live to brisbane and our sports correspondent, andy swiss.es, huw, welcome to brisbane where it's very nearly the moment that cricket fans have been waiting for. 40,000 supporters deaccepteding on the gabba for the late latest chap term of one of sports most famous sagas. england are the holders, australia the favourites, the ashes are at stake. reporter: up a bit higher, guys. for now they both have their hands on the ashes. steve smith and joe root, but which captain's grip will prove the stronger? england's preparations have been overshadowed by memories of a thrashing on their last trip here and by the absence of their star player ben stokes, but for all that there is a quiet confidence. i'm sure there'll be a few nerves flying around underneath the surface, but as a whole there's a really calm atmosphere in the dressing room. i think that's a really good place for us to be as a side. but brisbane is a picture of australian bullishness. their familiar weapon, pace. mitchell starc testing the speed gun before he tests england's courage. an

andy swiss, bbc news, brisbane.r ben stokes after he was seen at heathrow airport. the ecb says he's making a private trip to new zealand to spend time with family — and have denied he's on his way to the ashes or any other training camps within the england set—up. stokes is still waiting to find out whether he'll be charged after an incident outside a bar in bristol in september that led to his suspension from the national team. that case remains ongoing. sam allardyce is back in the frame to be everton‘s new manager. he had ruled himself out of the job, but following their 4—1 defeat to southampton yesterday, everton‘s search to fill their vacancy has become increasingly urgent. here's our sports correspondent david ornstein. sam alla rdyce sam allardyce was the initial favourite for the job but he publicly ruled himself out of contention because everton delayed making an offer to him. in the meantime, marco silva, the watford manager, became a key target. they tried to get him but they failed. sam alla rdyce trie

andy swiss, bbc news.nd's women start the first of three vital twenty20 matches against australia in the morning. they need to win all three t20 matches, or win two and tie the other, if they are to regain the ashes, mark robinson's side trailing the multi—format series. were aware of the risks last night and again we arejust taking it were aware of the risks last night and again we are just taking it day by day, so with more around we will probably know a bit more tonight. he is such a big player for us so if you can get him fit and out there we will but equally we know it will be a long—term fitness issue and there are two more games to follow. don't forget you can follow the game on bbc radio 5 live sports extra and the bbc sport website from 8 o'clock tomorrow morning. in londonjack sock has clinched a place in the semifinals of the world tour finals this evening. he beat alexander zverev at the 02 tour finals this evening. he beat alexander zverev at the o2 arena, but it was not straightforward. after

our sports correspondent andy swiss watched the teams train at the hostile ground often knicknamed thegabbatoir‘. welcome to the gabba, behind you we can see as australia gets ready to

from sydney here's our sports correspondent andy swiss.ueueing for a glimpse of cricket history, the first—ever day night ashes test brought australia's fans brimming with confidence because if they win here, they will retain the women's ashes. for england, the pressure was on and it soon showed. lauren winfield brilliantly

from sydney here's our sports correspondent andy swiss. queueing for a glimpse of cricket history, the first—ever day night ashes test brought australia's fans brimming with confidence because if they win here, they will retain the women's ashes. for england, the pressure was on and it soon showed. lauren winfield brilliantly caught for just four. australia's bowlers on top but not for long, as tammy beaumont led the england fightback, casting off the early shackles as she shared a century stand with captain heather knight. in the sydney sunshine, england were blossoming and australia seemingly wilting. but as the shadows began to lengthen, so the fortunes began to turn. beaumont was finally out for 70 and with the pink ball under the floodlights, australia dazzled. ellyse perry might not have seen it but she still somehow caught it to remove sarah taylor, as england's middle order struggled. by the end, a day which they had controlled for so long was left delicately poised. tomorrow morning, maybe the first hour or two will be really impo

andy swiss is at the gabba, we hope he is the gabba.on noes that is right. steve smith is the world number one batsmen for a reason. when he and shaun marsh came together, a study were 76 — four and indeed trouble. they have continued this recovery, that is what strength and are hoping. he is the key man, if they can get him early and get into the long australian tail, the next batsmen in is the wicketkeeper who scored one first—class century in his entire career. it is a long struggle entail, getting steve smith out early is the key as far as england is concerned. that will give them a chance to work their way into a commanding position. they will resume shortly here at day three with the met intriguingly poised. this chilly off—spinner agrees that things are finely balanced. the game is in the balance, i think england bowled very well to take for early wickets. but i think we have fought back hard. there is a massive partnership out there now and hopefully we can build on that. aden hopefully we can build on that. arjen robben to put

