Tag: England

BRISBANE: Australia skipper Steve Smith and England fast bowler Jofra Archer were involved in a heated altercation during the second Ashes Test here at the Gabba on Sunday.

Smith propelled Australia over the line with an unbeaten 23 off just nine balls, which was laced with two sixes and two fours, including two boundaries and a maximum in Archer’s over.

With this, Australia took a 2-0 lead in the Ashes, defeating England by eight wickets in a commanding all-round display.

However, things got heated. Smith took on Archer, who was bowling at 150km/h. The right-hander hit a four off the first off Archer and missed the next ball in a bid to hit an uppercut.

 

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After this, both exchanged words with the pacer, asking Smith why he was playing shots when there was nothing on the scoreboard.

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“Why play your shots when there’s no rush on the scoreboard?” Archer had asked Smith.

The ace batter gave a cheeky reply, “You bowl fast when there’s nothing going on, champion.”

Archer did not bowl another over, as Smith launched Gus Atkinson over deep square leg for six before an animated celebration with Weatherald.

After the match, Smith commented on the spat and explained the reason behind his aggressive approach.

“I heard there’s a bit of a storm coming around. We obviously had a few behind us. It was a chance to just play a few shots,” he said.

“The adrenaline was pumping at the end there. Obviously, we didn’t need too many to win, and Jof was bowling pretty quick.

I had a short boundary behind me, and I thought, ‘Why not just try to get up and under a few, and put a few in the stands?’ Fortunately, it hit the middle of the bat on a couple of occasions,” Smith explained.

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BRISBANE: Australia’s stand-in skipper Steve Smith took three catches on day four of the second Ashes Test to equal former India great Rahul Dravid’s record for most catches in Test cricket.

Steve not only demonstrates his prowess with the bat but is also an excellent fielder.

Earlier today, Smith grabbed three catches, which helped Australia bowl out England for 241. Smith first took a blinder at slips of Will Jacks to break the threatening stand.

Later on, he took Gus Atkinson’s catch at mid-wicket, followed by the final catch of Brydon Carse, which wrapped up the Three Lions innings.

With this, the 36-year-old equalled Rahul Dravid’s record of 210 catches in Test cricket, and he is now only trailing behind England ace Joe Root.

Most catches for a fielder in Tests

213 – Joe Root

210 – Steve Smith

210 – Rahul Dravid

205 – Mahela Jayawardene

Additionally, Smith also surpassed Greg Chappell’s long-standing record of taking the most catches at home against a single opponent.

Most catches at home against an opponent in Tests

39 – Steve Smith vs ENG in Australia

38 – Greg Chappell vs ENG in Australia

32 – Rahul Dravid vs AUS in India

31 – Alastair Cook vs IND in England

For the unversed, All-round Mitchell Starc and Michael Neser’s five-wicket haul helped Australia romp to an eight-wicket victory in the second Test to go 2-0 up in the Ashes series against England here at the Gabba on Sunday.

Australia comprehensively chased down a mere target of 65 runs in 10 overs with skipper Steve Smith remaining unbeaten on 23 from nine balls laced with two sixes and two fours.

The home side outplayed the visitors in every department of the game and took a 2-0 lead. On the contrary, the only silver lining for England was Joe Root, who hit an unbeaten 138 in the first innings.

READ: All-round Starc powers Australia to 2-0 lead over England in Ashes

A relentless Australia took a 44-run lead over England in the day-night second Ashes Test in Brisbane on Friday, with aggressive opener Jake Weatherald and Steve Smith leading the charge.

By stumps, the hosts had not only reeled in England’s first-innings 334 but raced clear, ending a draining day two on 378-6 in front of a big crowd at a humid Gabba.

A decent lead is shaping as crucial, with the pitch likely to deteriorate in the coming days.

Alex Carey, who was dropped first ball and again on 25, was not-out 46 with Michael Neser on 15, but England’s pace cartel made in-roads under lights in the evening session.

Australia were cruising at 291-3 before the expensive Brydon Carse removed Cameron Green (45) and Smith (61) in four deliveries to rekindle hope as England’s short-ball tactics paid off.

The bowlers, though, lacked consistency and were guilty of too many loose deliveries, with Australia plundering 51 boundaries, while four easy catches were put down.

Weatherald, in only his second Test, slammed 12 fours and a six in a punchy knock before being trapped lbw by Jofra Archer with an angled yorker.

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Marnus Labuschagne — Australia’s form batter in recent months with a slew of centuries in domestic cricket — was similarly assured, cracking 65 as the shadows moved over the ground.

But as he looked destined for another ton, England captain Ben Stokes got the crucial breakthrough with a nick to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.

Steve Smith, wearing black adhesive anti-glare strips under his eyes to help with the Gabba lights, as is common in American sports, was the big wicket.

