Chris Tremlett: England should take Jason Roy gamble to turn around their World Cup against India June 26, 2019 Last week I defended the World Cup format in anticipation of the dead rubbers many believed would soon be on the horizon. A week on and there’s no such debate, with England’s defeats by Sri Lanka and Australia and Pakistan’s win over New Zealand today ensuring there’s plenty left to play for. England are feeling [...]
England v Norway: Lionesses have injury problems for World Cup quarter-final June 26, 2019 Phil Neville might not have acknowledged it but England go into their World Cup quarter-final against Norway tomorrow evening with a problem. Centre-backs Steph Houghton and Millie Bright are both “major doubts” to play in Le Havre, while right-back Lucy Bronze is also a worry. Houghton is battling against an ankle injury picked up in [...]
Eoin Morgan admits England are ‘struggling with the basics’ at the Cricket World Cup after damaging Australia defeat June 25, 2019 They say it’s the hope that kills you. When Mitchell Starc ran in and delivered a rapid, inch-perfect inswinging Yorker to hit the base of the off-stump, send the zing bails flying and send Ben Stokes trudging off to the pavilion that’s when most Englishmen inside Lord’s felt theirs’ slip away. Stokes was at the [...]
England v Australia: World Cup ante upped for hosts after defeat by Sri Lanka June 24, 2019 A week ago people were worried about dead rubbers. The International Cricket Council have Sri Lanka to thank for changing the conversation, because with England meeting Australia at Lord’s tomorrow that concern is nowhere near the top of the agenda. England’s defeat on Friday has put the cat amongst the pigeons, upping the ante and [...]
Sam Torrance: Reavie’s Travelers Championship win shows the importance of staying power in golf June 24, 2019 Chez Reavie would have been delighted with his third-place finish at the US Open a few weeks ago, but his victory at the Travelers Championship on Sunday was something special for the American. Reavie had gone nearly 11 years without a PGA Tour win – a period spanning 250 tournaments and 3,983 days – but [...]
MLB London Series: Baseball sending big-hitters Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees to woo UK audience June 23, 2019 Almost 70 years after Glasgow-born Bobby Thomson hit baseball’s Shot Heard ‘Round the World, the echo has finally reached London. This weekend, Major League Baseball will join its cousins from the NFL and NBA in offering British fans the opportunity to see regular season games live on their own turf. Given the New York Giants [...]
England 3-0 Cameroon: Phil Neville laments shameful behaviour of Lionesses’ opponents at the World Cup June 23, 2019 England are through to the quarter-finals of a World Cup, and yet the post-match talk in Valenciennes was about everything other than the result. “It didn’t feel like football,” fumed Lionesses manager Phil Neville after the final whistle. “I didn’t enjoy it, my players didn’t enjoy it.” Goals from captain Steph Houghton, in-form striker Ellen [...]
England v Sri Lanka: Headingley clash a must-win for side struggling with internal rifts at the World Cup June 20, 2019 The World Cup hasn’t quite gone to plan for Sri Lanka. A 34-run win over Afghanistan aside, the last three weeks have been an unhappy period for 1996 tournament winners, who meet England at Headingley tomorrow desperately needing a victory to revive faint hopes of a semi-final place. They began the competition with a 10-wicket [...]
African Cup of Nations: Why Liverpool’s Premier League preparations will be affected by the tournament June 20, 2019 Together they have conquered all of Europe. Now it’s time to take on Africa. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane will both go in search of a maiden Africa Cup of Nations title over the coming weeks, but this time only one of them can come out on top. Salah’s Egypt, the hosts, kick off [...]
Copa America: The reasons behind Qatar’s involvement in South America and what the future holds June 20, 2019 There is something odd about the Copa America this summer. In among the usual suspects – hosts Brazil, holders Chile, 15-time winners Uruguay – sits a jarringly incongruous name: Qatar. The surprise winners of this year’s Asian Cup have travelled 12,000km to play in Group B alongside Colombia, Paraguay and Lionel Messi’s Argentina, who they [...]