Cruiserweight Richard Riakporhe believes boxing has allowed him to escape the “bottom of the barrel” and give opportunities to those without a voice.

Aside from the personal rewards which go hand-in-hand with being the number two WBO cruiserweight, south Londoner Riakporhe is keen to use his platform to help others.

“Growing up around the Aylesbury Estate (Walworth, south east London) we came from a low social class,” Riakporhe told the PA news agency.

“I had my mother and father present but I became a product of my environment. There are others who are from worse situations and they need a lot of support but no-one seems to care and that’s the saddest part about it. When I see them, I see myself in them which is why I do what I do.

“I have come up with different initiatives, I have come up with my foundation where we are doing a lot of things behind the scenes and slowly pushing them out there to try and give people opportunities.

“I became a reference, people started to use me as an example. I naturally grew into that position. I embrace it and I want to do more, it’s all about legacy, boxing is one thing and it’s something I love but there are other things that people will remember me for. I have a strong purpose.

“I want that major influence, I want to help others, use the platform to help others, give opportunities to those who are not seen and who will probably never be heard.”

Riakporhe has his sights set on cruiserweight glory this year after Lawrence Okolie’s defeat to Chris Billam-Smith last month, which would be quite the turnaround from his youthful surroundings where he was stabbed as a teenager.

And the orthodox fighter looked back at his upbringing and credited boxing with providing him with an outlet and discipline which allowed him to stay clear from distractions.

“To be honest I owe a lot to boxing. For you to elevate and be successful in boxing you have to be disciplined and that takes you away from self-sabotage,” Riakporhe added.

“To be successful you have to go to the gym, work out, avoid distractions. There are so many elements of boxing that develop your character.

“We had to learn and navigate around the place because we wanted to create a better opportunity for ourselves, live a better life and the only way we could’ve done that is by learning and developing ourselves every single day or staying in the same position at the bottom of the barrel and I didn’t want to accept that anymore, I wanted to make something of myself.

“In that environment you’re pretty much doing things to survive, people do things because they have to. People have no money so they get into crime, people have no jobs so they get into crime. It takes a lot of mental strength to not get involved in things going on in and around the area.”

Premier League clubs can begin shaping their squads for the 2023-24 season when the transfer window opens on Wednesday.

Here, the PA news agency picks out some high-profile players who could make summer moves.

Harry Kane

England captain Kane is entering the final year of his contract with Tottenham and has been repeatedly linked with Manchester United while Real Madrid have also been touted as a possible destination. However, Spurs are thought to be reluctant to sell their record goalscorer, particularly to a top-flight rival.

Declan Rice

West Ham skipper Rice marked potentially his final match for his current club by leading them to Europa Conference League glory. According to reports, London rivals Arsenal are closing in on the 24-year-old England midfielder and are expected to pay a club-record fee in excess of £100million.

Moises Caicedo

Europa League-bound Brighton have already sold World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool and may lose fellow star midfielder Caicedo. Arsenal bid for the Ecuador international in January. The 21-year-old has also been linked with Manchester United and Chelsea.

James Maddison

Midfield playmaker Maddison seems certain to be on the move following Leicester’s relegation. Newcastle are thought to be in pole position to secure the signature of the 26-year-old, whose contract expires next summer. Tottenham are also reportedly interested.

Mason Mount

Chelsea and England midfielder Mount is another player whose existing deal has just 12 months remaining. The 24-year-old, who joined the Blues’ academy in 2005, is reportedly a target for Manchester United, with talks between the clubs said to be already under way.

Harry Maguire

The Manchester United captain has fallen out of favour under Erik ten Hag but is thought to be keen to fight for his future at Old Trafford. Newcastle, Tottenham and Aston Villa have each been linked with Maguire, who cost United £80m from Leicester in 2019.

Nikola Jokic is now in "the legendary category" after he propelled the Denver Nuggets to victory in the NBA Finals.

Jokic capped a sensational postseason by sparking Denver's comeback from a 10-point second-quarter deficit on Monday.

The Serbian finished with 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting along with 16 rebounds as the Nuggets won 94-89 against the Miami Heat to clinch the championship in Game 5.

For Detroit Pistons great Isiah Thomas, two-time NBA MVP Jokic must be considered among the very best.

