All posts tagged: Australia vs England

Former England captains Atherton, Hussain & Boycott blast ECB over lack of Ashes accountability

Former England captains Atherton, Hussain & Boycott blast ECB over lack of Ashes accountability

Published by Webster

3 min readMar 25, 2026 11:47 PM IST The England Cricket Board (ECB) continues to find itself at the receiving end of criticism after handing a clean chit to head coach Brendon McCullum, following a disastrous Ashes series in which England lost 4–1 in emphatic fashion during the five-match Test tour of Australia last summer. ECB chief executive Richard Gould recently confirmed that the positions of captain Ben Stokes, managing director Rob Key, and McCullum are safe following a thorough review conducted by the board. Former England captain Michael Atherton expressed surprise at the decision. He believes fans will find it “extraordinary” that no jobs were lost for the “mistakes” made during the Ashes defeat. “From the perspective of people out there, they will find it extraordinary that there’s been no accountability for the mistakes made in the Ashes,” Atherton said while speaking to Key on the Sky Sports Cricket podcast. “It’s not necessarily bloodlust people want, but I think they want genuine accountability. If there’s no change to key personnel, they will argue, ‘Well, …

‘Score loads of runs’: Ollie Pope on roadmap given to make England Test squad comeback | Cricket News

‘Score loads of runs’: Ollie Pope on roadmap given to make England Test squad comeback | Cricket News

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: Mar 18, 2026 11:02 AM IST “Go back, score loads of runs”: This is what Ollie Pope said he was told by the England management after being dropped during the 2025/26 Ashes. Pope had been axed after scoring just 125 runs in 6 innings during yet another forgettable campaign Down Under for England. Jacob Bethell took over as number three in the team for the two tests instead of Pope. The 28-year-old acknowledged the decision correct, but he was upset to lose his position. “Getting dropped is tough. I didn’t want to get dropped of course, but it was the right decision at the time,” he is quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. Since making his Test debut in 2018, Pope had scored 3732 runs in 64 matches at an average of 34.55 with nine centuries and 16 half-centuries. He said that he has a good equation with head coach Brendon McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key. “If I’m not in that XI, can I make sure I’m the best batter in the …

Alastair Cook expresses interest in being Brendon McCullum’s assistant coach at England: ‘You need a variety of different people’ | Cricket News

Alastair Cook expresses interest in being Brendon McCullum’s assistant coach at England: ‘You need a variety of different people’ | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Alastair Cook has said that he would consider joining the England Test team’s coaching staff if he is given the offer, just days after former England captain Michael Atherton floated the idea of him becoming Brendon McCullum’s assistant coach. The suggestion, and Cook’s subsequent admission, has come in the flurry of opinions that have cropped up since the end of the 2025/26 Ashes, which England lost 4-1. Cook wrote in his colum for The Times that he had never thought of going into coaching but is now thinking about it after Atherton’s piece for the paper. “I can’t say that I’m not excited about the possibility of potentially getting involved, but I certainly haven’t had any contact from England,” wrote Cook in his column. “Ultimately if McCullum stays it has got to be up to him who he wants in his backroom team and he has to pick who he thinks are the best coaches around. I do think, though, that in any team you need a variety of different people and there has been …

England players went to casinos several times during Ashes, disobeyed Ben Stokes’ orders; captain, coach divided: Report

England players went to casinos several times during Ashes, disobeyed Ben Stokes’ orders; captain, coach divided: Report

Published by Parlour News

England’s 2025-26 Ashes defeat against Australia has opened a can of worms, as striking details as to how the team approached the high-profile series were revealed. England, led by Ben Stokes, were expected to put pressure on the hosts, with experts believing they could win their first series Down Under in 15 years. However, hopes were sent crashing as Australia registered a comprehensive 4-1 win. England conceded the urn in just 11 days after losing the first three Tests in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. England lost the Ashes 1-4 against Australia. (AFP) The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed a comprehensive review into the workings of the management that led to a disastrous tour Down Under. Both Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have expressed their desire to continue in their respective positions and help England emerge from its slumber, but given the current state of affairs, it’s far easier said than done. A new report in The Telegraph has presented some damning findings, highlighting how the England camp visited casinos during the …

How does Neil Harvey, the oldest living Test cricketer, view Bazball? Unsurprisingly, not with any fondness | Cricket News

How does Neil Harvey, the oldest living Test cricketer, view Bazball? Unsurprisingly, not with any fondness | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Neil Harvey, the 97-year-old former Australia captain who was a member of the famed teams of Don Bradman, is still watching Test cricket with interest. Not a lot of it is impressing him. In a wide-ranging interview with British newspaper The Guardian, Harvey spoke about how he has been disappointed with the England team that has toured Australia this year, trailing the five-match series 1-3 as the fifth Test goes into a final day on Thursday. Harvey himself had been an attack-first run-scorer, so he is not too harsh on England and their much-maligned ‘Bazball’ template. But he feels they do not understand how to rein it in. “I’ve been disappointed in England. I think the way they approach the batting side of things, they get too reckless, nobody seems to want to build an innings, like a (Colin) Cowdrey or a (Geoffrey) Boycott,” Harvey told The Guardian. “It might work against ordinary teams but when you get a class side like Australia it’s a different ballgame. I used to score runs relatively quickly, and …

