England coach Brendon McCullum has strongly denied any rift with Test captain Ben Stokes, calling speculation 'amusing' after Stokes' suspension for a curfew breach.
Ollie Robinson marked his return to England's Test side with a four-wicket haul as New Zealand slid to 61-6 at stumps, trailing by 79 runs after a see-saw opening day of the three-match series at Lord's on Thursday.
New Zealand need 254 runs to defeat England in the opening Test of the three-match series after bowling the hosts out for 226 in their second innings at Lord's on Friday.
England has announced their 12-player squad for the first Test against New Zealand, which begins at Lord's on Thursday. The squad includes two uncapped players and sees the return of Ollie Robinson, while Zak Crawley and Jofra Archer are notable omissions.
England captain Ben Stokes will retire from international cricket after the third Test against New Zealand, saying the demands of captaincy had burned him out after a remarkable career featuring World Cup glory and Ashes heroics.
England head coach Brendon McCullum said he hopes fast bowler Jofra Archer will be available for the second Test against New Zealand at The Oval, but stressed that selection will depend on conditions.
Shubman Gill climbed to eighth in the latest ICC Test batting rankings, while Harry Brook returned to the top spot, replacing England teammate Joe Root.
Former England spinner Graeme Swann has questioned ECB's imposition of midnight curfew on players, and termed Ben Stokes a victim of the culture more interested in policing than celebrating an achievement.
New Zealand battled back to end an absorbing first day of the second Test on 291 for seven after England's new-look pace attack held sway early on at The Oval on Wednesday.
England have dropped opener Zak Crawley and selected Emilio Gay as Ben Duckett's opening partner in a reshaped squad for the first Test against New Zealand.
If selected, it would be the fast-medium pacer's first Test since taking five wickets in a heavy defeat by New Zealand in Hamilton a year ago.
Batting at No. 8, Gus Atkinson smashed an unbeaten 74 off 81 balls, including four sixes and five fours, punishing the Sri Lankan bowlers in the final session.
Cricket Australia has decided against centralising control over Test pitch preparation, maintaining that local curators are best suited to create unique and high-quality surfaces, despite criticism following the Ashes series.
Gus Atkinson took a hat-trick as England stayed on course for a dominant victory in the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday, reaching 378 for 5 at the close of play on Day 2 with an imposing lead of 533.
England lost both matches by eight wickets and will relinquish all hopes of regaining the Ashes if they are unable to win the third Test, which begins at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.
Ben Stokes calls England's 4-1 Ashes loss his toughest phase as captain but vows to restore pride in the upcoming home Test summer, with ECB backing leadership.
Gus Atkinson scored a superb maiden century as England's lower order collected quick runs against a ragged Sri Lanka bowling attack to post 427
England called up spinner Shoaib Bashir and seamer Matthew Potts for the final Ashes Test against Australia beginning on Sunday with one of them set to fill the void created by Gus Atkinson's injury-induced absence.
Fast bowler Gus Atkinson and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith will make their red-ball debuts for England in the first of the three-match home series
Fast bowler Jofra Archer was ruled out of the rest of the Ashes series with a left side strain.
England were in command on 30/1 at tea after bowling West Indies out for 121 on the opening day of the first Test.
Tongue claimed a five-wicket haul in the first innings to help skittle Australia for 152 with best figures of 5-45, and then triggered a batting collapse in the second innings with fellow pacer Gus Atkinson leaving the pitch due to injury.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 2nd Test between England and Sri Lanka, at Lord's, on Sunday.
England captain Ben Stokes was forced off the field because of injury on Day 4 of the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia on Wednesday.
England have not won a first Ashes Test in Australia in nearly 40 years, nor beaten the hosts in Perth since 1978.
Australia finished marginally on top at the end of a chaotic opening day of the fourth Ashes Test after an extraordinary 20 wickets fell in front of a record crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
Australia dominated day two of the second Ashes Test on Friday with a punishing batting assault on a lifeless Gabba pitch as England fumbled their chances in the field.
England must look to stamp their authority on the Ashes series in Australia early or risk succumbing to yet another defeat Down Under, former England bowler Stuart Broad has warned.
Mitchell Starc, who picked up 26 wickets in four matches with an average of 17.42, has moved one rung up to share the second spot with Pakistan spinner Noman Ali.
Their last eight Tests in Perth have all been defeats, with the most recent setback a bitter innings and 41-run capitulation in 2017 that saw Joe Root's team surrender the urn.
'Bowl fast when there's nothing going on, champion,' Smith snapped after Archer let him know he wasn't easing up despite the situation.
Australia stormed to an eight-wicket victory in the second Ashes Test on Sunday to take a 2-0 series lead as England succumbed on day four to a pace blitz from unlikely hero Michael Neser.
Former England captain Hussain won the toss in the first Ashes Test of the 2002/03 series, electing to field first at the Gabba in a decision that dumbfounded some of his teammates.
As 20 wickets fell on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test on Friday, the carnage prompted sharp criticism from former England cricketers.
Surrey seamer Matthew Fisher has been added to the squad and will link up with the group this week, having been in Australia with the England Lions.
Four-Test-old all-rounder Jacob Bethell was awarded his maiden central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which offered two-year deals to 14 multi-format cricketers, including Test captain Ben Stokes and injury-plagued pacer Jofra Archer.
It was a relieved Ben Stokes bidding good riddance to more than a decade of pain for English cricket in Australia on Saturday as his team rallied from the depths to complete a drought-breaking Test win in Melbourne.
Mark Wood, who was one of England's standout bowlers in the 2021-22 series when he claimed 17 wickets, had been sidelined since February due to a knee injury and was hoping to build up match fitness in this week's warm-up match ahead of the Ashes.
England 'quietly confident' heading into Ashes series, says Wood
Siraj dismissed Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton before bowling Gus Atkinson to end the match.
