4 d. ago Goalkeeper Okonkwo is the hero as Wrexham shock Nottingham Forest in FA Cup shootout

It should have been easier for Wrexham to dump Nottingham Forest out of the FA Cup but triumphing on penalties after suffering a late fightback will have made knocking out the Premier League side sweeter.After Callum Hudson-Odoi came off the bench to score a late double to bring parity after 90 minutes, the Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo brought back the euphoria with two saves in the shootout to secure something akin to a shock. Liberato Cacace, Ollie Rathbone and Dom Hyam thought they had done enough to send Wrexham through at 3-1 but Forest threatened to ruin the party. They need not have worried as Okonkwo made sure there was glory at the end. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago The Ashes RECAP: Australia win the fifth Test to take the Ashes 4

Despite Jacob Bethell's classy century, the Lions will need something special to stop the Aussies sending Khawaja out a winner in his final Test.

Politics

5 d. ago The Ashes LIVE: Australia win the fifth Test to take the Ashes 4

Despite Jacob Bethell's classy century, the Lions will need something special to stop the Aussies sending Khawaja out a winner in his final Test.

Politics

5 d. ago Australia hold on to win fifth Ashes Test leaving England to rue missed chances

5th Test, D5: Australia, 567 & 161 bt England 384 & 342, by five wicketsAlex Carey hits winning runs at SCG as hosts wrap up series 4-1 There were a couple of wobbles along the way but at 2.30pm on the final day in Sydney, Australia had knocked off a target of 160 runs to win the fifth Test by five wickets and claim this Ashes series by a 4-1 scoreline.Like their tour as a whole, there was a nagging sense of what might have been for England with a few more runs on the board, or better catching and tighter bowling earlier in the contest. But there could be few quibbles from the injured Ben Stokes as he watched the final rites from first slip. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Australia hold on to win fifth Ashes Test and leave England rueing missed chances

Australia, 567 & 161 bt England 384 & 342, by five wicketsCarey hits winning runs at SCG as hosts wrap up series 4-1There were a couple of wobbles along the way but at 2.30pm on the final day in Sydney, Australia had knocked off a target of 160 runs to win the fifth Test by five wickets and claim this Ashes series by a 4-1 scoreline.Like their tour as a whole, there was a nagging sense of what might have been for England with a few more runs on the board, or better catching and tighter bowling earlier in the contest. But there could be few quibbles from the injured Ben Stokes as he watched the final rites from first slip. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Bethell admits ‘tired’ England need to ‘graft’ after hitting Ashes wall in Sydney

‘It was a tough day but that’s what it’s about’Player suggests spin may now play a part in TestEngland hit the wall on day three at the Sydney Cricket Ground, or at least the latest in a series of walls, at the end of which Jacob Bethell admitted mental and physical fatigue was understandably, playing a part. There were dropped catches and some scattergun bowling lengths as Australia batted all day to reach 518 for seven, 134 runs ahead on first innings.“This is proper Test cricket now in terms of the graft and the stuff that you have to put in,” Bethell said afterwards. “It was a tough day, but that’s what it’s about. We’ve got to come out tomorrow, take the three wickets early and get back in again. Continue reading...

Events

7 d. ago England hopes of final Ashes win fading after Steve Smith hundred gives Australia commanding lead

England pushed towards defeat after punishing third day in Sydney

Politics

8 d. ago Root hits masterful century for England before Head leads Australia fightback

Fifth Ashes Test; day two: Australia 166-2, England 384Root makes 160 but hosts’ opener helps reduce lead to 218The Richies were out in force on an eventful second day at the Sydney Cricket Ground, an entire block of supporters decked out in either cream, bone, white, off-white, ivory, or beige. Bathed in sunshine, flags fluttering over the two heritage-listed pavilions, the backdrop for Joe Root’s 41st Test hundred was absolutely marvellous.This has not been the case for Root here over the years. In 2014 the SCG witnessed the one and only time he has been dropped by England. In 2018 he made scores of 83 and 58 not out here but ended up on a drip due to extreme heat, his side having crumbled to a 4-0 series defeat. Four years later came a duck and 23, England saving the Test to dodge the whitewash but his captaincy long since sunk. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Root and Brook star for England before storm halts Ashes charge against Australia

