Ashes Archives

Ben Stokes signs England deal until Ashes 2027

Ben Stokes has been awarded a fresh two-year contract that will take him through to the end of the next home Ashes series in 2027, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Tuesday.

The Test captain, whose previous deal had been due to expire next year, is one of 14 players handed two-year deals by the ECB, including pace bowler Jofra Archer and highly rated young batsman Jacob Bethell.

Stokes, 34, has a chequered injury history and has not played any cricket since July following a shoulder injury.

But he is expected to be available for the first Test of a five-match Ashes series against Australia, which starts in Perth on November 21.

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Jonny Bairstow’s central contract has finally come to an end, while spinner Jack Leach also misses out after falling out of favour.

Rob Key, managing director of England men’s cricket, said the contracts reflect the depth and strength of talent available.

“We have awarded two-year deals to our multi-format players, so we can manage their workloads responsibly and give them the stability they need to perform across formats,” he said.

“We have also secured a number of white-ball players on longer agreements to help us plan effectively around the growing franchise calendar and ensure England remains their priority.”

England Men’s Central Contracts (2025/26)

Two-year contracts): Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes and Josh Tongue.

One-year contracts: Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Phil Salt, Luke Wood and Mark Wood.

Development contracts: Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes and Mitchell Stanley.

Lapsed contracts: Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes and John Turner.

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Australia captain Pat Cummins ruled out of first Ashes Test

Injured Australia captain Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the first Ashes Test against England in Perth next month, head coach Andrew McDonald said on Monday.

McDonald said Cummins had “run out of time” as he recovers from a lower back injury, and that veteran batter Steve Smith would lead the side in his absence.

Australia are clinging to hope the pace spearhead will be ready for the second match of the Five-Test series.

“We’ve grappled with it for a little while, and the nature of the injury is that you grapple with it day-by-day,” McDonald told reporters. “We’re really optimistic and hopeful for the second Test match.”

“He’ll be back bowling this week, that’s a huge step.”

But McDonald conceded Australia were unable to give a firm timeframe for Cummins’ return.

The 32-year-old has not played since picking up a lower back injury in a Test match against the West Indies in July.

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McDonald said Australia were “incredibly fortunate” to call on the experienced Smith in Cummins’ absence.

Scott Boland looms as the likely replacement, joining fellow quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

“Losing your captain is not ideal, but when you’re talking about Scott Boland as a potential replacement — it’s not a bad position to be in,” McDonald said.

Cummins’ race to prove his fitness has become a major storyline leading up to the first Test, starting in Perth on November 21.

“I’m still doing a bit of gym and keeping things kicking over, but with this kind of injury, it’s rest and then we’ll build back and kind of work back from the Ashes,” he said in September.

“Still really hopeful to be able to be part of the Ashes. But it is a little bit of a wait-and-see.”

Pat Cummins has suffered serious back issues several times over the years, including a flare-up in 2018 that kept him out of action for a full off-season.

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Pat Cummins provides fitness update for first Ashes Test

Injured Australia captain Pat Cummins said on Monday that he was “probably less likely than likely” to be fit for the first Ashes Test next month, but was still clinging to a shred of hope.

Pace spearhead Cummins has not played since picking up a lower back injury in a Test match against the West Indies in July.

Cummins admitted time was running out to get his body ready for the opening Ashes Test beginning in Perth on November 21.

“I’d say probably less likely than likely, but still got a bit of time,” Cummins told reporters, adding that he felt a “bit stiff”.

Cummins said he was still two weeks away from bowling again in the nets, and then it would take time to rebuild his fitness to a level where he could play a full part in a Test.

“You want at least a month in the nets, getting used to it,” said Cummins.

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“If you’re going to play a Test match, you want to make sure you’re right to bowl 20 overs a day and you don’t have to really think about it.

“I know I’m running today and running every second day, and each run is a bit longer, and then we get into bowling prep next week.

“Probably a couple of weeks to go before I’m putting on the spikes and bowling out on turf.”

Australia coach Andrew McDonald said last week he was still considering whether to include Cummins in the side, even if he was a “little bit underdone” with his rehabilitation.