andy swiss, bbc news, brisbane.back at the top of the table after snatching a win against saracens. they fought back to claim victory byjust two points. 18—20 the final score. patrick gearey has the details. two of the best teams in the country, one of the biggest games, not all the top players. with many of their stars on international duty, this was a test of strength in depth, a day for saracens to be thankful england are not calling for the talents of alex goode. it is not the saracens way to focus on individuals, they say the strength of the wolf is the back and the strength of the pack is the wolf. this was apparently brits try, but exeter chiefs are one of the few teams in england to know how to beat saracens. they did it on bush to the title last season and ian whitten lead them back into this. eight minutes remaining as saracens tried to hold them up somewhere in there low went lower. wait for the whistle. try. and the conversion was simple. this to win it, and almost effortless enter our relentless match.

andy swiss, bbc news, sydney.de centre for england against argentina with niether 0wen farrell and maro itoje both rested. elliott day is recovering from a knee injury to start on the wing. wales placed early onset today. i wing williams will make his first wales start at centre and they hope to halt a run of 12 successive defeat against the wallabies. we have been very close and number of those games have been leading going into the last minute and u nfortu nately we lost. going into the last minute and unfortunately we lost. we know the challenge of saturday. we trained well last week. we had a good week this week. and the players were very disappointed to lose that opening game against australia last year and then go on to win the other three. scotland kick off their autumn test series against samoa at murrayfield on saturday. head coach gregor townsend has named four uncapped players in his squad as they host a samoan side that have endured a turbulent week off from the field. they face opposition declared ban

andy swiss reports from adelaide.laide oval, the australian players are being put to their paces behind me. earlier on, england trained in sweltering conditions. temperatures up into the 30s. they are forecast to drop significantly over the next 48 hours. by the time play gets under way on saturday, temperatures expect to be down into the high teens. that will be much more to england's liking. after starting training news came through of the signing of ben stokes for the new zealand side canterbury. he could make his debut on sunday. the second day of the test here. but it seems increasingly unlikely ben stokes will feature for england in this ashes series. he might need to wait several weeks before he finds out whether he will be charged. the ecb will wait for that decision before any review of whether he can play for england. but what do the england players make of it? is this turning into something of a distraction for them? earlier on, we heard from jimmy anderson. it's not something we really think about. we don'

andy swiss is at the gabba. we hope he is!ou get a sense that his wicket, steve smith's, could be crucial for wicket, steve smith's, could be crucialfor england wicket, steve smith's, could be crucial for england in this opening session to come? that's right, john. steve smith is the world number one batsman for a reason and when he and shaun marsh came together, australia we re shaun marsh came together, australia were 76—4 and in deep trouble and they've continued this recovery into they've continued this recovery into the morning, that's what australian fa ns the morning, that's what australian fans will be hoping. he's really the key man as far as england are concerned. if they can get him early and get into this long australian tail, the next batsman in is tim paine, the wicket—keeper, who has scored one first—class century in his career so there's a long australian tail. getting steve smith out early is the key for england and that would give them a chance to work their way into a commanding position but certainly they w

that was andy swiss in adelaide for us. of the hero world challenge in the bahamas on thursday. woods will return to competitive golf for the first time in almost 10 months at the event after recovering from another back injury. the 1a time major winner says he's spent most of the last two years in bed but is now pain free. i don't know. i'm winging this by ear, because i don't know what my body can and can't do yet. ijust got the go—ahead a little over a month ago to start letting it go, but i still don't know. as i was saying to you guys, i don't have any pain any more in my back but i still do have some stiffness. no duh! its views. so i'm learning what my body can't do yet and what it can do, so just give me a little bit of time —— it is used. we look forward to seeing tiger woods back on the course. england head coach wayne bennett has finalised his squad for the rugby league world cup final against australia on saturday and there's only one change to the line up that survived a late fight back to beat tonga at the wee

andy swiss there reporting from adelaide for us. in that report, the subject of ben stokes's immediate cricket future is never too far away. that of course lies for now in new zealand — here's the canterbury coach gary stead. he could be here through until the end of the t 20 competition as well. anytime you get to rub shoulders with the player of that calibre, there is an excitement for our players and i think that's great for us. britain's gordon reid came from a set down to win his second pool match at the wheelchair tennis masters in loughbrough this afternoon. with news of the raining paralympic men's singles champion‘s match, as well a defeat for alfie hewett and victory for andy lapthorne, here's our reporter kate grey. it was another convincing victory for andy black fawn in the quad division, which means he is the first british person to make it through to the semifinals on saturday. he was up against rising star keith davidson from australia. he made a confident start, winning the first set 6—2. at times, it looked like it

