Skipper Pat Cummins bowled Australia into contention to pull off a remarkable victory with a fiery spell against South Africa in an absorbing third Sydney Test on Saturday.

Australia took a grip on the first Test in Perth Friday with Pat Cummins bagging his 200th wicket as they bowled out a resolute West Indies then piled on more runs to stretch their lead to a commanding 344.

Captain Pat Cummins said on Tuesday there are "no cowards" in the Australia cricket team and that the players had not been distracted by former head coach Justin Langer's inflammatory comments.

Australia captain Pat Cummins has opted out of playing the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2023, citing a heavy international schedule.

Test skipper Pat Cummins will also captain Australia in one-day internationals after being named as the replacement for Aaron Finch by Cricket Australia on Tuesday.

Test captain Pat Cummins will miss Australia's upcoming one-day series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand, team bosses announced Monday as they named a strong squad led by Aaron Finch.

Australia Test skipper Pat Cummins said the Sri Lanka trip added to his sense of curiosity about the world.

Dinesh Chandimal's double century and bowling heroics by debutant Prabhat Jayasuriya led Sri Lanka to a series-levelling win over Australia on Monday in a second Test affected by protests and Covid.

Steve Smith's importance to Australia in the Ashes series has not just been in the torrent of runs he has scored but also in timing of his big innings, says team mate Pat Cummins.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting suggests that Australia’s bouncer barrage aimed at English batsmen is set to continue this summer.

Australia paceman Pat Cummins will return home after the one-day international series in India to freshen up for the Ashes Test series, Cricket Australia says.

Andrew Fekete and Cameron Bancroft are the two uncapped members of the 15-man Test squad announced for Bangladesh tour in October.