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Australia has announced the Test Championship and Ashes squad

Mainul Islam — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 09:16:28 +0000

Australia announced the 17-man squad for the final of the Test Championship and the first two Tests of the Ashes on Wednesday (April 19). David Warner’s performance was heavily criticized before the team was announced for the tour. There is also a question about whether he will be kept on the team or not. However, in the end, Cricket Australia kept him in the team for both the final of the Test Championship and the Ashes. Australia was in danger due to Cameron Green’s injury during the tour of India. The good news is that he has recovered and returned to the team.

Along with that, Mitchell Marsh has been kept on the team. Marcus Harris also returned to the team. Another one to get the call is Matt Renshaw. Batsman Peter Handscome and three spinners Ashton Agar, Matthew Kuneman, and Mitchell Swepson have been left out of the squad for the recent tour of India. The final of the World Test Championship will be played at The Oval on June 7. India and Australia will fight for the title in the final. Then the Ashes will start on June 16, this year’s Ashes will start with the Edgbaston Test. Australia Team: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh English, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matt Renshaw, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.

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Women’s Ashes: Charlie Dean, Maia Bouchier earn maiden call-up as ECB announces England squad

BUDDY — Sat, 18 Dec 2021 18:13:11 +0000

On Friday, the England Cricket Board (ECB) announced the 17-member squad for the upcoming multi-format Women’s Ashes against Australia, beginning with the one-off Test in Canberra on January 27.

Charlie Dean and Maia Bouchier, who made their limited-overs debut against New Zealand last year, have earned their maiden Ashes call-up. Dean has so far played five One-Day Internationals (ODIs), in which she has scored 19 runs and taken 10 wickets. Similarly, Bouchier has appeared in only 2 T20Is for England and scored 26 runs.

Heather Knight will captain the side featuring some other familiar names like Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole and Danni Wyatt.

After the one-off Test, both sides will meet in the three-match T20I series and as many ODI fixtures. While the first two T20Is will take place in Sydney, the last T20I and ODI series opener will be played in Adelaide. Similarly, the remaining two ODIs will be hosted in Melbourne.

England will be looking for their first Ashes win since 2014, after losing the previous two series at home in 2015 and 2019 and drawing in Australia in 2017.

“It’s always exciting to head to Australia to take on the challenge of winning the Ashes, and we’re really looking forward to going out there and making some memories as a team. We’ve got a nice blend of experienced pros and youngsters, and it’s a trip we’ve been preparing for since the end of our summer. A multi-format series is a great test of all our skills, and we can’t wait to get out there,” said England head coach Lisa Keightley in a statement.

England Women’s Ashes squad:

Heather Knight (c), Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Tash Farrant, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Nat Sciver, (VC), Anya Shrubsole, Mady Villiers, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Danni Wyatt

Further, the apex English board also released the 12-member England-A side, which will travel with the senior team for a six-match limited-overs series.

England Women’s A squad:

Emily Arlott, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Alice Davidson-Richards, Georgia Elwiss, Kirstie Gordon, Eve Jones, Beth Langston, Emma Lamb, Bryony Smith, Ellie Threlkeld, Issy Wong.

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Men’s Ashes 2021-22 – England docked a further three WTC points by ICC for slow over rate in Brisbane Test

BUDDY — Sat, 18 Dec 2021 18:11:43 +0000

ICC’s clarification on a total of eight penalty points comes when the side is staring down a mammoth task to salvage second Ashes Test in Adelaide

As if England’s plight wasn’t difficult enough, staring down a 456-run deficit heading into the third day in Adelaide, the ICC piled on more misery by docking them a further three points for slow over rates in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.

“Last Saturday, it was announced that England would be docked five WTC points, one for each over they were found to initially have fallen short by,” the ICC said in a statement. “However, it has since emerged they were eight overs short, and will therefore lose three additional points.

“The points deduction for penalty overs is not capped and must reflect the actual number of penalty overs a team is short of the minimum requirement as per Clause 16.1.2 of the ICC Playing Conditions, hence they have been penalised one point for each over they were short.”

The announcement leaves England in seventh place on the WTC table, with six points from five Tests in the current competition cycle, and came after England had lost early wickets to be 17 for 2 in response to Australia’s first-innings 473 for 9 declared when an electrical storm curtailed the final session on day two of the second Test at Adelaide Oval.

England managed to bowl 89 of the scheduled 90 overs on the first day in Adelaide, albeit relying on five overs of Joe Root’s part-time off-spin to catch up.