our sports correspondent, andy swiss, reports.ve the day and salvage a draw, and tammy beaumont‘s stylish start seemed to bode well. but then, on 37, she was bamboozled by a piece of magic from amanda jade wellington, and england suddenly had problems. lauren winfield not so much leg before as toe before wicket, gone for 34, and australia sensed the ashes could be in sight. but come the second session, england knuckled down. heather knight with a captain's innings. boundaries were a rarity, but it didn't matter. with the help of georgia elwiss and a lifeless pitch, knight coolly edged her team closer to safety. unbeaten on 79 when australia decided enough was enough, and the captains shook hands. not the win england would have wanted, but a battling draw to keep their hopes alive. this was a gritty performance from england, but to regain the ashes they will now have to win all three of the remaining matches. not impossible, but it will be some challenge. andy swiss, bbc news, sydney. you can see more on all of today's stories on t

our sports correspondent andy swiss reporting from brisbane.hael vaughan is commentating for the bbc‘s test match special. he says, rather than concerning themselves with off—field antics, the players need to focus on wickets and runs. the timing could not have been worse. i think england and australia dealt with it very well and have put it to bed. the press conference was a bit of comedy gold, i do not quit understand how you treat someone with a head—butt and everything to be rosy but it was clearly a bit of jostling and fun and the england tea m jostling and fun and the england team have dealt with it. i would think that behind—the—scenes jonny ba i rstow has think that behind—the—scenes jonny bairstow has been given a nice telling off. you have to remember the ben stokes situation, jonny ba i rstow the ben stokes situation, jonny bairstow was fined £1500 for being in bristol to early in the morning so in bristol to early in the morning so it is not good timing but i think they have dealt with at the best that they can. there are bigger iss

andy swiss, bbc news, sydney. of a four day tour match and is a doubt for the rest of it adding to england's injury list england have started their second innings and have a lead of 65. their ashes series begins two weeks today. also coming up in the programme... england head coach eddiejones tells us why lions duo 0wen farrell and maro itoje will be rested for the saturday's autuem international against argentina. and bouncing back — literally — we meet the british trampolining champion who's overcome injury to compete on the world stage... let's have a look at some of the other stories around today. fifa has been urged to make more effort to address risks to workers' rights on world cup stadium construction sites in russia and qatar — the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. it's one of 33 recommendations in the first report of the governing body's new human rights advisory board. there's been criticism of conditions for migrant labour in both countries. britain's dimitri coutya has picked two gold medals at

andy swiss, bbc news, sydney.d never reached three figures in an international match before but her 213 not out is the highest test score by an australian. a sporting prodigy, perry has also represented her country at football, but cricket has taken precedence in recent years — and she's clearly really enjoying it. i had an amazing time out there today, batting with all the girls, just taking in what was such a special day in terms of crowd attendance, it being the pink day, day three. just a great event for women's cricket. it was nice in that last session to score in the manner that we did, i think we took about 70 runs, from 13 or 14 overs, we had had a lull leading into the dinner break so to come out there, and set a good tone in the first couple of overs, and to finish it off and get into a position where we could declare was important for this much to go somewhere. that was great. all—rounder craig overton has admitted he can't keep the first ashes test out of his mind — and he's put himself firmly in the f

andy swiss, bbc news, brisbane. time for a look at the weather.ew days in the morning and it already feels chilly out there in many areas. in the last couple of days we have had snow showers across scottish ales that will continue across the course of the evening. temperatures dipping to freezing in many towns and villages with the risk of ice in northern and western parts of the uk. the scene tomorrow morning, cold airfrom the norwegian sea is digging down into northern parts of france and iberia. there will be lots of crisp sunshine for us, and it will look beautiful, but very cold. this is roundabout lunchtime. some wintry showers across the scottish hills. 0ne lunchtime. some wintry showers across the scottish hills. one or two showers across the scottish hills. one or two s howe rs a cross across the scottish hills. one or two showers across northern ireland and wales. for many, central, eastern and southern areas, basically what you have is a beautiful, crisp, sparkling and chilly autumn day. temperatures in london briefly touching six or 7

our sports correspondent andy swiss was watching in sydney. ashes, ultimately one that would leave the australian fans smiling thanks to one of the greatest innings the women's game has ever seen. resuming on 70, ellyse perry picked up where she left off, reaching her first test century but that was just the start. with alyssa healy peppering the sydney crowd england's hopes of a first innings lead soon vanished. they eventually found the elusive breakthrough, alyssa healy caught by anya shrubsole for a5. and there were not able to capitalise, this drop by heather knight proved optimistic as she and ellyse perry shed a partnership, england apparently stumped for ideas and by the tom mcgrath headhunted natalie sciver the damage had been done. —— by the time that she had 12 natalie sciver. ellyse perry proved unstoppable and under the floodlights she dazzled her way to a double century, an extraordinary individual display before australia finally declared 168 ahead. that left one nervous final hourfor the england openers who survived intact but

