Ben Foakes deserves an extended run as wicket-keeper in England’s Test side after being picked for Sri Lanka tour February 12, 2020 England may still be in South Africa, but the squad for their tour of Sri Lanka was named on Tuesday and the series isn’t far away. The team will fly out next month ahead of the first Test on 19 March and the 16-man squad features some interesting calls. I am happy to see Ben [...]
Leah Williamson interview: England and Arsenal defender on the fortunate timing of her career, studying accountancy and her Olympic dream February 12, 2020 Like many football-mad children, Leah Williamson dreamed of becoming a professional player. The talent was there and she took the first step on the ladder aged nine when she joined the Arsenal Ladies Centre of Excellence in 2006. However, there was one major problem in her way: 14 years ago there was no such a [...]
South Africa v England Twenty20I series preview: Roy, Bairstow, Buttler and Malan set to battle it out for opening role February 11, 2020 A short-format series tacked onto the end of a long tour can sometimes carry little significance, but England’s run of three Twenty20 Internationals with South Africa, starting today, is not one of them. Having won the 50-over Cricket World Cup last year, England’s attention is now firmly fixed on repeating that feat at the 20-over [...]
Dominic Calvert-Lewin my favourite in shoot-out with Danny Ings to gatecrash England’s Euro 2020 squad February 11, 2020 This summer’s European Championship may still seem like a speck on the horizon but, for players hoping to gatecrash England’s squad for the tournament, the clock is ticking. Places are up for grabs among the strikers, where the uncapped Danny Ings and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have played their way into competition with Tammy Abraham and Callum [...]
Helping the Dons return home: AFC Wimbledon aiming to raise £5m through a bond to keep Plough Lane stadium plans on track February 10, 2020 The club may only be 18 years old, but AFC Wimbledon are no strangers to adversity. Having been founded in 2002 by supporters as a protest against the original Wimbledon’s uprooting to Milton Keynes, the Dons have risen through the divisions, winning six promotions in 13 years to reach League One. While there has been [...]
Nick Taylor, Pebble Beach and the importance of a golfer’s second win February 10, 2020 They say that plenty of people can win one golf tournament but that it takes a real player to win two. That’s a sentiment that Nick Taylor will appreciate after the Canadian held off Phil Mickelson to win the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday, more than five years on from his maiden PGA Tour title. [...]
Birds of Prey review: Margot Robbie sparkles in this diamanté-encrusted take on the superhero movie February 10, 2020 Margot Robbie was the saving grace of 2016’s dire Suicide Squad, so it was welcome news that her character Harley Quinn would be thrust into centre stage in DC’s new spandex adventure, Birds of Prey. It’s a diamante-encrusted take on the superhero film, in which Quinn sets out to prove herself as a supervillian in [...]
Collect 2020 presented by the Crafts Council February 10, 2020 | Sponsored VIP Tickets to the exclusive Collectors’ Preview of the International Art Fair for Modern Craft and Design: Collect 2020 presented by the Crafts Council The vanguard of growing global appreciation for crafted objects, Collect, is moving to a striking new home at Somerset House. The Fair includes the work of 400 international artists presented by galleries showcasing exceptional and breakthrough [...]
Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali remind everyone of their worth as England draw South Africa ODI series 1-1 February 9, 2020 The series may have suffered from an after-the-Lord-Mayor’s-show feel but, thanks to their win on Sunday, England did at least extend a proud record. Victory by two wickets over South Africa in Johannesburg meant that England ensured the three-match One-Day International series was drawn 1-1 and their three-year unbeaten record remains intact. England’s domination of [...]
The changing face of sports governing bodies: why investment talk misses the real evolution February 9, 2020 Since private equity company CVC paid £200m for 27 per cent of Premiership Rugby just over a year ago, new money entering sport has gathered pace. While talk of this trend has focussed on the size and value of such investments, it has missed the most interesting aspect of what is happening: that the world [...]