Liam Dawson sees a lot of promise in Rehan Ahmed but cautioned against expecting too much, too soon from the teenage leg-spinner.

England’s dismal World Cup seems set to usher in a changing of the guard for the ODI side and Ahmed may have more of a role to play, even if Adil Rashid remains the country’s premier white-ball spinner.

Ahmed has impressed in seven appearances in national colours across all formats since last December and joins Rashid in being named in the ODI and T20 squads for next month’s trip to face the West Indies.

The 19-year-old links up with England after a lean domestic summer but Dawson is a huge admirer of his fellow spin bowling all-rounder and is certain he will flourish if England persevere with him.

“Rehan’s very young so you’ve got to give him a bit of time – he’s nowhere near the finished article,” Dawson told the PA news agency.

“I played with him last winter and I think he’s a very good bowler. You’ve just got to be patient with him. Spin bowling isn’t easy in England, you don’t get conditions that suit very often.”

Dawson subscribes to the notion spinners get better as they grow older and he has the numbers to back it up after taking 49 wickets at 20 to go with 840 runs at 40 in this year’s County Championship.

His form for Hampshire – where he was an ever-present for the matches in which he was available – warrants an England recall with a five-match Test series against India to come, starting in January.

Dawson has long since stopped worrying about his fringe status for England in all formats but the 33-year-old believes he is a superior player than when he earned the last of three Test caps in July 2017.

“Without a doubt,” he said. “I was only 27 then. I certainly think I’m a better player now. I’ve played a lot more cricket and in a lot more pressure situations. I understand that side of the game more.

“In red-ball cricket my bowling has improved every single year. I’d say that’s a huge thing that has improved. It’s going to be very hard to beat what I’ve done this season.

“There’s not much more I can do than what I’ve done this year. I’ll keep trying to work hard, keep trying to improve but I’m very realistic that the season I’ve just had doesn’t come around too often.”

A difficult conundrum awaits Dawson if England do make overtures for him as he has already committed to a lucrative stint in South Africa’s SA20, which overlaps with a couple of Tests of the India tour.

The canny slow left-armer would be a valuable inclusion on the turning tracks of India but any England return would likely be brief and he does not have the safety net of a central contract to fall back on.

Dawson is a regular in the high-paying T20 franchise leagues and, with England’s blessing, he was among a group of players to miss a tour of Bangladesh to play in the Pakistan Super League earlier this year.

“Don’t get me wrong, everyone’s desperate to play for their country but it also gets to a point where financially, you have to take that into consideration,” he added.

“As a player, for someone in my situation who hasn’t got a central contract – I certainly didn’t expect one – I’m not getting younger now, you have to make money.

“There’s so many competitions now you can play in. It’s brilliant to be a player now and hopefully I can play for a few more years and try to continue to perform.”

Sports clubs can play a vital role in breaking down barriers for vulnerable young people to help develop their life skills on and off the court, according to Plymouth City Patriots coach Paul James.

The 59-year-old recently celebrated his 500th victory as a head coach in the British Basketball League when the Patriots inflicted a first defeat of the season on runaway championship leaders London Lions.

As well as his continued focus at the elite level, James also helps the club run sessions in the community, offering free coaching for young and vulnerable children.

The Patriots are part of a programme which is being delivered locally and supported by nationwide sport for development charity StreetGames, in partnership with the Plymouth Drake Foundation’s children in poverty initiative.

The community organisation projects are designed to help steer young people away from crime and into positive activities aimed at teaching teamwork, resilience and discipline.

James’ professional playing career started as a 17-year-old at his hometown club Leicester then with Bracknell before moving into coaching, which eventually led to a spell in charge of England men’s senior national team.

While some of the youngsters within the Patriots’ community programmes may also have aspirations to get to the top of the sport, James believes just giving someone the chance to develop themselves within a team environment could prove the biggest lasting impact.

“We have got a lot of people playing who ordinarily would not have had an opportunity to play basketball, let alone sport,” James told the PA news agency.

