Sports
Desperate England looking for Ashes miracle in Adelaide – SUCH TV
Eight-wicket defeats in Perth and Brisbane mean England have now gone 17 Tests since winning in Australia, dating back to their last series victory there in 2010-11.
Equally damning, a win for the hosts will ensure the five-match showdown will be over inside three Tests for the fourth consecutive series in Australia.
The mountain England must climb is huge. Only once in history has a team come from 2-0 down to win the Ashes, all the way back in 1936-37, when a Don Bradman-inspired Australia overcame the deficit.
With the Ashes on the line, England have axed paceman Gus Atkinson with Josh Tongue coming in as a like-for-like replacement.
It was the only change announced by the team on Monday, with off-spinning all-rounder Will Jacks keeping his place ahead of Shoaib Bashir.
Atkinson failed to take a wicket in the series opener in Perth, although he did make a useful 37 runs with the bat in the second innings, before returning figures of three for 151 in Brisbane.
Right-arm quick Tongue has taken 31 wickets in six Tests at an average of 30 and took five wickets in his only previous Test against Australia at Lord’s in 2023. He will complement a pace attack led by Jofra Archer, skipper Ben Stokes and Brydon Carse, who was expensive at the Gabba.
Bashir’s omission for a third straight Test was a surprise.
He was considered England’s number one spinner leading into the tour, but was overlooked in an all-pace attack for Perth, then Jacks got the nod in Brisbane.
Jacks only bowled 11.3 overs at the Gabba, taking 1-34, but was composed with the bat, cracking a gritty 41 in the second innings in a 96-run stand with Stokes.
It is a big call by England. Spin is likely to play a role in Adelaide with extreme temperatures forecast during a Test they must win to avoid a crushing series defeat with two Tests to play.
England kept faith with their misfiring top seven, giving the under-performing Ollie Pope another crack at number three in preference to Jacob Bethell.
Only Joe Root has an average above 30 through the first two Tests against an attack led by Mitchell Starc, who has taken 18 wickets so far.
Coach Brendon McCullum insisted on Sunday that England’s aggressive style of batting will not change but batter Harry Brook said on Monday he needed to rein himself.
Brook, who has contributed 98 runs to England’s cause over four innings so far, conceded two of his dismissals in Perth and Brisbane were the result of “shocking shots” that he would reconsider if he had his time again.
“I’ll admit that every day of the week, especially that one in Perth, it’s nearly a bouncer and I’ve tried to drive it. It was just bad batting,” he told reporters at the Adelaide Oval.
“The one in Brisbane, I’ve tried to hit for six so that’s what I mean when I say that I need to rein it in a little bit. I can almost just take that and hit it for one and get down the other end.
“I’ll be the first person to stand up and say that they were bad shots. I don’t regret them, but if I was there again, I’d try and play it slightly differently. Sometimes we’ve got to learn when to absorb the pressure a little bit more and then realise when the opportunity arises to put pressure back on them. I feel like I probably haven’t done that as well as I usually do in this series so far.”
Brook paid tribute to the skill and discipline of the Australian bowlers and said the England players also needed to stand up and be counted in crunch moments if they were to avoid going 3-0 down in the five-match series.
“There’s them pressure situations, which we haven’t been really that good at so far,” he conceded. “When we’re head-to-head, they’ve managed to be the better side and sneak in front. And everybody realises that. We’ve just got to stand up in them certain situations, read the game slightly better [and] just have a little bit of grit and determination about you.”
Lyon ready to roar again
Australia are set to be reinforced by skipper Cummins, who missed the first two Tests with a back injury, leading the attack alongside the outstanding Starc, and Brook said it was imperative that England step up.
“You can’t take this bowling attack lightly,” said the 26-year-old. “They don’t miss often and you’ve got to tip your hat to them, they’ve bowled really well this series.”
