With the Ashes done and January cricket in full swing, Corbin and Ed turn their focus to the Big Bash and what this season. They assess crowd momentum, the impact of Test players returning straight into T20 cricket, and how teams are shaping up as finals approach. There’s a deep dive on emerging talent announcing themselves, veterans finding new life, and why form lines in this part of the summer matter more than they appear. The conversation widens to Australia’s T20 World Cup frame, the role of overseas players, and where the domestic game sits in a global context as the season rolls on.ABC Grandstand cricket commentator Corbin Middlemas is joined by Ed Cowan to bring you all the highlights and match analysis to keep you up to speed. The pair discuss the key players and big issues that are dominating the cricket agenda, the latest in live fixtures with a hit of cricket banter.

Catch every episode of ‘The ABC Cricket Podcast,’ hosted by Corbin Middlemas on ABC listen or wherever you get your podcasts, and get in touch with them on social media via @abc_sport This podcast was formerly known as ‘The Grandstand Cricket Podcast’

Australia retain the Ashes with a 4–1 series win, but the margin tells only part of the story. Corbin Middlemas and Ed Cowan step back from the daily grind to assess how the series actually played out, from selection calls and tactical shifts to England’s evolving approach and the standards that ultimately separated the sides.

They revisit the moments that shaped the series, the Tests that elevated it and the ones that dragged it down, and what this Ashes revealed about where both teams are headed next, with an eye already on the road to 2027.ABC Grandstand cricket commentator Corbin Middlemas is joined by Ed Cowan to bring you all the highlights and match analysis to keep you up to speed. The pair discuss the key players and big issues that are dominating the cricket agenda, the latest in live fixtures with a hit of cricket banter.

Catch every episode of ‘The ABC Cricket Podcast,’ hosted by Corbin Middlemas on ABC listen or wherever you get your podcasts, and get in touch with them on social media via @abc_sport This podcast was formerly known as ‘The Grandstand Cricket Podcast’

Australia sealed the Ashes 4–1 with a composed five-wicket win on day five at the SCG, finishing the series in control when it mattered most.

England’s resistance ended early, losing their final two wickets for 40 as Mitchell Starc completed a defining series with 31 wickets. Chasing 160, Australia had a few untidy moments but were never seriously threatened, with Alex Carey striking the winning runs.

Corbin Middlemas and Ed Cowan reflect on a series decided by moments. England had chances, but Australia consistently won the big ones. Travis Head’s 600-plus runs shaped the series, Starc earned Player of the Series, and Usman Khawaja was farewelled in his final Test at the SCG.ABC Grandstand cricket commentator Corbin Middlemas is joined by Ed Cowan to bring you all the highlights and match analysis to keep you up to speed. The pair discuss the key players and big issues that are dominating the cricket agenda. Whether it's Ashes results, the latest in live fixtures or you just need a hit of cricket banter.

Catch every episode of ‘The ABC Cricket Podcast,’ hosted by Corbin Middlemas on ABC listen or wherever you get your podcasts, and get in touch with them on social media via @abc_sport This podcast was formerly known as ‘The Grandstand Cricket Podcast’

Jacob Bethell gave England something they have lacked for much of this series: belief.

Arriving at the SCG without a first-class century to his name, the 22-year-old played an innings defined by control, patience, and authority, announcing himself on the Ashes stage and dragging England back into a contest that had been slipping away.

Australia still hold the upper hand, but Beau Webster again underlined his growing importance. His unbeaten 71 rescued Australia’s innings, before he returned to take wickets with off-spin, including the key dismissal of Ben Stokes, on a surface offering more than expected.

Corbin Middlemas and Ed Cowan unpack the day and set up the final act of the Ashes at the SCG, where Australia will be presented the urn.ABC Grandstand cricket commentator Corbin Middlemas is joined by Ed Cowan to bring you all the highlights and match analysis to keep you up to speed. The pair discuss the key players and big issues that are dominating the cricket agenda. Whether it's Ashes results, the latest in live fixtures or you just need a hit of cricket banter.

