Brendon McCullum brings David Saker back into England camp for Ashes series
Brendon McCullum has finalised his coaching team for the Ashes, with the Australian David Saker returning to help England in a fourth Test series against his homeland, having been involved during the 2010-11 and 2013 series, both of which England won, and again in the drawn series of 2023.Saker, whose official title is special skills consultant, will be in Australia from the arrival of the England Lions squad at the start of November and will remain with the senior team through all five Tests.Tim Southee, who has had the same title since May and is with the white-ball squad in his native New Zealand, will continue to work with the team until the end of the first Test in Perth, after which he will depart to fulfil playing obligations at the International League T20 in the United Arab Emirates.Another returning face will be Gilbert Enoka, the former All Blacks mental skills coach, who was first brought into the group during the buildup to the Test against India at Old Trafford in July.Enoka, who lives in Christchurch, is also working with the white-ball squad – if only for the few days they are in his hometown – and will be involved for the first Ashes Test.
On Friday, Enoka ran an hour-long session for the entire squad and backroom staff, as they finalised preparations for the T20 series against New Zealand that starts on Saturday and looked ahead to February’s T20 World Cup,Harry Brook, who last month promised he would “never have a meeting” as white-ball captain, reasoning they were “a waste of an hour – I’m not very good at sitting there and listening”, emerged to describe Enoka as “awesome”,But Brook refused to divulge what was discussed,“It’s something we want to try to keep to ourselves,” he said,“He brings a lot of knowledge about the mental side of the game.
To have him in the ranks, just to be able to have a chat for five or 10 minutes, is awesome.”The long-term batting coach Marcus Trescothick and the spin-bowling coach Jeetan Patel, another New Zealander, will continue in their roles while the assistant coach Paul Collingwood, who has not been involved with the team in recent months, will again be absent.The 59-year-old Saker worked as England’s fast bowling coach between 2010 and 2015, during which time they won the Ashes in Australia, successfully defended them at home and won a series in India for the first and only time since 1984-85.He then fulfilled a similar role for Australia from 2016 to 2019 before returning to work with England in 2023, initially with the white-ball squad.At the time he described England’s Test side as “the best team in the world to watch”.
“I’ve been involved in Ashes with both parties,” he said, “and the cricket is as exciting as it gets.”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 promotionOn Friday, Brook praised Southee’s contribution to the team.“He’s a fountain of knowledge,” the 26-year-old said.“He’s played a lot of cricket over here and a lot of international cricket, so to have him working alongside us will only benefit us.To have guys who’ve got so much experience, playing all over the world and being as good as what they are, we can only benefit from what they’re saying.
”
UK government borrowing costs fall to lowest level since July
The UK government’s borrowing costs have fallen to the lowest level since July as Rachel Reeves considers tax rises and spending cuts before next month’s autumn budget.In a boost for the chancellor, the yield – in effect the interest rate – on 10-year UK government bonds has fallen by about 0.15 percentage points this week, after briefly dipping below 4.5% early on Friday for the first time in three months.Government bond yields have tumbled across advanced economies, as investors scrambled to buy safe-haven assets amid fears over US-China trade tensions and signs of stress in the US banking system
Gaucho chain to slash waiters’ share of service charge and boost head office pay
The Argentinian steak restaurant Gaucho is slashing the share of the service charge its waiters receive, using some of the funds to bump up the pay package of head office workers.A letter to workers seen by the Guardian says that from 1 October existing waiters would receive between 25.45% and 29.4% of the service charge collected at tables they have served, depending on length of service, down from 37% previously – already a reduction from 45% early last year. Bar staff will get 17% of the service charge, down from 20%
‘Finances are getting tighter’: US car repossessions surge as more Americans default on auto loans
Alarm bells are ringing on Wall Street. The recent collapses of Tricolor, a used car seller and sub-prime auto lender, and First Brands, an auto parts supplier, have put the finance industry on edge, almost two decades after problems in the sub-prime mortgage lending market set the stage for the global financial crisis.“When you see one cockroach, there are probably more,” Jamie Dimon, the JPMorgan Chase CEO, ominously cautioned analysts this week, after the US’s largest bank disclosed a $170m charge tied to Tricolor’s bankruptcy. “Everyone should be forewarned on this one.”As the car lending market shows signs of strain, business around repossessions is booming
Ferrari cuts number of cars it sends to UK after non-dom tax status scrapped
Ferrari has cut the number of cars it sells in the UK as wealthy individuals relocate overseas after tax changes and the abolition of non-dom status.The Italian luxury carmaker reportedly began limiting the number of vehicles it exported to the UK about six months ago, in an attempt to stop a decline in their residual value.Benedetto Vigna, the chief executive of the carmaker, said that Ferrari had seen a “stabilisation” in sales after its decision to reduce the number of vehicles it allocated to the UK.“Some people are getting out of that country for tax reasons,” he told the Financial Times, adding that taxes were not the only reason for the fall in residual values. “There are many different factors
The ‘messy’ trend behind Australia’s rising unemployment is worrying economists
As Jim Chalmers moves among the global elite during the G20 talkfest with fellow finance ministers and big-time investors in Washington this week, he will be spruiking Australia’s enviable economic performance over recent years.A particular point of pride has been the strength of the labour market.Not only has unemployment stayed low, the increase in the share of working-age Australians with a job has climbed by 3.1 percentage points since immediately before the pandemic.That increase is twice the OECD average, and compares with zero growth in the US and New Zealand
Australia Post incorrectly charged tariffs on items ordered online being returned to the US
Australia Post incorrectly collected tariffs from customers returning items to the US after retail parcel services to the country resumed last week, the government-owned postal service has admitted.Australia Post said it had identified an error with a third-party provider where “a number of customers” were incorrectly charged a tariff for postal returns of US-manufactured items, which should not be subject to import duties.“The error was quickly fixed, and we are reaching out to impacted customers,” a spokesperson said in a statement. They will receive a refund.Parcel services were halted in August when the US suspended the “de minimis” exemption, which allowed parcels worth less than US$800 to enter the country duty-free
Dan and Phil’s relationship revelation is a reminder of how toxic fandoms can be | Eilish Gilligan
Banks need stricter controls to prevent romance fraud, says City regulator
Launch of veteran card will be used to test UK government’s digital ID scheme
Heed warnings from Wolmar on robotaxis | Brief letters
Barrister found to have used AI to prepare for hearing after citing ‘fictitious’ cases
Italian news publishers demand investigation into Google’s AI Overviews