andy swiss, bbc news, brisbane. back now to our main story. is at kensington palace. it's on. it certainly is. thank you very much and welcome back to a blustery kensington palace. this has been speculated about for some time now. let's speak to the royal editor of the sunday express. not least by your own publication. it's going to bea your own publication. it's going to be a busy spring next year. your own publication. it's going to be a busy spring next yeahm your own publication. it's going to be a busy spring next year. it is. the cambridges' third baby is due in april. the statement has gone out that they are going to have a spring wedding, so the question is exactly when, before baby or after? putting my maternal hat on, i would suggest that perhaps it's best to have it before kate gives birth, because i think you would rather be pregnant and shepherding young royal children, because we would expect prince george and princess charlotte to have a starring role in the day, rather than perhaps having a newborn in tow as well. easy times ah

our sports correspondent andy swiss is in townsville.ynter‘s last match before the ashes, the last chance to convince the doubters they are ready for the challenge. —— england's last match. chris walks, who was to enjoy quite a day. within minutes he struck again. but after lunch jonny ba i rstow again. but after lunch jonny bairstow was at the centre of england's biggest injury skier, hurting the middle finger of his left hand and leading the field for nearly an hour. it turned out to be only bruised but in his absence, ben foakes only bruised but in his absence, ben foa kes and chris only bruised but in his absence, ben foakes and chris walks, a combination. overton finish with two wickets, chris woakes finish with six. in the absence of ben stokes he is noa six. in the absence of ben stokes he is no a key player for england. six. in the absence of ben stokes he is no a key playerfor england. —— now a key player. with them being away it means we have all got to step up. hopefully i can do that and score runs and take wickets. that is t

andy swiss, bbc news, brisbane.porting talent extends beyond football. since retiring from the beautiful game, he‘s become a successful racehorse breeder, and this lunchtime he‘s been making his debut as a jockey at ascot. joe wilson reports. approaching on four legs come unmistakably a racehorse but cube is the human being on board? recognise him? —— who is also it may be more recognisable doing this come almost a furlong from goal in the 98 world cup and a sprinters finish. michael owen has scored a wonderful goal! when you have scored over 300 times you need a new goal and horse racing became michael owen‘s business in retirement. owning horses in one thing, riding them, initially he thought it might have been easy. dressed in the suck at ascot it was all very real. this was just a charity race but he had trained hard and lost a lot of weight. calder prince has come through to have the lead under michael owen. there he was, closer to the rails, the dark blue colours on board calder prince and as they turned for h

andy swiss, bbc news, brisbane. time for a look at the weather.he end of the month so stay cold until the end of the month so chilly for all of us, right down towards the south coast. it‘s already been turning colder through the day and the temperatures were dropping through the day such is the extent of the chilly weather coming in. a dip in thejet stream here and this is what it will look like for the next few days, in this cold than” of ”fijiti in the last had some weather front in the last 24 hours, dreadful weather across the north of the uk with heavy rain across lancashire and cumbria but the worst of that has cleared away. there is some rain across the south—west tonight, clipping the south—west tonight, clipping the south coast but it will be just through the night so by the time we get to around six in the morning, that rain should be clearing away. many waking up to dry weather in the morning, and a lot of clear whether around with crisp sunshine on the way. in the far north of the country, western scotland and maybe northern ireland too

andy swiss, bbc news, brisbane.

thanks very much, and andy swiss looking forward to the game tomorrow.ps have been accused of denying that animals can have feelings. could they really believe it? or is itjust fake news? join me now on bbc two. here on bbc one, it‘s time for the news where you are.

andy swiss, bbc news, sydney.ast, it's the first leg of northern ireland's world cup play—off against switzerland. they haven't appeared in a world cup since 1986. they were at the european championships last year in france, where they reached the knockout stage. if they get past switzerland over two legs, it will be the first time they have appeared at back—to—back major tournaments. the second leg is in basel on sunday. the reward right now is just me you know, off the scale in terms of what we can achieve if we are successful in the thai. —— in the match. i think the most important thing, like michael said, is not to get carried away in the first game and lose sight of the following game coming up, with suspensions and things like that. it is the start of the rugby union autumn internationals on sunday and henry slade will start at inside centre for england against argentina. other players have been rested. chrisjones has more. england head coach eddiejones has opted to rest two of his best buys, maro itoje and

