Overview
- England's only red-ball hit-out is a three-day game against the England Lions starting Thursday at Lilac Hill before the first Test in Perth on November 21, with Ben Stokes calling the session "balls to the wall" and dismissing critics as "has-beens".
- Ian Botham and Michael Vaughan have criticised the limited build-up as risky, while Stuart Broad backed the plan, arguing quality opposition is unavailable during a full round of Sheffield Shield fixtures.
- Australia captain Pat Cummins is ruled out of the Perth Test with a back injury, Sean Abbott is out after scans showed a moderate-grade hamstring injury, and Josh Hazlewood was cleared of a muscle strain and will train ahead of the opener.
- Scott Boland is expected to step in for Cummins, with uncapped Brendan Doggett under consideration, as selection discussions also weigh opening options after Jake Weatherald's lean Shield returns and Marnus Labuschagne's strong form at No 3.
- In a separate storyline, Ravichandran Ashwin questioned Shubman Gill’s rotation of spinners ahead of India’s two-Test series against South Africa beginning November 14.