Andy Murray’s victory at Nottingham took him to his highest singles ranking in over five years and raised hopes of a Wimbledon seeding.

When Murray was ranked 839th in the world in July 2018 as he recovered from his first hip surgery, challenging at grand slams again seemed a forlorn hope but he has fought back into the world’s top 40.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the Scot’s road back.

Ranking history

Back-to-back titles at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy and the Rothesay Open Nottingham have lifted Murray to 38th in the ATP world rankings.

That is his best position since he was listed 34th in the April 23, 2018 update, with a turbulent period in between as Murray battled his hip problems.

He had dropped out of the top 100 by June of that year and to a career low of 839 in the July 16, 2018 edition of the rankings.

He remained outside the top 200 until October 2019 and though he climbed to 102 in July 2021, he ended that year ranked 134th and did not re-enter the top 100 until February 7, 2022 when we was 95th.

He made the top 50 briefly last June and for most of the year from August onwards. After dipping back as low as 70 in February, he has now spent five straight weeks in the top 50 since the May 8 update.

Tournament wins

Murray’s only tournament win on the main ATP Tour since his surgeries came at the 2019 European Open in Antwerp.

That came via an impressive win over fellow three-time grand slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the final, while his semi-final opponent Ugo Humbert would go on to win the event the following year.

He reached further finals in Sydney and Stuttgart last year and Doha this February, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev.

His grass-court wins in Surbiton and Nottingham made it three titles for him on this year’s ATP Challenger Tour, having also won on the clay of Aix-en-Provence in May.

Queen’s record

Murray now takes his form to the biggest grass-court tournament outside of Wimbledon, knowing a deep run in the cinch Championships at The Queen’s Club could earn him a spot among the 32 seeds at SW19.

His past record there offers plenty of encouragement, with a record five titles to his name.

He won the event ahead of his two Wimbledon triumphs in 2013 and 2016 as well as in 2009, 2011 and 2015 to stand alone as Queen’s Club’s most successful player.

He will need to reach at least the quarter-finals this year to have a chance of being seeded at Wimbledon and the less-encouraging omen is his somewhat boom-and-bust record – outside of his five wins he has reached just one other quarter-final, which he lost to Andy Roddick in 2008.

Murray has lost in the last 16 four times – most recently two years ago against Matteo Berrettini – and the last 32 three times with a solitary last-64 exit back in 2006.

Celtic have announced the return of Brendan Rodgers as manager on a three-year contract.

Rodgers replaces Ange Postecoglou four years and four months after his sudden departure to Leicester after winning seven out of seven domestic trophies with the Hoops.

Rodgers said on the club’s website: “I am really delighted to return to Celtic and I am hugely excited by this great opportunity. When I was given the privilege of being asked to join the club again, it was a very simple decision for me and my family.

“We have enjoyed some great times at Celtic before and this will be my goal again, to deliver good football, ensure we have a team we all love to watch and ultimately bring more success to our fans.

“Ange has done some brilliant work across the last two years and I will be doing all I can to maintain Celtic’s momentum as we face into all our domestic and European challenges.

“We have a hugely impressive and talented group of players and staff at the club, and I am really looking forward to meeting up with them all and then getting straight down to work.”

Celtic confirmed their coaching staff underneath Rodgers will remain unchanged with John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan both staying despite reported interest from Tottenham.

Rodgers had previously attempted to take former Scotland and Celtic defender Kennedy with him to Leicester.

“I wanted John to be with me as we move forward,” Rodgers said. “He is a very talented coach, someone I know well and respect and he will be very important to myself and our players.

“The club is in fantastic condition at all levels and I would like to thank the board for putting their trust in me to take the team forward. We will work very closely together as we strive to bring that success to our supporters.”

Principal shareholder Dermot Desmond is said to have taken a key role in persuading Rodgers to return to Glasgow.

Desmond said: “Our aim at Celtic will always be to bring individuals of the highest calibre to the club to achieve our objectives, and in appointing Brendan we believe we have again brought that quality to the club.

“Brendan is a very talented manager, he has huge experience at the highest levels and is a man who knows how to win and do so in style. As we enter another exciting period for the club I am sure he will tackle the opportunities ahead with his characteristic focus, drive and determination.

“We have all enjoyed great success across recent years, Brendan himself being a huge part of that. I know Brendan is determined to deliver again for our supporters and collectively, the board, management, players and staff will support him in this aim.”

