Sticking with same players for Women’s T20 World Cup leaves England in a twist | Raf Nicholson

Insanity, they say, is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. England’s head coach, Charlotte Edwards, is perfectly sane, but on Tuesday she announced a squad for the home T20 World Cup that starts on 12 June almost exactly the same as the one that surrendered the Ashes, by a score of 16-0, 15 months ago. The optics are dreadful.For anyone who has followed England closely over the past year, the conservatism of Edwards and her selection panel comes as no surprise. Last summer, the main selection news was that Kate Cross – who did not play in the Ashes due to injury – was discarded

The Spin | Knight-Stokes Cup sets up much-needed platform for state school cricket

As a state school-educated international cricketer, the former England bowler Sajid Mahmood has always been in the minority. A report from the Sutton Trust charity last year found 59% of professional male cricketers in England went to independent schools, ranking the sport behind only the armed forces (63%) and senior judges (62%) as the country’s most privately educated profession. Yet Mahmood has become even more of an outlier since his playing retirement.While it is common for former professional cricketers to take up positions as private school coaches once they hang up their playing boots, Mahmood has spent the past eight years teaching the sport to state school students in west London. It is a path so uncommon that he is yet to encounter another England cricketer in the state system

Luka Dončić and the manosphere: why the scrutiny of his body never ends

In Louis Theroux’s Netflix documentary Inside the Manosphere, he interviews podcasters, streamers and influencers from across the Red Pill ecosystem. But the most profound moments are when he speaks with their followers. Regular, everyday American men who struggle to make a living, find love, get laid and start a family.One of them is a Latino man in his 20s living in Miami. He explains that Andrew Tate’s message helped pull him out of homelessness

From the Pocket: The AFL’s deference to technology only creates more doubt and uncertainty

When Greg Swann was appointed executive general manager of football performance at the AFL, many saw him as the man to cure all the sport’s ills. He was one of those footy people known primarily by his nickname, a man who projected an air of knockabout affability, a man renowned for getting things done. He would apply “the pub test” to many of football’s most pressing issues: the draft, the rules, the umpiring, the AFL review centre (ARC). “Swanny”, we were assured, was the man who would make footy’s trains run on time.One of the first things Swann’s predecessor, Laura Kane, did in the role was embark on an overseas study tour

Ultramarathon swimmer sets record pace over 55km in crocodile-filled Australian river

Andy Donaldson and his team were aware of the dangers that lay ahead, but just in case a reminder was needed, a huge 2.5-metre freshwater crocodile waiting at the start ramp ahead of his longest-ever solo swim put the challenge into stark focus.Donaldson, a British-Australian ultramarathon swimmer, was about to embark on the 55km Dam to Dam Challenge from Lake Argyle to Kununurra in the East Kimberley, hoping to become the first man to complete the gruelling endurance swim.Adding to the difficulty was the fact the Ord River in remote Western Australia is well known for its reptilian inhabitants; the freshwater crocodile population numbers 5,500 – one croc for every 10 metres of his swim.Fortunately for the 35-year-old, freshwater crocodiles are smaller and more timid than their saltwater counterparts – the world’s largest reptiles – and unlikely to approach humans

Cardinals ‘heartbroken’ after former defensive end Josh Mauro dies at age of 35

Former Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants defensive end Josh Mauro has died at the age of 35.Mauro’s father, Greg, confirmed the news in a post on Facebook.“With many tears and broken hearts, yet anchored in the unshakable certainty that our precious Josh Mauro is now healed and made new — living in the presence of the Lord — we humbly covet your prayers as our family walks through the devastating loss of our amazing son, brother, uncle, grandson and friend,” Greg Mauro wrote. “On Thursday, April 23rd, Josh breathed his last breath on this earth and his first breath in heaven.”Two of Mauro’s former teams, the Cardinals and Raiders, paid tribute to the player