The USWNT and Washington Spirit forward unexpectedly took over interviewer duties following Shelton’s straight-sets victory at the 2025 US Open
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick reportedly locked Marcus Rashford & Co. in the dressing room following their draw with Rayo Vallecano as the Blaugrana boss was left fuming with the dip in standards. After a bright start to the campaign, which saw the Catalan giants secure 3-0 and 3-2 wins over Mallorca and Levante respectively, the draw left Flick seething.
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Tottenham star Heung-Min Son has reportedly filed a police complaint over a woman who has allegedly blackmailed him with a false pregnancy claim.
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PlayStation took over Munich as football legends and global creators came together to celebrate the UEFA Champions League Final weekend.
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The Manchester United outcast has somehow landed a dream move after two years of mediocrity, but he's not the first player to fall on his feet
"If you assess where Marcus Rashford is at as a professional footballer, you strive as a youngster to get to the very top and play for clubs like Manchester United, and when you’re there, you appreciate it. You don’t throw it away and say you want to leave. I find the whole episode very soul-destroying," United legend Teddy Sheringham told when asked for his opinion on Rashford's imminent loan move to Barcelona.
"From my perspective, if you go from Manchester United to Barcelona, that’s a step up that he hasn’t deserved," he added, and it's impossible to disagree with that take when looking back at Rashford's last two seasons on the Red Devils' books. He managed just 11 Premier League goals in 48 appearances, broke disciplinary rules, and eventually lost his place in the team after Ruben Amorim was appointed manager, which led to Aston Villa signing the inconsistent attacker on loan in January.
Rashford instantly started playing with a smile again at Villa Park, helping Unai Emery's side reach the Champions League quarter-finals and finish sixth in the Premier League, but he still only scored four goals, and it wasn't much of a surprise that the Villans did not take up their £40 million ($54m) buy option on the 27-year-old. After so much early promise, Rashford had become damaged goods; an overpaid, overrated attacker who did have the right mindset to reach the very top.
Barca do not see it that way, though. The Spanish title holders believe Rashford is the final piece in the puzzle to bring them Champions League glory in 2025-26, and he will now form part of an all-star forward line alongside Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.
It feels like Rashford is the luckiest man in football, but is he about to seal the most "undeserved" transfer in football history? GOAL ranks the top 10 contenders for that unwanted title:
England, however, dropped down a spot to eighth as West Indies overtook them with their win at the Gabba
ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2024India dropped three spots to fifth place in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table after their 28-run loss in the series opener against England in Hyderabad.The two-time WTC finalists were second, behind Australia, before the Test. But the result saw them slide below South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh, as their points percentage dropped from 54.16 to 43.33.Related
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India were briefly table-toppers too, when they had beaten South Africa inside two days in Cape Town earlier this month to draw the series 1-1. But their stay at the top was cut short when Australia completed their series sweep against Pakistan two days later to claim the top spot.India have so far won two and drawn one of their five Tests in the 2023-25 WTC cycle, while losing once each to South Africa and England.England, however, dropped a place despite beating India, as West Indies got a massive boost in their points percentage thanks to their stunning victory against Australia at the Gabba.West Indies overtook England to go seventh with their first win of this cycle.
Two Premier League sides reportedly rejected the chance to sign Randal Kolo Muani but Manchester United are keeping tabs on the striker.
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What the numbers tell about Dambulla, and about the key performers there
Cricinfo staff29-Jul-2005
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You would normally expect India to romp home against Zimbabwe no matter where the match was being played but history would prove you wrong
George Binoy12-Sep-2005
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India are playing a Test series in Zimbabwe after a gap of four years. And a lot has come to pass during this time. India have scaled never-climbed-before heights during the Ganguly-Wright era and are looking to purge memories of a forgettable season so far in 2005 as they are set to play their first Test series with Greg Chappell as coach.Zimbabwe have plumbed abysmal fantastic depths with controversies of all kinds plaguing their cricket and depriving them of some of their star players. Andy Flower, who averages 94.83 against India, and Henry Olonga were banned after they protested against the Mugabe government. Grant Flower, Guy Whittal, Ray Price and Sean Ervine, among others, fell out with the Zimbabwe cricket board after a dispute over the selection process. Murray Goodwin and Neil Johnson have sought their future in Australia and South Africa respectively.You would normally expect India to romp home against Zimbabwe no matter where the match was being played but history would prove you wrong. India have not won a Test series in Zimbabwe, having drawn the 2001 series at one a piece. Zimbabwe have the better record against India at home, having won two of the four Tests that have been played. India have won just one Test and drew another after conceding a 149-run first innings lead.