our sports correspondent andy swiss watched the teams train at the hostile ground often knicknamed thegabbatoir‘. welcome to the gabba, behind you we can see as australia gets ready to the test starting here on thursday. england's players have been taking things relatively easy. earlier on, some of them were here at the gabba, looking resplendent. including jake ball. he is looking to england's final bowling spot in the team. he says he is now fully recovered that match in adelaide. i did have my eyes closed first thing. i managed to get a bit of movement while is out there. this soon as had the scan and got the result back, it was really good. from then on, the stats have been amazing. back in fully fit now. j call in with an real chance. as for australia, they have had their own selection issues. it's raised a few eyebrows, a few left—field selections. shaun marsh. australia have an incredible record here at the gabba. they have not lost a test match here the nearly 30 yea rs. lost a test match here the nearly 30 years. not surprisingly, they are full of confidence. we know how to pl

our correspondent andy swiss has been following the action for us. in search of some useful late order runs, but they didn‘t find too many. the hosts held their nerves and their catches. either time laura marsh nicked one australia were 280 not out and plenty of work to do. could the bowlers write to the challenge? australia looked unchallenged until they thrashed through and suddenly england were on top. sophie ecclestone put australia in the spin. two wickets on her test debut. not a bad way to start. when the wicket—keeper sarah taylor managed this, australia were teetering on 95- this, australia were teetering on 95— four. they stabilise thanks to a superb half—century from elyse perry, confirming her status as their star player. with perry, confirming her status as their 51 england ‘. with perry, confirming her status as their 51 england struck again. perry, confirming her status as their 51 er brunt ;truck again. perry, confirming her status as their 51 er brunt dropping iin. perry, confirming her status as their 51 er brunt dropping rachel kat

our sports correspondent andy swiss watched the teams train at the hostile ground often knicknamed the

thanks very much, and andy swiss looking forward to the game tomorrow.ewsnight is coming up on bbc two. here's evan. do animals feel pain or have emotions? dog owners know the answer to that. but it's been a raging controversy this week. mps have been accused of denying that animals can have feelings. could they really believe it? or is itjust fake news? join me now on bbc two. here on bbc one, it's time for the news where you are. welcome to sportsday. coming up on the programme, england hope to build a decent first day of ashes cricket, live in brisbane on day two. the latest from the europa league. arsenal top their group despite losing in cologne. england captain dyla n losing in cologne. england captain dylan hartley left out of the starting 15 for the first time under eddiejones as they prepare to play samoa. we have a packed show coming up. only one place to start, that is with the england cricketers, back out batting against australia in a one hour's time. day two of the first ashes test gets under way. dawid malan and moeen ali will resume a 196

ashes points series and have regained the famous trophy with two games to spare. 0ur correspondent andy swiss sydney. england knew it was win or bust for their ashes hopes. not the moment for one of the most chaotic start you will see. heather knight was caught behind, or was she? the catch seemingly taken in front of the stumps. she was reprieved before another change of mind and she was out again. confused? england were as they disintegrated in a flash 16— four and the ashes surely as good as over. but then a recovery, thanks to australian butter fingers and a rattling half—century. their total of 132 at least gave them a chance, but it proved a mere flicker, as australia dispatched them into the syd ney australia dispatched them into the sydney night. a couple of wickets briefly revived england's hopes, but they ultimately only postponed the inevitable. they retain the ashes and they've done it with two games to spare. england might be the world champions but in this series they we re very champions but in this series they were very much second best. you could see it on the faces of the gi

from sydney, our correspondent andy swiss reports. with their ashes hopes hanging in the balance. their challenge, to survive the day and salvage a draw. tammy beaumont‘s stylish start seemed to bode well, wellington and england suddenly had problems. lauren winfield not so much leg before as toe wicket, gone for 34. and australia sensed that the ashes could be in sight. but come the second session, england knuckled down, heather knight with a captain's innings. boundaries were a rarity, but it didn't matter. with the help of georgia elwiss and a lifeless pitch, knight edged her team closer. australia decided enough was enough and the captains shook hands. not the win england would have wanted, but a battling draw to keep their hopes alive. this was a gritty performance from england, but to regain the ashes, they will now have to win all three remaining matches. not impossible, but it will be some challenge. the first men's ashes test starts a week on thursday in brisbane. england's confidence will have been boosted by a convincing wi

