Sri Lanka v England preview: Tourists hold all the aces ahead of Dambulla opener October 9, 2018 How times have changed for England. Last time they were in Sri Lanka to play a one-day series things were far less rosy than they are currently. In 2014, a side led by Alastair Cook succumbed to a 5-2 series defeat, as Kumar Sangakkara plundered a whopping 454 runs with five scores of over 50 [...]
Trevor Steven: Young call-ups make perfect sense in Gareth Southgate’s England masterplan October 9, 2018 Leading England to their best World Cup finish for 28 years not only proved Gareth Southgate to be the right man for the job, it also earned him a new contract until 2022 and carte blanche to fully realise his vision for the national team. It is in that light that his latest squad selection [...]
Sail GP: Larry Ellison and Sir Russell Coutts attempt to sell sailing to the masses October 8, 2018 Sailing is a difficult sport for the spectator. By its very nature the action happens out on the water, away from the eyes and ears of those attempting to enjoy it. Last week a new $1m competition was launched which attempts to address that problem and in the process “redefine sailing”. Spearheaded by American tech [...]
Sam Torrance: Lucas Bjerregaard becomes the latest Dane on the podium as Ryder Cup heroics catch up with Tyrrell Hatton October 8, 2018 I seem to recall a couple of Danes celebrating at the end of the Ryder Cup last month and on Sunday it was the turn of Thomas Bjorn and Thorbjorn Olesen’s compatriot Lucas Bjerregaard to uncork the champagne. The 27-year-old was fantastic in winning the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews, where he saw [...]
Legal Q&A: Why has Eleven Sports breached the UK Saturday afternoon live football blackout? October 8, 2018 The traditional Saturday afternoon restriction on broadcasting live football in the UK has been challenged by online-only subscription broadcaster Eleven Sports. Lawyer Satish Khandke examines the implications. What are the legal restrictions that Eleven Sports has challenged? Uefa regulations allow the member associations of football’s European governing body to designate a blackout period of two and a [...]
Pretenders Liverpool miss chance to put pressure on champions Manchester City October 7, 2018 On an afternoon of few chances at Anfield, Riyad Mahrez was guilty of the most conspicuous miss, blazing a late penalty high into the stands when a winning goal and all three points beckoned for Manchester City. But in a few months’ time, when the battle for Premier League supremacy between two of the three [...]
Fulham 1-5 Arsenal: Gunners’ rampant attack helps optimism return under Unai Emery October 7, 2018 “We’ve got our Arsenal back.” That was the chant coming from the away end at Craven Cottage after Aaron Ramsey flicked in his side’s third goal in a 5-1 rout of Fulham. Ramsey’s improvised finish at the end of a flowing team move was the apex of a heady second half in which the Gunners [...]
Venom review: A talented cast struggles its way through this jumbled anti-hero affair October 5, 2018 Spider-Man recently made a critically acclaimed Homecoming to Disney/Marvel after years tied to Sony, leaving the alien entity known as Venom in a strange hinterland. The character’s first stand alone film is produced by Sony “in association with Marvel” as part of their new sharing agreement, but the resulting conflagration of themes and tones bears [...]
Pinter at the Pinter: Stagings of the great playwright’s short plays and poems offers a rare chance to see these unmissable works October 5, 2018 Harold Pinter was prolific, with more than 30 stage plays, almost as many screenplays and dozens of works of prose and poetry to his name. But while revered masterpieces such as The Birthday Party, No Man’s Land and Betrayal are regularly staged, there are fewer opportunities to see his equally brilliant shorter works. Director Jamie [...]
Tania Bruguera in the Tate Modern Turbine Hall continues a downward trend for the once great exhibition space October 5, 2018 The Turbine Hall is the toughest gig in contemporary art. While it must feel like a dream commission, it often proves to be a poisoned chalice. Filling the largest public exhibition space in the world requires massive art and super-massive ideas. It needs to be engaging, without descending into a crowd-pleasing fairground attraction. And while [...]