Kane Williamson has been included in New Zealand's 14-man squad for a three-test series against the West Indies next month after missing the Black Caps' last test series in Zimbabwe and most of their white-ball matches so far this season.

England and Australia have competed for the urn since 1882, with the 74th series between the nations to begin this week in Perth

On a lush cricket ground outside Colombo the sharp jingling of a ball cuts through the afternoon air.- Playing by the ear - While able-bodied cricket requires players to keep an eye on the ball at all times,

Few sporting contests carry the history, drama and aura of the Ashes. Born from a mock newspaper obituary in 1882 and symbolized by a tiny urn, the rivalry between Australia and England has shaped more than a century of test cricket.

An England cricket fan is travelling from Manchester to Australia for the Ashes series... without taking a single plane. Tommy Lamb is on Day 96 of an epic quest which he said had been full of "unreal experiences" and occasional tough moments like ending up in a Vietnamese hospital.

Michael Vaughan has spent the past few southern hemisphere summers commentating in Australia, and reads the local mood better than most. Last month, Vaughan made a pointed remark about the landscape in Australia.

Aussie cricket legend Glenn McGrath has been dismissed from his ABC radio position on the eve of the Ashes. The national broadcaster last month promoted the fact McGrath would be returning to his role as a cricket commentator.