How English players became the go-to overseas signings for Twenty20 franchises January 13, 2020 It may be hard to imagine now, but once upon a time English cricketers were not fixtures of the Twenty20 franchise circuit. In October England will head to Australia looking to win their second Twenty20 World Cup. Of their probable starting line-up in the first game at the Perth Stadium the vast majority will have [...]
Sergio Aguero tops Premier League list and Watford continue rise as Aston Villa and Bournemouth go into freefall January 13, 2020 Debate over where Sergio Aguero ranks in the pantheon of English football’s imports or whether he gets the credit that he deserves may continue to rage, but some things are plain fact. With 177 goals, he is now the leading non-British scorer in the Premier League history, following his hat-trick in Manchester City’s 6-1 evisceration [...]
The best films, art and theatre from now till Easter, from Andy Warhol to Margot Robbie January 10, 2020 Birds of Prey With the best will in the world, DC’s comic caper Suicide Squad was not a good movie. It was, in fact, a proper stinker, and the fact it grossed three quarters of a billion at the box office says more about the likes of you and I than it does David Ayer’s [...]
Uncut Gems movie review: Adam Sandler decides to show up again in this gem of a movie January 10, 2020 Those who only know Adam Sandler as the guy who makes fart jokes on Netflix will be in for a huge surprise in this tense thriller, from the directors of 2017 indie hit Good Time. He transforms himself as Howard, a Manhattan jeweller who finds himself on a downward spiral regarding his decisions surrounding a [...]
Review: Why Sam Mendes’ 1917 is the first unmissable film of the twenties January 10, 2020 The set-up for Sam Mendes’ first film since Bond is straightforward enough: young soldier Tom (Dean Charles-Chapman) and his friend William (George MacKay) are tasked with crossing No Man’s Land to deliver a message that could save the lives of thousands. Once that mission begins, however, we are taken on a spectacular war thriller, masterfully [...]
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 [...]