Australia opener David Warner has dismissed suggestions he and Steve Smith are going to quit test cricket after the final Ashes contest against England beginning at the Oval on Thursday.

England have named an unchanged team for the fifth and final Ashes Test at The Oval starting Thursday, with record wicket-taker James Anderson keeping his place in the side.

India batting great Sachin Tendulkar reckons the spin-friendly Oval pitch will make India a confident side and their tweakers could become doubly dangerous if they are able to get “that drift” and make the ball talk in the air

England and South Africa go into Thursday’s final Test at The Oval without key batsmen as each looks to secure a series that is intriguingly poised at 1-1 after emphatic victories by both sides.

VVS Laxman's batting feat against Australia in Kolkata in 2001 has been voted the greatest Test performance of the last 50 years by a 25-member panel of cricketers, writers, broadcasters, historians and statisticians assembled by the Cricket Monthly.

Australia must stifle their attacking instincts in the subcontinent and "bore" batsmen into giving up their wickets, captain Steven Smith has said.

Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has retired from Test cricket.

Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara played one of the finest knocks of his long career at The Oval as Surrey beat Nottinghamshire by four runs.