andy swiss was there to meet them. well, welcome to brisbane, where the sun is out at the moment.the forecast is for more rain over the next few days, which could affect the players‘ preparations for the first test, which starts at the gabba on thursday. now, early on england‘s players arrived at brisbane airport from townsville, where they have been playing their final warmup game against a cricket australia 11. a smattering of the barmy army were there to meet them at the airport. now, the build—up to the ashes series has been dominated by the issue of ben stokes, who is currently back in britain under police investigation after an incident outside a nightclub back in september. but team—mate jonny ba i rstow september. but team—mate jonny bairstow says he is hopeful that stokes bairstow says he is hopeful that sto kes ca n bairstow says he is hopeful that stokes can still play some part in this ashes series. it would be amazing if stokesy comes out here, he isa amazing if stokesy comes out here, he is a fantastic cricketer. we don‘t know what is going on at the moment. that is

from sydney, our sports correspondent andy swiss reports. time to grin... and win.gland team, this is a test with no room for error. they came to australia, of course, as the newly crowned world champions. the hosts, though, have won two of the first three games and their confidence is very clear. "beat england" is their rallying cry. but that bullishness mightjust backfire. does that give you extra fire in the belly, when you see banners like that? yeah, of course it does. i think that's the aussie marketing campaign, which is quite interesting and funny for us as a team to see. it's all about us and how we perform over the next few days. if we can win this game, it stands us in good stead. the spotlight will be on england in more ways than one. this will be the first day—night test, men's or women's, in ashes history. for the players, a whole new ball game — or a pink ball game, to be precise. easier to see under the lights, never previously used in women's international. but england and australia are no strangers to innovation. after all, they played the very fir

andy swiss is there. welcome to the gabba.alia's players being put through their paces. this is a hive of activity as they get ready for the first ashes test on thursday. england's players have been taking things a lot of lazy today. earlier, a few of them at the gabba helping to launch a new pool deck, looking resplendent in official england gear. they include jake ball. he is backing and then —— contention for the final bowling spotin contention for the final bowling spot in the team. it looks like a shoot out between him and craig gordon. he says he's fully recovered from the ankle injury he picked up in the warm up in adelaide.|j from the ankle injury he picked up in the warm up in adelaide. i had my eyes closed for a split second and i was like, did it hurt? it did hurt at the time but i managed to get some movement when i was out there and walking off, didn't seem too bad. as soon as i had this canon got the results, they were all positive. —— the scan and got the results. the medical staff have been amazing and sorted m

andy swiss reports. time to grin... and win.eather knight's england team, this is a test with no room for error. they came to australia as the newly crowned world champions. the hosts, though, have won two of the first three games and their confidence is very clear. "beat england" is the rallying cry, but that bullishness mightjust backfire. does it give you extra fire in the belly, when you see banners like that? of course, that is the aussie marketing campaign, it is quite interesting and funny for us as a team to see, it is all about us and how we perform over the next few days, if we can win this game it stands us in good stead. the spotlight will be on england in more ways than one. this will be the first day/ night test, men's or women's, in ashes history. for the players, a whole new ball game. or a pink ball game, to be precise. easier to see under the lights, never previously used in women's international. but england and australia are no strangers to innovation. after all, they played the very first women's tests more

andy swiss, bbc news, brisbane. teams will play next year. the frontrunner for the england team is a small village on the baltic coast near st petersburg. our moscow correspondent sarah rainsford went there to find out what awaits some of the highest—paid players in football. they are getting ready for the world cup here, not to play, not yet, but it looks like the england team will be based in this town just outside st petersburg. so the local boys have been swatting up on the squad. do you know anyone from the england team? kane — harry kane. rasheed, kane, hart. this is where the boys hope to see england. their old stadium is being rebuilt as a world cup training ground and, when the competition is over, the football school will inherit it. the pitch is still getting the final touches. but the official i spoke to is confident it will be up to scratch. translation: most of the work is already done. that pitch is almost complete. then we have to paint the lines and it's ready for play, because fifa has already appr

andy swiss has been following the action.alia's first a bite england set out in search of useful runs that they did not find too many, as the hosts held their nerve and their caches. by the time laura marsh nicked one england were 280 all out with plenty of work to do. could their bowlers rise to the challenge? australia looked untroubled until nicole bolton thrashed to shrub soul and suddenly england were on top. ecclestone put australia in a spin. two wickets on her test debut, not a bad way to start. when wicketkeeper sarah taylor brilliantly snaffled one england were teetering on 95—11. they stabilise thanks to a superb half century from ellyse perry, confirming her status as their star player. with a closing site england struck again. katherine brunt trapped hayes and provided a late boost to their hopes of victory. trapped hayes and provided a late boost to their hopes of victorym 01’ boost to their hopes of victorym or is going to be a difficult pitch. particularly in the second innings. there has been slow from the fi