Travis Head joins Hayden, Alastair Cook and Michael Vaughan in elite Ashes list after another century against England

Travis Head joins Hayden, Alastair Cook and Michael Vaughan in elite Ashes list after another century against England

Published by Parlour News

The Ashes 2024-25 became all the more memorable for Australia’s Travis Head as he hit his third century of the ongoing series on Tuesday, which happened to be the third day of the fifth and final Test against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Before the start of play on Day 3, Head was unbeaten on 91, and it only took him 18 deliveries after the resumption of the Test to get to his 12th hundred in Tests for Australia. He got to the milestone by scoring a boundary off the bowling of Josh Tongue. Travis Head hit his third century of the ongoing Ashes 2025-26(AFP) Once the century was completed, the pink-clad Sydney crowd erupted. Head then once again did his trademark celebration by placing his helmet on top of his bat handle and hoisting it into the air. The 32-year-old has now hit tons at seven different Australian venues. Head has had a memorable Ashes 2025-26 campaign, scoring 600 runs in nine innings at an average of 66.66 and a strike rate of …

‘I hope someone in that dressing room will sit down with him’: Nasser Hussain on Jamie Smith’s rash shot against Marnus Labuschangne | Cricket News

‘I hope someone in that dressing room will sit down with him’: Nasser Hussain on Jamie Smith’s rash shot against Marnus Labuschangne | Cricket News

Published by Webster

England were looking set for a big total against Australia in the final Test of the Ashes at Sydney Cricket Ground when Joe Root and wicket-keeper batsman Jamie Smith were going about their business in a 96-run partnership for the sixth wicket. While Australia did not pick a specialist spinner in the Sydney Test, a first in 138 years, the hosts had reverted to Travis Head bowling spin coupled with Marnus Labuchangne’s medium pace ahead of lunch on Monday morning at SCG, the latter move being roundly criticised by Australian commentators. Australia captain Steve Smith also copped some criticism for putting most of his fielders on the boundary. And yet, he was unbelievably vindicated when Jamie Smith charged down the pitch to a dragged-back short ball by Labuschagne to get caught by Scott Boland at deep cover. It was the turn of English commentators to be flabbergasted with former captain Nasser Hussain terming the shot as ‘really poor’ and shared how he hope that someone in England dressing room should speak to the likes of …

‘Have to be a little more patient’: Harry Brook after Day 1 of final Ashes Test | Cricket News

‘Have to be a little more patient’: Harry Brook after Day 1 of final Ashes Test | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Harry Brook finished Day 1 of the fifth Ashes Test on 78 off 92 balls, with his 154-run partnership with fellow Yorkshireman Joe Root leaving England in a good position at 211 for three when bad light and rain cut short play in Sydney. Brook had copped criticism throughout the series for his tendency to be dismissed while attempting a rash shot after having got a good start and the 26-year-old admitted at the end of the day’s play on Sunday that he has to do better at trying to be patient. “I’ve just got to be a little bit more patient and take my ones here and there, and thankfully I did that today,” he told reporters. “So that’s something I’ve got to think about going forward and put that into my game. Try and be a little bit patient at times and absorb the pressure. And whether that’s taking my ones instead of trying to hit boundaries, then so be it.” Brook’s compulsive streak was on display on Sunday as well as he …

Jason Gillespie reacts to Usman Khawaja’s comments about preparation and playing golf ahead of first Ashes Test at Perth

Jason Gillespie reacts to Usman Khawaja’s comments about preparation and playing golf ahead of first Ashes Test at Perth

Published by Webster

Former Australian paceman Jason Gillespie said that he experienced “a tinge of disappointment” watching Usman Khawaja’s press conference on Friday, where he announced he would retire after the fifth and final Ashes Test at Sydney. Gillespie referenced the criticism from some quarters surrounding Khawaja’s golf hit prior to the Ashes opener at Perth as being valid. “I’m not questioning the racism that Usman has faced throughout his life,” he told ABC Sport. “I’ve actually always admired him and applauded him for speaking up because racism is a big stain on our society, and it always needs to be called out. He referenced racism when he was talking about the criticism that he received. A few former players came out and quite rightly questioned whether that [playing golf] was the best possible preparation.” “Being questioned over that and being held to account over your choices, that’s not bullying, it’s not abuse, that’s all part and parcel of being a professional. You can’t really throw a temper tantrum when asked to take accountability for the job you’re …

Ashes: Why the fifth Test between Australia and England is far from a dead rubber | Cricket News

Ashes: Why the fifth Test between Australia and England is far from a dead rubber | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Sydney Calling: New Year Test, New Stories The Ashes is already done and dusted, but heading to the fifth and final Test there is still everything to play for given the World Test Championship points are up for grabs. Both teams, which are depleted through injured players, have few calls to make before the SCG Test. Here are the talking points… Final outing for Khawaja? Despite being the least of concerns for Australia heading into the Ashes, a lot has changed for Usman Khawaja, who is now batting in middle-order. He is set to address the media on Friday and there are speculations that Khawaja is set to call time on his career and the SCG, which has been home to many storied farewells in Australian cricket, could well be the final destination for him as well. Former Australia captain Michael Clarkereckoned Sydney Test could be Khawaja’s final Test. “I think this will be Usman’s farewell Test match. I don’t think it’s a token selection; they obviously picked him for Melbourne, so if they’ve gone …