Celtic chief executive Michael Nicholson added: “Having spoken to Brendan and discussed the club’s strategy and objectives with him, I can see the passion he has for taking the club forward positively and building on what we have achieved.”

Newly-crowned US Open champion Wyndham Clark believes he deserves his place among the game’s elite after claiming his maiden major title in impressive fashion.

Despite winning his first PGA Tour title six weeks ago, Clark was an 120/1 outsider at Los Angeles Country Club, having made just two cuts in six previous majors with a best finish of 75th in the 2021 US PGA.

Yet it was the 29-year-old American who held his nerve in a tense final round to finish top of the leaderboard on 10 under par, with major champions Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Smith filling the minor places.

Clark’s victory will take him from 32nd to a career-high 13th in the world rankings and also up to second in the qualifying race for the US Ryder Cup team.

“I feel like I belong on this stage and even two, three years ago when people didn’t know who I was, I felt like I could still play and compete against the best players in the world,” Clark said.

“I feel like I’ve shown that this year. I’ve come up close (to winning) and obviously everyone sees the person that hoists the trophy, but I’ve been trending in the right direction for a long time now.

“I’ve made a lot of cuts. I’ve had a handful of top 10s and top 20s and I feel like I’ve been on a great trajectory to get to this place.

“Obviously it’s gone faster than I thought as far as just starting to do some stuff mentally that I’ve never done before, but I feel like I’m one of the best players in the world.

“Obviously this just shows what I believe can happen.

“But at the same time I’m a pretty humble, calm guy and I don’t try to get too high or too low on things. I’m obviously going to celebrate this, but I like to compete.

“I’m so competitive. I want to beat everybody but also be friends with everybody. So I try to have a good mix of that.”

Clark’s victory came on Father’s Day but it was no surprise that his thoughts immediately turned to his late mother Lise, who was a huge influence on his career before her death from breast cancer in 2013.

Lise’s death hit Clark hard and he seriously considered quitting the sport as he battled bouts of depression and frustration throughout his college career and early years in the professional ranks.

“I didn’t show any emotion off the course, but when I was on the golf course, I couldn’t have been angrier,” Clark recalled.

“I was breaking clubs when I didn’t even hit that bad of a shot. I was walking off golf courses. When I transferred from Oklahoma State to Oregon was another low point and I think that was a lot of carryover from my mom passing.

“So when I went to Oregon and Casey Martin then took over as my head coach, he instilled that I was one of the best players in the world and he goes, ‘you’re good enough to play on this stage but also in college and win’.

“Then I had my best year ever. I got out here (on Tour) pretty quick, but even those first few years, I felt like I under-performed.

“I’ve had many times where I’ve gone home and was yelling in my car and punching things and just so mad that I’m like, ‘Why can’t I do what my peers are doing that I know I can play with and against and beat?’

“I’ve probably had three to four really defining moments in my career since college, but I’m really glad that I stuck it through.

“Being here now, I just feel so blessed. It’s honestly surreal to look back and think about the journey the last seven to 10 years.”

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell has warned Riku Danzaki faces a battle to break into his team.

The Japanese midfielder arrived from a spell with Brisbane Roar in January and played in Steven Hammell’s final three matches, but only featured once under Kettlewell, as an 89th-minute substitute in a 2-0 win over Hearts on February 19.

Injuries were partly to blame for his absence but Kettlewell was happy with the likes of Blair Spittal, Callum Slattery and Harry Paton in his midfield.

The 23-year-old was viewed as a player whose impact would increase once he settled into Scotland and the style of football but he looks like he faces a challenge to get into Kettlewell’s plans.

The Motherwell manager said: “I never signed Riku, it has been really hard to get him on the park, there have been a number of issues in terms of his fitness. He was back fit for a few days then had to drop out. It’s been a frustration for hm and the football club, it’s been very much stop-start.

“Obviously Riku sits with a contract at the football club, he was brought here for a reason, but prior to that when he was fit, it was difficult for him to get into the team as well. We only go based on results and performances in training and what we see on the pitch on a Saturday and it has been difficult for him to get in.

“It’s hard when it’s that change of culture and country, I acknowledge all these factors, but these things are all taken into consideration when there are decisions made on who plays. I’ve been very loyal to guys who have been fit and able to play for us on a Saturday, and that’s what I believe in.

