The issues raised in the report have overshadowed England’s preparations for the contest, and at the start of his pre-match press conference, captain Ben Stokes read the following statement. “Just before I start, I want to make it clear I have not read the report as it only came out last night. “To the people
Australia
Stuart Broad looked cooked. James Anderson wasn’t given the second new ball and looked grumpy. The opening Test at Edgbaston was decided by very fine margins, but it felt as though England’s pace attack ran out of steam for the final push. There has been a reasonable break ahead of the second Test at Lord’s.
Big Picture Are you ready for round two? The opening of this Ashes delivered everything it had promised. Four more matches of that level of exhilaration will be a test for everyone involved. Given all the talk of the past week, where both teams have had some downtime, it would be easy to think England
Australia begin their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign against hosts India in Chennai on October 8, before going on to play their next two games in Lucknow in the north of India: against South Africa on October 13 and a qualifier on October 16. The World Cup schedule was finally released by the ICC and
It’s a sign that a tour is running smoothly when there are very few unknowns about selection for the next match. As with last week, the only question for Australia to answer is around the final make-up of their pace attack with Mitchell Starc waiting in the wings should a change be made at Lord’s.
Australia 473 (Sutherland 137*, Perry 99, Ecclestone 5-129) and 257 (Mooney 85, Healy 50, Ecclestone 5-63) beat England 463 (Beaumont 208, Sciver-Brunt 78, Knight 57, Gardner 4-99) and 178 (Wyatt 54, Gardner 8-66) by 89 runs Ashleigh Gardner sent down her arm ball, Amy Jones charged past and the ball bounced off Alyssa Healy‘s battered
After one match of the men’s Ashes 2023, Australia are able to get the best of both worlds when it comes to Bazball. They can praise its ambitions, while England do much of the combative talking, knowing the scoreline reads 1-0 in Australia’s favour heading to Lord’s and promising there is much better to come
Steven Smith has detailed how he felt like he’d had “a dozen beers” after being floored by a Jofra Archer bouncer at Lord’s on the last Ashes tour. Smith has made his return to the famous English ground this week, training on Saturday for the first time since the first Test. Australia’s players did not
Marnus Labuschagne‘s dismissals at Edgbaston were something that the Australian coaching staff had not seen before but there is confidence he can respond in the second Test at Lord’s. Labuschagne edged behind against Stuart Broad, playing at deliveries he could have left, with his first-innings golden duck coming from an especially wide ball as Broad
Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley insists a captivating Ashes can play a key role in preserving Test cricket worldwide. This year’s series is being played in a shadow of doom and gloom around the five-day game’s future, with Steven Smith admitting earlier this month he has concerns about Test cricket’s place in the sport.
Legspinner Mitchell Swepson has signed for Glamorgan to play in the County Championship as cover for Michael Neser who is with the Australia Test squad. Although the Australia selectors do not officially reassess the squad until after the Lord’s Test it is a strong indication that Neser, who was initially called up to replace Josh
Rehan Ahmed, the 18-year-old Leicestershire legspinner who claimed a memorable five-wicket haul on his Test debut in Karachi last year, has been added to England’s Test squad as cover for Moeen Ali, whose performance at Edgbaston was hampered by a blistered spinning finger. Rehan’s call-up comes after limited success for Leicestershire in this year’s County
James Anderson has admitted that the Edgbaston pitch for the first Ashes Test was “like kryptonite” for him, and warns that if the surfaces for the remaining four matches of the series prove to be similarly flat, then he will be “done”. Anderson, who turns 41 next month, returned the disappointing figures of 1 for
Joe Root says fans should “strap in” as England look to double down on their aggressive approach and bounce back from defeat in the first Ashes Test. For all the entertainment England provided across five days at Edgbaston, Australia’s victory by two wickets has set the narrative against the hosts. An engaging style of play
Former Australia and Queensland paceman Peter Allan, who played one Test and is one of only three men to have taken 10 wickets in a Sheffield Shield innings, has died at the age of 87. Allan played his sole Test for Australia in the 1965-66 Ashes against England on his home ground at the Gabba.
