2h agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 2:55amLive updates: Australia vs England
1m agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 5:15am
26th over – Harry Brook remains unaffected
Scott Boland carries on and Brook just dabs off his hip to the leg side for a single.
Another front-foot no-ball from Boland to continue a tough outing thus far.
5m agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 5:11amBOWLED HIM! Starc gets Stokes with a stunner!
Left-armer to left-hander, angling in and swinging in a tiny bit, flying through the gate and cannoning into the England captain’s off stump.
Stokes collapses in a heap and looks at the pitch like it stayed low, but it was just a fuller ball.
That’s another enormous moment in this match and for Starc.
Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith is out there now for his first taste of Test cricket in Australia.
5m agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 5:10am
25th over – Starc to Stokes
Steve Smith has to manage his big left-arm weapon, but right now he’ll be fresh straight after lunch.
Stokes takes a couple to start the over but is staying very watchful outside off.
7m agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 5:08am
Reviews remaining
How come England have 2 DRS reviews left when they queried both LBW decisions and both were out?
– Nadine C
The Ben Duckett one was three reds, so they lost that one, but because Ollie Pope’s was only an “umpire’s call” (i.e. a close one) the English didn’t lose that review.
13m agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 5:03am24th over – Brook batters Boland after the break
Scott Boland is continuing his difficult first innings.
And he’s beaten the outside edge of Harry Brook straight away. He’s dragged his length back a little and there’s some great carry through to Alex Carey around head height.
SIX! Brook decides if Boland is going to bowl shorter, he’s just going to charge and get to the bounce of the ball. He does so and launches it up over cover for a maximum.
Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann has given his thoughts on Harry Brook on ABC Sport:
“I think he’s too good a player to do what he does. I think he could be better than AB de Villiers, if he bats normally. He’s doing things he probably doesn’t need to do. I’m happy with others doing it, but I don’t think he needs to.”
14m agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 5:01am
Good news from Captain Pat
The Australian skipper says he’s tracking well in his rehab from his back injury.
21m agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 4:54am
Has England’s ‘red flag’ been exposed in the first session?
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett combined for just 21 runs in England’s first innings. (Getty Images)
There were questions around England’s top three in the lead-up to the Ashes, and the performances of the trio haven’t answered those on day one.
Zak Crawley came and went in the first over, while Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope failed to capitalise on solid starts.
Mitchell Starc laid waste to both openers in a fearsome opening spell with the ball.
Former Australian paceman Jason Gillespie remains concerned by England’s opening pair.
“It is a bit of a red flag for the English team — that opening combination,” he said on ABC Radio.
Gillespie mentioned that the key to England’s success would be limiting the amount of times Joe Root, Harry Brook and Ben Stokes have to bat before the 30th over.
So far today, all three have batted inside that mark.
40m agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 4:36am
The fiendish quiz
Anecdotally, I heard that this Ashes quiz was a bit too hard.
Well, get over it.
Here’s the Ashes quiz, just in case you missed out last time.
47m agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 4:29am
Scott’s bowling
Scotty needs a rest!!! for a day or two!
– Damien from Claremont
(Getty)
Scott Boland is renowned for his accuracy and consistency. Top of off, nibbling in and away off the seam, locked in all day. But this morning has been rough for the big 36-year-old.
He’s looked nothing like the owner of spells of 3-2 off two overs and 6-7 off four overs as Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook have all scored freely. It’s left him with figures of 0-39 off seven overs at lunch, and that’s after a relatively stingy second spell of 0-10 off three overs.
It’s not just the numbers, he really struggled to find his line and length with the new ball.
Obviously there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge in this innings, this Test and this series, but after he struggled in England in 2023 — with figures of 2-231 from his two games — this morning’s performance continues a trend.
As it stands, his economy rate of 5.57 is the third-worst of his career.
53m agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 4:23amLUNCH: England 4-105 (Stokes 4, Brook 28)
(Getty Images)
Very much Australia’s session in this opening Ashes Test of the summer.
The hype ahead of the first ball was such that anything less than a wicket or a six would feel like an anticlimax – so just a defensive stroke into the on side was pretty meah.
But Mitch Starc, who was absolutely brilliant, took the first of his three wickets in that very first over and Australia went on from there.
The Aussies well on top, England four down while going at 4.56 runs an over.
England needs this partnership to stand up – Harry Brook has been effusive in getting to 28, while Ben Stokes was gifted an easy start in his brief stint in the middle.
The only problem for Australia? Scott Boland was poor in his seven overs. He’ll need to step up.
But Australia can have little to be down about as they tuck into their lunch.
55m agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 4:20am
23rd over – Mitch Starc will bowl the last before lunch
Stomachs grumbling? One last over from Mitch Starc to see out before you can eat though.
SHOT! WOW! Harry Brook advances and powers the ball over mid off for a boundary! That’s a remarkable shot!Â
BROOK GOES DANCING DOWN THE PITCH AGAIN! This time he gets an inside edge and it’s squirted out to midwicket, just a single.
Two slips, a gully and leg slip for Stokes, who looks to leave and gets a bottom edge onto the ball that falls safely down on the off side.