“I look at these kids who are walking around now who have good friendships and a lot of confidence, they are starting to understand teamwork. It is something that they have never really had before.

“A lot of kids have barriers that they face to accessing sport, because they can’t afford it, so StreetGames have a ‘doorstep fund’, which allows us to offer free places for children at our basketball camps.

“It is a chance for them to come out and gives them an opportunity to play basketball, something they normally wouldn’t have an opportunity to do, so we are very proud to partner with StreetGames to be able to offer this to vulnerable kids.”

James feels playing sports can only help provide a positive outlet for youngsters to grow, both physically and also for their own mental health.

“I think it was different back then (when I started out) – you could be outside playing whatever sport all day, every day,” James said.

“That is not the case now and I certainly see that in some of the children that we are working with. I think a lot of that is down to not having access to sports or access to do things.

“But I feel that it is not just about coaching, it is about life skills.

“Yes basketball is there, it is a facility to get people off the street and get them involved in sport – but it is about your mental health and actually being a good person, treating people how you want to be treated.

“There is an important part for us coaches to play in just general life skills and advising kids of the way to be, how to handle yourself.

“It is definitely more than just having an hour session coaching – it is spending time with them, asking ‘how are you feeling today? How is school doing?’

“It is asking all those questions, just really trying to help and guide them, give them confidence to be able to speak out and just talk about how they are feeling.”

On the court, James is hoping the Patriots, currently a couple of points behind eighth place, can build some momentum to make a late run for the end-of-season play-offs.

“We have got a really good group of guys and are working exceptionally hard. It is just trying to find that consistency,” he said.

“Our aim for the season is to make the play-offs if we can, so we have still got time to do that.”

Toulouse president Damien Comolli insists that his club’s use of data is the reason behind their success rather than “football wisdom”.

The entire football operation of the Ligue 1 club, who beat Liverpool in the Europa League last week, is entirely driven by data, from player and manager recruitment to which set-pieces to use in a match and when.

It is bearing fruit as promotion from Ligue 2 in 2022 was followed by success in last season’s Coupe de France, which earned them their ticket to European football this season. 

And Comolli, who worked at Tottenham and Liverpool as sporting director, believes all their success comes from their use and understanding of the data.

“Our whole football operation is driven by data, whether it his how we recruit a coach or sign a player, the way we play, the way we attack, the way we defend, from where we shoot, from where we cross, where we press,” Comolli said at Web Summit in Lisbon.

“We try to optimise the wage bill and transfer budget using data. Data is part of our culture.

“Where we gain a competitive advantage is we have decided to stick by data compared to the football wisdom. We are very disciplined at it.

“At the moment we are struggling in the league, doing well in Europe. But with underlying data, we don’t look at results.

“The day after the game, none of the pages of the match report will contain the result. It will show the underlying data, why we lost or why we won.

“We need a bridge between the mathematics and science and the football people. Those individuals that can translate the data that is applicable to coaches and understandable to everyone, that bridge is absolutely key.”

The use of data and artificial intelligence is quickly becoming more prominent in today’s game and Comolli believes it will have a big impact in the future of the game.

He thinks that it will be particularly important in injury prevention.

“In the last four seasons our player availability for per game has been at 95 per cent, the highest in France,” Comolli added. “We are constantly using data to measure player’s loads, we are are using AI to measure in-game data.

“In the future it will help coaches make better decisions, when to make a substitution, when to make a tactical adjustment or not make one.

“We played at Anfield, we were losing 4-1, our best striker was still on the pitch and we had a game a few days later. I messaged the analyst, ‘Why is he still on the pitch?’.

“His data was showing he was in the red, so we brought him off. He went on to score in the next four games, maybe if we played him for longer he would have got injured or fatigued.”

Aidan O’Brien’s St Leger winner Continuous will miss the Japan Cup next weekend due to stiffness.

His scheduled run at Tokyo racecourse on November 26 had garnered plenty of interest amongst the locals.

Not only was he due to take on the brilliant Equinox, currently rated as the best horse in the world, but Continuous is a son of Heart’s Cry.

