Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

No family, no Ashes tour for England's Buttler

England vice-captain Jos Buttler has insisted again he will miss the upcoming Ashes tour if his family are unable to join him in Australia.

Buttler will fly out to the United Arab Emirates next week as a member of England's squad for the T20 World Cup.


But whether the wicketkeeper-batsman also features in the five-Test Ashes series is open to doubt amid questions over the severity of Covid-19 restrictions confronting Joe Root's men in Australia.

England players are still awaiting specific details about quarantine, bubble and entry regulations, although there are reports that information will be available this weekend.

But in the meantime, even Test skipper Root has been unable to commit fully to touring Australia for one of the showpiece events in the global cricket calendar.

Buttler, having just become a father for the second time, wants to know as many details as possible before making himself available for the tour.

But asked Wednesday if an Ashes series where his family were unable to join him for even part of the tour represented a red line, the 31-year-old replied: "Yes, definitely for myself. If I had to do a World Cup and an Ashes -- four, five months without seeing my family -- I wouldn't be comfortable doing that."

"We're still waiting for more information, as soon as possible," he said when speaking at Sixes Cricket Club, where he was unveiled as the official ambassador of Booking.com's sponsorship of the T20 World Cup.

"Hopefully in the next few days there'll be more information. As soon as you get that it makes it easier to know what decision you're making."

Buttler, yet to play in an overseas Ashes, added: "The ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and Cricket Australia will be working very hard together to make it as good as possible.

"It's tough to make a decision when you don't have all the answers. In Covid times, there is always going to be some sort of question that is difficult to answer.

"It could be changeable, it would be naive not to say so in the times we're living in, but you want to go there with as many assurances as possible."

Meanwhile, ECB chairman Ian Watmore said he was prepared for more twists and turns ahead of the scheduled Ashes opener in Brisbane on December 8.

"There is no simple date it must be decided by, apart from when that plane goes to Australia," Watmore told the Daily Mail.

"There are issues for CA to sort out with their government and for the federal government to sort out with state governments.

"We're working hard to provide an environment in which our players and their families want to go and perform to their best. If Australia can deliver that, great, if not we may have to have more challenging discussions."

More For You

Pakistan seeks £3.4bn bank loan to tackle mounting energy sector debt

Pakistan’s government is the largest shareholder or owner of most power companies

Pakistan seeks £3.4bn bank loan to tackle mounting energy sector debt

Eastern Eye

PAKISTAN government is negotiating a 1.25 trillion Pakistani rupee (£3.4 billion) loan with commercial banks to reduce its bulging energy sector debt, the power minister and banking association said.

Plugging unresolved debt across the sector is a top priority under an ongoing $7bn (£5.4bn) International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, which has helped Pakistan dig its way out of an economic crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less
LEAD Amit 1 INSET Rishi Sunak GettyImages 1258681655
Rishi Sunak
Getty Images

'I am English': Sunak asserts as ethnic minorities debate identity politics in Britain

FORMER prime minister Rishi Sunak has made cultural and sociological history by becoming the first prominent personality to say a brown person can be not only British, but also English.

He dismissed as “ridiculous” the suggestion from his former home secretary, Suella Braverman, that Englishness “must be rooted in ancestry, heritage, and, yes, ethnicity” – in other words, the person has to be white.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tesco plans to give away expiring food in waste reduction trial

Tesco’s latest move comes as part of a broader effort by supermarkets to address this issue

Getty images.

Tesco plans to give away expiring food in waste reduction trial

In a groundbreaking move to reduce food waste, Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket chain, is set to trial a new initiative where expiring food will be given away to customers for free at the end of each day. This trial is part of Tesco’s wider strategy to cut food waste in half by the end of 2025 and contribute to the global push for sustainability. The initiative will involve offering already discounted "yellow sticker" items foods nearing their expiration date at no cost to customers after 21:30 in selected Tesco Express stores.

This plan has the potential to make a significant impact on food waste reduction, especially in the context of rising food insecurity and growing environmental concerns. The trial will be rolled out in a small number of Tesco Express stores across the UK, although the specific locations and start dates have not yet been disclosed. Tesco’s decision follows an ongoing commitment to sustainability and aims to address the dual challenges of food waste and food insecurity in the UK.

Keep ReadingShow less
Aamir Khan at 60: A to Z of Bollywood’s Mr Perfectionist

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan attends the launch ceremony of a film festival showing his movies ahead of his 60th birth anniversary in Mumbai on March 9, 2025.

Getty Images

Aamir Khan at 60: A to Z of Bollywood’s Mr Perfectionist

THE remarkable career of Aamir Khan has included record-breaking movies, an Oscar nomination, and memorable roles across a wide array of genres.

Known affectionately as Mr Perfectionist, he has firmly established himself as one of the finest stars in Bollywood history, alongside being a successful producer and a powerful role model. The actor will celebrate his 60th birthday on Friday (14), receiving well-wishes from around the world.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sara Sharif: Court upholds jail terms for relatives

Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool and Faisal Malik. (Image credit: Surrey Police)

Sara Sharif: Court upholds jail terms for relatives

https://www.easterneye.biz/sara-sharif-s-parents-appeal-life-sentences/A COURT on Thursday (13) upheld lengthy prison terms handed to the father and stepmother of a 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl who was killed after suffering years of torture and abuse.

The trial of Urfan Sharif and his wife Beinash Batool caused waves of revulsion in the country at the horrific way they had treated Sara Sharif.

Keep ReadingShow less