Sports
Australia crush England by eight wickets for 2-0 Ashes lead
BRISBANE: Australia cruised to an emphatic eight-wicket win over England in the day-night second Ashes Test in Brisbane on Sunday for an ominous 2-0 lead in the series.
The hosts chased down the paltry target of 65 in just 10 overs, captain Steve Smith pulling Gus Atkinson for a huge six over square leg for the winning runs.
Although not as humiliating as the two-day loss in the first Test at Perth, England were comprehensively outplayed in every department.
“Great day. First two days were pretty even, game turned when we were able to extend to get the new ball under lights, that was crucial for us,” said Smith, who clashed verbally with England bowler Jofra Archer as he helped Australia race to victory.
“It can be tricky with the pink ball, it changes really quickly and you have to adapt.”
For England it was more misery.
Their batting, apart from Joe Root and Zak Crawley in the first innings and captain Ben Stokes and Will Jacks in the second, was just as rash as in Perth.
They gave their wickets away with poor strokes on the bouncy Gabba surface.
They also bowled poorly, pitching too short and wasting the new pink ball, in stark contrast to an Australian attack missing spearheads Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
To make matters worse England dropped five catches in the first innings, whereas Australia’s fielders caught everything that came their way.
Josh Inglis’s brilliant run-out of Stokes in the first innings changed the course of the match.
Australia are now overwhelming favourite to retain the Ashes with matches in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney to follow.
“Obviously, very disappointing,” said Stokes.
“I think a lot of it comes down to not being able to stand up to the pressure of this game, this format, when the game is on the line.”
England were behind the game once they let Australia’s tail help the home side post 511 on Saturday, an overall lead of 177.
They then lost six second-innings wickets under lights to end the third day 134-6, still 43 runs behind the Australian total.
While many expected England to surrender meekly on Sunday, Stokes and all-rounder Jacks led a fighting rearguard action to ensure Australia had to bat a second time.
Stokes and Jacks defied the Australian pace attack on a fiercely hot day to edge their way past the initial deficit target and begin to set Australia something to chase.
Flicker of resistance
England batting coach Marcus Trescothick said Saturday his batsmen would not change their aggressive approach, despite a clatter of wickets from poor shots.
But Stokes and Jacks were patient during the first session Sunday.
They left balls they didn’t need to play and seemed happy to take their runs in singles rather than expansive boundary shots.
They scored just 28 runs in the first hour and passed the 43-run deficit 96 minutes into the session, scoring only 59 runs in the two hours.
The Australian bowlers, who ran rampant under lights on Saturday with the pink ball, were far more ineffective on Sunday, despite the wicket beginning to play some tricks.
The English offered only one chance when Scott Boland squared up Stokes, who got a thick edge over the slips cordon.
They continued to frustrate the Australians in the second session until just before the drinks break, Jacks got an edge to Michael Neser and Smith snared a breath-taking catch at slip, diving full length to his left and catching it low to the ground.
Neser struck again in the next over when Stokes nibbled at a ball outside the off-stump and got a fine edge to keeper Alex Carey to leave England 227-8, a lead of exactly 50.
Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Archer offered no real resistance as Neser recorded career-best figures of 5-42 and Smith equalled Rahul Dravid on 210 outfield catches, three behind current record-holder Root.
Sixty-five was never going to be enough and although Australia lost Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne in the chase, Smith and Jake Weatherald guided the home side to an easy win in style.
“They obviously had a really good partnership today, Jacks and Stokes, and you never know what can happen with Stokes still at the crease,” said Smith.
Sri Lanka’s government took control of the island’s cricket board on Wednesday and appointed a nine-member interim administration to carry out “structural reforms”.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is the country’s wealthiest sporting body, but it has been plagued by allegations of corruption and mismanagement.
World governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), suspended Sri Lanka for two months in 2023-2024, citing political interference in the running of the national board.
“All administrative functions of Sri Lanka Cricket will be temporarily brought under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, effective today,” the ministry said.
Shortly afterwards, the ministry appointed former investment banker and opposition politician Eran Wickramaratne to lead the board.
Among the other members appointed by the government are former skipper Kumar Sangakkara and former Test players Sidath Wettimuny and Roshan Mahanama.
The ministry said the interim committee will “address the current issues in cricket and implement structural reforms”.
Four-time SLC president Shammi Silva resigned on Tuesday, along with his entire committee, after the government intervened.
AFP has contacted the ICC for comment.
Sri Lanka made an early exit from the T20 World Cup, which it co-hosted with India in February-March.
Half-centuries from Usman Khan and Maaz Sadaqat, combined with disciplined bowling, powered Hyderabad Kingsmen to an eight-wicket victory over Multan Sultans in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11’s Eliminator 1 on Wednesday.
Kingsmen’s victory in the high-stakes fixture drew curtains on Sultans’ campaign and meant that the new entrants will go on and face three-time champions Islamabad United in the Eliminator 2 at the same venue on Friday in a bid to qualify for the eight-team tournament’s final.