andy swiss has more. australia's day, as england's hopes soon faded. joe root went before lunch and the rest and ball. moeen ali, was he stand? rest and ball. moeen ali, was he stand ? anything rest and ball. moeen ali, was he stand? anything behind the line and he was ok. it was agonisingly close but after a near cheapside. lincoln's tail did not hang around once again. australia left with a target of just 170 once again. australia left with a target ofjust170 and led by david warner they breathlessly set about the run chase. by the close, england tomorrow lies and all but defeated. very disappointed. i thought the first three days we played well and we re first three days we played well and were in the game, but today we let ourselves down. with the bad and especially we got in and never really got on to get the big score that we needed. but hours later there was another problem, claims johnny bairstow was involved in an incident in perth for weeks ago while in the same bar as australia's opener cameron

but his team—mates are still hopeful he can still play a part. 0ur correspondent andy swiss sent thist but earlier on we had some pretty heavy showers. the forecast is for more rain over the next few days, which could affect the players' preparations for the first test which starts at the gabba on thursday. earlier on, england's players arrived at brisbane airport from townsville, where they were playing their final their final warm up game against a cricket australia 11. a smattering of the barmy army were there to meet them at the airport. the build—up to this ashes series has been dominated by the issue of ben stokes, who is currently back in britain under police investigation after an incident outside a nightclub back in september. team—mate jonny bairstow says he is hopeful stokes can still play some part in this ashes series. it would be amazing if stokes comes out here. i'm sure you guys all think the same. he's a fantastic cricketer. we don't know what's going on at the moment, that's completely out of our hands. until that's resolved, we actually don't know what is going to h

andy swiss reports. time to grin and win.a test with no room for error. they came to australia as the newly—crowned world champions. the hosts though, have won two of the first three games and their confidence is very clear. beat england is their rallying cry. but that bullishness might just backfire. does that give you an extra fire in the belly when you see banners like that? of course it does. that's the 0zzie marketing campaign. it is interesting and funny for us, i guess as a team to see. it's all about us and how with he perform over the next four days. if we win this game it will stand us in good stead. the spotlight will be on england in more ways than one. this will be the first day/night tea m this will be the first day/night team in ashes history. for the players, a whole new ball game. 0r team in ashes history. for the players, a whole new ball game. or a ping ball game to be precise. easier to see under the lights never previously used in a women's international. but england and australia are no strangers to inno

here's our sports correspondent andy swiss.guing first day at the ashes we have had at the gabba, ending with honours relatively even. england on 196—4 at the close. they won the toss and chose to bat back, getting off to a terrible start with alastair cook out on just two, caught at slip by mitchell starc. at that point we wondered if there would be an old—fashioned england collapse. —— caught at slip off mitchell starc. but they rebuilt thanks to a century partnership from james vince and mark stoneman. james vince was a surprise selection but he justified the faith of the selectors. stoneman going on 53 and vince on 83, brilliantly run out by nathan lyon, a superb piece of fielding from him, backing up his trash talk from earlier in a week with a piece of individual brilliance. england lost their fourth wicket before the close with captainjob fourth wicket before the close with captain job root out fourth wicket before the close with captainjob root out lbw to pat cummins. initially given not out, but the decision was overtu

andy swiss is there. welcome and behind me you can see australian players put through their paces. activity as ground staff get things ready for the first test on thursday. england players have been taking things relatively easy today. earlier, some were here helping to launch a new poll deck. looking resplendent in england swimming trunks. they included jake ball, backin trunks. they included jake ball, back in contention for the final bowling spot in the team. looks like a shoot out between him and craig 0verton. ball said he has recovered from the injury he picked up in the warm up match in adelaide. from the injury he picked up in the warm up match in adelaidelj from the injury he picked up in the warm up match in adelaide. i thinki have my eyes closed a split second and thought did it hurt. it did. but i got some movement. walking did not seem i got some movement. walking did not seem too bad. as soon as i got the results of the scam, they were positive and from then on, the medical staff have been amazing as sorted me out. back fully fit now. jake ball in with a chance of pla

andy swiss, bbc news, brisbane.global stories. in the longer term it looks like the weather pattern will settle down, but it may well be quite a cold theme. wednesday a day of extremes. look at this picture sent in by a weather watcher at ambleside. the result of about 100 millimetres of rain falling result of about 100 millimetres of rainfalling in result of about 100 millimetres of rain falling in the hills. waters of a different kind elsewhere. it is cold air causing problems across northern scotland, with some snow. wintry showers continue in scotland, more in northern ireland, and a few in northern england. most of the showers across the northern half of the uk, where it is going to be cold. largely dry with some sunshine in southern parts. a little rain comes in across southern parts of england overnight. doesn't amount to much for many, though showers continue in the north. overnight, some clearer skies, anywhere from the midlands and wales northwards could have some frost. not as windy by friday. some sunshi

