Nick Kyrgios declared himself fit for Wimbledon after his long injury lay-off but said he was “almost dreading” his return to tennis.

The 28-year-old pulled out of the Australian Open on the eve of the tournament, announcing he needed surgery on his knee, and he has played only one match since, last month in Stuttgart.

Kyrgios enjoyed by far the best season of his career last year, reaching the Wimbledon final and achieving the sort of consistent results that for a long time appeared beyond him.

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He has made no secret of his wavering love for the sport and the lifestyle it requires and, while he described the first five months of the year as “brutal”, he was brutally honest about his feelings regarding his comeback.

“I don’t miss the sport at all,” he said. “I was almost dreading coming back a little bit. But it’s my job.”

It was clear in his defeat by China’s Wu Yibing in Stuttgart that Kyrgios’ knee was far from fully recovered and he pulled out of subsequent tournaments in Halle and Majorca.

The Australian has been practising at the All England Club over the last few days, though, and said: “I still think there’s some question marks, for sure.

“Obviously five-set tennis is a completely different base altogether. I look at my preparations last year coming in, I probably had the most ideal preparation possible. It couldn’t be any different this year.

“I’m not going to discredit the work I’ve put in for the last six months just trying to maintain my fitness, get back on court.

“I’ve been hitting with some really good players this week and my body is feeling OK. I’m going to take it one day at a time. I’m not going to look forward and put unfair expectations on myself.

“I’m just going to try to do everything I can, prepare, go out there and play some good tennis. I feel probably as good as I could feel at the moment.”

At his best, Kyrgios would be high up a list of possible challengers to defending champion Novak Djokovic, who he took a set off in the final 12 months ago.

The Australian has been handed a potentially tricky opener against Belgian David Goffin, who reached the quarter-finals last year, and in a 10-minute press conference veered between playing down expectations and insisting he can defy his limited preparations.

“I’m extremely confident,” he said. “I’ve never been a player that needs a lot of matches before playing a grand slam. I’ve always been kind of on the side of not playing too much.

“What I’ve achieved in my career never leaves. Last year, it wasn’t that long ago really. I feel like I’m still serving as good as ever. I’m still able to beat a lot of people on the court.

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“The thing about tennis is the tour is so vigorous, there’s tournaments week in and week out, you kind of don’t have time to reflect on anything you’ve done. I’ve had so much time to sit back and be forced to look at everything I did last year. I wanted to do more.

“Pulling out of the Australian Open was one of the hardest things I had to do because I generally feel like, with the tennis I was playing and with my grand slam experience, just the way I was feeling, I felt like I could win that tournament.

“It’s been hard. I’m trying to expect the same sort of tennis that I was playing last year, and I don’t think that’s fair at the moment.”

The Austrian Grand Prix will remain on the Formula One calendar until at least 2030 after a new long-term deal at Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring was confirmed ahead of Sunday’s race.

The circuit, which was bought and re-branded by Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz returned to the F1 schedule in 2014 and has been a permanent fixture since.

Mateschitz died last year, aged 78, after battling a long-term illness.

“The vision and passion of Dietrich Mateschitz, a man who loved this sport, made this all possible and it is a very special moment and a tribute to him that we can confirm we will be racing at this incredible venue until 2030,” said F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali.

The race in Austria is a big favourite for the drivers and all our fans and we are looking forward to many years of excitement and action that are ahead of us.”

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen will start on pole position for Sunday’s 71-lap Grand Prix as he bids to extend his 70-point championship lead.

Derby-winning jockey Martin Dwyer has announced his retirement from the saddle having failed to recover from a serious knee injury.

Dwyer has been on the sidelines since March 2022 due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

The Liverpudlian has undergone several surgeries on his knee but they have failed to offer enough improvement to enable him to return to the saddle.

Dwyer rode over 1,500 winners and partnered Sir Percy to Derby glory for Marcus Tregoning in 2006.

“It’s tough saying it out loud, I’ve got my head around it, I’ve known for quite a while now I’ve been struggling with the injury,” Dwyer told Racing TV.

