8 h. ago Bazball reminds me of Sir Alex Ferguson’s style, says Gary Neville

Brendon McCullum has instituted the no-fear Bazball style of play into England’s cricket team and Gary Neville sees echoes of Alex Ferguson’s approach

Science

11 h. ago England hand central contract to Jacob Bethell as Ben Stokes future confirmed ahead of Ashes

Bethell was previously on a development deal but earns an upgrade after a breakthrough year

Politics

12 h. ago Mark Wood reveals key change in England team from previous disastrous Ashes tour

The fast bowler is set to return to action as England bid to win in Australia for the first time in 15 years

Events

33 h. ago Mark Wood: ‘We’re going to the Ashes with an Australia blueprint to put their batters under pressure’

Fast bowler says England have confidence and belief as he prepares for what could be his final series against the old foe“My dad would be Australia and I’d be England,” Mark Wood says with a wry smile when remembering his first Ashes Tests as a boy in his back garden in Ashington, Northumberland. “I’d try to copy Darren Gough, Andrew Caddick, Matthew Hoggard and, later, Jimmy Anderson, who I’d go on and play with. My dad, who didn’t do the actions so well, had to be Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne. He was most proud of his Gillespie but his Warne wasn’t great.”Wood snorts at the idea that his dad, Derek, might have let him win most of those matches. “No, no, no. It was proper cricket. You had to give each other lbw and every time I hit my dad in the leg he’d be going: ‘No, that’s going over’ or ‘That’s down the leg side.’ I was like: ‘Dad, that was plumb.’ I had to get my DRS right.” Continue reading...

Events

58 h. ago Jamie Overton insists England’s series loss in New Zealand will not affect Ashes

Overton was a shining light against the Black Caps amid England’s batting collapses, with attention turning to next month’s Ashes series.

Politics

3 d. ago Brendon McCullum confident England can throw off batting blues for Ashes

Smith, Duckett and Root all fail again in New Zealand loss‘In Tests we have a pretty decent idea of where we’re at’Brendon McCullum has predicted England’s batters will have no trouble shaking off the woes that have dogged their white-ball tour of New Zealand in time for the AshesTheir top order crumbled yet again on the way to a third successive defeat in Wellington on Saturday and several key members of the Test squad, including Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett and Joe Root, have struggled badly in recent one-day internationals. But the team’s head coach believes their troubles are limited to the 50-over format.“It’s a different form of the game and it’s a completely different kind of challenge that we’re going to be confronted with,” he said. “Sometimes the process you go through in regards to batting doesn’t necessarily translate to runs, but the game can come in time. That’s what we’re holding on to, anyway. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Brendon McCullum dismisses Ashes fear for England batters after series whitewash

The tourists were humbled 3-0 by New Zealand in the one-day international series

Events

3 d. ago England batters not scarred by series loss ahead of Ashes, says Brendon McCullum

The tourists were humbled 3-0 by New Zealand in the one-day international series.

Politics

3 d. ago England’s recurring issue exposed again by New Zealand in final international before Ashes

The tourists were beaten by two wickets in Wellington.

Sport

3 d. ago New Zealand edge home to beat England and seal series sweep: third men’s ODI – live

Over-by-over updates, 1am GMT start, 2pm localSign up to The Spin newsletter | And email Jim1st over: England 3-0 (Smith 1, Duckett 2) England off the mark with a streaky outside edge as Smith throws bat at ball. A decent first over from Duffy. I reach into the leftover Halloween chocolate and pull out some Love Hearts. DREAM BIG is the instruction.A moment’s silence for young Ben Austin, who died after being hit in the nets while practising in Melbourne. Continue reading...

Society

3 d. ago Ducking annoying: why has iPhone’s autocorrect function gone haywire?

The internet has been rumbling about autocorrect for years – and now AI is changing how the technology worksDon’t worry, you’re not going mad.If you feel the autocorrect on your iPhone has gone haywire recently – inexplicably correcting words such as “come” to “coke” and “winter” to “w Inter” – then you are not the only one. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Top order struggles as England set target of 223 in Wellington

England got to 222 all out in 40.2 overs thanks to Jamie Overton’s ODI best 68 off 62 balls.

Events

4 d. ago Shoaib Bashir backed to thrive in Ashes as England spinner returns from injury

Bashir broke a finger during the summer Test series against India.

Events

5 d. ago Transgender rights group launch legal action against English cricket after 'unlawful' ban

The England and Wales Cricket Board is facing legal action over its decision to ban those born male from competing in the women's game, according to a report.

Politics

5 d. ago England turn to cricket counterparts for tips in bid to strike Australia blow ahead of Ashes

England’s rugby union side take on the Wallabies at Twickenham just weeks before cricket’s biggest Test series begins

Events

5 d. ago England plotting downfall of Australia after meeting architects of ‘Bazball’

Steve Borthwick and his number two Richard Wigglesworth met with England cricket coach Brendon McCullum and his assistants in Manchester.

Events

5 d. ago I grew up in the South West – it has the best Christmas markets, including one that feels like medieval times

THE UK must be home to hundreds, if not thousands, of Christmas markets - but having explored many across the UK, the South West is home to the best. Devon comes alive in the winter months - the moors become snowy, small villages have pubs with glowing fires and towns become decked out with huge...

Events

5 d. ago Harry Brook frustrated with England batting in ODI series defeat by New Zealand

In eight overseas ODIs in 2025 England have not batted out their 50-over allotment seven times.

Politics

5 d. ago England at risk of 2027 World Cup embarrassment and in need of ODI upswing

Brook bemoans world class batters’ lack of performanceEngland eighth in ODI rankings with tough tests to comeHarry Brook has admitted that he is flummoxed by England’s inability to get consistent results in recent one-day internationals, saying that some of the supposedly stellar talents in his squad – which includes up to seven batters he insists “would get into any team in the world” – “just haven’t performed well enough”.“It is disappointing, isn’t it?” England’s white-ball captain admitted, as he looked ahead to the third and final fixture in an already-lost series against New Zealand. “You go round every single player there and you think: ‘Bloody hell, there isn’t many teams that they don’t get into in the world.’ It’s disappointing we haven’t performed as well as we could. Sometimes you’ve got to hold your hand up and say they’ve been the better team.” Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Cricketer, 17, killed in training as England icon Kevin Pietersen leads tributes

A 17-year-old cricketer has been tragically killed after he was struck in the neck during training - and Kevin Pietersen has led the tributes on social media

Events