Does the Australian team know when the Ashes begin?

Has no one taught Australia how to use team calendars? Cricket Australia put poor Nathan Lyon on the spot to talk about the Ashes, starting with when it begins, but it doesn't look like Lyon knows. He did what anyone would have in the circumstances - called the rest of his team-mates.

First he called up Mitchell Starc, who was less than helpful. "I think Josh would know," he said, passing the buck onto his fast-bowling colleague Josh Hazlewood. He had even less help there: "No chance" he'd know, said Hazlewood. "Build the man statue," said Lyon, equal parts amused and exasperated. Scott Boland helpfully asked Lyon to check on the Cricket Australia app, doh! But surely the captain must know? Pat Cummins should have it written down on his calendar and circled thrice in red, right? A long pause later, the answer, from Cummins: "Uhhhh nah, is it on Google?"

For those still in the dark - i.e. the Australian team - the Ashes officially kick off on November 21, with the first match in Perth. The next four Tests are in Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, and the last match will begin on Jan 4. England and Australia last met in the Ashes in 2023, in England. The series was drawn 2-2, which meant Australia retained the Ashes, so they're going to have to pay a bit more attention if they want to keep it another two years. Captain Pat Cummins has been sidelined for the next two months following a back injury, so he's on a tight timeline to get fit enough to play, while England also fielding a few injuries of their own in their bowling attack, with Woakes potentially out, Mark Wood recovering and Jamie Overton having withdrawn from red-ball cricket for a bit.