2 h. ago Pat Cummins gives himself ‘half a chance’ of playing second Ashes Test

Australia captain Cummins missed the first Test with a back injury

Politics

3 h. ago England Ashes player ratings as 1/10 star sets tone for humbling defeat vs Australia

England were bowled out for just 164 in their second innings as Australia won the first Ashes Test by eight wickets after Travis Head's sensational century on day two.

Sport

4 h. ago Australia v England: hosts chasing 205 to win Ashes first Test on day two – live

Hosts closing on target after another wild day in Perth Ashes top 100 players | Get The Spin newsletter | Mail Rob43rd over: Australia 131-9 (Lyon 4, Doggett 6) And on it goes for Doggett. Another clunky drive, this time through mid on, gets him back for a second run. Fourth ball of the over he finally gets a reprieve, a single to cover. Atkinson bumps Lyon but the ball sails way over his head.42nd over: Australia 128-9 (Lyon 4, Doggett 3) Lyon single first ball puts Doggett back on strike. Ohh, dropped catch! In at short leg, Pope under the mitre, and the ball reaches his fingertips but goes down rather than up. Mark Wood keeps peppering Doggett, who by the end of the over has faced every delivery so far today but two. The sixth ball he decides he’s had enough and aims a big drive, inside edges it, gets a run to fine leg, and keeps the strike. Continue reading...

Politics

18 h. ago Ashes icon denies becoming bodybuilder despite impressive body transformation

A member of the last England team to win an Ashes series in Australia now looks much different from his playing days

Politics

23 h. ago Is Avatar’s main villain about to become a good guy? All the signs are pointing that way

Will Quaritch, the square-jawed representative of military-industrial destruction befriend the Na’vi in James Cameron’s forthcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash? And if so, what other unlikely character about-turns should we be prepared for?It’s almost possible to feel a little sorry for Colonel Miles Quaritch, the main villain of Avatar. Imagine: first you’re sent light years from Earth to hang out with 14ft blue space hippies, then you’re suddenly dead. Then you’re resurrected as one of the 14ft blue space hippies. And now, according to James Cameron, you might just be starting to realise that the giant tree-hugging freaks you’ve spent two films trying to erase are your kind of people after all.Speaking to Empire in an interview last week, Cameron revealed that the Quaritch we will meet in the forthcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash (although still played by Stephen Lang) is no longer the same person we first saw stomping through the rainforest in the original 2009 film. Yes, he’s a “recombinant...

Politics

29 h. ago Ashes hero forced to deny becoming bodybuilder after incredible transformation

A member of the last England team to win the Ashes in Australia now looks remarkably different from his playing days

Politics

68 h. ago Shetland's Ashley Jensen says 'it's difficult' as she addresses behind

Ashley Jensen, who plays DI Ruth Calder on the BBC drama, said she finds it "difficult to almost switch off" when she's filming Shetland, as she opened up about what she likes to do when she goes home

Politics

3 d. ago Starc says Australia players upset at Ashes opener’s move from ‘Gabbatoir’ to Perth

Starc: ‘They don’t listen – we would have liked Brisbane’Groundsman says wicket not affected by Metallica gigMitchell Starc has admitted that Australia’s players are upset at the decision to shift the opening Ashes Test from its traditional home of Brisbane’s Gabba – nicknamed “the Gabbatoir” because of its reputation as the graveyard of touring sides, and a ground where England have won just two of their last 20 games dating back to 1946 – to Perth Stadium.Asked whether his side could expect to enjoy a similar advantage at the game’s new home, Starc said: “We’ll find out in a week, won’t we? They don’t listen to the players, we would have liked to start in Brisbane, too.” England’s Gus Atkinson meanwhile said that though “there are no scars for me” from his country’s previous failures in Brisbane given he is a first-time Ashes tourist, “history would say it’s probably a good thing we’re not starting at the Gabba”. Continue reading...

Sport

3 d. ago I can’t remember ever being so confident at the start of an away Ashes series | Mark Ramprakash

Australia have big injuries and concerns over their top order: if England start well in Perth they can win back the AshesIt’s the Ashes in Australia and that is a series England have become used to losing, so much so that even Jimmy Anderson, the greatest English Test wicket‑taker of all time, has the home side as favourites. But if Australia have ever been there for the taking, it is now. Looking at how the two sides are shaping up before the opening game I feel punchy about England’s chances: the team are strong, settled, and I think that if Ben Stokes plays all five Tests they will win the Ashes and win them comfortably. I can’t remember ever being so confident before an away Ashes.That confidence is based on a strong group of seamers and a top seven that have now played a lot of Test cricket and have a lot of runs under their belt. They will look at an opposition that will be without the injured Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in Perth and fancy their chances of racking up runs. ...

