first winter in Test cricket, scoring four centuries in Rawalpindi, Multan, Karachi and Wellington, but has yet to make a major mark on his first Ashes campaign. He has played some thrilling strokes but has also found unusual ways to get out and has a top score of 50. With that backdrop, England’s decision to promote him to number three in place of the injured Ollie Pope is a bold call. He has batted there before in his early days for Yorkshire, with limited success, but he enjoys the full trust of a dressing room that believes he can be a match-winner from any position. If the switch pays off, it could set the game up for England.

Another Smith century

Former Australia skipper Steve Smith is no stranger to reaching three figures on English soil, having scored centuries in 16 Ashes Tests here. His latest landmark is guaranteed, as he earns his 100th cap. Ten players have marked that occasion with a century in the past, with two of those on the field this week – Joe Root and David Warner. Smith will be going all out to join them on that list and an average of 61.82 in these conditions suggest he has all the pedigree to do so.

Leach claimed four scalps during England’s 10-wicket victory over Ireland at Lord’s this week, but developed low back symptoms during the match.

A subsequent scan on Sunday revealed a stress fracture in the lumbar region of the spine, which will rule him out of all five Ashes Tests.

“Spinner Jack Leach has been ruled out of the LV= Insurance men’s Ashes series with a low back (lumbar) stress fracture,” an England statement said.

“England will announce a replacement for the Ashes series in due course.”

The tourists dominated in Visakhapatnam to level their three-match ODI series at 1-1, bowling out India for 117 in 26 overs before taking just 11 overs to pick off their target.

Victory at YS Raja Reddy Cricket Stadium sets up a decider in Chennai on Wednesday, with India's nine-match winning run in home ODIs having been brought to a halt.

Australia pace spearhead Starc took 5-53 in a dazzling display, before Mitchell Marsh (66 not out) and Travis Head (51 not out) made it a rout.

Smith made a stunning catch to dismiss Hardik Pandya midway through India's innings, diving away to his right at first slip to give Sean Abbott (3-23) a wicket.

That prompted Smith to be asked about whether it could be considered a "catch of the century", but he appeared slightly bemused by the suggestion.

"I don't know about catch of the century," he said at the post-match presentation. "It was nice I held on today.

"I had a couple of opportunities in the last game that were quite similar and they were just out of reach. I couldn't get my hand quite around it, but I was fortunate I was able to do that today.

"It was a big wicket, Hardik's an unbelievable player, so it was nice to hang on to it."

This match rapidly got away from India, who had won the series opener by five wickets.

"It was a quick one – 37 overs for the game, you don't see that too often," Smith said. "I thought our bowlers were outstanding this afternoon. Mitchell Starc in particular with that new ball swinging it back down the line and putting them under early pressure.

"He complemented really well with the rest of our bowling group and it was a nice start to the day. It was one of those days when every time they nicked it, it went to hand. Fortunately we were on the right side of it."

The batting went well too.

"The way that Heady and Mitch went out and went after against the bowlers, put them under pressure early. When you're chasing 118 you can break the back of it pretty quickly," Smith said. "It was a really good day, and I'm really proud we managed to bounce back after the last game."

India captain Rohit Sharma said his team let themselves down.

"We always knew that was not enough runs on the board," Rohit said. "Obviously it was not a 117 pitch at all. By no means. We just didn't apply ourselves and kept losing wickets. That didn't allow us to get the runs we wanted."

Opener Khawaja was born in Islamabad, less than half an hour's drive from Pindi Cricket Stadium where he shone for Australia on Sunday.

Khawaja appeared on the verge of his 11th century in the longest format as Australia responded superbly to Pakistan's first innings' 476-4 declared.

But impatience perhaps got the better of Khawaja as he contributed to his own downfall, misjudging a reverse sweep and gloving Nauman Ali to Imam-ul-Haq at forward short-leg, with Aleem Dar forced to overturn his original not out decision following a review.

Khawaja's contribution, along with half-centuries from David Warner (68) and Marnus Labuschagne (69 not out), took the tourists to 271-2 – trailing by 205 runs when bad light stopped play.

"It's disappointing," Khawaja said of his failure to reach three figures. "Cricket is a funny game. Three runs – you bat so well for 97 and then you get out. You don't get a hundred, you come back in the changing room and it probably feels worse than getting a 20 in some respects.