and has since been hailed as a new standard bearer for lgbt people in sport. 0ur correspondent andy swissd a beacon of light for any people that are in the closet in sports. of anything i've done my life, the thing i'm the most proud of for sure is coming out and doing it the way that i did it. in the frenetic world of freestyle skiing, gus kenworthy stands alone. world number one and also the first openly gay competitor. when he won silver at the sochi olympics in 2014, kenworthy had not revealed his sexuality. behind the celebrations, he says he felt deceitful, guilty and even considered quitting, for fear of what his sport would think. your whole sport is based around you image and your persona. —— your whole sport is based around your image and your persona. it's like, your social media followers and your sponsors and just the way that you portray yourself and ijust didn't want to throw that all away. i had just heard friends and people in the industry say homophobic things. we used to have snowboarders at events, call us skier fags and anytime anything was bad at a contest, whether i

our correspondent, andy swiss, is following the tour.e on the north queensland coast. ten days to go until the first ashes test in brisbane, and england arrived here hoping to fine—tune their preparations for the final warm up game starting on wednesday. matches like this are a chance for players to explore a bit of the area and this morning, moeen ali and alastair cook visited a local wildlife sanctuary where they got to feed a crocodile named willie post—op can you imagine the headline writers having fun with that? moeen ali has not played either of england's matches so far because of a side strain, but the good news is he says he is fit and ready for whatever australia have to throw at him. that is part the game. it is not something i have not had before. these things happen. australians like to talk about a lot and big themselves up. for us guys, we need to stay calm and make sure we are ready. i know it will be tough. i have always backed myself and my ability to stop hopefully, i will back that even more in this series and do well

england's batsmen have made claims for places in the starting team an” : (inminanf aicnbyw— w, ,, andy swissrk stoneman has stated his claim for an opening spot. with the ashes just a week away, ru ns well with the ashes just a week away, runs well what england wanted and, by and large, they got them, especially the man who is proving the form batsman of this tour. after three 50s in his previous innings, mark stoneman ggkeg‘ up - he té’é at sing; at the 7:5 at the 2“? left eff “£92, at the ether sec! welcome runs “mt m ‘if: sf: we teeethe', tl‘e eet eh “£2 fer the , ~ , f opening wicket teeethe', the 2et eh “£2 fer the , ~ , f opening wicket cookfa’i'" " teeethe', the 2et eh “£2 fer the , ~ , f opening wicket cook was ~ 555223— but mark stoneman caught behind. but mark stoneman pressed on, notching up his first 100 in an england shirt and his team toss first of the tour. james vince make 26 before being caught. he thought he'd cost —— he'd get it into the ground but the referee disagreed. shortly after that, into the ground but the referee disagreed. shortly afterthat, mark stoneman was cau

andy swiss reports from brisbane.he first three days of this test match worked so evenly balanced, but it looks as if australia will take a 1-0 it looks as if australia will take a 1—0 lead. england knew they had a chance if they batted well, but they lost only wickets, most crucially joe root. moeen ali batted well, but he was given controversially out stumped. from the england lost their last four wickets for just ten runs to set australia at target of just 170. england bowlers tried their best, but cameron bancroft and david warner were in superb form. they both scored unbeaten half centuries before the close. australia need just 56 on the final day to go 1—0 up just 56 on the final day to go 1—0 up in this ashes series. england knew they would face a tough task in australia. 1—0 down though, it will seem tougher. obviously very disappointed. i thought the first three days we played well in the game and then today we let ourselves down. with the batth especially, we got in and never really went on to get the big sc

captain steve smith, his bowlers took two quick wickets in the final hour. 0ur sports correspondent andy swiss gabba. after a bad start to the ashes, was this the day that pendulum finally swung? it edged tantalisingly towards england, shaun marsh one of a cluster of early wickets, but they couldn't shift australia's rock. steve smith had notjust a century but a batting masterclass. that's what it needs to rescue your team and he guided australia into the lead, and when their innings finally ended, australia were 26 ahead and smith 141 ended, australia were 26 ahead and smith 1111 not out, cheered to the rafters. now for england's openers to steady the ship or not, i hope from alastair cook. it didn't get any better in a torrid final session. australia's pacemen piled on the pressure. a horrible moment forjoe root, on the pressure. a horrible moment for joe root, thankfully on the pressure. a horrible moment forjoe root, thankfully unhurt. he clung on to the close but england are up against it. a bit disappointed to win two wickets but it could have been a lot worse. it was just it could have