Former England captain Michael Atherton has praised the "bold and imaginative" appointment of Brendon McCullum by England.
McCullum was named England's new Test head coach on Thursday, replacing Chris Silverwood after his dismissal in the wake of the 4-0 Ashes defeat in Australia.
Rob Key decided to bring in separate Test and white-ball head coaches after he was appointed as managing director of England men's cricket last month and chose McCullum for the longer form of the game.
"I think it's a very bold and imaginative choice, and an inspiring choice from Rob Key," Atherton told Sky Sports.
"Giving Ben Stokes the captaincy was the obvious choice and so his first big decision was to give Brendon McCullum the Test job.
"A week or so ago I don't think that was on anybody's radars, so he's not made the obvious choice here, but I think it's a very bold choice."
McCullum captained New Zealand and has coached in limited overs cricket in the Caribbean and Indian Premier Leagues, but this is his first coaching job in Test cricket.
Atherton does not think that lack of experience is a problem, however.
"I don't think it's a concern. Some other people within the professional coaching environment may think so," the former Lancashire batsman said.
"His limited coaching experience has come in the IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders and in the CPL with their sister team. But he did play 100 Tests, scored a Test match triple hundred and he was very significant in Test cricket in his own right.
"As captain, he really led New Zealand into a brave new era, from the moment he took over – in Cape Town 2013 – the very first innings New Zealand were bowled out for 45. It was a really low ebb and a very difficult transition from Ross Taylor.
"But after that, he led boldly and fearlessly, and transformed that New Zealand team to the point which he laid the foundations for Kane Williamson's team that became World Test champions and have been very significant players in ICC events. So as a captain and as a leader, he's got plenty of experience in Test cricket."
Atherton also believes the relationship between McCullum and new England skipper Ben Stokes should thrive given both have similar aggressive approaches to the game.
"He's a nice fit with Stokes, they both approach the game and play the game in a similar manner and they'll look to give very clear message, captain and coach, and show they're singing from the same hymn sheet to a team you now expect to be given a bit of freedom and licence to play," he said.
"Neither Stokes nor McCullum are shy characters when it comes to playing the game of cricket, they like to take the game on and play it aggressively.
"One assumes that McCullum as a coach is going to be very similar to McCullum as a player and captain."
Fabinho has been ruled out of Saturday's FA Cup final, but Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hopes the midfielder will return before the end of the season.
Brazil international Fabinho was forced off during the first half of Liverpool's 2-1 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday.
It was subsequently confirmed that the 28-year-old had sustained a muscle problem and Klopp has confirmed he will not feature against Chelsea at Wembley.
However, Klopp is confident that Fabinho will make his comeback in time to play against Real Madrid in the Champions League final on May 28.
"There's a good chance that he will be available for the Champions League final," Klopp told Liverpool's official website. "Not for the weekend."
Liverpool trail Manchester City by three points in the Premier League, with two games remaining. They face Southampton next week and host Wolves in the final fixture of the campaign.
Kristen McGregor, 2020 Miss Olympia Amateur, hampered by the lack of consistent financial support in her home country of Jamaica, has launched a GoFundMe page in the hope of raising just over USD$12,000 that would help her achieve her goal of participating in the Ms Olympia Competition in December.
Easily Jamaica’s most successful female fitness athlete of the modern era, McGregor a former track and field athlete, has won national fitness titles and in 2018 was crowned CAC Champion in the category of Body Fitness Tall Class.
A 2021 Prime Minister Youth Awardee, McGregor has placed in the top five in most of her international competitions and harbours the ambition of one day winning the coveted Ms Olympia title for herself and her country.
In late April, she competed and placed fifth in the Figure competition at the Fit Muscle Championships in Mexico. It is essential that she competes in similar events leading up to December in order to accumulate the necessary qualification points to make it to the Ms Olympia contest.
Alas, this is proving to be more easily said than done as it has proven difficult to find the financial resources needed to compete regularly. Her next competition is in June and she is pondering whether she will be able to get there.
“The major challenge I face as a national athlete is corporate sponsorship. I am a bit disappointed with the responses I received for sponsorship requests seeking help to represent my country and hoping that I would have gotten good responses, even given the fact that I am a recipient of the Prime Minister's Youth Award,” McGregor told Sportsmax.TV after her return from Mexico.
However, she remains hopeful.
“I do hope that going forward I might receive better responses from other corporations and our sporting body,” she said.
“The lack of support and sponsorship can impact my goals to represent Jamaica at the Olympia, as I am unable to cover the expenses related to travel and accommodation to participate in the various competitions, where I can only compete as a professional athlete in my discipline. It is my dream to represent Jamaica at the highest level of bodybuilding.”
Contributions to McGregor’s GoFundMe page can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kristen-make-it-to-the-olympia-competition?member=19126721&sharetype=teams&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg says officiating would be a "very, very lonely profession" without support from psychologists and the job is much tougher due to social media.
Clattenburg retired from officiating in the English top flight in 2017 after a career that saw him take charge of major finals at domestic, continental and international level.
His achievements included refereeing both Champions League and European Championship finals in 2016, as well as being named the IFFHS World's Best Referee the same year.
In an exclusive interview with Stats Perform however, Clattenburg has reflected on the difficulties faced by match officials, who frequently bear the brunt of abuse.
"The mental side of refereeing is very, very strong," Clattenburg stated. "When I was in the Premier League, we had a lot of support from psychologists.
"Without that support, it's a very, very lonely profession. Driving up and down the country after refereeing big matches in any match, and then you're missing junctions.
"You can't even remember how you drove home because you were still thinking about the match, and you were still playing the match through in your head.
