While England’s batting always gets to hog the limelight, this tour has also been lost in the bowling fade-outs Forty-five minutes into a quietly overcast morning at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Matt Potts came into the England attack from the Randwick End, and immediately began running through his variations. His first ball was wide and smashed through cover by Travis Head. His second ball was both short and wide and hacked over gully by Travis Head. His third ball was short and straight and smashed past midwicket by Travis Head. His fourth ball was defended with a show of furrowed caution, to loud, mocking cheers from a crowd that had begun to tuck into the day. Welcome to the treadmill, Pottsy. And yes, it’s always like this around here. Continue reading...

Neil Harvey, 97, the last surviving Bradman Invincible, blasts the Bazball experiment from his La-Z-Boy armchair Twenty five kilometres north of the SCG, the world’s oldest living Test cricketer is sitting in his La-Z-Boy armchair and watching the Test. Neil Harvey was once the youngest of Bradman’s Invincibles; now he’s 97, his old cricketing buddies gone. His body is a little worn around the edges, but mentally he’s astute. Harvey was Australia’s sweetheart, the second youngest of six brothers, a dashing left-hander, who stalked the covers and a hunted at slip. During a 15-year Test career, he cut and shimmied to more than 6,000 runs at an average of 48, making his mark with 153 in his second Test. He was a regular at the SCG, attending every Test from 1949 up until four years ago, when, in the words of his son Bruce he “gave up public appearances” and he has very fond memories of the place. Continue reading...

⚽ Afcon updates from the last 16, 4pm GMT kick-off ⚽ Follow on Bluesky | Get in touch: you can mail Yara Algeria XI (4-2-3-1): Zidane; Belghali, Mandi, Bensebaini, Ait-Nouri; Boudaoui, Bennacer; Mahrez, Chaibi, Amoura; Maza. Subs: Mandrea, Benbot, Dorval, Belaid, Atal, Zerrouki, Abdelli, Zorgane, Hadj Moussa, Kebbal, Bounedjah, Bakrar, Boulbina, Berkane. Continue reading...

The club are in a decent position but there is dissatisfaction with the ownership and the new head coach must not get caught in the crossfire The way Chelsea are run will come as no surprise to Liam Rosenior. He has longstanding relationships with three of the five sporting directors and will know from his time at Strasbourg, who are part of the same ownership, that the head coach’s best chance of surviving is not to make the mistake of rebelling against the structure. Rosenior will have to show more political savvy than Enzo Maresca, who talked himself out of the job last week. Yet given the 41-year-old is familiar with the working conditions at BlueCo, the investment vehicle that owns Chelsea and Strasbourg, his biggest challenge is unlikely to be managing upwards. Rosenior will know where to train his focus and not to rock the boat. Crucially, he does not inherit a team in crisis. Chelsea are fifth and earned a creditable draw at Manchester City on Sunday; despite the rancour of Maresca’s final days, this is not a situation that calls for a major rebuild. Continue reading...

* Wilcox considers Norwegian a prime candidate for role * Senior players would welcome temporary appointment Ole Gunnar Solskjær could make a shock return to Manchester United as interim manager, with Jason Wilcox, the director of football, considering him a prime candidate for the role. Solskjær is thought to be open to taking up the position at a club where he remains a huge fan favourite as a former successful player there. Senior players led by Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire would welcome his temporary appointment. Continue reading...

Duo begin 2026 again troubled by physical problems and hoping this will finally be the year things change From the moment news of Great Britain’s planned team for the United Cup was announced in October, jokes began to fly. On paper, it was a dream. Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu, the top tennis players in the country and figureheads of a new generation, finally united on the same side of the court. However, recent history has shown that things are never straightforward with Britain’s two greatest hopes. Both players have had to navigate injuries and physical problems in their young careers, so to some fans and onlookers the real question was which player would withdraw first. Draper won that race, but on the first day of the 2026 season neither player was physically prepared to take to the court. Continue reading...

Neil Harvey, 97, the last surviving Bradman Invincible, blasts the Bazball experiment from his La-Z-Boy armchair Twenty five kilometres north of the SCG, the world’s oldest living Test cricketer is sitting in his La-Z-Boy armchair and watching the Test. Neil Harvey was once the youngest of Bradman’s Invincibles; now he’s 97, his old cricketing buddies gone. His body is a little worn around the edges, but mentally he’s astute. Harvey was Australia’s sweetheart, the second youngest of six brothers, a dashing left-hander, who stalked the covers and a hunted at slip. During a 15-year Test career, he cut and shimmied to more than 6,000 runs at an average of 48, making his mark with 153 in his second Test. He was a regular at the SCG, attending every Test from 1949 up until four years ago, when, in the words of his son Bruce he “gave up public appearances” and he has very fond memories of the place. Continue reading...

