Martin Pegan

North Melbourne v Brisbane: 2025 AFLW grand final – live * Updates from the Kangaroos v Lions women’s decider * Start time at Ikon Park is 7.45pm AEDT * Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email The best things come in threes. Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2025 AFLW grand final between North Melbourne and Brisbane as the pair of powerhouse sides meet in the decider for a third straight season. The premiership ledger over that time stands at one-all, which gives each team an opportunity to claim to be the ‘best of three’ and the standout of the stretch. Though, in truth, the Kangaroos have already raised the bar to lofty new heights while embarking on an undefeated run since stumbling at the last hurdle against the Lions in 2023. Continue reading...

North Melbourne v Brisbane: 2025 AFLW grand final – live

Invincible Kangaroos seal back-to-back AFLW premierships with win over Lions * North Melbourne 9.2.56 defeat Brisbane 2.4.16 in grand final at Ikon Park * Roos become first undefeated premiers in VFL/AFL/AFLW history North Melbourne have completed a perfect season and become the first AFLW team to win back-to-back premierships with a 40-point win over the Brisbane Lions in the grand final. Ash Riddell starred in the Kangaroos’ 9.2 (56) to 2.4 (16) triumph at a sold-out Ikon Park on Saturday night, the league’s best-and-fairest winner breaking yet another record with 39 disposals. Continue reading...

Invincible Kangaroos seal back-to-back AFLW premierships with win over Lions

North Melbourne v Brisbane: 2025 AFLW grand final – live Goal-by-goal report: Can the Lions upset the reigning premiers or will the Kangaroos extend their winning streak? Join Martin Pegan for updates

The best things come in threes. It's the third straight #AFLW grand final between the all-conquering @nmfcofficial.bsky.social and perennial contender @brisbanelions.bsky.social

Join me and @australia.theguardian.com for live coverage of the #AFLWGF 💥
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Does Travis Head’s knock deserve to be among the greatest ever Ashes innings? | Martin Pegan The Australian did not make the Guardian’s recent list of the top 100 Ashes players, but his heroics in Perth sit comfortably alongside the series’ best individual innings of all time

Cometh the hour, cometh Travis Head. The makeshift opener's barnstorming innings in Perth deserves to be ranked among the great #Ashes innings
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Does Travis Head’s knock deserve to be among the greatest ever Ashes innings? | Martin Pegan The Australian did not make the Guardian’s recent list of the top 100 Ashes players, but his heroics in Perth sit comfortably alongside the series’ best individual innings of all time Cometh the hour, cometh Travis Head. The always swashbuckling but recently out-of-sorts middle-order batter put his hand up and said, “I’ll do it”, as Australia were again left scrambling to find an opener to step in for Usman Khawaja in the first Test. The last-minute decision for Head to partner debutant Jake Weatherald at the top of the order and begin the fourth-innings run chase with England in command is the sort of after-the-fact masterstroke that fills the pages of Ashes history. But even with a backstory of heroic and match-defining knocks, few could have expected Head to flip the script in a Test that had seen just 468 runs scored as 30 wickets fell, with an onslaught that immediately etched its place in Ashes folklore as one of the great innings. Head rocketed to his 10th Test century from 69 balls – the second fastest in Ashes history, the third quickest by an Australian in Tests, and the most rapid in a fourth innings – and celebrated with a few casual twirls of his bat and a half-hearted fist pump. When the 31-year-old was eventually caught in the deep for 123 from 83 deliveries with four sixes and 16 boundaries, emotion flowed in an embrace with Marnus Labuschagne with Australia then just 13 runs from sealing what, 136 minutes earlier, had seemed like an improbable Test victory. Continue reading...

