Team England | DD News

November 18, 2025 10:35 AM

Fearless England ready to shake off weight of failure

Recent history will weigh heavily on the shoulders of England's players when they take the field in Perth on Friday seeking to end a lamentable run of Ashes failure in Australia. They have lost 13 of their previous 15 test matches Down Under, drawing the other two, and you must go all the way back to 2011 for the last England victory. Confident noises are coming out of England's camp, though, and whether or not Brendon McCullum's side can turn the tide, one thing is for sure, the touring side ...

November 16, 2025 5:05 PM

Relief for England as scans clear Mark Wood of injury ahead of Ashes

England's pace spearhead Mark Wood has been cleared of a hamstring injury, the country's cricket board (ECB) said on Saturday, a major relief for the side days ahead of their first Ashes test against Australia. Fast bowler Wood left the field on Thursday complaining of hamstring stiffness after bowling eight overs for an England XI against a second-string England Lions side during an Ashes warm-up game. "Following precautionary scans on Friday, England fast bowler Mark Wood has been cleared of...

November 5, 2025 6:03 PM

Australia selector George Bailey defends age profile of Ashes squad after Waugh criticism

Australia's selectors chairman George Bailey defended sticking with the test side's veteran core for the Ashes on Wednesday following criticism from former captain Steve Waugh about the team's ageing profile. Waugh said on Tuesday that Bailey needed to make tough calls to regenerate the side and had failed to do so in the past, putting Australia's future at risk. "He's going to have to step up to the plate with the other selectors," Waugh had told reporters at the Sydney Cricket Ground. "The b...

November 5, 2025 6:04 PM

Sam Konstas dropped, uncapped Weatherald included in Australia’s Ashes squad

Young opener Sam Konstas has been dropped from Australia's squad for the Ashes, opening the door for uncapped Jake Weatherald to make a test debut in the five-match series against England. Konstas, 20, misses out after a poor tour with the bat in the West Indies, while Weatherald has been included after topping the Sheffield Shieldruns list in 2024/25 and starting the new season with three half-centuries. Top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne was recalled in the 15-man squad after starting the d...

October 31, 2025 10:28 AM

NZ paceman Matt Henry out of final England ODI

New Zealand paceman Matt Henry has been ruled out of Sunday's final one-day international against England because of a calf strain and Kristian Clarke has been called into the squad to replace him, the team said on Friday. The Blacks Caps sealed series honours on Wednesday when Blair Tickner, who was a late replacement for Henry in the team, took 4-34 in a five-wicket win over the tourists in Hamilton. Tickner had come into the squad last Sunday as a replacement for Kyle Jamieson, who was rule...

October 28, 2025 4:56 PM

Alex Carey hoping Australia fans can block out English taunts during Ashes

Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey remembers a hostile reception from English crowds after stumping Jonny Bairstow at Lord's during the 2023 Ashes and hopes home fans can drown out the taunts of the Barmy Army in the coming series. Carey sparked a 'Spirit of Cricket' row when he threw down the stumps as Bairstow left his crease at the end of an over on the final day of the second test at the game's spiritual home. Australia's players were subjected to abuse from MCC members in the stadium's Lon...

October 17, 2025 4:22 PM

England’s Mark Wood optimistic about fitness for Ashes opener

England fast bowler Mark Wood is "quietly confident" he will be fit for the Ashes opener against Australia next month after being sidelined since February due to a knee injury. The 35-year-old underwent surgery in March and was ruled out for the summer but was included in England's 16-man Ashes squad named last month. Wood was one of England's standout bowlers in the 2021-22 Ashes, claiming 17 wickets. England last won the Ashes in 2015, while their last series victory in Australia coming in 2...

October 15, 2025 4:55 PM

England’s Kiwi coaching trio eye NZ success before Ashes

Jeetan Patel is one of a trio of New Zealanders on the England coaching staff plotting Ashes success Down Under this year but first they will be looking to take down the country they once proudly represented. Patel, who has coached England's spin bowlers since 2019, was joined more recently by former seamer Tim Southee in the staff of their former Black Caps teammate, head coach Brendon McCullum. They will be guiding England in three Twenty20s and three one-day internationals against New Zeala...

October 14, 2025 3:15 PM

England’s Root ready to break century drought in Australia

Joe Root has failed to score a century in 27 test innings in Australia but the Englishman believes he is ready to end that streak when the Ashes begin in Perth next month. The former England captain has chalked up nine test half-centuries in Australia, with a highest score of 89 in a nine-wicket loss in Brisbane in December 2021. Root, who was replaced as captain by Ben Stokes following that series, has since scored over 4,000 runs and 16 centuries in the longest format. "I feel I am in a dif...

September 29, 2025 10:27 PM

England all-rounder Woakes announces international retirement

England all-rounder Chris Woakes announced his international retirement on Monday after missing out on selection for the Ashes series starting in Australia in November. Team director Rob Key said last week that the 36-year-old, who suffered a dislocated shoulder against India at The Oval last month, did not feature in plans for the future. "The moment has come, and I've decided that the time is right for me to retire from international cricket," Woakes said in a statement on social media. "Pl...