Australia England Tour

Australia hope Cameron Green's strong Indian Premier League form will help, not hinder, the young allrounder's preparation for his maiden Test tour of the United Kingdom. After a four-day acclimatisation stint in Formby near Liverpool, the Aussies' held their first major training session in Beckenham on Thursday ahead of their World Test Championship final and Ashes series tilts. It was the first time their full 17-man squad had assembled, with auxiliary pacemen Michael Neser and Sean Abbott also linking up with the group

Tackling India with a Dukes-brand ball on an early-summer pitch at The Oval might carry little in common with the recent four-Test series on the subcontinent, but Australia believes lessons harshly learned earlier this year might prove useful over coming months in England. Pat Cummins' men relinquished hopes of reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy during 90 minutes of mayhem in the second Test at Delhi last February when their batting was gripped by a mania that saw nine wickets fall for just 48 runs,