Does Travis Head’s knock deserve to be among the greatest ever Ashes innings? | Martin Pegan

Ashes 2025-26: Guardian writers’ predictions for the series From pyrotechnics in Perth to the denouement in Sydney, our team of writers outline their hopes and fears for the five Tests

All the #Ashes predictions: Travis Head v Harry Brook. Injury-hit bowling attacks v inconsistent batting lineups. England v history. A full house of results
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Ashes 2025-26: Guardian writers’ predictions for the series From pyrotechnics in Perth to the denouement in Sydney, our team of writers outline their hopes and fears for the five Tests Ali Martin A full-blooded Ashes tour – both sets of supporters in the stands watching a hard-fought contest – after the pandemic proved something of a buzzkill four years ago. Continue reading...

Ashes 2025-26: Guardian writers’ predictions for the series

Scott Boland seeks to inspire next generation as Indigenous history beckons in Ashes opener * Fast bowler and Brendan Doggett in line to be part of same Australia side * Only two Indigenous men have so far played for men’s Test team Scott Boland expects Brendan Doggett to help inspire a new generation of Indigenous cricketers, as a slice of history beckons for the duo when the Australia XI is named for the Ashes opener in Perth. The fast bowlers are on the verge of shattering the glass ceiling and becoming the first pair of Indigenous cricketers to be included in the same Australia side as spots open up with Josh Hazlewood joining injured captain Pat Cummins on the sidelines. Continue reading...

Scott Boland seeks to inspire next generation as Indigenous history beckons in Ashes opener

Why Australia will win v why England can win: two Guardian cricket writers make their Ashes cases No 1-ranked Australia are favourites on home soil but through a forest of caveats for England, there is still a path to the urn Even the greats of the Ashes have been weighed down by 143 years of shared history, tradition and controversy. For keen observers of Australia and England, Ashes anxiety can cloud judgments, hopes and dreams. Personally, a heart still bearing the scars from more than a decade spent living behind enemy lines as a once all-conquering Australia failed to tie – let alone win – an Ashes series in England, now insists on managing expectations. But as the ICC’s top two-ranked men’s Test teams prepare for a contest set to be shaped as much by endurance as execution, the head is ready to rule with a quiet confidence that Australia will triumph in a fourth straight Ashes as hosts. Continue reading...

Why Australia will win v why England can win: two Guardian cricket writers make their Ashes cases

Why Australia will win v why England can win: two Guardian cricket writers make their Ashes cases No 1-ranked Australia are favourites on home soil but through a forest of caveats for England, there is still a path to the urn

Here is why Australia will win the #Ashes (and why England might) in a Test series set to be shaped by endurance as much as execution
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The 100 greatest men’s Ashes cricketers of all time: 100-71 Sport’s famous rivalry began in 1877 and since then 853 men have featured in Australia v England Tests. But who are the best? Our four-day countdown starts here with Nos 100-71 * Read about the 51 judges and our methodology here Continue reading...

The 100 greatest men’s Ashes cricketers of all time: 100-71

Rewarding mediocrity or providing new hope? AFL confirms divisive finals wildcard plan * AFL backs decision to introduce new round from next season * ‘Our fans love finals games,’ says CEO Andrew Dillon The AFL has defended its decision to expand the finals series to 10 clubs with the introduction of a divisive “wildcard round” from next season. The two additional matches will be held during the weekend that has been used for a pre-finals bye in the men’s competition while the AFLW will lose the clear air it has been given for early-round fixtures over the past three seasons. Continue reading...

Rewarding mediocrity or providing new hope? AFL confirms divisive finals wildcard plan

'I welcome the pressure': Inside Bernasconi's plan to reignite the Giants The Giants have won five games in the last three seasons, but Cam Bernasconi believes they are on the right track

Cam Bernasconi comes across as one of the nice guys - but there is a steely determination to the #AFLW coach as GWS Giants needs progress to be shown with more wins.