"It's a bizarre feeling. Yeah, I would love to get a hundred out here. Rawalpindi, Islamabad – where I grew up.

"I think it would have brought a lot of joy. But at the same time, I think mum, dad, Rachel, my wife, would have loved me being out there.

"I was having a lot of fun. I was enjoying playing. To put it in perspective, I wasn't even in an Australian team a few months ago. So I'm very grateful to be here. I'm happy that I contributed to the team."

Khawaja made his return to the Australia side for the first time since 2019 for the fourth Test of the Ashes in January and scored a century in each innings in a man-of-the-match performance.

And after backing up that display with another of high quality and some fortune – twice Pakistan dropped potential catches of Khawaja – he added: "I felt really good today.

"I felt mentally in a really good spot coming into it, I guess. Probably because I've been out of the system. I've been out of Cricket Australia for two years. And now it's not the be-all and end-all anymore.

"I've been in and out of the team so much. I've been dropped. It doesn't matter. I just play the way I want to play. I just think of it as if I'm playing club cricket or Shield cricket back home. And that's how I take it for Australia now.

"Obviously, I'm a Muslim. I believe in God. I trust what happens. Good or bad, you have to take it equally. A lot of good things have happened in my life. Sometimes you want certain things to go a certain way and they don't happen. I think you just have to accept that and move on, and take the good with the bad. I'm very grateful."

England's thrilling 74-run victory in the first Test against Pakistan generated huge praise for captain Ben Stokes, after his bold declaration helped to force a result on what was a flat pitch.

England have now triumphed in seven of their past eight Test matches, a stark improvement after failing to win in their previous nine.

The upturn in form bodes well ahead of a home Ashes series against Australia in 2023, with head coach Brendon McCullum's appointment in May of this year breathing new life into English cricket with an exciting new style.

England batting coach Trescothick says he cannot wait for the Ashes next year, and spoke of his admiration for McCullum's tactics.

"It is the exciting part [the Ashes]," Trescothick told reporters. "I wish we were going into the Ashes next week. If it continues on in this form then it bodes for a great series.

"As we say we do not look too far ahead in what is going on. But it is exciting, no doubt about it, because India series and Ashes series are the pinnacle of what we do in Test cricket."

Trescothick played for England between 2000 and 2006, and explained he would have loved to play in this expansive style McCullum has brought in.

"Any batter would have loved this," Trescothick added. "We would have loved this environment because it is so free.

"It is enjoyable, the methods and way we are talking about it in the changing room is exciting.

"You want to come out here every day, walk out with them and have the opportunity to bat. It is still great watching from the balcony and seeing what they do."

Six people were ejected from the iconic Sydney venue on day four after India paceman Mohammed Siraj reported he was the target of abuse while he was fielding on the boundary.

The tourists also reported alleged racial abuse of Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj on Saturday.

Play came to a halt around 10 minutes on Sunday, with umpires and security guards holding discussions before the spectators were removed by New South Wales Police.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) strongly condemned the reported incidents and offered Cricket Australia (CA) all necessary support with an investigation.

India showed great application to bat out for a draw on the final day and Australia opener Warner offered praise along with an apology to Ajinkya Rahane's side on Tuesday ahead of the series decider at The Gabba.

He posted on Instagram: "It was great to be back out on the park again this week.

"Was not the ideal result for us but this is what Test cricket is all about. 5 days of tough cricket and well done to our guys for working as hard as we could, congrats to India in the way they fought hard for the draw, and that's why we love this game, it's not easy.

"Move onto Brisbane now for the decider and what a place the Gabba is to play at.

"I’d also like to say sorry to @mohammedsirajofficial and the Indian team as racism, and abuse is not in any way acceptable or tolerated anywhere at any time, and I would expect better from our home crowd."

Paine required seven operations after breaking his finger back in 2010, but earned an Australia recall seven years later and took over as skipper in 2018.

The 35-year-old was on the verge of quitting when he was out of the Tasmania team in 2017.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Paine has opened up on the struggles he has endured over the years and the doubts he had when he returned to the highest level.

He told the Bounce Back podcast: "When I started training and playing again I wasn't too bad, until I started to face guys who bowled a lot quicker.

"And they'd be running in and instead of thinking about hitting the ball, I was thinking: 'Geez I hope he doesn't hit me on the finger'.