Once they seemed an unstoppable force but a huge gap between the Nordic leagues and Europe’s elite has emerged in the past 20 years For a brief period in the early 2000s, Scandinavian clubs seemed unstoppable in European women’s football. Umeå lifted the Uefa Women’s Cup in 2003 and again in 2004, using a blend of technical skill and tactical intelligence. The Swedish side were a powerhouse and attracted top talent from around the world, including Marta, widely regarded as the greatest ever female player. That dominance feels very distant. In 2025, a Norwegian, Swedish or Danish club winning the Women’s Champions League is almost unthinkable. Vålerenga were the only Scandinavian team to reach the Champions League league stage this season and they did not qualify for the knockout phase. Continue reading...

The great Australian batter was typically twitchy before passing his latest personal milestone in Sydney There was a time, while Steve Smith was at the height of his batting prowess, when “best since Bradman” was used with confidence. The thing about that line is that even when the recipient has dominated for years, it gets applied too quickly, given the point of comparison is a career-lasting two decades. Lots of players reach the top for a time, no other has stayed as long. Smith was untouchable for six years before returning to the realm of the merely very good. The combination of those phases, though, took him to a rare position on the third day of the fifth Test in Sydney. In the statistics of the game there are milestones, then there are mountaintops. For a long time in Smith’s Ashes-heavy career there have been two peaks gradually drawing closer in the mist. Donald Bradman’s 5,028 runs against England is one that even Smith will never climb. Jack Hobbs’s 3,636 runs against Australia is the one he ascended on Tuesday. Continue reading...

* ‘It was a tough day but that’s what it’s about’ * Player suggests spin may now play a part in Test England hit the wall on day three at the Sydney Cricket Ground, or at least the latest in a series of walls, at the end of which Jacob Bethell admitted mental and physical fatigue was understandably, playing a part. There were dropped catches and some scattergun bowling lengths as Australia batted all day to reach 518 for seven, 134 runs ahead on first innings. “This is proper Test cricket now in terms of the graft and the stuff that you have to put in,” Bethell said afterwards. “It was a tough day, but that’s what it’s about. We’ve got to come out tomorrow, take the three wickets early and get back in again. Continue reading...

Administrators should emulate departing correspondent’s unflinching take on the game and preserve its spirit He never won an international cap nor played a single minute of professional rugby. So why did a national newspaper devote four and a half pages of its sports section to celebrating him at the weekend? There have been generational British & Irish legends who spawned less coverage than Stephen Jones in recognition of the latter’s 42-year stint as rugby correspondent of the Sunday Times. Just think about that for a second. Forty-two years of journalistic thunderbolts and lightning, some of it very, very frightening for those in the firing line. One or two world heavyweight champs have landed fewer career knockout punches than our mate Steve dished out in print every week. If you were to compare his writing to one of the players he most admired, it would probably be Martin Johnson: direct, unflinching to the point of obstinacy, fiercely committed to the sport he adored. When individuals of that calibre step aside, they leave a sizeable hole. Continue reading...

Australian’s disappointing performance in Brisbane could vindicate officials’ reluctance to hand him a Melbourne Park wildcard Nick Kyrgios appears set for little more than a peripheral role during Australia’s summer of tennis after a brisk, anticlimactic and – for fans of the 30-year-old – worrying defeat at the Brisbane International in his first competitive singles outing in almost 10 months. The Canberran, who is recovering from knee and wrist surgeries and played only five times on the ATP Tour in 2025, offered little resistance against American Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round at the Pat Rafter Arena on Tuesday. The 27-year-old American, ranked 58 in the world, breezed past the Australian 6-3 6-4 in just 66 minutes, without giving up a break point opportunity. Continue reading...

Our cartoonist on a typically sedate start to 2026 at two of the Premier League’s biggest football ‘projects’ * David’s favourite cartoons of 2025 | Buy one here * And his latest book, Chaos in the Box: get it now Continue reading...

