England defender Lucy Bronze is drawing on the experience of her first World Cup eight years ago to allay fears that the Lionesses did not play like favourites in their 1-0 opening victory against Haiti in Brisbane.
That win, sealed by Georgia Stanway’s twice-taken penalty against a side 49 places below England in the FIFA rankings, extended the Lionesses’ streak without a goal from open play to three games, including their 0-0 behind-closed-doors pre-tournament training match with Canada.
Bronze made her World Cup debut at the 2015 tournament, where England fell to France in their opener but ultimately finished up with the third-place medal for their best-ever finish in a global showpiece.
She said: “Well, in my first World Cup we lost the first game and ended finishing third. There’s only so much you can take from the game. The most important thing is it gives us momentum but it’s better than having to chase points and we get to focus on the next two games.
“We’re playing against players we’ve never played before. It takes a little while to get into those games. Once we got going you saw England coming back to life again. We need to do that more for longer.”
Bronze had no doubt Stanway would step up to the spot twice on Saturday, after her initial penalty was saved by Haiti’s 5ft 4in goalkeeper Kerly Theus.
That would have left Stanway with a career record of six penalties scored and two missed, but she was given another chance after the referee ruled Theus had come off her line.
Bronze had full faith in Stanway to put the ball in the back of the net with her second opportunity, which the Bayern Munich midfielder did handily.
She said: “I don’t think anyone doubted that Georgia would take it. We just picked it up and gave it to her. She doesn’t need any encouragement to do that. Georgia is not the type of player that needs telling what to do or is lacking confidence. We all knew that a second chance was enough for her to bury it.”
England, who have now checked into their World Cup base on the New South Wales’ Central Coast, next face world number 13 Denmark on Friday in Sydney before taking on 14th-placed China in Adelaide to conclude the group stage, with the top two teams advancing to the last 16.
Bronze’s team-mate Alessia Russo, who on Saturday was favoured for the centre-forward role by Sarina Wiegman over Women’s Super League Golden Boot winner Rachel Daly, was one of the only England players to admit their first half against Haiti looked a bit rusty.
She said: “Yeah, I think so. Us as players are the first to recognise that. We’ll be back to training this week and training hard to push on now but tournaments are always about winning and that’s the most important thing.
“I don’t think I ever worry about goals and winning with this team. I think we’ve got a very special talented squad and I know that people show up at the right times.
“The first game, we’ve been building up to it for a long time. It’s done now, three points under the belt. Now we really push on. Moments were good and we’ll reflect on it, we’ll analyse and we’ll be ready for Denmark.”
Andy Murray will leave a lasting legacy on British tennis after his "historic" Wimbledon exploits when retirement eventually comes, according to Marion Bartoli.
Murray and Bartoli both triumphed at Wimbledon in 2013, the Scot defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets and the Frenchwomen overcoming Sabine Lisicki.
A troublesome hip injury and subsequent surgery has caused issues in recent years for Murray, who also lifted the Wimbledon title in 2016 – adding to his US Open crown four years earlier.
The 36-year-old confirmed before the Queen's Championship last month that he has a period in mind for ending his professional career, leading Bartoli to hail Murray's impact on the sport.
"It's more for British tennis because the buzz when he won Wimbledon in 2013 for the first time was just insane – basically the whole country tuning in to watch that match," she told Stats Perform.
"Even the whole press, who are normally quite harsh with the players, especially the tabloids, were just cheering on for him because it was so historic.
"I can just remember the dinner we had at the Champions' Ball with Andy and his mother and my father and myself and it just felt like dinner with a mother and son, father and daughter, just being on the top of the world and just winning.
"Judy could say 'My son just won Wimbledon' and my dad could say 'My daughter just won Wimbledon' – it was very much that feeling. It was so special."
Murray, who has won two ATP Challenger titles this season, only made it as far as the second round at Wimbledon this month, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in a battling display on Centre Court.
His appearance at the British major represented another major milestone nevertheless, given injuries seemed set to curtail his playing days after the 2023 Australian Open.
Bartoli added: "For Andy, after all his surgeries and everything, it's about how much he can still enjoy his tennis.
"When he feels that's it, that every day on the practice court is not as enjoyable as usual, and he's dragging himself to practice, that’s when the passion is vanishing and you know it's time [to retire].
"It's not that difficult of a decision when that happens. When you still have that passion and fire but your body doesn't follow anymore, then it's slightly more difficult.
