The Guardian

A Surrey club match in 1776 near the Thames was the scene for the first time cricket employed its holy trinity Cricket has had a long love affair with the number three. The ethereal batter walking down the steps after the dismissal of one of the Praetorian Guard – a Don Bradman, a Meg Lanning, a (reluctant) Joe Root. The hat-trick, a bowler’s most showboating achievement – and a quick glass raise…

Enzo Maresca admitted a liking for the “boom-boom” of house music in the buildup to this match, then enjoyed the sweet notes of victory having overseen a gritty performance from his Manchester City side in incessant rain. City had lost six of their past nine away games in the competition, and been beaten in the 2021 Champions League final at this venue, so to beat Porto and claim three points is …

The new season kicks off on Wednesday night. Our writers have their say on the MVP, rookies to watch and the disasters waiting to happen Quarterbacks living under center. The NFL has developed into a shotgun league, where most quarterbacks take the majority of their snaps three to seven yards away from the center. But the increase in efficiency when it comes to snaps taken right behind the center…

The Guardian joined Wolves at the start of their first season as a fully professional side, determined to show they’re no pushovers Suddenly the bustling classroom at the back of the Guru Nanak Satsang Sikh Gurdwara falls almost silent and all eyes are on Dan McNamara. The Wolves head coach, experiencing a wrestling lesson, is engaged in a tense tussle. He twists, panting and heaving, eventually …

Over-by-over updates from Edgbaston, 11am BST start Taha Hashim: Pakistan were set up to fail in England Email Taha | And sign up to get The Spin newsletter Joe Root says he likes the overheads. England aren’t messing about – they’re unchanged. The County Championship roars on. Tanya’s keeping tabs from Old Trafford. Continue reading...

RFU eager to avoid uncertainty heading into World Cup Lloyds to pay £5m a year for logo on back of jerseys Steve Borthwick will be handed a contract extension until after the 2028 Six Nations giving the Rugby Football Union time to identify his successor if England flop at next year’s World Cup. The RFU’s move is designed to avoid uncertainty heading into the tournament but stops short of backing…

Midfielder has been pivotal to the champions’ rampant start, becoming a potent threat with his runs into the box As Christos Tzolis cut in from the left flank and drove towards the penalty area, Kai Havertz could see history repeating itself. Tzolis had done just the same on his competitive debut for Arsenal against Manchester City in the Community Shield a few weeks earlier, running at his oppos…

County Championship updates as the title race heats up Mail Tanya or post BTL | Sign up for The Spin newsletter And the unstoppable Kyle Abbott, after Notts got away from Hampshire at Trent Bridge. “When you win the toss and bowl on that pitch with lights on, you frankly should do better. We were quite far off mark and I’m pretty disappointed to be honest. Continue reading...

Sports is the rare topic in which the president has succeeded in shifting the conversation to his preferred terms Lately, it seems Donald Trump’s scope of interests has narrowed to a few things: remaking downtown Washington DC in his gaudy image; wars he thinks he can win quickly and easily, even though he can’t. Also, golf. Always golf. Ever golf. Leander Schaerlaeckens is the author of The Long…

Winner claims 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7) victory Epic quarter-final ends after 3.30am in New York As the official 10th day of play in New York moved deeper into the remote hours of the new morning, every passing game imbued Carlos Alcaraz with greater despair. From his focused start, Alcaraz’s intensity had flatlined and he could barely put a ball in court. Alcaraz lost nine consecutive game…

One of Barcelona’s eight World Cup winners reflects on how Spain’s triumph is inspiring them in the Champions League Dani Olmo nods towards his right arm. “Look: goosebumps,” he says. The Spain midfielder is sitting in a back room at Barcelona’s Joan Gamper training ground trying to pinpoint the moment he knew he was a world champion. “There’s an image in my mind with Ferran [Torres]’s mum: huggi…

Plus: clubs with multiple £100m players on their books and more trophy-laden footballers Mail us with your all of your questions and answers “The Saturday before last, Clyde were winning 3-0 at The Spartans after an hour when Logan Dunachie was sent off. Twenty-eight minutes later, the score was 3-3. What is the biggest turnaround in a game following a red card/most quantitative blame that can be…

NFL executives use this week to push for inclusion at Brisbane 2032 Possibility a key reason Melbourne secured Rams v 49ers match The NFL’s regular season debut in Australia will deliver a significant commercial return for the league and its clubs, but the league’s takeover of Melbourne this week is about more than money. The scheduling of Friday’s match at the MCG is also designed to help secure…

Saudi investors stopped backing LIV this year Rahm and DeChambeau may still be involved LIV Golf, the breakaway tour that spent billions luring top players away from the PGA Tour, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US, it announced on Tuesday. Launched in 2022, free-spending LIV caused shockwaves and bitter divisions in the golf world, before losing the backing of its deep-pocketed Saudi …

Sometimes football is silly and sometimes it is more fun for it. On a night when there were 37 shots and the goalkeepers shared thirteen saves between them, some of them absurd, José Mourinho’s Real Madrid found a way to beat his former team Inter in his first Champions League night of his second spell. Just don’t ask exactly how. Except perhaps to cite Thibaut Courtois, whose astonishing save in…