Heart’s Cry was a quality performer in Japan and beat Deep Impact, the sire of O’Brien’s dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin, in the Arima Kinen of 2005 as well as winning the 2006 Sheema Classic in Dubai.

Continuous was far from disgraced in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe when a little over three lengths behind Ace Impact in fifth, however, his trip to the Far East has now been scuppered.

O’Brien said: “Unfortunately Continuous was stiff after his latest exercise which means he won’t be going to Japan.”

Ruth Jefferson’s classy chaser Sounds Russian is on the road to recovery after an injury sustained when he was brought down in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

The gelding had a fruitful season prior to the fall, winning the Edinburgh Gin Chase at Kelso on debut and then finishing second by narrow margins in both the Rowland Meyrick and the Cotswold Chase.

His next start was a return to Prestbury Park for the Gold Cup, where he started at 50-1 under Sean Quinlan in a field of 13.

Six fences from home he was still in contention when the leader, Ahoy Senor, fell and knocked him off of his feet as he followed on behind.

The resulting knee injury has required an operation and Sounds Russian has now started the pre-training phase of his return to action.

Jefferson said: “He’s in pre-training so he’s been doing some treadmill work, he’s seen the physio, he’s been doing a lot of flat work and fitness work at the moment. He’ll probably be back with me in the next month or so.

“He’s not always behaved himself so he might not be as fit as I was hoping he’d be when he gets back to me, which will push me back to February.

“He doesn’t take a lot of getting fit, that’s one thing about him, but it does mean everything has to slow down a stride.

“He damaged his knee and had to have it operated on, they took 12 chips of bone out. It was a funny injury really but he’s been sound on it, that’s the main thing. Ridden or otherwise, he’s been very sound on it.”

Jefferson predicts the bay will not make it to the racecourse before February and when he does a switch to hurdling is open to him as he is still a novice over smaller obstacles.

She said: “I’ve got no idea what he’ll be doing, he’s still a novice over hurdles so it’s possible we could revert to hurdling for the rest of the season because I don’t know what there’ll be for him when he comes back chasing-wise.

“He’s only rated 111 over hurdles so if the handicapper leaves him at that I’ll be delighted, it might make more sense to do that but there’s a few more bridges to cross before then.”

Lewis Hamilton has told Max Verstappen to stop complaining after his rival criticised Formula One’s maiden race on the Las Vegas strip as “99 per cent show, and one per cent sport”.

Verstappen’s controversial remarks – which will irk F1’s American owners’ Liberty Media following their estimated £400million gamble to bring the sport back to Sin City for the first time in 41 years – arrived just moments after a glittering Superbowl-style opening ceremony on Wednesday night.

John Legend and Kylie Minogue were among a number of high-profile artists to perform in a dazzling 30-minute show designed to kick-start the penultimate round of the season, billed as the greatest show on earth.

The grid’s 20 drivers were also presented to the crowd ahead of Saturday night’s 50-lap race which F1 executives are using to build on the sport’s growing popularity in the United States. The race in Nevada joins Austin and Miami as the third in America.

But moments after a fireworks display brought the curtain down on the glittering welcome party, Verstappen, crowned triple world champion in Qatar last month, was quick to pour scorn on the event.

“It is 99 per cent show and one per cent sporting event,” said the 26-year-old. “I was just standing up there, looking like a clown.

“I guess they (F1) still make money whether I like it or not. So it’s not up to me. But I’m not going to fake it.

“I voice my opinion on positive things and negative things. That’s just how I am. And you know, some people like the show a bit more. I don’t like it at all.

“I grew up just looking at the performance side of things. And that’s how I see it as well. I like to be in Vegas, but not so much for racing.”

However, responding to criticism, Hamilton, 38, said: “I hear there are a lot of people complaining about the direction that (F1 CEO) Stefano (Domenicali) and Liberty has gone. But they are doing an amazing job.

“The sport continues to grow. It is a business and you will still see good racing here. It is a country to tap into and really captivate the audience.

