2025-26 Ashes

Stupid shot by Head particularly in the context of the game.

Shocking batting by Australia, Starc and Carey just threw their wickets away. They're still 51 behind what was a low England total..

Australia top order problems aren't going anywhere. Weatherald ok, that can always happen. But Labuschagne was said to have turned a corner and was batting more positively but he was back to stinking the place out. Doubt Khawaja makes it to Sydney.

Credit must go to the England bowlers as well though. No let up from any of them and made the most of the bowling friendly conditions

A stunning 1st day, woke at 4am to see England in trouble and I feared for the series. Listened to the rest in work, gotta love how things can turn around.

Anyway, England 3 nil and Root to pick a double tonne somewhere along the way.

Stokes to retire from test cricket.

unreal catch, disaster for England, lose a wicket in the first over. Replay shows a very good catch but that’s a tail enders shot, real careless stuff by Crawley.

Pope needs to step up here. Only one half century in his last 10 test innings…loads of starts but no scores of note.

Pope makes 33 and then out playing a shocking effort at a shot… wide and cutable, not a good delivery at all but he managed to edge it and is caught behind. Brook now gone quickly after, England in dire straights.. mostly of their own making.. few balls later Root chops on ffs 😅 like a house of cards wickets tumbling

Smith given out by DRS.. tiny mound on snicko but not as the ball is adjacent to the bat.. dodgy decisions on field and in the stand. Aussies barley celebrate, almost too embarrassed...

Head opening the batting is proving a real coup here. Just hit Wood for 12 off an over. Australia scoring at almost 5 an over, using England's approach against them.

I think the England lower order showed the way for Australia. Be brave and aggressive, use the speed to your advantage. That's why they went with Head.

Labuschagne doesn't have that mentality though I think. Don't see him getting into double figures.

Smith should come in at 4/5 when the ball has cooled to see it out.

Head moves to 84, whacking Archer for 6, 16 from the over. England look beaten.

That might knock some of the arrogance out of him.

When’s the last time an Ashes match was over in two days?

8 wicket victory in 2 days. Didn't see that coming. Head 100, 50 for Labuschagne who've been both out of form. Starc bowling well and no Cummins or Hazelwood- this is a big victory to say the least. England have work to do, some of their batting is at times wreckless. Their bowling looked good in the first innings.

Oh dear that's gotta hurt. Probably gonna be a long tour for England.

England batsmen didn’t show up in either innings, their bowlers didn’t show up in the 4th innings, hopeless bowling, desperate performance by England. Really bad.

The worry is looks like there is pretty much nothing in the way of personnel changes that will produce a turn around. They need more runs yet they’ve only got Bethell in reserve. They packed the squad with bowlers 😖

That in hindsight is really shocking leadership and management from Stokes and McCullum. Batsmen injured or out of form, you’ve got a so far erratic, inexperienced and unreliable Bethell, nobody else. A 22 year old all rounder… 8 test match innings and 3 half centuries…. No tonnes, averages about 30. Maybe he is viewed as having ‘potential’, potential won’t win you an ashes series, what he might produce in say 18 months isn’t available now by the looks of things.

Batsmen : Stokes, Brook, Crawley, Duckett, Root, Smith(wk), Pope.

All Rounders : Bethell, Jacks…

Bowlers : Archer, Atkinson, Bashir, Carse, Potts, Tongue, Wood

Basically they’ve left themselves a specialist batsman short. That’s down to Stokes and McCullum and nobody else. Was it necessary to select Jacks and Bashir ?

Nothing about the decision making of McCullum & Stokes makes the slightest sliver of sense.