The Ashes inspiration, overpreparation and bold tactics: a history of Australia v England two-day Tests | Geoff Lemon

To put in context the surprise that greeted the two-day Boxing Day Test, consider the rarity by arithmetic. The match in Melbourne was Test No 2,615 and the 27th to finish inside two days. You probably don’t need a calculator to see that is roughly 1%.Yet we have had two such matches in this Ashes series, plus another in Australia three years ago. We’ve had half a dozen two-day Tests since 2021

Piastri intrigue, Picklum magic and Gout goes global: reflections on a year of Australian sport | Jack Snape

Australians shone on the global stage in 2025, while there was more myth-making and dynasties born closer to homeAbove it all, the thwack stands out. Over an extraordinary year of Australian sport: of world-beaters and champions of tomorrow; of myth-making performances at the summit of codes; of comebacks, and dynasties come and gone.When all that noise subsides, the sound of Gout Gout’s footfall stays with you. Watch him on television, or on one of his viral highlights, and his thin frame appears to glide across the track. But in person, the audible slap as his spikes meet the track is as loud as his arrival has been in Australian sport

‘I like No 3’: Bethell always looks the part and now has chance to shine in Ashes

Until his ice-cool 40 helped England dodge an Ashes whitewash in front of 90,000 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday, the most clippable aspect of Jacob Bethell’s tour was probably his performance of YMCA on a dancefloor in Noosa during the team’s much-discussed break.It is a bit poor when sports people have their down time filmed by members of the public and posted online. But at least Bethell, born 25 years after the Village People’s seminal hit was first released, had the wherewithal to get the tricky “C” the right way round. Rob Key’s Gareth Keenan‑like investigation into Noosa can rule out inebriation here.Technique is Bethell’s thing, the reason why this particular 22-year‑old has always played above his age

I was there: Europe’s dramatic Ryder Cup win signed off a strange week

I was out by the practice green late afternoon on the Monday of the Ryder Cup and so was Bryson DeChambeau. He was on his own, signing autographs for the handful of people on the other side of the railings, and there was this one woman leaning over towards him, a bottle blonde, late middle-aged, in a tight white dress.She was only a couple of feet away from him, but she was screaming in his ear like she was trying to reach someone across the far side of the course. “We love you Bryson! Bryson! We love you! We love you for everything you’ve done for the Donald! We love you for everything you’ve done for the Donald!”It was a long, strange week and when I think back on it the golf is entirely overwhelmed by technicolour memories of the weird scenes on the grounds of Bethpage Black and in the surrounding town of Farmingdale.I wish I could say the things I remember best are that approach shot Scottie Scheffler hit from 180 yards at the 10th, the 40ft putt Rory McIlroy made on the 6th or Jon Rahm’s chip-in from the rough at the 8th

Matthew Potts poised to play in fifth Ashes Test after England rule out Gus Atkinson

Matthew Potts is poised to play his first Ashes Test in Sydney after England confirmed that Gus Atkinson has been ruled out of the series finale.Atkinson limped off with a hamstring issue on the second and final day of England’s rollercoaster four-wicket victory in Melbourne and scans undertaken in the past 24 hours have ruled out his further participation.With Jofra Archer and Mark Wood having similarly seen their tours end early, it leaves Potts as the last unused seamer from the original squad of 16. Wood’s knee injury saw Surrey’s Matthew Fisher moved across from the shadow Lions tour after the second Test in Brisbane as cover.Provided Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue recover sufficiently during the seven-day break between Tests – and England continue with Will Jacks as the spin option at No 8 – then the fast-medium Potts in for Atkinson may well be the only change from the XI that prevented the whitewash

Patriots clinch AFC East as Eagles edge Bills while Browns shatter Steelers: NFL week 17 – as it happened

Playoff picture as it stands:AFC 1) Denver 13-3; 2) New England 13-3; 3) Jacksonville 12-4; 4) Pittsburgh 9-7; 5) Houston 11-5; 6) LA Chargers 11-5; 7) Buffalo 11-5. Bubble: Baltimore 8-8NFC 1) Seattle 13-3; 2) Chicago 11-4; 3) Philadelphia 11-5; 4) Carolina 8-8; 5) San Francisco 11-4; 6) LA Rams 11-4; 7) Green Bay 9-6-1. Bubble: Tampa Bay 7-9Buffalo drop to the seventh seed. Ouch.And I will leave you with the big one between Chicago and San Francisco to come

Humphries given almighty scare by Clemens magic at PDC World Championship

Everyone says they want a good solid test at this stage of the tournament. Keep the skills sharp, keep the mind keen. But how big a test? How tough? How many beats per minute? How much spinal fluid do you want to shed? How close do you really want to get to smelling the paint on the exit door?Luke Humphries reckons he got it about right here, and for now we will have to take his word for it. But the outpouring of emotion we saw at the conclusion of his 4-2 win over Gabriel Clemens was a measure of just how thoroughly the 2024 world champion had been rattled by a man whose game had basically been in hibernation for the past three years.It was in 2023 that Clemens unexpectedly reached the semi-finals, catalysing a revolution in German darts in which everyone assumed he would play a leading part

Greg Fisilau sets the tone as Exeter show strength with dismissal of Leicester

There is still a long way to go but Exeter would have settled for their current position back in the summer. Second place in the Prem table heading into 2026 with momentum building nicely is a very different story from last season’s grim struggle and, in front of a 15,000 capacity crowd, here was another example of exactly why they are a developing force.While this was not quite as compelling as their pre-Christmas raid on Saracens, the Chiefs could conceivably have registered another half-dozen tries in the absence of Len Ikitau, their injured Wallaby centre. Another barnstorming display from No 8 Greg Fisilau set the standard and the whole side showed enough physicality and defensive hunger to leave the Tigers to survive on seasonal scraps.Chiefs, bottom of the heap 12 months ago, might even have been on top entering the new year for the first time in five years had they not been denied a try bonus point at the death

Kyrgios defeats Sabalenka but Battle of the Sexes veers too close to circus

Nick Kyrgios won tennis’s latest Battle of the Sexes against Aryna Sabalenka in a dispiriting contest in Dubai that veered uneasily between exhibition, gimmick and outright circus.The Australian, who has won only one competitive singles match since the end of 2022 and has slipped to 671 in the world rankings, was sweating heavily and breathing hard as early as the fifth game of the match. Yet to no one’s great surprise, the extreme power of his serve, combined with the spin and velocity of his groundstrokes, proved too much for the women’s No 1 player.“It was a really tough match,” the 30-year-old Kyrgios insisted after his 6-3, 6-3 victory. “ I didn’t know what to expect