“Riku, technically, you can understand why he was brought to the club for a particular style of play. That has substantially changed, in terms of formation. Riku would probably indicate he is a number 10. I have not played with a number 10 at times.

“I see it a completely different way, so that would probably let you acknowledge why it could be difficult for him at times to get in. ”

Motherwell returned for pre-season training on Monday morning with Ricki Lamie present after getting a hernia surgery late last season after the Steelmen had secured their top-flight status.

“I need to pay testament to Ricki, because a lot of players would have wanted to get that operation done instantly,” Kettlewell said.

“Ricki still felt he could offer us something, he was still available. I know he would have wanted more game-time, but such has been the form of the guys at the back that it has been difficult to get into the team.

“But full marks, in the modern day where sometimes I think players are quite happy to miss training sessions and games, but Ricki didn’t miss a single thing.

“We got him in for surgery a wee bit earlier and that gave him the chance to start pre-season and make sure he is fully up to speed.”

Andy Murray knows what he needs to do at Queen’s this week in order to achieve a seeded ranking for Wimbledon.

Murray returns to his favourite stomping ground, where he is a five-time champion, on the back of successive titles on the ATP Challenger Tour.

The 36-year-old’s success in Nottingham took him up to 38 in the world – his highest ranking since his hip operation – and a run to the last four at Queen’s would be enough to take him into the top 32 and guarantee a seeding at SW19.

It will not be easy for Murray, though, as the class in opposition will be a step up from the second tier, beginning with his first-round match with world number 18 Alex de Minaur on Tuesday.

“When I made the decision to come and play Nottingham rather than the 250s (ATP Tour tournaments), I was at least going to have to win here and maybe make the semis at Queen’s as well because I did well last year and I have given myself a chance,” said Murray, who is defending ranking points from his run to the final at Stuttgart this time last year.

“I pretty much know what I have to do, and if I make the semis at Queen’s I will definitely make seeding and maybe the quarters may be enough.”

Murray’s double success at Surbiton and Nottingham has seen him play 10 matches in 14 days, a big physical test for him considering he is playing with a metal hip.

The two-time Wimbledon champion will have a light day on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s match-up with Australian De Minaur, whose girlfriend Katie Boulter also won in Nottingham on Sunday.

“It has been tough, I found Sunday’s match hard, two quite late finishes and then a big change by playing at 11am, a completely different preparation,” Murray added.

“But I am going completely match tight, I make sure I do all the right recovery stuff. I will treat Monday as a day off and get ready for Tuesday.

“He (De Minaur) loves playing on the grass, a lot of the Aussies do. It is not going to be easy, he makes you work very hard and is quick around the court. He is a very good returner.”

Connections of Laurel will look to the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes after she was frustratingly ruled out of the Duke of Cambridge Stakes with a late setback.

Trained by John and Thady Gosden, the daughter of Kingman was towards the top of the market for the one-mile Royal Ascot Group Two – a race which had been her main target for the first half of the season – but her name was missing from the 10 declarations on Monday.

A winner of three of her five starts, she would have had a fine chance of bouncing back from a below-par effort in the Lockinge where she was tasked with taking on colts for the first time.

However, she suffered an issue over the weekend which will keep her on the sidelines during the Royal meeting, with the focus now switching to getting her back to full fitness for her next assignment, which could come on July 14 at Newmarket’s July Festival.

“She’s just had a little setback over the weekend and this morning John and Thady weren’t 100 per cent happy with her, so unfortunately we couldn’t declare her,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte.

“It’s just a bit of wear or tear and it was 50-50, but you are on the big stage and when you are not 100 per cent happy it’s not worth taking the risk. So we said we will give her an easy few days and probably aim for the Falmouth at the July meeting.”

Mahon added: “It’s frustrating as this is the race we had in mind for her all year, but the filly’s welfare always comes first and once the trainer wasn’t 100 per cent happy that was it, there was no question.”

Adayar, Luxembourg and Bay Bridge will clash in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.

A field of six line up in the day two feature, which promises to be a mouthwatering affair despite the enforced absence of last year’s Derby winner Desert Crown.

Winner of the Epsom Classic himself in 2021, the Charlie Appleby-trained Adayar looked as good as ever on his return in the Gordon Richards Stakes at Newmarket.

Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg, meanwhile, was an all-the-way winner from Sir Michael Stoute’s Bay Bridge – who beat Adayar in the Champion Stakes at Ascot – in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh.