"It's the clearest I've been in what we've got to change"
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Squad ratings: how much each Australia player can influence the Ashes series | Martin Pegan With captain Pat Cummins injured, it’s up to five-star stand-in Steve Smith, among others, to lead from the front when the series begins in Perth The time for pre-Ashes barbs and selection speculation is almost over after Australia named a 15-player squad to take on England in the Perth Test. The extended lineup for the series opener hints at the need for cool heads in the heat of an Ashes series with Jake Weatherald included for the first time at the expense of firebrand opener Sam Konstas. But with Marnus Labuschange surging back into form, and the only other uncapped players being a pair of fast bowling backups, there is a familiarity to the squad even without injured captain Pat Cummins. Here is how each player (in alphabetical order) will stare down the Bazball bravado, with a star rating out of five indicating their potential influence on the series starting on 21 November. Continue reading...

Squad ratings: how much each Australia player can influence the Ashes series | Martin Pegan

AFLW finals: how the challengers shape up in their bid to end Kangaroos’ supremacy | Martin Pegan It seems like a near-impossible task, but of the seven other finalists, which are best placed to cause an upset?

North Melbourne are playing in a league of their own. Here is how the remaining challengers can break @nmfcofficial.bsky.social stranglehold on the #AFLW
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AFLW finals: how the challengers shape up in their bid to end Kangaroos’ supremacy | Martin Pegan It seems like a near-impossible task, but of the seven other finalists, which are best placed to cause an upset? North Melbourne are playing in a league of their own. The ruthless Roos have brushed aside any and all challengers across the 10th AFLW season to finish the home and away rounds with a record-breaking winning streak of 24 matches, a record-equalling unbeaten run of 26 games, and a percentage of more than 300. A star-studded and deep-running midfield led by captain Jasmine Garner and Ash Riddell is backed up by the stingiest defence in the league for a third straight year. Then there is the most potent attack the competition has seen, as the Kangaroos have somehow improved on the side that went through last season undefeated – an early draw the only blemish – and secured a breakthrough premiership. Continue reading...

AFLW finals: how the challengers shape up in their bid to end Kangaroos’ supremacy | Martin Pegan

Australia v India: third men’s Twenty20 international – live * Updates from the T20I at Bellerive Oval * The cricket in Hobart starts at 7.15pm AEDT / 1.45pm IDT * Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email Hello and welcome to live coverage of the third T20 international between Australia and India at Bellerive Oval in Hobart. Australia have taken a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after a comfortable four-wicket victory on Friday night in Melbourne, while the first T20I was washed out after 9.4 overs of play. India have found batting tricky in the 1.25 T20s that have been played in the series with only opener Abhishek Sharma looking especially dangerous, though captain Suryakumar Yadav found some form in the first game and Harshit Rana was amongst the runs in the second. But the tourists will be pleased to see the back of Josh Hazlewood with the Australia quick in imperious form but now leaving the squad to ramp up his preparations for the Ashes. Continue reading...

Australia v India: third men’s Twenty20 international – live

Crunch time nears for Australia as selectors try to fit Ashes batting puzzle pieces together | Martin Pegan Plot twists have thrown up more uncertainty over which six batters will be included in the hosts’ squad just under a month out from the first Test The Great Australian Bat Off has returned for a brand new season with fresh faces and forgotten favourites bidding to join the cast for the Ashes series opener. In a major subplot, captain Pat Cummins officially out of the first Test and is all but certain to be replaced by understudy Scott Boland, while the final auditions to claim a spot in the squad will be staged across the Sheffield Shield matches that begin on Tuesday as much as the T20 series against India. The main storyline will be familiar to seasoned fans as the Australia selectors largely repeat last year’s search for an opener to partner Usman Khawaja. But the return to form of Marnus Labuschagne, and injury concerns for Cameron Green and Beau Webster, are plot twists that have thrown up more uncertainty over which six batters will be included for the Perth Test. Continue reading...

