16 h. ago Head ready to open again in second Ashes Test and says flexible batters will be key

Australian opener ‘preparing for anything’ in BrisbaneAgrees with Pat Cummins that batting order ‘overrated’Having swushbuckled Australia to victory after vaulting to the top of the order in the first Ashes Test, Travis Head arrived in Brisbane on Sunday to begin his preparations for the second, saying that the future of Test cricket lies in the hands of batters who can flex into a variety of positions. Head described pliable positions as “where the game’s going to”, proposing that Australia could already “use these players in a range of different ways to win games of cricket”.Last month Pat Cummins, Australia’s currently-injured captain, described the concept of batting orders as “pretty overrated”, insisting quality players “can bat wherever” – an opinion Head echoed. Continue reading...

Science

36 h. ago ‘I could have been a better captain’: Stokes admits errors as England seek Ashes reset

Contrite leader owns up to mistakes in Perth but hopes to address shortcomings against Australia in the day-nighter The sheer number of Australian voices triumphantly telling England to show some humility this past week has been slightly ironic. The first Test finished as an eight-wicket thumping, done inside 48 hours and worthy of criticism, but it was not without a genuine wobble from the hosts en route.Either way, Ben Stokes looked to do so when his players resumed training at Allan Border Field on Saturday morning before next week’s day-night second Test at the Gabba. Gone was the “shell-shocked” captain seen during the immediate aftermath of going 1-0 down and in his place, having reflected during the past few days, a far more conciliatory figure. Continue reading...

Politics

36 h. ago Ben Stokes hits back at 'arrogant' accusation and defends England preparations for Ashes series

Ben Stokes spoke to the media ahead of England's second Ashes Test against Australia at the Gabba next week

Events

37 h. ago What England's Ashes flops are doing ahead of crucial second Test in Brisbane

The England cricket team's preparations are under the spotlight after Ben Stokes's side capitulated to a two-day defeat in the first Test in Perth

Politics

39 h. ago Ben Stokes responds to Mitchell Johnson’s ‘arrogant’ barb at England before second Ashes Test

England’s preparation has been scrutinised after a humbling defeat in the first Test

Politics

41 h. ago If we are witnessing the death spiral of the cult of Bazball, let’s savour what it created | Barney Ronay

There have been many good points – challenging orthodoxies and Ben Stokes talking openly about male emotions – and even when it was bad, it was unignorableThe Life Cycle of a Cult1. The Big Idea. A charismatic leader or leaders propose a new and transcendent idea that promises a panacea for alienated and vulnerable people.So here we are then. They’re getting ready to storm the compound down in Brisbane. The gunships are circling. Smoke is rising from the out-houses. A lone figure, naked, shivering, the words HIGH RELEASE POINT smeared across his chest in chicken blood, has come staggering through the lines and is being led away under a blanket towards an inconclusive loan stint at Derbyshire. Continue reading...

Events

42 h. ago Ben Stokes says England are desperate to avenge ‘rubbish’ first Test performance

Stokes insists the players feel the same pain as the travelling fans after a two-day defeat in Perth.

Politics

47 h. ago England desperate to avenge ‘rubbish’ first Test performance, says Ben Stokes

Stokes insists the players feel the same pain as England’s fans after a two-day defeat in Perth.

Politics

60 h. ago Are England actually honest with themselves? If they are, they’ll know they have to change | Mark Ramprakash

Ben Stokes’s batters must realise the aggressive option doesn’t always mean attacking Australia’s bowlers, and if they don’t, it could be all over in BrisbaneIt’s not over yet. There is still hope. Before the Ashes started I had plenty of it, because of England’s fantastic array of fast bowlers and because I felt they had improved on their crash‑bang‑wallop, one-size‑fits‑all approach to batting. Then the series got under way, and while the bowlers did their bit, the batters failed badly. After the two-day humiliation in Perth they are inevitably under the microscope – but while everyone is questioning England’s approach, how much are they challenging themselves?I based my optimism on some of what I had seen over the summer. In the first innings against India at Lord’s Joe Root and Ollie Pope put on 109 runs at almost exactly three an over, staying calm and building a foundation that eventually won their side the match. I watched that and admired the way they had refined their attit...

Politics

4 d. ago Australian teenagers sue government saying social media ban violates their right to communicate

High Court challenge says law imposing ban is ‘grossly excessive’ and infringes on ‘constitutional right of freedom of political communication’

Politics

4 d. ago Australia will enforce a social media ban for children under 16 despite a court challenge

The Australian government says children under 16 will be banned from social media next month as scheduled despite a legal challenge

Events

4 d. ago Ian Botham warns Ben Stokes and Joe Root they must win Ashes in Australia to cement their legacies

Joe Root and Ben Stokes have not won a Test in Australia, and Ian Botham has claimed this will affect their legacies

Events

4 d. ago Lord Ian Botham – Legacy on the line for Ben Stokes and Joe Root in Australia

Neither has tasted victory Down Under, with Root winless in 15 matches and his skipper having nothing to show from 10 attempts.

Politics

5 d. ago Michael Vaughan says it is ‘judgement time’ for England’s decision

Ben Stokes’ side suffered a first two-day loss against Australia in 104 years in the first Test.

Events

6 d. ago Ben Stokes' claim to be the greatest will stand or fall in Ashes for England vs Australia

Ben Stokes has never won a Test match in Australia - let alone an Ashes series - and the 'Superman' of cricket now faces the biggest challenge of his career

Politics

7 d. ago Dire not fire: England’s Ashes confidence seems misplaced after two days | Geoff Lemon

Ben Stokes’s side had been more bullish than past teams to tour Australia, but history implies another belting is comingAs an Australian, even one lacking in cricket parochialism, it’s flat to sit around the Perth CBD city centre on what should have been the third day of the opening Ashes Test but isn’t. In the same way that this city of heatwaves is now being combed by chilly winds and rain, the whole thing just feels wrong. Through years of buildup, the current England team has raised the possibility of being different to those that came before. For anyone who believed it, even a little, it seems as if we all got hoodwinked.In my cricket watching lifetime, English visits have been a procession of the abject. This is not to claim any personal influence, merely to give a temporal window. But the length to which this lifetime has now grown does take the observation beyond the trivial. In 1986-87, when Mike Gatting’s team won the series by the fourth Test, I was too much of an infant ...

Events

7 d. ago Michael Vaughan warns Ben Stokes that England 'should be worried about supporters turning on them' during the Ashes if they keep doing one simple thing

Michael Vaughan has issued a warning to Ben Stokes' side, claiming England fans 'could turn on the tourists if they keep making the same mistakes'.

Events

8 d. ago Ben Stokes: Travis Head domination 'knocked wind' out of England in humbling Ashes defeat

Three Lions were thrashed in first Ashes test in Perth

Politics

8 d. 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...

Events

8 d. ago Michael Vaughan: England can’t afford to waste practice match for second Test

Ben Stokes’ side were humbled in the opening Ashes Test in Perth after a second-innings collapse.

Politics