Four-day Test matches are a divisive issue but they might have their place for emerging cricketing nations January 8, 2020 England’s dramatic victory over South Africa in Cape Town on Tuesday came at a good time for them, but also for the wider cricketing community. With the International Cricket Council set to discuss the idea of reducing Test matches to four days to create space in the schedule and ease players’ workloads, England’s gripping 189-run [...]
January transfer window: Why Premier League clubs could hold off splashing the cash in mid-season January 8, 2020 The hype and bluster surrounding the Premier League transfer windows, and the shorter January version in particular, is well established. Rumour, counter-rumour and 24/7 rolling news with reporters in club car parks were designed for such occasions and have become ingrained in football culture. All the window means in practice, however, is that after five [...]
Ben Stokes produces scintillating spell to secure dramatic England victory against South Africa in Cape Town January 7, 2020 In the final session on day five of an enthralling Test match with South Africa, on a well-worn but dead wicket, against the background of Table Mountain and with the away fans in full voice, England needed three wickets to secure a hugely significant victory. There were 17 remaining scheduled overs in which to dismiss [...]
Mikel Arteta has restored Arsenal’s work ethic – now they can relaunch their season January 7, 2020 Looking at Mesut Ozil’s face as he departed the field towards the end of Arsenal’s 1-0 FA Cup win over Leeds, you could tell that he had put in a hard shift. At full-time of the first few games of Mikel Arteta’s tenure as manager, that effort has been visible in Ozil’s team-mates, too – [...]
Arsenal 1-0 Leeds: Confidence in Mikel Arteta grows as half-time anger sparks comeback in the FA Cup January 6, 2020 His tenure as Arsenal manager may be only 18 days old so far, but Mikel Arteta has already been witness to the many sides of his new side. Having crumbled to succumb to a 2-1 defeat by Chelsea and shone in a 2-0 win over Manchester United, the Gunners tonight combined their previous performances to [...]
Sports technology in 2020: the key trends to watch this year January 6, 2020 Drama is the currency of sport but if current trends continue in 2020, below-the-radar work will be the stuff really making the hard yards. Last year, forward-thinking organisations have been focused on leveraging newer media platforms better and tailoring engagement better, often with a social slant. Two stand-out performers were AS Roma, which used the [...]
Dominic Sibley assumes control to put England in a rare position of strength against South Africa January 5, 2020 England’s second Test match against South Africa started in a negative fashion, in keeping with a tour plagued by illness and kicked off with a meek defeat at Centurion. Rory Burns’s damaged ankle ligaments, which will see him miss the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka and were sustained during a warm-up game of football, followed [...]
2020 Vision: What to expect from sport this year, by industry insiders January 5, 2020 What will sport look like in 2020? We asked a host of industry experts for their predictions – and this is what they said. Neil Hopkins, global head of strategy at M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment Euros offer ticket to ride Football fans used to tournaments taking place in one or, at most, two host [...]
Cyrano de Bergerac review: An astringent and moving adaptation December 19, 2019 Cyrano de Bergerac opens to a stark stage, with plain walls and harsh neon lighting. We are, it would seem, beyond any normal sense of time, but, as the play begins, we learn that this is actually 1640s Paris. James McAvoy takes to the stage as the titular Cyrano, man of many talents: wordsmith, master [...]
Teenage Dick at the Donmar review: High school reimagining is a hit December 19, 2019 Teenage Dick transposes Shakespeare’s murderous monarch Richard III from Plantagenet England to the halls of a modern American high school; the perfect setting for a twisted tale of ambition and resentment. Roseland High School junior class secretary Richard’s desire for respect and attention is frustrated by his physical disability in a community that worships sporting [...]