Crunch time nears for Australia as selectors try to fit Ashes batting puzzle pieces together | Martin Pegan

Crunch time nears for Australia as selectors try to fit Ashes batting puzzle pieces together | Martin Pegan Plot twists have thrown up more uncertainty over which six batters will be included in the hosts’ squad just under a month out from the first Test The Great Australian Bat Off has returned for a brand new season with fresh faces and forgotten favourites bidding to join the cast for the Ashes series opener. In a major subplot, captain Pat Cummins is officially out of the first Test and is all but certain to be replaced by understudy Scott Boland, while the final auditions to claim a spot in the squad will be staged across the Sheffield Shield matches that begin on Tuesday as much as the T20 series against India. The main storyline will be familiar to seasoned fans as the Australia selectors largely repeat last year’s search for an opener to partner Usman Khawaja. But the return to form of Marnus Labuschagne, and injury concerns for Cameron Green and Beau Webster, are plot twists that have thrown up more uncertainty over which six batters will be included for the Perth Test. Continue reading...

Crunch time nears for Australia as selectors try to fit Ashes batting puzzle pieces together | Martin Pegan

History secured: There is no telling where the record-breaking Roos’ AFLW dominance will end I Nino Bucci North Melbourne have won more consecutive games – 24 – than any VFL/AFL/AFLW team as attention turns to winning back-to-back premierships With about three minutes to go before half-time in the game that would decide whether North Melbourne would set the record for the longest winning streak in the almost 130-year history of the VFL/AFL/AFLW, Jasmine Garner – a champion in a team of champions – picked the ball up just inside the boundary. The Roos had not had it their own way – the second-placed Hawks had kicked the only goal of the second quarter, and were just nine points down. Continue reading...

History secured: There is no telling where the record-breaking Roos’ AFLW dominance will end I Nino Bucci

Australia v India: first men’s Twenty20 international – live * Updates from the match at Manuka Oval * The cricket in Canberra starts at 7.15pm AEDT * Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email Hello and welcome to live coverage of the first T20 international between Australia and India at a sold out Manuka Oval in Canberra. Australia were quick out of the blocks in the three-match ODI series between the same sides with a pair of comprehensive victories before Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma signed off in style in the final 50-over game. India have a much more ominous record against Australia in T20s with seven wins in their past eight meetings in the format stretching back three years. The most recent of those losses might still sting Australia as India knocked them out of the T20 World Cup last year. Continue reading...

Australia v India: first men’s Twenty20 international – live

Crunch time nears for Australia as selectors try to fit Ashes batting puzzle pieces together | Martin Pegan Plot twists have thrown up more uncertainty over which six batters will be included in the hosts’ squad just under a month out from the first Test

Australia have enough pieces to solve their batting puzzle with Labuschagne returning to form. But that doesn't mean they all fit together.

Here are the options ahead of the final auditions to make the #Ashes squad
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Crunch time nears for Australia as selectors try to fit Ashes batting puzzle pieces together | Martin Pegan Plot twists have thrown up more uncertainty over which six batters will be included in the hosts’ squad just under a month out from the first Test The Great Australian Bat Off has returned for a brand new season with fresh faces and forgotten favourites bidding to join the cast for the Ashes series opener. In a major subplot, captain Pat Cummins officially out of the first Test and is all but certain to be replaced by understudy Scott Boland, while the final auditions to claim a spot in the squad will be staged across the Sheffield Shield matches that begin on Tuesday as much as the T20 series against India. The main storyline will be familiar to seasoned fans as the Australia selectors largely repeat last year’s search for an opener to partner Usman Khawaja. But the return to form of Marnus Labuschagne, and injury concerns for Cameron Green and Beau Webster, are plot twists that have thrown up more uncertainty over which six batters will be included for the Perth Test. Continue reading...

Crunch time nears for Australia as selectors try to fit Ashes batting puzzle pieces together | Martin Pegan

Gone in 40 days: can polarising Ange Postecoglou stage a comeback? - podcast Sports writer Martin Pegan speaks to Reged Ahmad about the events that led to the sacking of the polarising Australian and why he will need to prove himself all over again to get back into the Premier...