Lovely shot from Stokes, punching the ball straight to mid off for no run.
Nice shot from Stokes, just a clip back down the ground to long on for a couple of runs. Nicely timed, just a bit too full from Starc.
Stokes leaves the last.
1h agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 4:16am
22nd over – Cameron Green is off after one, wicket taking over
Nathan Lyon is back though, switching ends.
Ben Stokes defends his first delivery into the off side.
Floated up and drifted towards the stumps there next up, with Stokes just punching the ball back down the ground for a single to get off the mark.
Brook clips past square leg and gets a single.
Stokes drives another simple shot down to mid on. Very easy runs to get off the mark there for Stokes, just giving the England skipper an easy out. Not great bowling from Lyon.
Solid defence from Brook.
Brook clips over a diving Lyon for another single to that long on – who should be up for me. England are on the ropes, why not keep them there? It’s far too defensive from Lyon.
1h agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 4:10am
21st over – Starc comes into the attack
A plan? Get Starc in to target Ben Stokes?
He has to bowl at Brook first, and it’s a dot first up.
Still just two slips and a gully there, and it’s the gully Cameron Green who fields after Brook clips towards him.
Solid defence from Brook at a ball that gets a bit of extra bounce.
More good pace from Mitch Starc, again he’s up over 142kmh, and that squares Brook up.
Brook goes for a little wander down the pitch, swings like he’s playing a tennis match and gets nothing on it. It’s just bizarre.
No runs from that over, another brilliant one from Mitch Starc, who is head and shoulders above everyone else so far.
1h agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 4:09am
Very, very slowly
Loving the start. Are we bowling our overs extremely slowly??? The over rate is awful!
– Steph in Melbourne
Steve Smith can expect a fine in the mail, I’d expect.
1h agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 4:06amLBW! OLLIE POPE IS OUT!
A full delivery, looked a bit leg side but umpire Menon put the finger up straight away!
Ollie Pope has had a think about it and then decides to review.
Is it going down the leg side? NOPE! Umpire’s call, and Ollie Pope has to go!
He’d looked so good, Ollie Pope there, 46 off 58.
But England are in trouble at 4-94.
1h agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 4:04am
20th over – Cameron Green comes into the attack
So much talk about how the rebuilt back of Cameron Green will stand up to bowling, some of which were answered in the Shield last week.
He starts with a ball that gets a bit bigger on Ollie Pope and the diminutive England number three expected and it’s just a single to point.
Brook pulls on a swivel to backward square leg for a single.
FOUR! Driven by Ollie Pope, who is playing so well straight. That was over pitched by Green and he paid the price.
Too full, too leg side and a lovely shot to get a few more for Ollie Pope – he’s timing it very nicely so far. Three for him there.
Very wide, Brook slaps at it and gets a single to the covers as England keep ticking things along.
1h agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 4:00am
19th over – It’s GOAT time!
Nathan Lyon has been warming up for a bit, and Steve Smith has noticed so he is going to get a couple at least before lunch.
One slip and a bat pad in place, Brook is tempted outside off by a floater that he pushes to cover for no run.
Now much more of a slap, the ball slicing away towards backward point for a single.
Ollie Pope pushes through the fielder at cover for a single – nice, slashing drive through Khawaja, who took most of the pace off it. Just a single.
Brook drives that one very nicely between point and cover for a couple more – that’s a gorgeous stroke. Nothing extravagant, just good cricket.
He hops back and slaps the next to point for a single.
Turn for Lyon, Pope lets it come into him and he cuts it away for a single to third man.
1h agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 3:54am
18th over – Doggett has another one
His fifth over of the spell, split by drinks, for the debutant.
Brook tries to clip the ball to mid on but there’s no run there.
Bouncer from Doggett, Brook gets under it very nicely. He would be so keep to smack that delivery over square leg, but there is a man back on the rope square, and at wide fine leg, as well as third man. The Aussies are aware of the threat he poses behind square.
Brook clips away for a single to switch up the strike.
Pope drives outside off, but there’s no run. 129kmh there from Brendan Doggett – the Aussies could do with another 144+ blast from Starc I think.
Solid defence from Pope that time.
Outside off, left alone by Pope.
1h agoFri 21 Nov 2025 at 3:48am
17th over – Boland continues
(Getty Images)
Two slips and a gully, the rest of the field is quite scattered.
Solid defence from Harry Brook to mid on.
Solid defence again from Brook, although this time the ball barely goes anywhere, just rolling around threateningly at his feet, Brook looking at it like a cartoon grenade about to blow.
Straight from Boland, clipped to mid on for no run.
Wide, Brook attempts a cute little cut but picks out Green at gully. That was a no ball from Boland. He’s not having a good morning so far.
Brook gives that one a bit more welly, to mid on, but Starc fields it.
HANG ON! Starc slid as he went to get that ball and he’s a bit slow to get up… Oh my word, that’s something to keep an eye on…
Solid defence from Brook again.
MIX UP! Brook set off for a run, Pope rightly said no with as much force as he could muster, but Marnus Labuschagne missed hitting the stumps and gave away an overthrow.