“We needed to have at least two races in the US, one wasn’t enough, and this is one of the most iconic and unique cities that they have here.

“It is a big show for sure, and it is never going to be like Silverstone, but maybe over time, the people in this community will grow to love the sport.

“Maybe the track will be good, and maybe it will be bad. It was so-so on the simulator. But don’t knock it until you try it.”

The debut race on the strip, which starts at 10pm local time, comes after three consecutive rounds in Austin, Mexico and Brazil and ahead of next weekend’s concluding race in Abu Dhabi – a weary time swing of 12 hours.

The circuit itself features 17 corners over 3.8 miles along the famous Las Vegas Boulevard, and against the backdrop of Caesars Palace, the Venetian and the Bellagio.

It is expected that the drivers will hit speeds in excess of 210mph, but Verstappen said: “The track is not very interesting with not many corners.

“It will depend a little bit on how grippy it is. It doesn’t look like there’s much grip.”

Verstappen has won 17 of the 20 rounds so far, while it is approaching two years since Hamilton, in his Mercedes, has tasted victory.

Hamilton, who will get his first taste of the street track in opening practice at 8:30pm local time on Thursday (4:30am GMT on Friday) continued: “From a racer’s perspective, you want to have the best show here.

“If the track provides a race like Baku – which is one of the best races with lots of overtaking – than that would be amazing, rather than just one car disappearing into the distance.

“Everybody I know in Hollywood is coming and there will be a lot of business going on this weekend.

“It will be a good spectacle to watch, even for those back home who have never been to Vegas. They will get to learn what it is all about.”

Lewis Hamilton has told Max Verstappen to stop complaining after his rival criticised Formula One’s maiden race on the Las Vegas strip as “99 per cent show, and one per cent sport”.

Verstappen’s controversial remarks – which will irk F1’s American owners’ Liberty Media following their estimated £400million gamble to bring the sport back to Sin City for the first time in 41 years – arrived just moments after a glittering Superbowl-style opening ceremony on Wednesday night.

John Legend and Kylie Minogue were among a number of high-profile artists to perform in a dazzling 30-minute show designed to kick-start the penultimate round of the season, billed as the greatest show on earth.

The grid’s 20 drivers were also presented to the crowd ahead of Saturday night’s 50-lap race which F1 executives are using to build on the sport’s growing popularity in the United States. The race in Nevada joins Austin and Miami as the third in America.

But moments after a fireworks display brought the curtain down on the glittering welcome party, Verstappen, crowned triple world champion in Qatar last month, was quick to pour scorn on the event.

“It is 99 per cent show and one per cent sporting event,” said the 26-year-old. “I was just standing up there, looking like a clown.

“I guess they (F1) still make money whether I like it or not. So it’s not up to me. But I’m not going to fake it.

“I voice my opinion on positive things and negative things. That’s just how I am. And you know, some people like the show a bit more. I don’t like it at all.

“I grew up just looking at the performance side of things. And that’s how I see it as well. I like to be in Vegas, but not so much for racing.”

However, responding to criticism, Hamilton, 38, said: “I hear there are a lot of people complaining about the direction that (F1 CEO) Stefano (Domenicali) and Liberty has gone. But they are doing an amazing job.

“The sport continues to grow. It is a business and you will still see good racing here. It is a country to tap into and really captivate the audience.

“We needed to have at least two races in the US, one wasn’t enough, and this is one of the most iconic and unique cities that they have here.

“It is a big show for sure, and it is never going to be like Silverstone, but maybe over time, the people in this community will grow to love the sport.

“Maybe the track will be good, and maybe it will be bad. It was so-so on the simulator. But don’t knock it until you try it.”

The debut race on the strip, which starts at 10pm local time, comes after three consecutive rounds in Austin, Mexico and Brazil and ahead of next weekend’s concluding race in Abu Dhabi – a weary time swing of 12 hours.

The circuit itself features 17 corners over 3.8 miles along the famous Las Vegas Boulevard, and against the backdrop of Caesars Palace, the Venetian and the Bellagio.

