Pat Cummins

Root called on his attack to be "braver" by bowling fuller lengths after Australia went 2-0 up with a resounding 275-run victory at the Adelaide Oval.

England start the third Test in Melbourne knowing they must win to have any chance of regaining the urn and captain Root does not see a problem with himself and the bowlers having a difference of opinion.

"I like to give our bowlers, especially the senior ones, that responsibility," Root said. "They [James Anderson and Stuart Broad] have more than 300 Tests between them and over 1,000 wickets, and they know what they are doing.

"It's working alongside them, it's not a dictatorship. Every now and again, you don't always agree on everything and that's fine.

"Ultimately, it's about coming to a point where you get the results we want. Unfortunately, in the last game, we didn't quite get there."

Root will break former Pakistan batter Mohammad Yousuf's record of 1,788 Test runs in a calendar year if he scores 159 or more in England's last match of 2021.

England must raise their game in the field, having dropped at least five catches in four of their past five Tests. They put seven chances down in Adelaide.

Australia have lost two of the previous three Boxing Day Tests, both of those defeats coming at the hands of India.

England set to ring the changes

The tourists are set to wield the axe after two heavy defeats, with Zak Crawley, Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach and Mark Wood potentially getting the nod.

Rory Burns is reportedly in danger of being dropped and fellow opener Haseeb Hameed is also under pressure, while Chris Woakes looks likely to miss out after he went for 149 runs and took only one wicket in the second Test.

Ollie Pope has also been out of sorts early in the series, failing to reach double figures in his past three innings after starting with 35 at the Gabba.

Crawley has not played for England since a drawn Test against India at Trent Bridge in August.

Cummins returns, Labuschagne on top of the world

Pat Cummins returns to skipper Australia after missing the last Test due to coming into close contact with a positive coronavirus case at a restaurant in Adelaide.

Australia now have the number one Test bowler in the world in Cummins and the best batter on the planet, with Marnus Labuschagne taking that mantle from Root.

Labuschagne is the leading run-scorer in the series with 228 at an average of 76 following his maiden Ashes century in the second Test.

Josh Hazlewood is set to miss out again due to a side injury, so Jhye Richardson should get another opportunity after claiming a maiden five-wicket Test haul on his Ashes debut last week.

Australia captain Cummins was force to sit out the match at Adelaide Oval after the paceman was deemed to be a close contact with a positive coronavirus case at a restaurant.

Fellow fast bowler Starc and spinner Lyon dined at the same establishment, but were considered to be casual contacts with the person who had the virus.

Starc took 4-37 and Lyon claimed 3-58 as England meekly collapsed from 150-2 to 236 on day three in reply to 473-9 declared. Australia then closed in complete command on 45-1 in their second innings - leading by 282 runs.

Left-arm quick Starc revealed it could have been a very different story if Cummins had replied to his text message. 

He said: "It was just fortunate we were sitting outside. It was almost a bit of a p***-take because Pat didn't reply to my message so thought we'd sit away from him and sit outside so it's been a lucky one."

Starc says he did not lose any sleep fretting over whether dining out could have cost him another chance to exploit England's vulnerable batting line-up in a match Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of due to a side strain.

"Spinner [Lyon] didn't sleep. I slept quite fine, there wasn't much I could do about it after," he said.

It was revealed on Saturday that both sides will face stricter protocols for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.

Players can only follow Starc and Lyon's lead and dine outside, while they must also socially distance with members of the public.

Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley told SEN radio: "We need to make sure there's social distancing, so we ask everyone to be respectful in the public.

"That's the real shame because what we have seen is players wanting to interact with fans. That's been a feature of the Big Bash. But we've now got very clear protocols.

"As it comes to those on the field of play we need to make sure that people are operating in a really biosecure way."

McDonald was placed in temporary charge following Justin Langer's shock resignation last month.

The 40-year-old oversaw Australia's first overseas Test series triumph in six years, Nathan Lyon taking 5-83 and Cummins 3-23 on the final day to secure a 115-run victory at Gaddafi Stadium.

McDonald is the favourite to land the role on a permanent basis and captain Cummins is full of praise for the former all-rounder.

Asked about the job McDonald has done, he said: "Fantastic. Not unexpected. He's a great operator.

"The boys absolutely love him. Very diligent, very thorough, strategic, very organised. He's a huge part of this tour win."

Cummins would clearly welcome a decision for McDonald to stay on.