"It puts him in the legendary category for what he's done statistically in the Finals," Thomas told ESPN.

"I don't know if there's anyone who's ever had a statistical run in the NBA Finals as a center as he had in these categories."

For Jokic, who can now add an NBA Finals MVP award to his long list of career accolades, it was a case of a job well done.

"It's good, we did the job. I think we played the best basketball – I'm not going to say in the postseason – but we were there, playing the best basketball," Jokic told reporters.

"Since day one, there was something different about this team, an energy, and every day since I've had this feeling. I'm not really an optimistic guy but that gave me hope that we can do something."

It has been a long road for the Nuggets to their first NBA title, but Jokic believes a team must experience downs as well as ups to be great.

"If you want to be successful, you need a couple of years to be bad, then be good, and then when you're good you need to fail and then figure it out," he added.

"I think experience isn't what happened to you, it's what you're going to do after what happened. There are no shortcuts, it's a journey and I'm glad to be part of this journey.

"It's a good thing to know you've done something that nobody believed [we could]. Every player believed, and that's the good thing."

In 20 postseason games, Jokic accumulated 600 points, 269 rebounds and 190 assists. Never before in NBA history had a player reached those numbers over a 20-game span.

Jokic also became the first player in NBA history to have 25+ points and 15+ rebounds on 75 percent shooting in a championship-clinching win.

Next week’s Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot is among the options under consideration for Caernarfon after trainer Jack Channon decided against a bid for Classic glory in France on Sunday.

A creditable fourth over a mile in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, the daughter of Cityscape stepped up on that performance when third in the Oaks at Epsom over a mile and a half.

Caernarfon had the option of running in this weekend’s French Oaks at Chantilly over a mile and a quarter, but while Channon is keen to try her over the intermediate distance on her next start, he scratched his stable star from the Prix de Diane on Tuesday morning.

Explaining the decision, Channon said: “If I’m brutally honest, I didn’t like the outlook of the French race, simply due to the fact it can be a very messy race.

“From a wide draw you can’t win at Chantilly and even with a plum draw, she’s not the biggest, she’s the type of filly that could lose her position and if you get too far back round there it’s a very hard place to win.

“I just thought there’d be better options and some of the races in the late summer, like the Nassau at Goodwood, are going to be right up her street.”

Caernarfon will now either take on the boys at the Royal meeting or wait for Group One opportunities against her own sex.

“We’ve got a couple options, you’ve got the Hampton Court Stakes over a mile and a quarter if you wanted to go against the colts at Ascot, or you’ve obviously got the Ribblesdale against the fillies over a mile and a half,” Channon continued.

“We could definitely look at a mile and a half again in the future, but I think a mile and a quarter is where I want to go with her next.

“You’ve got the Pretty Polly in Ireland over a mile and a quarter a couple of weeks after that, so we’ve got a few options and we’re not concrete on anything yet.

“She’s in great form and wherever we go she’ll be ready to rock and roll. She’s come out of Epsom probably better than she did Newmarket, so we’re chuffed.”

The PGA Tour is confident it will be able to assure Congress it controls the shock new venture with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund after a United States Senator opened an investigation into the deal.

The PGA announced a week ago a plan to combine its commercial business with those of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which includes the LIV Golf series that the PGA had previously been in open dispute with.

Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic Senator for Connecticut, wrote to PGA Tour chief executive Jay Monahan and his LIV Golf counterpart Greg Norman on Monday to say the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was “reviewing matters” concerning the deal.

Senator Blumenthal wrote in his letter to Monahan: “PGA Tour’s agreement with PIF regarding LIV Golf raises concerns about the Saudi government’s role in influencing this effort and the risks posed by a foreign government entity assuming control over a cherished American institution.”

In response, the PGA Tour issued a statement which read: “We are confident that once Congress learns more about how the PGA Tour will control this new venture, they will understand the opportunities this will create for our players, our communities and our sport, all while protecting an American golf institution.”

The PGA insists the new venture is not a merger and that it is not owned by PIF. It says PIF will be investing in this new subsidiary, with the PGA Tour retaining majority ownership and control.

Senator Blumenthal asked for relevant documents and information to be shared by June 26.

He noted in both letters that the announcement last Tuesday marked “a sudden and and drastic reversal of position” from the PGA Tour towards LIV Golf which raised “serious questions”.