While over rates could well remain a concern for England’s five-man seam attack, Graham Thorpe, their assistant coach, played down the issue after the first day’s play, saying: “I think there’s bigger things going on in the world than over rates.”

England, who lost the first Test by nine wickets and now face a mammoth task to salvage the second, were also penalised for a poor overrate in their home series against India in July and August, meaning they have now conceded a total of 10 points for slow over rate offences.

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England seamer Ollie Robinson Ashes

BUDDY — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 18:00:54 +0000

I’m definitely going to be trying to get under their skins: Ollie Robinson on Ashes battle with Aussies

England pace bowler Ollie Robinson has proclaimed that he wouldn’t back away from having a go at the Aussies in the upcoming Ashes series. Robinson claimed that, according to him, the Englishmen have a more than decent chance of taking the urn back home.

The 28-year-old was impressive in the Test series against India at home, claiming 21 wickets in four matches, even troubling a big player from the opposition – skipper Virat Kohli. Returning from a short ban that was imposed on him after his historical racist tweets came to the fore, Robinson displayed plenty of penetration against India.

Looking ahead to the Australian challenge, the fast bowler admitted that he would try to unsettle the opponents with his bowling and verbals as well. He commented, “I’m definitely going to be trying to get under their skins and try and sort of unsettle them as it were, batters and bowlers really. If I can get them off their rhythm then we’re winning, so it’s something you’ll definitely see and hopefully we will come out on top.”

The Ashes series will kick off with the first match at the Gabba in Brisbane from December 8. There has been plenty of hype surrounding the big game. The match should generate a lot of talk within the betting community, so make sure to look for a no deposit bonus sportsbooks. The Ashes come in as the favorites as the bookmakers made England the underdogs despite the return of Ben Stokes. Australia to win at 1/3. Draw at 7/1. England to win at 9/2 at the time of writing this.

Australia played the T20 World Cup final in the UAE, which they won and served a quarantine period. According to Robinson, since England have got more time to prepare, that could give them a slight advantage going into the first Test. The pacer explained, “They were at the World Cup (final) and in quarantine so they are probably a few weeks behind us. We feel like we have some good work in us since being here and hopefully that will give us the edge in the first Test. I feel we are definitely the underdogs but we can take the urn home.”

Robinson also added that he would look to target Australian vice-captain Steve Smith during the Ashes. The England bowler explained that Smith plays a lot of balls from deep in his crease, so his contact points are a lot deeper than other batters.

He elaborated, “So my lengths might have to be slightly different to him. If you start to starve him of his scoring areas, he seems to want to score. He’s not someone that will just sit there and block all day. Hopefully, he’ll make the mistake or if the ball is moving I can get him lbw or nick off.”

Smith hammered a monumental 774 runs during Ashes 2019 despite missing a Test match due to injury.

Robinson further revealed that he hopes to emulate former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, having watched him play during the 2006-07 Ashes series. Although England lost the series 5-0, the 28-year-old pacer recalls some fine performances from Flintoff.

Robinson told reporters ahead of the first Ashes Test, “I haven’t been here (to Brisbane) before to play but I watched the Test match here when I was 13. That was pretty special and I was lucky to be here,” Robinson told British media. “There were moments in that series that I remember, I think Freddie got 89 one day (in Sydney) and I remember thinking he just took it to the Aussies. Growing up that’s what I wanted to do and how I wanted to play my cricket.”

He’s been fantastic: Joe Root praised Ollie Robinson

England captain Joe Root praised Robinson’s ‘fantastic’ bowling performances despite facing a personal turmoil on his Test debut. Immediately after making his debut against New Zealand in June, Robinson had to serve a short ban after his offensive historical tweets came to the fore.

Robinson, however, returned for the Test series against India and proved highly effective. He is being viewed as a potential threat by Australia heading into the Ashes.

Speaking to reporters, Root said about Robinson, “You look at how Ollie’s taken to Test cricket, he’s been fantastic. His performances have been very good and have stood up. He’s had to deal with some instances already in his career, so for him to be able to overcome that and still perform how he has is impressive in many ways.”

Kent-born Robinson has so far represented England in five Tests and has claimed 28 wickets at an impressive average of 19.60 with a best of 5 for 65.

