FA Cup holder Chelsea clinches quarterfinal-spot with 4-1 victory over second-tier Cardiff

FA Cup holder Chelsea advances with Cardiff win

England Ashes win: A Different take!

LONDON — It is fitting that actor Daniel Radcliffe, best known for playing Harry Potter, should be among the cheering crowds at The Oval to see England win the Ashes.

England to escape fine despite delaying tactics in first Test

CARDIFF - International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee Jeff Crowe said last night that England and captain Andrew Strauss were not reported by umpires Aleem Dar or Billy Doctrove for alleged time wasting tactics, and therefore, no action would be taken in the matter.

No sex ban for England cricket team

CARDIFF - England’s Ashes team has escaped a sex ban - as long as they stay off the booze.

Anderson says Ponting let England off the hook

CARDIFF - Batting hero Jimmy Anderson on Sunday claimed that Australian captain Ricky Ponting took his fingers off England’s throat by bowling part-time spinner Marcus North in the dramatic final overs at Cardiff.

Oz experts’ panel questions Ponting’s tactics

MELBOURNE/CARDIFF - A panel of Australian cricketing experts, including Nick McArdle, Damien Fleming and Mark Waugh, have concluded that Australian captain Ricky Ponting’s tactics on the final day of the first Ashes Test at Cardiff, Wales, came up short, and this enabled England to salvage a draw.

Panesaar, Anderson strikes off Punter’s Dream

Resilient half an hour defense by Anderson and Panesaar helps England to draw the Cardiff Test, which surely shattered Australia’s dream to bag the first Ashes clash. England finished off with 252/9.

Pietersen, Johnson involved in a heated argument

CARDIFF - England batsman Kevin Pietersen and Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson were involved in a heated argument before the start of the final day’s play in the first Ashes Test here Sunday.

“Leading into first Ashes century, I could hardly breath”, says North

CARDIFF - Australian left-hander batsman Marcus North has revealed that he was so nervous towards reaching his first Ashes century in the first test match at Cardiff, that he could hardly breathe.

Ashes Test: Ponting has got it right, says Benaud

CARDIFF - By closing his side’s first innings with a lead of 239, Australian captain Ricky Ponting has set his England counterpart Andrew Strauss a task that will test his leadership as well as his batting ability, feels former player and noted commentator Richie Benaud.

Pietersen vows to keep on battling the Aussies

CARDIFF - Kevin Pietersen has told his shell-shocked England team-mates they must stand up and be counted today to prove they can handle an intense summer of Aussie pressure.

Flintoff asks teammates to recall Ashes 2005 spirit

CARDIFF - All-rounder Andrew Flintoff has called on his teammates to recall the Ashes spirit of 2005 and lift themselves to combat the Australians more aggressively in the ongoing first Test here.

Centurions Katich, Ponting inspired by painful memories of Ashes 2005

CARDIFF - Australia captain Ricky Ponting and opener Simon Katich, who scored unbeaten centuries on Thursday to take their team to a formidable 249 for one at stumps in reply to England’s score of 436, said they were inspired by the painful memory of the 2005 Ashes series loss.

‘We mean business this time’, says Kevin Pietersen

CARDIFF -Is KP serious about what he speaks?

Ponting Slams Brett Lee for being “DilLogical”

CARDIFF - Ricky Ponting has said that he has had to give Brett Lee an occasional kick up the backside to get the best out of his fast bowler.

KP blames nut for Ashes Test dismissal

CARDIFF - England’s best batsman Kevin Pietersen has blamed his ‘nut’ for his suicidal dismissal in the first Ashes Test against Australia being played here.

Five ex-England captains back Strauss to lift Ashes

CARDIFF - Andrew Strauss has been backed for Ashes glory by the only five England captains still alive who have lifted the urn.

Ex-Oz PM Howard in Cardiff to support Australia in first Ashes Test

CARDIFF - Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard has arrived in Cardiff to support Australia as the Ashes commences today.

Ponting Into Politics rather than Cricket Before Ashes Opener

CARDIFF - Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has urged Welsh fans to support his team as the Ashes series starts in Cardiff today.

Ashes 2009 is a battle of the new kids: Thorpe

CARDIFF - Former England star Graham Thorpe believes this summer’s Ashes could shape up to be the battle of the new kids.

For Katich, the Ashes is about fighting back

CARDIFF - For Australian opener Simon Katich, participating in an Ashes tour is all about fighting back.

Lee ‘gutted’ about missing out on two Ashes Tests

CARDIFF - Australian fast bowler Brett Lee, who claimed seven wickets with his reverse swing in a tour game against the England Lions last week, is “gutted” that he will miss the first fortnight of the Ashes after straining an abdominal muscle.

KP believes England can win Ashes even if he is having a bad run

CARDIFF - With a day to go before the first Ashes Test against Australia to be played here, explosive batsman, and 2005 Ashes hero Kevin Pietersen has said that England can win the Test and the series even if he has a bad run.

Aussies May Miss Lee’s Service in the Ashes Opener

CARDIFF -Australian Dream in England got a severe blow as Brett Lee suffered from a side injury, which makes him doubtful for the first Test against England to be played here from Wednesday (July 8).

Hughes May Find his Defense Weak In English Pitch

Cardiff (Wales), July 6 (ANI): England has taken the threat of Australian opener Phil Hughes so seriously that it commissioned a secret dossier on his technique in the lead-up to the first Ashes Test, starting here on Wednesday.