Five days of gruelling cricket awaits England, Australia

October 8th, 2009 SYDNEY - Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have announced the schedule for the 2010-11 Ashes series to be held in Australia. England, who had won the Ashes this season in the five-match series held in England, will be looking forward to retaining their trophy, and will begin their campaign on November 25 next year in Brisbane.

October 4th, 2009 LONDON - England all rounder Andrew Flintoff, who didn't sign the ECB contract, has said that he is committed to playing in the Indian Premier League and Australia. The one issue that still worries Flintoff is when people question his loyalty and desire to play cricket for England.

October 1st, 2009 JOHANNESBURG - Off-spinner Graeme Swann insists that England will play like lions, not pussycats when they face the Australians in the first semi-final of the Champions Trophy on Friday evening. While admitting that England produced some shocking cricket during their 6-1 drubbing in the recent NatWest Series, Swann said he was convinced things would be different when they clash with Ricky Ponting's side in the Champions Trophy semi-final.

September 25th, 2009 LONDON - The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has released the itinerary for Pakistan's 'home' series against Australia which is to be played in England in 2010. The ECB has also announced the dates of the home Test and one-day series which the English team is scheduled to play against Bangladesh, Australia and Pakistan next year.

September 10th, 2009 KARACHI - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is hoping that the meeting between its chairman Ijaz Butt and England Cricket Board (ECB) chief Giles Clarke would yield some positive results for Pakistan cricket. The PCB expects the meeting, which is scheduled to be held later this week, to be fruitful with regard to resumption of international cricket in Pakistan.

August 28th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan and Australia would face each other in two Twenty20 internationals and two Test matches in England in 2010. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that Pakistan will host Australia for a Test and T20 series between July 5 to July 25 next year, The Daily Times reports.

August 22nd, 2009 SYDNEY - Australia faces a long struggle to survive at The Oval, believes noted cricket columnist Peter Roebuck. According to Roebuck, an interesting few days awaits as skilful batsmen contend with fast bowlers bent on exploiting uneven bounce and modest spinners try to make the ball bite and turn.

July 30th, 2009 LONDON - British stand-up comedian Alan Carr has said former Australian cricketer can play for England if he marries him. The Daily Mail quoted the gay funnyman as saying that since England is doing well against Australia for once, he suggested that 39-year-old Warne could "get wed" and make himself a Brit.

July 3rd, 2009 LONDON - With just five days left for the Ashes, Australian captain Ricky Ponting again made it clear that he is not happy with John Buchanan's decision to join the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as an adviser. "I just hope I don't see him with an England jumper on.

June 30th, 2009 WORCESTER - Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting says that he is uncomfortable about former coach and mentor John Buchanan taking up a coaching stint with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). "I just hope I don't see him with an England jumper on.

June 18th, 2009 NOTTINGHAM - Pakistan could host Australia for a 'home' Test match in Edgbaston next summer, as the Warwickshire County Cricket Club has shown much interest in staging one of the Test matches of the relocated Test series. According to the sources, Edgbaston has emerged as the second possible venue after Old Trafford for Pakistan's 'home' Test series against Australia, and there is a big possibility that both the countries would play each other there if the two cricket board's confirms their plans to play the series in England.

June 12th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Cricket Australia have withdrawn their contract offer to troubled all-rounder Andrew Symonds and added injury-prone speedster Shaun Tait to their 25-man list. Cricket Australia chief operations manager Michael Brown on Friday confirmed he had informed Symonds that his contract offer had been pulled following his latest alcohol-related indiscretion this month in England.

June 5th, 2009 LONDON - Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting believes Cricket Australia officials did all they could for Andrew Symonds before banishing the wayward all-rounder from the World Twenty20 squad over another alcohol-related incident. "We gave him the appropriate amount of time, he'd done everything that was required of him, and unfortunately for him and for us, he's come back in and this has happened again," Fox Sports quoted Ponting, as saying.

May 31st, 2009 LONDON - John Buchanan, architect of Australia's 5-0 win in the 2006 Ashes, can switch loyalties this year. Buchanan, who recently lost his advisory contract with Cricket Australia (CA) was in England last week for meetings with England officials and members of the team coaching staff about their Ashes strategy and planning.

May 27th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Cricket Australia has requested the England and Wales Cricket Board for permission to play an extra man in its two tour matches to allow all five quicks an opportunity to build cases for a first Test inclusion. The return of old-stagers Brett Lee and Stuart Clark has created a logjam of contenders after Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus combined superbly for a rousing 2-1 series win in South Africa in March.