England one-day skipper Eoin Morgan tips lethal wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler to rediscover batting prowess in limited-overs series against Pakistan November 10, 2015 England one-day skipper Eoin Morgan has backed wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler to rediscover his most destructive form during his side’s limited-overs tussles with Pakistan, which start today in Abu Dhabi. Lancashire’s Buttler was dropped for England’s third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah earlier this month after a barren spell which saw him score just 156 runs [...]
Roy Hodgson must decide on his best England team and stick with it against Spain and France if he hopes to succeed at Euro 2016 November 10, 2015 The last thing I want to read next Wednesday is that coach Roy Hodgson rested players for one or other of England’s friendlies against Spain and France because he didn’t want to upset their club managers. These two matches over the next seven days are a chance for England to raise the bar against better [...]
Russian doping scandal: How many medals at London 2012 Olympics could be under suspicion? November 10, 2015 The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) yesterday unveiled a shocking report which alleged a systemic doping programme in Russian athletics and suggest the London 2012 Olympics had been "sabotaged" thanks to the failure of the IAAF to prevent athletes with suspicious tests from competing. Five Russian athletes and five coaches should be given lifetime bans according [...]
Wada strips Russian anti-doping lab of accreditation following bombshell report into “deeply rooted culture of cheating” November 10, 2015 The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has suspended the accreditation of Moscow's drug-testing lab in response to the damning report which alleged Russia had been running a systemic doping programme in athletics. An independent report on behalf of Wada found evidence of the deliberate destruction of 1,417 test samples, the cover-up of positive results and even the [...]
Wada’s report on Russian athletics shows it’s been too easy to corrupt current anti-doping system November 10, 2015 The long-awaited independent commission report of an investigation into allegations first revealed in a German TV documentary shocked but does not surprise those who remember state institutionalised doping of the 1970s. The documentary itself was controversial, alleging doping practices, bribery and corruption in the Russian national anti-doping system involving national doping control officers, laboratory scientists, [...]
Tottenham named Premier League’s best team for club-trained players amid new low in the division November 10, 2015 Premier League clubs are giving fewer chances to their young players than ever before, a new study has found. This season just 11.7 per cent of players in the league play for the club that trained them – down from 13.8 per cent last year. Tottenham are currently the most effective club at blooding academy [...]
Doping claims leave Russia facing exile, as Wada report finds state-supported culture of cheating that “sabotaged” London Olympics November 9, 2015 Athletics chief Lord Coe has given Russia until the end of the week to respond to accusations by the World Anti-Doping Agency of systemic misuse of drugs, extortion and corruption – or face a ban. A report released yesterday by Wada’s independent commission called for Russia’s athletes to be suspended from all competition, potentially including [...]
Russell Knox takes his place in golf’s elite with breakthrough WGC-HSBC Champions win November 9, 2015 I had to double-check when I heard that his landmark win at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai was Russell Knox’s first on either the European Tour or PGA Tour. Being a Scot, I’d been aware of him for a while and had kept an eye on his progress in the United States, where he plays [...]
Wada report calls for Russia to be banned from athletics for “deeply rooted culture of cheating” November 9, 2015 Russia should be banned from athletics for allowing a “deeply rooted culture of cheating” to fester, according to a bombshell report published today by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada). Wada’s independent commission also called for 10 individuals, including five athletes, to be banned from the sport for life, and said Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory should have [...]
Under-fire Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho needs to show more humility, says ex-Stamford Bridge boss Ruud Gullit November 8, 2015 Former Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit insists a show of humility would be the first step in under-fire Blues boss Jose Mourinho arresting the tidal of wave of despair engulfing the Stamford Bridge club this season. Mourinho put speculation over his job security to one side yesterday as he watched Chelsea’s under-21 side defeat their Liverpool [...]