The Guardian

Australia’s bold call as replacement for creaking Usman Khawaja in second innings set up a Test-winning 69-ball ton, the second-fastest in Ashes history In short, England tried to play a certain style of Test cricket. Travis Head succeeded at it . As his numbers grew on the second afternoon here, what they represented grew more astonishing. A normal 16 runs from 20 balls became brisk at 26 from 2…

Captain visibly angry after defeat to Nottingham Forest Accuses champions’ squad of letting down Arne Slot Virgil van Dijk has delivered a scathing assessment of Liverpool’s woeful title defence, the club captain admitting the champions are in a mess and letting down Arne Slot while questioning whether every player is shouldering responsibility for the team’s slump. Van Dijk could not contain his…

Coach asks fans to keep faith despite two-day defeat ‘We’ll head to Brisbane with and high expectations’ Brendon McCullum has called on England fans rocked by the team’s calamitous two-day defeat by Australia in the first Ashes Test to “keep the faith”, insisting the team’s only chance of turning the series around was to double down on their methods. “You’ve got to block out the doubts and the in…

FA offers up to six sessions via Sporting Chance Latest figures show rise in discrimination charges The Football Association is offering free counselling and mental-health support to victims of hate and discrimination in grassroots football. Discriminatory abuse is on the rise at grassroots level. In surveys 70% of participants including players, referees and spectators told the governing body th…

Cars failed to meet minimum skid wear measurements Loss of points places title within reach of Max Verstappen Both McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the two leading protagonists of the Formula One world championship, were disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The decision came over four hours after the conclusion of the race, their cars having been found to have breached regul…

There is logic to the fresh international format, due to launch next year, but glaring issues and logistical challenges too OK, let’s just pick the ball up and run with it for a little while. A reimagined global Test landscape pitching the northern hemisphere against the south commencing next July. Twelve men’s national sides playing six games each with a final playoff weekend. Concluding with on…

Quarterback accounts for six touchdown in 52-37 win No 17 Longhorns aiming to make third straight playoffs Arch Manning passed for four touchdowns, ran for one and caught another as Texas beat Arkansas 52-37 on Saturday to keep the Longhorns clinging to hopes of making the College Football Playoff. Ranked No 1 in the preseason, the Longhorns (8-3, 5-2, Southeastern Conference, No 17 CFP ) will ha…

New manager can’t arrest slide in 4-1 defeat at Birmingham which leaves Canaries five points adrift of safety When the ball came to Kenny McLean near the halfway line, few imagined what would unfold next, even with the goalkeeper caught in two minds and no-man’s land. This time however, in stark contrast to Tuesday’s heroics at Hampden Park , the self-proclaimed Mayor of Norwich was dispossessed …

Bazball has been infuriating at times but never forget how bad England were before the Brendon McCullum era Nobody talks about the last ball of the Ashes. It’s the first that’s famous. That wide that flies to slip, that cover drive for four, that wicket, bowled him! Last balls? I had to look them up. Moeen Ali slicing a drive behind to finish an innings defeat in a dead rubber in 2015; Boyd Ranki…

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More than two years of redevelopment at the storied ground later, feelings of relief and comfort greeted Barça’s return to time-honoured turf There was no sign of Laszlo Kubala or Johan Cruyff, their statues still safely packed in storage, and Lionel Messi had sneaked in alone under cover of darkness a fortnight before but FC Barcelona’s current players were finally back at the Camp Nou as 45,157…

The NWSL’s would-be superteam gritted out another title, as the Spirit and Trinity Rodman face a bevy of questions When Rose Lavelle won the World Cup with the US in 2019, she did so by scoring the decisive goal. Six years, three club transfers, and nearly 100 national team caps later, she secured her first NWSL title in similar style. The playmaker made the difference for Gotham FC in a tense fi…

France 48-33 Australia Les Bleus run in seven tries to end autumn series in style France beat Australia in a see-saw match to end the Wallabies’ first winless tour of Europe in 67 years, spoiling Joe Schmidt’s farewell Test as both teams closed their autumn series at the Stade de France on Saturday. Les Bleus, whose November campaign produced mixed results, alternated moments of attacking flair a…

Incident happened hours before Saturday’s game Two players in stable condition in local hospital A University of Alabama at Birmingham football player allegedly stabbed two teammates on Saturday morning, hours before the team’s game against the University of South Florida, the university said in a statement. “UAB’s top priority remains the safety and well-being of all of our students,” the statem…

There were enough sparks and signs of intent in Europe to suggest Australia are a team at the beginning of something, not the end At the end of a frenetic first half, where Angus Bell ran in one of the great tries by a Wallaby prop, where Matt Faessler powered over for a brace, where Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored a solo stunner and Thomas Ramos and Nicolas Depoortère dotted down as well, Tane Edmed…