8 h. ago Ashes Fifth Test Australia v England: Prediction, Betting Tips & Odds

Following England’s first away Ashes win in almost 15 years, the series concludes with the Fifth Test in Sydney

Politics

10 h. ago Sydney’s tradition of goodbyes coincides with Bazball reckoning

England have a final chance to salvage something from tour but must accept Ashes defeat was self-inflicted and changes, however limited, must be madeAs well as being a bucket list venue for players and supporters, the Sydney Cricket Ground has a reputation in England as the ground of the one-cap wonders. This is based on Mason Crane, Scott Borthwick and Boyd Rankin getting a go at the end of recent Ashes tours, rather than anything more historically substantial.If anything, as the traditional scene for the final Test of the Australian summer, the SCG is more like the Oval – the ground where careers often come to an end. And on Friday, surrounded by his family and with a fair bit to get off his chest, Usman Khawaja confirmed the final instalment of this Ashes series, starting on Sunday, will be his international farewell. Continue reading...

Politics

12 h. ago Defiant Ben Stokes makes case for England to extend ‘Bazball’ double act with Brendon McCullum

The futures of Stokes and McCullum have been under the microscope after England’s Ashes disappointment

Politics

16 h. ago Retiring Muslim Australia cricket star Usman Khawaja lashes out at his 'racist' critics in emotional press conference

Usman Khawaja's future has been a major talking point in the midst of the ongoing Ashes series - and he's now confirmed when he'll end his career

Politics

16 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

18 h. ago Usman Khawaja details ‘racial stereotypes’ in Australian cricket ahead of final Test

The fifth Ashes Test in Khawaja’s hometown of Sydney will be the final act of a 15-year career in the Baggy Green

Politics

19 h. ago England seamer Matthew Potts likely to make Ashes debut in Sydney

Potts and spinner Shoaib Bashir have both been named in a 12-man squad for Sunday’s fifth Test at Sydney.

Politics

22 h. ago How Usman Khawaja became one of the most polarising players in Australian cricket with defiant political messages

Usman Khawaja has enjoyed a very successful career at Test level for Australia - but it hasn't always been easy for the left handed opener

Politics

24 h. ago Usman Khawaja’s retirement farewell shows how cricket can be an expression of character | Gideon Haigh

Touching on his relationship with God, his family and racism, the Australian articulates how he became a better cricketer as he became a better manThere is no gainsaying Usman Khawaja’s significance as an Australian Test cricketer; an additional mark of his stature is that he almost made you take him for granted.Think on it for a moment, and run your eye up and down the palely conventional list of Australia’s highest Test scorers, where he ranks 15th, between Mike Hussey and Neil Harvey – so various in methods yet so similar in origins. There was a recognition through the 1990s and into the 21st century that the face of Australia was being changed by immigration, while the face of Australian cricket remained eerily unaltered. Then, all of a sudden, 15 years ago, Khawaja’s darkly slim figure emerged from the shadows of the Sydney Cricket Ground to pull his first Test delivery for four, and the axis of the game tilted ever so slightly. Continue reading...

Politics

34 h. ago Australia ‘more robust’ and can handle pressure better than England, believes Bayliss

England’s World Cup-winning coach says Ashes series has been ‘a disappointment’ and that a harder mentality in Australian youth cricket could be a factorTrevor Bayliss will be among those watching the fifth Ashes Test at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground this Sunday. But even as the head coach responsible for delivering the World Cup in 2019, the majority of England fans who walk past him will probably do so without so much as a double take.This was very much the Australian’s way when sporting the Three Lions on his training kit for five years – low key and forever dodging the spotlight under that wide-brimmed hat. Even crediting Bayliss for that World Cup – or the Ashes win in 2015 – cuts against his mantra that players alone deserve the glory. Coaches, he always stressed, are simply there to facilitate. Continue reading...