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If Warner can’t play, Khawaja goes in and opens the batting: Ricky Ponting

BUDDY — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 17:57:18 +0000

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting picked Usman Khawaja as David Warner’s replacement for the second Ashes Test in case the latter is ruled out of the match due to an injury. Warner did not field on Friday after being hit in the chest during Australia’s first innings.

Cricket.com.au quoted Ponting as saying that Khawaja can come in place of Warner if needed. The former Aussie opener commented, “If (Warner) can’t play, I think it’s probably Khawaja that goes in and opens the batting. Although he hasn’t done it the last couple years for Queensland he’s done it for Australia before.”

“He’s obviously in really good form, so I think that’s probably the way to go. I think he’s experienced enough, but the fact he hasn’t done it for a while would be a bit of a concern,” Ponting added.

The former Aussie captain added that it was worrying Warner did not come out to field at all. He further stated that everyone will have a better idea about his status when or if he bats in the second innings.

“I noticed that after he got hit, he came out after one of the breaks and you could see that he had a little (chest) guard over that area. I got a bit worried about it then because I’ve never seen him with a chest guard on before,” Ponting said.

“Even if it’s just bruising, I would think that he’d be out there fielding so there might be a bit more to it than what we’re hearing,” Punter opined.

Warner missed out on a hundred by six runs in Australia’s first innings. He was out for 94 off 176, caught by Ben Stokes off Ollie Robinson. The Aussies posted 425 in their first innings, responding to England’s 147 as Travis Head top-scored with 152

England put up a much better fight in their second innings. Skipper Joe Root was unbeaten on 86 and Dawid Malan on 80 as the visitors ended Day 3 of the first Ashes Test on 220 for 2. England, however, still trail Australia by 58 runs.

–By A Cricket Correspondent

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Ashes 2021-22, 1st Test – Alex Carey takes occasion in his stride on Test debut

BUDDY — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 17:55:56 +0000

Team-mates unsurprised as Paine’s replacement steps up with the gloves and bat

Bright lights and debuts hold no fears for Alex Carey. In February 2009, he played at Adelaide Oval for the first time as a 17-year-old representing Glenelg against Kensington in the final of South Australia’s 1st Grade 50-over competition.

He took to the arena like a duck to water with a Player of the Match performance. Batting under lights for the first time in his life, he made 64 not out opening the innings, calmly guiding Glenelg home in a chase of 154 after they had been 2 for 22.

The pressure of a maiden Test appearance as a 30-year-old in the opening match of an Ashes is clearly on another level. But again, Carey handled it with aplomb, keeping flawlessly to claim eight catches, the most by any wicketkeeper on Test debut.

There was a discussion at Australia’s selection table in the lead-up to the Gabba Test about whether Carey or the uncapped Josh Inglis should be Tim Paine’s replacement behind the stumps. Carey showed why his 83 games of international experience for Australia, three of which he has captained, was invaluable.

“I’ve got lots of confidence in my game,” he said. “I guess playing a little bit of white-ball cricket for Australia helps that. Once the bowler is running in, I focus on the ball and that is the same with the bat. Obviously your first Test you’ve got a bit going through your mind.

“It didn’t take me too long I guess to get into the rhythm. Probably a few overs and then we’re playing cricket again. It was great fun.”

Confidence and calmness are traits Carey has in abundance. He rarely gets fazed or overawed. In his first 50-over World Cup in England in 2019 he was one of Australia’s most reliable performers, and nothing epitomised his ability to stay present in the moment than the semi-final against England.

He was famously clocked on the chin by a vicious Jofra Archer bouncer that dislodged his helmet. Despite the delivery splitting his chin open, his first split-second reaction was to catch his helmet before it fell on the stumps. Needing stitches, he remained on the field with his head swathed in bandages as blood seeped through and made 46 from 70 balls to help Australia avoid complete embarrassment.

There was no need for such heroics at the Gabba, but there was pressure to keep a clean sheet behind the stumps in the cauldron of an Ashes opener and he did just that.

“I guess as a wicketkeeper you’re only going to get judged on catches taken or catches dropped,” Carey said.

“I think it’s been an absolutely incredible debut,” Lyon said. “I’m not surprised by it. I’ve watched him train in the lead-up and his preparation has been world-class. He’s played obviously a lot of white-ball cricket for Australia and our relationship is only going to get bigger and better and stronger.

“He’s coming down on the early bus with me to catch in the nets. To debut at the Gabba in an Ashes series, take eight catches, [we’re] pretty proud of him.”

