Wolves on course for Europa League, but is becoming the Premier League’s best of the rest worth it – or a poisoned chalice? March 28, 2019 Should Burnley manager Sean Dyche feel moved to dispense some characteristic no-nonsense wisdom to his opposite number this weekend, it might be of the be-careful-what-you-wish-for variety. Occupying the visitors’ dugout at Turf Moor on Saturday will be Nuno Espirito Santo, a rising star whose Wolves team have cut a dash in their first season back [...]
Glasgow Warriors can use Scotland’s Twickenham heroics for inspiration against Saracens in Champions Cup quarter-final March 28, 2019 Glasgow may not have beaten Saracens in Europe in five attempts but the Scottish side can take solace from their national team’s historic clash against England just two weeks ago as they prepare for this weekend’s Champions Cup quarter-final. Scotland were down and out after half an hour at Twickenham, with England 31-0 up, only [...]
Chris Tremlett: Ashwin’s Mankad was borderline cheating and should be banned from cricket for good March 27, 2019 Ravichandran Ashwin’s conduct in the Indian Premier League has caused debate right across the cricketing world this week. With his side, Kings XI Punjab, up against it on Monday the Indian spinner decided to run out Rajasthan Royals’ batsman Jos Buttler while he was backing up at the non-strikers’ end. The dismissal, known as a [...]
Cricket’s growing trend? How the success of Twenty20 leagues could lead to a rise in white-ball only contracts March 27, 2019 It’s been over a year since Adil Rashid sparked debate across the cricket world – not with a spinning delivery, but by signing a piece of paper. The England leg-spinner drew criticism after turning his back on first-class cricket by agreeing a white-ball only contract with his county Yorkshire in February 2018. Read more: Meet [...]
English referees are being overlooked by Uefa for Champions League ties March 27, 2019 If the full complement of English teams progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals is evidence that England’s teams are among the best in Europe then the absence of referees from these shores raises some uncomfortable questions for our officials. For the first time in a decade, four Premier League clubs have reached the last eight [...]
Drawing a crowd: Tate Modern pips British Museum to the post as UK’s most popular visitor attraction March 27, 2019 Tate Modern has knocked the British Museum off the top spot of the UK’s most popular visitor attractions, which it has occupied for a decade. The British Museum welcomed 5.82m visitors through its doors last year, while Tate Modern overtook it with 5.87m people – an increase of 3.7 per cent on 2017. Read more: [...]
Why I’m proud that the art industry has taken a stand against the Sackler family March 27, 2019 When I heard that the Tate Group was following the National Gallery’s example by refusing to take further donations from the Sackler Trust, funded by the Sackler family, I felt a sense of both relief and pride in the arts industry. The Trust has for many years made generous donations to leading artistic and philanthropic [...]
Karl McDermott interview: Lord’s head groundsman on the Cricket World Cup, Ireland’s Test match against England and more March 26, 2019 When the Cricket World Cup final rolls around at the height of this summer the two teams and their fans won’t be the only nervous people inside Lord’s. Cricket, more than any other sport, is shaped by the surface it’s played on, and the man tasked with delivering the perfect one for its biggest occasion [...]
Trevor Steven: England have never looked so confident and Euro 2020 rivals will be taking note March 26, 2019 England winning qualifying matches is nothing new, but while we have seen emphatic scorelines in the past, they have not always been accompanied by emphatic performances. That is why Gareth Southgate and his players deserve such praise for Monday’s 5-1 victory in Montenegro and the 5-0 defeat of the Czech Republic at Wembley three days [...]
Montenegro 1-5 England: Ross Barkley and Raheem Sterling star but five-star visitors’ win marred by reports of racism March 25, 2019 For so long Ross Barkley has been defined by his potential, rather than his output for England. Tonight in Montenegro he finally delivered. It’s been a productive 2019 for the central midfielder, with his January 2018 transfer from Everton to Chelsea now paying off with a sustained run in Maurizio Sarri’s side. And after an [...]