Once he got in, the veteran skipper appeared immovable, but Carse tempted him into a hook shot that Will Jacks caught spectacularly at backward square leg.

Travis Head, Australia’s wrecking-ball hero in the first Test win at Perth, fell before tea for 33.

England were dismissed in the second over of the day with Joe Root the last man standing on 138.

They resumed on 325-9 after he guided them from a precarious 5-2 with his maiden century on Australian soil and 40th overall in a gripping day one.

He added nine to the overnight score with partner Archer before the number 11 fell for a career-best 38, caught brilliantly by a diving Labuschagne in the deep to end a valuable 10th-wicket partnership of 70.

Veteran Mitchell Starc took 6-75.

Head smashed an explosive 69-ball century to help Australia stun England by eight wickets in Perth, but was more reserved this time after being retained as opener in place of the injured Usman Khawaja.

It took him 15 balls to get going before a huge escape on three when Smith fluffed a sitter off an edge from Archer.

The scare woke him up, and he let rip in the next over, but his luck ran out when he sent an edge high to Gus Atkinson off Carse, with England breathing a sigh of relief as he walked off.

Weatherald quickly found his rhythm with a series of early boundaries, cutting and driving with ease.

Three of them came in five balls off Atkinson as the outfield ran fast and he brought up an impressive 50 from 45 balls, before Archer worked his magic.

Labuschagne picked up where he left off, reaching a 25th Test half-century, with 10 boundaries in his 65.

It was then down to Smith, who produced a series of high-quality shots to pass 50 for a 44th time and, oozing confidence, looked set for a big score before Carse again pounced, then Stokes removed Josh Inglis (23).

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Joe Root finally scored his maiden Test century in Australia on his fourth Ashes tour to guide England from a precarious 5-2 to 325-9 at stumps after a pulsating first day of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane on Thursday.

Mitchell Starc became the most successful left-arm fast bowler in history as he claimed 6-71, but the opening sessions of the day-night contest were dominated by Root, who scored a masterful 135 not out.

Number 11 Jofra Archer thrilled the travelling army of fans as he smashed a career-best unbeaten 32 off 26 balls with two sixes to provide some late fireworks.

His unbroken 10th-wicket partnership of 61 with Root was a record for England at the Gabba.

The world’s top-ranked batter, Root, had failed to reach triple figures on three previous Ashes tours.

But the man who is second on the all-time run-scoring list behind only Sachin Tendulkar silenced the critics who said he couldn’t be considered a true batting great until he had made a century in Australia.

Coming to the crease in the third over at 5-2 with Starc swinging the new pink ball, he embarked on an epic knock, bringing up his century with a leg glance to the fine leg boundary off Scott Boland.

Starc’s six wickets moved him to 418 in Tests, surpassing Pakistan great Wasim Akram’s 414 as the most prolific left-arm paceman in Test history.

“Wasim’s still the pinnacle, I think he’s still better than me,” said Starc.

Starc again was the destroyer at the top of the order, removing Ben Duckett in his first over and Ollie Pope in his second to reduce a shell-shocked England to 5-2.

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But unlike in the first Test defeat in Perth, England showed some grit with the partnership between Root and Crawley moving the score onto 122.

Australia, who won the opening Test inside two days, went into this match without regular skipper Pat Cummins.

He had been rumoured to be making an early return from a back injury, but instead the hosts sprung a major surprise by leaving out off-spinner Nathan Lyon for seamer Michael Neser.

It was the first time in almost 14 years that Australia played a Test at home without a frontline spinner.

Duckett was first to go on the last ball of Starc’s first over, nicking a full ball to Marnus Labuschagne at first slip for a golden duck.

Pope then chopped on a wide delivery he could have left alone to leave England wobbling.

Crawley and Root survived an examination from the Australian attack and began to take advantage as the wicket flattened.

Root shared important partnerships with Harry Brook (31), Ben Stokes (19) and Will Jacks (19) as England played more conservatively than they had in the first Test.

Root brought up his half-century off 83 balls, shortly after England had reached 150.

Starc was the only Australian bowler who looked threatening, but Boland did produce the ball of the day — bowling Jamie Smith for a duck with a beautiful delivery which cut back from outside off stump.

England had slipped from 210-4 to 211-6 before off-spinner Jacks justified his inclusion to bolster the batting with some positive stroke play before an expansive drive to Starc brought his downfall.

England were 251-7, which quickly became 264-9 as Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse came and went to a rampant Starc under the lights.

Just when it looked like England would fold, Archer and Root went on the attack.

Pace bowler Archer hit two towering sixes, and Root joined the fun with a reverse scoop off Boland that cleared the ropes at third man.