Veteran spin king Nathan Lyon is also expected to play after being overlooked for Brisbane — his first omission while fit in 12 years, with Brendan Doggett and either Scott Boland or Michael Neser likely to make way.
Lyon made clear his disappointment at being dropped for the day-night Test at the Gabba but is only looking forward before the third Test at a ground he knows very well.
“Every opportunity that there’s a Test match on, I want to be a part of, I love playing cricket,” Lyon, who was part of the Adelaide Oval ground staff before becoming Australia’s most successful Test off-spinner, told reporters after being added to the stadium’s ‘Avenue of Honour’ on Monday.
“So there was a lot of disappointment, but there’s no point looking back now, we’re looking forward and moving on, and looking at what my role looks like this week.”
Lyon has only bowled two overs so far in the series, something he is keen to put right at a ground where he has taken 63 Test wickets.
“I haven’t really had the opportunity to get my teeth into this Test series yet, but that opportunity will hopefully come soon, and we’ll put it into play,” he added.
Lyon needs two more wickets in Adelaide to surpass fellow Australian Glenn McGrath’s 563 and move into sixth on the all-time list.
In a minor worry, Steve Smith, who captained the side in Perth and Brisbane, was unwell and skipped a net session on Monday.
The main selection question for Australia is whether a fit-again Usman Khawaja reclaims his place as opener or the hosts persist with the aggressive Travis Head alongside Jake Weatherald.
Chief selector George Bailey has indicated he was open to Khawaja dropping down the order. He could also be axed, potentially spelling the end of his 85-Test career.
Pakistan left-arm spinner Noman Ali completed 100 Test wickets, becoming the oldest player in history to reach the milestone during the first Test against Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
He claimed the milestone by dismissing Mehidy Hasan Miraz, joining an elite group of Pakistan bowlers and becoming the ninth spinner and 20th overall to achieve the feat.
The left-arm spinner also picked up the crucial wickets of Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto and Taijul Islam.
At 39 years and 217 days, Noman became the oldest player in Test history to reach the 100-wicket milestone. He surpassed former England spinner Bobby Peel, who reached the mark in 1896 at the age of 39 years and 180 days.
The 39-year-old also reached another landmark by becoming the joint fourth-fastest Pakistan bowler to claim 100 Test wickets, achieving the feat in his 22nd Test match.
England great George Lohmann holds the world record for the fastest to 100 Test wickets, having reached the milestone in just 16 matches, while several Pakistan bowlers also feature among the quickest to the landmark.
Oldest players to reach 100 Test wickets
- Noman Ali (Pakistan) – 39y 217d
- Bobby Peel (England) – 39y 180d
- Ray Illingworth (England) – 39y 30d
- Clarrie Grimmett (Australia) – 39y 22d
- Sydney Barnes (England) – 38y 310d
Fastest Pakistani bowlers to 100 Test wickets
- Yasir Shah – 17 matches
- Saeed Ajmal – 19 matches
- Waqar Younis – 20 matches
- Mohammad Asif – 20 matches
- Noman Ali – 22 matches*
- Fazal Mahmood – 22 matches
- Saqlain Mushtaq – 23 matches
Sports
Craig Morton, quarterback who led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl appearance, dead at 83
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Former Denver Broncos quarterback Craig Morton, who was inducted into the team’s Ring of Fame, died on Saturday. He was 83.
Morton was critical in helping the Broncos reach their first-ever playoff appearance, ultimately getting them to Super Bowl XII during the 1977 campaign.
After going 12-2 during the season, and getting wins in the playoffs over the Pittsburgh Steelers and then-Oakland Raiders, Morton was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Year.
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Denver Broncos quarterback Craig Morton stands on the sidelines with both hands on his hips. (GETTY)
“Craig Morton is unbelievable,” fellow Ring of Famer Haven Moses said after the Broncos won the AFC Championship in 1978, per the New York Times. “To me, he’s the most valuable player in the National Football League.”
