England will not be "pointing fingers" after dropping three catches to let Australia off the hook on the opening day of the second Ashes Test and should be satisfied with five wickets on a lifeless pitch, spinner Graeme Swann said on Thursday.
Resurgent Australia had enigmatic paceman Mitchell Johnson to thank for their crushing win over England in Brisbane and will put their hopes on another unknown quantity when the coin is tossed for the second Ashes Test in Adelaide.
Ian Bell is "absolutely willing" to replace Jonathan Trott at the number three spot in England's batting order when the second Ashes Test against Australia starts on Thursday.
Australia's opening batsman Chris Rogers has survived a stiff examination from his bowling teammates in the nets but expects England's pacemen to come even harder at him in the wake of his dizzy spell that forced him to retire at Lord's.
England paceman Stuart Broad took three wickets in a brilliant spell around lunch to precipitate an Australia collapse that left the hosts floundering at 153 for six at tea on the opening day of the first Ashes Test on Thursday.
England have included pace bowler Graham Onions in a 13-man squad for the first Ashes Test against Australia starting at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Wednesday.
A sore and defeated Australia turned down an invitation from England to share a post-match beer after the tourists' humbling loss in the first Ashes Test in Cardiff, paceman James Anderson said.
Around 11.30pm, several players including Stuart Broad and Kevin Pietersen took it in turns to get up from where they were sitting and wander over to relieve themselves on the pitch, Australian newspaper The Age reported on Monday.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and faced with the prospect of a fourth straight Ashes defeat it looks like Australia will once again roll the dice on Mitchell Johnson.
Ahead of Wednesday's first Ashes Test in Cardiff, Root expressed his disappointment by posting two messages on Twitter.
Australian opener David Warner says he is feeling fitter than ever despite missing two of the last three years of cricket and making it to the 2023 ODI World Cup remains his "ultimate goal". The 33-year-old said next year's T20 World Cup in India might be a good time to step away from the shortest format to allow selectors include young blood in the team.
Images from Day 2 of the fourth Ashes Test between England and Australia, in Durham, on Saturday.
Having been in the team's leadership group last year before he was dumped and lost his central contract, Marsh acknowledged his see-sawing form had made it difficult for home fans to warm to him.
Australia recovered on the back of a Steve Smith home-town century and more Brad Haddin batting heroics to put reeling England on the rack again in the final Sydney Ashes Test on Friday.
If Steve Smith was at all irritated by spending the press conference after hitting his third Test century on Friday talking almost exclusively about his Australian team mate Brad Haddin, he hid it very well.
What was intended to be a fun challenge, turned out to be an unmemorable one, with Piers Morgan ending up with a broken rib.
'I was there, I know the truth, they were talking about Chris Rogers who was here four years ago and that is actually the truth'
England finally wrestled back some momentum on day two of the fourth Ashes test on Friday but are yet to find an answer to Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin's defiance with the bat.
Images from the second day's play of the fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday.
Images from the opening day's play of the fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Thursday.
A controversial incident involving England's Stuart Broad was played down by players from both sides after a gripping third day of the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge on Friday.
Australia captain Michael Clarke is licking his lips at the prospect of seeing how much damage his confident pace attack can wreak on a teetering England when the teams clash in the third Ashes Test in Perth.
Thrown into Jonathan Trott's vacant number three position, Joe Root led from the front to restore some pride for a wounded England on day four of the second Ashes test on Sunday, savouring a war of words with Australia's frustrated fielders.
Images from the second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
Australia paceman Ryan Harris will be holding nothing back in the second Ashes Test against England this week even if his injury track record suggests he will struggle to play all five Tests in the series.
Controversial Australia batsman David Warner has a "clean slate" and is in contention to return for next week's first Ashes test, coach Darren Lehmann said.
The Adelaide Oval curator will seek to juice up what has traditionally been a docile pitch for the second Ashes Test between Australia and England next week, meaning batsmen may be in for a torrid opening.
Troubled opener David Warner has risked his place in Australia's Ashes team after his late night bar-room fracas with England player Joe Root, captain Michael Clarke said on Monday.
Australia batsman David Warner has been suspended until the first Ashes Test and fined 11,500 Australian dollars after an alleged physical altercation with England player Joe Root, Cricket Australia said on Thursday.
George Bailey has waited a long time to take his place at cricket's top table and the 31-year-old has no intention of being distracted by the debate over whether one-day form, however rich, justifies a Test call-up.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann says he will learn from the controversy he caused by calling England bowler Stuart Broad a cheat.
England coach Andy Flower has called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to change the regulations regarding bad light after his side narrowly missed out on a dramatic victory in the final Ashes Test on Sunday.
Bowling at a slightly slower pace than he did at Lord's, Archer said his style reflected the conditions.
Day one of the third Ashes Test saw fortunes fluctuate. But it was Australia captain, Michael Clarke, who had the privilege of ending the day on a high after hitting a superb century to put Australia on top on Thursday.
England batsman Kevin Pietersen looks poised to play in the third Ashes Test against Australia at Old Trafford from Thursday after recovering from a calf injury, captain Alastair Cook said.
Kevin Pietersen was included in a 14-man squad for next week's third Ashes Test against Australia at Old Trafford despite concerns over his calf injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Sunday.
Australia will be greeted by blazing sunshine and a venue where they lost only once last century when they arrive at Lord's on Thursday for the second Ashes Test against England determined to level the five-match series.
Former West Indies bowler Michael Holding has called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to ban England's Stuart Broad for his refusal to walk after being caught out on the day three of the first Ashes Test.
Australia's Ashton Agar wrote his name into the annals of cricket history with an extraordinary innings of 98 against England on Thursday which tilted the first Ashes Test firmly towards his team.
The inventor of the Hot Spot thermal imaging replay system has apologised to England for the manner in which Jonathan Trott was given out by the third umpire on the second day of the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.