The PGA and LIV Golf had been involved in litigation in the US courts, with a number of players defecting from the PGA to LIV for huge sums of money.

The new venture, which the PGA promised would “unify the game of golf, on a global basis” and which also includes the European Tour, is sure to be a major topic of discussion as players gather for this week’s US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club.

Rory McIlroy, one of the PGA’s most high-profile supporters in its battle with LIV, said last week he felt like “a sacrificial lamb” after the deal was confirmed.

Jude Bellingham says he is harnessing the pain of England’s near misses as the talented teenager homes in on European Championship glory next summer.

The national team are in the midst of their most successful period since Sir Alf Ramsey led Bobby Moore’s heroes to World Cup glory in 1966.

The surprising run to the 2018 semi-finals in Russia was followed by manager Gareth Southgate leading England to a first European Championship final two years ago.

Bellingham’s first tournament ended in an agonising shoot-out defeat to Italy at Wembley and his maiden World Cup ended in a galling quarter-final exit to France in December.

But now attention turns to their quest for Euros glory in Germany next summer – a tournament England will take a giant step towards by winning June’s qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.

Bellingham, who is closing in on a move to Real Madrid after Borussia Dortmund accepted their offer, will play no part in those matches due to a knee injury, yet he still reported to St George’s Park as he continues rehabilitation.

“We’ve got to attack the qualifiers with the same mentality as we attack major tournaments,” Bellingham recently told the PA news agency.

“The last three (tournaments), I’d say, we’ve been pretty successful. The last one was a bit disappointing, but we probably played a harder opponent than the previous ones.

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“The way we went out was disappointing, but you take confidence in the fact that you can go toe-to-toe with one of the better teams in Europe.

“It stands you in good stead when you know there’s not many better teams on paper – you’d like to think – that are better than us.

“So, you take that confidence and you take the experience that we’ve gained from the last few.

“The goal is always to try and win it. That should be the goal for all of us going into it and that’s what we’ll try and do.”

Bellingham does not lack confidence and nor should he given England’s performances in Qatar.

A narrow defeat to eventual finalists and Euro 2024 favourites France did for Southgate’s side in the desert, where the midfielder says their progress was no mirage.

“I felt so confident going into that France game that we’d get a result,” said Bellingham, speaking in his role as ambassador for McDonald’s Fun Football programme – which provides free, inclusive football coaching for children aged five to 11 across more than 1,500 locations in the UK.

“I think probably we fell short in the big moments for their goals and obviously the penalties and moments like that.

“The majority of the game we didn’t have clear chances, but when we did, we could have been a bit more decisive maybe. But, like I said, it’s an experience to take into the next ones.

“I just really enjoyed the experience as a whole – relishing being away, playing in such a good team, having that pressure on me and on the team. It’s something that I really enjoyed.”

Bellingham underlined his place as one of the greatest talents in the world in Qatar, flourishing in England’s midfield after a restricted but valuable role at Euro 2020.

Aged 17 he became the youngest English player to feature in a major tournament, making three substitute appearances in a crash course summer of learning.

“It was a bit of weird one for me because I didn’t play (much),” Bellingham said. “It was my first major tournament and I didn’t play too much.

“But I was still like a sponge while I was there, trying to learn from everything that was going on around me, having it in England as well.

“You could see the pressure up close almost and you went to the games and the atmosphere was incredible. We fell short at the final hurdle, so you take a lot of experience from that.

“But there’s also a level of…not regret but motivation that you can take from the tournament.

“I think, for me, the pain that I felt after that final and after the World Cup will definitely drive me in the tournaments to come.”

You certainly would not back against ambitious Bellingham and his talented England team-mates as they look to finally land silverware in Germany.

“I’d just say stick with us, really,” the 24-cap teenager said when asked what his message to supporters would be.

“England fans can feel it themselves, They’re ambitious, but they’re not stupid. There’s a reason for the kind of expectation and the hype around the team at the minute.

“The truth is that we are delivering. We’d like to deliver a trophy and a tournament win, of course, but I think there’s steps to doing that.

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“A lot of the great international teams in the past didn’t win straight away. They had to build for years before they managed to get over the line.

“I think that there’s something similar happening with this England team now. I wouldn’t say patience is the word but just stick with us because we’ll deliver.”