The paceman added: "His preparation, and all the support staff's. It's not just the 11 players who walk out; we've got a squad of 30-odd people who have been working so hard this month, and it's also important.

"I've said before it's not my place to employ the coach, but Ronnie [McDonald] has been fantastic."

The tourists were hammered by an innings and 132 runs on day three at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, where they were bowled out for only 91 in their second innings.

That was their lowest Test total in India, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin doing the bulk of the damage in Nagpur on Saturday with figures of 5-37.

Eyebrows were raised when batter Travis Head was omitted from the side for the opening Test, with Peter Handscomb and Matt Renshaw preferred to a left-hander who is the number-four ranked Test batter in the world.

Renshaw and Handscomb failed to make their mark in the middle order, but Australia captain Cummins has no regrets over the team that was picked.

The fast bowler said: "We were confident it was our best 11 this week. We know the quality Trav is. He's a huge part of this team but we were confident in the 11 guys out there.

"He's been really good around the group. He's been out the back working really hard on his game like he always does."

Mitchell Starc is set to return for the second Test in Delhi after recovering from a finger injury, but doubts remain over fellow quick Josh Hazlewood (Achilles) and all-rounder Cameron Green (broken finger).

"Starcy lands today or tomorrow into Delhi," Cummins said. "I think Joshy might not quite be ready for Delhi. He's getting up and running now, he's pretty close, but I don't think he'll be quite ready for Delhi.

"Greeny's a bit of a wait-and-see. We're still hoping. He's had a couple of good hits out here. His bowling is pretty good, so over the next couple of days we'll assess it."

Australia remain on course to play in the World Test Championship final, with India potentially their opponents at The Oval in June, so Cummins is not reaching for the panic button after a crushing loss.

He said: "I think sometimes it's almost easier to put those kind of losses behind you. You are looking at small margins. You have to have a hard look at your game and the big strides you need to change to give yourself the best chance next week.

"We've had a really good run in the last 12 months. There hasn't been many losses in that changing room. I don't think we need to reinvent the wheel. It's just tweaking different approaches to how we play and maybe particular methods."

Meanwhile, India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja – the player of the match in Nagpur – has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee by the International Cricket Council and given one demerit point for applying soothing cream to his finger without permission from the umpires on day one.

The paceman flew home this week and has decided to stay in Australia, revealing his mother is in palliative care.

Steve Smith will step in and skipper the tourists in a third Test that starts at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore next Wednesday.

Cummins said: "I have decided against returning to India at this time as my mother is ill and in palliative care. I feel I am best being here with my family.

"I appreciate the overwhelming support I have received from Cricket Australia and my team-mates. Thanks for your understanding."

Australia are set to welcome back Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green as they strive to battle back from 2-0 down after the duo recovered from finger injuries.

Spinner Mitchell Swepson re-joined the squad after flying home before the second Test for the birth of his first child.

Josh Hazlewood, David Warner and Ashton Agar have all made early departures from the tour.

The tourists begin the fifth and final Test with the urn already in the bag after last week’s Old Trafford washout frustrated England.

Australia have not won a series outright in England since 2001 and blew the chance to do so four years ago after paying the price for some over-exuberant celebrations ahead of their last visit to the Kia Oval, when they also held a 2-1 lead.

Captain Cummins believes the circumstances are completely different this time around and says his side are determined to end the 22-year wait.

“I think the good thing is that it’s a really similar group to 2019,” he said.

“That Manchester (in 2019) was a big win to retain the Ashes, which we hadn’t done for a long time off the back of Headingley, even Lord’s, where we probably missed a trick last series.

“I felt like that was a big exclamation mark on the end of that series with still one Test match to play.

“It feels really different here, this group has been really motivated to win the series.

“We know that it wasn’t our best week last week and at the end of the game it was a bit of a pat on the back, ‘well done, we’ve retained the Ashes’ but really it feels like the job’s not done.”

Australia, who went 2-0 up in the series, were spared a winner-takes-all decider in south London by a rain-ruined end to the fourth Test in Manchester.

England were well in control after piling up a 275-run first-innings lead but, with just 30 overs possible across the last two days, they were prevented from converting their dominance into a series-levelling victory.

The next five days could prove to be the end of an era for this Australia team, most of whom are aged 30 or above and may not be in contention for the next Ashes series in England in 2027.

Opening batter David Warner, who turns 37 in October, on Tuesday quashed rumours he is set to retire imminently and intends to stick to his initial plan of finishing on home soil early next year.