Set to chase a 160-run target, the Kingsmen comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of just two wickets and 28 balls to spare, courtesy of the second-wicket partnership between Usman and Sadaqat.
The Kingsmen, however, had a contrasting start to the pursuit as they lost their captain, Marnus Labuschagne (11), in the second over with 18 runs on the board.
Following the early setback, in-form wicketkeeper batter Usman joined Sadaqat in the middle, and the duo batted dominantly to put together 92 runs for the second wicket.
Usman, who was the core aggressor of the vital stand, was eventually removed by Steve Smith in the 11th over. He walked back after top-scoring for the Kingsmen with a swashbuckling 64 off 35 deliveries, studded with eight fours and three sixes.
Sadaqat was then joined by Saim Ayub in the middle, and the duo batted sensibly to steer the Kingsmen over the line in the 16th over.
The left-handed opener remained the joint top-scorer for the Kingsmen with an unbeaten 64 off 35 deliveries, comprising eight fours and three sixes, while Saim chipped in with a run-a-ball 15 not out.
For Sultans, Ismail and Smith could pick up a wicket apiece.
Put into bat first in the high-stakes fixture, the Sultans finished at 159/9 in their 20 overs, courtesy of Masood.
The Sultans got off to a shaky start to their innings as Mohammad Ali dismissed their experienced opener Steve Smith (13) in the third over with just 28 runs on the board.
Kingsmen then lost two more wickets in successive overs as Akif Javed got in-form opener Sahibzada Farhan (15) caught at cover point, while Hunain Shah trapped Josh Philippe (six) lbw, and consequently slipped to 36/3 inside the batting powerplay.
Following the early stutter, captain Ashton Turner (nine) and his deputy Shan Masood attempted to force a recovery by batting cautiously but could add 15 runs for the fourth wicket as the former was sent back by Saim Ayub in the seventh over.
Glenn Maxwell inflicted another blow to the Sultans’ batting expedition as he got rid of their young all-rounder Arafat Minhas on the first delivery of the eighth over and brought the total further down to 52/5.
Meanwhile, Masood, who stood his ground firmly during the collapse, then shared a crucial 33-run partnership for the sixth wicket with all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz, who contributed with an 18-ball 19 before falling victim to Javed in the 12th over.
Sultans endured another setback an over later as Ali cleaned up Mohammad Imran Randhawa (two) to expose their batting tail.
Hunain ensured retaining the momentum in Kingsmen’s favour as he bowled Peter Siddle in the 16th over.
Masood, however, kept the scoreboard ticking single-handedly and eventually brought his 10th PSL half-century in the 18th over.
The left-handed batter batted until the end and top-scored with an unbeaten 69 off 46 deliveries, studded with four sixes and as many fours.
For Kingsmen, the pace trio of Hunain, Ali and Javed bagged two wickets each, while spinners Maxwell and Saim chipped in with one scalp apiece.
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Hitters, pitchers and catchers are not the only beneficiaries of the ABS challenge system. Fans benefit, too.
The ABS challenge system helped Cincinnati Reds’ fans get free pizza during the ninth inning of the team’s 7-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday at Great American Ball Park.
When the Reds strike out 11 hitters in a game, fans get free pizza from the local pizzeria, LaRosa’s. The Reds had 10 strikeouts going into the top of the ninth inning and needed one more to earn their fans some free pizza.
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Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brock Burke celebrates with catcher Tyler Stephenson after the final out of the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park. The Reds won the game 7-2 in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 28, 2026. (Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Reds’ reliever Brock Burke was ahead 1-2 in the count against Colorado Rockies second baseman Edouard Julien. Burke fired a 98 mph fastball at the edge of the zone, but home plate umpire Carlos Torres called it a ball.
Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson thought otherwise and tapped the top of his helmet to initiate the challenge. As the challenge appeared on the scoreboard, Reds play-by-play announcer John Sadak set up the moment.
“Stephenson has won one (challenge) tonight, can he win pizza for those in the stands?” Sadak said on the broadcast.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
A general view of Great American Ball Park during the seventh inning of the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 14, 2026. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The replay confirmed it was a strike, giving the fans free pizza, and the place went bonkers.
“The crowd ready to burst. That’s a strike! He does it for everybody! He does it for the people,” Sadak said.
The broadcast panned to a raucous crowd that celebrated their free pizza. With Burke’s strikeout on the overturned call, all fans got a free small one-topping pizza at LaRosa’s.
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Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Brock Burke pitches against the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning at Great American Ball Park. in Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 28, 2026. (Katie Stratman/Imagn Images)
For good measure, Burke struck out the 12th Rockies hitter to end the game and secure the win.
With the win, the Reds improved to 19-10 which leads the National League Central. They will take on the Rockies (13-17) on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. ET in the second game of their three-game series.
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