Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has extended his stay at Anfield. The 33-year-old centre-back, who has signed a new two-year deal, is on the verge of lifting his second Premier League trophy with the Reds. Van Dijk’s late winner against West Ham on Sunday moved Arne Slot’s men 13 points clear of second-placed Arsenal with...
Former Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton will join Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions coaching team for this summer’s tour of Australia. Sexton, who retired after the 2023 Rugby World Cup, played on two Lions tours in 2013 and 2017. The five-time Six Nations winner has been working with Ireland in a casual coaching capacity since...
Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen has signed a one-year contract extension that will keep him at the County Ground beyond his 42nd birthday. The South Africa-born batter joined the East Midlands club in 2009, and is the county’s second-highest scorer across all formats, with more than 22,500 runs to his name. Madsen, who skippered Derbyshire to...
The decision to recruit Morgan would appear a shrewd one by the MCC as it comes in the wake of an agreement to sell a 49% stake in London Spirit, the Lord’s-based franchise in The Hundred, to a consortium of tech billionaires. Morgan’s extensive experience of franchise cricket, in addition to his breadth of knowledge...
Great Britain captain Anne Keothavong says the lack of top-20 players at the Billie Jean King Cup is “a tennis problem, not a player problem”. Only three of the world’s top-20 will compete in this week’s qualifying rounds, with Poland’s Iga Swiatek and American trio Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Madison Keys among those absent....
Kaoru Mitoma, Brighton, £6.5m – Leicester (h) Backing a forward player against Leicester pays off almost every week and Mitoma is easily Brighton’s most reliable midfielder. The most shots, shots in the box, on target, key passes, xG, goals – I could go on. Newcastle’s Murphy had a haul from the flanks against the Foxes,...
Brook takes charge after a poor run for England in white-ball cricket. They held both the T20 and 50-over world titles in 2022 but have since disappointed in their defence of each crown. They also exited the Champions Trophy without winning a match, which resulted in Buttler’s resignation. Brook said he expected Buttler to play...
At her unveiling, Edwards said she wanted her captain to be “someone who leads from the front in everything they do, someone who has the respect of the current playing group”. Sciver-Brunt was part of the team that won the 2017 World Cup and has played 259 times for England across formats. She averages 46.47...
Ireland captain Gaby Lewis says her side are feeling “very confident” before their forthcoming ODI World Cup qualifier event in Pakistan. Ireland will take part in the six-team qualifier tournament, which runs from Wednesday, 9 April until Friday, 18 April. They will face Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh, Thailand and Scotland in a round-robin format. The...
Harry Brook: Rob Key plays the odds in preferring batter to Ben Stokes as England white-ball captain
Before Brook’s debut he was described as “dumb” by Stokes, something for which the all-rounder later apologised. His answers may be brief but do not mistake that for a lack of cricket brain. Brook’s 317 against Pakistan last year may take the headlines but one of his best innings was in the drawn 2023 Ashes...
Peter McEvoy, the first British amateur golfer to make the cut at the Masters, has died aged 72. Born in London, McEvoy was brought up near Turnberry on the Ayrshire coast. Despite a gentle Scottish burr, he represented England in a decorated career among the unpaid ranks. “We have lost one of amateur golf’s most...
Captain Virgil van Dijk says there has been “progress” in negotiations with Liverpool over a new contract. The 33-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season and the centre-back said in March he had “no idea” if he would remain at Anfield. The defender is one of three high-profile Liverpool players to...
This is Brook’s first full-time captaincy role with England, though he led the ODI side in a five-match series against Australia in September when Buttler was injured. He was due to play in this year’s Indian Premier League but pulled out to manage his workload. He has not played since a disappointing run in England’s...
Cricket Canada says it is “actively monitoring” the situation after captain Nicholas Kirton was arrested in the Caribbean. Local reports say the 26-year-old was detained at Barbados Airport on Sunday on potential drugs charges. “We are actively monitoring the situation and closely following developments as they unfold,” Cricket Canada said in a statement. “We take...
Emi Martinez, Aston Villa, keeper, £5m – Nottingham Forest (h) The Argentine kept just his fourth clean sheet of the season in Wednesday’s win at Brighton but he is a differential keeper option for this week and the rest of the season. Villa face goal-shy Southampton next week before a double in 33. Forest are...