Pace bowler Cummins concedes knowing when to transition from one generation to the next is a complex issue but has no desire to see any player finish prematurely.

“It’s a hard one,” said the 30-year-old. “I certainly don’t want to rush anyone out of the door.

“I think this is about the fourth Ashes series where (England bowler) Jimmy Anderson has said it’s going to be his last one, so you never quite know. It is just an age.

“Some of these guys might be around here in four years and still be at the top level. We’ll see but it’s always a conversation.

“We’re lucky we’ve got white ball cricket, where you can have a soft entry for a lot of the (younger) guys, give them exposure to international cricket.

“It’s something the selectors talk about but really you try and pick your best XI each week.”

Starc has not played in the IPL since 2015 and the left-arm quick’s return to the fray drew a bidding war that ended in an unprecedented bid of £2.34million (24.75 crore rupees) from Kolkata Knight Riders.

Cummins had earlier been picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for just under £2million (20.5 crore), with both fees eclipsing the £1.77m Punjab Kings paid for Curran last year. Starc and Cummins had both signed up with a base price of less than £200,000.

Cummins is making his comeback to the tournament after a one-year absence to focus on his international commitments, during which he has captained Australia to glory in the World Test Championship and 50-over World Cup on Indian soil.

While those successes placed a premium on the available Australian talent, England’s terrible World Cup campaign saw their stock fall on the trading floor in Dubai.

Veteran Chris Woakes landed a deal worth a fraction under £400,000 as he joined team-mates Curran and Liam Livingstone at Punjab Kings, while Harry Brook was snapped up for around £380,000 by Delhi Capitals.

Brook had been released after one season of a £1.3m deal with Sunrisers and the Yorkshireman settled for a healthy but much-reduced payday.

He hit one superb century in his first IPL campaign but was otherwise badly short of runs with just 190 in 11 matches.

Sunrisers also splurged on another Australian, Travis Head, who capped a stellar year with a match-winning 137 in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad. He cost around £645,000 (6.8 crore) as he returned to the tournament for the first time since 2017.

West Indies T20 captain Rovman Powell was the first player to go under the hammer at the event in Dubai and fetched a surprisingly lavish £700,000 bid from Rajasthan Royals, while New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell scooped the biggest cheque of his career when he went to Chennai Super Kings for £1.3million.

CSK also signed Mitchell’s fellow Kiwi Rachin Ravindra, the breakout star of the World Cup, for a modest £170,000.

Joe Burns and Australia chased down the 90-run target with ease on Saturday after India were humiliated for their lowest ever Test score of 36 following a jaw-dropping collapse in the day-night showdown on Saturday.

Virat Kohli's India resumed on 9-1 on day three of the Adelaide Test, but the visitors sensationally capitulated as Australia's merciless pace attack produced a relentless showing with the pink ball.

Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins were the chief destroyers – the star pair finished 5-8 and 4-21 respectively.

Hazlewood – whose figures represented the most economical five-for by an Australia player in 73 years – celebrated his 200th Test wicket, while Cummins brought up his 150th dismissal to become the equal-third quickest Australian to reach the figure in terms of innings bowled (59).

India remarkably crumbled in just 15.2 overs to record their lowest Test score after Mohammed Shami retired hurt (one), the tourists' total lower than the country's previous record of 42 against England in 1974.

None of India's batsmen reached double figures – Mayank Agarwal the top scorer with nine, while captain Kohli was sent packing by Cummins for just four in a jaw-dropping display. It was the first time ever not a single player in the top six of a Test side reached double digits.

It was also the joint fifth-lowest Test score – behind New Zealand's all-time record of 26 set in 1955, while it is the joint-lowest team total in the format on Australian soil after South Africa's performance against Australia in 1932.

Australia made light work of the score put forward by India, only dropping two wickets to clinch the first of four Test matches against India.

Joe Burns – under pressure heading into the opener due to his poor form – stepped up with an unbeaten half-century from 63 deliveries to lead the Australians to victory after hitting a six to bring up his fifty and the team's win.

Matthew Wade was run out by Wriddhiman Saha for 33, while Marnus Labuschagne (six) was caught by Agarwal after skying a Ravichandran Ashwin (1-16) delivery, but it mattered little.

Pat Cummins (3-34) and Mitchell Starc (3-51) did most of the damage as Australia dismissed the tourists for 283, before finishing on 29-1 in their second innings to establish an overnight advantage of 344 runs.

