Skip to main content

Posts

Harry Brook smiles and riles India’s attack with swagger and fortune | Andy Bull

England’s most gifted shotmaker since Kevin Pietersen happily took on Bumrah and Siraj on his way to 99 Scientists say that the typical human can recognise 21 distinct facial expressions. After seven years of Test cricket, Jasprit Bumrah has grown to know a good handful of them about as well as any man can, from awe, through disgust, to fear, sadness, surprise and all their many combinations. You would guess it’s been a while since he’s seen a happy batsmen looking back at him from 22 yards, but if you had the binoculars on Harry Brook first thing on Sunday morning, you could see he was wearing such a big, goofy grin that his teeth were glinting through the gloaming. You don’t want to kink-shame him, but you’d think there must be easier ways to get your kicks than to go running down the pitch to hit a man bowling 90mph bouncers. But Brook’s brain seems to be wired a little differently. On the third ball Bumrah bowled him on Sunday, he decided to take two quick steps forwards and wall...

Jobe Bellingham strikes as Dortmund edge 4-3 thriller with Sundowns in Club World Cup

Group F: Mamelodi Sundowns 3-4 Borrusia Dortmund Second-half own goal ensures Dortmund go top of group Borussia Dortmund held off a spirited comeback from Mamelodi Sundowns to secure a 4-3 victory and move closer to the Club World Cup knockout stages. Dortmund were behind after 11 minutes to the South African champions at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati but rallied to win their second game in Group F and move top of the standings with four points, one more than Sundowns. Felix Nmecha, Serhou Guirassy and Jobe Bellingham scored for the Bundesliga club, who also profited from an own goal. Lucas Ribeiro had given Sundowns the lead while Iqraam Rayners and Lebo Mothiba scored in the second half as they looked to rally from 4-1 down in blazing hot conditions. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/D05sxlG

Club World Cup didn’t start the fire – it didn’t light it but we'll try to fight it | Max Rushden

Football competitions are expanding, overlapping and bleeding into one another, but is a month off too much to ask? Does it feel too much? Premier League bleeding into the playoffs into the Champions League into the international break … we’re still bleeding … rip off your shirt and make a tourniquet! The European Under-21 and Under‑19 Championships into the Club World Cup, overlapping with the Women’s Euros … oh look the Premier League fixtures for 2025-26 are out and the EFL ones come out next week … and there’s David Prutton paying (excellent) homage to David Mitchell’s pisstake of Sky Sports on Sky Sports: “Catch all of the constantly happening football here it’s all here and it’s all football. Always. It’s impossible to keep track of all the football.” You start to imagine Billy Joel rewriting We Didn’t Start the Fire … an endless list of footballers and pundits, of owners and streaming services, of controversies and grimness amid the beauty and joy. Will i...

Unicef warns children could die of thirst in Gaza amid collapse of water systems

Fears grow of drought as well as hunger as medics report more killings by Israeli forces of Palestinians seeking aid Middle East crisis – live updates The collapse of water systems in Gaza is threatening the territory with devastating drought as well as hunger, Unicef has warned, as medics reported that Israel had killed more desperate Palestinians seeking aid. On Friday at least 24 people waiting for aid were killed by Israeli fire in central Gaza, according to local health authorities, in addition to other deaths by airstrikes. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/nO4iF0S

Duhan van der Merwe hits back at ‘SpringJock’ jibes: ‘I know how hard I’ve worked to get here’

Flying winger brushes off allegiance jibes and cannot wait for Australia after a testing Lions tour in 2021 Duhan van der Merwe does not want to shake hands. It is not that the hulking Scotland winger is being rude – he is polite to a fault – but after a gruelling gym session the British & Irish Lion has blisters as big as golf balls. A fist bump – a touch daunting given the size of his biceps – must suffice. Van der Merwe’s war wounds are the first indication that public perception about him can be misleading and there are many to follow in the ensuing half-hour. From an impassioned response to accusations he is a “SpringJock”, to discussing why he runs roughshod over England once a year , Van der Merwe is illuminating company. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ylFZh46

Trawlerman races away to take Gold Cup at Royal Ascot

Seven-year-old wins by seven lengths Fifth victory of meeting for Gosdens It was simple but ruthlessly effective as Trawlerman and William Buick made all the running to win the Gold Cup on Thursday. The Gosden stable’s seven-year-old faced two four-year-old rivals with a touch more class but no experience of racing at two and a half miles and when Buick challenged them to catch him with a quarter of a mile to run, neither Illinois nor Candelari could summon a response. Candelari was a spent force with half a mile left, while Illinois’s brief effort in the home straight scarcely made an impression on Trawlerman’s lead as he galloped on relentlessly for the line. He had a seven-length advantage at the post and it was seven more back to Dubai Future in third. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7PVIuMs

Phil Foden stars in Manchester City win over Wydad AC but Rico Lewis sees red

Manchester City 2-0 Wydad AC (Foden 2, Doku 42) Lewis sent off after late VAR decision upheld This midday kick-off in the Philadelphia heat that ended in victory against Morocco’s Wydad AC offered a glimpse of Manchester City’s hopes for the 2025-26 campaign as their Club World Cup defence was given the best start. It told us that Tijjani Reijnders can operate in the No 6 or “Rodri role” for Pep Guardiola despite being bought to scheme primarily as a No 8. It said that City’s high line remains a weakness though mitigation could be found in their big defensive guns, Rúben Dias and John Stones, being substitutes only. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/rsQEZ0y