The Guardian

Selectors under fire after Steve Smith unused against Sri Lanka Fate now rests with Ireland and Sri Lanka beating Zimbabwe Australia’s aura as a white-ball heavyweight has all but petered out in the space of two disastrous defeats at the T20 World Cup where the absence of their champion fast bowlers has been ruthlessly exposed. Following an abject 23-run defeat to world No 11 Zimbabwe , Australia…

Targeted resource allocation and investment in facilities have contributed to a record medal haul – but tougher times may lie ahead In 1936, Kenneth Kennedy made history as Australia’s first Winter Olympian. It was a lonely enterprise; not only was Kennedy the nation’s sole representative at the Games in Germany, but the speed skater was entirely unsupported, with no staff or Australian Olympic o…

Lucy and Pippa Tallant have opened the Crossbar, in Brighton, to create a place for women to feel comfortable watching all sport You can’t miss it, the giant “Crossbar” flanked by two stylised crosses in black on the whitewashed outside walls glares down the street, a stone’s throw from Brighton’s Churchill Square. Outside is the narrow shelf that the co-owner Lucy Tallant, the DIY enthusiast of …

China’s Eileen Gu second, Italy’s Flora Tabanelli third Briton, fourth again, says: ‘I really did have to go for it’ This time, surely, Kirsty Muir must have believed that a Winter Olympic medal was in her grasp. But as a thrilling big air competition reached its denouement, an Italian with no anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee came down a 180‑feet ramp and drove a stake through the Bri…

For 160 minutes this season, Macclesfield had been more than a match for illustrious Premier League opponents in the FA Cup. Ultimately it took an unfortunate own goal from Sam Heathcote, a PE teacher when not playing as a part-timer in the sixth tier, to put Brentford into the fifth round. As cruel as it felt on Heathcote and Macclesfield, they can once again be proud of their performance. Cryst…

“We are top of the league,” sang the Coventry City supporters of returning to the summit of the Championship. Ironically, it was a result that quelled the nagging noise surrounding Frank Lampard and his team. Coventry, pace-setters for the majority of the season, had won just four league games since the end of November. But Haji Wright hit a timely hat-trick as Coventry again traded places with M…

American was competing in her fifth Olympics Ties Bonnie Blair for US women’s medal record Medal table | Live scores and schedule | Results It took her five Olympics but she finally got there: USA’s Elana Meyers Taylor won gold in the monobob on Monday, capping a long and brilliant career. The 41-year-old’s first Olympics came in Vancouver in 2010, and since then she has won three silver medals a…

Northampton coaches eased wing’s post-Lions burden 34 games last season ‘a lot of rugby … I was tired’ England’s Tommy Freeman has revealed the extent of his mental struggles after the victorious British & Irish Lions tour of Australia at the end of a season in which he exceeded the player welfare limits for the number of appearances made. Freeman made 34 appearances last season – 19 for Northamp…

Rayo had to prepare at Getafe’s place and play at Leganés’s stadium. But they still managed to upset Atlético Madrid One day in November, the coach of Rayo Vallecano decided that was it: he was out. The captain in whom he finds strength had reached a similar conclusion long ago, handing in his armband as an act of protest and dignity. Two Fridays ago, the squad signed a statement saying they coul…

La Penna wrongly sent off Juve’s Kalulu against Inter Official could face one-month ban following incident The referee Federico La Penna has received dozens of death threats after wrongly sending off a Juventus player at Inter on Saturday. Italian police have reportedly advised him not to leave his home. La Penna sparked fury among Juventus supporters after dismissing Pierre Kalulu, showing the d…

Stunning ton by Pathum Nissanka seals hosts’ run chase Australia need Ireland to beat Zimbabwe on Tuesday Australia could be out of the T20 World Cup before they even play their final first round group match after a stunning fightback by Sri Lanka in Pallekele. Returning captain Mitch Marsh and a revived Travis Head looked to have set Australia on course for a victory that would have kept their t…

Fury set to step back into the ring after 15 months out Joshua involved in fatal Nigeria car crash in December Tyson Fury has revealed the deaths of two of long-time rival Anthony Joshua’s friends in a car crash in December was the catalyst for his return to boxing. Fury will step back into the ring on 11 April after a 15-month absence to face Russian-born heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov in a bou…

Five-time All-Pro suffered season-ending ACL injury Miami had signed Hill to $120m extension in 2022 Pass rusher Bradley Chubb also cut in flurry of moves The Miami Dolphins are releasing star wide receiver Tyreek Hill in a cost-cutting move, multiple outlets reported Monday. Releasing Hill, an eight-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who turns 32 on 1 March, will save the Dolphins $22.8m against the 20…

Referee Chris Kavanagh will not officiate this weekend VAR was not used in fourth round of FA Cup ties The referee Chris Kavanagh will not officiate in the next round of Premier League fixtures after a series of high-profile errors during the FA Cup tie between Aston Villa and Newcastle on Saturday. Kavanagh has been stood down by Professional Game Match Officials, alongside one of his two assist…

British No 1 beaten 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 by Croatia’s Antonia Ruzic World No 67 reels off six straight games to claim victory Emma Raducanu lost the final six games to fall to a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 defeat to ‘lucky loser’ Antonia Ruzic in the opening round at the Dubai Tennis Championships. The British No 1, whose original opponent Elisabetta Cocciaretto withdrew at late notice due to fatigue, fought back in …