Born To Rock (Jane Chapple-Hyam) and Beautiful Diamond (Karl Burke) head the market for the Queen Mary, which also features intriguing American challengers in the shape of Bundchen (Wesley Ward) and Crimson Advocate (George Weaver).

In the Royal Hunt Cup, Frankie Dettori will carry the silks of the King and Queen aboard the John and Thady Gosden-trained Reach For The Moon.

Although Laurel was not declared for the Duke of Cambridge Stakes, it could still be a big day for the Gosdens and Dettori, as they also have Gregory in the 14-strong Queen’s Vase – where the Stoute-trained Circle Of Fire is the royal representative with Richard Kingscote in the saddle.

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has promised to give some “very blunt views” on the Premier League charges facing the club in due course.

City were charged in February with more than 100 breaches of the competition’s financial fair play regulations dating back to 2009.

The club could face a points deduction or even expulsion from the competition if found guilty but City have vociferously denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight their case. It is unclear how long this process will take with some suggestions proceedings could run for several more years.

Speaking in his annual end-of-season interview with the club’s media channels, Khaldoon said: “So obviously I can’t talk about them (the charges), unfortunately, for legal reasons.

“What I would typically always do is comment after, so I think we’re going to go through the legal process.

“These are proceedings that take whatever time they take and when we’re done, we’ll have a conversation. I’ll give you my very blunt views, I promise you that.

“I have very strong views on that, but I am going to be unfortunately very restrained today.”

City went on to win the treble last season. They overhauled Arsenal to claim a fifth Premier League title in six years, followed up by winning the FA Cup and then beat Inter Milan in the Champions League final.

Off the field the club have also grown, recording record revenue last year.

To many critics of the club, which is supported by the vast wealth of owner Sheikh Mansour, the Premier League charges cast a shadow over their success.

Khaldoon feels these people are judging the club too quickly without checking all the facts.

He said: “It’s very frustrating because it takes so much from the great work that’s happening at this club and it’s happening not just on the football pitch.

“What these players have achieved this year, the treble, is incredible. I hope people focus and judge them for their football and what they’re achieving on the pitch and what they’re achieving in every competition they’re in.

“The club as a whole is very well run. Today, the value of this group is over six billion dollars. We’ve created so much value – we’ve brought in world-class investors. Why? Because we have a commercial machine here that is one of the best in the world.

“We’re the number one football brand in the world. The club generates a tremendous revenue.

“People will throw at us ‘the biggest spenders’, ‘you have the biggest squad’. I wish people can just pause and ask the question, and get the facts and then comment.”

In terms of on-field achievements, winning the Champions League for the first time this year fulfilled a long-held ambition.

Khaldoon said: “With the Champions League, we’ve tried so hard for so many years. Then to finally, finally do it – it’s relief, it’s happiness, but it’s really more relief. We finally have that trophy right here.”

Khaldoon added that City’s consistency in the Premier League was the record of which he is “most proud” and the club are targeting more trophies.

“You always can top it,” he said. “I can see how it does get better. It always can get better.”

Khaldoon also paid tribute to captain Ilkay Gundogan and hopes the German stays at the club.

Gundogan played a key role in the run-in but is out of contract this summer.

Khaldoon said: “When you need him in the big games, he’s always there, and I hope there’s more chapters to that legacy. Obviously, Ilkay has to make big life decisions for him.”

Wales Under-21 coach Matty Jones has hailed Luton hero Joe Taylor’s “fight and determination” to rise from the ninth tier of English football to the Premier League.

Taylor was sent out on loan by King’s Lynn to Eastern Counties League Premier Division club Wroxham at the start of the 2021-22 season.

It proved plain sailing as Taylor scored 21 goals in 13 games for the ninth-tier Yachtsmen, sparking Peterborough’s interest and a move to the English Football League in November 2021.

Taylor made just a dozen league appearances for Posh before signing for Luton in January and his season ended in the most dramatic fashion.

The 20-year-old forward, on as a substitute, converted a penalty in the Hatters’ Wembley shoot-out victory over Coventry that secured Premier League football next season.

“To see Joe come on at Wembley was special,” said Jones, who has included Taylor in the squad for Wales’ opening 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier in Denmark on Tuesday.

“I spoke to him before the game and he didn’t expect to be on the bench. Just to be part of it and experience the day was his main goal.