Catch every episode of ‘The ABC Cricket Podcast,’ hosted by Corbin Middlemas on ABC listen or wherever you get your podcasts, and get in touch with them on social media via @abc_sport This podcast was formerly known as ‘The Grandstand Cricket Podcast’

Travis Head set the tone early, igniting the match with another decisive hundred that lifted the tempo and left England exposed. Once Head departed, Steve Smith took over, delivering a century built on discipline, patience, and total control. It was vintage Smith, marked by patience, clarity, and an absolute refusal to take the bait, as Australia seized command of day three.

Corbin and Ed then turned to the man of the series debate, weighing Mitchell Starc’s wickets against Head’s match-shaping hundreds, before deciding the conversation could wait.

Australia’s depth again became a key talking point. Cameron Green’s frustration after another start without a defining score was contrasted with Beau Webster’s calm, accomplished contribution, while Usman Khawaja’s dismissal was not the farewell many fans had hoped for in his final Test.

The discussion closed with a blunt assessment of England’s unravelling, with missed chances, mounting pressure, and fading confidence defining a day that increasingly felt one-sided.ABC Grandstand cricket commentator Corbin Middlemas is joined by Ed Cowan to bring you all the highlights and match analysis to keep you up to speed. The pair discuss the key players and big issues that are dominating the cricket agenda. Whether it's Ashes results, the latest in live fixtures or you just need a hit of cricket banter.

Catch every episode of ‘The ABC Cricket Podcast,’ hosted by Corbin Middlemas on ABC listen or wherever you get your podcasts, and get in touch with them on social media via @abc_sport This podcast was formerly known as ‘The Grandstand Cricket Podcast’

England had the chance to bat Australia out of the contest on a high-quality SCG wicket, but despite a superb 160 from Joe Root, they failed to fully capitalise, leaving the door open once again.

Root’s innings was the class act of the day, controlled, chanceless, and warmly received by the SCG crowd. Yet from a position of dominance, England were dismissed for a total that felt light given the conditions, missing the opportunity to put the game beyond Australia’s reach.

Australia responded through Travis Head, whose aggressive, authoritative batting shifted momentum back toward the home side. On a surface offering an even contest between bat and ball, England will look back at day two as a moment where control was available but not taken. Australia, as they have throughout the series, remain standing.

ABC Grandstand cricket commentator Corbin Middlemas is joined by Ed Cowan to bring you all the highlights and match analysis to keep you up to speed. The pair discuss the key players and big issues that are dominating the cricket agenda. Whether it's Ashes results, the latest in live fixtures or you just need a hit of cricket banter.

Catch every episode of ‘The ABC Cricket Podcast,’ hosted by Corbin Middlemas on ABC listen or wherever you get your podcasts, and get in touch with them on social media via @abc_sport This podcast was formerly known as ‘The Grandstand Cricket Podcast’

England finished day one of the fifth Ashes Test firmly on top after play at the SCG was called off early, leaving a sense that both the cricket and the crowd were short-changed.

After winning the toss and batting first, England reached 3 for 211 from just 45 overs, with Joe Root 72 not out and Harry Brook 78 not out building an unbroken stand that Australia struggled to break. The pair batted with control and clarity, cashing in on a surface that looked good early and is expected to deteriorate as the Test wears on.

Corbin and Ed focus on Australia’s selection, with no frontline spinner named at the SCG for the first time since 1888. The decision loomed larger as the day progressed, raising questions about how Australia will control the game once the pitch begins to break up later in the Test.

Bad light, followed by rain, brought an early end to play. While the series is already decided, England leave day one with momentum, and Australia with questions, both about the match and the shape of the team moving forward.

Day two begins early, with England well placed and the spotlight firmly on how Australia respond.

ABC Grandstand cricket commentator Corbin Middlemas is joined by Ed Cowan to bring you all the highlights and match analysis to keep you up to speed. The pair discuss the key players and big issues that are dominating the cricket agenda. Whether it's Ashes results, the latest in live fixtures or you just need a hit of cricket banter.

