The Ashes: Aussie's last hurrah

 THE greatest cricketing rivalry is again set to spark in less than a fortnight.

Australia vs England, the Aussies vs the Poms, the Ashes. 

But... it's in Australia. 

It seems, (to me at least) that the last Ashes series happened, here, as when England hosts the rivalry is either weakened somewhat, or people just don't expect of the series to be competitive (something that it hasn't since the infamous 5 nil thrashing in 2013/14). 

Australia expects themselves to win either at home or away, which is such a superstar mentality that England don't get. 

Either England aren't any good anymore or Australia just simply know how to play on the day. 

Some pom said that its the worst Aussie team for a while, which - even at a stretch is wrong, whenever Smith, Starc, Khawaja, and even Hazlewood retire may be as Aus., isn't finding any depth in the test arena anymore. 

Smith is 36, which was actually surpising googling that as he has been a leader in the team since the 2015 World Cup, and Starc is 35, but even one year younger than Smith, he seems like he doesn't excite anymore. In his hayday it was like no player could, with the ball cannoning into the base of the stumps. 

His action went... *step* *step* BOOM wicket. 

His hayday, 2015 to 2017/18 made for scary watching as a Kiwi. 

Sean Abbott, 33, is a limited-overs player, not for tests. 

Marnus, just can't bat anymore, he's 31, it seems his career was a flash in the pan, not long. A lower-order batter and a handy bowl will be his next move, if he wants to be a test player. 

The GOAT, Nathan Lyon, 37, will be 38 a day before the first test, probably his last. 

Scott Boland, the superhero from the last Aus series, is 36. People don't realise how long he was in the Aus limited side before making a test debut, his mate Joel Paris, never played a test and only two ODIs. 

In Australian cricket, people never got chances, the selectors kept with the same time after time, and now after this series will have a very hard decision to find numbers to field a team. 

This series will be the last, for Australia's golden decade this century. 

Who's going to play in England next time? Konstas, what a joke. 

Meanwhile, England are giving the 'new blood' a go. 

Smith (of the Jamie variety), Jacks, Carse, Bethell, and even Tongue, while he played in 23' he is only 27. 

None of these players (bar Tongue) played in the last Ashes series. 

While we know that England won't go great this series, at least they are giving them a go. 

The next will bite Aussie in the arse. 

Easy victory for NZ as Champions Trophy nears

New Zealand secured a dominant nine-wicket victory, on Sunday, over Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Basin Reserve. A clinical performance by the hosts saw them comfortably chase down a target of 179, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.

After winning the toss, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner opted to bowl first on a green surface, and his decision paid dividends as the Blackcaps' bowlers ripped through Sri Lanka's top order. Matt Henry was the standout performer, claiming four wickets for just 19 runs in his ten overs, earning him the Player of the Match award.

Sri Lanka's innings never gained momentum, with early strikes leaving them reeling at 23 for 4 inside the first ten overs. Despite a brief resistance from Janith Liyanage (36 off 54) and Wanindu Hasaranga (35 off 33), the visitors struggled to build meaningful partnerships. Eventually, they were bowled out for 178 in 43.4 overs.

In response, New Zealand's opening duo of Will Young and Rachin Ravindra laid a solid foundation with a 93-run partnership. Ravindra was dismissed for a well-made 45, but Young continued his fine form, finishing unbeaten on 90. Mark Chapman joined him to guide the hosts across the finish line, with Chapman contributing 29 not out.

Young sealed the win in style, pulling a short ball from Chamindu Wickramasinghe for four, completing the chase in just 26.2 overs.

The teams will now head to Hamilton for the second ODI, where Sri Lanka will look to bounce back and level the series.

NZ wins T20 series against Sri Lanka

After a 2-1 loss in the Test series to England, New Zealand bounced back in a T20 series against Sri Lanka. The Blackcaps showed resilience in the opening T20, edging out the visitors by just 8 runs. The second T20 saw a more controlled effort, as New Zealand secured another win, winning the series with a game to go. 

In the first T20, New Zealand edged out Sri Lanka by just 8 runs in what proved to be the closest encounter of the series. Batting first, New Zealand found themselves at 65/4 after 9.4 overs. However, Daryl Mitchell’s gritty 62 and Michael Bracewell’s fluent 59 led a vital recovery, steering New Zealand to a competitive 172/8 by the innings break.

Sri Lanka came charging out of the blocks, racing to 120/0 after 13 overs. However, the breakthrough came when Jacob Duffy, named Man of the Match, made his mark. After bowling his full 4-over spell, Duffy finished with 3/21, including the key wicket of opener Kusal Mendis for 46. Duffy’s efforts shifted the momentum in New Zealand’s favour, with Matt Henry (2/28) and debutant Zachary Foulkes (2/41) also playing vital roles in restricting Sri Lanka’s chase who lost 8/43, as the Blackcaps clinched victory.

New Zealand’s batting was steadier in the second T20, with Tim Robinson and Rachin Ravindra combining for 82 runs, helping the Blackcaps reach 186/5 by the end of their innings. Sri Lanka, chasing a target of 187, got off to a strong start, reaching 127/4.

However, the hero of the first game, Jacob Duffy, continued his excellent form, finishing with 4/15 from 4 overs. He was well-supported by Matt Henry and captain Mitchell Santner, who each claimed two wickets. Their combined efforts helped New Zealand defend their total, as Sri Lanka fell short, and the Blackcaps secured a 45-run victory.

In the third and last T20, Sri Lanka found victory after a superb batting performance by Kusal Perera who's match winning 101, made Sri Lanka favourites to win after posting 218/5. Hope of a kiwi comeback was lived by Rachin Ravindra's 69, and Tim Robinson's 37, but in the end Sri Lanka won the match by 7 runs. 

Man of the Match went to Jacob Duffy, which was very well deserved whose bowling figures where 8/66 for the series.