"In many ways, Andy had a second chance. He'd sort of announced his retirement when he lost in the Australian Open and everyone was crying.
"Then he decided to come back and he had those successes and those great matches and epics, so maybe he already feels like he had his second chance.
"He'll walk away with a beautiful family, a business – a hotel, I think, in Scotland where he grew up – so he has so many things to look forward to. I think he'll be a very happy man."
Murray's diminishing influence on the upper echelons of tennis marks a downturn in British fortunes, with Cameron Norrie seemingly the next in line.
"For the British side of tennis – you have Cameron Norrie – but you feel that especially with [Carlos] Alcaraz coming in and all those players it's going to be more difficult to win a slam," Bartoli continued.
"But he's going to have his chance as well. He's close to being top 10."
Tottenham attacker Son Heung-min feels the ongoing speculation surrounding Harry Kane is “not easy” for his team-mate, but has praised the professionalism of Spurs’ stand-in captain.
Son and Kane have landed in Singapore for the final leg of their Asia-Pacific pre-season tour after an eventful few days in Bangkok.
Monsoon weather saw Tottenham’s friendly with Leicester cancelled on Sunday and a day earlier a journalist from German publication BILD had unveiled a Bayern Munich shirt with ‘Kane 9’ on the back to new Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou in his pre-match press conference.
Postecoglou was far from impressed but the noise around Kane shows no sign of going away, with Bayern expected to return with a third bid later this month and reports overnight stating Manchester United could enter the race again for the signature of the forward.
Kane, who is performing captain duties during Tottenham’s tour after Hugo Lloris was left back in England to finalise a move away from the club, has been hailed by his long-standing strike partner.
“Harry has been fantastic for me,” Son told reporters, via football.london, in Bangkok. “He’s always professional, always working hard.
“He’s never showed any thoughts about himself. There’s so much news going around it’s also not easy for him, but he’s captain at the moment and he’s working with the team.
“He doesn’t show any distraction. He loves being here. I love him as a player. I fully respect him.
“He’s one of the best strikers in the world, has been for five, six, seven years in a row. The decision will be between the club and Harry and we have to respect it.
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“I can’t say anything about the final decision because I don’t know anything. Probably Harry doesn’t know. We just have to wait.”
Kane has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Tottenham and Bayern have increased their efforts to sign the forward this month, with their honorary president Uli Hoeness claiming last week that personal terms had been agreed between the German club and the England captain.
Bayern are reported to have lodged two unsuccessful bids for Kane so far this summer, but Spurs remain determined to keep hold of their all-time leading goal-scorer.
A new contract has been offered to Kane by Tottenham, which is a significant increase on his current £200,000-a-week terms, but he has not made any decision on the new deal while speculation over his future continues.
Spurs are set to play local team Lion City Sailors in Singapore on Wednesday before they head back to England.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti was impressed with the debut of “complete midfielder” Jude Bellingham in the 3-2 pre-season victory over AC Milan in Los Angeles.
Federico Valverde scored twice in quick succession before Vinicius Junior netted the winner six minutes from time after Fikayo Tomori and Luka Romero had given the Italians a 2-0 half-time lead.
England international Bellingham featured for the first time since making an £88.5million switch from Borussia Dortmund, playing 64 minutes before he was replaced by Nico Paz.
Ancelotti told Real’s official website: “I was really impressed with Bellingham.
“Bellingham played very well and the team has to get used to his quality, which is unbelievable. His arrival into the box is hugely important for the team.
“He’s a fantastic player, very important for us because he’s a complete midfielder and he brings real pace and intensity to the game.
“He moves extremely well without the ball and he’s different to the other midfielders we have. He makes the most of the free space and adds another dimension to this squad, which is fantastic.”
England’s suffered Ashes agony at Emirates Old Trafford, as their hopes of taking a memorable series to a winner-takes-all decider fell foul of the weather.
The fifth and final day of the fourth Test was abandoned without a ball being bowled, leaving a dominant home side unable to pick up the hunt for the last five Australian wickets.
The first draw of the ‘Bazball’ era guarantees the tourists will hold on to the urn, leading 2-1 with one more game to go at the Kia Oval, and here the PA news agency looks at some of the key questions coming out of the frustrating finish.
If England can still draw the series 2-2, why have Australia retained the Ashes?