Australia retained the Ashes in England in 2023 after the series ended in a 2-2 draw.

They beat England 4-0 at home in 2021-22 when Cummins was the leading bowler with 21 wickets at an average of 18.

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Root hits back at critics, eyes Ashes glory down under

England ace batter Joe Root has shut down the noise ahead of the 2025 Ashes in Australia, stating that his side is ready to ‘bring the urn home’.

England’s ace batter Joe Root has shut down the noise ahead of the 2025 Ashes in Australia, stating that his side is ready to “bring the urn home.”

Root has 39 Test hundreds to his name; however, the batting maestro is yet to score a ton in Australia. He has nine fifties and has a decent average of 35.68 in 14 Tests.

The Three Lions have not won the Ashes since 2015, and their last Test series victory in Australia dates back to 2010-11.

Speaking on the much-anticipated series, Root admitted to the Ashes drought and sees this time around as a great opportunity.

“It does feel like a long time, and it’d be nice to put that right and bring the urn home. I just see it as a great opportunity for the group,” Root said.

“There’s no other way to look at it, really. It’s a beautiful country, it’s a great place to go and play cricket.

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Joe Root has been under the spotlight from former Australian cricketers, who have highlighted his record in Australia, including Matthew Hayden, who has issued a bold statement.

Hayden had stated that he would “walk nude” around the Melbourne Cricket Ground this summer if Root does not scratch his Australian century itch.

“Just soak it all in and expect a little bit of ‘abuse’ or ‘banter’. It could be six weeks that live long in the memory if we get it right.” “At the end of the day this tour is not about me,” Root continued.

“They are going to say what they want to say anyway, so why bother worrying about it?

“When we look back in five years’ time no-one is going to remember what Matthew Hayden said to me, or Greg Blewett, or Mark Waugh, whoever it is,” Root remarked.

“If I am scoring runs and scoring heavily it gives us a great opportunity to win a series out in Australia and that is the main focus,” he concluded.

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England name pace-heavy squad for Ashes 2025

LONDON: The England Cricket Board (ECB) on Tuesday named a 16-member pace-heavy squad for the Ashes tour to Australia with Harry Brook replacing Ollie Pope as vice-captain.

Alongside Ashes, England have also named IT20 and ODI squads for the white-ball tour of New Zealand, which precedes the Ashes.

The squad features five 90mph seamers: Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, and Josh Tongue. Among the notable inclusions is the recall of all-rounder Will Jacks, whose last appearance in the longest format came against Pakistan in 2022.

The 26-year-old, who will provide England with an attacking option with the bat, is picked ahead of Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson, and Jack Leach.

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Besides the inclusion of Jacks and the change of Ben Stokes’ deputy, the squad is largely as expected.

The decision to change Pope as vice-captain was looming since Brook took over the captaincy reins from Jos Buttler in white-ball cricket. Notably, Pope has captained the Three Lions five times in the absence of Ben Stokes in the past five months.

England Test squad vs Australia:

Ben Stokes (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (vice-captain), Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Josh Tongue, Mark Wood.

England T20I squad vs New Zealand:

Harry Brook (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Luke Wood.

England ODI squad vs New Zealand:

Jofra Archer, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, and Jamie Smith replace Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, and Phil Salt from the T20I squad.

New Zealand fixtures (all D/N):

T20Is: October 18, 20 (both Christchurch) and 23 (Auckland).
ODIs: October 26 (Mount Maunganui), 29 (Hamilton), and November 1 (Wellington).

Ashes fixtures:

1st Test: November 21-25 (Perth)
2nd Test: December 4-8 (Brisbane, D/N)
3rd Test: December 17-21 (Adelaide)
4th Test: December 25-29 (Melbourne)
5th Test: January 3-7 (Sydney)

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Australia skipper Pat Cummins ‘hopeful’ of playing in Ashes

Australia skipper Pat Cummins said Friday he hoped to play in all five Ashes Tests against England but conceded he will need to see how his back injury holds up, local media said.

