The Ashes

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Australia batter Steve Smith made an ominous 118 for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield as he began his preparation for next month's first Ashes Test against England.

While England's Test players failed to show any form in another ODI defeat against New Zealand, 36-year-old Smith scored his 53rd first-class hundred in his first innings of the Australian summer at the Gabba.

He started slowly - he had only 12 from his first 58 balls - but grew into the innings, albeit against a Queensland bowling attack lacking international quality.

Smith reached his century in 158 deliveries and hit 20 fours and a six before being caught at gully late in the day. New South Wales were 349-5 at the close.

Smith's knock included a partnership of 202 with number three Kurtis Patterson, who made 122 from 261 balls to press his case for a place in Australia's Ashes squad. Patterson played two Tests in 2019.

There are a number of question marks around Australia's top order going into the Ashes, largely around who will open with Usman Khawaja and who will slot in at number three.

Sam Konstas' struggles continued in Brisbane as the 20-year-old was bowled middle stump while shouldering arms to seamer Hayden Kerr for 10.

Konstas opened in Australia's most recent Test but has only passed 50 once in seven innings this season in domestic cricket.

Elsewhere, former Test opener Cameron Bancroft made a timely century for Western Australia against South Australia.

All-rounder Cameron Green, who batted at three in West Indies but has been struggling with a side injury since, made a six-ball duck in the same game.

He did not bowl on day one, raising doubts about whether he will be able to play a full part as an all-rounder from the start of the series against England.

Jake Weatherald, another candidate to open, was out for a duck in Tasmania's Shield match against Victoria.

Green's rival for the all-rounder spot Beau Webster was out for 11.

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Injured Australia captain Pat Cummins bowled for the first time since July on Wednesday as he aims to be fit for the second Ashes Test against England.

Cummins has not played since suffering a lower back injury against West Indies in July.

The 32-year-old won't be available for the opening Test in Perth on 21 November but is hoping to be ready for the second day-night contest in Brisbane on 4 December.

He stepped up his recovery on Wednesday with a brief net session in Sydney, bowling off a five-step run-up.

"We're on the journey to that second Test and very hopeful that that will be a positive outcome," Australia coach Andrew McDonald said.

"We will see how he pulls up and then we'll make decisions moving forward."

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Wicketkeeper Alex Carey has shrugged off Stuart Broad's comments that the current Australia team is the worst since 2010-11.

Former England paceman Broad was responding to ex-Australia batter David Warner's prediction England would lose the upcoming series down under 4-0.

England's last triumph in Australia was in 2010-2011.

However, they have suffered heavy defeats of 5-0, 4-0 and 4-0 in their three trips to Australia since.

"You wouldn't be outlandish in thinking - it's actually not an opinion, it's a fact - it's probably the worst Australian team since 2010 when England last won, and it's the best English team since 2010," Broad told the For the Love of Cricket podcast on BBC Sounds.

However, Carey urged his former Ashes sparring partner to "wait and see", with the first Test beginning on 21 November in Perth.

"We've got a really experienced cricket team who have had a lot of success over the last five years under Pat Cummins," said Carey.

"To win a World Test Championship, to retain the Ashes over there, and to make another World Test Championship final last year was pretty good recognition for the success that this team has had.

"All the guys have played against Stuart in the past and we know how big a competitor he is and how much he's done for Test cricket.

"When you see players transition into the media, they're absolutely open to their opinions and the playing group doesn't hold any comments against anyone."

England assistant coach Marcus Trescothick believes bowler-friendly pitches would help the tourists during this winter's Ashes in Australia.

Steve Smith, who will captain Australia in the first Test in the injured Pat Cummins' absence, had suggested that challenging batting conditions would benefit the hosts.

However, Trescothick pointed to Harry Brook's brilliant century in the first one-day international against New Zealand on Saturday as an example of England's attacking approach enabling them to quickly change the feel of an innings.

"When ball is dominating the bat, then to try to be aggressive and put pressure on is something that we do really well," Trescothick said, ahead of Wednesday's second ODI in Hamilton.

"I think Harry's biggest strength is probably his bravery and his attitude to be in that situation and trying to be aggressive. To be able to make it happen in the fashion he does, it changes games.

"I don't have a problem with (Australia producing bowler-friendly pitches) because it obviously makes for quicker games and entertaining cricket, which kind of suits us."

Trescothick also insisted Joe Root will not be fazed by the focus on his record in Australia, where he is yet to score a century and averages 35.68, compared to 51.29 across his Test career.

"His record speaks for itself," Trescothick added. "He's a wonderful player in all formats and in all countries around the world that he's played."

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Former England bowler Steven Finn believes the team have their best chance of winning an Ashes tour since their most recent series victory down under in 2010-11.

Finn played on that tour but England have not even won a Test on their past three trips to Australia, with their last series victory coming at home in 2015.

However, the team has a different mentality under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, who was appointed in 2022.

"I think this is England's best chance in 15 years to win the Ashes [in Australia]," Finn told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport. "I don't think they'll allow themselves to be bullied the way that has happened in the last few series that England have sent teams down there. I'm very optimistic about England's chances."

In 2010, England ensured they would retain the Ashes by winning the fourth Test by an innings and 157 runs, before adding the fifth Test to seal a 3-1 series victory.

"For all of the sniping and the pre-series stuff that goes on, [the Australian public] respect people who try hard, who puff their chest out and don't get pushed over when the Australians puff at them," Finn added.

"I don't see this England team going down timidly or meekly, which I think the Australian public will respect.