"From there it was just a downward spiral. I lost absolutely all confidence. I didn't tell anyone about it. The truth is, one, I was scared of getting hit and two, I just didn’t know what I was going to do."

Paine revealed he did not let it be known he was struggling.

“I didn't sleep, I didn't eat. I was so nervous before games, I was horrible to live with," he added.

"I was pretty ordinary to my partner, who is now my wife [Bonnie]. I was always angry and took out that I wasn't doing well on other people.

"I was embarrassed at what I had become. No one knew I was struggling, not my mates, not my partner. There were times when she was at work and I'd sit on the couch crying. It was weird and it was painful."

Paine said talking to a sports psychologist at Cricket Tasmania helped him to get his career back on track.

"It was the first time I actually told anyone what was going on, but I remember walking out of that room and instantly feeling better, that I had let someone in and that was the first step to dealing with, admitting I needed help," he said.

He also found that saying what was on his mind helped him to overcome self-doubt when he was recalled for the 2017-18 Ashes series.

"It went from an amazing feeling... and then I thought that's not good," he said.

"I'm going to have to bat in front of people and there are going to be millions of people watching. And for three or four days after I thought I don't want to do this.

"Again, spoke to some people and got that stuff off my chest and I thought bugger it, I'll just make the most of it... I'm going to enjoy it."

In an encounter marred by messy fielding from the Caribbean team, Matthew Wade and Mitchell Starc got the Aussies over the line, with a ball remaining, but the last over, bowled by paCer Sheldon Cottrell, was one filled with drama.  Needing just 11 from the last 6, Wade was dropped in the deep by Raymon Reifer off the second ball and an opportunity to stump Starc on his way back for the winning run was also missed out on.

As a result, the Aussies got home at 146 for 7, surpassing the West Indies' first innings tally of 145 for 9.  Aussie captain Aaron Finch batted in the unfamiliar position of 4 but top-scored with a valuable 58.  A visibly disgruntled Cottrell ended with figures of 2 for 49, while Joseph ended with a tidy 2 for 17 and 7 runs with the bat.  The bowler would admittedly have preferred a win but took some solace in a decent outing with the ball.

“For me, it’s always about trying to add that one percent every day.  Keep on trusting the process, keep on training hard and keep doing what I need to do to get the success,” Joseph said following the match.

“It wasn’t the result we wanted but we really fought hard.  We pushed Australia down to the last over, so all in all it was a fairly good performance we just have to go back and see what we can improve for the next game,” he added.

In their turn at the crease, all-rounder Kyle-Mayers led the way for the West Indies at the top of the order, scoring 39 from 36 deliveries before his innings was ended by Pat Cummings.  Reifer contributed a 23-ball 19 from the middle order but no other batsman really got going until Odean Smith’s useful 27 from 17 at the back of the innings.  He was run out by Wade.

It was, however, Josh Hazelwood who did the most damage with the ball for the Aussies as he ended with 3 for 35, while Starc and Cummings each claimed two wickets.

The trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood starred in the first Test against India, who were dismissed for their lowest ever score – 36 – in the second innings in Adelaide.

Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood combined for 17 wickets in the day-night Test, with the latter finishing with 5-8 in the second innings.

Ahead of the second Test against India starting in Melbourne on Saturday, Langer said he was happy with his pacemen.

"I'm glad I've got them in my side and not in another side. Outstanding," he told a news conference.

"The other thing is they're all great mates so they love working together as a unit. Often you rate a bowling attack by who's just on the outer and you look at James Pattinson. He's a gun. He's an excellent Test cricketer.

"You've got someone like Michael Neser, we've got Sean Abbott here, we've got other young bowlers like Jhye Richardson coming back from injury.

"It's a fantastic attack, but guys know they've got to stay on their toes regardless of how talented and how well they prepare. In past Australian teams they had a Shane Warne to back up Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee, very well-rounded attacks, and if you look at our attack at the moment it's incredibly well-rounded.

"We've got a fast left-armer, Mitchell Starc is bowling as fast as I've ever seen him at the moment. Pat Cummins is a superstar, Josh Hazlewood is like a Brownlow Medallist [awarded to the best and fairest player in the AFL]. I said when I got the job I just can't wait to have Josh Hazlewood in my team because he's so hard to get away and five-fors like the other day are due reward for him for all the work he does.

"It's a great bowling attack and I’m very, very happy it's in the Australian cricket team at the moment."