Listen to @martinpegan.bsky.social tell us what happened to celebrated Oz manager Ange Postecoglou, why he was dumped in record time by Nottingham Forest and whether there is any coming back for him to English Premier League #FullStory @australia.theguardian.com
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Australia v India: second men’s one-day international – live * Updates from the match at Adelaide Oval * The cricket starts at 2pm ACDT/2.30pm AEDT/9am IST * Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email Hello and welcome to live coverage of the second one-day international between Australia and India at Adelaide Oval. With this a short and sharp three-match ODI series, the hosts are just one win away from securing victory after easing through the first meeting on Sunday. The summer of cricket got off to a damp start in Perth with the ODI interrupted multiple times by rain but the forecast is much more promising today in Adelaide and both sides should be allocated the full 50 overs. India were unlikely to see out their overs in Perth even before the game was reduced to 26 overs, with their top order unable to handle the pace and bounce of Josh Hazlewood (2/20), Mitchell Starc (1/22) and Nathan Ellis (1/29). Continue reading...

Australia v India: second men’s one-day international – live

Australia v India: second men’s one-day international – live Over-by-over report: Australia can seal the three-match series with victory at Adelaide Oval. Join our writers for updates

Australia will bowl first in the second ODI against India at a sunny Adelaide Oval. Join me for the @australia.theguardian.com live blog #AUSvIND
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Ange Postecoglou’s reputation has taken a hit that only time and the right move can restore The Australian will have to prove himself all over again after back-to-back Premier League dismissals leave a stain on his CV Ange Postecoglou knows a strong reputation can be as valuable as results. The Australian is quick to defend his record when his coaching capabilities, successes or failures are called into question. To call on his experience when he feels like he is being disrespected or dismissed for learning the ropes in a football outpost. To turn to the silverware he has collected when there is a suggestion that he is a visitor, an impostor or a charlatan who somehow duped his way into the major leagues. But a new record – the shortest stint as a permanent manager of a Premier League club – is one that will need no reminder. Being sacked just 40 days into his Nottingham Forest reign will remain a stain on Postecoglou’s CV long after he leaves England. Being axed from two Premier League clubs within little more than four months is a blemish that could be even harder to remove after the Australian passes through the departure lounge. Continue reading...

Ange Postecoglou’s reputation has taken a hit that only time and the right move can restore

Australia v India: men’s first one-day international – live * Updates from the start of the ODI series at Optus Stadium * Play in Perth starts 11.30am local/2.30pm AEDT/9am IST * Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email Hello and welcome to live coverage of the first one-day international between Australia and India at Optus Stadium in Perth. This is the opener of three ODIs between the arch-rivals with the remainder of the series to be played in Adelaide on Thursday and Sydney on Saturday. A five-match T20 series will follow that before the main event on these shores when England arrive for the Ashes next month. But before we reach the highly-anticipated Test series, there is fresh appetite for white-ball matches especially with India in town and a near-sell out is expected today in Perth. Continue reading...

Australia v India: men’s first one-day international – live

Australia v India: men’s first one-day international – live Over-by-over report: The summer of cricket begins with the first ODI at Optus Stadium in Perth. Join Martin Pegan for updates

Australia will bowl first in the ODI against India as the summer of cricket gets under way in Perth. Join me for the @australia.theguardian.com live blog #AUSvIND
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Socceroos riding wave of momentum toward more favourable World Cup draw * Australia in race with South Korea, Ecuador and Austria for spot in pot 2 * Tony Popovic’s side out to stretch winning streak in United States friendly The Socceroos will seek to build on their wave of momentum under coach Tony Popovic and edge closer to a more favourable draw at the 2026 World Cup when they meet the United States in a friendly on Wednesday. Australia secured a seventh straight victory when Nestory Irankunda’s goal was enough to snatch a 1-0 win over Canada last Saturday and are now in line to rise to world No 24 when the Fifa rankings are next updated on 23 October. Continue reading...

Socceroos riding wave of momentum toward more favourable World Cup draw