The Ashes

Pitch not to blame Making profit on day three could be reliant on reading the pitch. But it’s not easy. Seven wickets in the final session suggests it’s a bowlers’ paradise but those who watched every ball may not be convinced. The biggest curveball is England, of course. The pitch does not need to be

A world of pain When England reduced Australia to 12 for three, they may have suddenly reckoned they could compete after all. But they would have been kidding themselves. They actually hadn’t bowled that well and in their heart of hearts they probably knew it. Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head set about proving that point.

Australia v EnglandFriday 14 January 04.30TV: live on BT Sport Khawaja and Head to play? Analysis in this series has been dominated by the voyeuristic car crash of picking through the rubble of England’s insipid and incomprehensible decision-making and performances. It has been forgotten that there is another team actually playing some decent stuff. But

England runs a sell Australia are 2.6613/8 to take ten England wickets on the final day and keep their (and punters’) hopes of the 5-0 whitewash alive. The draw is the favourite at 1.645/8 after a surprisingly negative declaration. England are 55.054/1 England have been set an irrelevant 388. They survived 11 overs on the

England hope for rain England fought back well on day three thanks to Jonny Bairstow’s century, their first of the series, but they remain reliant on heavy rain to save them from a fourth defeat. Trailing by 158 with only three wickets left, the draw is resolute in the favourite position at 1.374/11 with Australia

England hold their own Normal Ashes service has resumed. England closed day one bang in the game. At the end of the day two they are under huge pressure after conceding 416. Not that the match odds market seems to have caught up. Australia remain as big as 2.588/5 with the draw 1.664/6. England are

England hold their own So this is what a competitive series looks like. England, for only the second day of the tour, held their own. Still, it should only be chalked down as a draw in terms of who won the day. Australia closed on 126 for three, leaving the action finely poised.The draw remains

Australia v EnglandTuesday 4 January 23.30TV: live on BT Sport Australia stronger still It says something about the respective strengths of these two teams that when Travis Head, centurion in Brisbane, goes down with Covid they are able to bring in Usman Khawaja. Khawaja was unlucky to be pipped by Head for the final batting

Silverwood and Head out It would be fitting if the Ashes were to be cancelled. In terms of competitiveness, it has had all the heat of gazpacho. And there’s only one team that have been in the soup. Yet there is a way out for England’s soppy, sloppy lot. Covid could well save them the

England gone at the game England almost had their best day of the Ashes. But, alas, no Covid cases were found in their camp. An abandonment remains England’s best chance of a result on this tour. When England did take to the field, 30 minutes late, they had supped some sort of bowling elixir. James

England gone at the game What is their left to say about this Ashes contest? Perhaps that it is not one. Australia won their eighth day out of nine in the series. From 1.594/7 before a ball was bowled they are now 1.152/13. England are 13.012/1. They are 1.021/50 to win the series. Day one

Australia v EnglandSaturday 25 December 23.30TV: live on Sky Sports Australia cruising Australia probably can’t believe their luck. Success in Adelaide came despite being without their two best bowlers and skipper. Pat Cummins returns for this one but Josh Hazlewood remains a doubt. Michael Neser is likely to be the one to miss out give

England on the brink Humiliation for England in Australia is nothing new. Prior to the first cut at the Gabbatoir, they had not won a Test on their previous two tours. And they have managed only two series wins stretching back to 1986. Nor did they exactly go into the contest in storming form. Before

Pope vulnerable If any more proof was required that England are in a vice, the last-ball-of-the-day wicket of Joe Root just about does it. England’s scintilla of hope of avoiding defeat and a 2-0 scoreline disappeared with his dismissal. With only six wickets remaining, it’s a question of when. And we refer to our day

How long does the game last? There are two scheduled days remaining. Given the evidence so far, it is easy to reckon that England lack the gumption, skill and, frankly, will to take it that far. The truth is, all of those three are reasons why it could go into the fifth with Australia well

England can tough it out England will reckon they have been unlucky so far on tour with dropped catches, the plethora of plays and misses, and wickets off no balls. So an electrical storm just before close on day two suggests the Gods have taken pity. It’s all nonsense, of course. There’s nothing unlucky about

England need to pray St Peter’s Cathedral is just behind the Adelaide Oval. You can see it peeping out between the old scoreboard and Pennington Gardens. England would have done well to stop off on their way back to the hotel and have good pray. Only a higher power can save them now. Despite plenty

Australia v EnglandThursday 16 December 04.00TV: live on Sky Sports Hazlewood out Australia’s confidence has been clipped slightly after their nine-wicket thrashing of England in Brisbane. They have lost one key player to injury and almost lost another. Josh Hazlewood is out with injury meaning their feared pace attack is broken up. There were also

Just four days into the Ashes series and the prognosis is grim for England. A heavy defeat in Brisbane had an overwhelming sense of familiarity. A heavy series defeat has an overwhelming sense of inevitability. Australia are no better than 1.192/11 for the win while a 5-0 whitewash on the correct score marketis marginal favourite

Don’t forget the new ball Well, England have taken it to day four when a three-day beating had an air of inevitability about it. They cannot be accused of folding cheaply. Not that they showed much fight in the early exchanges. Australia’s tail, marshalled by Travis Head, piled on the runs for a massive lead

Small things, big things From 166-1 to 195-5 Australia looked to have lost their grip on this first Test. But Ashes history Down Under is littered with so-nears-yet-so-fars for England. That Joe Root’s team ended day two facing an almost certain loss was no surprise. Australia are as short as 1.081/12 for a 1-0 lead

England blown away One ball. That’s how long it took for pre-series aspirations to be punctured that this contest Down Under between old enemies might, just might, be different. They say that Australia-England clashes are decided in the first session. And when Rory Burns was dismissed by Mitchell Starc’s loosener it gave a potential isnight

Australia v EnglandWednesday 8 December, 00:00TV: live on Sky Sports Australia get it right Are Australia in crisis or, thanks to some dubious texting from Tim Paine, stumbled up-on a stronger XI? Time will tell but it is hard not to reckon that the Aussies have done well to replace Paine as skipper with Renaissance

Unprecedented series Before a ball has been bowled the Ashes is shaping up to be a series like no other between the two old foes. Bubble life, a La Nina weather event, a deposed Australia captain because of a sex scandal, and significant doubts that the fifth and final Test will happen at all make

David Warner Last three years runs per innings: 57.9Last three years top bat win %: 8.3 Warner is revitalised. A confidence-restoring knock against an innocuous West Indies attack in the T20 World Cup suddenly had his supporters saying ‘told you so’. And, to be fair, he continued to plunder quick runs in the knockouts as