“I’ve thrown the kitchen sink at the rehab. I went to see the surgeon again when I had another operation two months ago and he said it’s not going to be stable enough or strong enough to ride professionally.

“It is what it is and I’ve just got to get on with it.

“It’s been tough, obviously. I’ve been in pain for a long time, it just throbs constantly but I’ve been in good hands and the team at Oaksey House have been brilliant.”

Looking ahead to the future, he said: “I’m getting back to some normality but I’ve just got to accept my career is over and I’ve just got to get on with things. It’s tough because I’m not finishing on my terms.

“I’d like to go out like Frankie (Dettori) and do a world tour, but I’d probably be at Wolverhampton and Southwell!

“It’s been a tough year or so, but it’s time to move on to the next chapter. It’s been a journey that has been unbelievable.”

As well as winning the Derby, Dwyer also won the Oaks in 2003 on Andrew Balding’s Casual Look and took the King Edward VII Stakes, Great Voltigeur and Coronation Cup on Pyledriver, trained by his father-in-law, William Muir.

Sarina Wiegman feels England are “in a very good place” with a few days to go before they depart the country for this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The Lionesses, who have been in a pre-tournament camp since June 19, were held to a 0-0 draw by Portugal at Stadium MK in a send-off warm-up match on Saturday, with their flight set to follow on Wednesday.

They are scheduled to have another warm-up, against Canada behind closed doors, on July 14 and kick off their World Cup campaign eight days later with the Group D meeting with Haiti in Brisbane.

Saturday saw Wiegman, who had captain Millie Bright unavailable, make some interesting calls for her starting line-up and six substitutions during a contest in which the European champions failed to score despite creating a considerable number of chances.

The England manager said: “I think we’re in a very good place.

“I think we had two very good weeks, on and off the pitch. I think this game was very helpful, although we are disappointed we didn’t score a goal.

“If you see how the game went and what we wanted to do and how we wanted to play, you can tell that we really know what we want to do, and that’s really what we’re working on.”

With regular skipper Leah Williamson having been ruled out of the World Cup by an ACL injury and fellow centre-back Bright still not involved as she continued to build up her fitness, Wiegman – who made goalkeeper Mary Earps captain for the game – brought Alex Greenwood into the defence in one of three changes to her starting XI from April’s 2-0 loss to Australia.

She opted to start the experienced Greenwood at left-back as Jess Carter came inside to partner Esme Morgan in the middle.

There was also Women’s Super League Golden Boot winner Rachel Daly coming in for Alessia Russo up front, and Lauren James for Chloe Kelly on the right side of the attack.

After a first half in which Daly had two early headers saved and Georgia Stanway sent an effort against the bar, Wiegman then made a triple substitution at the break, Greenwood being replaced by Niamh Charles, Daly coming off for Russo and Kelly entering the fray, with James moving into a more central position.

A more lively showing from the hosts followed, but they remained unable to break the deadlock, with Lucy Bronze heading against the post and Russo to the fore amid a series of opportunities.

Wiegman highlighted the creation of chances and said that while finishing had been “a little problem” on Saturday it was “not a worry”, and also stressed that “in some positions it’s really tight” with regard to the potential decisions she will make about the starting line-up for the Haiti game.

When asked if she had come away from the Portugal match with more questions or more answers, she said: “Oh, more answers – and answers already give another question of course because we always want to improve.

“We are always thinking ‘where are we now, how do we want to improve, what do we need?’ And then we also think of course about who the next opponent is.”

Isa Guha has backed “ultimate professional” Clare Balding to excel as she succeeds Sue Barker to become the BBC’s face of Wimbledon.

Barker called time on 30 years presenting national coverage from the All England Club in emotional scenes last summer, with past and present greats of tennis paying tribute to her.

In March it was confirmed that Balding, who has been part of the BBC’s coverage since 1995, would step into Barker’s shoes, with former England cricketer Guha sharing presenting duties for a second year.