Debutant Tagenarine Chanderpaul was at least able to reach his half-century before edging Josh Hazlewood to David Warner for 51, before Nkumrah Bonner retired hurt on 16 after taking a Cameron Green delivery to the head.

Australia struggled to get rid of West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite (64) until he was bowled by a terrific delivery from his opposite number Cummins to bring up his 200th Test wicket.

Starc dismissed Kyle Mayers (1) and Jermaine Blackwood (36) either side of Nathan Lyon getting rid of Jason Holder (27), before Starc had Joshua Da Silva out for a duck with a delivery that swung back spectacularly into the stumps.

Australia cleared up the tail with minimum fuss to leave the hosts heading into their second innings with a big advantage.

Warner began aggressively but almost paid the price as he was nearly run out on 13, though Usman Khawaja (6) was heading back to the pavilion soon after when a nothing shot at a Kemar Roach ball was edged through to Da Silva.

Warner (17 not out) and Marnus Labuschagne (3 not out) saw Australia through to the close and will be confident of building an even bigger lead on the penultimate day in Perth.

200 up for Cummins, Lyon also reaches landmark

It was a fitting way for Cummins to reach 200 wickets, emphatically dismissing his fellow skipper. In his 44th Test, he became the fifth-fastest Australian to 200 behind only Clarrie Grimmett (36), Dennis Lillee (38), Stuart MacGill (41) and Shane Warne (42).

Lyon also had reason to celebrate as his 2-61 took him past Dale Steyn on the all-time Test wicket-taker list, moving up to ninth place on 440, just two behind Ravichandran Ashwin.

West Indies allow faint hope to fade further

It is never easy replying to such a mammoth first innings score, with Australia posting 598-4 dec, but the tourists were ticking along nicely, reaching tea on day three on 237-4.

However, they collapsed once Starc started to wobble them, adding just 46 for their final six wickets.

The hosts needed 14 wickets on the final day to secure victory and a clean sweep of the three-game Test series, but were denied despite bowling out the Proteas and enforcing the follow-on.

South Africa finished 106-2 in their second innings, having been bowled out for 255 shortly before tea. Australia needed nine wickets in the final session but eventually opted to shake hands with five overs left.

Pat Cummins' side were left frustrated after a series of unsuccessful reviews including several LBW appeals from Nathan Lyon which reverted to the umpires' call.

Steve Smith was also denied a crucial catch by the third umpire for the second time in the match, when Heinrich Klaasen edged to first slip off a frustrated Lyon in the second innings. Lyon bowled 40 first-innings overs, taking 2-88 before toiling away for 0-32 from 15 overs in the second innings.

South Africa will be content to have shown some final-day fight after a lopsided series with Sarel Erwee (42no) and Temba Bavuma (17no) unbeaten.

The tourists had resumed at 149-6 with Marco Jansen dismissed early, caught behind off Travis Head, but Simon Harmer (47) and Keshav Maharaj (53) teamed up for a gritty 85-run eighth-wicket partnership that halted Australia's push for victory.

Australia had their chances, most notably when Head dropped a caught-and-bowled chance from Maharaj, who lasted almost two hours alongside Harmer.

Maharaj eventually fell LBW to Josh Hazlewood, who also claimed the wicket of Harmer after Lyon had two reviews denied against him on 47. Hazlewood finished with 4-48 in the first innings on his return from a side strain.

After enforcing the follow-on, Cummins gave Australia hope when he had opposition skipper Dean Elgar caught behind by Alex Carey down leg side for 10, but the Proteas were stubborn enough to see out the draw.

Khawaja gets his reward

Usman Khawaja was denied a shot at a maiden Test double hundred, rooted on 195no, when Cummins declared on the fourth day pursing victory after day three was lost to rain but he was named Player of the Match.

Khawaja had a lean two Tests before his big knock, managing only 14 runs in his previous three innings against the Proteas. Coincidentally, David Warner was named Player of the Series after his double century at the MCG Test, yet he otherwise only scored 13 more runs in three other knocks.

Elgar struggles as skipper

Elgar endured a lean tour with his cheap dismissal down leg side in the second innings underlining his struggles since taking over as South Africa skipper in March 2021 from Quinton de Kock. The opener managed only 56 runs in six innings this series.

After a number of delays for rain and poor lighting over the first two days, the third day was completely washed out, forcing the Australians to declare after lunch at 475-4 in order to chase a result.

