Ashes 2025 live score: Australia makes late call on Cummins against England

England captain Ben Stokes has admitted that former batsman Robin Smith died after the cricket legend suffered a “tough shock” while attending the touring team in Perth, just days before his death.

“Just last week he was there talking to the Lions,” Stokes said.

“He was at the game last week and was talking to people and sharing, going into great detail about his life and being quite open. I think it hits you a little bit more when you realize it was only a week ago where it was doing things like this.”

Stokes, who confessed that he “didn’t know him very well,” shared the frequent tributes from those who did: “The same thing that came up quite often was just that he was a complete person.”

After a week or more to heal their wounds, England are back in action with a view to leveling the Ashes series in the second Test in Brisbane.

And there are plenty of betting opportunities for the second test

England captain Ben Stokes has assured spinner Shoaib Bashir that he will remain the team’s main spin bowler despite the decision to drop him from the squad for the second Ashes Test, with all-rounder Will Jacks being given priority.

Stokes said, “He knows that if it was a matter of choosing our best spinner, he would definitely play.”

“Baz (McCullum) gives good news and bad news and I’m there to follow-up, so it was pretty much the same. We thought it was the best XI for the conditions and circumstances of the game.

“We tried to look at how we thought the spin would be used and also had a bit of a tactical element to it – obviously with Jackie’s ability with the bat, being lower down the order is useful for us as well.”

“Starc does not swing the pink ball more than the red ball. In fact, he swings the new red ball more than the new pink ball,” Steven Finn said in his statement. bbc sport Pillar.

“However, Starc continues to swing the pink ball for longer periods of time. He gets more speed in the air in his second, third and fourth spells with the pink ball compared to the red ball. His bowling average with the pink ball actually goes down after his first spell.

Starc’s natural full length with the pink ball is also a big weapon. In Australia, balls pitched between 3–6 meters by the batsman average 37.55 runs per wicket with the red ball. With pink color it falls to 19.53. “Fast pace, full length and a long swing are the right combination of qualities for Starc to be so successful in day-night conditions.”

“He [Smith] Scored only 17 runs and when he came to bat for the first time, you could understand his nervousness,” Panesar said. Boyle Sports.

“The barmy army was singing [to the tune of the Cranberries’ Zombie] ‘He’s on your mind, Monty, Monty, Monty!’ And I thought, he is not himself and he was not batting the way we know Steve Smith can. He is obviously a great player, one of the greatest of all time and will be remembered as one of the greatest Australian batsmen. We all know what a great captain he is – he is very good tactically and his idea of ​​bringing Travis Head into the top order was very good.

“It will be up to the England team whether they really use it as ammunition, a psychological edge or whether Ben Stokes thinks, I don’t want to go down that path.

“And for me personally, my general knowledge is very bad – I’m still trying to find Auckland in Australia. I still can’t figure out where it is!”

Tower of London, Edinburgh Castle, Agra Fort… Gabba. A sporting bastion for Australian cricket that can be trusted England Already playing catch-up ash,

Former England cricketer Mark Butcher said of playing at Gabtoir in 2017, “It’s the most uncomfortable experience I’ve ever had on a cricket field.” “It has hurt your eyeballs. You can’t even blink properly.”

The venue has become synonymous with Australian cricket dominance, as the iconic series gets underway again Brilliant two-day attack by Ben Stokes’ team in PerthStunned by the shelling the tourists, who had taken control at lunch on the second day of the first Test, only surrendered and succumbed to a violent, Travis Head’s inspiring inningsFace a challenging reintroduction to Ashes cricket. The multi-coloured seats create the illusion of a packed house, a summer haze caused by the blazing Queensland sun and 11 green baggies swarming and screaming when another frazzled tourist plays an ill-judged shot. England have not won here since 1986. No one else has ever won here for 32 years between 1989 and 2021. Just…those people.

“A fast bowler has to bowl as many games as he can, as many wickets as he needs to bowl. [at] “At the pace he does, there aren’t many players at the age of 35 who can bowl 140-plus consistently,” Boland told TNT Sports.

“He’s someone who works very hard on his body and he’s so resilient. If he ever has a problem he never complains, he’s someone who keeps doing his job. We’re very lucky to have him in our team. He’s played almost a hundred Tests and I think we’ll be lucky to have him as long as we have him.”

“A lot of us have played on this pitch and we know what the challenges are and how the pink ball will play; there will be times when the bowlers will be on top and there will be times when the batsmen will be on top, so it’s making sure we are more ruthless than Perth when we get to those positions,” Pope told TNT Sports.

“We know it might be easier to bowl in the lights, but at the same time it’s getting dark here in the middle of the second session. Often, when you play Tests with the pink ball, I think it gets dark in the last hour of the game, so it’s a longer period.

“Both teams will have to bat in the lights, possibly with a new ball, so whoever manages those moments better will probably be the team that comes out on top. I wouldn’t call it a lottery with getting dark so early, it’s just dealing with the big moments better. If the ball is moving a little bit more, there are ways you can adjust your game plan and adjust where you stand at the crease, whether it’s putting them under more pressure or a Trying to go through difficult spells, I try to think on my feet and think when it’s in the bowler’s favor and then try to put them under pressure whenever possible.”

“For us to train under lights, seeing how the pink ball reacts in the evening, evening and day, it’s been really good for us. This is probably the longest we’ve practiced in the middle of a series, so it’s been really good and the boys are ready. Everyone is feeling good in their game, so hopefully we can translate that into good performances this week.”