Australia’s two-wicket win in the first Test was notable for being achieved without much contribution from the prolific pair as they made 35 runs between them. That’s the fewest they have put together when they have both batted twice and it remains the case even when one of them hasn’t. It is potentially a daunting
Scott Boland‘s place in Australia’s side is likely to come under scrutiny for the second Test at Lord’s after he was taken for nearly six an over at Edgbaston. Head coach Andrew McDonald admitted there was some surprise at how aggressive England’s batters were against Boland who conceded 147 from 26 overs across the two
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has suggested that Ollie Robinson needs to back his words up with skill after the England seamer referenced Ponting’s sledging as a player to justify his send-off to Usman Khawaja during the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. On the third morning of the Test, Robinson removed Khawaja for 141, knocking
Labuschagne wasn’t the only Australian who dropped places. Travis Head slipped from third to fourth despite a fifty in the first innings, while Steven Smith slid from second to sixth after ordinary scores in both the innings of the opening Test. Kane Williamson, who hasn’t played a Test since March 2023 and is out with
Australia’s hero Usman Khawaja proclaimed the Edgbaston victory as the favourite match of his life after he compiled two epic knocks of 141 and 65 to help the visitors claim a miraculous two-wicket win and claim a 1-0 series lead. Khawaja echoed his captain Pat Cummins who also said it was his new No.1 favourite
Ben Stokes defended his decision to declare England’s first innings at 393 for 8 after their two-wicket defeat to Australia in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Joe Root was unbeaten on 118 and, along with Ollie Robinson, had just taken 20 runs off a single Nathan Lyon over when Stokes called his batters in
In a pulsating finale in front of another rapt crowd, England appeared to have seized control of the contest when Stokes himself, armed with a 72-over-old ball, bowled Australia’s Player-of-the-Match Usman Khawaja for 65, to open the way to the tail with 72 runs still needed. And it was 54 to win when Cummins was
The devil on Joe Root’s shoulder just before 11am. The demon terrorising Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith just before 7pm. A day in the life of Stuart Broad is rich and varied. On Monday, Broad added a new entry to his roller-dex of Ashes moments. A vital top-order dual hit on Labuschagne and Smith in
The devil on Joe Root’s shoulder just before 11am. The demon terrorising Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith just before 7pm. A day in the life of Stuart Broad is rich and varied. On Monday, Broad added a new entry to his roller-dex of Ashes moments. A vital top-order dual hit on Labuschagne and Smith in
Australia’s lower order was an immediate target for England with Ollie Robinson terming them as having “three No. 11s” after they successfully ran through the tail on the third day at Edgbaston. Though Pat Cummins, batting at No. 8, contributed 38 – his highest score as captain and best since he made 63 against India
England 393 for 8 declared and 26 for 2 lead Australia 386 (Khawaja 141, Carey 66, Robinson 3-55, Broad 3-68) by 35 runs Australia took two wickets for two runs in a compelling 22-ball micro-session between rain breaks to edge ahead in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, as England lost both openers within four
Cameron Green is building himself an impressive list of outstanding gully catches, even if he did shell a relatively simple one at The Oval last game before more than making up for it. Here’s a selection of his finest so far from ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball commentary. You would imagine there are many more to come Now
Some centuries mean a bit more than others. But a few of Usman Khawaja‘s since his triumphant return to the Test side have had added significance. Firstly, there was the comeback itself at Sydney in the last Ashes, an opportunity he thought may never come around. Then, having long carried a tag of being unable
Australia 311 for 5 (Khawaja 126*, Carey 52*, Head 50) trail England 393 for 8 declared by 82 runs Usman Khawaja walked up the dressing-room stairs unbeaten for the second straight evening at Edgbaston, 122 runs better off than he had been the night before. England hoped four overs would be enough to dislodge Khawaja
Edgbaston, 1st innings3.5 NOW THAT’S OUT!! Full and fast, pinned in front of middle and leg! Warner is gone, no attempt even to review – Broad has burst through in the fourth over of the morning, and Edgbaston is all over this! “Cheerio, cheerio!” they crow, as Warner grits his teeth and heads for the