“One thing he’s got is fight and determination, not to prove people wrong but to prove to himself that he’s good enough.

“It could have gone either way for him at Peterborough, in terms of not getting a huge amount of game time and dropping into the 21s.

“He showed frustration at times for that, but then his move to Luton came out of the blue.”

Taylor made only one start and four substitute appearances before making the Hatters’ bench at Wembley.

Just moments before his sweetly-struck penalty in the shoot-out, Taylor thought he had scored an extra-time winner only for his effort to be ruled out by VAR for a handball in the build-up.

“To come off the bench and score the winner would have been a dream come true,” Jones said.

“But we couldn’t be happier to see Joe score a penalty which was pivotal to Luton’s success.

“Those experiences for lads are gold dust. The pressure he was under with that penalty will only bode well for us.

“He will get similar scenarios for his country, how to manage his emotions under extreme pressure.”

King’s Lynn-born Taylor, who qualifies for the Dragons through his Welsh grandmother, made his U21 debut in September.

Jones said: “Joe’s had a great journey – it’s such a positive story – and he’s come into camp now with both performance and physical momentum.”

England expect Bath centre Ollie Lawrence and Harlequins hooker Jack Walker to be available for World Cup selection after they both suffered injuries during training.

Premiership player of the season Lawrence is recovering from a knee injury, while Walker has a calf muscle problem.

Both players were hurt in England squad training last week and they are understood to each be facing a minimum of six weeks’ rehabilitation.

England’s opening World Cup warm-up game is against Wales in Cardiff on August 5, while head coach Steve Borthwick is due to name his final 33-player squad for the tournament two days later.

Lawrence and Walker will join a 38-strong group for treatment during England’s preparation camp in Brighton this week.

Rory McIlroy insisted he would endure the pain of another 100 near-misses as long as he finally ends his major championship drought.

McIlroy held a share of the lead when he two-putted the par-five opening hole of Sunday’s final round of the 123rd US Open, but that would prove his only birdie of a disappointing closing 70.

Wyndham Clark’s own 70 was enough to give the 29-year-old American his first major title at Los Angeles Country Club, while McIlroy has now recorded 19 top-10 finishes since winning his fourth in the 2014 US PGA.

Asked if it was exhausting to keep being asked about another missed opportunity, McIlroy said: “It is, but at the same time when I do finally win this next major it’s going to be really, really sweet.

“I would go through 100 Sundays like this to get my hands on another major championship.”

McIlroy conceded his underwhelming final round had echoes of last year’s Open Championship, when he held a share of the lead, carded two birdies in a closing 70 and was overhauled by Cameron Smith’s brilliant 64.

“The last real two chances I’ve had at majors I feel like have been pretty similar performances, like St Andrews last year and then here,” the world number three added.

“Not doing a lot wrong, but I didn’t make a birdie since the first hole today. Overall when you’re in contention going into the final round of a US Open, I played the way I wanted to play.

“There was just a couple of shots, two or three shots over the course of the round that I’d like to have back.”

The first of those was a missed birdie putt from four feet on the eighth, which played the easiest hole in the final round, and the second his approach to the par-five 14th which plugged in the face of a greenside bunker.

McIlroy did get relief for an embedded ball, but failed to get up and down to save par and Clark’s birdie on the same hole moments later gave him what ultimately proved a vital three-shot lead.

“As I was walking up to it (on 14), it felt like it was a perfect full sand wedge. Hit it hard, get some spin on it,” McIlroy explained.

“Then while we were getting prepared for the shot, the wind started to freshen a little bit. Full sand wedge wasn’t getting there, so I said to Harry (Diamond, his caddie), three-quarter gap wedge would be perfect.

“I feel like I didn’t time the shot perfectly. I hit it when the wind was at its strongest and the ball just got hit a lot by the wind, and obviously it came up short.

“If I had it back, I think I had the right club and the right shot. I might have just had to wait an extra 15 or 20 seconds to let that little gust settle.”

McIlroy’s next chance to end his drought will come at next month’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, where he lifted the Claret Jug in 2014.

Asked when the countdown to the Open would begin, McIlroy joked: “Three minutes ago, I guess. I’ll play Travelers next week, I’ll play the Scottish Open, but I’m focused on making sure that I’m ready to go for Liverpool.”

On this day in 2016, Andy Murray won a record fifth Aegon Championships title at Queen’s Club with victory over Milos Raonic.