* Mason was appointed in June on three-year contract * West Brom 18th in the Championship after latest loss West Brom have sacked Ryan Mason as their head coach after a stoppage-time defeat at Leicester on Monday left the club 18th in the Championship. It was the team’s 10th away defeat in a row and ended the 34-year-old’s tenure after seven months. Mason was appointed on a three-year deal after holding a variety of roles at Tottenham, including interim manager and assistant to Ange Postecoglou. West Brom said two members of Mason’s staff, Nigel Gibbs and Sam Pooley, had also left. Continue reading...

* He reveals verbal agreement reached to replace Maresca * ‘I cannot turn down Chelsea,’ says former Hull coach Liam Rosenior says he has “verbally agreed” a contract to take over as Chelsea’s head coach, describing the opportunity to replace Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge as one he could not turn down. Rosenior is leaving Strasbourg for Chelsea, their partner club, after holding talks over the role on Monday. He said at a Strasbourg press conference on Tuesday: “I haven’t signed yet, I have agreed verbally with Chelsea. It’s really important, this is different to anything anyone has ever done – nobody has made a statement before they have signed a contract. Continue reading...

Sean Ruiz and his team reveal the kit preparations and dressing room routines that make the players tick Sean Ruiz always leaves his training-ground office door wide open. He is no fan of enclosed spaces, but there is much more to it. The passing Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera spots Ruiz and pops in for a brief chat with a fellow Colombian. Minutes later an under-21s player seeks Ruiz’s counsel on a non-footballing matter. “It’s a blessing to have these relationships,” Ruiz says. “To see them not just for what everybody else sees: a centre-back, a striker for Wolves. These guys are like family to me. I’m lucky to get to see this side of them, to be there when things are good, when things are bad. We’re not just players and staff here. It’s something more.” Continue reading...

Club must learn to play without fear and harness their young players, particularly Kobbie Mainoo, and regain a seat at Europe’s top table Whatever the protestations from Manchester United about the relationship between Ruben Amorim and the higher-ups not collapsing like a house of cards, clearly something was not right. The head coach became increasingly open that something was amiss after chats with Jason Wilcox. The director of football has not covered himself in glory at the club, but he and the chief executive, Omar Berrada, remain while another head coach departs. Conversations with potential replacements need to centre on everyone being on the same page. There were disagreements over tactics and recruitment, which created tension Old Trafford could ill afford. Nothing will be fixed overnight, meaning the incoming coach needs explicit guidelines on what is required and must offer a clear path on how tactics and style will meet expectations. Season-by-season ambitions should be set, allowing everyone to be held accountable, instead of the blame being foisted on one man. Continue reading...

* Fifth Ashes Test; day three: England 384. Australia 518-7 * Host captain on 129 not out following Head’s 163 from 166 They do these things well here in Australia. They honoured the victims and first responders of the Bondi atrocity fittingly on the first day of this fifth Test, and on the third the Sydney Cricket Ground became a sea of pink to once again generate welcome funds for the McGrath Foundation. Out in the middle, however, Australian charity was in far shorter supply. Across three sessions their batters ground England’s bowlers into the dust and perhaps answered some of the questions about their motivation since winning the Ashes, not least following the madness of Melbourne. Continue reading...

Goalkeeper who swapped city rivals in the summer proved pivotal on his return with a stunning series of saves “I hope people don’t get angry but he’s my friend.” There wasn’t long until the Barcelona derby and Jofre Carreras had briefly abandoned the warm-up to talk to the TV. There on the touchline, talk inevitably turned to his former roommate, housemate and teammate Joan García, now in goal for their greatest rivals. Carreras’s answer was just about audible over all the noise and then he was off again: he had something else to do before it all started, accepting a shirt marking his 100th game for Espanyol. Behind them as club legend Rafa Marañón presented it, the team captains lined up for a photo of their own with the first Catalan to referee this fixture in 80 years and, way off to the left out of shot, García clapped. Like everything else he did, except actually play, he did so discreetly. Joan and Jofre, both 24, have known each other “for as long as I can remember”, in Carreras’s words. Over four years, they shared a room at Espanyol’s residency on Carretera de Mataró in Sant Adrià del Besòs and then they shared an apartment. When García collected his award as Espanyol’s best player in 2023-24, and was handed a supply of sausages, Carreras also received an award – two different supporters’ clubs rewarding two different winners on the same day. When García started being noticed beyond Barcelona, Carreras declared his friend the world’s best. And when the summer heat got a bit much – and, boy, did it – García took refuge at Carreras’s. Now though they were opponents. And that, Carreras said, was “a bit strange”. Continue reading...

