Ashes 2025-26.

[Durhamfootman]

although, now that I've seen the highlights, I lost count of the number of catches in the deep from both sides. I guess England will continue to bat that way, but surely Australia won't get sucked into that again..... will they?

Then again, they tried to not get sucked into that early in the innings and the lack of runs didn't help with the shot selections later in the game

The fast bowling on both sides was superb today. Hard life being a bat when up against high class bowling like that

[andy]

England just didn't adapt to the boundary sizes...in England those shots are big sixes...never the case in Australia....icc regs have a max of 82m which is what the boundaries are square at optus...played right into Australia hands

[Durhamfootman]

The Cricketer are tearing into TNT for their coverage of today's play

It sounds as though the coverage was at best amateurish

I didn't know that SKY no longer has the TV rights, nor that it hasn't broadcast an ashes series down under since the Tash ashes, so long has it been since I watched any England cricket, but it does reinforce the reason why I packed in my SKY subscription all those years ago, which was that I wasn't prepared to pay all that SKY money to still find I couldn't watch stuff without adding a whole ream of extra subscriptions to an ever increasing number of broadcasters. Even if I had added them, my guess is that there would still be stuff on channels I was paying a subscription to, that require an extra 'pay to view' payment for certain events

[sussexpob]

I didn't know that SKY no longer has the TV rights, nor that it hasn't broadcast an ashes series down under since the Tash ashes, so long has it been since I watched any England cricket, but it does reinforce the reason why I packed in my SKY subscription all those years ago, which was that I wasn't prepared to pay all that SKY money to still find I couldn't watch stuff without adding a whole ream of extra subscriptions to an ever increasing number of broadcasters. Even if I had added them, my guess is that there would still be stuff on channels I was paying a subscription to, that require an extra 'pay to view' payment for certain events

I still remember when the Premier League came up with that b*llocks of selling rights to multiple competitors, citing the fact that competition would mean us getting a better deal. The better deal amounted to Sky losing a significant portion of its games to Amazon Prime and BT Sports , not lowering their prices a single penny despite producing much less content, and then everyone having to pay an additional 30 quid extra a month to the other two to get what they had before. Yay to the little guy....

Same happened this off-season with Belgium football. I used to get Eleven Sports with all leagues in Europe/Belgian pro league + American sports for the grand price of...nothing. And then the Belgian FA sold us the idea that we needed to give the rights to DAZN because apparently all the Jazzy sh*t in their coverage would revolutionise Belgian football. 33,99€ a month for Belgian football only. 10€ a month for other leagues package. 250€ for the American football season package.... They might have some real jazzy sh*t but I will never find out..... I am not paying that.

My season ticket to watch 18 live games a year is only 200EUR! Bloody scandal.

[andy]

The coverage was poor it's a real shame sky don't want the overseas rights as you can't match their coverage of the cricket...cook is boring, Finn is okay but droans on and the rest aren't cricket commentators they're from the cycling world....yes commentary isn't the be all and end all but it is a huge part and in the end I muted the TV commentary... just watched it with TMS as the commentary in the background

[Arthur Crabtree]

Problem is synchronising the sound to the pictures.

I went to Richer sounds- when I had Sky- to see if they had a gadget to delay the radio broadcast so I could match them up. They do exist. The sales person told me that would be a waste of money and to save up for a holiday or do something else more worthwhile.

Which was fair enough.

[Durhamfootman]

I still remember when the Premier League came up with that b*llocks of selling rights to multiple competitors, citing the fact that competition would mean us getting a better deal. The better deal amounted to Sky losing a significant portion of its games to Amazon Prime and BT Sports , not lowering their prices a single penny despite producing much less content, and then everyone having to pay an additional 30 quid extra a month to the other two to get what they had before. Yay to the little guy....

[Durhamfootman]

West Australian front page

Aussie batters and ashes defence in total disarray after Usman Khawaja was forced off the field suffering back spasms, a day after playing an 18 hole round of golf on the eve of the first test

what a very English headline..... all the fault of the non white guy

[Durhamfootman]

bloody immigrants..... coming over here.... losing our ashes

gloriously forgetting that they are almost all immigrants and the one who may not be performed the worst of all

perhaps Farage penned the headline for them?

[Durhamfootman]

and we put them up in hotels, too

[Durhamfootman]

I imagine the English press will be celebrating the stunning return of the ashes tomorrow morning having smashed/battered the Aussies out of the series completely

Arise Sir Jofra

Sir Brydon

Lord Stokes of Castle Eden

[Durhamfootman]

expect lots of quotes from MPV about how he was right all along

about everything

every time

love this gin, btw

[backfootpunch]

The Cricketer are tearing into TNT for their coverage of today's play

It sounds as though the coverage was at best amateurish

I didn't know that SKY no longer has the TV rights, nor that it hasn't broadcast an ashes series down under since the Tash ashes, so long has it been since I watched any England cricket, but it does reinforce the reason why I packed in my SKY subscription all those years ago, which was that I wasn't prepared to pay all that SKY money to still find I couldn't watch stuff without adding a whole ream of extra subscriptions to an ever increasing number of broadcasters. Even if I had added them, my guess is that there would still be stuff on channels I was paying a subscription to, that require an extra 'pay to view' payment for certain events

Their selection of commemtators is really bad

I paid for TNT rather than watch on the dodgy stick so i could watch the full highlights whenever i wanted and regret it

I assumed they would have the local commentators as usual not steven finn, cook and ebony rainford brent boring me to death.

[backfootpunch]

bloody immigrants..... coming over here.... losing our ashes

gloriously forgetting that they are almost all immigrants and the one who may not be performed the worst of all

perhaps Farage penned the headline for them?

Much tougher to paint an aussie flag on a roundabout than the english one

[Arthur Crabtree]

Just watched highlights. Obviously Stokes' day for England with the ball, but impressed by the few balls of Carse they showed, transformed by the fast pitch from the bowler of last summer.

Aussies had a problem with the short ball, especially Smith.

Some poor shot selection on both sides, but not too many gifts among Starc's seven wickets.