Politics

3 d. ago Ben Stokes the thunder god primed for Ashes series that may change his Australian legacy

Perth has some good memories for England captain at the culmination of a four-year project cast in his aggressive imageEngland hope to strike a healthy balance between work and play and at the start of this Ashes week, as Australia trained at the ground to prepare for the first Test, the tourists were being, well, tourists.As well as the usual golfers, a handful of players took a boat trip out to Rottnest Island, with Brydon Carse later showing off an impressive fish he had caught. No doubt some of the grouchier past players would sooner his mind was on reeling in a far bigger one: Steve Smith. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Ben Stokes the thunder god primed for Ashes series that may define his career

Perth has some good memories for England captain at the culmination of a four-year project cast in his aggressive imageEngland look to strike a healthy balance between work and play and at the start of this Ashes week, as Australia trained at the ground to prepare for the first Test, the tourists were being, well, tourists.As well as the usual golfers, a handful of players took a boat trip out to Rottnest Island, with Brydon Carse later showing off an impressive fish he had caught. No doubt some of the grouchier past players would sooner his mind was on reeling in a far bigger one: Steve Smith. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Australia star ruled out of first Ashes Test but Josh Hazlewood cleared to play after injury scare

The uncapped Brendan Doggett would be next in line should further reinforcements be required

Events

1 week ago Australia’s ‘old blokes’ rally together for the Ashes chasing one last demolition of England

Australia’s Ashes squad contains only one player – Cameron Green – younger than 30 years old but that does not mean this battle-hardened Test team are over the hill just yet

Politics

1 week ago Trescothick defends England’s Ashes buildup and shrugs off hypocrisy jibes

Botham echoes criticism over single warm-up gameTrescothick laughs off linking mints to SandpapergateMarcus Trescothick has defended England’s Ashes preparations after Ian Botham joined a chorus of criticism from former players over the decision to schedule just a single warm-up game, saying ex-professionals need to bear in mind that “times have dramatically changed in the way that cricket is done”.England’s assistant coach also laughed off attempts from the Australian media to compare his use of mints to help the ball swing in the 2005 Ashes with their own players’ notorious Sandpapergate controversy. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Ian Botham fires new salvo at England’s lack of Ashes preparations

England to play just one intra-squad match before start of seriesTourists need more red-ball practice, says former all-rounderIan Botham has launched a fresh broadside at the decision by England to arrange just a single intra-squad match before the start of the Ashes, saying the tourists need more red ball practice in Australia and time to get used to local crowds.The last group of England’s players only arrived in Perth on Sunday, less than two weeks before the start of the first Test on 21 November. England will play the Lions on Thursday in their only Ashes warm-up. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago Welcome to the Guardian’s 100 best players in the history of the men’s Ashes

This week we will be publishing a run-down of our 51 judges’ greatest Ashes cricketers in the buildup to this year’s series opener on 21 November. Here’s how we did itMark Waugh or Steve? Greg or Ian Chappell? Will it be England’s sepia-tinted Sydney F Barnes, the grumpy and moustachioed Jimmy Anderson of his day, or Australia’s Sidney G Barnes, an eccentric batter in the 1948 touring Invincibles?Does Ivo Bligh’s place in Ashes folklore merit inclusion even if his 10.33 batting average wouldn’t get him in a village XI? Where do you place the legend of WG Grace in an all-time reckoning? And how do you weigh up Don Bradman’s astonishing statistics against the era in which he batted? Continue reading...

Sport

1 week ago Chris Woakes highlights ‘definite bonus’ for England ahead of first Ashes Test in Australia

Chris Woakes believes one crucial decision could play into England’s hands in the upcoming Ashes

Politics

2 w. ago ‘I didn’t want to make it all about me’: Jake Weatherald on his path to an Ashes call

The opener is in line for an Australia debut after twice taking time away from cricket to protect his mental health and piling on the runs for TasmaniaJake Weatherald and Justin Galeotti travelled separately on the short journey from the coffee shop to the nets for their scheduled hit. They trained as usual and with Galeotti oblivious to the fact Weatherald had just fielded a life-altering phone call from Australia’s chair of selectors, George Bailey, telling him his baggy green dream had almost arrived. The uncapped Weatherald was in the 15-player Ashes squad for the first Test.“It lasted about two minutes,” Weatherald says about the call with Bailey. “I didn’t want to bring it up [with Galeotti] because I felt like it would distract from the net session. I didn’t want to make it all about me. We’d have been talking about it the whole time and not training.” Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Australia captain Pat Cummins reveals target return date after being ruled out of first Ashes Test

Pat Cummins will miss the first Ashes Test but is hopeful of still playing a major role in the series

Events

2 w. ago Australia recall Marnus Labuschagne for Ashes with three uncapped players in first Test squad

Tasmania’s Weatherald or Labuschagne will replace the dropped Sam Konstas at the top of the order

Sport