Fifth Test, day one: England 211-3 before bad light stops playUndefeated duo put on tourists’ best partnership of seriesAs the rain fell on the Sydney Cricket Ground, cutting the opening day of this fifth Ashes Test into exactly half the number of allotted overs, you could practically hear the champagne corks being popped in the Cricket Australia offices. Perhaps the groundsman’s hut also.The huge losses incurred by the two-dayers in Perth and Melbourne put CA and the SCG on red alert as regards a repeat. Unless something absurd were to happen on the second day – England had reached 211 for three when play was eventually abandoned at 5pm on the first – this series finale should last a fair bit longer. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Joe Root and Harry Brook shine for England before storm halts Ashes charge against Australia

Fifth Test, day one: England 211-3 in 45 overs before bad light stops playUndefeated duo put together tourists’ best partnership of series As the rain fell on the Sydney Cricket Ground, cutting the opening day of this fifth Ashes Test into exactly half the number of allotted overs, you could practically hear the champagne corks being popped in the Cricket Australia offices. Perhaps the groundsman’s hut also.The huge losses incurred by the two-dayers in Perth and Melbourne put CA and the SCG on red alert as regards a repeat. Unless something absurd were to happen on the second day – England had reached 211 for three when play was eventually abandoned at 5pm on the first – this series finale should last a fair bit longer. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago The Ashes LIVE: Play is stopped with England on top after Aussie legend torched the home team over 'disgusting' scenes

Usman Khawaja will wear the baggy green for the last time and the victims and heroes of the Bondi atrocity will be honoured at the SCG.

Society

9 d. ago The Ashes LIVE: England get the upper hand as Aussie legend torches the home team over 'disgusting' scenes

Usman Khawaja will wear the baggy green for the last time and the victims and heroes of the Bondi atrocity will be honoured at the SCG.

Society

9 d. ago The Ashes LIVE: Aussie legend torches the home team over 'disgusting' scenes after shock not seen for 138 years

Usman Khawaja will wear the baggy green for the last time and the victims and heroes of the Bondi atrocity will be honoured at the SCG.

Society

9 d. ago The Ashes LIVE: Australia get on top early with three wickets after stunning with move not seen for 138 years

Usman Khawaja will wear the baggy green for the last time and the victims and heroes of the Bondi atrocity will be honoured at the SCG.

Politics

9 d. ago The Ashes LIVE: Australia get the breakthrough after stunning with move not seen for 138 years

Usman Khawaja will wear the baggy green for the last time and the victims and heroes of the Bondi atrocity will be honoured at the SCG.

Politics

9 d. ago The Ashes LIVE: Australia make a stunning call just before the start of play

Usman Khawaja will wear the baggy green for the last time and the victims and heroes of the Bondi atrocity will be honoured at the SCG.

Politics

2 w. ago The Ashes inspiration, overpreparation and bold tactics: a history of Australia v England two

The old rivals have clashed in eight of the 27 Tests to finish inside two days – these are the tales behind the six matches played before the current seriesTo put in context the surprise that greeted the two-day Boxing Day Test just gone, consider the rarity by arithmetic. The match in Melbourne was Test number 2,615, and was two-day Test number 27. You don’t need a calculator to see that’s roughly 1%. And yet we’ve had two such matches in the current Ashes series, plus another in Australia three years earlier. We’ve had half a dozen two-day Tests worldwide since 2021. What gives?Nine two-day Tests – fully one-third of the total – happened in the 1800s, when pitches could become swamps or shooting galleries. The next few mostly involved weak teams in their early years of development. Australia and England each dished one out to South Africa in the tri-series of 1912, and the South African team was little stronger when ripped up by Clarrie Grimmett and Bill O’Reilly in 1936. Australi...

Politics

2 w. ago Martin Odegaard's message to Arsenal fans as Viktor Gyokeres truth refuses to go away

Arsenal held off a late Brighton fightback and once more lent heavily on their excellent defence as they moved back to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 victory

Sport

2 w. ago Hibernian cling on to defeat league leaders Hearts in pulsating derby

Raphael Sallinger made two crucial stoppage-time saves as Hibernian held off a late fightback from Hearts to defeat the Scottish Premiership leaders 3-2 in the Edinburgh derby at Easter Road.Hibs were three up and seemingly coasting early in the second half after Kieron Bowie added to first-half goals from Jamie McGrath and the substitute Josh Campbell. But Hearts hit back through Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin, setting up a grandstand finale in which Shankland and Beni Baningime were denied by Sallinger, as Derek McInnes’s side suffered only their second league defeat of the season.This story will be updated Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago England's win to cost Australia MILLIONS as repercussions of rapid Ashes victory emerge

England ended their long wait win for a Test victory on Australian soil as Ben Stokes' side wrapped up victory inside two days with thousands of fans in line for refunds

Economics