62 h. ago Ben Stokes says England have been ‘letting the pressure get to us’ in Ashes

Captain says his dressing room ‘isn’t a place for weak men’Coach McCullum says England ‘overprepared’ Ben Stokes has admitted that the way England have folded in key moments during the first two Ashes Tests has led him to question the character of his players, and insisted: “A dressing room that I am captain of isn’t a place for weak men.”After Australia won the second Test in Brisbane by the same eight-wicket margin with which they secured the first, Stokes suggested the telling difference was that the home side had been superior in the “moments in the game where the heat is on and the pressure is really, really cooking” whereas his players “have all been guilty at moments [of] letting the pressure, the occasion, the circumstances, get to us”. Continue reading...

Events

66 h. ago Ashes second Test, day four: England all out for 241 as Australia close on victory – live

OBM updates with hosts needing 65 from second innings Day three report: sun setting on England’s Ashes dream Ashes top 100 | Get the Spin newsletter | Email James“As I reach the end of another working week, I am once again reminded of the cruelty of cricketing disappointment. It’s hard enough being an Englishman living in Brisbane at the moment, but no cricket on my weekend seems excessively cruelty...”There’s cricket on today, Phil Withington. It might not last very long, that’s all. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago The Ashes LIVE: England stare down the barrel of humiliating defeat after disastrous day at The Gabba

Get all the latest scores and updates as Ben Stokes's England team try to bounce back after a mistake-riddled day two in Brisbane.

Events

3 d. ago England Ashes player ratings as needless wickets fall in crucial Test

England player ratings from day three of the second Ashes Test match at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Sport

3 d. 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...

Politics

3 d. ago The Ashes LIVE: Ben Duckett falls for England, with tourists facing mountain to climb on nightmare day at The Gabba

Get all the latest scores and updates as Ben Stokes's England team try to bounce back after a mistake-riddled day two in Brisbane.

Society

3 d. ago Australia frustrate England on day three amid Ben Stokes Ashes concern and Jofra Archer worry

England have it all to do to save their Ashes series after the first session on day three at the Gabba with Australia's tail end still at the crease

Politics

4 d. ago Ashes 2025 live score: England search for early Australia wickets on day three after painful dropped catches

Ben Stokes’s side trail Australia by 44 runs after two days at The Gabba, with Alex Carey and Michael Neser at the crease

Politics

4 d. ago England feel sting of familiar Ashes pain on day of missed chances in Brisbane

Ben Stokes’ side dropped five catches as Australia blazed into a lead of 44 with four wickets remaining

Politics

4 d. ago ‘We’re all human’: Joe Root defends England over costly dropped catches on day two

Drops not down to poor preparation, says Root‘Not great visuals’ at Gabba, says Australia’s WeatheraldJoe Root has insisted that human error rather than poor preparation lay behind a string of dropped catches during a day of toil in the field for ­England. Travis Head, Alex Carey – twice – Josh Inglis and Michael Neser all got lifelines as Australia ended day two of the second Test on 378 for six, a lead of 44.“We worked as hard as we could in the lead-up to this, we had five days of prep and we did a huge amount of catching,” Root said. “We made sure we utilised those two [training] sessions under lights well. You can’t replicate that surface, the bounce, the way the nicks come. It’s never going to be exactly the same, it’s never going to be perfect. All you can do is give yourself the best possible chance and I think we’ve done that. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Ashes: Australia take control of second Test despite Will Jacks' brilliance

All-rounder took one of the great catches to dismiss Steve Smith, but five others went down as the tourists’ fluffed their chances in the field

Politics

4 d. ago England rue five dropped catches as Australia build lead in second Ashes Test

Second Test, day two: England 334; Australia 378-6Late wickets offer tourists hope amid string of spillsThe ball may be pink and the meal breaks off-kilter, but for so much of the second day in this pivotal day-night Test match, the atmosphere inside the Gabba was an all-too-familiar one for England’s supporters.Gone was the triumphalism that met Joe Root’s first Test century on these shores 24 hours earlier and in its place the sight of Australia taking control. England’s attack had been in the madhouse, sending down a feast of wide long hops and half-volleys to make Jackson Pollock look positively precise. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Ashes: Australia's batters make England pay for bowling spell that was 'absolute disaster'

Hosts turn the screw in response to England’s 334 on day two of second Test at the Gabba

Events

4 d. ago The Ashes LIVE: Australia hunt down England's first innings total of 334 at a rapid rate as Marnus Labuschagne and Jake Weatherald punish lacklustre tourists in Brisbane

Get all the latest scores and updates as Ben Stokes's England team try to avenge their loss in Perth and avoid a disastrous start to the series.

Society

4 d. ago The Ashes LIVE: Jofra Archer gets major breakthrough for England, as Australia get some awful news about one of their best players

Get all the latest scores and updates as Ben Stokes's England team try to avenge their loss in Perth and avoid a disastrous start to the series.

Sport

4 d. ago Ashes: Jofra Archer makes England breakthrough after rapid Australia response

Australia move quickly in response to England’s 334 on day two of second Test at the Gabba

Politics

4 d. ago The Ashes LIVE: England strike back to remove Travis Head after horrible dropped catch

Get all the latest scores and updates as Ben Stokes's England team try to avenge their loss in Perth and avoid a disastrous start to the series.

Events

4 d. ago Ashes 2025 live score: England all out for 334 on day two as Australia set to bat

Root’s first hundred in Australia helped England to 325-9 and he’ll try to add to that lead today

Politics

5 d. ago No ‘fire drill’ at TNT after painful loss of Champions League and England rugby | Matt Hughes

Broadcaster ‘absolutely gutted’ to be gazumped by Paramount but walked away from international rugby as it seeks to balance the booksIt has been a tough couple of weeks for TNT Sports, with the loss of three days of Ashes cricket due to England’s two-day defeat in Perth following on from some bruising rights negotiations.On the eve of the first Test, the Guardian revealed TNT had lost UK rights to the Champions League to Paramount+, with Sky Sports picking up the decent consolation prize of Europa League rights, while this week it emerged that TNT has also lost the rights to international rugby union with ITV having paid £80m for the inaugural Nations Championship. Continue reading...

Sport

5 d. ago Everything to know from The Ashes second Test day one as Joe Root keeps England afloat

England and Australia went head-to-head on the Second test of the Ashes at The Gabba in Brisbane

Politics