It is expected that the drivers will hit speeds in excess of 210mph, but Verstappen said: “The track is not very interesting with not many corners.

“It will depend a little bit on how grippy it is. It doesn’t look like there’s much grip.”

Verstappen has won 17 of the 20 rounds so far, while it is approaching two years since Hamilton, in his Mercedes, has tasted victory.

Hamilton, who will get his first taste of the street track in opening practice at 8:30pm local time on Thursday (4:30am GMT on Friday) continued: “From a racer’s perspective, you want to have the best show here.

“If the track provides a race like Baku – which is one of the best races with lots of overtaking – than that would be amazing, rather than just one car disappearing into the distance.

“Everybody I know in Hollywood is coming and there will be a lot of business going on this weekend.

“It will be a good spectacle to watch, even for those back home who have never been to Vegas. They will get to learn what it is all about.”

What the papers say

Newcastle are considering a January move for Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah, according to The Sun. Manchester United and West Ham are also keen on the German international, 27.

RB Leipzig have opened the door for Timo Werner to exit the club, according to the Evening Standard. The former Chelsea forward, 27, has started only two games this season.

The Standard also reports that Chelsea are the latest club to take an interest in 18-year-old South American midfielder Gabriel Moscardo. The Corinthians teenager has already attracted interest from Arsenal and Liverpool.

Jadon Sancho is unlikely to be allowed to leave Manchester United on the cheap. The Daily Mirror says the club will not sanction a cut-price January deal for the England winger, 23.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Ferran Torres: Newcastle are interested in the Spanish forward, with Barcelona keen to sell the 23-year-old.

Evan Ferguson: Manchester United are keeping an eye on the 19-year-old striker, despite him signing a new deal with Brighton.

Evander Kane scored twice in the third period and completed his hat trick in overtime, rallying the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday.

Connor McDavid also scored and Evan Bouchard had three assists as the Oilers came back from a two-goal deficit to win their third straight.

Jared McCann, Alex Wennberg and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare all scored in the second period, but Seattle lost for the fifth time in six games (1-3-2).

Kane’s first goal of the game came with 6:32 left in regulation and drew the Oilers within 3-2. He scored the equaliser with 46 seconds left and goalie Stuart Skinner pulled for an extra attacker.

Flyers’ Hart sharp in return

Carter Hart made 31 saves in his first start in two weeks and the Philadelphia Flyers won their third straight, 3-1 over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Hart missed the previous two games after a bout with food poisoning and the three games prior to that due to a mid-body injury.

Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny scored in the first period and Ryan Poehling added a third-period goal as the Flyers closed their road trip 3-1-0.

Stefan Noesen had the lone goal for Carolina, which suffered its first loss in five home games this season.

Hughes’ OT goal finishes Canucks’ comeback

Quinn Hughes scored in overtime and the Vancouver Canucks rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 4-3 win over the reeling New York Islanders.

J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser and Filip Hronek scored power-play goals for the Canucks, who have won seven of eight overall and are 6-0-1 at home.

Pierre Engvall, Brock Nelson and Bo Horvat had goals for the Islanders, losers of six straight (0-4-2).

Horvat scored in his return to Vancouver, where he spent eight seasons before he was traded to the Islanders in February.

World Cup-winner Martin Johnson resigned from his role as England rugby union team manager on this day in 2011.

Johnson departed following a poor World Cup campaign, which was mired in controversy off the pitch and saw England exit in the quarter-finals in disappointing fashion to France.

Captain for England’s 2003 triumph, Johnson took on the manager role in 2008 despite no previous coaching experience and guided his country to the Six Nations title six months before a World Cup to forget in New Zealand.

England arrived with optimism, but struggled to a 13-9 victory over Argentina in their opener after a late try by Ben Youngs.

A four-point win over Scotland confirmed England’s passage into the last eight, but their luck ran out with another error-strewn display resulting in a 19-12 loss to France in the quarter-finals.

With Johnson’s contract due to expire before the end of the year and after a string of incidents involving his players in New Zealand, the ex-captain confirmed his resignation five weeks after their World Cup ended.