Pace spearhead Cummins has been ruled out of the October white-ball series against New Zealand and India with “lumbar bone stress”.

The 32-year-old has not bowled since the Test tour of the West Indies in June-July, and no firm date has been set for his return.

Cummins said Friday that although he hopes to be part of the Ashes, he would need to “wait and see”.

“There are no hard and fast plans yet,” the skipper told reporters.

“I’m still doing a bit of gym and keeping things kicking over, but with this kind of injury, it’s rest and then we’ll build back and kind of work back from the Ashes,” he said.

“Still really hopeful to be able to be part of the Ashes. But it is a little bit of a wait-and-see.”

Pat Cummins told reporters he aimed to play in all five Tests, but conceded a decision would have to be made closer to the time.

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“It’s honestly too far out to say. But the aim at the moment is to try and be ready for all of it,” he said.

Cummins has suffered severe back issues several times over the years, including a flare-up in 2018 that kept him out of action for a full off-season.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald said this week he was confident Cummings would play a key part in the Ashes.

But he acknowledged to SEN radio that the uncertainty around Cummins “is not ideal”, but it was an “overreaction” to say the skipper would not play.

“It’s not ideal. I’m not going to sit here and say that it’s ideal,” McDonald told the radio station.

The first Ashes Test against England in Perth starts on November 21.

Australia retained the Ashes in England in 2023 after the series ended in a 2-2 draw.

They enjoyed a 4-0 sweep of England at home in 2021-22. Cummins was the leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps at an average of 18.

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McCullum hints Brook could replace Pope as Ashes vice-captain

England coach Brendon McCullum has left open the possibility of Harry Brook replacing Ollie Pope as vice-captain during the upcoming Ashes tour of Australia.

Pope officially took on the role in May 2023 after securing his place as England’s number three in Test cricket, and has since led the team five times when inspirational skipper Ben Stokes has been absent through injury.

Stokes is back training following a shoulder problem, but his coach at county side Durham, Ryan Campbell, was “not 100 percent sure” the all-rounder would feature in all five Tests against Australia, with England bidding for their first Ashes series win since 2015.

Doubts have been raised about Pope’s tactical acumen, with England white-ball captain Brook regarded as a more proactive leader in the field.

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And should Stokes be ruled out of a Test during the Ashes series, which starts on November 21 in Perth, the 26-year-old Brook could now be asked to lead England in red-ball cricket as well.

McCullum, asked Sunday whether Pope will take up his usual role as Stokes’ deputy in Australia, replied: “We will work on that one. We will chat about that over the coming days as we finalise our Ashes squad.

“I think it’s a pretty easy squad to pick. We don’t need too big a squad, but we have a very settled group of batters, a cartel of fast bowlers, and Shoaib Bashir as our frontline spinner.”

The former New Zealand captain, speaking after England’s third and deciding T20 against South Africa in Nottingham, which was washed out without a ball being bowled, added: “I think it’s no secret Harry Brook is emerging as a leader within English cricket, so that’s something we need to work out.”

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Axed Marnus Labuschagne ‘back to drawing board’ in Ashes bid

Marnus Labuschagne has gone “back to the drawing board” in a bid to regain his Australia spot for the Ashes, boosted by knowing he was once the top batsman in the world.

The long-time number three in Australia’s batting order was dropped from the Test tour of the West Indies in June-July after a sustained lean spell.

The 58-Test veteran, known for endlessly tinkering with his technique, said it had been an opportunity to “step back mentally” and reassess his approach.

“There’s an analogy, you can try and bash yourself through the wall or you can just open the door and walk in,” he told cricket.com.au. “(That means) train smarter.”

“My technique over time hasn’t been where I wanted it to be, and probably there’s been a little bit too much time and focus going into trying to get that right, rather than just playing with what I’ve got.

“But it’s been a nice time to reset, be able to recalibrate and go, ‘Okay, I missed that West Indies series, how am I going to get myself ready to play the Ashes?'”

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Marnus Labuschagne was moved from his regular spot at three to open in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa in June, where he scored 17 and 22 in defeat.

