34 h. ago Players must take responsibility to rediscover winning habit says Ayr United captain Ben Dempsey

The Somerset captain says Ayr are simply not taking their chances in games.

Sport

35 h. ago England’s Ashes has been a disaster but touring Australia with a disability has been ‘too easy’

Going to Australia as a freelance journalist with a form of muscular dystrophy was not without trepidation but an away Ashes was too good to pass up“Australia is not for weak men.” Had I heard Ben Stokes’s words in Brisbane earlier perhaps I wouldn’t have decided to cover the Ashes series as a freelancer. Had I known how England were going to play, I almost certainly wouldn’t.My attendance was not in any way predicated on how well England might do in the series – making decisions based on the potential success of the English cricket team can only lead to madness. But having been born with a form of muscular dystrophy, the physical requirements of an eight-week tour to Australia were more of a consideration. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago JIMMY ANDERSON: Why England stars need to go back to their counties and prove their worth after Ashes debacle

SIR JAMES ANDERSON: The first thing I would insist upon is players going back into county cricket to prove they are good enough to face New Zealand at Lord's in June.

Politics

3 d. ago See you later mate! England's stars fly home after disastrous Ashes series

A handful of England's stars have flown home after yet another disastrous Ashes series on Australian soil.

Events

3 d. ago England ruthlessly privatised cricket – Australia embraces it with constant public displays of affection | Emma John

If there is one takeaway for England from this Ashes tour it should be how cricket thrives in a nation where it is readily and freely available as the dominant summer pastimeThe drive to Bowral in New South Wales takes you through some of Australia’s most English countryside. Pastoral hills roll right up to the roadside and finish in grassy verges, flecked with yellow and white wildflowers. Alliums stand sentinel around vibrant lawns. Even the eucalypts are cosplaying as beech and oaks. You might be in Hampshire, if it weren’t for the dazzling sun.Just a few roads from the high street – storefronts full of fancy cookware and country casuals – is the Bradman Oval. This small ground, with its pre-loved outfield, has become a pilgrimage stop for the Australian cricketing faithful. Head out to the middle and you’re walking across the sacred turf where Sir Don honed his skills. Stand at the crease, look past the white picket fence, and you can see the family homes where he grew from boy ...

Politics

4 d. ago Alastair Cook outlines stance over becoming England’s next head coach

The former England captain has been linked with replacing Brendon McCullum as head coach

Society

4 d. ago Brendon McCullum to continue as England head coach ahead of T20 World Cup

Major decisions expected to be made following the tournament

Politics

4 d. ago Brendon McCullum holds talks on England future and ‘keen to carry on’

The head coach’s position is under scrutiny as the ECB reviews a dismal Ashes defeat.

Politics

4 d. ago Brendon McCullum keen to carry on with England but wants to ‘steer the ship’

Head coach defends methods and leadership after AshesTeam culture likely to be main focus of ECB reviewAt the end of a sorry Ashes loss capped off by news of Harry Brook’s involvement in a late-night incident two months earlier, Brendon McCullum set out his position as England head coach: if his wings are clipped and his ethos compromised then “maybe there is someone better” to do the role.The caveat is key here. McCullum is keen to continue and having held talks with Richard Thompson and Richard Gould, chair and chief executive respectively of the England and Wales Cricket Board, he appears set to – at least for the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka that begins in less than a fortnight. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Ben Stokes ready to deliver some hard truths in England's Ashes post

The England captain admits that the ‘Bazball’ approach has not been working

Politics

5 d. ago The two men who should really be in the firing line after latest Ashes debacle

Coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes are taking the flak after the debacle Down Under but the spotlight should also be on their complacent ECB bosses

Politics

5 d. ago England's boozing, brawling Ashes shambles was a humiliation of the ECB's own making

England's tour Down Under has proved brainless from the beginning and the tourists return from the Ashes humiliated after a 4-1 defeat to Australia

Politics

5 d. ago Kevin Pietersen calls for six England changes after miserable Ashes defeat

England slumped to a heavy 4-1 Ashes series defeat with the ECB set to ‘review’ a difficult tour

Politics

5 d. ago Taking a closer statistical look at where the Ashes urn was lost for England

Jacob Bethell’s brilliant 154 in Sydney lifted him to the top of England’s batting averages.

Politics

5 d. ago Former England players criticise Ben Stokes’ captaincy and Bazball ‘cult’ after Ashes thrashing by Australia

England arrived in Perth in November with big ambitions of a rare Ashes win on Australian soil but were outplayed for most of the five Test matches and leave empty handed

Sport

5 d. ago ECB launches investigation after ‘deeply disappointing’ Ashes defeat

England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould said a ‘thorough review’ was already underway

Events

5 d. ago England’s Ashes player ratings: Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope flop in 4

England toiled to another Ashes humiliation at the hands of Australia

Sport

5 d. ago Brendon McCullum insists he ‘won’t be told what to do’ after England’s heavy Ashes defeat

A five-wicket defeat in Sydney closed the book on a dreadful tour for England and head coach McCullum

Politics

5 d. ago England star Harry Brook hit by bouncer during drunken night out says he's 'deeply sorry'

England cricket star Harry Brook has apologised after being fined £30,000 by the ECB following a drunken night out on the eve of The Ashes

Events

5 d. ago England’s Ashes player ratings: Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue shine amid heavy defeat by Australia

England toiled to another Ashes humiliation at the hands of Australia

Sport