16 h. ago Ben Stokes wants McCullum to stay as England coach despite Ashes loss

Captain says they are ‘right people to carry on doing this ’Stokes believes the pair can push team to greater heightsBen Stokes has said he has no doubt he wants Brendon McCullum alongside him as the England head coach, but accepted the Ashes defeat means the pair must sit down before the summer and work out how they can upgrade the team.Senior figures at the England and Wales Cricket Board are wary of making sweeping changes and with Stokes seemingly safe, McCullum’s fate as head coach probably rests on his endorsement. Continue reading...

Politics

18 h. ago England set to hand out Ashes debut with Shoaib Bashir also in contention for fifth Test squad

Potts and Bashir have both been named in a 12-man squad for Sunday’s fifth Test at Sydney, with Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes set to make a late call

Politics

7 d. ago Australia edge wild Boxing Day with England as 20 wickets fall in fourth Ashes Test

Fourth Test, day one: Australia 152 & 4-0; England 110Bowlers feast on green-tinged pitch on day one at MCGA record 94,199 spectators turned up to the MCG on Boxing Day and none will forget what they witnessed. An extraordinary 20 wickets tumbled on a pitch offering lavish movement and Cricket Australia were left fearing what would be a second multi-million dollar loss in this Ashes series.The first came in Perth, when that two-day series opener triggered the refunds and left visiting supporters scrambling for sightseeing trips. This fourth Test had the ingredients for a repeat, not just a surface with 10mm of grass but also a touring side in England who, having lost the Ashes and with criticism flying, looked broken before the coin even went up. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Australia edge England as 20 wickets fall on wild day one of Boxing Day Test

Fourth Test, day one: Australia 152 & 4-0; England 110Bowlers feast on green-tinged pitch on day one at MCGA record 94,199 spectators turned up to the MCG on Boxing Day and none will forget what they witnessed. An extraordinary 20 wickets tumbled on a pitch offering lavish movement and Cricket Australia were left fearing what would be a second multi-million dollar loss in this Ashes series.The first came in Perth, when that two-day series opener triggered the refunds and left visiting supporters scrambling for sightseeing trips. This fourth Test had the ingredients for a repeat, not just a surface with 10mm of grass but also a touring side in England who, having lost the Ashes and with criticism flying, looked broken before the coin even went up. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago ‘It’s not up to me is it?’ McCullum wants to stay on despite England’s Ashes defeat

Coach insists his methods are not about scoring ratesPaying off McCullum’s contract would cost seven figuresBrendon McCullum has stressed his desire to stay on as England head coach but acknowledged this is now a question for those higher up.Australia winning this much-anticipated Ashes series at the earliest opportunity has thrust McCullum’s role into the spotlight but with a multi-format contract that runs up to the end of the 50-over World Cup in late 2027, removing him would cost English cricket a seven-figure sum. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Sacking Stokes and McCullum won’t solve England’s problems, warns Strauss

Strauss conducted a review into English cricket in 2023 but his suggestions for reform were largely ignored

Events

1 week ago Andrew Strauss says sacking Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes is not the answer

England have lost 16 and drawn just two of their last 18 Tests Down Under.

Politics

1 week ago What changes can England make to salvage some pride from dismal Ashes tour?

The tourists have meekly surrendered the urn after three Tests and attention now turns to trying to avoid a whitewash.

Politics

1 week ago ‘RIP’: Australian media revels in ‘deeply lamented’ death of Bazball after Ashes woe

Local media gleefully homed in on English pre-series predictions after Australia retained the urn having played just 11 days of cricket The sports sections of Australia’s major mastheads were on Monday largely dedicated to ridiculing pre-series predictions of an England Ashes victory, and announcing the end of the tourists’ now-compromised attacking philosophy.“Bazball is dead”, asserted the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, quoting former Australian opener Simon Katich. The West Australian newspaper fully committed to the theme, mocking up a pronouncement of Bazball’s passing on ye olde parchment, “deeply lamented by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, but basically no one else”. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Ben Stokes vows to stay on as captain as Brendon McCullum admits Ashes preparation ‘didn’t work’

England lost the third Test in Adelaide and face the prospect of a series whitewash, with head coach Brendon McCullum expressing regret over how the team prepared for the series

Politics

1 week ago Ben Stokes wants to remain England captain as Brendon McCullum admits Ashes mistakes

Stokes ‘absolutely’ keen to stay on as captain despite crushing Ashes defeat in Australia

Politics

1 week ago Stokes vows to remain England captain as McCullum admits regret over Ashes preparations

Tourists’ skipper ‘absolutely’ has energy to stay in roleHead coach after defeat: ‘Sitting here 3-0, it didn’t work’As Ben Stokes stressed his commitment to leading England after losing the Ashes inside 11 days, Brendon McCullum gave his first admission of regret. Poor preparation has been widely blamed for this failed tour of Australia and, in that regard, the head coach was prepared to hold his hand up.Speaking after the 82-run defeat at Adelaide Oval that sees Australia 3-0 up with two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney to come, Stokes offered a simple “absolutely” when asked if he had the energy to continue as captain but played down England’s threadbare warmup period. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago New dawn and new regime for England as Ashes humiliation sparks end for Bazball

England reined in their usual no-holds-barred approach in Adelaide but while Ben Stokes’ captaincy may survive, the philosophy of Bazball will not

Politics

1 week ago Sir Geoffrey Boycott calls for England coach Brendon McCullum to go

Boycott believes captain Ben Stokes should also face the axe if he fails to learn some tough lessons.

Politics

1 week ago Brendon McCullum admits England’s Ashes preparation ‘didn’t work’

England finally took a Test match into the fifth day in South Australia but an 82-run defeat leaves them 3-0 down to Australia.

Politics

1 week 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

Politics

2 w. 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

2 w. 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

3 w. ago England cricketers go their separate ways as they pick up the pieces after shattering Ashes loss 

There will be plenty of soul searching in the England camp this week after getting hammered in the opening two Ashes Tests in Australia, with players going their separate ways before reuniting in Noosa.

Politics

3 w. 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