The Guardian

From Ben Stokes’s drastically reduced strike rate to Mitchell Starc’s near best ever bowling figures, the statistics from the series tell their own story The Ashes are over, and the post-mortems have begun. Some may point to a lack of preparation, uneven pitches or a mid-tour Noosa bender for England’s failures, and wonder what might have been if only one or two chances were taken. But in a serie…

‘Five setters are a different beast’, says 30-year-old Australian has attempted comeback from injury in recent weeks Nick Kyrgios’s surgically-repaired knee and wrist will not prevent him from taking part at Melbourne Park, where Australian Open qualifying begins next week, but he will not feature in the singles draw. The 30-year-old posted on social media saying he wasn’t ready for best-of-five …

White-ball captain issues apology for October incident Revelation after abject Ashes deepens England crisis Harry Brook will retain the captaincy of England’s white-ball team for next month’s T20 World Cup, despite receiving a final warning for his off-field conduct after an altercation with a nightclub bouncer in Wellington the night before a one-day international against New Zealand in November…

Macclesfield and Weston-super-Mare carry the non-league hopes while fringe players need to seize their chances Silly goals conceded, chances missed, a lead surrendered and points squandered against relegation fodder . On the face of things, Manchester United have changed manager but nothing else. The reality is different. They started slowly at Burnley, settling into a 4-2-3-1 formation that suit…

Atlético Madrid 1-2 Real Madrid Sørloth 58; Valverde 2, Rodrygo 55 Real Madrid hold on and so does Xabi Alonso, all the way to the final. Judgment was due to come in Jeddah but it will be put off for another day at least, and instead of the sack there may be a medal waiting at the end of a month spent on edge after Real defeated Atlético 2-1. Goals from Fede Valverde and Rodrygo set up another Su…

Point proven? Well, not exactly. Just when Arsenal looked ready to lay down a real marker for their title aspirations, a rejuvenated Liverpool side that has been through the wringer since they were crowned champions last season proved the Gunners are still far from the finished article. It could have been even worse for Mikel Arteta’s side if Liverpool had been awarded one of two potential penalt…

Kim, 25, injured shoulder during training in Laax MRI will determine Olympic availability for US star Two-time champion chasing historic third gold Chloe Kim’s pursuit of an unprecedented third straight Olympic gold medal has been thrown into uncertainty after the American snowboard star dislocated her shoulder during a training session in Switzerland. Kim, the dominant force in women’s halfpipe …

In Manchester United’s brave new world coaches are more like Deliveroo drivers: not really responsible for the food, but still to blame if it arrives cold Turns out he could survive losing against Grimsby. Survive losing a crucial European final against one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, the tactical infl…

Double world champion is 14 titles from darts legend’s record but talented youngsters or even Littler himself could stall his quest Luke Littler looked up and down the rows of filled seats, the line of microphones pointed at his mouth, the expectant faces hanging on his every word. This has long been one of his least favourite parts of the job, a fact he scarcely bothers to conceal. Occasionally …

Neil Harvey, 97, the last surviving Bradman Invincible, blasts the Bazball experiment from his La-Z-Boy armchair Twenty‑five kilometres north of the SCG, the world’s oldest living Test cricketer is sitting in his La-Z-Boy armchair and watching the Test. Neil Harvey was once the youngest of Bradman’s Invincibles; now he’s 97, his old cricketing buddies gone. His body is a little worn around the ed…

The 1958 says club has become a ‘laughing stock’ Protest planned at Old Trafford in early February Manchester United supporters group The 1958 has called for a vote of no confidence in the club’s ownership model, calling Sir Jim Ratcliffe “an incompetent clown”. The organisation will also hold a protest at the home match against Fulham on 1 February to make their voices heard at Old Trafford. The…

Australia were there for the taking but Brendon McCullum’s tourists were so poor and ill-prepared they never got close As far as endings go, it ended nicely. People streamed on to the Sydney Cricket Ground, wanting to get close to the trophy presentation and to have a canter on the turf. Nothing thrills an audience more than a chance to walk the stage. On a sun-kissed blue-heaven day, the match h…

Egyptian player went viral after terrible performance 21-year-old lost 6-0, 6-0 to world No 1,026 in Nairobi Tennis Kenya said a controversial wildcard granted to Hajar Abdelkader should not have happened after the young Egyptian’s performance at a professional tournament in Nairobi went viral. The 21-year-old won just three points and served 20 double faults on her way to a 6-0, 6-0 defeat again…

There have to be consequences for Rob Key and Brendon McCullum but English cricket’s problems lie much deeper and will be much harder to fix It seemed fitting, as the final moments ticked down at the Sydney Cricket Ground , as the day, the match, the tour seemed to ooze and melt a little at the edges under a hard white January sun, that Ben Stokes should finish this Ashes series still standing, b…

Midfielder given permission to fly to England Transfer talks behind her omission from US squad Manchester City are in advanced talks to sign the United States midfielder Sam Coffey from Portland Thorns, the Guardian understands. The 27-year-old has been granted permission to fly to Manchester to try to finalise the move, which multiple sources have said is close to completion, and could give City…