3 h. ago England in talks to replace controversial Snicko with new technology for fourth Ashes Test

ECB and Cricket Australia could bring in UltraEdgeSnicko hit by more bad decisions on day two in AdelaideThe England and Wales Cricket Board has held talks with Cricket Australia about the possibility of replacing the decision review system (DRS) technology Snicko with an alternative UltraEdge for the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne after controversy on the opening two days of the Adelaide Test.In bilateral series, DRS technology is the responsibility of the home board, which in practice is passed on to the main domestic broadcast rights holder, in this case Fox Sports. However, the Guardian has learned that Cricket Australia’s free-to-air rights holder, Channel 7, has a DRS contract with Hawk-Eye Innovations, the company behind UltraEdge, so there is an alternative available should the hosts seek to make a change amid unhappiness from players on both sides. Continue reading...

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14 h. ago Dubious Jamie Smith dismissal reignites DRS technology controversy: ‘Snicko needs to be sacked’

Smith was judged to have been caught behind despite the technology not matching up again

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14 h. ago England’s Ashes hopes melt away as Australian bowlers share spoils in the sun

Third Test, day two: England 213-8; Australia 371Tourists trail by 158 after late Stokes and Archer standAt the end of a brain-boiling second day in South Australia two things could be said with a fair degree of certainty: England were staring at the termination of their already faint Ashes hopes and players on both sides had lost faith in the Snicko technology.The match situation first, which at stumps pointed firmly towards Australia and the 3-0 lead that was ultimately loading. England had subsided to 213 for eight from 68 overs in reply to Australia’s 371 all out, trailing by 158 runs and hugely grateful to Jofra Archer, 30 not out, holding firm alongside Ben Stokes during the final hour. Continue reading...

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14 h. ago 'Snicko needs to be sacked': Ashes hit by more technology controversy

England and Australia both frustrated amid more questions over Snickometer reliability during day two of the third Test in Adelaide

Events

15 h. ago Dubious Jamie Smith dismissal reignites Snicko technology controversy: ‘One rule for one and one for another’

Smith was judged to have been caught behind despite the technology not matching up again

Politics

16 h. ago Dubious Jamie Smith dismissal reignites Snicko technology controversy

Smith was judged to have been caught behind despite the technology not matching up again

Politics

32 h. ago Ashes 'cheating' controversy as major error lets Aussie score century against England

Alex Carey has admitted he hit the ball after a Snicko technology failure allowed him to stay at the crease, going on to score a century for Australia against England in the third Ashes Test

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34 h. ago Ashes: Snicko admit mistake made as England fume over Alex Carey reprieve

Snicko technology turned down England appeals, but a mistake has now been admitted

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35 h. ago England consider formal complaint after Snicko error costs Carey’s wicket

Company admits operator error led to Carey survivingWrong stump mic used so audio did not match pictureEngland are considering a formal complaint over the Snicko technology being used in this Ashes series after Alex Carey received a lifeline en route to a telling century on the opening day of the third Test.Carey, who made 106 in Australia’s 326 for eight by stumps, was on 72 when Josh Tongue believed the left-hander had edged behind. He was given not out on the field and the third umpire, Chris Gaffeney, felt he did not have enough evidence to overturn the decision despite a spike showing up on the review. Continue reading...

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4 d. 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...

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1 week ago Standing up for Alex Carey, undoubtedly the finest wicketkeeper in world cricket right now | Brendan Foster

The Australian gloveman redefined the craft of keeping with a game-changing masterclass in the second Ashes TestJust after lunch on the fourth day of the Centenary Test at the MCG in 1977, the classroom speaker at my Perth primary school crackled into life with the muffled voices of the ABC radio.Our teacher demanded we stop what we were doing because history was about to be made. Perhaps Queen Elizabeth, who was in Australia on her Silver Jubilee tour of the Commonwealth, was about to address her colonial subjects with a momentous announcement? Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Mason Greenwood's Marseille teammate backs him to earn shock England recall

Mason Greenwood has just one England cap to his name but the Marseille star is being talked up for an international recall after rebuilding his career in France

Events

3 w. ago Mikel Arteta reveals Bukayo Saka contract update as Arsenal follow 'clear vision'

England winger has been locked in talks with Gunners over extension to deal that expires in 2027

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4 w. ago I’m a Celeb’s Alex Scott ‘never knew happiness’ before relationship with pop star girlfriend

‘I will get married to her, just waiting for her to ask,’ joked the former England player when talking about her other half

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last month Liverpool told three transfers who could replace Mohamed Salah including controversial target

Mohamed Salah has been Liverpool's star man in recent years but has struggled to hit the same heights this season

Events

last month Why Australia will win v why England can win: two Guardian cricket writers make their Ashes cases

No 1-ranked Australia are favourites on home soil but through a forest of caveats for England, there is still a path to the urnEven the greats of the Ashes have been weighed down by 143 years of shared history, tradition and controversy. For keen observers of Australia and England, Ashes anxiety can cloud judgments, hopes and dreams. Personally, a heart still bearing the scars from more than a decade spent living behind enemy lines as a once all-conquering Australia failed to tie – let alone win – an Ashes series in England, now insists on managing expectations. But as the ICC’s top two-ranked men’s Test teams prepare for a contest set to be shaped as much by endurance as execution, the head is ready to rule with a quiet confidence that Australia will triumph in a fourth straight Ashes as hosts. Continue reading...

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