But with his replacement, teenager Sam Konstas, struggling at the top of the order, he could be an option to open again alongside Usman Khawaja in the first Test against England on November 21 in Perth.

The 31-year-old could also start at three if all-rounder Cameron Green moves down the order.

Labuschagne has had several stints at the top of the ICC batting rankings and said it was comforting knowing he was once the world’s best.

“The benefit is you know you’ve done it before, right?” he said.

“Two years ago, I was one of the best batters in the world. You know that it’s there and you know you’ve just got to go back to the (drawing) board and find that consistency, that mental clarity, to go out there and perform.”

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Australia hopeful on Pat Cummins fitness for Ashes despite back issue

Australia are confident that captain Pat Cummins will be fit for the Ashes after he was ruled out of the series against New Zealand and India with a back complaint on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old fast bowler was rested from the recent white-ball series against the West Indies and South Africa and is still dealing with what Cricket Australia described as “lumbar bone stress”.

Test skipper Cummins has been struggling with the issue since July, and the Ashes start in November.

“Despite this planned (rest) period, Cummins has experienced some ongoing lower back pain following the West Indies Test tour,” Cricket Australia said.

“Further investigation has identified a level of lumbar bone stress that will require further management over the coming months.”

No date was set for a return, but chairman of selectors George Bailey said he expected Cummins to play the first Ashes Test at Perth from November 21.

“It still feels like there’s plenty of time,” Bailey said. “Full expectation that Pat will be right to go come the first Test.”

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But he conceded they could be forced to select Pat Cummins without any recent cricket under his belt.

“If it got to that stage… I still think that we’d be comfortable with Pat’s experience and skill level,” he said.

It would be a devastating blow for Australia if Cummins were unable to return for the start of the Ashes.

Cummins will definitely miss white-ball matches against New Zealand and India starting on October 1.

Australia retained the Ashes in England in 2023 after the series ended 2-2. Cummins took 18 wickets during that series, his second Ashes series as captain.

Australia enjoyed a 4-0 sweep of England at home in 2021-22, and Cummins was the leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps at an average of 18.

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Chris Woakes opts for rehab in bid for Ashes return

England paceman Chris Woakes is considering rehabilitation rather than surgery on his dislocated shoulder in a last-ditch bid to make himself available for the upcoming Ashes tour of Australia.

Woakes bravely came out to bat at number 11 with his arm in a sling on Monday in a desperate attempt to help England secure victory in the fifth and deciding Test against India at the Oval after dislocating his left shoulder while diving in the field on the first day of the match.

But Woakes’ courageous effort was not enough as India won a thrilling match by six runs, without the Warwickshire stalwart facing a ball, to end the series all square at 2-2.

It seemed then that Woakes’ hopes of being involved in England’s quest to regain the Ashes had evaporated.

The 36-year-old has had a scan on his shoulder and, although he is still awaiting the results, he is holding out hope that an eight-week period of rehabilitation could ensure he makes an astonishing recovery to feature in the Ashes, which start on November 21.

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“I’m waiting to see what the extent of the damage is, but I think the options will be to have surgery or to go down a rehab route and try and get it as strong as possible,” Woakes told the BBC on Friday.

“I suppose, naturally, with that, there will be a chance of a recurrence, but I suppose that could be a risk that you’re just willing to take, sort of thing.

“What I’ve heard from physios and specialists is that the rehab of a surgery option would be closer to four months, or three to four months. That’s obviously touching on the Ashes and Australia, so it makes it tricky.

“From a rehab point of view, you can probably get it strong again within eight weeks. So that could be an option, but again, obviously, still waiting to get the full report on it.”

Chris Woakes, a veteran of 62 Tests, is the most experienced member of England’s pace attack following the retirement of Stuart Broad two years ago and the team management’s decision to move on from record wicket-taker James Anderson in 2024.

But even before his injury at the Oval, doubts had been expressed over whether England would select Woakes for the Ashes, given his Test bowling average overseas is an expensive 48.93 compared to 23.87 on home soil.

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