5 h. ago Ben Stokes calls on England to show some ‘dog’ in Adelaide and keep Ashes hopes alive

Captain cites summer Lord’s win over India as good exampleEngland must win in Adelaide to have chance of regaining the AshesBen Stokes has called on his England players to summon up the rage witnessed against India in the summer and show some “dog” as they look to keep their slim Ashes hopes alive in Adelaide.After going 2-0 down in Brisbane, Stokes spoke of Australia being “no country for weak men” and stressed the same went for the England dressing room under his captaincy. Looking ahead to the third Test that gets under way on Wednesday, that comment was seemingly no slip of the tongue. Continue reading...

Politics

10 h. ago Ben Stokes springs Ashes surprise as Shoaib Bashir decision made for vital third Test

England have once again omitted spinner Shoaib Bashir from their line-up for the third Ashes Test vs Australia, although one change has been made to the bowling department.

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32 h. ago Brendon McCullum: England have dealt with Australian hostility well on Ashes tour

The team has had to contend with derogatory headlines, photographers trailing players on days off and even drones monitoring a round of golf.

Economics

36 h. ago Brendon McCullum backs England batters and shrugs off job questions

At 2-0 down, England are desperate for a win in AdelaideCoach says ‘kneejerk reactions’ are ‘not really our way’The series is on the line and, in all likelihood, jobs with it. But for Brendon McCullum, the latter is irrelevant. The England head coach has instead backed an unchanged top seven to deliver a fightback in the third Ashes Test and flip a narrative that has already featured talk of a whitewash bubble up.At 2-0 down with three to play, all wriggle room has disappeared for England. But talk of Ollie Pope potentially being dropped, or even Ben Stokes moving to No 3, was shot down by McCullum as his players resumed training on Sunday afternoon. No going back now was the message. Continue reading...

Politics

57 h. ago Shoaib Bashir under the microscope as England look to save Ashes series

England are already in must-win territory after just six days on the field.

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3 d. ago Even Bazball’s implosion can’t shake Barmy Army’s crew of Ashes veterans | Emma John

If anyone knows how to weather a whitewash, it’s the merry band of England fans marking their 30th anniversary at their spiritual homeCourage, soldier. Ben Stokes’s England team may be heading into the third Ashes Test already 2-0 down, but not everyone in English cricket is fazed. There is one group tailor-made for this scenario, a crack(pot) unit who can lay claim to be the ultimate doomsday preppers. Have your dreams been shattered? Are you crushed beneath the weight of unmet expectation? Then it’s time to join the Barmy Army, son.Already their advance guard are moving in on Adelaide, the city where they officially formed 30 years ago. England’s most famous – and per capita noisiest – travelling fans will be hoping for an anniversary win-against-the-odds, like the one they witnessed on that 1994-95 tour. And whatever happens on the pitch, off it the parties will be long and loud. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago England cricket great reveals why he fears for Ben Stokes' health during the Ashes

Former England starl Steve Harmison has grave fears for the welfare of Ben Stokes after the battering the team has copped in the opening two Ashes tests in Australia

Politics

5 d. ago England cricket stars sink beers under Aussie sun after Ashes humiliation

Ben Stokes and his England team-mates were snapped enjoying beers and sunbathing before they attempt to salvage the Ashes in the third Test

Politics

5 d. ago Ben Stokes and England sledged on the beach during Ashes break: ‘Bazballers anonymous, free counselling’

The England captain posed for a photo with two local radio hosts dressed in full cricket whites

Politics

5 d. ago Ben Stokes and England brutally trolled by pranksters at the beach

A pair of local Aussie radio presenters have trolled Ben Stokes and England during the Bazballers' sunny Noosa getaway, following their dismal start to the 2025 Ashes series.

Politics

5 d. ago ‘Having a Bazball at Noosa’: Australian media goes to town over England’s mid

The host nation’s newspapers could barely contain their delight after Ben Stokes and his team were spotted relaxing before the crucial third TestA mid-tour jaunt by the England cricket team to a Queensland beach town was covered gleefully by Australia’s tabloid newspapers, which splashed a shirtless Ben Stokes across their pages amid taunting headlines.“On back foot, England bails to the beach”, one read. “Life’s a beach, even for the sinking Poms,” added another. “Sun’s out, runs out”, offered a third, alongside a photo of Stokes’s tattooed biceps. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Ben Stokes leaps to Jofra Archer’s defence after heated Ashes exchange with Steve Smith

Archer and Smith shared a few fierce words with Australia nearing victory in Brisbane

Politics

7 d. ago How English fans and cricket legends have turned on their own team after Ashes disaster at the Gabba

Skipper Ben Stokes and his team crashed to their second humiliating defeat in a row as Australia won by eight wickets on Sunday night.

Events

7 d. ago England icons let rip at Ben Stokes and Bazball after latest Ashes humbling

England suffered another humiliating defeat to Australia on Sunday and are now 2-0 down in the Ashes, leaving Ben Stokes' side with a mountain to climb ahead of the third Test in Adelaide

Politics

8 d. ago England just don’t get it and reaction to another Ashes thrashing leaves a bitter taste

Comment: England slumped to another heavy defeat to go 2-0 down in the Ashes and move to the brink of a series defeat, but the words of coach Brendon McCullum failed to strike the right tone

Politics

8 d. 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

8 d. ago Ben Stokes questions England mentality: ‘My dressing room isn't for weak men’

Stokes questions England’s ability to handle pressure moments

Politics

8 d. ago Ben Stokes: There is no room for weak men in Australia or my dressing room

Stokes’ side are 2-0 down with three to play after another deeply flawed performance in Brisbane.

Politics

8 d. ago Brendon McCullum claims England ‘trained too much’ ahead of second Ashes defeat

England fell 2-0 behind after another heavy defeat to Australia at The Gabba

Politics

8 d. ago He’ll always have Brisbane: Michael Neser revels in sweet day of Ashes glory | Geoff Lemon

Stand-in bowler makes the most of rare chance on what could yet prove to be his final moments in Test cricket• Australia beat England by eight wickets at the GabbaIn the end, the only tension was whether Brisbane’s rain would descend before Australia could knock off the last 32 runs in the final session, and so whether going 2-0 up in the Ashes would be delayed until the fifth day. It turned out that England’s resistance through the light of the afternoon had only dished up some evening entertainment for home fans, with Travis Head able to put on a brief show in dispatching the pink ball over the fence before he headed back the same way.And still. Through the longest partnership of the series so far, 221 balls on the hottest day of the second Test, Ben Stokes and Will Jacks made Australia work in the field, something that was perhaps worth doing for the simple fact of proving that it can be done. With Mitchell Starc tiring after leading the line all series, the contest became a grin...

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