To sum it up in a word: tradition. While England fans know all too well about one-day cricket’s tie-breakers – having needed a super over and a boundary countback to pip New Zealand to the 2019 World Cup – Test cricket has no problem with the draw. When it comes to the format’s oldest rivalry the holders must be beaten outright to lose their bragging rights. Australia’s last trip to England ended with similar questions, as the tourists celebrated a 2-2 scoreline while England reflected on unfinished business. Captain Ben Stokes was given the chance to question the custom after the match, but waved it away without a second thought.
Is there any way England could have forced a win in this Test?
Having been criticised for declaring too early on the first day of the series at Edgbaston, Stokes now finds himself scrutinised for doing the direct opposite in the fourth Test. Rather than calling his side in shortly after lunch on day three, he allowed Jonny Bairstow to continue flogging Australia’s bowlers in the afternoon session as he finished on 99 not out. England finished with a first-innings lead of 275, but did not have enough time in the field to convert that into victory. An earlier withdrawal would certainly have given them more time to collect 10 wickets, but a slimmer advantage means they would have probably needed to bat again. Ultimately, their push was ruined by the rain, with 30 overs out of a scheduled 180 over the weekend. By scoring their runs at almost 5.5 an over and picking 15 wickets, England can hardly be accused of being ponderous with the time they had.
How can cricket stop important matches ending like this?
Assuming the holy grail of cricket grounds with a roof remains an expensive pipe dream, what else is there to do? The World Test Championship final has been granted a reserve day since the International Cricket Council brought it in but the idea of rolling that idea out more broadly look fanciful in the extreme. Tours are getting shorter and more congested and the cost of booking holding venues and staff for an extra day that will rarely be used would be prohibitive, especially outside England. More realistic is a push to improve over-rates. Financial sanctions have proved a hollow threat. More proactive umpiring, fewer stoppages and run penalties could all be looked at, while others suggest eating into the lunch and tea breaks. The resistance to pulling start times forward from 11am to make up for lost time remains baffling.
What’s on the line at the Oval this week?
The last Australia side to win in England did so back in 2001, meaning the current class has a chance to do something a generation of their compatriots could not. They snapped a long losing streak with a shared series four years ago and will be desperate to go one better now. For England, there is a chance to keep up an undefeated streak under the Stokes-McCullum leadership regime and frustrate their rivals in the process. A 3-1 loss would be a poor reflection on their efforts over recent weeks, so there is some work to do to deliver a more fitting result.
Why does it feel like the end of an era?
Because it is. Several of the key protagonists are well into the autumn of their careers and face uncertain futures. The next battle is not until the winter of 2025/26 and there are a host of veterans for whom that seems a long way. England’s record wicket-taker James Anderson turns 41 at the end of the month, Moeen Ali is sure to return to Test retirement in the coming days, while Stuart Broad (37), Chris Woakes (34) and Mark Wood (33) have plenty of miles on the clock. As for Stokes, his body is creaking and the toll his injury problems are taking is not yet clear. For Australia, David Warner has already set his own timetable for departure while it would be a surprise to see Steve Smith, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon on these shores again in 2027. The Oval Test could be the last dance for these teams.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan believes Ben Stokes’ side still have “a huge amount to play for” in the final Ashes Test, as they look to deny Australia a first away win in over two decades.
A rain-ruined finish to the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford saw England’s chances of regaining the urn washed away on Sunday, but they have just three days to lick their wounds before embarking on the series finale 2-1 down at the Kia Oval.
The last Australian side to win a series on these shores did so in 2001, with Vaughan kicking off England’s era of dominance at home when he led his team to victory in the golden summer of 2005.
The Baggy Greens have had five winless tours in a row, also losing in 2009, 2013 and 2015 before taking a 2-2 draw four years ago, and Vaughan wants to keep the streak going.
“You wouldn’t want to be the first England team to lose here since 2001, so I do think there’s a huge amount to play for down at the Oval,” he told BBC Test Match Special.
“I know they’re 2-1 down but it just feels like England have been the better team. They’ve played some good stuff and dominated many parts of the Test matches.
“I’ll be interested to see how Australia play at the Oval and whether or not they try to be positive. If England win at the Oval, they deserve it because they have been the better side. If Australia play the way they have in this test then England will absolutely wipe them.
“They’ll go back to the first two Tests and look at mistakes they’ve made in the field and at that batting collapse in the first innings at Lord’s, but I do think they are a team that learn quickly now.”