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Guha praised her co-host, telling the PA news agency: “Clare is the ultimate professional. She’s got so much energy about her and that’s what she brings to the screen. You very much feel you’re in there with her when she’s talking to you.

“I think she wants to do it in a way that’s true to her and that’s bringing that energy. I think as people who haven’t played tennis to a professional standard, it’s asking those questions the general audience wants to hear. You get that different take.”

Guha relished learning off Barker last year, saying: “She’s got an incredible warmth. When you watch her on television she feels like a friend.

“She was someone I certainly watched when I was younger, never imagined that I’d even be in her company so to be sat there with her and see how she goes about her business, her offering me advice and so forth, it was a little bit surreal but at the same time we’re just watching her in awe because she’s been the face of the BBC for such a long time and we absolutely respect and admire everything she’s done for sports broadcasting as a female.

“It was just an incredible time last year. The ability to be there with Sue, see how she operates, the doyenne of sports broadcasting, and to be in Clare Balding’s company and all these legends. It was a pretty amazing experience.”

With Wimbledon being one of the jewels in the BBC’s crown, it is no surprise to hear that Barker’s departure will not mean any radical departures from previous coverage of the grand slam, although Balding and Guha are keen to put their own stamp on it.

“No one can ever be Sue Barker,” said Guha. “She was who she was because she was true to herself as an individual, and that’s what made her so special. I just do the best I can to bring the best out of my guests.

“The role as a presenter is really managing the traffic and giving the audience what they want but also trying to make it fun as well as informative.

“I love the dynamism of broadcast and being able to throw it around a bit. I don’t think we’ll be moving too far away from what’s made it successful but we’d love to get out and about. I think that dynamism is really important.”

With Barker and Balding at the helm, tennis has been at the forefront of female-led sports broadcasting, and Guha has played a key role in the move to gender equality in cricket.

“It’s a huge honour and we absolutely understand what that signifies,” she said.

“We just see ourselves as broadcasters and I think what we’re striving to achieve is that normalisation across the board, whether that’s commentary, presenting or reporting or punditry.

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“That’s what’s excited me about cricket in recent times is that it doesn’t feel normal to not have a female on a broadcast now.”

Guha will be in the host’s chair when live coverage begins at 11am on Monday and there will be comprehensive coverage across the BBC’s platforms, including iPlayer and BBC Radio 5 Live, where John McEnroe and Tim Henman will present the 6-Love-6 phone-in.

Newcomer Qasa Alom, meanwhile, will host daily highlights show Today at Wimbledon daily on BBC Two.

In the week the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket’s report shone a sobering light on racism, sexism, elitism and classism within that sport, Guha shared her own more positive experiences of broadcasting.

“I think sport is a reflection of society, it’s a reflection of every environment you go into, but, if we’re all trying to create progress and create environments that are truly inclusive, (then we can’t shy away from it),” said the 38-year-old.

“Certainly when I first started broadcasting in cricket it was male dominated and there was a sense of feeling the need to fit it, not speaking out too much. I’ve been very lucky to have support from many of my male colleagues and I’m genuinely thankful for that.”

Guha is still building those relationships within tennis but, a long-time fan of the sport, she treasures the experiences she had last summer.

“One of my favourite things was just walking into work every day,” she said. “I was going in at 6.30am and it was so peaceful and calm before the chaos. It was goosebumps every time I walked into the grounds.

“It was a bit like how I feel when I walk into Lord’s when it’s empty, just that sense of history and being a part of something really special.

“Also, I was there a couple of days before it started and I was being shown all the different camera zones where we would do our broadcasts.

“I walked with my director to Centre Court and I saw (Matteo) Berrettini practising with (Rafael) Nadal so it was just me and my director, those two playing on court and maybe one other person. That felt very surreal and just to be able to see Nadal at close quarters like that was a real privilege.”

Opportunities for women in sport continue to improve, but breaking down barriers of discrimination on or off the court was never going to be easy, according to London Lions women’s team general manager Vanja Cernivec.