It meant stranding hometown hero Usman Khawaja on 195 not out, but the hosts would get to bowl 59 overs in sharp turning conditions while the tourists could realistically only play for a draw.

Any South African dreams of a two-day batting stand to salvage a gutsy draw took a blow when Josh Hazlewood (2-29) removed Dean Elgar for 15, drawing an outside edge through to the Alex Carey behind the stumps after returning from over a month out of the side.

Things went from bad to worse for South Africa when opener Sarel Elwee opted to leave an off-spinner from Nathan Lyon, only for it to clip his off-stump, departing for 18.

After captain Pat Cummins removed number-three Heinrich Klaasen caught behind for just two runs, the combination of Temba Bavuma (35 off 74) and Khaya Zondo (39 off 83) built a respectable partnership.

Ultimately the Aussie pace attack was too much to handle, with Hazlewood finding the edge of Bavuma before Cummins landed a yorker on Zondo's toes for a plumb LBW.

Cummins took one more in the fading light – Kyle Verreynne's edge to Steve Smith in the slips – to finish the day with team-best figures of 3-29 from 14 overs as South Africa finally reached stumps at 149-6, trailing by 326.

Khawaja reaches new heights at home ground

With his 195no – his fourth not-out from 10 innings at his home ground – Khawaja raised his Test average at the SCG to 130.83.

It is the third-highest Test average for any batter with more than three innings at the ground, trailing only England's Wally Hammond (161.6 from six innings) and India's Sachin Tendulkar (157.0 from nine innings).

Frank Worrell and Sachin Tendulkar are the only other batters in Test history to have been in the 190s when their captains declared.

Hazlewood illustrates Australia's fast-bowling 'problem'

Australia currently have an embarrassment of riches in the fast-bowling department, and it has reached a stage where an elite talent like Hazlewood is fighting for his spot.

Having not played for Australia since a Test against the West Indies in late November, Hazlewood reminded everyone just how good he is, finding the edge of both Elgar and Bavuma to put the hosts in a winning position.

With Scott Boland also boasting historic Test figures, as well Michael Neser and Lance Morris champing at the bit for their opportunity, it creates a good problem for the Aussies to have in an Ashes year.

The Tim Paine sexting scandal presented Pat Cummins with the opportunity to become the first fast bowler to captain the Australia Test side.

Cummins was appointed less than a fortnight before his side start their defence of the urn against fierce rivals England, with Steve Smith his assistant as Paine takes an indefinite mental health break from cricket. 

The paceman has long since been talked of as a potential successor to Paine and gets his chance earlier than expected.

Cummins was already on a high from playing his part in Australia's maiden T20 World Cup triumph in Dubai last month and should thrive on the extra responsibility of being skipper.

Australia have not played a Test since they were consigned to a 2-1 home defeat to India in January and although England have had plenty of action in the longest format this year, poor weather in Brisbane has badly hampered their preparations.

Stats Perform picks out some of the storylines, sprinkled with some Opta data, from an Australia perspective before one of the great sporting rivalries gets under way again.

Cummins to get Australia going?

Cummins has led Australia's pace attack on many occasions and was the pick of the bowlers in a 2-2 Ashes series draw in England two years ago, taking 29 wickets at average of 19.62.

Since the start of 2018, no bowler has claimed more scalps in the longest format than the 28-year-old's 128 - which have come at 19.9 apiece.

Cummins, the number one Test bowler in the world, will no doubt be licking his lips at the prospect of ripping into what has been a fragile England batting line-up.

Josh Hazlewood will also pose a huge threat and Mitchell Starc will be out to silence critics such as Shane Warne, while Jhye Richardson and Michael Neser show Australia's strength in depth in the pace ranks.

Gabba no longer a fortress?

Australia had not lost a Test at the Gabba for 33 years until India's famous victory in January.

Joe Root fanned the flames last month by stating the hostile Brisbane venue is no longer such a "stronghold" for Australia.

It has most certainly not been a happy hunting ground for England, who have only won four of 21 Tests at the stage for the curtain-raiser for the series. The tourists' last Test win at the Gabba came in November 1986.

England have not won a Test in Australia since January 2011, losing nine and drawing one of their previous 10 contests, and they will be braced for a barrage of pace when they start their quest to regain the urn this week.

England must find an answer to Smith and Labuschagne 

The England bowlers had seen more than enough of Smith by the end of the 2019 series.

