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Live updates from match starting at 4pm BSTGet in touch: you can contact Daniel on emailOur players come down the stairs and out on to Centre Court. It looks beautiful out there.I’m pleased to report that the coolest man in the post-Borg era , Stefan Edberg, is in situ; I’m even more pleased to report that Raye is in the row behind. I’d very much like for them to become friends. Continue reading...

The sacked England Test coach reinvigorated an ailing team in 2022, but his super-aggressive style proved unsustainableFarewell, then, to Bazball, the approach defined upon its adoption by the Collins English Dictionary in 2023 as “a style of Test cricket in which the batting side attempts to gain the initiative by playing in a highly aggressive manner”. In time the manner grew less aggressive, the attempts to gain the initiative less evident, and the results less convincing. Brendon McCullum, whose philosophies and nickname had inspired it, was always irritated by the term, describing it when he deigned to address it at all as “silly”, but while this is evidently true, Bazball without any of its defining characteristics was downright mystifying.Ben Stokes was widely mocked in 2023 when, during a drawn home Ashes series, he said, in a speech given in the privacy of the dressing room but filmed and later released by the England and Wales Cricket Board: “What we have managed to do is we’ve managed to become a sports team that will live forever in the memory of people who were lucky enough to witness us play cricket. What we have done is something a lot bigger than any Ashes trophy … be[ing] the team that everybody will always remember.” Continue reading...

The latest episode of Thomas versus Jude does not have to descend into a drama and team cannot afford to be distracted heading into the World Cup semi-finalThomas Tuchel lobbed a grenade into the mix. Jude Bellingham picked it up and threw it back. There was an explosion of honesty in Miami, where everyone was struggling to maintain composure in the stifling humidity, and it needs to be dealt with before England try to reach a men’s World Cup final for the first time on foreign soil.It is time for cool heads. Tuchel was searing in his immediate analysis of England’s quarter-final win over Norway, telling ITV’s Gabriel Clarke that the performance was sloppy, not fast enough and full of technical mistakes. Praise for the side’s mentality was there but slightly lost in the noise. It was the criticism that Bellingham was asked about and the way he responded, punching back at Tuchel’s comments with some forthrightness of his own, ran the risk of England’s campaign falling down because of a public disagreement between the head coach and the star player. Continue reading...

England head coach scathing after win against NorwayCaptain says comments will keep players on their toesHarry Kane has insisted Thomas Tuchel’s strong criticism of England’s performance after their quarter-final win against Norway in Miami was driven by their failure to bring their excellence from the training ground into matches.The England captain also suggested that Tuchel’s words had been designed to keep the players on their toes before the semi-final against Argentina in Atlanta on ­Wednesday because “he knows as much as ­anyone that it’s not as simple as that … he’s trying to drag it out of us”. Continue reading...

India in control of Lord’s Test as they reduce England to 130-6 in fourth innings43rd over: India 159-1 (Mandhana 69, Bhatia 44)Oh, drama first up! Lauren Bell, with the very first ball of the day, clean bowls Yastika Bhatia. Except she doesn’t as the bails don’t fall off! An absolute beauty from Bell beats Bhatia and clips/thumps off-stump on the way through but nothing doing. Continue reading...

Political leaders in both countries rebuke Mariano Rajoy after he writes team ‘does not have any French players’The former Spanish conservative prime minister Mariano Rajoy is facing growing accusations of racism after writing in a World Cup newspaper column that the French national team “does not have any French players”.Rajoy, who was in office from 2011 to 2018, pondered Spain’s looming semi-final showdown with France in an article for the online newspaper El Debate on Friday. Continue reading...

Pogacar wants calendar changed to avoid worst of heatVan der Poel wins ninth stage shortened amid high temperaturesTadej Pogacar called for radical change to the professional racing calendar after another day of stifling temperatures, as Mathieu van der Poel won the shortened ninth stage of the Tour de France from Malemort to Ussel, with Tom Pidcock finishing third.“If I had the power I would change all the calendar and not race in July and August in hot places,” Pogacar said. “I’d do a completely different calendar, but it’s not something I can do.” Continue reading...

Former owner and chairman of Chelsea FC who bought the club for a pound and helped restore it to the top rank of English footballFor more than 20 years, Ken Bates, who has died aged 94, was synonymous with Chelsea Football Club, which he bought in 1982 from the Mears family, who had lost control after rebuilding the west stand.Haemorrhaging money, hugely in debt and about to sink into what was then Division Three, the London club cost him £1. Two feuding, financially hectic decades later, it was £97m in debt, but from its sale to the Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovich Bates nevertheless took £17m for himself. Continue reading...

We assess the teams who played in the last eight as the business end of the tournament approachesDidier Deschamps has seen it all before and certainly does not fear even the lowest of blocks. It is clear everyone is afraid of Les Bleus, which is understandable, and they are using it to their advantage. It is admirable how teams keep France quiet for lengthy periods but the game is too long to completely silence Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé. Against Morocco an hour of patience was required but these forwards are used to it and Mbappé produced the magic that has powered this run, following it up with an assist. In a tournament defined by individuals, France has the best of a talented bunch. Continue reading...

‘Definitely ​an issue that will be examined and discussed’Fifa president calls 48-team tournament a ‘huge success’Fifa officials will look at the possibility of expanding the World Cup by another 16 teams before the ⁠2030 event, Gianni Infantino said in an interview. The Fifa president told Bluewin, a Swiss media outlet, that growing from 48 to ⁠64 teams could make ⁠sense.“That’s definitely ​an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said. “When organising ⁠a World Cup, it’s important to organise it for the whole world – not just Europe and South America – but effectively the ⁠entire world. Continue reading...