READ: Joe Root ends Australian century wait in second Ashes Test

BRISBANE: Australia’s Steve Smith has confirmed he will be wearing ‘eye blacks’ during the upcoming day-night Ashes Test against England at The Gabba, starting December 4, after noticing a clear improvement during training under lights.

Smith, who is expected to lead Australia again as stand-in captain, revealed that the decision was influenced by advice from former West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

For the unversed, the ‘eye blacks’ are small, black, adhesive strips worn on the cheekbone that are designed to reduce the glare from floodlights by absorbing the light that would otherwise reflect off the skin.

These anti-glare strips are commonplace in several American sports; however, in cricket, Chanderpaul is the most prominent cricketer to have used them.

“I actually messaged Shivnarine Chanderpaul and asked him what his thoughts were, whether he wore the chalk or the strips,” Smith said.

“He said the strips, and he thinks it blocks out 65% of the glare. He also told me I was wearing them the wrong way. So yesterday I put them on the right way… and yeah, I’ll be wearing them.”

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Smith admitted he felt a noticeable positive difference after correcting how he wore them.

Despite his stature as one of modern cricket’s greatest batters, Smith has not been at ease in day-night Tests. His average drops to 37.04 under lights, compared to a dominant 58.31 in traditional red-ball matches.

“It’s hard to bat all the time,” he said while discussing the challenges of twilight and full darkness.

“The ball reacts differently to a red one. At times, it can start moving randomly. You’ve got to be ready to shift your plans, whether that means attacking or just trying to survive that period.”

Steve Smith also reflected on the nature of the Gabba surface and how it impacts the pink ball, referencing Australia’s previous night Test at the venue, where West Indies stunned the hosts earlier in 2024.

“Adelaide’s wicket has more grass, so the ball stays harder for longer,” Smith explained.

“Here it’s a hard, fast wicket, and at times the ball can get soft quickly. You do see batters comfortable in patches, so it’s something we’ll have to assess as the game goes on.”

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Former England batter Robin Smith has died at the age of 62, English county side Hampshire announced on Tuesday.

The South African-born Smith, who played 62 Tests between 1988 and 1996, died unexpectedly on Monday in Australia, where he lived, his family said.

“It is with the deepest and most profound sense of sadness and loss that we must announce the passing of Robin Arnold Smith, beloved father of Harrison and Margaux and cherished brother of Christopher,” Smith’s family said in a statement released by Hampshire Cricket.

“Robin died unexpectedly at his South Perth apartment on Monday, 1st December. The cause of his death is at present unknown.”

Smith, nicknamed the “Judge”, had recently met with the England Lions squad, England’s second-tier side, in Perth ahead of the first Ashes Test at the invitation of coach Andrew Flintoff.

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“Robin rose to fame as one of England’s most charismatic and popular players,” Smith’s family said.

“A brave and dashing batsman, he excelled both for Hampshire and his adopted country, collecting legions of admirers and friends along the way.

“Since his retirement from the game in 2004, his battles with alcohol and mental health have been well documented, but these should not form the basis of speculation about the cause of death, which will be determined at postmortem investigation.”

Robin Smith scored 4,236 Test runs for England, including nine centuries, at an average of 43.67. He scored 2,419 runs at 39.01 in 71 one-day internationals.

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BRISBANE: England made one change to their Playing XI for the second Ashes Test after key fast bowler Mark Wood was ruled out of the pink-ball clash against Australia at The Gabba.

Wood’s absence had been widely anticipated after he skipped England’s first training session in Brisbane due to persistent trouble with his left knee.

The pacer managed only 11 overs in the opening Test at Perth and had already suggested earlier in the tour that playing all five matches was never a realistic option.

He has also been seen wearing a heavy brace on his left leg in recent days, reinforcing concerns over his fitness.

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England have opted to strengthen their lower order by bringing in all-rounder Will Jacks in place of Wood, preferring him over frontline spinner Shoaib Bashir.

Jacks, a versatile option who offers off-spin and explosive batting, will bat at No. 8 despite not having featured in a Test match for the past three years.

His limited red-ball experience includes only two Tests, both on England’s 2022 tour of Pakistan, where he impressed with a five-wicket haul on debut.

The shift away from an all-pace attack remains the only change to England’s combination following their crushing eight-wicket defeat in the series opener in Perth, which was wrapped up inside two days.

England Playing XI for the second Ashes Test

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.

READ: Usman Khawaja ruled out of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane

BRISBANE: England captain Ben Stokes was among three cricketers who could face police action after riding e-scooters without helmets, The Telegraph reported on Monday.

England arrived in Brisbane ahead of the pink-ball Ashes Test on Wednesday after losing the opening match of the series inside two days.

According to the report, England’s fast bowler Mark Wood, wicket-keeper Jamie Smith, and Stokes rode through the streets of Brisbane and were pictured riding the bike without helmets.

