Day two of the first Test gets under way withRob SmythandJames Wallaceyour over-by-over-hosts. India are seeking a first series win in England since 2007, having been held to a 2-2 draw last time out, a garland their new red-ball skipper, Shubman Gill, ranks higher than going all the way in the Indian Premier League. “You don’t get many opportunities as a captain to be able to come to England and you get to have a crack at the IPL every year,” says one of the IPL’s poster boys and title winner with Gujarat Giants in 2022. “In my opinion winning a Test series in England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa is bigger.”Ali Martin,Andy BullandSimon Burntonare our reporting team at Headingley.
“It’s the biggest five days in our sport – our shop window,” says leading jockey William Buick of the glittering five days of Royal Ascot. The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (3.40pm) is the highlight of the sun-baked meeting’s final day. Kevin Ryan’s Inisherin was a brilliant winner of the Commonwealth Cup over the course and distance 12 months ago while French raider Lazzat won his first six starts for Jerome Reynier and having bolted up back over six furlongs at Chantilly has been snapped up by the powerful Wathnan Racing operation. One to watch is Aidan O’Brien’s Australian recruit Storm Boy.Tony Paleykeeps the updates flowing withGreg Woodour reporter in top hat and tails at the Berkshire course.
Under a broiling sun in west London, conditions have been particularly gruelling as some of the world’s leading players gear up for Wimbledon. Top seed and 2023 winner Carlos Alcaraz endured three hours and 23 energy-sapping minutes in beating compatriot Jaume Munar on Thursday. The match may have been two hours shorter than his five-set French Open final win over Jannik Sinner earlier this month but the five-time grand slam champion suffered as temperatures soared to 32C. After a 15th straight win, the longest winning run of his career so far, a near-exhausted Alcaraz admitted: “It was a really tough battle.”Tumaini Carayolhas all the action covered.
An unfamiliar England face France for Saturday’s non-cap international. There are five uncapped names in Steve Borthwick’s makeshift squad, with three set to start as call-ups to Andy Farrell’s British & Irish Lions have have given the head coach the chance to experiment. The late addition of Jack van Poortvliet to the Lions party means there will be 14 players unavailable when England run out for the final time before the summer tour to Argentina and the United States.Michael Aylwinreports from Twickenham.
The European Under-21 Championship 2023 winners face a rematch with Spain, who they defeated to lift the trophy two years ago. But Lee Carsley’s side approach the quarter-final in patchy form having followed up last Sunday’s goalless draw with Slovenia with a disappointing 2-1 loss against Germany to round off the group stage. Slovenia’s defeat to the Czech Republic in the other match in the group was enough to secure Carsley’s side passage to the last-eight tie in Trnava, Slovakia.Will Unwinkeeps the updates flowing whileEd Aaronsreports.
Our columnist considers the cult of personality at the revamped Club World Cup – how the individual walk-outs at the start of matches offer further proof, if any were needed, that Fifa is failing to understand that football remains a team sport – just ask Paris Saint-Germain, who unlocked European success by ditching their superstars.
Rob SmythandTaha Hashimtake up the over-by-over baton on day three at Headingley. Win against India in the coming weeks, then reclaim the Ashes in Australia and Ben Stokes would go down as one of his country’s greatest skippers, but he is not ready to think in those terms. “There’s always a different buzz coming up against India and Australia in particular, purely because of how big those series are,” he says. “Away from the dressing room, we know what these series mean compared to other ones. But defining a career as England captain isn’t something that I really think about. If that’s what I’m really bothered about, it’s just completely and utterly selfish and that ain’t me.”
Tanya Aldredhelms our rolling blog and will no doubt be keeping a weather eye on Jofra Archer’s exploits for Sussex against Durham. England’s paceman has been beset by a litany of injury problems and played the last of his 13 Tests in February 2021. It is hoped he will make his first-class return, part of a plan that could lead to him being restored to Ben Stokes’ squad at some point during a five-match series against India. There has been an understandable sense of caution about Archer’s latest rehabilitation, which was further delayed by a broken thumb, but the bowler himself has made his own intentions clear – at one stage floating a hurried return in last month’s one-off game against Zimbabwe.
The Indiana Pacers stormed to a 108-91 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday to level the NBA finals at three games apiece and set up a decisive Game 7 in Oklahoma City in the early hours on Monday. David Lengel will be across all of the action with his live blog on the biggest night in the basketball season.
In the small hours, our live coverage of the tournament continues at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta as the holders face Al Ain. City’s new signing Tijjani Reijnders will be hoping to build on his impressive debut in the comfortable 2-0 win over Wydad Casablanca in Philadelphia on Wednesday. The Dutchman joined City from Milan last week in a deal worth an initial £46.5m as part of Pep Guardiola’s rebuild in response to their disappointing 2024-25 season.Alexander Abnoshosts our minute-by-minute coverage.