Morton also won Sporting News Player of the Year, the PFWA Comeback Player of the Year and the NFL UPI MVP in 1977.
“We are saddened to learn of the passing of #BroncosROF quarterback Craig Morton, who died on Saturday at the age of 83,” the Broncos posted on social media.
Morton also led the Broncos to two different division titles and three playoff berths during his six seasons with the franchise. He finished his career in Denver with 11,895 passing yards, which marked the most in franchise history at the time.
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Quarterback Craig Morton #7 of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during an NFL game at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colo., circa 1978. Morton played for the Broncos from 1977 to 1982. (Focus On Sport/Getty Images)
Morton also led the Broncos with pass attempts (1,594) and completions (907). But Morton’s time with the Broncos was the latter half of his NFL career.
He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1965, the fifth overall pick out of Cal. Morton spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the Cowboys, where he threw for 10,279 yards with 80 touchdowns and 73 interceptions. He went 32-14-1 in his time with Dallas.
Then, during the 1974 season, Morton was moved to the New York Giants, a division rival of the Cowboys. He went 1-6 in his first seven starts that year and wouldn’t find much success in New York across three seasons.
Quarterback Craig Morton #7 of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass during an NFL game at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colo., circa 1978. Morton played for the Broncos from 1977 to 1982. (Focus On Sport/Getty Images)
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For his career, Morton threw for 27,908 yards with 183 touchdowns. He owned an 81-62-1 record across 207 games.
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Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza’s year couldn’t have been more perfect.
He led his Hoosiers to an unblemished 16-0 season, captured the national championship in historic fashion and won the 2025 Heisman before being selected first in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Raiders.
Now that the path is clear for a new athlete to leave NYC in December holding the Heisman, who will it be?
Here are the way-too-early odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of May 5.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
2026 Heisman Trophy Winner
CJ Carr (Notre Dame): +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Arch Manning (Texas): +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Julian Sayin (Ohio State): +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Dante Moore (Oregon): +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss): +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
Josh Hoover (TCU): +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Darian Mensah (Miami, FL): +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State): +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)
Gunner Stockton (Georgia): +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Sam Leavitt (Arizona State): +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Marcel Reed (Texas A&M): +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Jayden Maiava (USC): +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
John Mateer (Oklahoma): +2800 (bet $10 to win $290 total)
Here’s more on a few of the names on the 2026 Heisman oddsboard:
The Favorites: Carr and Manning are tied at +750 to win the Heisman Trophy at the end of the 2026 regular season. And the latter is no stranger to Heisman talk. He opened as the favorite for the 2025 Heisman at several books and right before the season kicked off, bettors were hammering Manning’s futures. The excitement over Manning was short-lived once his Longhorns went 4-2 to begin the season. If he is at least named a finalist, he would follow in the footsteps of his uncles and his grandfather, as both Peyton and Eli Manning, and their dad Archie, were Heisman finalists during their college careers.
Arch Manning is an early favorite to win the 2026 Heisman Trophy.
Ones to Watch: Ohio State teammates Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin are two players to watch for next season’s Heisman — especially because they were both in the conversation to win the award most of 2025. Sayin, in fact, was a Heisman finalist and finished fourth in the race with eight first-place votes. Smith didn’t make the trip to New York but finished sixth in the tally. FOX Sports college football writer RJ Young projects that both Smith and Sayin — as well as Manning — will be in the running in 2026.
Ohio State’s Julian Sayin could make another trip to NYC — but this time as the winner.
Heisman in Troy?: Could Maiava bring the hardware back to SC from NYC? Based on the early odds, he could have at least a slight chance. If the Trojans’ QB wins the most coveted individual award in college football, he’d be the first USC player since Caleb Williams (2022) to do so. Maiava finished the 2025 season with 3,711 passing yards and 24 touchdowns, as his squad ended the year with a 9-4 record.
German exports rises 0.5% in March, imports up 5.1% MoM: Destatis
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