BRISBANE: England captain Joe Root welcomed reports Monday that Darren Gough is set to become director of cricket at Yorkshire and said he would work with him to help the troubled club. British media said ex-England star Gough was on the verge of leaving behind a successful broadcasting career to spearhead Yorkshire’s recovery from a damaging racism … Read more
BRISBANE: After a build-up overshadowed by controversies and Covid, Australia and England’s hotly-anticipated five-Test Ashes showdown gets underway Wednesday in Brisbane with Joe Root’s men confident of defying recent history to cause an upset. Few series between the old rivals have witnessed such troubled preparations, with the tour threatened early on over Australia’s tough Covid-19 … Read more
BRISBANE: Australia confirmed their line-up for the first Ashes Test three days early on Sunday, recalling Travis Head for the hotly contested number five spot while retaining Mitchell Starc in the bowling attack. Head was dropped after the Boxing Day Test against India last year, and new Australia captain Pat Cummins said the way he … Read more
LONDON: Ben Stokes is poised to make his eagerly awaited return to international cricket in the Ashes — and for England, it is not a moment too soon. The charismatic all-rounder has not played a competitive match since July when he took an indefinite break to focus on his mental health and to rest an … Read more
BRISBANE: Spinner Nathan Lyon believes his team can sweep the Ashes series, saying England will have doubts about their own chances given their poor record in Australia. The tourists have lost nine of their last 10 Tests in Australia going back more than a decade and haven’t won in Brisbane — where the opening Test … Read more
David Warner might be a polarising figure but the aggressive opening batsman is rarely boring and his heroics for Australia at the Twenty20 World Cup signalled he is back to his explosive best. Now 35, the larger-than-life Warner boasts an average just shy of 50 from his 86 Tests, with his swashbuckling presence able to … Read more
England paceman Chris Woakes called Thursday for the racism and sexting scandals that have overshadowed preparations for the opening Test against Australia not to be used for sledging during the series. Australia skipper Tim Paine quit over a text-message scandal while English cricket has been engulfed in claims of institutional racism. But Woakes said he was confident … Read more
BT Sport has said it will not use former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan in its upcoming coverage of the Ashes series following allegations of racism made by Azeem Rafiq. English cricket has been rocked by racism revelations from Pakistan-born Rafiq. He recently gave harrowing testimony to lawmakers in which he said his career had been ended by the … Read more
Alex Carey looks poised to replace Tim Paine as Australia’s wicketkeeper for the Ashes against England and make his Test debut, as more bad weather Wednesday wrecked preparations for both teams. Paine quit as Test captain and then last week stepped away from cricket over a text-message scandal, leaving selectors seeking an alternative ahead of the December … Read more
England spinner Jack Leach admitted Wednesday that Australian counterpart Nathan Lyon was “impressive” and he had been studying how he deals with local conditions ahead of the first Ashes Test next week. Leach also spotlighted Ravindra Jadeja as an inspiration after the Indian’s exploits during a Test series in Australia last summer. “For years I’ve … Read more
Joe Root is confident that England can do “something special” in the Ashes, despite rain again ruining their preparations Tuesday, and said they won’t be distracted by upheaval in the Australian camp. The tourists’ build-up to the five-Test series, which starts next week at Brisbane’s Gabba ground, has been wrecked by bad weather. A three-day … Read more
SYDNEY: Australia’s Tim Paine will quit all forms of cricket for the “foreseeable future”, Cricket Tasmania said Friday, after a sexting scandal led him to resign as Test captain. His decision put an abrupt end to the debate in Australia over whether he should take part in the Ashes, with the first Test against England opening in Brisbane on … Read more
SYDNEY: Pat Cummins is widely regarded as an all-round nice guy with an excellent cricketing brain, doggedly overcoming early-career injuries to reach the pinnacle of the game. A decade after making his international debut, he is not only the world’s premier bowler but Australia’s 47th Test skipper, elevated to one of the nation’s highest-profile roles … Read more
SYDNEY: Australia named paceman Pat Cummins as their Test cricket captain and Steve Smith as vice-captain Friday after a sexting scandal led Tim Paine to resign last week, just ahead of the Ashes. “Pat is an outstanding player and leader — he has earned enormous respect from his teammates and from all corners of the game for … Read more