Catch every episode of ‘The ABC Cricket Podcast,’ hosted by Corbin Middlemas on ABC listen or wherever you get your podcasts, and get in touch with them on social media via @abc_sport This podcast was formerly known as ‘The Grandstand Cricket Podcast’

Usman Khawaja announces his retirement, Corbin and Ed reflect on a career that spanned eras, conditions, and expectations. They unpack his late-career peak, the scrutiny that followed him, and the comments that surfaced again around preparation, media pressure, and how players are judged as they age.

Attention then turns to the SCG. The weather, the pitch narrative, and the recent run of shortened Tests come under examination, alongside the selection calls that still matter despite the series being decided. Todd Murphy’s case, the balance of the XI, and the pressure points across the top seven are all in play.

There’s also a look at Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, who missed out, and what the balance says about conditions and roles, before a full Big Bash wrap and a final dive into the Ashes numbers that underline just how unusual this series has been.

ABC Grandstand cricket commentator Corbin Middlemas is joined by Ed Cowan to bring you all the highlights and match analysis to keep you up to speed. The pair discuss the key players and big issues that are dominating the cricket agenda. Whether it's Ashes results, the latest in live fixtures or you just need a hit of cricket banter.

Catch every episode of ‘The ABC Cricket Podcast,’ hosted by Corbin Middlemas on ABC listen or wherever you get your podcasts, and get in touch with them on social media via @abc_sport This podcast was formerly known as ‘The Grandstand Cricket Podcast’

The two-day Boxing Day Test continues to spark a wider conversation about the state of Test cricket. Corbin Middlemas and Ed Cowan begin in Melbourne, unpacking the fallout at the MCG, Matt Page facing the media, and how a Test meant to anchor the summer instead triggered public unease, with one listener summing it up starkly as “the death of Test cricket.”

The discussion then moves through the financial cost of shortened Tests and why, as Cowan puts it, “it’s not a slow slippery slope, it’s a snowball,” before turning to the Big Bash, where a potential sale is unpacked through the realities of revenue distribution and governance, and why those decisions now sit at the centre of cricket’s future. Attention finally shifts to Sydney, where the unexpected spotlight falls on SCG curator Adam Lewis, and what Ed says there is “a lot riding on this Test.” Cricket always finds room for the absurd, it ends with an unlikely opening partnership: Salt and Pepper.

ABC Grandstand cricket commentator Corbin Middlemas is joined by Ed Cowan to bring you all the highlights and match analysis to keep you up to speed. The pair discuss the key players and big issues that are dominating the cricket agenda. Whether it's Ashes results, the latest in live fixtures or you just need a hit of cricket banter.

Catch every episode of ‘The ABC Cricket Podcast,’ hosted by Corbin Middlemas on ABC listen or wherever you get your podcasts, and get in touch with them on social media via @abc_sport This podcast was formerly known as ‘The Grandstand Cricket Podcast’

England finally broke their drought in Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, but the speed of the win caught everyone off guard. Corbin and Ed unpack a Boxing Day Test that raced from first ball to result in just two days, with Ed capturing the feeling around the ground simply: “It felt deflating.”

England’s win was shaped by standout individual performances. Josh Tongue earned Player of the Match after spearheading Australia’s first-innings collapse, with Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson providing key support. In the chase, Jacob Bethell steadied the innings before Harry Brook closed out the win. For Australia, Scott Boland again impressed, while Travis Head and Alex Carey offered resistance with the bat.

Despite the constant action, Ed reckoned that “some things in life are best enjoyed slowly,” and this match “didn’t get time to breathe,” with Corbin describing it as a contest where “the result arrived before the story.” England took the points. Corbin and Ed look ahead to what comes next.

ABC Grandstand cricket commentator Corbin Middlemas is joined by Ed Cowan to bring you all the highlights and match analysis to keep you up to speed. The pair discuss the key players and big issues that are dominating the cricket agenda. Whether it's Ashes results, the latest in live fixtures or you just need a hit of cricket banter.

Catch every episode of ‘The ABC Cricket Podcast,’ hosted by Corbin Middlemas on ABC listen or wherever you get your podcasts, and get in touch with them on social media via @abc_sport This podcast was formerly known as ‘The Grandstand Cricket Podcast’