Australia great Glenn McGrath, who was part of teams in 2001 and 2005, believes his country’s passive performance in Manchester was a deliberate tactic to scrape the draw they needed to secure the urn.
He also suggested England had cause for regret, suggesting they batted on too long on Friday before the weather turned and also passed up opportunities earlier in the series.
“To me, Australia played this game in survival mode, to protect the lead they’ve got,” he said.
“Australia knew what they wanted to do and they may have looked a bit ugly and a bit negative doing it, but their goal was to retain the Ashes in this match and they’ve done it.
“Looking back at that declaration (decision), if they had finished at lunch on day three, given themselves 10 more overs when the ball was doing a bit more, they could easily have picked up six or seven wickets.
“The story could be different. England had the opportunity but for some reason decided to play on after lunch which, to a degree, sealed their fate. If they’d played truly ruthless cricket, they could be 3-0 up by now but they’re 2-1 down at the Ashes have gone.”
Alistair Brownlee beat brother Jonny to the gold medal in the men’s triathlon at the Commonwealth Games, on this day in 2014.
The Olympic gold medallist had time to grab England and Yorkshire flags and give his brother a clap before walking across the finish line at at Strathclyde Country Park.
England had never won a medal in the sport at the Commonwealths before but took home four in one day after Jodie Stimpson produced a superb performance to take gold in the women’s race, with Vicky Holland winning a surprise bronze.
The men’s race was not nearly as competitive because of the incredible dominance of Yorkshire’s Brownlee brothers.
They led virtually from start to finish but it was older brother Alistair who again had the edge to add the Commonwealth title to his Olympic and world crowns.
“I’m fortunate I’ve won the world title, I’ve won the Olympic title and to complete the set with the Commonwealth title as well, that’s the most important thing for me,” he said.
“They’re the big three things in Olympic-distance triathlon so it’s perfect, it’s far more than I ever could have dreamed of.”
Jonny, who won Olympic bronze in 2012, finished 11 seconds adrift while South Africa’s Richard Murray won bronze.
Open champion Brian Harman has revealed how being heckled by a spectator helped inspire him to a dominant victory at Royal Liverpool.
Harman held a five-shot lead after a stunning second round of 65 but got off to a slow start on Saturday with two dropped shots in the first four holes.
“After I made the second bogey a guy, when I was passing him, he said, ‘Harman, you don’t have the stones for this’,” Harman said in his post-championship press conference.
“It helped snap me back into (thinking) ‘I’m good enough to do this. I’m going to do this. I’m going to go through my process, and the next shot is going to be good’.
“I figured at some point, just with the weather and the scenario, you’re going to hit bad shots. I knew that the way I responded to that would determine whether I’d be sitting here or not.”
Harman carded a third round of 69 to maintain his five-shot lead and a closing 70 in miserable conditions to finish six shots clear of Masters champion Jon Rahm, Jason Day, Sepp Straka and Tom Kim.
“It’s pretty surreal. It really hasn’t sunk in yet,” Harman said. “I’m not going to let it (the Claret Jug) out of my sight for the time being. To win what I consider the greatest prize in golf is as good as it gets. I’m over the moon.
“It was a tough last three days, it really was. Being able to get some sleep was big last night. Sleeping on a lead like that is really difficult, so I’m proud of the way I hung in there the last couple days.”
Shot of the day
For the second time in the day Harman’s lead was briefly down to three shots before he holed from 40 feet for birdie on the 14th.
Round of the day
Three players shot 67 on the final day, but Harman’s 70 was even more impressive given the circumstances as he recovered from two early bogeys to card four birdies in a closing 70.
Quote of the day
“First I’m going to have me a couple pints out of this here trophy, I believe” – Harman said he was keen to get back home to see his family, but not before enjoying his triumph.
Toughest hole
With the pin close to the out of bounds to the right of the green, the par-four third hole played the toughest for the first time, with just four players making birdie, three carding a double bogey and three taking triple-bogey sevens.
Easiest hole
The par-five fifth was the easiest hole for the fourth day in succession, with one eagle and 34 birdies contributing to a scoring average of 4.618. Champion Harman made one of just five bogeys there on Sunday.
When is the next major?
The 88th Masters will take place at Augusta National from April 11-14, 2024.
The Baltimore Orioles extended their lead to two games over the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East with a 5-3 victory in Sunday's finale of an important four-game series between the division rivals.