Carey’s captain, Pat Cummins, wasn’t surprised at his performance behind the stumps either.

“Thought he was tremendous,” Cummins said. “Really clean against Lyno as well. Not surprised, he’s played a lot of international cricket and we knew he’d slot straight in and be high quality. Really happy for him. Also, putting his hand up when David Warner wasn’t going to open and saying, ‘I’ll open’ shows a lot of confidence to do whatever he can for the team.”

Carey had opened just twice in first-class cricket previously but had no hesitation in taking on the job to protect Warner and the middle order.

“Why disrupt number three, four and five?” Carey said. “I felt confident to go out there and do the job. Unfortunately, I nicked one but we won the Test match. I’m pretty happy. I’ll play any role for this team.”

On Thursday, nearly 13 years after his first appearance at Adelaide Oval, Carey will get to live out a dream of playing a day-night Test match at home in front of family and friends.

“I’m really excited to now head to Adelaide,” Carey said. “We all know what the pink-ball Test means. It’s a really good atmosphere in Adelaide. But growing up watching games there and to have my family there is going to be very exciting. And obviously, winning this Test puts us in a good place to hopefully start really well on Thursday.”

Alex Malcolm is an Associate Editor at ESPNcricinfo

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WATCH: Haseeb Hameed misses David Warner’s run-out as the duo involve in comedy of errors – Ashes 2021-22

BUDDY — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 13:05:34 +0000

Even though David Warner missed out on hitting his 25th Test century on Day 2 of the ongoing Gabba Test against England, the Aussie opener rode his luck on the way to a brilliant 94-run knock.

Warner got as many as three lifelines and some play and miss throughout his innings. When he was batting at 17, the left-handed batter got clean bowled off Ben Stokes‘ delivery, but it was called a no-ball.

When Warner reached 48, he was again given a lifeline after his catch at the second slip was dropped by Rory Burns. As if this wasn’t enough, the ‘pocket dynamite’ got another opportunity to stay in the middle after Haseeb Hameed missed out on a chance of running out the Aussie opener.

It all happened during the 37th over of the Australian innings, when Warner clipped the ball to Hameed at short leg and impulsively went for a run before realising the English cricketer had the ball.

As Warner tried to turn back into his crease, he slipped, lost his bat and was out of his crease as well. Hameed took his time to have a go at the stumps but missed the chance as the New South Wales batter survived.

Here is the video:

A comedy of errors! Warner survives #Ashes pic.twitter.com/zq6oxRxG0s

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 9, 2021

Travis Head’s late fireworks put Australia in a commanding position

Warner was eventually dismissed by Ollie Robinson during the 56th over. The English seamer bowled a slower delivery, forcing the batter to play an early shot and lobbed a catch to mid-off, where Stokes made no mistake.

After Warner’s dismissal, Australia lost Cameron Green on the very next delivery as England were back in the game. That’s when middle-order batter Travis Head went for a counter-attack and played an ODI like innings to score a century off just 85 deliveries.

Head stayed unbeaten on 112 along with Mitchell Starc (10 no) as the hosts made 343/7 at stumps, leading England by 196 runs.

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Australia Ashes

BUDDY — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 12:59:33 +0000

I still have nightmares about his innings in that third Test: Justin Langer on Ben Stokes’ Headingley special

Australia coach Justin Langer has revealed that he still has nightmares about Ben Stokes’ incredible 135 not out during the third Ashes Test at Headingley in 2019.

Set to chase 359 to win the Test match, England seemed down and out at 286 for 9. However, a spectacular counter-attack by Stokes saw the Englishmen claim victory by one-wicket. The win was all the more special as England had been rolled over for 67 in their first innings. Before his batting heroics, Stokes had also claimed three crucial wickets in Australia’s second innings.

The Ashes will mark the return of Stokes to international cricket after he took a break to focus on his mental health. Stokes pulled out of the home series against India and missed the T20 World Cup as well.

Praising the England all-rounder, the Australian coach said, “He’s a great cricketer, no doubt about that. I still have nightmares about his innings in that third Test. I probably have more nightmares about his [bowling] spell on day three of that game. He’s an unbelievable athlete and a great competitor.”

The 30-year-old was added to England’s Test squad for the Ashes after he confirmed that he was ready to return to the national squad. Stokes is set to be seen in action when the Ashes kicks off with the first Test in Brisbane on December 8. The match is generating a lot of talk within the betting community. The bookmakers have the Ashes as the favorites despite the return of Ben Stokes. Australia to win at 1/3. Draw at 7/1. England to win at 9/2. Make sure to check out a William Hill review if you’re looking to get in on the action before the match.

