Jon Pierik is a sports writer with The Age, focusing primarily on AFL football, cricket and basketball. He has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.
As Australia prepares for a defining tour of India, world cricket curators have been warned they will be "shamed" should they produce doctored sub-par pitches under a new system designed to produce entertaining cricket.
Australia's cricketers are frustrated at missing out on performance bonuses in part because a cramped international schedule has meant key players have been rested.
Cricket Australia chairman David Peever has welcomed the in-principle revamp of the Test and one-day international formats as the world awaits India's next move on a proposed new revenue model.
International cricket appears on the verge of a long awaited overhaul, with the Test and 50-over formats to be divided into leagues to add greater context.
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke will take his first step into coaching when he guides the Prime Minister's XI squad against Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 clash in Canberra.
Aaron Finch will captain an Australian Twenty20 side against Sri Lanka missing several marquee names but one which selectors hope master blaster Chris Lynn will be fit for.
All-rounder Ashleigh Gardner is in line to become the first indigenous woman to debut for Australia in almost 60 years after being named in two Southern Stars squads to face New Zealand.
Preparations for the 2019 Ashes tour begin in earnest this week when the English Duke cricket balls are unleashed in the Sheffield Shield - but Australia's best players will miss out on the experiment.
Australia's one-day side has been dealt another blow, this time with stand-in skipper Matthew Wade waking up with a back injury and being forced out of Monday's clash against New Zealand at Eden Park.
Australia's decision to pick little-known Queenslander Sam Heazlett as Steve Smith's replacement for the Chappell-Hadlee one-day series has sparked criticism from former Test stars.
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