Cricket betting: Batting bother for England – but Jonny Bairstow can deliver July 21, 2016 England's batting order has been a cause for concern for a number of years now. Since the departure – wrongly or rightly – of Kevin Pietersen, they have tried to plug the round holes of positions three, four and five with a series of square pegs. Last time out at Lord’s, with Nick Compton in [...]
Cricket betting: Spinner Shah could make things Messi for England July 21, 2016 Pakistan's performance against England at Lord’s last week couldn’t have gone much better and it is no surprise they have a 1-0 lead in the four-match series. They were in control of the game throughout, taking a first innings advantage after a century from captain Misbah-ul-Haq before leg-spinner Yasir Shah helped wrap the game up [...]
The Fix review: A musical take on US politics that’s almost as entertaining as the real thing July 21, 2016 The long awaited splicing of House of Cards and hyper-camp musical theatre, The Fix is a boisterous show about one family’s desperate attempts to lay claim to the highest and most oval-shaped office in the land. When presidential hopeful Reed Chandler corks it during a scandalous act of extramarital sex-doing, the weight of his political [...]
Skipper Alastair Cook moves to defuse row over James Anderson’s omission from first Test against Pakistan July 21, 2016 Skipper Alastair Cook has played down the notion of friction in the England camp as the row over seamer James Anderson’s omission from the first Investec Test at Lord’s rumbles on. Anderson is set to return to England’s starting XI for the second Test at Emirates Old Trafford, which starts on Friday, as is all-rounder [...]
11 things to do in London this weekend, including watching Usain Bolt, geeking out to Star Trek and enjoying William Eggleston’s photographs July 21, 2016 1. Go and see some filthy cabaret at the Hippodrome Cabaret, Hippodrome, Saturday, 19.30, from £15-£50 Inspired by 1930s Parisian cabaret but also swiping at the mainstream success of Cirque du Soleil, this is a sassy combination of smut and sparkle. 2. Remember your childhood watching The BFG Film, IMAX Waterloo, Saturday, 11.15, £20 A saccharine-sweet [...]
Ming of Harlem film review: an art house movie about a man who kept a tiger in his New York apartment July 21, 2016 For several years Antoine Yates kept a Bengal tiger in his fifth floor New York apartment, until the day the cat sank its carving knife sized fangs into the man’s leg. Unsurprisingly, doctors weren’t convinced by Yates’s claim that he’d been bitten by his pet dog, and so the authorities were alerted. Back at his [...]
Usain Bolt welcomes Russia ban as country nears total exclusion from Rio Olympics July 21, 2016 Track superstar Usain Bolt has welcomed the decision to uphold a ban on Russian athletes at next month’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Thursday rejected an appeal by Russia’s Olympic committee and 68 of the country’s athletes against their suspension following allegations of a doping conspiracy. The [...]
Decision over blanket Rio ban on Russia delayed as International Olympic Commitee opt to seek legal advice July 21, 2016 Russia must wait to learn its fate after the International Olympic Committee delayed a decision on whether to enforce a blanket ban on the nation’s athletes competing at next month’s Games in Rio. Following a four-hour meeting, the IOC confirmed it would “explore their legal options with regard to a collective ban of all Russian [...]
I have alternative targets if Paul Pogba move fails, says Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho July 21, 2016 Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho insists he has back-up options in mind if his world record bid for Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba ends in failure. United are poised to make Pogba, 23, the first ever £100m footballer just four years after he left the club for just £800,000, having grown frustrated at a lack [...]
Blanc de Blanc at the Hippodrome casino is a sassy combination of smut and sparkle July 21, 2016 The Hippodrome Casino doesn’t exactly have a surfeit of cultural kudos. But hidden in its depths is a cosy cabaret theatre and its latest show is a sassy combination of smut and sparkle. Blanc de Blanc is devised by highly-acclaimed Australian theatre company Strut & Fret and transfers to the West End via the Sydney [...]