England warned ‘wickets fall in clumps’ with pink ball under lights at the Gabba

As they lick their wounds after defeat in the first Test, during which they lost five wickets for 12 runs in their first innings and four for 11 in their second, England have been warned to prepare for conditions where “wickets fall in clumps” when the Ashes resume next week in Brisbane.David Sandurski, curator at the Gabba, is preparing for a second day‑night game in quick succession after the Sheffield Shield match between Queensland and Victoria, which ended on Monday with the home side winning by seven wickets inside three days.Xavier Bartlett took five wickets in that game, while scoring 72 runs in the first innings. “Just on twilight the pink ball talks a little bit more and the game goes through massive ebbs and flows,” Bartlett said. “You see wickets falling in clumps

Undercooked England will not play for a year until Rugby League World Cup

England’s rugby league team will go into next year’s World Cup without playing a fixture for almost an entire year after it was confirmed there was no room in the 2026 Super League schedule to give the national team a mid-season international break.Following their whitewash defeat by Australia in the Ashes this month, the England coach Shaun Wane – whose own position is under review – insisted there needed to be more opportunities and priority given to the national team if they are to bridge the gap to the all-conquering Kangaroos.t next year’s World Cup in Australia, they will have a team severely underprepared. ­England will have no mid-season training camp or international games of any kind before their opening fixture in the tournament against Tonga in Perth next October.By then it will be almost a year to the day since England last took to the field for a match

The Breakdown | A November to remember: let’s celebrate the good in international rugby

We turn the dial towards whimsy and revisit some of the moments that made the autumn internationals irresistibleSouth Africa and Ireland played out a slugfest for the ages and the discourse has been dominated by yellow cards and flying shoulders to the head. England held off a spirited Argentina to claim their 11th consecutive Test win and it seems all anyone can talk about is some alleged after-the-whistle shoving. Wales and New Zealand traded 11 tries in a ding-dong encounter and yet the narrative is weighed down by caveats concerning fading empires.What, exactly, is the point of Test rugby? Beyond winning World Cups and regional crowns, does this chaotic sport hold any value? A bit of spice elevates almost every dish, sure, but it has felt as if this autumn’s brilliant rugby fare has been smothered in a sauce with a needlessly high Scoville count.So, for all the romantics, for anyone inclined to see their incomplete pint of Guinness as half full, for those who believe that elite rugby has never been more entertaining or more competitive or more interesting, let’s turn the dial towards whimsy and revisit some of the moments that made this autumn irresistible

The NBA’s dress code was seen as policing Black culture. Instead it inspired a fashion revolution

Twenty years after the league introduced its controversial policy, many players see it as helping them develop self-expressionLonzo Ball froze in confusion. The question – “What do you think about the NBA dress code?” – hung in the air for a second before he cracked a sheepish grin.“There’s a dress code?” he said, smiling.Twenty years after the introduction of a rule that once roiled the league and ignited a culture war over image and identity, one of the NBA’s current players didn’t even know it existed.“Now do-rags are flying, along with jerseys and baggy stuff,” said Ball, a point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers

Tennis burnout on the rise as grind of long season brings stars to their knees

Elina Svitolina simply could not go on. Her hopeful start to the 2025 season had given way to despair as the mental and emotional strain of constant competition, travelling and stress left its mark. The 31-year-old understood that competing would only make things worse and, in September, Svitolina decided to prematurely end her season, citing burnout.The world No 14 is not alone in feeling suffocated by her sport. This has been another year filled with incredible performances and gripping matches, but the past 11 months have also been defined by the physical and mental ailments endured by many of the sport’s stars

Australia rolls out red carpet to England fans with newfound time on their hands

Regional centres are rolling out the red carpet to travelling England cricket supporters with newfound time on their hands, and last-minute side trips are becoming the norm for the Barmy Army as Bazball changes what it means to tour Australia.The two-day Perth Test was unusually brief, leaving Cricket Australia with a $4m shortfall and broadcasters bereft of live content to fill their schedules.England’s commitment to attacking cricket – the side has drawn just twice in three years under head coach Brendon McCullum and never outside of Manchester – also has wider consequences.English fans in Perth may have suffered through the defeat in the stands, but the result opened up their diaries for non-cricketing activities. Some visited Rottnest Island to see the quokkas, others went to wineries in Margaret River, while dozens gathered in Fremantle on Monday to enjoy a warm if typically windy spring afternoon in Perth

Travis Head’s devastating knock gives Australia’s selectors a dilemma

Accidents do not come much happier. Usman Khawaja’s mid-game back problem was annoying for the player and potentially damaging for his team, until it wasn’t. Clearing out the regular dry-powder opener created space in the final stanza of the Perth Test, allowing Travis Head to finish off England with the gory certainty and splatter count of a Mortal Kombat fatality move. Sometimes you mash the buttons and it all just works.Consider an Ashes innings of 123 from 83 balls, on a bouncy pitch where two other players nudged 50, in an effort that did not just win the match, but has sent the opposition into a demoralising tailspin

England asked for CCTV footage of Tom Curry’s alleged tunnel scuffle

England have been told to provide CCTV footage of the alleged tunnel bust-up between Tom Curry and Felipe Contepomi after Argentina lodged a formal complaint and demanded an investigation into the incident.It is understood that Six Nations Rugby – which organises the autumn Tests – has asked for England to provide footage as well as a formal statement before deciding whether to begin disciplinary proceedings. The Rugby Football Union is also expected to provide any other relevant video captured of the incident.In an extraordinary press conference after England’s 27-23 victory on Sunday, Contepomi described Curry as a “bully” and accused the flanker of shoving him in the tunnel and telling him to “fuck off”. Contepomi also claimed Curry had “broken” the knee of Juan Cruz Mallía with a “reckless” tackle in the 75th minute – the incident that sparked the post-match bad blood

England know how to win under Borthwick – now to handle great expectations | Gerard Meagher

After 11 successive victories, England will go into next year’s Six Nations as the team to beatA Six Nations grand slam, plus Nations Championship victories against South Africa and Fiji and England would head to Argentina next July having equalled their record run of 18 wins, in pursuit of a ground-breaking No 19. Sounds simple put like that, but there’s more chance of Steve Borthwick busting his best moves in England’s next viral TikTok video than him entertaining any thought of record runs.That is not to criticise, because even though Borthwick is allergic to looking too far ahead, doing so would be to get drastically carried away. The point here is that the more England keep winning, and they will enter the Six Nations next year as the team to beat after 11 on the trot, the more expectation increases.We got a glimpse of it just before half-time against Argentina