Last summer, Slovenian-born Cernivec was appointed the first female general manager at a Women’s British Basketball League side.

Having previously been an international scout for the Chicago Bulls, the first woman in the NBA’s history to fulfil the position, Cernivec is no stranger to overcoming boundaries.

Emily Clarke was announced as the new general manager of the Women’s British Basketball League at the end of June.

Nevertheless, recent research commissioned by the Lions showed 25 per cent of women felt progressing in a sport, either at player or management level, was not viable as there were no role models to relate to.

Part of the study, which was conducted across a nationally representative cohort of 2,090 respondents, also revealed 20 per cent of females said they had experienced some kind of discrimination or exclusion which deterred them from participating in a sport.

Cernivec, though, feels appointments such as her own and that of Clarke – who previously held management roles at Basketball England – demonstrate there is a genuine drive to embrace change alongside having difficult conversations on delivering equality throughout the sport.

“Generally the reception (to my role) has been very positive,” Cernivec told the PA news agency.

“(London Lions owners) 777 have done an incredible step assigning that position. It didn’t matter who stepped in – in this case, it was me.

“By opening this position, they have kind of set a milestone and said how important this role is, setting the same standard for the women’s game as for the men’s.

“The hire of Emily as the GM (general manager) for the Women’s British Basketball League is a great step forward, but changes are never easy for people to accept.”

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Cernivec added: “Things are changing for the better, the fact we are talking about this right now says that.

“If you look at women’s sport globally, it is on the rise. It is not the next upcoming thing, it is the thing right now, so anyone who tries to ignore it is on the wrong path.

“But the fact that women still feel discriminated against in the grassroots and participation level is something which needs to be changed immediately – not only from a professional (sports) aspect, but also for the mental and physical health of our youth.”

Cernivec’s role also saw her become global director of London Lions Academy.

During June, the Lions took part in the inaugural junior NBA European finals in Valencia, sending both an under-15s boys and girls team to the elite youth tournament.

Cernivec hopes such projects can help further develop the talent pool of home-grown players and potential future professionals.

“If you look at the pathway for young British male or female players, it kind of ends in the last year of high school and if they want to continue playing (at an elite level), then they have to go abroad,” she said.

“That is something the Lions are trying to change and help create a professional pathway – with coaches around, nutritionists, mental health support, strength and conditioning, all that comes along with building the athletes to what they aspire to be.

“With the junior NBA platform, it was a great event which has exposed us to where the British talent is right now and where our coaching pool stands, so it was a great experience for everyone.

“We have a great pool of talent in Britain. It is just a matter of how fast we can build up the coaching staff and the facilities, everything which is needed to give them the right development they deserve.”

PA SPORT BIRTHDAYS

Sir Richard Hadlee (cricket) – New Zealand’s record-breaking all-rounder who was the first man to take 400 Test wickets, born 1951.

Henry Olonga (cricket) – former Zimbabwe Test bowler, best known for his protest against Robert Mugabe, born 1976.

Bobby Skinstad (rugby union) – former South Africa captain, born 1976.

Harbhajan Singh (cricket) – former India off-spinner, born 1980.

Tim Jonkers (rugby league) – former St Helens, Salford, Wigan and Leigh utility player, born 1981.

Sebastian Vettel (motor racing) – Four-time Formula One world champion, born 1987.

Winston Reid (soccer) – New Zealand and former West Ham defender, born 1988.

Ruesha Littlejohn (soccer) – Republic of Ireland midfielder, born 1990.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (tennis) – 2021 French Open finalist from Russia, born 1991.

Shannon Courtenay (boxing) – former WBA female bantamweight champion, born 1993.

ON THIS DAY IN SPORT

1902: Bramall Lane in Sheffield became England’s seventh Test cricket ground when it staged the third match between England and Australia. The tourists’ Clem Hill scored the only century on the ground, which was not used again for a Test.

