Glenn McGrath's press conference to announce his retirement after the forthcoming World Cup was a low-key affair writes Andrew Miller

Only in England could news of a great captain's international comeback be viewed with such a jaundiced eye, but such has been the controversy over Michael Vaughan's role in England's doomed Ashes campaign that his return to the one-day squad for next mont

Steve Harmison, whose woeful form in the recent ICC Champions Trophy was a continuation of his desperate downward trend in limited-overs cricket, has announced his immediate retirement from ODIs

Up until the 11th minute of the 11th hour, it was still possible to believe this was all an elaborate hoax

Duncan Fletcher's position as England coach will be reviewed after the World Cup according to David Collier, the ECB's chief executive

In the end, resistance was futile. England's 463-day Ashes reign, the shortest in history, came to an end just two balls into the second session of the 15th day of this contest. In truth, it was over long before it had begun

After England's victory in the 2005 Ashes, a gung-ho ABC news journalist kicked open the saloon doors to Ricky Ponting's post-match press conference, and before anyone else could open their mouths, had launched into an immediate demand for the Australian

At some stage tomorrow, Australia will recapture the Ashes, just 15 days into this latest contest, and just 15 months after surrendering them at The Oval last summer. Even so, England's performance today was a glimpse of a rosy future

It was a depressing end to a superb innings. As Alastair Cook trudged despairingly from the crease after recording his maiden Ashes century, he was so crestfallen he could barely raise his bat to acknowledge a deserved standing ovation

England's coach, Duncan Fletcher, has admitted his frustration at England's inability to compete on equal terms with Australia in this Ashes series, but insists he has no regrets over the controversial selections that have overshadowed the latter stages o

Officially, England have yet to surrender the Ashes. There is still a vain hope that their batsmen might keep the series alive beyond Christmas. A vain hope indeed

Buried deep in the jungle on the island of Utila, near Honduras, there exists a hulking great structure known as Duncan's Folly

Mixed messages have been the order of England's tour so far, as Kevin Pietersen amply demonstrated this evening, after top-scoring with an unusually restrained 70 from 123 balls

It has been an article of faith ever since the squad for this Ashes series was announced. Regardless of what mood he might find himself in on tour, Steve Harmison was bound to have one matchwinning spell lurking somewhere up his sleeve

It was a measure of the expectations surrounding this Test that, the moment the toss had been won by Ricky Ponting this morning, a familiar Australian voice boomed around the press-box, announcing: "That's the Ashes sewn up then!"

Despite that traumatic defeat in the second Test at Adelaide last week, England's captain, Andrew Flintoff, believes his team are capable of making history when the crucial third Test gets underway

Ricky Ponting says that Australia are focused on winning the third Test and regaining the Ashes will be a byproduct of the victory, while it's anyone's guess as to who will make up England's bowling attack

England's net session at the WACA today marked the start of what, in Kevin Pietersen's estimation, is "a huge, huge week" for the team

England's former captain and wicketkeeper, Alec Stewart, believes that Steve Harmison has to be picked for Thursday's crucial Test at the WACA despite concerns about his form, because he is a proven matchwinner, and winning the match is what England have

Andrew Symonds doesn't look like the sort of character to suffer from insecurity