The Guardian

Cricket is a brutal game – you are basically being judged all the time. It’s no wonder players seek out ways of coping I once played with a young cricketer who would physically harm himself when he didn’t score enough runs. I won’t go into the detail of how because that isn’t really the point. The point is that a young professional cricketer had reached a place where getting out in a game of cric…

German football has long insisted there is more to their elite league than a title race. Now they have a story that shows the world that surprise and wonder does live here too Friday night was no first day fun for VfB Stuttgart as they got first-hand proof of what the rest of the Bundesliga feared: that Bayern Munich are perhaps mightier than ever. The curtain-raiser, though, didn’t actually set …

With millions of club shirts going to waste every season, a radical recycling rethink is needed When Joanna Czutkowna buried a Manchester United jersey, a cotton T-shirt and a wool-cotton jumper in her Lancashire farm and dug it up a year later, the video went viral. The T-shirt had disappeared, apart from the seams (sewn with polyester thread), the jumper was 80% gone, but the United shirt remai…

Interim coach Trescothick hopes for unchanged lineup England secured series win over Pakistan on Sunday Marcus Trescothick is determined to sign off as England’s interim head coach with a 100% record and has no plans to meddle with a winning formula in next week’s final Test of the summer, despite securing the series win by beating Pakistan at Lord’s . Two successful games into a series, the most…

Atlético say they will not allow Barcelona to buy Álvarez Jesus poised for Barça and Martinelli for Al-Hilal Arsenal are running out of time to persuade Julián Álvarez to join them from Atlético Madrid after agreeing to sell Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Fábio Vieira in deals collectively worth more than £70m. Álvarez has his heart set on Barcelona despite Atlético’s insistence they will …

Palace poised to sign Atalanta defender Ahanor on loan Forest closing in on Palace’s Muñoz in £22m deal Nick Woltemade is close to a loan move from Newcastle to Juventus, a year after arriving at Newcastle in a club record £69m deal from Stuttgart. The gifted Germany forward has struggled to impose himself amid the high-intensity gameplans choreographed first by Eddie Howe and now Matthias Jaissl…

Men’s transfer interactive | Women’s transfer interactive Get in touch: email Dominic and follow us on Bluesky The Rumour Mill is the only place to start, if you will forgive the self-promotion, given I was tasked with writing today’s edition. A merry-go-round of wide forwards could be upon us in the final days of the window. Continue reading...

Al-Hilal’s signing from Villa is thrown straight into big game against Al-Ahli and faces the highest of expectations Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney spent 33 minutes on the pitch together a few weeks ago in Miami as England beat France 6-4 in a game for third place at the World Cup. They will be reunited on Tuesday in Riyadh for Al-Hilal v Al-Ahli, the first big clash between title hopefuls in the S…

Kenin wins 6-2, 7-6 (6) in late-night contest Williams loses 15th straight tour-level match First-round clash finally begins at 12.13am Sunday had become Monday by the time Venus Williams finally emerged beneath the closed roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium, her entrance pushed deep into the night after Novak Djokovic’s bruising defeat by Argentina’s Mariano Navone went the five-set distance. The first …

Today’s chatter is talking about its dreams again Elite football clubs splash out millions on their scouting efforts these days, gather reams of data and spend countless meticulous hours assembling their recruitment plans, yet somehow the final days of the transfer window remain a desperate scrap, for some, to recruit players. After an underwhelming start to the season and with a slightly threadb…

Podcast host expresses discomfort at attending medal ceremony AFL’s attitude towards women needs to change, she says The partner of one of the AFL’s most prominent players has boycotted next month’s Brownlow medal ceremony, describing the event as one that “doesn’t align” with her values in the wake of the sector’s response to the alleged sexual assault at the Sydney Swans’ team hotel. Writer Dee…

Newcastle players look revitalised, Liverpool’s curious transfer strategy and a worrying start for Palace Amid the concerns at Manchester United, one player unquestioned is Senne Lammens. The goalkeeper produced some important first-half saves against Ipswich to keep his side in the game in difficult circumstances. A relaxed character, the Belgian is a calming influence in an emotional environmen…

The wicket was not as bad as the one in June but presented enough challenges for the MCC to call in specialists The performance of the Lord’s pitch during its previous Test, against New Zealand in June, was so appalling that it was followed by an apology from the MCC and a scathing unsatisfactory rating from the International Cricket Council. The MCC got ahead of the game in this Test by issuing …

The 21-year-old had never gone past six rounds before Hrgovic defeat and his corner should have adapted strategy The end, when it came for Moses Itauma, was as shocking as it was worrying. Late on Saturday night, moving into the championship rounds of his first world heavyweight title fight , the 21‑year‑old had dictated the pace and dazzled Filip Hrgovic with his speed and skill. The 34‑year‑old…

Former jockey reflects on remarkable story from overcoming hardship to breaking barriers as the first trainer of black or Asian heritage at Flat racing’s HQ “It’s just unbelievable, isn’t it?” Gihan Arnolda says as he reflects on his first three months as a trainer: five winners from 33 runners, £50,000 prize money banked and a string that is, according to the much-respected Timeform operation’s …