Langer further said about Stokes’ return, “It’s great for the game that Ben Stokes is playing Ashes cricket, and we all love it. It’s an Australian summer and it probably wouldn’t be the same without the best players playing. It’s nice to see and hopefully his health is good. We welcome him here because he is one of the superstars of the game.”

Australia will have a new captain for the Ashes will Tim Paine having stepped down in the wake of a sexting scandal coming to light. Fast bowler Pat Cummins has been appointed as the country’s new Test captain.

Despite Paine coming in for heavy criticism, Langer has backed the former skipper, who has taken an indefinite break from cricket. Terming Paine as an exemplary figure in Australian cricket for the last four years, the Australian coach, who recently met him, commented, “His life has changed, obviously. But you’d have to ask him how he’s going. It was important to see him, we talk about looking after our boys and having each other’s backs. It was a no-brainer for me to go and see him.”

Alex Carey will make his Test debut in the first match of the upcoming Ashes, replacing Paine as wicketkeeper-batter.

Not sure we’ve seen the end of him: Langer on potential Paine comeback

In the wake of recent developments, most cricket experts believe that Paine’s Australia career is over. He will turn 37 the day the Ashes begins and hasn’t done much of note with the bat or as captain of late. Under him, Australia lost consecutive Test series’ to India at home.

Langer, though, has a differing view. According to him, Paine can still make a comeback as he is fit enough and loves the game. The Australian coach commented, “He loves cricket. He absolutely loves cricket. And he’s 37. He is as fit as any athlete, certainly in our squad. He looks after himself so well. He’s very focused. So who knows. His No.1 priority at the moment is family as you can imagine, and that’s how it should be. I’m not sure we’ve seen the end of him. But we’ll wait and see. That’ll be his decision.”

Following the controversy Paine finds himself in, Langer also reflected on the unforgiving nature of the society, particularly for those who are in the spotlight. The former Australian opener lamented that the case is so even though there is not a single person who hasn’t committed a mistake.

Langer opined, “We live in a world of perfectionism, don’t we? We’re a very judgmental society. And as I said at my very first press conference, I was asked about Steve Smith and David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, there’s not one person who’s asking questions … or who is listening to this who hasn’t made a mistake in their life. There’s not a single person. And our captain, one of the best, made a mistake and is paying a heavy price for it. I continually see in this job, and I see in this society we live in, it can be brutal. You learn your lessons, but we live in an unforgiving society and that’s a real shame.”

On Sunday, Australia named their playing XI for the first Ashes Test, confirming a Test debut for Carey while retaining under-fire left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc.

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Aus vs Eng, 1st Men’s Ashes Test, 2021-22

BUDDY — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 12:56:57 +0000

The landmark took a while to arrive but then the wickets came in a rush

“The next wicket is always the hardest one to get. That’s my mindset and that’s not going to change.”

Nathan Lyon outlined his philosophy just hours after claiming his 400th Test wicket and not long after Australia completed a nine-wicket victory over England to take a 1-0 lead in the Ashes.

But no matter what Lyon believes, some wickets are easier to get than others, and some should be savoured more than others. Lyon had been stuck on 399 Test wickets for 326 days and had to bowl 208 deliveries before finally reaching the milestone.

England’s Dawid Malan fell bat-pad early on the fourth morning to help Lyon become the 17th Test bowler to reach 400 scalps and the third Australian behind Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.

It had been a long wait and a huge build-up over those 326 days. He couldn’t even escape it in the changerooms as his team-mates ribbed him relentlessly. He claims his 404th is now the hardest to get, but 400 was no picnic.

“It was a big relief,” Lyon said. “It hasn’t really hit me yet, to be honest. No doubt I’ll get my phone out and call my family and friends and that will probably hit a little bit closer to home, I guess. But it’s something that I’m very proud of. There’s no doubt about that. It’s been some hard toil to get it but it’s very, very rewarding.”

With the weight off his shoulders, Lyon returned to his best to help Australia clean up England. His 401st wicket took just 11 more deliveries to get, bamboozling Ollie Pope with sharp bounce and turn as he tried to cut a ball that pitched wide of off. It only took 37 more to reach 403 as Ollie Robinson gifted Lyon his wicket with an attempted reverse sweep while Mark Wood was bowled by a full ball that drifted and dropped under the bat.