1977: Britain’s Barry Sheene won the Belgian Grand Prix 500cc race at an average speed of 135.07mph, the fastest ever recorded at a world championship motorcycle race.

1997: Celtic appointed former Netherlands international Wim Jansen as head coach. He went on to lead the club to their first Scottish title in 10 years in his only season in charge.

2001: Arsenal signed Sol Campbell from north London neighbours Tottenham on a free transfer.

2005: Number one seed Roger Federer won his third Wimbledon title by beating Andy Roddick 6-2 7-6 (2) 6-4 in the men’s singles final.

2007: Relegated Sheffield United’s appeal against the Premier League punishment imposed on West Ham over the Carlos Tevez affair was dismissed by an arbitration panel.

2008: Red Bull Racing’s David Coulthard confirmed he was to retire from competing in Formula One at the end of the season.

2010: Serena Williams won her fourth Wimbledon title by beating Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-3 6-2 in the final.

2011: Novak Djokovic beat Spanish top seed Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3 to win the Wimbledon men’s singles title for the first time.

2012: Dwain Chambers was selected to represent Great Britain at the London Olympics. The controversial sprinter had previously been banned for life from the Games under a British Olympic Association bylaw which was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport earlier in 2012. Chambers missed out on a place in the 100 metres final after finishing fourth in his semi-final.

2017: Former England captain John Terry joined Championship club Aston Villa on a one-year deal.

2018: England reached the World Cup quarter-finals after beating Colombia 4-3 on penalties in Moscow. The teams were level at 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra-time.

2019: Belgian duo Greet Minnen and Alison Van Uytvanck become the first same-sex couple to play together in a match at Wimbledon, beating British pair Katie Swan and Freya Christie in the first round of the women’s doubles.

2021: England thrashed Ukraine 4-0 in Rome to set up a Euro 2020 semi-final against Denmark.

PA SPORT SELECTIVE TV LISTINGS:

Today (Monday, July 3)

TENNIS: Wimbledon – BBC Two England 1030, BBC One 1345 and 1900.

CYCLING: Tour de France, stage three – Eurosport 1 1130, S4C and ITV4 1400.

CRICKET: ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, Netherlands v Oman – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket 0730.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, July 4)

TENNIS: Wimbledon – BBC Two England 1100, BBC One 1345 and 1900.

CYCLING: Tour de France, stage four – Eurosport 1 1130, ITV4 1400.

CRICKET: ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, Zimbabwe v Scotland – Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket 0730; Women’s International T20, West Indies v Ireland – BT Sport 2 2145.

PA SPORT QUIZ

1. England wicketkeeper Amy Jones plays for which Hundred franchise?

2. Who did Savannah Marshall beat to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion?

3. How many Wimbledon singles titles did Roger Federer win?

4. Which NFL team play their home games at Soldier Field?

5. Who is captain of England Women’s rugby league team?

6. Who won the 2022 Tour de France?

7. Where will the 2026 Winter Olympics be held?

8. At which club did Cesc Fabregas begin his senior career?

9. Scotland will kick off their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign against which team?

10. Jin Young Ko is a leading name in which sport?

ANSWERS: 1. Birmingham Phoenix; 2. Franchon Crews-Dezurn; 3. Eight; 4. Chicago Bears; 5. Jodie Cunningham; 6. Jonas Vingegaard; 7. Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo; 8. Arsenal; 9. South Africa; 10. Golf.

Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings have agreed to five-year contract extension worth $217 million, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The deal includes $195 million in new money, Sabonis’ agents said Saturday night.

The Kings are using the salary cap to deliver an additional $8.6 million to raise Sabonis’ earnings for 2023-24 to $30.6 million and will add a four-year extension that will give him nearly $200 million more over the life of the contract.

Sabonis’ first full season with the Kings in 2023-24 was an excellent one. He averaged 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists while shooting 61.5 percent from the field as he made third-team All-NBA.

Led by Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox, the Kings won the Pacific Division title and ended a 16-year playoff drought in 2022-23 with a 48-34 record.

