The First test is off and running!
Today, Cardiff hosts the opening day of the first test between England and Australia. England captain Alastair Cook has challenged his players to reignite the cricketing fury of the glory days of 2005 however, it appears the Three Lions haven’t got off to the greatest of starts, with the captain hardly leading by example.
The top order already lost a casualty in Adam Lyth, who was sent on his way for a total of just 7 runs. He was followed shortly after the drinks break by captain Alastair Cook, with England only having totalled 42 runs on the board. Not a great start.
Only to compound the misery, Ian Bell was gone swiftly afterwards for LBW for just a solitary run. That’s just 56 runs in his last nine innings for Ian Bell. Not a stat to be proud of. But then up steps Root and Ballance…
With England seemingly about to have a nightmare start to the series, the number 4 and 5 batsmen hold firm and pull England back into the game to 88 for 3 wickets at lunch. After lunch, they continued their dogged style and got England back into contention and by mid-adfternoon, England had passed 140 runs with no further losses.
Australia are undoubtedly the favourites to take the Ashes this summer, with the England team in transition under a new hierarchy and no Kevin Pietersen to look to for batting inspiration and flair. This is a new era for the national cricket team.
But the first test looks to be shaping up nicely and with England showing some backbone, could this be a contest after all? If you want to watch ball-by-ball coverage, with in-depth analysis, insight and of course, the best live coverage, then the only place to watch is Sky Sports Ashes.
You can watch the Ashes anywhere across Europe with a Sky TV system direct from SkyCards.eu. Visit our online store today and get your system up and running in time to catch the final days of this gripping battle at the crease.
Who will win Wimbledon 2015?
We’ve reached the business end of this years grass court grand slam tennis action at SW19 and to date, we’ve have some incredible matches, upsets and more.
Yet again, Nadal was an early round loser, this being the fourth year consecutively where he’s lost to a player ranked outside the top 100. Are his days at the top of the game numbered? Many believe so whilst others feel he will come back to his best later this year on the hard courts. One thing’s for sure though is Novak, Roger and Andy are ready to take on all comers and push for another Wimbledon title
Today is quarter-finals day and in a rain delayed schedule, Murray takes on the surprise package from Canada Vasek Pospisil, whilst later on, defending champion Novak Djokovic takes on reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic on centre court. A player he has a 18-0 wiunnign record against. You have to feel for the Croat goign into that one!
Come rain or shine however, these matches will be played regardless and with current weather looking seemingly changeable, it’s highly likely the roof will be closed for today’s play. Rain has already stopped the matches twice today and further interruptions are highly likely.
Over on court one, weather fortunes are worse with no roof and with in-form Frenchman Gilles Simon taking on the darling of SW19 Roger Federer, that could be a cracking match up, regardless of rain interruptions.
And last but certainly not least, is the remaining match between Roger’s Swiss compatriot and reigning French Open champion Stan Wawrinka and another Frenchman Richard Gasquet. For some, that could actually be the match to watch!
With both players boasting two of the most beautiful backhands in the game, this could be a match for the purists to enjoy. The late bloomer Stan, has risen to the top of the men’s game in recent years and Gasquet’s form has certainly returned during the grass court season. It could be a great few days of tennis in both the men’s and women’s draws.
The BBC as ever, has the pick of the coverage and we highly recommend you catch the best of the action with host Sue Barker and the team. If you miss the live action, you can always catch it again on BBC iPlayer using our VPN router so either way, live or on-demand tennis is easy with SkyCards.eu