I think the biggest thing for me and my skill set is being able to get the ball to drift and drop and use my bounce. It’s all well and good to be a massive turner but if you can only turn the ball half a bat that brings in the edges

Nathan Lyon

In 38 deliveries Lyon had gone from carrying the weight of the world to producing another match-winning four-wicket haul.

There had been whispers around Lyon in recent times. It hasn’t been as vociferous as the one around Mitchell Starc, but nine Test wickets in nine innings over a near two-year span, despite Australia barely playing in that time, caused eyebrows to inevitably be raised.

Australia’s evisceration of England’s Jack Leach at the Gabba should give an indication of how difficult it is to bowl not only spin but conventional finger spin in Australia.

“I think he’s just about our most important bowler,” Pat Cummins said. “[He’s] a wicket-taking option but also, the amount of overs he bowls. Yesterday he bowled without luck but went at two-and-a-half an over for 20-odd overs on a hot day which is a huge asset for us.”

Since 2010, only three spinners have taken more than 20 Test wickets in Australia and all three are right arm offspinners. Lyon has 204 wickets at 32.87, striking at 66.9, with an economy rate of 2.94 and eight five-wicket hauls, alongside two 10-wicket hauls. R Ashwin has 39 wickets at 42.15, striking at 86.2 without a five-for, while Graeme Swann took 22 wickets at 52.59, striking at 98.5 with just one five-wicket haul.

There is no tougher challenge than bowling finger spin well on Australian pitches, and Lyon is nicknamed the goat for that reason.

“That’s what I grew up on,” Lyon said. “I think the biggest thing for me and my skill set is being able to get the ball to drift and drop and use my bounce. It’s all well and good to be a massive turner but if you can only turn the ball half a bat that brings in the edges. That’s my strength and that’s what I believe in and that’s what I’ll keep doing until I’m done.”

While Lyon returned to his best taking care of Malan and Pope and troubling Ben Stokes on day four, one challenge remains for him over the next four Tests. Joe Root, his former team-mate at Prospect in Adelaide grade cricket, played him with aplomb.

“There are a couple of challenges there that’s for sure,” Lyon said. “He’s a very good player off the front and back foot and he sweeps. So it does provide a really decent challenge for spinners to get him caught on the crease and challenge his defence for a long period of time.

“But he’s the best batter in the world at the moment and he showed his class out there and so it’s going to be a big summer against Joe. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for him and the way he’s gone about it. I’m going to have to make sure that I keep looking at footage keep planning and try and come up with a few different things for him.”

Nathan Lyon’s 400th wicket has come and gone. The next one is the hardest to get.

Alex Malcolm is an Associate Editor at ESPNcricinfo

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Ashes: Queensland Police troll England with savage tweet after a dramatic collapse in Gabba Test

BUDDY — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 20:25:04 +0000

England’s campaign for the Ashes 2021-22 got off to the worst start as Joe Root and his men were bundled out for a paltry 147 against Australia on the opening day of the first Test in Gabba.

Getting in on the banter, Queensland Police trolled England with a savage tweet after their collapse in the first innings.

“BNE traffic update: A large crowd for the first Test so plan your Cummins and goings. We’d be Lyon if we said there’ll be nothing but green lights near the Gabba. Don’t say we didn’t Warner,” the police department tweeted.

“Queensland Police are launching an investigation into a group impersonating a Test batting order at the Gabba,” added further.

Queensland Police are launching an investigation into a group impersonating a Test batting order at the Gabba.

— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) December 8, 2021

Earlier, England won the toss and opted to bat first. Mitchell Starc gave a stellar start to his side by dismissing England opener Rory Burns on the first ball of the match. Burns was completely off beaten by the shearing yorker bowled by Starc.

After getting a successful start, seasoned pacer Josh Hazlewood sent back David Malan in the fourth over, and Joe Root in the sixth.

Pat Cummins’ first wicket as Test captain was of Ben Stokes, who scored just 5 runs in his comeback game.

Opener Haseeb Hameed added a 31-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Ollie Pope, before being removed by Cummins.

Wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler accumulated 39 runs off 58 balls with the help of five fours.

The Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green took his maiden Test wicket in form of Pope.

The remaining English batting line-up went off after showing a short-resistance to the Aussies attack.

For the hosts, Cummins took a five-wicket haul in his first Test match as skipper, while Hazlewood and Starc picked up two wickets each.

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