Sabonis was acquired from Indiana in February 2022 in the deal that sent All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton to the Pacers.

David Haye came up short in his attempt to unify the heavyweight division as he was beaten on points by Wladimir Klitschko in Germany on this day in 2011.

Bidding to take the IBF and WBO belts from Klitschko to add to his own WBA title, Haye failed to make much of an impression in what was a much-hyped fight in Hamburg and claimed he had broken a toe after the match.

The judges scored the bout 117-109, 118-108 and 116-110 all in favour of ‘Dr Steelhammer’, handing Klitschko an easy victory after 12 rounds on a rainy night at the Imtech Arena.

In the pre-match build-up, Haye called Klitschko a “fraud” and “not tough enough” and claimed the Ukrainian looked “beaten and broken” before he even stepped into the ring for “the biggest fight in boxing”.

The then 30-year-old had predicted a straightforward win inside the distance but the outcome was far from it as German-based Klitschko outboxed his opponent in a highly-professional performance.

Haye previously spoke of retiring in glory before he turned 31 but defeat ended those dreams and was a disappointment to the 10,000 Britons in the 45,000 crowd.

Haye said after the match: “I broke my toe on my right foot.

“I couldn’t push off the right foot to throw the right hand.

“I thought adrenaline would get me through it but it was tough. It’s incredibly frustrating.”

The Atlanta Braves struck early again with six first-inning runs and rolled to their seventh consecutive win, 7-0 over the Miami Marlins on Saturday.

Ronald Acuna and Ozzie Albies hit back-to-back homers to ignite the six-run first and Charlie Morton struck out five in 5 2/3 innings to keep the Braves surging into July.

Atlanta (55-27) has won 23 of its last 27 games and has taken over baseball’s best record from the Tampa Bay Rays, who held the honour since opening the season 13-0.

After Acuna and Albies took rookie Eury Perez deep, Austin Riley and Matt Olson singled before Sean Murphy doubled home a run. Marcell Ozuna’s two-run double made it 5-0 and one out later another double by Orlando Arcia capped the early outburst.

The six runs gave the Braves 87 in the opening inning in their last 82 games, including 11 in the first two games of this series.

Perez entered the game with an MLB-best 21-inning scoreless streak and a 1.34 ERA but lasted just a third of an inning, allowing six runs and seven hits.

Atlanta has won eight of nine meetings this season against Miami by a combined 77-26 margin.

Bohm powers Phillies to rout

Alec Bohm hit two homers and drove in a career high-tying six runs to lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a 19-4 drubbing of the Washington Nationals.

Kyle Schwarber had a grand slam, and Nick Castellanos fell a triple shy of the cycle with three RBIs as part of Philadelphia’s 18-hit attack.

The 19 runs were the most scored by Philadelphia since a 20-1 win over the Miami Marlins on April 7, 2018.

Rangers’ Eovaldi shuts down Astros for 10th win

Nathan Eovaldi continued his stellar season with seven scoreless innings and the AL West-leading Texas Rangers defeated the second-place Houston Astros, 5-2.

Eovaldi struck out five and limited the Astros to two singles while working around a season-high four walks to join Tampa Bay Rays ace Shane McClanahan as the only 10-game winners in the AL.

All-Stars Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Josh Jung each drove in a run and Jonah Heim – also an All-Star – had three hits with a run scored.

Rickie Fowler came home with a wet sail at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Saturday, birdieing six of his last eight holes to take the lead in Detroit.

The American picked up three shots on the front nine but a bogey after the turn threatened to derail his round.

He righted the ship quickly however, his late flurry propelling him to 20 under par and a one stroke lead ahead of Adam Hadwin.

Speaking after his round, Fowler said: “Whether it happens (Sunday) or not, it’s going to happen here soon.

“I’ve been playing a lot of really good golf and been putting myself in good positions.

“This definitely won’t be the last.”

The Canadian carded a stellar third round 63 to gain seven spots on the leaderboard and keep in close range of Fowler, who has not won an event on the PGA Tour in four years.

England’s Aaron Rai is tied for fourth on 17 under following a Saturday score of 66.

England will look to captain Ben Stokes on the last day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s in their attempt to pull off another miraculous chase.

Day four had initially been slow going for most of the morning and afternoon session before a dramatic final few hours on Saturday night saw Australia all out for 279 and England reduced to 114 for four in pursuit of 371.

It only told half the story with bouncers aplenty and Nathan Lyon writing his name in Ashes folklore.

Opener Ben Duckett remains at the crease after he earned a late reprieve and the equation is now simple; Australia need six more wickets to move 2-0 up and England a further 257 runs to clinch a record-breaking Lord’s chase.

View from the dressing roomAnother record chase?

The Stokes and Brendon McCullum era kicked off last summer with a fourth-innings chase at Lord’s against New Zealand and it may take another to keep the wheels on track.

Critics are ready to pile in on England’s ‘Bazball’ approach, which has veered too far on the aggressive dial at times during this Test, but the skipper has been the exception to the rule with an impressive degree of patience in both of his innings so far.

When England chased 279 to beat New Zealand at Lord’s, it proved the catalyst for a memorable summer with an incredible 378 knocked off against India at Edgbaston but the true test of this free spirit style was always going to come against Australia. Defeat on Sunday will leave Australia with one hand on the urn and may land a telling blow on the confidence of a group who insist entertainment tops everything.

Limping Lyon shows heart

Lyon wrote his name firmly into Ashes folklore with a batting display of pure guts and determination. A “significant” calf strain for the Australia spinner on day two means he is unlikely to feature again in the Ashes, but he made sure there would be one final contribution in this series.

With Australia reduced to 264 for nine, a lead of 355, Lyon hobbled out to a round of applause. He had been on crutches since his injury on Thursday night and started his journey through the Lord’s corridors when the eighth wicket went down in fear of being timed out.

After he limped out, a crazy 25-minute period followed with Lyon able to middle a number from the bat but not in any fit state to take the runs on offer, although he did hop through for a single before his crowning moment arrived when he pulled Broad for four. He was out later in the over, but left to a standing ovation following a brave 13-ball knock of four that helped the Aussies add 15 more runs.

Amazing Ahmed acrobatics

The comical scene of Lyon hopping through for a single only happened because of an outstanding piece of fielding by substitute Rehan Ahmed, who somehow prevented Starc’s big heave off Broad clearing the boundary rope.

With Lyon unable to run singles and England continuously bowling bumpers, Starc took on the big shot but saw his pull clawed back by Ahmed in mid-air before Zak Crawley collected the bouncing ball to force Lyon to limp across the wicket from the pavilion end.

It was play of the day during a remarkable passage of cricket.

Safe hands Joe

When Joe Root took a sharp chance with his left hand at short leg to dismiss Travis Head off Broad’s bowling after lunch, it helped the ex-England captain clinch another record.

It was Root’s 176th Test catch, taking him beyond Sir Alastair Cook’s record total for England excluding wicketkeepers.

Root, in typical fashion, quickly set about extending his tally with two further grabs to send Alex Carey and Josh Hazlewood back to the pavilion during a barrage of short-pitched bowling by the hosts in the morning and afternoon session.

Starc warning

Most of the talk was of a catch which did not stand, though, with former Australia bowler Glenn McGrath labelling the decision to overturn Starc’s grab of Duckett “a disgrace”.

The Marylebone Cricket Club, custodians of the laws of the game as well as owners of Lord’s, were quick to clarify the relevant law in support of the umpires.

“Law 33.3 clearly states that a catch is only completed when the fielder has “complete control over the ball and his/her own movement,” the MCC wrote on Twitter.

“The ball cannot touch the ground before then. In this particular incident, Mitchell Starc was still sliding as the ball rubbed the ground, therefore he was not in control of his movement.”

Prince George tucks in

Day four of the second Ashes Test was enjoyed by The Prince of Wales and his son Prince George.

George, aged nine, looked to be engrossed in the action while equally focused on his pizza as his father caught up with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a box at Lord’s.

All three will hope to have witnessed the start of a record chase.

The Charlotte Hornets and All-Star guard LaMelo Ball have agreed on a designated rookie maximum extension, multiple media outlets reported Saturday. The five-year deal is reportedly worth up to $260million.

Ball’s new deal comes a day after his draftmates – Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Memphis’ Desmond Bane – also agreed to max rookie extensions.

Ball was the third overall pick in the 2020 draft and was named the 2021 Rookie of the Year. In his second season, Ball was selected as an All-Star.

A 6-foot-7 playmaker, Ball averaged career highs last year of 23.3 points and 8.4 assists but was limited to 36 games due to injury.

Ball missed the start of last season due to a slow-healing sprained left ankle, and his campaign ended abruptly in February when he fractured his right ankle.

Bucks keep Lopez

The Milwaukee Bucks are bringing back veteran center Brook Lopez after agreeing to a two-year, $48million contract, according to multiple media reports.

The agreement comes a day after the Bucks and swingman Khris Middleton reportedly agreed to a new three-year contract.

Lopez, 35, has been a pillar in the frontcourt next to Giannis Antetokounmpo since joining the Bucks in 2018 and helped Milwaukee win an NBA title in 2021.

Lopez finished second in voting for Defensive Player of the Year last season and averaged a career-high 2.5 blocks. He added 15.9 points per game last season while shooting 53.1 percent from the field and 37.4 percent from 3-point range.

Lakers retain Reaves, Russell

The Los Angeles Lakers have reached agreements to keep starting guards Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, according to media reports.

Reaves, who was a restricted free agent, will reportedly receive a four-year, $56million deal, while Russell’s deal is worth $37million over two seasons.

After going 43-39 last season, the Lakers are hoping to build on a run to the Western Conference finals.

Behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Reaves was the Lakers’ third-leading scorer in the playoffs at 16.9 points per game, while Russell was fourth at 13.3 points per game.

DiVincenzo joins Knicks

Donte DiVincenzo agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal to join the Knicks and former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.

DiVincenzo spent last season with the Warriors and won an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, though he played in just three playoff games before tearing a ligament in his ankle.

He played a career-high 72 games last season for Golden State and averaged 9.4 points. 

Cavs land Strus in 3-team swap, Heat shed salary

Max Strus is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a three-team trade and will receive a four-year, $63million contract, according to media reports.

The San Antonio Spurs landed Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens and a future second-round pick in the deal.

The Miami Heat only received a future second-round pick in the deal but created some salary cap flexibility that could aid in acquiring a high-priced player like Damian Lillard or James Harden.

Strus scored a career-high 11.5 points per game last season for the Heat and was a key contributor in Miami’s run to the NBA Finals.

Brooks leaves Grizzlies for Rockets

Dillon Brooks is moving to the Rockets on a four-year deal worth nearly $80 million.

ESPN is reporting the deal may become a sign-and-trade, one that would create a massive trade exception for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Brooks averaged 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 73 games last season for Memphis.

He became a key player for a Grizzlies team that made the playoffs each of the past three seasons, earning a reputation as one of the league’s premier wing defenders.

Brooks was fined by the NBA for not talking to the media after some playoff losses last season and was ejected in Game 3 of the first-round series against the Lakers for striking LeBron James in the groin. That was after he called James “old” and led the NBA with 18 technical fouls last season, earning a pair of one-game suspensions in the process.

Westbrook stays with Clippers

Russell Westbrook will continue his run with the Los Angeles Clippers, agreeing to a two-year deal with the team he ended last season with.

The deal is worth $7.8 million, with the second year a player option, according to sources.

Westbrook began last season with the Los Angeles Lakers but was traded to the Utah Jazz at the deadline. He never played for the Jazz and was signed by the Clippers on February 22.

The 9-time All-Star averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 assists and 4.9 assists in 21 regular-season games with the Clippers.