25 h. ago Arrogant England’s cricket machine collapses like a castle of dust in 11 days | Barney Ronay

So this is Christmas. And what have we done? The Ashes is over. With two Tests still to comeWhen the moment finally came the visuals were perfect: clean lines, neat angles, figures picked out in crisp afternoon sun against the almost satirical splendour of Adelaide Oval.Scott Boland took the final wicket to seal Australia’s unassailable 3-0 Ashes series lead, the 74th time this moment has been played out down the centuries, and immediately the white shapes converged to form a bobbing huddle. England’s batters stood in an attitude of formal deflation. The umpires began their priestly last-things walk, framed against that huge, empty, lime-green field. Continue reading...

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28 h. ago England left crushed as Australia win the Ashes with Bazball project up in flames

England's Bazball philosophy was once again torn apart by Australia as they beat Ben Stokes & Co on the fifth day of the third Test by 82 runs to go 3-0 up in the series and retain the Ashes

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30 h. ago Australia WIN the Ashes after just 11 days of cricket as England's fightback is too little, too late

England staged a brave fightback that gave them a glimpse of what would have been a record victory - but it was too little, too late to keep the fight for the urn alive.

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31 h. ago Pat Cummins is in rare air as an Ashes captain. Can his Dad's Army go around again? | Geoff Lemon

He’s achieved an Ashes feat that few others have. But he’s still missing an outright win in EnglandStarc breaks England hearts again as Australia retain the AshesWhile it took longer than expected on the fifth day in Adelaide, eventually it was done. A series won, the Ashes retained for another year and a half until they next go up for grabs in England. For Pat Cummins, this makes three consecutive Ashes series captained without giving up the urn. The feat leaves him in sparse but fine company: the others to do it are Joe Darling, Don Bradman, Richie Benaud, Mike Brearley, Allan Border and Mark Taylor.It made things neater that Steve Smith missed this third Test, having captained the first two wins in Cummins’ absence, so that it didn’t feel like the full-time captain was swooping in to hoover up the stand-in’s lunch. Those situations can be odd, like Adam Gilchrist filling in to lead what was very much Ricky Ponting’s team, captaining two wins in India in 2004 before Ponting return...

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32 h. ago Starc breaks England hearts again as Australia retain the Ashes in tense third Test

Third Test, D5: Australia, 371 & 349?, bt England, 286 & 352 by 82 runsEngland show grit in Adelaide but fall short as hosts wins series 3-0The England supporters on the hill in front of the heritage-listed scoreboard never gave up and, to their credit, neither did their team. But in the end, despite losing Nathan Lyon to a hamstring injury, it was Australia who prevailed by 82 runs to win this Ashes series with two Tests to spare.Needing just 11 days of play to claim an unassailable 3-0 lead, Pat Cummins and his men equalled Steve Waugh’s sides in 2001 and 2002/03 for the fastest Ashes wins. This one, sealed after England’s attempt to chase down a record 435 ended at 352 all out, comes with an extra dollop of relish. Continue reading...

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32 h. ago Dominant Australia defeat England in third Test to retain Ashes – live reaction

Australia win by 82 runs as England fall short of record run chase in Adelaide Ashes top 100 | Get the Spin newsletter | Email James66th over: England 214-6 (Smith 9, Jacks 11) Smith pushes a single off Lyon. It’s the only run off the over. Oohs and ahhs from the Aussie fielders, I wouldn’t say Marnus is quiet exactly.65th over: England 213-6 (Smith 8, Jacks 11) Smith drives Cameron Green for three more but it was uppish and not too far away from the bowler’s gargantuan wing span in his follow through. Jacks then nearly nicks off with a loosey goosey drive. Gah. To channel Ray Winstone in The Departed – I’m here to tell you there are ways to get out and ways to not get out, getting out caught and bowled to a loose drive is not a way to get out. Continue reading...

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51 h. ago England on the brink of Ashes series loss as Australia duo hand hosts major advantage

Australia set England a target of 435 to win the Third Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval

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53 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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53 h. ago Australia close on Ashes victory over England on day four of third Test – live reaction

Australia are four wickets away from retaining the urn after Nathan Lyon strikes late at Adelaide Oval68th over: Australia 276-4 (Head 142, Carey 57) Carse’s first ball is short and wide and thumped to the boundary by Carey. A diving stop by Smith saves any further blushes and that’s all Australia can milk from the over.67th over: Australia 272-4 (Head 142, Carey 53) Stokes has the ball. Hair swept back and regal. Running in to the strains of the Barmy Army’s Jerusalem. On the ball. Just one single from it. Continue reading...