Over-by-over updates from Sydney Cricket Ground Play starts at 10am local at the SCG/11pm GMT Live scorecard | The Ashes top 100 | Email Rob Hello and welcome to live coverge of day three at the SCG. There’s a big first session comi- ah, I can’t be bothered. Sure, the first session could shape the rest of this match, and tell us whether Travis Head is going to make a third matchwinning century of the series, but it’s impossible to escape the end-of-term feeling that has pervaded this Test so far. We’re used to dead rubbers in Ashes series, particularly when England play in Australia. This feels flatter than the rest, probably because we expected so much more this time. There isn’t even the jeopardy of a potential whitewash; the series will either end 4-1 or 3-2 to Australia. Continue reading...

Double world champion is 14 titles from darts legend’s record but talented youngsters or even Littler himself could stall his quest Luke Littler looked up and down the rows of filled seats, the line of microphones pointed at his mouth, the expectant faces hanging on his every word. This has long been one of his least favourite parts of the job, a fact he scarcely bothers to conceal. Occasionally everyone has to sit and wait while he sends a text. He leaves as soon as he is legitimately able. But there is of course a silver lining: if he’s sitting in the hot seat, it means he’s won. “Youse are probably all bored of seeing me now,” he said. “But I’m going to be here for many more years.” And frankly, while the going is this good, why not? A second world title in a row, a 10th major trophy in just 21 attempts, the first ever £1m prize in the sport. Barry Hearn wants to get that up to £5m within the decade on a wave of Saudi investment. He’s 18 years old. Nobody in the sport is remotely as good as him. The boy is fresh and the boy is hungry and the boy is greedy. Continue reading...

The man widely expected to be the next Chelsea head coach once opined on a wide variety of topics in his Guardian column Coaching may be Liam Rosenior’s forte but, during his days as a Brighton defender, the man widely expected to be Chelsea’s new manager was also a pretty useful Guardian columnist. His eagerly awaited dispatches were invariably packed with thought-provoking opinions on an assortment of topics, ranging from dead balls to Donald Trump. Below are excerpts from a cross-section of Rosenior’s thoughts during his three years with us, alongside a sense of what they tell us about the 41-year-old and how he could carry out his duties at Stamford Bridge. It is important to remember, of course, that Rosenior’s views may have changed in the intervening period. Continue reading...

* Fee of around £40m needed to sign the centre-back * 25-year-old also being chased by Bayern and Real Madrid Manchester City are considering a move for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi, with the south London club expected to demand around £40m for the defender who is out of contract in the close season. Palace’s fee for their captain is £5m more than the price offered to Liverpool when the Merseyside club came close to signing him last summer. This reflects the disruption to Palace’s season if Guéhi does depart and their need to replace the 25-year-old. Continue reading...

It’s not supposed to be like this. Nigeria, for at least two decades, have been a team that huffed and puffed, struggled with the weight of their own history and expectation, seemed always less than the sum of their parts. Even as they won the tournament in 2013, or got to the final in 2024, the sense of effort was palpable. Nothing came easily to them. They’re not meant to be a side who canter through last-16 ties. But on a foul night in Fez, though, the rain leaching across the stadium, Nigeria, inspired by Ademola Lookman, produced a performance of emphatic attacking quality and effectively had the game won with two goals before the half hour. Lookman put them ahead after 20 minutes with his third goal of the tournament, a typical finish into the top corner after a clever cutback from Akor Adams. Five minutes later, it was Lookman’s cross that Victor Osimhen turned in to make it 2-0. The same combination added a third two minutes into the second half, and whatever sliver of hope remained for Mozambique was vanquished for good. Adams smashed in a fourth from yet another Lookman assist. Continue reading...

Even the return of Martin O’Neill is unlikely to placate supporters frustrated by poor performances, a lack of investment, and chaos in the boardroom Any club confirming the end of an error after eight games owes an apology to its supporters. In Celtic’s case, even the admission of an all-time blunder in hiring Wilfried Nancy would be unlikely to placate the masses. Remorse has not been forthcoming anyway. As Martin O’Neill’s return as the Celtic manager was confirmed, office bearers took it in turn to express disappointment at the Nancy affair. Which was very good of them. Celtic do not have a monopoly on bad decision-making. It just currently feels as if that is the case. A club which has dominated in Scotland for more than a decade, which has vast resources and more scope to plan than others of much lower stature, should never have been seeking a fourth manager in one season. That they are points firmly towards a lack of strategy and direction. It is a preposterous situation. Celtic are lucky that O’Neill, 73, retains an appetite to work. He also ticks another box, that of being idolised in the stands. Continue reading...