"In 2010-11, the tide turned on Australia - I reckon [on] the morning of day two of the fourth Test, when we bowled out Australia for 98. We were miles ahead of the game.

"The Australians turned on themselves and it felt like we had everyone in the ground supporting us. You felt that when you walked down the street people were stopping you and saying 'we respect how you're playing your cricket and we love it'.

"That is England's task - to do that early enough in the series to turn the tide on Australia."

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Ryan Harris has backed Australia's reserve pace bowlers to perform if needed in the Ashes.

Captain Pat Cummins will miss the first Test in Perth and could be out for longer, leaving Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland as the likely starting pace trio.

All three are in their mid-30s, so the home side could have to call on other seamers across a gruelling five-Test schedule crammed into little more than seven weeks.

Former pace bowler Harris, part of the Australia side that routed England 5-0 in 2013-14, told BBC Sport: "We've got guys there, but the only problem is they will be inexperienced.

"Brendan Doggett has been around Test squads, but not played. He's 31 and a calm head.

"I know from making my debut at 30, I was still nervous, but had played enough cricket to handle the occasion. Sean Abbott is another who has played a lot of one-day and T20 cricket for Australia, so it wouldn't be overwhelming for him. Jhye Richardson has a chance to come back late in the series.

"Michael Neser, if they needed him to come in, he has been there and done it. Fergus O'Neill is a different kind of bowler, medium pace and very accurate. There are guys around that can fill roles if need be."

And Harris, now Doggett's head coach at South Australia, endorsed him to step up as the next cab off the rank if required.

"He's in my team and I want him to play," said Harris. "I think he would make an impact and do well at that level."

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Australia all-rounder Cameron Green has started bowling again as he steps up his preparations for the Ashes.

Green was pulled out of Australia's squad for their recent one-day international series against India as a precaution with a "minor" injury having suffered soreness in his side.

The 26-year-old is now set to play for Western Australia against South Australia in the third round of the Sheffield Shield - Australia's domestic first-class competition - starting on Tuesday.

Australia coach Andrew McDonald said Green was "ready to go as a batter" but his "bowling capabilities" for the four-day match at the WACA in Perth from 28 to 31 October are "yet to be decided".

"He resumed bowling after that slight side awareness that ruled him out of the ODIs," McDonald told a news conference.

"I'll get an update of how he's bowled today because he bowled yesterday, and then that'll be a decision leading into [Sheffield] Shield game three about what that looks like.

"If it's not Shield game three that he bowls in, he still will be bowling in some capacity in and around that game, and then it'll be really exciting to see what Shield [round] four looks like."

Green has taken 35 wickets in 32 Tests for Australia at an average of 35.31 and with an economy of 3.38.

He has also scored 1,565 runs in 51 innings with the bat at an average of 34.02, including two Test centuries.

The first Ashes Test between Australia and England at Optus Stadium in Perth starts on 21 November.

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England's all-time leading Test run-scorer Joe Root says he is concentrating on being "mentally focused" in his preparations for the Ashes.

Root said his approach is "different to how I would have done 10 years ago", with him no longer concentrating as much on adapting his technique for the Australian conditions.

Root is yet to score a century in Australia and averages 35.68 in 27 innings in the country.

"I've played against a lot of their guys, I know how they operate, I know what they're likely to try to bring to the series," said Root.

"I used to be very technical in how I prepared. I'd want to make sure that everything felt lined up and my feet were in the right place, my head position was correct. But I'm a lot more mentally focused."

The series begins in Perth on 21 November, with England looking to regain the Ashes for the first time since they won in Australia in 2015.

Root captained England on their last Test trip to Australia, where they suffered a crushing 4-0 loss, and stepped down from the role a few months later following defeat in the Caribbean.

"Now I'm a bit more concerned about how I'm looking at the game; how I'm going to approach different situations, whether that be the surface, whether that be different bowler types, different angles, being able to manage those different angles when they come wide of the crease, things like that," said 34-year-old Root.

"So it's just having a look at the likely make-up of their squad, the different threats that they may pose and then being clear on how I want to counter that."

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On the latest episode of Tailenders, England's all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson has been picking his underrated Ashes XI.

He said: "I've gone with recognised names and ones that have performed and contributed to winning Ashes series but they aren't necessarily given the credit they are due."

Anderson's underrated Ashes XI:

1. Chris Broad

2. Andrew Strauss (captain)

3. Jonathan Trott

4. Mike Gatting

5. Allan Lamb

6. Derek Randall

7. Alan Knott

8. John Emburey

9. Tim Bresnan

10. Chris Tremlett

11. Graham Onions

Listen to his reasons on the latest episode of Tailenders on BBC Sounds.

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Jofra Archer will sit out the first one-day international against New Zealand on Sunday as England manage his Ashes preparations.

Archer, 30, is joining the ODI squad after missing the three-match T20 series, which concludes in Auckland on Thursday.

However, he does not arrive in New Zealand until Saturday, alongside fellow Ashes quicks Josh Tongue and Mark Wood. Neither Tongue nor Wood are in the white-ball squad, but will be in New Zealand for their Ashes build-up.

Archer's omission from the first ODI in Mount Maunganui is not injury related and he will be available for the second ODI in Hamilton next week.

Joe Root, Ben Duckett and Jamie Smith have all arrived in New Zealand for the one-dayers, while Test captain Ben Stokes is set to visit family in Christchurch before the Ashes squad assembles in Perth.

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Welcome to our Ashes page!

This will be your one-stop shop for all the latest news, reports, analysis and reaction from the series between Australia and England.

The latest series gets under way on 21 November in Perth and we'll be bringing you regular updates during the build-up and series itself.

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