| Year | Match result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Match drawn | Harare |
| 1998 | Zimbabwe won by 61 runs | Harare |
| 2001 | India won by 8 wickets | Bulawayo |
| 2001 | Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets | Harare |
Of the Indian batsmen on this tour, only Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman have played a Test in Zimbabwe before. Dravid, true to his consistent performances in all countries, has an impressive record whereas Ganguly and Laxman will be hoping to improve on their poor performances in Zimbabwe.
| Batsman | Innings | Runs/Avg | 50s/100s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dravid | 5 | 300/75 | 1/1 |
| Laxman | 4 | 101/25.25 | 0/0 |
| Ganguly | 5 | 97/19.40 | 0/0 |
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Apart from Ajit Agarkar, who keeps making brief returns to the team, the other Indian bowlers have fared pretty well in the few matches that they have played in Zimbabwe. Ashish Nehra, India’s best bowler on the 2001 tour with 11 wickets at 19.72 a piece in two Tests, had to be sent home after the Videocon Cup because of a back injury.
| Bowler | Matches | Wickets | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harbhajan | 3 | 13 | 26.07 |
| Kumble | 2 | 10 | 22.30 |
| Zaheer | 1 | 4 | 24.50 |
| Agarkar | 2 | 3 | 61.33 |
Most of the Zimbabwean players will be playing a Test series against India for the first time. Heath Streak, Zimbabwe’s workhorse-like spearhead, has an impressive record at home against India with 15 wickets in three Tests at an average of 19.26. India will look to win the series comprehensively but will do well not to take their opponents lightly. Zimbabwe have a lot to prove and a win against India will help silence the growing voices that are calling for their suspension from Test cricket.
A review of Paul Smith’s autobiography,
Will Luke27-May-2007Wasted? by Paul Smith (Know the Score), 240pp, £11.20
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Paul Smith had a bit of rock-n-roll about him. The long hair, the long run-up, the extravagant follow-through and the swashbuckling strokeplay, his cricket was energetic and unorthodox. But his is a sad story: one of regret, disappointment, depression and turmoil. Even homelessness. is a rare insight into the trappings of fame, the inadequacies of the authority’s handling of drugs – but moreover one man’s mission to transform his life.It was in 1997 that Smith was banned by the ECB for his use of “recreational” drugs: a fair cocktail of cannabis, cocaine and speed. But in the early chapters of his book, he goes at great length to tell of the double standards that he felt he fell victim to. He was not alone in being a user: there were, Smith says, other high-profile county and Test cricketers in England regularly taking recreational drugs. The ECB’s policy was, in Smith’s eyes at least, entirely inconsistent. The ban ruined him, his life turned upside down, emotionally and financially. Drugs were the treat afforded to him by his success for Warwickshire, yet they ruined him. Although acutely aware of how the effect they had, and although he now wants to prevent others falling into the same trap, the anger he feels at the authorities and some former colleagues and friends is clear and painful.And to that end, there is a strong sense of victimisation that pervades much of the book. Other players – Shane Warne, Keith Piper, Dermot Reeve to name but three – have since suffered similar fates, but none to the extent Smith feels he had to endure. It isn’t all about the drugs though: Smith’s tumultuous personal life receives extensive dissection too, and it is no less chaotic. His very good friend, Piper, had a four-year long affair with Smith’s partner, the mother of his five-year-old daughter. Given the messiness of the subsequent break-up, Smith was denied custody.
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Even now, in 2007, he hasn’t seen or heard from his daughter in two years and doesn’t even know where she lives. And in fact, it is this constant reflection of the past and comparison to his present life now which makes this book so different. So often, autobiographies are gushingly sentimental, reminiscing about past glories with rose-tinted spectacles. Smith is understandably misty-eyed – a factor not helped by the drugs, of course – but there is a refreshing honesty to his words.The prose and flow become a little disjointed though, which makes for a bumpy but stimulating ride through the 204 pages. He lurches from the 1980s to the 2000s to the 1990s and back again, citing an anecdote here and a flashback there. Much like in his playing days, there isn’t much rhythm or predictability, but it’s always entertaining. It is almost like reading his diary or a notebook, not an autobiography, such are the frequency of quirky anecdotes and yarns.Besides his rocky relationships, perhaps the most interesting section of the book is the time he spent in America. Financially ruined and often homeless, he went for days without meals and in the process met a kaleidoscope of different people. And it was in here, in Los Angeles, that he forged to turn around his life and put his experiences to good use. Cricket Without Boundaries was formed, a scheme to divert wayward kids from the dangers of guns, drugs and crime into something meaningful; using the spirit and tradition of cricket to teach them a new way of thinking.It seems to be working for the kids, but also for Smith. If anything, this venture might act as Smith’s strongest (and most addictive) substance yet. is far from a conventional read but, written by one of cricket’s more avant-garde characters, nothing less should be expected.