:: Jude Bellingham was speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football session to announce his role as an ambassador for the UK’s largest grassroots participation programme for 5-11 year olds. Find your nearest free session at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/football.

The Nottingham Open is set to commence as planned on Tuesday despite what police described as an “horrific and tragic incident” in the city centre.

A number of roads are closed following the arrest of a man on suspicion of murder after three people were found dead – two in Ilkeston Road and then a man in Magdala Road.

Tournament organisers announced that play will go ahead as scheduled at 11am, but warned spectators to expect delays en route.

An LTA statement read: “Spectators should be aware of travel disruption around Nottingham city centre this morning due to a police incident.

“Play will commence at 11am as normal, but please be aware your travel may take longer than normal.”

Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable Kate Meynell said: “This is a horrific and tragic incident which has claimed the lives of three people.

“We believe these three incidents are all linked and we have a man in custody.

“This investigation is at its early stages and a team of detectives is working to establish exactly what has happened.

“We ask the public to be patient while inquiries continue. At this time, a number of roads in the city will remain closed as this investigation progresses.”

Sheikh Jassim is still waiting to hear whether his fifth and final offer for Manchester United has been successful, according to sources close to the Qatari.

Recent reports within Qatar had indicated that the Sheikh’s bid – which is for 100 per cent of the club – had seen off the bid from Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

However, the Sheikh Jassim camp described those reports as pure speculation and say they remain in a ‘holding pattern’. They expect the next step will be for the United board to meet and consider both bids.

United have been approached for comment.

Sheikh Jassim’s fifth bid was made last week, but at the same time it was made clear to the Glazer family – who own the club – and to the Raine merchant banking group which is overseeing the sale that he would not engage with the process beyond last Friday.

The Qataris are eager to get the deal done with the summer transfer window about to kick into gear.

Sheikh Jassim’s bid is understood to be a fully cash deal for 100 per cent of the club, and that all United’s debts would be cleared.

Sources close to the Sheikh’s bid say that separate, additional funding would be made available for player recruitment, infrastructure and other investment needs.

The Glazers first announced their intention to consider a sale of the club in November last year, with the first bids from Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim tabled in February.

There have been reports that Ratcliffe’s offer is for 60 per cent of the club, with Avram and Joel Glazer retaining a combined 20 per cent stake, but sources close to Ratcliffe have not confirmed this.

Jimmy Butler still believes he can lead the Miami Heat to NBA championship glory despite his team falling short in a 4-1 series defeat to the Denver Nuggets.

The Denver Nuggets became NBA champions for the first time after a tense 94-89 win over Miami in Game 5 on Monday.

Miami, just the second No. 8 seed out of a conference to reach the NBA Finals, made the Nuggets work for the clinching win. They held a seven-point halftime lead and were 89-88 ahead inside the last two minutes.

But the Nuggets, boosted by another monster performance from NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, rallied to end the franchise's long championship drought.

Butler has been with the Heat for four seasons and lost out in the NBA Finals twice – with the Los Angeles Lakers triumphant in six games back in 2020 on his previous attempt to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy – but the six-time All-Star, who is three months from turning 34, remains optimistic.

"It's been great," Butler said to ESPN about his four seasons with the Heat. 

"I've had some helluva teammates come through and compete with me and give us the opportunity to win a championship, which I still believe, with everything in me, that we will do as a team here, as an organisation, as a city in Miami.

"I'm just grateful. I learned so much from this group. They taught me so much. I wish I could have got it done for these guys, because they definitely deserve it."

Coach Erik Spoelstra accepted the Nuggets were worthy winners but spoke with pride about his team's achievements in a dramatic season.

Miami almost lost to the Chicago Bulls during the second game of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament before their sensational run to the Finals, beating the No.1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks and championship favourites the Boston Celtics.

"There's no regrets on our end," Spoelstra said. "There's just sometimes where you get beat, and Denver was the better basketball team in this series. 

"Those last three or four minutes felt like a scene out of a movie. Two teams in the ring throwing haymaker after haymaker, and it's not necessarily shot making, it's the efforts.

"I don't know how long it would take me to go through the autopsy of this final game, but I would say that it will probably rank as our hardest, competitive, most active defensive game of the season, and it still fell short.