Ryan O'Hearn snapped a 3-3 tie with a solo homer in the sixth inning to back another strong performance by the Baltimore bullpen as the Orioles took three of four from the still-sputtering Rays.
Tampa Bay entered July with a 6 1/2-game lead atop the division but has gone 4-14 thus far for the month. The Orioles, on the other hand, have won 12 of 15 since July 5.
Baltimore sealed its latest win with a combined 4 2/3 scoreless innings from three relievers. Mike Baumann (7-0) did not allow a hit in 2 2/3 innings and All-Star Felix Bautista struck out three in the ninth to record his 28th save.
Gunnar Henderson had a two-run homer in the second inning for the Orioles and finished 2 for 4 along with O'Hearn.
Yandy Diaz went 2 for 5 for Tampa Bay and tied the contest in the fifth inning with a two-run homer off Orioles starter Tyler Wells.
Rangers overcome early deficit to avoid sweep by Dodgers
The Texas Rangers rallied from an early four-run deficit to hand the Los Angeles Dodgers an 8-4 loss in the finale of a three-game interleague series between division leaders.
After Max Muncy's first-inning grand slam put Texas in a 4-0 hole, the Rangers blasted rookie Emmett Sheahan for eight runs over 3 2/3 innings to bounce back from two lopsided losses at the hands of the National League West leaders.
Jonah Heim cut the deficit in half with a two-run double in the bottom of the first before Marcus Semien, Nathaniel Lowe and Josh Jung each delivered RBI singles off Sheahan in the second to put Texas up 5-4.
Leody Tavares added a two-run double in the third to stretch the lead, while Martin Perez overcame a shaky start to last six innings and improve to 8-3 on the season.
The Dodgers scored 27 runs in winning the series' first two games and kept the offence going when Muncy blasted his 24th homer of the season to stake Los Angeles to a quick 4-0 lead.
Perez settled down thereafter and held the Dodgers to just three hits and a walk over the next five innings.
The win put the AL West-leading Rangers at 59-41, tying the franchise's best record after 100 games in a season set three times previously, most recently in 2012.
Albies' late home run lifts Braves over Brewers
In another clash of division leaders, Ozzie Albies' clutch three-run homer in the eighth inning staked the Atlanta Braves to a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Down 2-1 entering the eighth, the Braves put two on against a usually dominant Milwaukee bullpen before Albies homered on the first pitch he saw from Elvis Peguero. The All-Star second baseman's 23rd homer of the season snapped a streak of 28 2/3 scoreless innings by Brewers relievers.
After Ben Heller worked a scoreless bottom of the eighth, Raisel Iglesias struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth as the NL East-leading Braves took two of three games from the NL Central-best Brewers.
Travis d'Arnaud added a solo homer and finished 2 for 4 for Atlanta, though star third baseman Austin Riley went 0 for 4 and had a streak of five consecutive games with a home run end.
Brice Turang had a solo home run for Milwaukee, which had its lead in the NL Central cut to a half-game over second-place Cincinnati after the Reds defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-3, on Sunday. The Brewers will host a three-game series against Cincinnati starting Monday.
Former Brave Julio Teheran allowed one run and just three hits over six innings for Milwaukee, while Atlanta starter Bryce Elder yielded two runs on four hits over six innings.
Nathan Aspinall produced one of the best displays of his career to become Betfred World Matchplay champion for the first time after thrashing Jonny Clayton 18-6.
Aspinall won 13 of the last 14 legs, including 11 on the spin from 5-5 on his way to lifting the Phil Taylor Trophy at Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
Welshman Clayton, 48, who beat Luke Humphries 17-15 in a thrilling semi-final, had made a 141-checkout to level it up at 5-5, but from there on was a virtual bystander as Aspinall raced away to victory.
While being celebrated by his fans to the tune of ‘Mr Brightside’ by The Killers, he told Sky Sports: “I’ve got no words. I don’t know what it was but I found it.
“I scored brilliant all game. I knew I had to get rid of my darts quicker. The people who come to Blackpool are die hard darts fans.”
The 32-year-old from Stockport produced a 170-finish on the bull to extend his lead to 11-5 and made his fifth 100-plus finish (115) to move 13-5 clear, having averaged 110 over eight legs.
World number seven Clayton stopped the rot to trail 16-6, but there was no halting Aspinall, who clinched the biggest win of his career with double five as he led 17-6.
