4 h. ago England require Ashes miracle but avoid further humiliation as Australia on verge of victory

England were left on 207 for 6, needing a 228-run miracle on day five in Adelaide, while Australia require four more wickets to seal a 3-0 lead

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4 h. ago Australia on cusp of Ashes triumph as Nathan Lyon dulls England’s glimmer of hope

Third Test, D4: Australia 371 & 349; England 286 & 207-6Spinner strikes late as tourists briefly threaten record run chaseThere was a time when England players threw around phrases like “the more the better”, such was their confidence in the chase. But tasked with knocking off a world record 435 runs to stop Australia winning this Ashes series at the earliest opportunity, one suspects similar words were not uttered on Saturday.Instead, having picked up six cheap wickets first thing to set up this unlikely five-session challenge, it was first about seeing where they could get to by stumps. The upshot was 206 for six from 63 overs which, while progress of sorts on this malfunctioning tour, means Australia will go into the final day of this third Test within touching distance of an unassailable 3-0 lead. Continue reading...

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4 h. ago Australia on verge of Ashes triumph as Lyon dulls England’s glimmer of hope

Third Test, D4: Australia 371 & 349; England 286 & 207-6Lyon strikes after tourists briefly threaten record chaseThere was a time when England players threw around phrases like “the more the better”, such was their confidence in the chase. But tasked with knocking off a world-record 435 runs to stop Australia winning this Ashes series at the earliest opportunity, one suspects similar words were not uttered on Saturday.Instead, having picked up six cheap wickets first thing to set up this unlikely five-session challenge, it was first about seeing where they could get to by stumps. The upshot was 206 for six from 63 overs which, while progress of sorts on this malfunctioning tour, means Australia will go into the final day of this third Test within touching distance of an unassailable 3-0 lead. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Ashes LIVE: Aussie hero scores a VERY emotional century to save his side

Get all the latest scores, reaction and updates as Australia sit on the verge of retaining the urn against a desperate England side.

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3 d. ago Ashes LIVE: Usman Khawaja falls just short of his century as England get the upper hand again

Get all the latest scores, reaction and updates as Australia sit on the verge of retaining the urn against a desperate England side.

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3 d. ago Ashes LIVE: Disaster for Australia as two stars get out within two balls of each other straight after lunch

Get all the latest scores, reaction and updates as Australia sit on the verge of retaining the urn against a desperate England side.

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3 d. ago Ashes LIVE: Awful mistake by England lets the Aussies back into the match after their shocking start

Get all the latest scores, reaction and updates as Australia sit on the verge of retaining the urn against a desperate England side.

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3 d. ago Ashes LIVE: Australia lose two wickets in awful start after Steve Smith was ruled out just before play began

Get all the latest scores, reaction and updates as Australia sit on the verge of retaining the urn against a desperate England side.

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3 d. ago Ashes LIVE: Aussie star Steve Smith is ruled OUT of Adelaide Test in stunning last

Get all the latest scores, reaction and updates as Australia sit on the verge of retaining the urn against a desperate England side.

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2 w. ago Sun setting on England’s Ashes dream as Australia close on second Test triumph

Second Test, D3: England 334 & 134-6; Australia 511Tourists collapse under lights, still trailing by 43Saturday night at the Gabba witnessed a collapse to rank among England’s most demoralising on Australian soil. In fact the entire third day could be filed under that category: three sessions of one-way traffic on Vulture Street that mean the Ashes urn is unlikely to change hands.Even the word “unlikely” is a simple nod to the fact that in nearly 150 years of Test cricket a 2-0 deficit has been overcome once before; that it remains mathematically possible. But the way the first five days of this series have played out — the way Mitchell Starc has taken residence in English minds and painted the walls fuchsia pink — this is the stuff of fantasy. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago ‘Shellshocked’ Stokes urges England to move on from mauling in first Ashes Test

Head’s century gives Australia eight-wicket victoryStokes: ‘Let emotions in but get rid of them quickly’Ben Stokes has warned his England players not to wallow in the pain of losing to Australia inside two days. A hotly anticipated Ashes series got off to a catastrophic start in Perth and he said they must “feel it and get rid of it” if they are to have a chance of levelling the scores in Brisbane.The England captain said the tourists were “very confident in our ability to keep Australia to under 200 and win the game”, having set the home side a target of 205. Instead, they were marmalised by Travis Head, bumped up to open in place of the injured Usman Khawaja, who scored 123 off 83 balls to power his side to the verge of victory. It was a contribution the Australia captain, Steve Smith, described as “one of the great Ashes knocks”. Continue reading...

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