"You have to tip your hat to them. They are one hell of a basketball team. They play the right way, they compete, they are well-coached and they have a strong culture. 

"So for this season, they deserve this."

Jokic capped a sensational postseason by sparking Denver's comeback from a 10-point second-quarter deficit. The Serbian star finished with 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting along with 16 rebounds. 

Butler ended with 21 points for Miami, while Bam Adebayo compiled 20 points and 12 rebounds but managed just two points in the second half.

Center Adebayo echoed the pride of Butler and Spoelstra when he looked at what had been achieved.

"You take the experience of this season, and if you can just bottle that up and everybody just have their own portion or rewritten story of it, the No. 1 thing, I think, would be will," he said. 

"So looking forward, I think this is one of my favourite teams I've ever been a part of because we willed our way through ups and downs.

"We willed our way through the things that people said we couldn't do."

Newcastle midfielder Joelinton has revealed he received racist messages following last month’s Premier League defeat to Arsenal.

The 26-year-old spoke about the subject while on international duty with Brazil, saying “many things need to be changed”.

Newcastle were beaten 2-0 by the Gunners at St James’ Park on May 7.

“It’s an important moment to speak about racism,” Joelinton told a press conference. “We have been talking about it for a long time.

“Still, many things need to be changed. We talk about a combat against racism but we didn’t have much of a change.

“This (racism) is not something happening now, but for a long time.

“And, in the 21st century, we still see things like that. It’s hard to accept and believe that we are evolving when things like that still happen.”

Asked if he had suffered racist abuse, the player replied: “Not on the pitch, no.

“But after that match against Arsenal playing at home, I have received some messages with racist insults. But it’s gone, it didn’t affect me.”

Joelinton, who is in line to win his first cap for his country in upcoming friendlies against Guinea and Senegal, received a message of support from his club.

A post on Newcastle’s official Twitter account read: “There is no room for racism. Anywhere. We’re with you, Joe.”

Great State will aim to extend his winning run this weekend when he heads to Sandown for the Scurry Stakes.

Richard Fahey’s three-year-old has won four of his last five and is unbeaten since dropping back to five furlongs in March – winning at both Southwell and Thirsk, before stepping up to Listed company in the Westow Stakes at York last month.

The son of Havana Grey handled the rise in grade with aplomb, readily winning by two and a half lengths, and he will now bid for more big-race success over the minimum distance at the Esher track on Saturday where once again Oisin Murphy will be in the saddle.

“He’s an improving horse and we’re pleased with him,” said Fahey.

“I thought it was a good performance winning the handicap against older horses at Thirsk, he picked up well and then came on for it and it was no surprise he stepped up at York and did it very well. He’s improving.

“You would imagine the track and everything (at Sandown) will suit him. Oisin Murphy rides him as my Oisin (Orr) will be at York.”

Rob Page says Wrexham striker Paul Mullin will be considered for Wales selection if he scores regularly in League Two.

Liverpool-born Mullin qualifies for the Dragons through his Welsh-born grandmother and has said he would love to represent Wales on the international stage.

The 28-year-old has scored 78 goals in two seasons at Wrexham – helping the club owned by Hollywood actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds back into the English Football League – and won the 2022-23 FA Cup Golden Ball as the competition’s top scorer.

Mullin’s eligibility has been a big talking point among Wales supporters with many keen to see him given a senior call, but manager Page was reluctant to select someone plying his trade in the fifth tier of English football.

“Forget what he’s done up until now,” Page said ahead of Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Armenia in Cardiff.

“If he is playing in League Two and he’s scoring goals, then we will look at him and consider him. But there is a massive gap from where he’s been up to League Two.

“We will keep monitoring him and if he keeps scoring goals as he goes up the levels he’ll prove himself.”

Mullin has already shone in League Two and won the division’s Golden Boot with a 32-goal season in Cambridge’s 2020–21 promotion campaign.

He enhanced his reputation further in the FA Cup this term with nine goals, three of which came against Championship pair Coventry and Sheffield United.

Page said: “I watched him against Sheffield United and I was very impressed by him, just from a work rate point of view.

“I wouldn’t want to play against him, he’s a pain in the backside.

“Forget his goalscoring and his eye for goal, I like him because he’s a pain to play against. He’s like a rat, and I want that.”