“I think it is in the best interests of both the England team and myself not to carry on,” Johnson said.

“While we’ve had our most successful season with 10 wins from 13, we are disappointed with how we ended it with the World Cup. I think it’s the right decision at this time

“The cycles are from World Cup to World Cup and you have to decide whether you are prepared to jump in for four years and wholly commit yourself to that job and weigh it up. I’m not.”

Devin Booker gave the Suns a huge boost with 31 points in his return and Phoenix snapped the Minnesota Timberwolves’ seven-game winning streak, 133-115 on Wednesday.

Kevin Durant also scored 31 points and Eric Gordon added 15 as Phoenix avoided a third straight loss.

Booker returned after missing five games with a strained calf, but Bradley Beal was a late scratch with a sore back.

The Suns have yet to have their three stars - Booker, Durant and Beal - play a game together.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points on his 28th birthday and Mike Conley added 14 points for Minnesota, which lost its first game in November.

Phoenix was never seriously threatened, taking a six-point lead after one quarter, a 22-point lead at halftime and a 28-point advantage entering the fourth.

White leads surging Celtics past 76ers

Derrick White scored 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter to propel the short-handed Boston Celtics to a 117-107 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in a matchup of Eastern Conference heavyweights.

Jayson Tatum had 29 points and Jrue Holiday added 18 with 10 rebounds to help Boston win its fourth straight despite missing Jaylen Brown (non-COVID illness) and Kristaps Porzingis (right knee contusion).

The 76ers got 20 points apiece from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in its second consecutive loss following eight straight wins.

Sam Hauser and Al Horford filled in for Brown and Porzingis and combined for 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and six blocks.

Lillard stars as Bucks win without Antetokounmpo

Damian Lillard poured in 37 points to go with 13 assists and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence in a 128-112 win over the Toronto Raptors.

Lillard was 9 of 18 from the field and 15 of 16 from the free throw line while hitting four of Milwaukee’s season high-tying 20 3-pointers.

Antetokounmpo missed his first game of the season due to a strained right calf.

Malik Beasley scored a season-high 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting – including 8 of 11 from long range – as the Bucks avenged a loss at Toronto earlier this month.

Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 29 points and Jakob Poeltl had 13 and 11 boards.

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole won his first American League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, while the San Diego Padres' Blake Snell won his second Cy Young - and first time in the National League.

Cole was the runner-up twice for the AL Cy Young (in 2019 and ’21) but received all 30 first-place votes by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, becoming the 11th unanimous AL winner.

The right-hander led the league in three of the most important pitching statistics, finishing first in ERA (2.63), WHIP (0.98) and innings pitched (209). His 222 strikeouts were third in the AL behind Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman's 237 and Minnesota Twins righty Pablo Lopez's 234.

Gausman finished third in voting, while Lopez's Twins teammate, Sonny Gray, finished second.

Cole went 15-4 and yielded fewer than four runs in 28 of 33 starts in 2023. He was dominant over the season’s final five weeks, going 5-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 0.68 WHIP with the Yankees winning all seven of those games.

He's the first Yankee to win the award since 2001, when Roger Clemens won it.

Snell becomes the seventh pitcher to win the award in both leagues after winning the AL Cy Young as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018.

The left-hander led all of MLB with a 2.25 ERA and .181 opponents' batting average, while his 234 strikeouts trailed only Atlanta Braves righty Spencer Strider's 281 for the most in the NL.

Snell also led the majors with 99 walks, becoming the first pitcher since Early Wynn for the 1959 Chicago White Sox to win the Cy Young despite leading MLB in base on balls.

Voters looked past his control issues and evidently focused on his incredible stretch from late May through the end of the season. In his final 23 starts, Snell recorded a 1.20 ERA - only Bob Gibson in 1968 posted a lower ERA in as many starts.

Snell, who finished the season 14-9 with a 1.19 WHIP, received 28 of 30 first-place votes to finish ahead of the San Francisco Giants' Logan Webb and Zac Gallen of the NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks.