The Ashes

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Former Australia white-ball captain Aaron Finch expects England to win a Test but says it is "hard to see" how they can bowl Australia out twice on a regular basis to win the series.

England are 2-0 down after successive eight-wicket defeats and need to win the remaining three games to regain the Ashes.

There are questions over the personnel in their side for the third Test which starts on Wednesday (23:30 GMT, Tuesday) but they are definitely without pace bowler Mark Wood, who has been ruled out of the series with a knee injury.

Australia, however, are set to welcome back captain Pat Cummins from a back injury, while spinner Nathan Lyon is set to be included after being left out of the day-night Test.

"It's hard to see how England can bowl Australia out a couple of times," said Finch on BBC Sounds' No Balls: The Cricket Podcast.

"Marnus Labuschagne looks in really good touch, Steve Smith has got the bit between the teeth at the moment and [Jake] Weatherald's starting to shape up really nicely.

"I'm going to go 4-1 [as the final result]. The way that England play, when they get it right, they win.

"If Harry Brook gets it right for two sessions that buys you so much time at the back end of the game to bowl teams out."

Image source, Courier-Mail

Australian media have continued to mock England's cricketers for taking a holiday in Noosa after going 2-0 down in the Ashes.

Brisbane's Courier-Mail even claims England are "not even trying anymore" on its front page, with a picture of touring players applying suncream to each other's backs under the headline, 'Bodyline'.

England won the 1932-33 Ashes in Australia using bowling tactics that targeted a batter's body with short-pitched deliveries known as fast leg theory but coined as Bodyline. The approach led to ill feeling between England and Australia and prompted a change to the laws.

England's four-day break in the beach resort on Queensland's Sunshine Coast has offered plenty of material for Australian newspapers.

The Advertiser, a tabloid based in Adelaide, where the third Test starts on Wednesday (23:30 GMT Tuesday), used the same photo of England players applying suncream alongside the headline, 'Rub a dub duds'.

Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph - based in Sydney - have used the headline, 'Surfed & Turfed' below a photo of England captain Ben Stokes

All three newspapers are also carrying a story claiming England snubbed a meeting with Aussie Rules side Brisbane Lions in favour of their time in Noosa.

The break was planned before the Ashes series began and was arranged in conjunction with Cricket Australia. England have three training sessions at the Adelaide Oval scheduled from Sunday.

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Steve Smith is winning his duel with England fast bowler Jofra Archer, says ex-Australia captain Tim Paine.

Archer continued his personal battle with Smith on the final day of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane with a hostile spell that saw him bowl several rapid short-pitched deliveries at Australia's stand-in captain.

Smith, however, stood firm - first sledging the England quick and then hooking Gus Atkinson for the six that sealed victory and a 2-0 series lead with three to play.

Archer has now bowled 220 balls at Smith without dismissing him in Test cricket, more than any other bowler he has faced, though that does not take into account a blow the batter sustained at Lord's in 2019.

Smith was forced to retire hurt after being hit in the neck by a brutal bouncer and was subsequently ruled out of the next Test with concussion.

"There's a lot of huff and puff from big Jof at the moment. Steve Smith is winning that battle hands down," said Paine.

"It's really a crucial battle to the rest of the Ashes series. [At the moment] it's another battle that Smithy won, so he continues to build his record against him."

Paine, though, does believe England will enjoy the conditions in Adelaide for the third Test, which begins on Wednesday (23:30 GMT, Tuesday).

"If England get it right, they're going to be really dangerous," said Paine, who was speaking at the Adelaide Oval.

"If there's any wicket and ground in the country that suits them more than this, I don't think there is on - so there will be a fascinating Test match."

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The Australian sports media have unsurprisingly been poking fun at England's trip to the beach town of Noosa after going 2-0 down in the Ashes.

The tourists are on a four-day trip to the resort on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, before flying to Adelaide on Saturday to prepare for the third Test there, which starts on Wednesday, 17 December (23:30 GMT, 16 December).

England's preparation before and during this series has drawn criticism and pictures of players on the beach and in bars have featured alongside barbed headlines in many Australian newspapers.

The Advertiser, a tabloid based in Adelaide, featured England captain Ben Stokes taking a photo with children on the beach on its front page, next to the headline, 'Pickin' up bad vibrations'.

Brisbane's Courier-Mail also had a picture of Stokes in a segment at the top of its front page, with the headline, 'Having a Bazball at Noosa!'

The West Australian front page carried a photo England players applying suncream to each other's backs above the headline, 'Overprepared? I don't zinc so' - referring to England coach Brendon McCullum's belief his side perhaps "trained too much" before their heavy defeat at the Gabba.

The break in Noosa was planned before the Ashes series began and was arranged in conjunction with Cricket Australia. England have three training sessions at the Adelaide Oval scheduled from Sunday.

Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey has at least defended England, saying it is important for touring sides to "refresh the batteries" during Ashes series in either country.

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England coach Brendon McCullum failed to "read the room" in saying his side "overprepared" following defeat in the second Ashes Test in Brisbane, says Durham coach Ryan Campbell.

The tourists have been criticised for their preparation for this series, playing one intra-squad warm-up game before the first Test defeat in Perth and opting not to send any of the first XI to play in the Lions' pink-ball day-night match against the Prime Minister's XI in Canberra.

Instead England opted to acclimatise to the heat in Brisbane between Tests and had five training sessions leading up to the day-night match at the Gabba.

England are on a four-day break in Noosa, a resort town on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, before flying to Adelaide on Saturday to prepare for the third Test there, which starts on Wednesday, 17 December (23:30 GMT, 16 December).

"I kind of understand what McCullum's saying, but he hasn't read the room," Campbell told BBC Radio 5 Live's Ashes second Test review show.

"Are they that far in the bubble that they are not listening to all the fans?

"The fans seem very unhappy with the perception of England cricket. I know they work really hard, but I'm not sure you need to say we 'overprepared'."

Campbell said McCullum's words do not tally with director of men's cricket Rob Key calling for England to stop talking "rubbish" in interviews and post-match press conferences earlier this year, adding he cannot see how the New Zealander could defend his suggestion his side "trained too much" before the second Test.

However, former England bowler Sir James Anderson said he could see the reason behind McCullum's comments.

"I obviously know why that's wound people up, but I can see what he's saying," said Anderson, speaking on the Tailenders podcast.

He added that five days of practice before a Test that could last five days is "a lot", with each net session possibly lasting up to two hours.

"Especially the bowlers, you want them to be fresh going into a game in Brisbane where it's hot," said Anderson.

"You've got to find the balance of getting stuff right and also having enough breaks so your body's fresh and your mind is mentally ready to deal with five days of Test cricket."

Anderson said he felt McCullum mentioning England would look at their training methods was a sign he wants to "focus on quality rather than quantity".

He added: "It's got to be intense, it's got to be high energy, high quality. That's how teams improve, that's how players get better."

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Former England batter and coach David Lloyd says the tourists should have selected Nottinghamshire opener Haseeb Hameed for the ongoing Ashes series.

England are 2-0 down in the five-match series after heavy defeats in Perth and Brisbane.

Hameed, 28, made four half-centuries in 10 Tests but has not played for England since struggling in the 2021-22 Ashes, in which he was dropped for the fifth Test.

TV and radio pundit Lloyd told BBC Radio York that Hameed is "absolutely belting the door down" to get into England's Test team.

Nottinghamshire captain Hameed hit 1,258 runs, including four centuries, at an average of 66.21 in leading his side to the County Championship title this year. Only Surrey's Dom Sibley scored more runs in Division One.

"He is a far, far better player than when he was that young prodigy at Lancashire," added Lloyd. "He looks a Test match player."

Hameed made his Test debut aged 19 in India in 2016 and impressed in the first three Tests before having to return home because of a broken finger.

He subsequently struggled at Lancashire but revived his career by moving to Nottinghamshire in 2019 - making 15 of his 19 first-class centuries at Notts and earning an England recall in the 2021 home series against India.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have been England's preferred openers for most of the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes era since 2022, scoring 2,564 runs together in 59 innings at an average of 44.2 - including four century stands.

However, they have put on only 53 runs together in the two Ashes defeats so far. Duckett has scored only 64 runs in the series, though Crawley came back from a pair in the first Test to make 76 and 44 in Brisbane.

"England have a plan of how they want to play and Crawley is in that plan," said Lloyd.

"In this last Test, Crawley has done OK but he hasn't got a hundred."

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Former England seamer Sir James Anderson says England do not have the characters for verbal exchanges with their Australian counterparts.

Speaking on the Tailenders podcast, Anderson said Ben Stokes' side were not the type to engage in sledging with the opposition.

"You look at their slip cordon for example - Jamie Smith, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett. They're quiet kind of people, they don't want to get into a verbal battle with the batter," said Anderson.

"Same as the bowlers even - Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, they're generally quiet people. They're not that type of character.

"It's only towards the back end of the Test when we saw Jofra going at Steve Smith and Stokesy loves that sort of battle, but from being in that dressing room I know that Brendon McCullum isn't a massive fan of that side of the game.

"He just wants England to go out there and focus on the cricket and perform your skill as best you can."

Anderson also said captain Stokes requires more support from his senior players when England are in the field.

"It looked like Ben had a lot on his plate on the field, he was the one coming up with the ideas," said Anderson, who has previously worked as a bowling consultant with the England side after retiring from Test cricket in 2024.

"I didn't see many chats between Ben Stokes and Harry Brook, he's vice captain. You'd expect that little bit more," he added.

"Ollie Pope was vice-captain, I didn't see him going up to Ben.

"I saw a little bit of Jofra chatting to Stokes, but generally it was Ben on his own, that's how it looked from the outside."

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Shoaib Bashir must play in the third Ashes Test because England cannot rely on part-time spin options in Adelaide, says Durham coach Ryan Campbell.

Off-spinner Bashir was left out by England for the first two Tests in Perth and Brisbane as coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes put an emphasis on fast bowling.

Spin bowling all-rounder Will Jacks was brought in for the second Test and finished with 1-51 from 11.3 overs in Australia's first innings.

Jacks also strengthened England's batting and shared a defiant 96-run stand with Stokes for the seventh wicket in 36.4 overs – the tourists' longest partnership of the series.

Former Australia international Campbell said Jacks should bat in England's top order but predicted it will "rag on day four and five" in Adelaide so 22-year-old tweaker Bashir should also get the nod.

"Will Jacks cannot play as a spinner in Adelaide. You cannot go to Adelaide and not play a frontline spinner," Campbell told BBC Radio 5 Live's Ashes second Test review show.

"You have groomed a guy for three years so Bashir has to play in Adelaide. He's the guy who was supposed to be your guy in Australia.

"No matter what you've done, you have set your bed up that this is the kid who is going to win you games of cricket in Australia.

"So therefore where does Will Jacks fit? You want him in the team. He looked magnificent. So he's going to be one of your batters and Bashir comes in."

Bashir has taken 68 wickets in 19 Tests for England and the 6ft 4in spinner's high-release point has been highlighted as a potential asset in Australia.

However, he has only just returned from a broken finger suffered in the Lord's Test against India last summer.

Bashir returned figures of 0-115 across 25 overs as England Lions were thrashed by an innings and 127 runs by Australia A over the past few days.

He finished with 1-68 and 1-83 in an England intra-squad match at Lilac Hill before the opening Test in Perth last month.