Ben Stokes targets No 1 spot in world Test rankings: ‘One more place to go’
England under Ben Stokes have never lacked ambition, but they go into a defining period of Test cricket with one in particular in mind: to become the first England side in 15 years to take top spot in the International Cricket Council’s rankings – officially the best in the world.“If we win what we’ve got coming up, the likelihood is that we will be at the top of that leaderboard,” Stokes said.“There’s no doubt in my mind we have the ability to be that team.”The ICC’s latest annual update placed England at No 2, behind Australia, with five-match series against India this summer and the Australians in the winter to follow the one-off game against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge that starts on Thursday.England last took the No 1 ranking in August 2011, on their way to beating India 4-0 at home, before losing it against South Africa the following summer.
The possibility of repeating that feat has been discussed by Stokes, the coach Brendon McCullum, and the England and Wales Cricket Board’s managing director of men’s cricket, Rob Key.“When the rankings came out, I did send Baz and Keys [Rob Key] a text saying: ‘We’ve got one more place to go’,” Stokes said.“Baz uses this phrase a lot: ‘We’re starting from a place of strength.’ For us to be able to build on that, and everyone knows that we’ve got improvement to do.It’s very exciting that we are where we are as a team at the moment.
Everyone understands and knows we’ve definitely got another level to go to.”One word in particular was to the fore as Stokes laid out the path ahead for England on the eve of their first game of the summer: “The word I love and what I’ve tried to instil in this team is ‘dominance’ and ‘dominate’,” he said.“Whatever situation we find ourselves in, that’s the word I want to be at the front of our heads.I want this team to dominate series, to dominate days, dominate every session.It’s not always going to happen like that, but that’s the mindset I want us to go out with every single day, so everything is aimed towards winning.
”News of a fresh injury setback for Jofra Archer, whose damaged right thumb has ruled him out of the forthcoming ODI series against West Indies – for which Lancashire’s Luke Wood has been drafted in – and the England Lions game he was hoping to use as a springboard into a summer of red-ball cricket, is fresh evidence that plans can go awry.The Lions squad was announced and Stokes himself may join it depending on his performance against Zimbabwe, his first competitive action since December, when he tore his hamstring in Hamilton.“It will just be how I feel at the end of this, if I feel I need any more game time before we head into India,” he said.Sign up to The SpinSubscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week’s actionafter newsletter promotionStokes insisted the Zimbabwe game was “our sole focus at the moment”.But he will not be alone in thinking ahead to the India series, which starts at Headingley on 20 June – particularly after the captain said one of the batters in this game will be making way for Jacob Bethell once the 21-year-old, who returned from his debut series in New Zealand in the winter with three half-centuries and an average of 52, returns from the IPL.
“If you talk about nailing down a position, Beth has done himself the world of good by the performances he put in there, with being part of our plans going forward,” Stokes said.“Obviously he’s going to be back in the UK for that India series, so I think you can put two and two together.”
Athletes warn against potential health risks of ‘dangerous, unethical’ Enhanced Games
A group of prominent Australian athletes including former Olympic diver Melissa Wu and Diamonds netballer Natalie Butler (nee Medhurst) has taken aim at the Enhanced Games after the “superhumanity” startup confirmed plans for its first event next year in Las Vegas, where former world champion Dolphin James Magnussen is expected to take part.The inaugural Enhanced Games planned for next May will include medical screening and individualised health profiling for the sprinting, swimming and weightlifting events as well as oversight by independent scientific and ethics boards to address widespread concerns for the safety of those who take part.But Sport Integrity Australia’s six-member Athlete Advisory Group, which also includes rugby sevens representative Ben O’Donnell and gymnast Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva, issued a plea on Thursday for athletes to resist the lure of prize money and recognise their status as role models in society by staying clean.“The normalisation of performance-enhancing drugs promotes doping as entertainment, putting athletes at risk, and devalues the efforts of those who choose to compete clean,” the athlete advisory group said.“We are concerned about the negative role modelling impact on young athletes in particular, and the related health risks of using performance-enhancing substances or methods that may be inadvertently viewed as safe
Jim Irsay, longtime owner of NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, dies aged 65
Jim Irsay, longtime owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts and one of the NFL’s most recognizable figures, has died at age 65. The franchise announced that Irsay passed away peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday afternoon.“We are devastated to announce our beloved Owner & CEO, Jim Irsay, passed away peacefully in his sleep,” Colts chief operating officer Pete Ward said in a statement. “Jim’s dedication and passion for the Indianapolis Colts, in addition to his generosity, commitment to the community, and most importantly, his love for his family were unsurpassed.”Irsay, who took over full control of the team in 1997 following the death of his father Robert Irsay, presided over the most successful era in Colts history
Sophia Dunkley launches England into new era with win over West Indies in first T20
This opening match of the T20 series at Canterbury was supposed to be all about England: a first chance to assess how this team will fare under the new head coach, Charlotte Edwards, and new captain Nat Sciver-Brunt. And no doubt, Edwards will be pleased that her reign began with an eight-wicket win, especially as this was a homecoming of sorts for the former Kent captain.But while England experienced their first taste of victory in five months – spearheaded by a career-best unbeaten 81 from Sophia Dunkley, and featuring a wicket on debut for the 27-year-old Warwickshire seamer Em Arlott – there was only one star of Wednesday’s show: West Indies captain Hayley Matthews, who calmly brought up a century off the final ball of the visitors’ innings.An unbeaten 100 out of a team total of 146; 16 boundaries to Matthews while her teammates scored just five between them. Matthews is by now used to bearing the weight of the team she has captained for three years – epitomised by her refusal to take singles in the final over here, as she eyed up three figures – but the sensation is currently heightened by the mysterious absence of Deandra Dottin, who was omitted from the West Indies squad for this tour without explanation
England beat West Indies by eight wickets: first women’s T20 cricket international – as it happened
That’s it from me this evening. Congratulations England – ‘A new dawn has broken has it not?’ and all that. Charlotte Edwards will be pretty happy with what she saw this evening. The series continues on Friday down in Hove. Rob Smyth will be your guide for that and we’ll be back in the morning for the start of the Test match summer
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander named NBA MVP
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, capping a breakout year in which he led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a league-best 68 wins and the franchise’s deepest playoff run since the Kevin Durant era.The 26-year-old guard, who will be officially honored on Wednesday night, edged out Denver’s Nikola Jokić for the award after finishing runner-up to the Serbian star last season. Gilgeous-Alexander became the first Thunder player to win MVP since Russell Westbrook in 2017, and only the third in team history, alongside Westbrook and Durant.Gilgeous-Alexander is the first Canadian to win the award since Steve Nash in 2006. He also continues a run of players from outside the US claiming the award
Pro-doping Enhanced Games to debut in Las Vegas with Trump Jr backing
A controversial new Olympics-style sporting event where athletes will be permitted – and even encouraged – to use performance-enhancing drugs is set to debut in Las Vegas next May, organizers announced on Wednesday.The inaugural Enhanced Games will take place 21–24 May 2026 at Resorts World on the Las Vegas Strip. Over four days, competitors will race, lift and swim with full access to drugs and therapies banned in virtually every other elite athletic setting.Billed as a revolution in sport and science, the event aims to embrace what organizers call “superhumanity” – a future where pharmaceutical and technological enhancement is normalized in elite competition. But while promoters cast it as a bold break from the past, critics are already raising alarms about safety, fairness and the fundamental integrity of sport
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