IAN HERBERT AT THE OVAL: There was something telling about Tim Paine sitting down to say that his terrible record with the decision review system might require him to 'enrol in umpire school'.

Australia may have retained the urn but couldn't do enough to win the 2019 Ashes series as England clinched a 135-run fifth Test victory to level the scores.

SPORTS AGENDA BY MIKE KEEGAN: Eddie Jones has included lessons on Japanese history as part of England's World Cup preparations

Real estate agent Emma McCarthy, 27, shared a photo with the smiling spin bowler captioned: 'Keeping the urn, so proud of you.' Steve Smith was seen sharing a kiss with wife Dani Willis.

Both men have been staples of the cricketing world since their debuts in the 1970s, but were - in their own words - 'being retired' after the TV network did not renew their contracts.

Channel Nine is reportedly 'unsatisfied' with Sunrise host Edwina Bartholomew's apology after she 'defamed' journalist Seb Costello in a since-deleted Twitter post.

Joe Root knows England have 'something special' on their hands in Jofra Archer but has already started the job of managing expectations around the breakout star of the summer.

Donald Butler's daughter Nicolle, 27, had recently passed away, with family staying nearby in Tampa, Florida, for the funeral when his truck disappeared with his daughter's urn inside.

England have set a minimum target of 425 points in their quest to reach the inaugural World Test Championship final at Lord's in 2021. Joe Root's team claimed 56 from the 2-2 draw in the Ashes.

The biggest cricket summer in living memory provided an unforgettable World Cup triumph and one of the greatest Tests of all time at Headingley. 

Steve Smith assured Jack Leach in the aftermath of the final Test that he was not poking fun at him when he donned glasses to celebrate Australia's Ashes triumph.

Aberdeen will host the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2019 in December. The favourite to land the award is Ben Stokes after his remarkable heroics in the Cricket World Cup final.

Archer took 47 wickets in his first season of international cricket, including 22 at just 20 apiece in the Ashes , leaving new-ball partner Broad to lavish praise on his 'incredible attributes'.

RICHARD GIBSON: As the ghost writer of a soon-to-be-published memoir of Ben Stokes' summer, I have been given the privilege of re-living these momentous events through his eyes.

A cricket supporter has been forced to get a very embarrassing tattoo after Australia failed to win the 2019 Ashes. 

Joe Root has declared his desire to continue as England Test captain despite a failure to win back the Ashes from Australia after a drawn series.

He had a disastrous time at the Ashes in England, scoring just a measly 95 runs. 

Cricketer Nathan Lyon, 31, and his girlfriend Emma McCarthy couldn't take their eyes off each other as they touched down in Australia on Wednesday evening. 

Archer was England's leading wicket-taker in their triumphant World Cup campaign and followed that up by making a huge impact during the Ashes, as he took 22 wickets at an average of 20.27.

Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew resumed her broadcasting duties on Monday, after her 'errant tweet' about Seb Costello earlier this month caused a legal headache for Channel Seven executives

A man's body has been found in the ashes of a suburban Melbourne home which had been subject to a council clean-up order to clear towering piles of junk.

Stokes struck an unbeaten 84 in the final against New Zealand on the way to England's maiden World Cup title and then crashed a barely-believable 135 not out to keep the Ashes alive at Headingley.

Candice and David Warner have been enjoying plenty of family time since their return from England following The Ashes series.

The Ashes star was seen with his hand in wife Clare Stokes' face at the Professional Cricketers' Association Awards Anniversary party in London last Wednesday.

England's top cricketer was seen with his hand on Clare Stokes's face at the Professional Cricketers' Association party in London last Wednesday.

Karen Twilley, from Hertfordshire, wishes to be buried alongside her son Ted, when she dies. His ashes were buried in consecrated ground by mistake at Cheshunt Cemetery in 2004.

The all-rounder, who took 5-46 in the first innings of the fifth Test against England, was dismissed in a Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania on Sunday and took his frustration out immediately.

Ms McCarthy travelled to England to support the off spin bowler as he represented Australia in the Cricket World Cup and Ashes between May and September.

EXCLUSIVE BY LAURA LAMBERT: Sky is being investigated by Ofcom for three separate incidents of the word 'f***' being audible during its cricket coverage this summer. Sky declined to comment.

LAWRENCE BOOTH IN WHANGAREI: Chris Woakes intends to make himself undroppable as England weigh up whether to pick him or Sam Curran at No 8 in next week's first Test against New Zealand.

Stokes has enjoyed an unforgettable year, playing a starring role in the historic World Cup victory at Lord's then producing one of Test cricket's greatest ever innings in the Third Ashes Test.

Ben Stokes has revealed being sledged relentlessly by David Warner was the motivation behind his stunning match-winning century against Australia at Headingley in August.

It has been a long slog for David Beckham and the power brokers behind Inter Miami but next March, they will finally see their vision become a reality. 

Ten of the UK's most iconic oaks, sycamores and pines have been shortlisted for the 2019 Tree of the Year award. One on the Isle of Wight, that is shaped like a dragon, was listed.

The 1000-year-old Allerton Oak in Calderstones Park, Liverpool, will represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year contest which begins in February.

NASSER HUSSAIN: Sam Curran is something of an anomaly in the England side who will take to the Bay Oval for the first Test against New Zealand.

After playing an angel and God himself, where else can you go? To the Dark Ages - that's where Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi are headed next in season two of TBS's Miracle Workers.

LAWRENCE BOOTH AT MOUNT MAUNGANUI: Make no mistake: BJ Watling, who brought up his eighth Test hundred an hour into the evening session, played superbly.

From the bushfire crisis ravaging New South Wales and Queensland to the final climb of Uluru, Getty Images has reveals its most powerful photos from the past year.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY RICHARD GIBSON: England's greatest ever bowler Jimmy Anderson is fit again and is targeting the 2021 Ashes series which begins in November that year.

NASSER HUSSAIN: There is no doubt Joe Root is a phenomenal batsman. The point has always been whether the captaincy is in his or, crucially, England's best interests.

The 37-year-old Lancashire seamer managed just four overs in the Ashes last summer due to a recurring calf injury but has proved his fitness on a pre-tour fitness camp.

An abandoned baby deer (left) has been miraculously pulled from the ashes of the devastating bushfires without injury.    

Craig Overton, Olly Stone and Saqib Mahmood are said to be the pace trio identified for the long-term care programmes which the ECB are planning to put in place in a bid to regain the Ashes.

In the first of our series looking back at the greatest moments of the sporting year, we reflect on Ben Stokes's incredible innings in the third Ashes Test at Headingley.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal some of Ivan Milat's ashes were scattered in water during a private family ceremony at a small inlet south of Sydney, with the remainder given to his brother Bill.

Amy McGlade, from Adelaide, spent her life watching families struggle with what to do with the leftover embryos through her career as a midwife.

With another year's end came another installment of SPOTY, as England cricket star Ben Stokes picked up the honour. Sportsmail went behind the scenes to capture the special moments on reel.

Sky Sports breached Ofcom's broadcasting rules on swearing during their cricket coverage this summer, but have been cleared over David Gower using the f-word in his final Test.

NASSER HUSSAIN: Jofra Archer was so exceptional in the way he burst on to the scene that everyone assumed he was the finished article and would soon be the next Kagiso Rabada or Dale Steyn.