Page admits Wales need to sharpen their attacking play for games against Armenia and Turkey after collecting four points from their opening two Euro 2024 qualifiers in March.

Brennan Johnson and David Brooks have returned to the squad after missing the 1-1 draw in Croatia and the 1-0 home win over Latvia.

“While I was happy with the Latvia performance and how we controlled the game, that final detail at the top of the pitch is where we need to improve,” Page said.

“Having Brennan back fit, and Daniel James, Harry Wilson and David available is only going to help us achieve that.

“With the personnel we’ve got we can have two or three different formations without any problem.

“The game plan might change within a game, but having players like Brennan will give us the opportunity to get higher up the pitch and score more goals.

“We’ve got some good players and the problem now is finding out how to get them all into the same team.”

England will attempt to end a miserable past few years in the Women’s Ashes and topple Australia for the first time since 2013-14 when the multi-format series starts next week.

Here, the PA news agency assesses some of the burning issues ahead of the curtain-raising one-off Test at Trent Bridge which begins next Thursday.

The greatest show

Heather Knight recently harked back to making her England debut in Mumbai in 2010 “in front of one man and his dog” and, as a student, having to explain to her tutor why she would be absent for a month. Thankfully those days are over. The England captain was given equal billing alongside men’s counterpart Ben Stokes on a Tower Bridge projection last week and ticket sales for the ‘WAshes’ have already exceeded a combined 70,000 for the seven matches. Even if there is still just a solitary Test, it will span five days in a break from the customary four-day affair – giving both teams a chance to claim a first Ashes win in whites since 2015. Barriers continue to be breached for Knight’s side as they will also play T20s at Edgbaston, the Kia Oval and Lord’s for the first time.

Lanning absence evens the odds?

Issy Wong may have only played on 13 occasions for England but the fast bowler seems to revel in being tormentor-in-(mis)chief, remarking last month about Australia: “It’s a pretty good time to play them.” On the surface, this seems a peculiar comment given Australia’s all-out dominance for much of the last decade. They are the double world champions and have held the urn for the last eight years, beating England on their own patch twice in that time. But there is a little substance to Wong’s claims with Rachael Haynes retiring last year and now totemic captain Meg Lanning withdrawing from the upcoming series due to medical issues. Are Australia more vulnerable now? Unquestionably. Lanning is an exceptional captain and batter who has been in red-hot form. But her temporary successor Alyssa Healy is also a quality player, as are Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ashleigh Gardner and Jess Jonassen. Australia are still overwhelming favourites to continue their stranglehold over England.

Who is the leader of England’s attack?

While Wong’s slightly provocative observation was rooted in Australia selecting one or two more unproven talents, England also look a little light in certain areas. Katherine Sciver-Brunt may have had a peripheral role given her scaling back of commitments but the seamer’s retirement robs England of crucial experience. Wong has shown in the last 12 months she can step up and be counted when the heat is on – notably at this year’s Women’s Premier League – so it may be the 21-year-old steps into the considerable void left by Sciver-Brunt. Fellow quick Kate Cross’ battle against a tropical disease has cut into her playing time so she may not be up to speed for the Test while Lauren Bell is relatively untested.

‘Jonball’ faces its acid test

Since succeeding Lisa Keightley as England head coach late last year, Jon Lewis has attempted to instil a more attacking mindset into his charges. Lewis has taken his cues from working alongside Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes in the embryonic stages of the pair transforming the men’s Test side, sensing this is the best way to break Australia’s stranglehold on women’s cricket. ‘Jonball’ – the term coined by star all-rounder Nat Sciver-Brunt – has had modest returns so far with a semi-final exit at the 2023 T20 World Cup but it seems England will keep ploughing the same furrow when Australia are in town.

Pressure on Heather?

The decision to jettison Charlotte Edwards and promote Knight as England captain a little over seven years ago was controversial at the time. But barely 12 months into the role, Knight justified her ascension by leading England to a seminal World Cup triumph. She has been unable to land a telling blow in the Ashes, with one drawn series and two heavy points defeats. A third this summer might draw scrutiny on her position even if Australia are one of the greatest sides of all time in women’s sport. Knight remains the natural leader of this England team and her authoritative presence was missed at the sharp end of last year’s Commonwealth Games, a tournament she sat out because of injury.