BRISBANE: Australia’s bowlers want Tim Paine behind the stumps for the first Ashes Test against England because he is “the best keeper in the world”, spin king Nathan Lyon said Thursday. Paine quit as Test captain in disgrace last week over a historical text message scandal but is keen to keep playing. Read more: Tim … Read more
Michael Vaughan has been left out of the BBC commentary team for the upcoming Ashes series in Australia to avoid a “conflict of interest” amid an ongoing racism row. English cricket has been rocked by revelations of racism from Pakistan-born former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq. These have included an allegation that former England captain Vaughan told the … Read more
Stuart Broad is looking forward to gaining some inside knowledge on Australia after England appointed Troy Cooley as a consultant pace bowling coach ahead of the upcoming Ashes series. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced Wednesday that Cooley, a 55-year-old Australian, will aid the tourists’ quicks in Brisbane under the direction of elite pace bowling … Read more
SYDNEY: Cricket Tasmania launched a scathing attack on the sport’s Australian governing body Tuesday over its “appalling” treatment of former Test skipper Tim Paine, saying anger in the community was “palpable”. Paine, who was born and bred in Tasmania, tearfully quit as captain on Friday ahead of the Ashes against England over a series of … Read more
SYDNEY: Chief selector George Bailey said Tuesday he will step aside from voting on whether Tim Paine should remain in the Australian Test cricket side if there is a split decision, given their personal and business relationship. Paine abruptly quit as skipper on Friday ahead of the Ashes series against England over a series of lewd text … Read more
SYDNEY: Tim Paine abruptly quit as Australian Test cricket captain Friday over an explicit “private text exchange” with a female colleague — a bombshell announcement just weeks before the Ashes series begins against arch-rivals England. “Today, I’m announcing my decision to stand down as the captain of the Australian men’s Test team,” said an emotional Paine, failing … Read more
MELBOURNE: Australia’s Boxing Day Test against arch-rivals England and next year’s Australian Open tennis will be played before a full house, Melbourne authorities said Thursday as they removed more pandemic restrictions. Victoria Premier Dan Andrews said that the state was about to hit 90 per cent vaccination, allowing long-standing restrictions to be swept aside, including … Read more
SYDNEY: Veteran Usman Khawaja and middle-order batsman Travis Head were included in Australia’s squad for the opening two Ashes Tests against England Wednesday, but Matthew Wade was axed. Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson also made the 15-man line-up as back-up for the fast-bowling attack of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood after the shock retirement of … Read more
GOLD COAST: Confidence is high in the England camp that they can regain the Ashes, with opening batsman Rory Burns saying Sunday the return of the talismanic Ben Stokes has provided a “massive boost” for the squad. England have not enjoyed much Test success in recent months, losing home series to New Zealand and India, … Read more
SYDNEY: Australia on Friday postponed its first-ever cricket Test against Afghanistan, after the country’s ruling Taliban regime effectively banned women from playing the sport. Australia’s cricketing authorities said that after consultation with “relevant stakeholders” they decided the men’s Test, to be played in Hobart this month, would not go ahead as planned. After the Taliban ousted Afghanistan’s elected … Read more
Scotland announced its final 15-man ICC T20 World Cup squad 2021 with Kyle Coetzer all set to lead the team along with former England batsman Jonathan Trott appointed as the team’s batting consultant. Trott has vast experience in a number of World Cups and the Ashes against Australia. This will help Scotland prepare for pressure … Read more
LONDON: England’s Ashes tour of Australia is set to go ahead after the England and Wales Cricket Board gave “conditional approval” to the trip on Friday. There were fears the Ashes would be cancelled after months of concern over tough Covid-19 quarantine guidelines which England’s players and their families will have to follow in Australia. … Read more
England captain Joe Root says he is “desperate” to play in the Ashes but cannot yet commit to tour Australia due to uncertainty over coronavirus protocols. Players and team management have yet to learn the exact conditions under which the five-Test series will take place, with those who have young families particularly concerned about the … Read more
England cricketers heading to Australia for the Ashes this year will get “no special deals” allowing their families to join them, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared. The five-Test series is due to start in Brisbane on December 8, but whether England bring a full-strength squad remains to be seen. Some players, particularly those with young … Read more
