Injured Graeme Swann to miss England ODIs in Australia

Graeme Swann is out of the one-day series with Australia with a back injury but is expected to be fit for the start of the World Cup next month.

Swann will fly home from the Australia tour on Wednesday because of a lower back strain.

England, who trail 3-0 in the series, had already been forced to cope without Swann for two matches after the 31-year-old suffered a bruised kneecap.

“It’s frustrating but the priority for me now is the World Cup,” said Swann.

Full story: BBC Sport

 

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Final day of Ashes humiliation

England is on course to achieve one of its greatest triumphs in Australia by inflicting an unprecedented humiliation.

Never before in almost 134 years of Test cricket has Australia lost three Tests in a series by an innings.

Only a prolonged repeat of yesterday evening’s monsoonal downpour can prevent England from achieving another emphatic victory in the fifth and final Test at the SCG to take the series 3-1.

Australia will resume today on 7-213, still needing 151 simply to make England bat again.

It will be England’s first series success in this country for 24 years.

Shane Watson, who was run-out in a dreadful mix-up with Phil Hughes for 38, conceded the depth of Australia’s despair.

“There’s no doubt with the performances we have shown over the last little while that we have to turn it around and it does come down to the players alone to turn it around,” Watson said.

Full story: The Australian

 

Dependable Tim Bresnan to lead England fightback

Image by mailliw via Flickr

Tim Bresnan is strongly expected to play in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG as England plan how best to respond to their 267-run defeat at the Waca.

Bresnan’s all-round reliability has become increasingly attractive to England with Steve Finn beginning to show the effects of an exhausting debut season and Jimmy Anderson under treatment for a stiff side.

Finn is England’s leading wicket-taker in the Ashes with 14 victims but he disappeared for more than five an over in Perth and England are determined to impose themselves on a slower pitch at the MCG, the sort of methodical approach that brought them victory in the second Test in Adelaide.

Full story: The Guardian

 

Chris Tremlett to play for England in third Ashes Test

Chris Tremlett has been handed a starting place by England in tonight’s third Ashes Test in Perth.

The fast bowler was vying with Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad to move into the side after Stuart Broad tore an abdominal muscle while bowling in the second Test in Adelaide. But on the hard, bouncy Waca pitch England will put their faith in the 6ft 7in Tremlett.

The Surrey bowler has played three Tests for England, all against India in 2007 when he picked up 13 wickets at an average of 29.69.

Full story: The Guardian

 

Flower pleased with Melbourne ‘reality check’

England’s coach Andy Flower believes that the deathly slow surface that England encountered in their drawn three-day warm-up match against Victoria this week was the perfect reality check after the highs of the Adelaide Test, and has backed his pace bowlers to take command of the livelier conditions that are anticipated at the WACA this week.

England’s trip to Melbourne was billed as a three-way shoot-out between Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad, all of whom were in with a shout of replacing Stuart Broad in the Test attack following his stomach injury. However, on a tacky and docile pitch that offered little to any types of bowling, the trio returned combined figures of 1 for 216 in 78 overs to leave the selection debate somewhat cloudy.

Full story: ESPNcricinfo