Ashes | DD News

November 30, 2025 3:57 PM

England’s Joe Root ready for pink-ball Ashes test after heavy loss

England batter Joe Root said he is confident of rediscovering his scoring touch and backed the team to embrace the challenge of their next pink-ball test against Australia after a drubbing by the hosts in the Ashes series opener. England take on Australia in Brisbane from Thursday looking to respond strongly to their eight-wicket defeat inside two days in Perth, where Root was dismissed for zero in the first innings before falling for eight in the next. "It's pretty disappointing in terms of t...

November 30, 2025 11:27 AM

England captain Ben Stokes dismisses ‘arrogant’ claims in lead-up to second Ashes test

England captain Ben Stokes dismissed claims his team were "arrogant" following their capitulation in the first Ashes test against Australia in Perth last week as preparations for the second game in the five-match series continued on Saturday. Stokes' team will face the Australians in Brisbane from Thursday, having suffered an eight-wicket defeat inside two days in the highly anticipated opener to the series, with the manner of the defeat prompting widespread criticism. "Call us rubbish, call u...

November 30, 2025 11:25 AM

England’s Mark Wood likely to miss second Ashes test due to sore knee

England pacer Mark Wood is likely to miss next week's second Ashes test against Australia due to a sore left knee, media reports said on Saturday. Wood, who was out for nine months when he underwent surgery for an injury on the same knee, played his first test since August 2024 in Perth last week, bowling 11 overs across both innings and taking no wickets as England suffered a swift eight-wicket loss inside two days. The 35-year-old told Fox Cricket during the first test that he would definite...

November 27, 2025 5:56 PM

Ashes pitch rated ‘very good’ after two-day test in Perth

The Perth Stadium pitch that saw Australia complete a thumping eight-wicket Ashes win inside two days over England has earned the International Cricket Council's (ICC) highest rating, Cricket Australia said on Thursday. The ICC match referee gave the surface a "very good" rating, denoting good carry, limited seam movement and consistent early bounce despite the rapid finish to the series-opener. "The match referee's 'very good' rating justifies our belief Perth Stadium produced a pitch that pr...

November 27, 2025 5:56 PM

Travis Head worried about firing up England’s quicks during Ashes century

Australia's Ashes match-winner Travis Head said he was wary of inciting England's fast bowlers as he slogged his way to a stunning century in the first test in Perth. Head's brilliant 83-ball 123 as a makeshift opener in the second innings helped Australia seal an eight-wicket win in two days and give the hosts a 1-0 lead. He told Australian radio station Triple M on Thursday that he feared he might make the English bowlers angry with him too early in the five-test series. "I’m also very re...

November 25, 2025 10:44 AM

Hazlewood resumes bowling; Cummins ramps up for Gabba Day-Nighter

Australia received encouraging signs on Tuesday as Josh Hazlewood returned to the nets, continuing his recovery from the hamstring injury that sidelined him from the opening Ashes Test in Perth. At the same time, Pat Cummins trained with the pink ball, progressing steadily in his bid to be fit for the day-night Test at the Gabba following his back issue. The pair trained at Cricket Central in Sydney, even as New South Wales took on Tasmania in their ongoing Sheffield Shield fixture. Hazlewood ...

November 24, 2025 10:12 AM

Keep the faith: Head coach McCullum urges fans as England plot Ashes comeback

England coach Brendon McCullum has urged fans to keep faith despite a disastrous start to their Ashes campaign, with hosts Australia clinching an eight-wicket win in Perth on the second day of the first test. “Bazball”, an attacking batting strategy backed by McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, has faced stinging criticism after England batters fared poorly in the shortest Ashes test by overs bowled to deliver a result since 1888. “Keep the faith. Sometimes we get beaten and it looks pr...

November 21, 2025 4:33 PM

Mayhem in Perth as 19 wickets crash on Ashes opening day; Stokes leads England’s recovery

Australia trailed England by 49 runs on 123-9 at the end of an extraordinary opening day of the Ashes series on Friday at Perth Stadium, where bowlers had very much the upper hand and a remarkable 19 wickets fell. Mitchell Starc, spearheading the home attack in the absence of the injured Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, took a career-best 7-58 as Australia dismissed the tourists for 172 before tea. The large visiting contingent in the crowd of 51,531 were soon in full voice, however, as England...

November 20, 2025 12:51 PM

Composed Steve Smith ready to lead Australia into Ashes fire

Steve Smith cut a relaxed figure when he named the Australia team for the opening clash in his ninth and possibly final Ashes series on Thursday, a far cry from the perpetual angst that used to be his hallmark at the crease. An injury to Pat Cummins means Smith will captain his country in a stand-in capacity for the seventh time since losing the permanent job in 2018 for his part in the Newlands ball-tampering scandal. Smith will undoubtedly face jibes over that incident from the travelling En...

November 20, 2025 11:13 AM

Weatherald and Doggett to debut for Australia in Ashes opener

Opening batter Jake Weatherald and pace bowler Brendan Doggett will make their debuts for Australia in the first Ashes clash in Perth on Friday, the first time since January 2019 that two new baggy green caps have been handed out before a single test. Steve Smith, standing in as captain for the injured Pat Cummins, named the team in his eve-of-match press conference at Perth Stadium on Thursday, ending months of speculation about the opening partnership. Weatherald’s incl...