He racked up 774 runs at an average of 110.57 from seven innings, reaching three figures on three occasions and scoring a sublime 211 at Old Trafford.

The former skipper broke his own record for number of runs in a Test series in the 21st century. Only the great Don Bradman (19) and Jack Hobbs (12) have more Ashes centuries than Smith's 11.

Marnus Labuschagne was also outstanding in England two years ago, averaging 50.42. He has been a revelation at number three and will have a big role to play.

Australia in safe hands with Carey?

Alex Carey will take the gloves and make his Test debut at the Gabba in the absence of Paine.

Carey has plenty of experience at the age of 30 and has 83 international white-ball experiences under his belt.

He comes into his Test bow on the back of making a timely century for South Australia against Queensland in the Sheffield Shield and has a chance to cement his spot in the side.

After Hazlewood removed Shubman Gill for 31 runs, Rohit Sharma fell to Cummins for 52 as an embattled India closed on 98-2, needing 309 more runs for an unlikely win.

Australia had declared on 312-6 after Cameron Green showcased some huge hitting in the afternoon session, surging to 84 off 183 balls, including eight fours and four sixes to set up a tense final session for India.

It was a day of Test cricket once again marred by a crowd incident with play delayed for eight minutes before the tea break while six people were ejected by New South Wales police after India's Mohammed Siraj issued a complaint of alleged abuse to the umpires.

The surface has been the subject of much debate ahead of this week's opener at VCA Stadium.

Images of the pitch appear to show bare patches that could cause left-handed batsmen some concern against India's spin bowling.

For Australia, that represents an issue, with several of their key batters – including openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja, Travis Head and wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey – left-handed.

Captain Cummins, preparing to name his team ahead of Thursday's first day, acknowledged the turning pitch would be "a factor".

Right-hander Peter Handscomb would appear to be one man likely to benefit, while spin bowler Todd Murphy is set to debut.

But Cummins is also looking forward to seeing how Australia "problem-solve", with Warner, Khawaja, Head and Carey all in good form in a series win against South Africa last time out.

"I think it looks a little bit dry for the left-handers," he said.

"And knowing how much traffic will probably go through there from the right-arm bowlers [from over the wicket], there potentially might be a fair bit of rough out there. That's something you've just got to embrace.

"It's going to be fun. It's going to be challenging at times, but our batters relish the chance to problem-solve on their feet and I think quite a few of them will get that chance this week."

India have a right-hand dominant batting line-up, but captain Rohit Sharma was understandably keen not to focus on the state of the wicket.

"I just feel that you've got to focus on the cricket that's going to be played for the next five days and not worry too much about the pitch," he said.

"The last series that we played here, a lot was spoken about the pitches and all that.

"I think all 22 cricketers who are going to play are all quality cricketers, so not to worry too much about what the pitch is going to be like, how much is it turning, how much is it seaming and all those kind of things.

"You've got to just come out and play good cricket and win the game, as simple as that."

Happy hunting ground

This will be India's seventh men's Test at VCA Stadium, and they have won four of the previous six, losing just once.

It will be the second meeting between India and Australia at this venue, with the tourists beaten by 172 runs back in November 2008.

Australia's bogey team

Based on recent results, India may not need help from the pitch to beat Cummins' side. Australia have lost only one of their past 10 Tests, but that was against India in January 2021.

India have won six of their past eight Test series against Australia, including the past three in a row. They have lost only one of the last 15 Tests between the teams.

Head will partner David Warner at the top of the order after former skipper Aaron Finch retired from the 50-over format.

Chairman of selectors George Bailey said: "Travis Head returns in place of Aaron Finch having played well in Pakistan and Sri Lanka earlier in the year.

"He has demonstrated flexibility in the types of roles he can play in our ODI line-up."

Australia were knocked out of the T20 World Cup on home soil last weekend when England beat Sri Lanka to deny the holders a semi-final spot.

They will step up their preparations for the ODI World Cup in India next year with a series against Jos Buttler's side that gets under way at Adelaide Oval on Thursday, with Cummins leading the side for the first time since replacing Finch.

The selectors also on Tuesday named a 13-man squad for Tests versus West Indies, the first of which starts at Perth Stadium on November 30.

Opener Marcus Harris returns after a missing a historic series win in Pakistan and a drawn series against Sri Lanka.

Bailey said: "Marcus Harris retains his place after continuing to perform for Gloucestershire in the English County competition and a strong start to the Marsh Sheffield Shield season.