Events

49 h. ago Australia back injured stars as squad for T20 World Cup revealed

Cummins, Hazlewood and David named for India and Sri Lanka eventMatt Kuhnemann included in spin-heavy 15-player teamMatthew Kuhnemann is in line for a World Cup debut after being included as the biggest surprise selection in Australia’s squad for the T20 World Cup.As expected, Australia have named superstar pacemen Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, as well as swashbuckling Tim David, despite injury concerns. Continue reading...

Events

66 h. ago Former Australia batter Damien Martyn in induced coma after contracting meningitis

Martyn became unwell on Boxing Day and is being treated in a Brisbane hospital

Politics

66 h. ago Spin bowling on the back foot with pace dominating quickfire Ashes

Nathan Lyon has been the only specialist spinner on show with touring tweaker Shoaib Bashir sidelined by England Disappointment can be found in all corners of this Ashes series. England’s victory came too late. Australia may have secured the urn again but Glenn McGrath’s usual prediction didn’t hold. It’s been a serious letdown for the neutral, never mind that a 3-2 scoreline is still in the offing. This was meant to be the one where England had a shot, where the Sydney finale would actually have something on the line beyond World Test Championship points.Instead we’ve had 13 days of play out of 20, star quicks from both sides missing hefty chunks or all of it and stern-faced discussions about how much grass was left on the “G”. It’s fallen well short as a spectacle. Part of that lies in the absence of the slow stuff, a lack of high-quality spin ruining the show. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Cricket legend Damien Martyn is put into a coma as he battles the killer disease meningitis in 'the fight of his life'

The 54-year-old veteran of 67 Test matches was rushed to a Brisbane hospital after falling ill on Boxing Day.

Events

3 d. ago Cameron Green remains Australia’s golden child but the blessing has become a curse | | Brendan Foster

Allrounder has shown enough glimpses to suggest he is the complete package but has again failed to impose himself on a series during the AshesBazball might be dead, or at least on its last legs, but before its demise it appears to have bewitched cricketing prodigy Cameron Green with its high-risk, at times mindless aggression.Some of the young allrounder’s premeditated shots during the Ashes have made England wunderkind Harry Brook look like their unpretentious former opener, Geoff Boycott. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago The Ashes inspiration, overpreparation and bold tactics: a history of Australia v England two

The old rivals have clashed in eight of the 27 Tests to finish inside two days – these are the tales behind the six matches played before the current seriesTo put in context the surprise that greeted the two-day Boxing Day Test just gone, consider the rarity by arithmetic. The match in Melbourne was Test number 2,615, and was two-day Test number 27. You don’t need a calculator to see that’s roughly 1%. And yet we’ve had two such matches in the current Ashes series, plus another in Australia three years earlier. We’ve had half a dozen two-day Tests worldwide since 2021. What gives?Nine two-day Tests – fully one-third of the total – happened in the 1800s, when pitches could become swamps or shooting galleries. The next few mostly involved weak teams in their early years of development. Australia and England each dished one out to South Africa in the tri-series of 1912, and the South African team was little stronger when ripped up by Clarrie Grimmett and Bill O’Reilly in 1936. Australi...

Politics

4 d. ago Australia coach Andrew McDonald says Ashes ‘done’ ahead of SCG Test

The teams reconvene for the final time at the SCG on Sunday with the hosts seeking an emphatic 4-1 win.

Politics

5 d. ago Usman Khawaja locked in for fifth Ashes Test with ‘no indication’ of retirement plans

Australia coach Andrew McDonald guarantees veteran will play at SCG39-year-old’s future beyond series finale against England still in doubtAustralia coach Andrew McDonald has guaranteed Usman Khawaja will play at the SCG, but is unsure if it will be the veteran’s last Test.After turning 39 earlier in December, Khawaja’s future will continue to be a talking point until he announces his retirement. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Joe Root rejects ‘silly’ talk over England management after highlighting positive trend

Head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key both face questions after an Ashes defeat, but a consolation win in Melbourne has raised spirits

Politics

5 d. ago Joe Root insists players fully committed to England management

Head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key both face questions.

Sport