Ashes 2025-26: our writers’ end-of-series England v Australia awards

Brainless moments, moral victories and tough lessons were abundant during a series that still provided plenty of dramaPlayer of the series Travis Head was the boxing kangaroo at the top of the Australia order. But this one goes to the other animal on the baggy green crest, Mitchell Starc bounding in like an emu, slicing through England during the live bit, and playing all five to finish with 31 wickets at 19 apiece. Elite.Best moment The old guard on both sides have done their thing plenty of times before, so this one goes to Jacob Bethell’s maiden Test century at the SCG. The style, the poise and the family looking on in bits made it poetry and cinema in one

Free agent outfielder Max Kepler hit with 80-game ban for positive drug test

Free agent outfielder Max Kepler has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance, Major League Baseball announced on Friday, a ruling that sidelines the veteran as he looks for his next club.The suspension stems from a positive test for epitrenbolone, a metabolite of the prohibited steroid trenbolone prohibited under MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The ban takes effect immediately and would apply if Kepler signs with a team during the 2026 season.Kepler, who turns 33 next month, is an 11-year major league veteran who spent the first decade of his career with the Minnesota Twins before joining the Philadelphia Phillies last season. As a free agent, he was not under contract at the time of the announcement but remains subject to the league’s drug program

France taps out as G7 summit moved to avoid clash with White House UFC event

France has delayed this year’s Group of 7 summit by one day to avoid a scheduling conflict with an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight card planned at the White House on 14 June, according to two officials with direct knowledge of the G7’s preparations.The summit, hosted by France in the Alpine resort town of Evian-les-Bains, was originally scheduled for 14 to 16 June, a date that coincides with US Flag Day and US president Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. It will now run from 15 to 17 June, a change that has been reflected on the G7’s official website.The shift follows Trump’s announcement last October that the White House would host a “big UFC fight” on 14 June. Dana White, the president and chief executive of the UFC, mixed martial arts’ biggest promotion, said this week that planning for the event is complete and that it is expected to draw up to 5,000 spectators on the White House South Lawn

England ruthlessly privatised cricket – Australia embraces it with constant public displays of affection | Emma John

The drive to Bowral in New South Wales takes you through some of Australia’s most English countryside. Pastoral hills roll right up to the roadside and finish in grassy verges, flecked with yellow and white wildflowers. Alliums stand sentinel around vibrant lawns. Even the eucalypts are cosplaying as beech and oaks. You might be in Hampshire, if it weren’t for the dazzling sun

Your Guardian sport weekend: FA Cup third round, NFL playoffs begin and the WSL returns

There’s no better way to ease into the football weekend than our essential rolling blog. Sarah Rendell and David Tindall buckle up to bring you breaking news and insights from around the grounds as the Premier League elite join the fray for the FA Cup’s third round. Saturday’s potential giantkillings see Macclesfield meet Crystal Palace, Manchester City host Exeter, Wolves face Shrewsbury, Charlton confront London rivals Chelsea and Burnley face off against Millwall, not forgetting the all-Premier League clash of Tottenham v Aston Villa. Why not join the conversation by emailing matchday.live@theguardian

All-heart Travis Head leaves indelible mark on Ashes series by playing his own game | Angus Fontaine

Fast bowler Mitchell Starc won player of this Ashes series but make no mistake, talismanic bat-out-of-hell Travis Head was the man who ripped out England’s heart and served it to them on a silver platter with a cold beer chaser.With three outlandish centuries across the five Tests, Head’s statistical contribution was immense. He scored 629 runs at an average of 62.9 and a strike-rate of 87.36