"After some larger squads for the subcontinent tours over the winter, we have returned to a very similar squad to that which performed strongly last summer in comprehensively winning the Ashes."

Australia ODI squad to face England: Pat Cummins (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Australia Test squad to face West Indies: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

Trailing 2-0 in the series, and with captain Pat Cummins returning home for personal reasons, Australia welcomed back Mitchell Starc from a finger injury as the only full-time pacer bowler in the line-up.

Also coming into the visiting side is all-rounder Cameron Green, with the injured David Warner joining Cummins as the outs, leaving Travis Head and Usman Khawaja to open the batting. Matt Renshaw had replaced Warner mid-game in the second Test as a concussion sub.

Retaining their places are the spinning trio of Nathan Lyon, Todd Murphy and Matt Kuhnemann, while the addition of Green for Warner gives the Australians another weapon in their pace attack.

For India, K.L. Rahul was dropped and Mohammed Shami was rested, with opening batsman Shubman Gill and fast bowler Umesh Yadav taking their place. India won the toss and elected to bat.

The second Test between West Indies and Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane remains finely poised after a riveting second day's play. At stumps, the West Indies, who scored 311 in their first innings, were 13 for 1, holding a slender lead of 35 runs after Australia declared their first innings reply on 289-9.

The visitors faced a tricky half-hour's play under the lights, and Tagenarine Chanderpaul became the sole wicket in the last over of the day, caught behind off the bowling of Josh Hazelwood for four.

Earlier in the day, Australia's innings experienced a rollercoaster ride, recovering from a precarious position of 54-5 to declare on 289-9. West Indies' fast bowlers, Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph, wreaked havoc, with Joseph claiming 4-84 and Roach providing crucial support with 3-47.

However, a remarkable counterattacking display by Alex Carey, who scored a brisk 65 in a partnership with Usman Khawaja, and an aggressive unbeaten 64 from Captain Pat Cummins, guided Australia back into contention. The hosts were struggling at 24 for 4 at dinner and 54 for 5 not long after, but the innings turned around with resilient performances.

Carey's innings, reminiscent of the legendary Adam Gilchrist, featured fearless strokes, but he fell for 65 from 49 balls before tea. Khawaja played the anchor role, contributing 75 runs, but was eventually dismissed by Kevin Sinclair. Mitchell Starc's departure on the stroke of tea left Australia in a precarious position.

A crucial moment occurred when a delivery from Shamar Joseph narrowly missed dislodging Carey's off bail, providing a stroke of luck for the Australian batsman. He capitalized on this fortune, striking three consecutive boundaries and displaying aggressive strokes. However, his dismissal at a critical juncture added to Australia's challenges.

In the final overs, West Indies' Chanderpaul fell to Hazelwood, setting the stage for a closely contested Test match. The fate of the game remains uncertain, with both teams aiming to seize control in the upcoming sessions.

At the start of play the West Indies resumed from their overnight score of 266-8 with Kevin Sinclair on 16. Kemar Roach joined him at the crease and together they resisted the Australian attack without much bother.

The pair batted through the first hour without loss with Sinclair doing the bulk of the scoring. The partnership was finally broken after Roach defended a ball to mid-off and called for a single, but Sinclair caught a glimpse of Labuschagne swooping in and made a very late call of no with Roach already halfway down. He slipped over trying to put the brakes on and was run out with ease.

Australia could have removed Sinclair on 30. He poked Pat Cummins straight to gully and Green spilt a sitter at thigh height. The Guyanese bowling all-rounder made Green and Australia pay with some excellent shots thereafter, sweeping Nathan Lyon for four and then lofted him inside-out over mid-off in consecutive balls to bring up his half-century.

He fell next ball, stumped by Alex Carey, for a well-played 50.

Mitchell Starc ended with 4-82 with Hazlewood taking 2-38 and Lyon 2-81.

 7 m

After Pat Cummins (4-29) and a brilliant fielding display saw India dismissed for 244 in response to Australia's first-innings 338, the hosts reached 103-2 at stumps – a lead of 197 runs.

Cheteshwar Pujara (50) led India's batting effort, but they lost 49-6 to finish their innings as the SCG pitch began to show signs of uneven bounce.

Making matters worse for the tourists, Rishabh Pant (left elbow) and Ravindra Jadeja (left thumb) were taken for scans after suffering blows while batting.