Although he lost the first set and was 3-0 down in the second, Murray pulled off a great fightback to secure a 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-3 victory over the world number nine.

Victory also ensured his success was unparalleled at Queen’s with a record fifth title, moving him ahead of four-time winners including Roy Emerson, Boris Becker, Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick, and John McEnroe.

“It’s a tournament that obviously means a lot to me,” Murray said afterwards.

“It’s been my most successful tournament by far, clearly. To be the first player to win five times is… it’s not an easy tournament to win.

“It always has a great field and the players I have beaten in the finals, a lot of times have been top players. It’s not like I have had easy finals.

“They have been top, top players, most of them top 10, some of them grand slam winners, grand slam finalists. That’s good.”

The win put the Scot in good stead ahead of preparations for Wimbledon, which was set to begin just eight days later.

Both players met again in the final as Murray won 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) to become Wimbledon champion for a second time.

England will be hoping for calmer conditions as they seek a match-winning lead in the first Ashes Test, having lost both openers during a hostile spell under lights at Edgbaston.

The home side lost two wickets for two runs during an short but intense 20-minute period on the third afternoon, with Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley unable to survive under dark, floodlit skies.

Rain arrived to spare England any further losses and they will resume on Monday just 35 ahead. Joe Root and Ollie Pope are the men at the crease, tasked with taking the game away from a touring side who will fancy their own chances of setting up a finish.

The forecast looks encouraging for day four, but the prospect of more unsettled weather on Tuesday means things may need to move quickly for either team to assume full control.

Robinson riles Australia

Ollie Robinson could be on the verge of replacing Stuart Broad as public enemy number one in Australia. Having whipped up the pre-series rhetoric by predicting England would give their rivals “a hiding”, he reacted to bowling out centurion Usman Khawaja with a blunt, expletive-heavy send off. He drew plenty of criticism for his outburst, not least on social media, but was unrepentant in his media rounds. He suggested he was merely adding to the “theatre” of the series. He went on to accuse the opposition of playing “defensive” cricket and having “three number elevens”. Expect things to get spicy when he takes the crease.

Mo’s woes

As far as birthdays go, Moeen Ali’s 36th was one to forget. The returning off-spinner started his morning by being fined 25 per cent of his match fee for using an unauthorised drying spray on his hands during the previous evening’s play, then shipped three sixes in a loose four-over spell.

More worryingly, Moeen appeared to be struggling with an open blister on his right index finger and there are some concerns over how he will pull up ahead of what should be a central role in the fourth innings. He has already bowled 33 overs, seven more than he managed in the entirety of the recent Indian Premier League season. With the pitch beginning to take turn, England will need plenty more out of him to justify their decision to cajole the all-rounder out of retirement.

Big number

Jonny Bairstow made a dashing run-a-ball 78 at a crucial time in the England innings, but that was also the exact number of runs his three missed chances behind the stumps cost his side in the field. A botched stumping of Cameron Green and two dropped catches off Alex Carey helped Australia get within seven of England’s total and invited familiar talk of Ben Foakes’ impeccable glove work. Bairstow is inked into this side for the long haul but he will be hungrier than ever to make a big contribution in the remainder of this game.

Head wins over the Hollies

Travis Head’s back-and-forth with the Edgbaston crowd continued on day three, with fans in the Eric Hollies Stand enjoying every chance they got to get under his skin as he fielded on the boundary rope in front of them. But when Australia emerged after a long rain break in the afternoon, Head charged ahead of the pack and sprinted over to take his position at deep square leg with uncharacteristic gusto. The gesture drew a warm cheer from his tormentors, who warmed to him.

On the first day of the Test, Head put a target of his back with some sloppy fielding efforts that saw him drop Harry Brook and then fumble a boundary soon after. Head played along when the crowd mockingly cheered him for a straightforward stop a few moments later and raised his hand in acknowledgement, drawing a further cheer from the crowd.

England’s fielding adjustments

The ultra-attacking fields set by Ben Stokes have become a key tenet of his captaincy over the past year. But even by his own standards, the pattern he set for Khawaja in the 112th over was audacious. He conjured an ‘umbrella’ field – a semi-circle of close catchers with three on each side of the wicket – in an attempt to unsettle a man with 141 runs to his name. Khawaja obliged immediately as Robinson delivered an accurate yorker, missing with an unusually wild stroke. The Australian took the bait, charged down the track and paid with his off stump.