Aspinall, who lost both the Grand Slam and Grand Prix finals last year, climbed up to fifth in the PDC rankings with his victory, collected the £200,000 winner’s prize and became the 12th player to lift the title.
Earlier on Sunday, teenager Beau Greaves won the Women’s World Matchplay at the first attempt.
The 19-year-old top seed, making her debut in the competition, cruised to a 6-1 victory against Japan’s second seed Mikuru Suzuki.
Jamaica's horse racing enthusiasts can rejoice as the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) and Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL) have successfully resolved their impasse. This means that race meets will return to full race cards, as opposed to the short six-race programme that was run on Saturday.
That six-race card marked the return of live racing after a one-week break, when horsemen opted not to nominate as a show of their discontent to a $27 million purse increase offer put forward by SVREL.
However, following a productive meeting and constant dialogue, both parties have reached a mutual agreement, paving the way for the resumption of full race cards, as TOBA encouraged its members to support nominations for the meet scheduled on Saturday, July 29, starting on Tuesday, July 25. This will be followed by an action-packed first week of August, featuring three race days in seven days, including the much-anticipated Jamaica Oaks and Jamaica Derby.
In a statement released on Sunday, July 23, TOBA said that having met with SVREL on Monday, July 17, following the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission's (BGLC) prior confirmation of the promoting company's 2022 sales figures of $5.32 billion on local racing, TOBA has agreed to continue working with SVREL and the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) to implement major initiatives towards negating the annual wrangling over prize monies.
In its statement, TOBA said it hoped that these initiatives, if successfully negotiated and implemented, including returning monies derived from the local-racing industry, will lead to a substantial and sustainable purse- money environment, as exists in other international racing jurisdictions, historically bringing Jamaica in line with North America, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, jurisdictions which all access and thrive on purses supplemented by other consistent income streams.
This positive development will not only attract horse owners but also boost the excitement and engagement of racing enthusiasts across the country.
Ben Stokes will not be bringing the Ashes urn back home after a fifth-day washout in Manchester but the captain believes his England side have played their way into the nation’s hearts.
Relentless rain at Emirates Old Trafford on Sunday ruined England’s hopes of putting the finishing touches to a dominant performance in the fourth Test, with five of the last six sessions in the match lost without a single ball bowled.
That was enough for Australia to get out of jail with five wickets in hand, retaining the Ashes with an unassailable 2-1 lead despite being beaten at Headingley and roundly outclassed in the first three days here.
Fans on both sides of the rivalry will now be denied the spectacle of a blockbuster series finale at the Kia Oval, but Stokes is confident his team’s thrill-a-minute style has already secured a place in the game’s folkore.
England have recast themselves as foot-to-the-floor entertainers in the ‘Bazball’ era, drawing in new fans and taking the Test format into places it has not been since the beloved summer of 2005.
“It’s a tough one to take, a tough pill to swallow. We were completely and utterly dominant throughout the hours of play we had, but the weather didn’t help us and we can’t change that,” Stokes said.
“If this game went without rain we probably would have been favourites to be sat here at 2-2 and I think that would have elevated everything that this series has already done for Test cricket.
“But I think what we’ve managed to do has already done wonders for cricket in England. I said in the dressing room that the reward for your work isn’t what you get, it’s what you become. And I think what we’ve managed to become is a team that people will remember.
“We’ve become a team that have been so unbelievably well followed and we will live long in the memories of those who have watched us.
“As much as I would love to be an Ashes-winning captain, I want this team to be a legacy team. Regardless of how the series ends up, people will always talk about us.”
Stokes refused to fumble for distractions, brushing aside questions about reserve days and the tradition of the holders having the right to retain in a draw series.
“Test cricket is five days. I don’t ever see there being a reserve day in a series like this,” he said.
“This is the way it’s always been. We know we can’t get the urn back but we can draw the series and that’s what we’ll be trying to do.”
There is precious little time for Stokes to rally his troops for that challenge, with the fifth and final Test starting on Thursday.
Whether England can carry their momentum through remains to be seen, but the prospect of denying Australia a first series win on these shores since 2001 is a motivation in its own right.
“We have to get over the disappointment and focus on that game,” Stokes said. “It is a massive one for us and we know 2-2 sounds a lot better than 3-1.
“The mentality and mindset within this dressing room is to go out and win. Every time we walk out on the field that’s all I encourage the players to do, just concentrate on what you need to do as an individual to influence a game in the right way.