Marnus Labuschagne (47) and Steve Smith (29), who led Australia's first-innings batting effort, were unbeaten at stumps as the hosts put themselves in position to take a 2-1 series lead.

It came after some wonderful fielding and a fine bowling display by Cummins reduced India.

Cummins had Ajinkya Rahane (22) playing on for the first breakthrough of day three before Josh Hazlewood (2-43) stepped up in the field.

The Australia paceman moved to his right at mid-off before quickly unleashing a throw while diving to run out Hanuma Vihari (4).

Pant responded for India but he struggled after a blow to his elbow and was caught at first slip by David Warner off Hazlewood.

Cummins had the dangerous Pujara caught behind, while Ravichandran Ashwin (10) was run out and Labuschagne produced a wonderful direct hit to also run out Jasprit Bumrah (0).

Jadeja (28 not out) played some nice shots and India were boosted by a couple of quick wickets to begin Australia's innings.

Mohammed Siraj (1-20) had Will Pucovski (10) caught behind and Warner (13) was trapped lbw by Ashwin (1-28), but Smith and Labuschagne steadied the innings to ensure Australia stayed in control.

The 33-year-old has not played the long-form game for his country since he featured in the 2017 tour of Bangladesh, instead carving out his place in the white-ball sides.

That has included success in both ODI and T20 formats, with Maxwell a member of the Australia squad that won the T20 World Cup last November, two years on from a semi-final finish at the Cricket World Cup.

But after spin accounted for the majority of wickets in the first Test last week, captain Pat Cummins has indicated the tourists may switch to selecting a single frontline fast bowler for the second and final match.

That would likely see Mitchell Starc drop out, given Cameron Green could be utilised as a pace option, and would open the door for Maxwell, who has seven Test caps, to make a remarkable return to the side.

"He'd play as a spinning all-rounder at number eight," Cummins said. "I thought he was just about the pick of the bowlers in the one-day series, he was excellent. You can easily get 15 or 20 overs out of him.

"If the wicket plays lots of tricks, the batting will be the area where you have to find those 20 or 30 runs somewhere. Last week we didn't need two quicks, but Mitchell Starc's class so we'll wait and see."

Maxwell was a late call-up to cover for the injured Travis Head following Australia's white-ball series against Sri Lanka, and looked otherwise set to miss out following the latter's recovery.

The lack of senior red-ball cricket will not be an issue for Cummins though, who feels that if selected, Maxwell could bring great value towards the tail of the middle order.

"It's pretty different first-class cricket here to what you might experience in the Sheffield Shield," Cummins said. "It's a different pace, the wickets are so different.

"It might not be grinding out a hundred, but a quickfire 30 or 40 would be just as valuable."

The second Test starts on Friday. Australia won the first match by 10 wickets.

Stokes ends India batsman Virat Kohli's three-year reign in possession of the honour and becomes the first Englishman since fellow all-rounder Andrew Flintoff to be considered the best player in the global game by the esteemed publication.

The body of work amassed by Stokes over the course of an outstanding 2019 made him an obvious frontrunner for such recognition.

He top-scored with an unbeaten 84 as England took the World Cup final into a super over, where Stokes and Jos Buttler scored 15 before the hosts won on the boundary count back rule at Lord's.

Remarkably, that was not Stokes' finest hour of the English summer, as he went on to score 135 not out to seal an enthralling one-wicket win over Australia in the fourth Ashes Test at Headingley – an innings to rank alongside the all-time greats in cricket's longest format.

Jofra Archer, another standout performer in England's World Cup and Ashes campaigns was named as one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year for 2019, along with Australia duo Marnus Labuschagne and Pat Cummins.

Labuschagne's introduction to the series came as a concussion substitute when Steve Smith was struck by a brutish Archer bouncer and he went on to make the number three position his own, averaging 112 in the Australian summer that followed.

Cummins underlined his status as the number one pace bowler in the world with 29 wickets against England in an urn-retaining 2-2 draw.

That is a standing Archer can certainly aspire to, having claimed 55 wickets across all formats in his breakthrough international year.

Wisden's five cricketers of 2019 were rounded out by Simon Harmer, the Essex spinner whose 83 wickets gave him 12 more scalps than any other bowler on the way to County Championship glory, and Ellyse Perry.

Perry was Australia's leading run-scorer (378) and wicket-taker (15) in the 2019 Women's Ashes and was also named the leading women's player in the world.

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell is the leading T20 cricketer.