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53 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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53 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 Travis Head piles on pain with hometown hundred as Australia tighten grip on Ashes

Third Test, day three: Australia 371 & 271-4; England 286England trail by 356 runs to leave series hopes hanging by a threadThere were flickers of hope for England on the third day in Adelaide but like some of the murmurs thrown up by Snicko during this pivotal third Ashes Test, they were never entirely convincing. Instead, courtesy of Travis Head’s hometown hundred, Australia manoeuvred their way into a position of outright dominance.At stumps the hosts had reached 271 for four and built a lead of 356 runs. As a 53,700-strong crowd filtered out, the majority did so beaming. They had watched Head only further his cult hero status: an unbeaten 142 from 196 balls that meant England would need a record chase on this ground to prevent going 3-0 down in the series. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Travis Head piles more misery on England as Australia edge closer to Ashes win

Head struck a match-winning hundred in the first Test and another vital ton put his side in sight of an unassailable 3-0 lead.

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3 d. ago Australia lead England by 356 runs: Ashes third Test, day three – live

Hosts heading towards series victory in Adelaide Ashes top 100 | Get The Spin newsletter | Email MartinEnough talk, Scott Boland is about to bowl the first over of day three. It’s much cooler in Adelaide, around 26 degrees.“Honestly, it’s not England’s batting – that’s pretty much on par with Australia’s,” writes Andy Roberts. “The glaring difference is the bowling. If Australian batters look better, it’s because they are getting a lot more bad balls to hit. England couldn’t score any faster yesterday because the bowling was consistently accurate and tested the batter’s technique and concentration over after over, with no weak links. Compare that to England, with Jacks and Carse sending down rubbish time and time again. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Ashes LIVE: Terrific Travis Head puts England to the sword with his second ton of the series in front of packed home ground in Adelaide

Ashes LIVE: Follow all of the action from day three of the third Test at Adelaide Oval with Daily Mail's live coverage with the urn on the line in South Australia

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3 d. ago Ashes LIVE: Forget Bazball, TRAVBALL is on display again as Travis Head and Usman Khawaja rip all hope away from England

Ashes LIVE: Follow all of the action from day three of the third Test at Adelaide Oval with Daily Mail's live coverage with the urn on the line in South Australia

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3 d. ago Ashes LIVE: Australia hoping to end the rearguard resistance from Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer as England's tour hangs by a thread

Ashes LIVE: Follow all of the action from day three of the third Test at Adelaide Oval with Daily Mail's live coverage with the urn on the line in South Australia

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3 d. ago England in talks to replace controversial Snicko with new technology for fourth Ashes Test

ECB and Cricket Australia could bring in UltraEdgeSnicko hit by more bad decisions on day two in AdelaideThe England and Wales Cricket Board has held talks with Cricket Australia about the possibility of replacing the decision review system (DRS) technology Snicko with an alternative UltraEdge for the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne after controversy on the opening two days of the Adelaide Test.In bilateral series, DRS technology is the responsibility of the home board, which in practice is passed on to the main domestic broadcast rights holder, in this case Fox Sports. However, the Guardian has learned that Cricket Australia’s free-to-air rights holder, Channel 7, has a DRS contract with Hawk-Eye Innovations, the company behind UltraEdge, so there is an alternative available should the hosts seek to make a change amid unhappiness from players on both sides. Continue reading...

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4 d. ago The day England's Ashes dream finally died: Confused tourists unravel in scorching heat and prod their way to 213

LAWRENCE BOOTH IN ADELAIDE: Forget Bazball: this was the day England's Ashes dream finally died. Many, of course, would argue that moment had come and gone.

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4 d. ago Australia turn up the heat on England: Ashes third Test, day two – live

Australia all out for 371; England fume over Snicko call Ashes top 100 | Follow on Bluesky | Email MartinThe consensus is that today and tomorrow will be the best days to bat. England need to go huge, because they won’t fancy chasing too many against Nathan Lyon on day five.“As the cliche has it, it’s a crucial first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh hour,” writes Gary Naylor. “Are Australia bringing 871 Test wickets into an already winning team or imbalancing their attack with a couple of rusty bowlers? Are England Bazball zealots or pragmatic pros? Did 2006 happen at all? Feels like the opening credits of an episode of Soap.” Continue reading...

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