“There’s no doubt if we’d managed to get a result in this game next week would have been a very, very special week in the history of English cricket, not just Ashes cricket. But we’ll be treating it as we do every other game.
“We’re always putting our front foot forward and trying to press the game as hard as we possibly can. As a captain that’s something that makes me very proud as a leader of the 10 other guys out there.”
Zharnel Hughes had a premonition he would blitz the British 200m record in the specific time of 19.73 seconds ahead of doing so at Sunday’s sold-out London Diamond League meet.
The 28-year-old warmed up for next month’s World Championships in Budapest by impressively shaving 0.21 seconds off the previous national mark of 19.94, set by John Regis in 1993.
Hughes revealed post-race that he had earlier written his precise finishing time, which was only good enough for third place behind Noah Lyles and Letsile Tebogo, in a notebook.
His latest feat was witnessed by around 50,000 spectators at London Stadium and comes just a month after he broke Linford Christie’s 30-year-old 100m record when he ran 9.83 seconds in New York.
“It’s the exact time,” he said. “If you want to come around here, you can check it out.
“It depends how I am feeling and, if I know I am in good shape, I just write down a time and I use that time as a target.
“I don’t care about winning as long as I execute the plan that my coach wanted and we get the British record. I wanted to do it here on home soil and I did it.”
Hughes previously ran 19.77 with an illegal wind speed to claim the UK 200m title in Manchester earlier this month.
He burst out of the blocks on Sunday and pushed American world champion Lyles hard before his rival and Tebogo of Botswana moved clear on the home straight.
Hughes credited a “Kobe Bryant mentality” for his impressive recent results and warned he can become “much faster”.
“I’ve seen some little bits I can work on – and it’s exciting for me,” he said.
“I’m not pressured one bit. I am enjoying myself. I can get much faster.
“I spoke to you about that Kobe Bryant mentality. For me, I just wanted to go there and give it a great performance.”
Hughes broke away from his post-race interview to watch compatriot Dina Asher-Smith finish second in the women’s 100m, before Britain’s Jemma Reekie capped a stirring end to Sunday’s action by clinching 800m glory.
Former 200m world champion Asher-Smith crossed the line in 10.85 seconds, 0.10sec behind Marie-Josee Ta Lou of Ivory Coast, while compatriot Daryll Neita finished fourth.
“I am always disappointed not to win but this shows I am building,” said Asher-Smith.
“It is all about the end of August and Budapest, which isn’t a long way away, so I am excited.
“I managed to see the end of the men’s 200m and I am so pleased for Zharnel. British sprinting is doing so well.”
Max Verstappen said it would be “terrible” to remain stuck on the same number of career wins as Lewis Hamilton’s car number following his crushing triumph at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The all-conquering Dutchman beat pole-sitter Hamilton to the opening bend at the Hungaroring before going on to lead every lap and claim his seventh successive win and 44th of his career.
“Hopefully I don’t stay on 44 for too long,” joked Verstappen. “That would be terrible I need to get to 45 quickly.”
The evidence of the season so far would suggest Verstappen’s wait will last only a week with Spa-Francorchamps the venue for the final round before the summer break of this most one-sided of campaigns.
Indeed, Red Bull will head into next Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix unbeaten from the opening 11 rounds of 22, setting a new record on Sunday with their 12th consecutive win.
The perfect dozen includes the final round of last season in Abu Dhabi, eclipsing McLaren’s 11 in a row in 1988 when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were at the wheel.
“Twelve wins in a row is just incredible,” added Verstappen, who is now 110 points clear at the summit of the world championship on his unstoppable march towards a hat-trick of titles.
“What we’ve been doing for the last two years has been unbelievable. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going for a long time. We always want to do better but days like this are just perfect.”
Verstappen, 25, crossed the line more than half-a-minute clear of runner-up Lando Norris to record his ninth win of the season and retain Red Bull’s chance of becoming the first team in F1 history to complete a perfect campaign.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said: “As a young kid I remember watching Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna under the incredible leadership of Ron Dennis achieve that feat (11 wins in a row) and to think we have bettered that is something all the team in Budapest and back in Milton Keynes have worked so hard for and means so much.
“Max is a driver totally at one with himself in the car and with total confidence and trust in the team. We are witnessing a sportsman at the top of his game and he is a joy to work with.
“Max is a modest guy and he is uncomfortable with the plaudits he is given, but he deserves all the credit he is getting at the moment.”
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