“Some players, such as captain Ben Stokes, have been getting out and about in Brisbane and using Lime e-scooters to see the city,” the report wrote.

“However, it is a legal requirement in Queensland that all riders of e-scooters must wear a helmet, and Stokes, Mark Wood, and Jamie Smith were pictured appearing to flout that law. Smith’s scooter even had a helmet attached to it,” it added.

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The pacer Wood, who is already ruled out of the second Test due to an injury, was seen with heavy protective strapping on his knee.

As per Queenlands’s road rule, riders without a helmet could face a fine of up to 166 Australian dollars (£82).

For the unversed, this isn’t the first time English cricketers have risked drawing the ire of Australian authorities. During the 2010-11 tour— Kevin Pietersen was fined A$239 for speeding in a Lamborghini on the outskirts of Melbourne.

Nonetheless, England are 1-0 down after losing the Ashes opener by eight wickets at Perth, courtesy of Travis Head’s blistering century.

Head hit a whirlwind 69-ball century and went on to make 123 off just 83 balls, which made a mockery of England’s 205-run target.

The second day-night Ashes Test will commence on Thursday, with three lions eyeing their first victory against Australia down under since 2010.

READ: England urged to ‘use their brains’ ahead of second Ashes Test

BRISBANE: England captain Ben Stokes said on Saturday that lessons had been learned from their crushing first Ashes Test defeat to Australia in Perth, but that the team had moved on.

Australia took a 1-0 lead in the five-match Ashes series with a stunning eight-wicket win in a frenetic two-day clash in Perth characterised by batting collapses and Travis Head’s match-winning 123.

In the aftermath, England was slammed as “brainless” and even “arrogant” by former greats for their meek performance after putting themselves in a strong position to win.

“We’ve talked about it, and we’ve moved on,” Stokes said in Brisbane ahead of the second day-night Test starting on Thursday. “We had some good conversations around the group.”

“Look, Travis played an amazing knock, there’s no hiding away from that,” he said. “But that’s not the overriding contribution as to why we didn’t end up getting the result.”

Ben Stokes noted there were “amazing things throughout that Test match.”

“The way that we bowled in the first innings … and we ended up putting a score on the board that we believed was definitely defendable,” he said.

“But we all know there were moments in that game where we could have been a lot better to help us gain even more of an advantage that we did have.

“We know that, and we understand that. And the important thing that you need to do from that as a team and as individuals is learning from that.”

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England face a daunting task at the Gabba in Brisbane to level the series with Australia, masters of pink-ball Tests, winning 13 out of 14 matches under lights.

Despite England having a much more mixed record, management opted against any of their main players being part of a two-day day-night clash against a Prime Minister’s XI this weekend in Canberra.

The decision was slammed as “amateurish” by former Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan, who added that he was “staggered” that they would turn down the opportunity.

Stokes said he understood the blowback, but defended the move with England instead scheduling extra training sessions in Brisbane.

“That’s where it is, it’s in Canberra, which is a different state,” he said.

“The (weather) conditions are obviously going to be completely different to what we’ve got coming up.

“So what you try and do is you try and take all the factors into consideration, the pros, the cons, whatever it may be, and then you always discuss that and decide what it is that we think is going to be our best preparation.

“We know that we are doing everything that we can to make sure that we are best prepared for this game,” he added.

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Australia’s dynamic batter Travis Head has admitted that his 69-ball century in the first Ashes Test provoked England’s fiery fast bowlers.

Head, the makeshift opener, made a mockery of England’s attack in the first Test with a whirlwind century that not only helped his side chase down a 205-run target but also flattened the Three Lions’ attack on a pitch that had very little for batters.

The southpaw made 123 from just 83 balls at Optus Stadium, Perth, striking four sixes and 16 fours.

Speaking during a radio program, Head revealed insights into his knock and said how his assault on the quicks, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, unraveled.

“I’m also very realistic as well that they had two blokes bowling 150 clicks,” Head told Triple M in Adelaide.

“I accidentally hit Jofra [Archer] back over his head for six at one point and calmly walked back and marked centre and was like, ‘Oh my god, why did I just do that?’ he revealed.

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He further talked about his chat with batting partner Marnus Labuschagne, who also hit a half-century in pursuit of the target.

“And Marnus came down and was like, ‘I know you’re trying to act cool, but that’s unbelievable’ and he’s yelling and screaming, and he’s hoo hah-ing, and I’m like, ‘Mate, get back to the other end, at any moment they can put a hole through me, they bowl 150 clicks’,” Head explained.

The 31-year-old acknowledged the fact that his early charge on fast bowlers could entice them for the rest of the series.

“I don’t want to get on the bad side of them, especially [in] the first Test. I don’t want to get on the wrong side of these blokes, I just want to go about my business,” Head said.

The second Ashes Test will be played under lights at the Gabba from 4 December.

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