The Guardian

Captain Steve Smith says fast bowler is ‘close’ to being selected Lineup remains unknown with further inspection of pitch needed Australia’s starting XI for the second Ashes Test remains unknown less than a day out from the first ball in Brisbane, with a further inspection of the Gabba pitch required before a team, which may yet contain Pat Cummins, is named by the hosts. Stand-in captain Steve S…

Bloodgate, the ‘Hand of Back’ and a drop goal off ‘someone’s arse’ are among the tournament’s delightful eccentricities On the eve of a new Champions Cup season it is worth remembering when and where it all began. The answer is 30 years ago on the shores of the Black Sea where Farul Constanta of Romania hosted France’s mighty Toulouse in the opening pool game of the old Heineken Cup on 31 October…

Olivia Smith, Aggie Beever-Jones and Vicky López make our list for the first time as we continue our countdown to the year’s best players Meet the judges | 2024 list | 2023 list | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 Subscribe to Moving the Goalposts, our free newsletter Continue reading...

Cristian Romero ensured that Thomas Frank could leave Tyneside celebrating the sort of draw that managers can easily construe as moral victories. The Tottenham captain’s stoppage-time equaliser, his second goal of the scrappiest of nights, not merely camouflaged plenty of visiting flaws but surely reinforced his manager’s recently fragile looking job security. Continue reading...

Another game to show off the concertinaed qualities of this season’s Premier League. If anyone can beat anyone, they can also play out landlocked contests like this. It took a deflection to win it, Jack Grealish’s shot smashing off Bafodé Diakité’s shins and into the corner. Two clubs from the mid-table blob that stretches from seventh to 15th fought and ran hard, effort never in short supply. Th…

Fancy a bit of history? Under the floodlights of this storied old ground you were welcome to take your pick. The inevitable Erling Haaland smashed through the 100-goal barrier and a Premier League record. Phil Foden scored his second brace in four days. City raced to a 5-1 lead before an hour was even on the clock only for Fulham to come agonisingly close to parity by the end. All of it culminati…

England 2-0 Ghana Young star Kendall courts praise from Wiegman Lucia Kendall was already living the dream, slotting into life in the WSL after she joined Aston Villa from Southampton this summer with an ease that earned her a first senior call up in October. The 21-year-old made her full debut against Australia, remarkably picking up the player of the match trophy at the end of the 3-0 win. In t…

Smith stood up to West Indies bowling and scored centuries against Australia in the most demanding of circumstances A Robin Smith square cut was more than a wisecrack-sharp snap of the bat. For English cricket fans of the late 80s and early 90s, it was a nudge in the ribs that, underneath the pastings, the dismal collapses and Rentaghost selections, the national team would fight another day. Smit…

None of the former officers named by the IOPC will face disciplinary proceedings because they have all retired Timeline: decades seeking justice and change The families of those who died in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster have said it is a “bitter injustice” that no police officer will ever be held accountable for a catalogue of failings set out in the final report of the police watchdog after a 1…

Ben Stokes is still bullish but the omens suggests pink-ball Test could be a nightmare on Vulture Street My first day at the Gabba was 23 years ago, half a lifetime having passed since I slept on my brother’s sofa across the river and followed the Ashes tour as a backpacker. The coin went up, Nasser Hussain decided to have a bowl, and Steve Waugh’s Australians cashed in on generosity. Having not …

Williams back in ITIA pool for first time since 2022 Move required before any potential competitive return Could be eligible to play again as early as mid-2026 Serena Williams has taken the procedural move required of any retired player contemplating a competitive comeback, after the 23-time grand slam singles champion re-entered the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s (ITIA) registered testi…

A potential path to victory at the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup will become clearer in Sydney on Wednesday when the draw for the tournament is made Continue reading...

ITV make successful £80m bid for Nations Championship TNT miss out after losing Champions League last month ITV is poised to win the rights to broadcast every England rugby union Test from next year after submitting a successful £80m bid for the inaugural Nations Championship. The terrestrial broadcaster has beaten off a rival bid from TNT Sports to secure a deal that will ensure that all of the …

Hadjar replaces Yuki Tsunoda after impressive 2025 British teenager Arvid Lindblad to join Racing Bulls Isack Hadjar will partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull next season as the British teenager Arvid Lindblad is handed his Formula One debut. Hadjar has enjoyed an impressive rookie season with the Racing Bulls junior team and sits 10th in the standings before the final race. The 21-year-old Frenchm…

There is no need to attempt to write a glorious final chapter, when an alternative ending does not bear thinking about Trainer Nicky Henderson and owner Michael Buckley are still mulling over the options for Constitution Hill after his third fall in four starts at Newcastle on Saturday, but the simple fact that Henderson floated the question “can we go on asking him to do it?” in the immediate af…