"So, there's a lot of support now for the referees and they need it because it's a very, very tough job, especially now with social media.
"When I started off, there was no such thing as social media. So, it was a lot easier to deal with, but now it's constant. It's everywhere and it's permanently on the internet."
Questions have often been raised over whether officials should conduct post-match media briefings to explain their decisions, and Clattenburg is not opposed to the idea.
"I haven't got a problem [with it]," he added. "I've always said that I don't think if it's used in the correct way, then I think the referee should explain his decisions afterwards.
"I think you'd hope it would give people more understanding why the decision was made. It used to happen many years ago.
"I remember being a young fourth official, and they wouldn't be interviewed afterwards, but they would be given a series of questions, and they had the chance to answer them.
"If it's done in a correct way, I think it would benefit everybody to understand what's going on."
Brendon McCullum's appointment as England's Test head coach is "good news" for James Anderson and Stuart Broad, according to former New Zealand bowler Simon Doull.
McCullum was confirmed on Thursday as the successor to Chris Silverwood, taking up his first coaching role at international level.
The former Black Caps captain will step down from his role as head coach of Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders at the end of the season, having also previously coached similarly named Caribbean Premier League team, Trinbago Knight Riders.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Doull believes McCullum's loyalty will mean England's two leading Test wicket takers will have no concerns about being left out of the squad again, after both were overlooked for the recent Test series against West Indies.
When asked if it would be good news or bad news for Anderson and Broad shortly before the official confirmation, Doull replied: "Good news. Absolute good news.
"Not only is [McCullum] an astute cricketer and an astute cricket brain, he's also quite a loyal bloke and I think there is a little bit of cricket left in both those guys, and probably a little bit more in Stuart Broad than some might think, so I would imagine it'll be very good news for those gentlemen."
Doull also said he thinks McCullum will get on well with Stokes, who was appointed as Joe Root's replacement as England's Test captain last month.
"I think there's a huge amount of respect already," he said. "I'd like to think [Stokes] would be the sort of captain who would want to own that team, and I don't think Brendon will have a problem with that whatsoever.
"He will do everything he can to get the best out of what is, outside of Joe Root, England's best cricketer... He knows as well as a captain [with New Zealand], he kind of ran that team. [Former head coach] Mike Hesson facilitated, he coached from the periphery... but Brendon basically ran that team and I would imagine he'll look for Ben Stokes to do the same thing.
Doull – who made 32 Test appearances for the Black Caps, taking 98 wickets – was also keen to back McCullum, in particular suggesting that he will want England to play their own style, rather than trying to adopt another.
"[McCullum's] best qualities? Very simple as far as his philosophies are concerned," he added.
"He turned New Zealand around completely [as captain], just because he wanted a New Zealand way to play and maybe that's something he'll look to do with England as well. Play the England style of cricket rather than trying to play like someone else, or invent a style that's not really suitable for English players.
"He's a straight talker... there's no airs and graces about Brendon. He's a South Island boy brought up pretty hard, pretty tough, and he played his cricket exactly that way.
"He will have enormous respect from the players... and he's obviously already had good conversations with Ben Stokes and [England managing director] Rob Key.
"So communication, tough but honest, and he will find a philosophy, I think, that works. Those will be his key things."
Giovanni van Bronckhorst hopes to buck history when Rangers face Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final, as he aims to become just the second manager to win a European trophy at the club.
The Dutchman will lead the Scottish Premier League giants in Seville next Wednesday against their Bundesliga rivals as the famous Glasgow club bid for only a second continental trophy.
Rangers were beaten by Zenit in the UEFA Cup final in Manchester 14 years ago
Their only previous taste of European glory came in the 1972 European Cup Winners' Cup final, which they won under Willie Waddell with a defeat of Dynamo Moscow in Barcelona.
Half a century on, Van Bronckhorst could repeat the feat with a triumph in Spain, and the Rangers boss is desperate to lift the trophy.
"It means a lot," he told a press conference. "There aren't many managers in the history of this club who played a European final.
"There's only one who actually won it. For the club, it would be fantastic to win a second prize in Europe."
Referring to the lack of European success for Scottish clubs, the Dutchman added: "It's not often you play finals, it's not often you play finals in Europe as a Scottish team.
"It's very rare that it happens. We're really honoured and proud that we are in the final in Seville, and can enjoy this occasion with many fans all around the world.
"We're representing this beautiful club, we're representing Scotland, so we have to make sure we give a good impression, and that's what we want to do."
Touching on his side's impressive exploits in beating RB Leipzig to reach the final, Van Bronckhorst says the memory will live him with a long time, while stressing the job is not yet done.
"The Leipzig game was one of the best nights I've experienced as a player and a manager," he added. "But it is very important that we keep going.
"The last two games we've played, against Dundee United and Ross County, we didn't relax because we need the same intensity, the same desire to play against Frankfurt.
"I don't want my players to slip up. Saturday [when Rangers play Hearts] is a bit different, because we're going to change some players, but I think we're ready for the final. That's all that matters now."
Alfred Schreuder will take over from Manchester United-bound Erik ten Hag as Ajax head coach.
Ten Hag will head to Old Trafford at the end of the season, having seen his Ajax team wrap up the Eredivisie title on Wednesday with a 5-0 rout of Heerenveen.
Ajax on Thursday confirmed Ten Hag's replacement, announcing they have reached an agreement with Club Brugge boss Schreuder.
The 49-year-old, who served as Ten Hag's assistant in 2018-19, when Ajax reached the Champions League semi-finals, has signed a two-year deal with an option for a third.
Schreuder only joined Belgian side Brugge in January, and is hoping to lead them to glory in the play-offs for the Belgian championship.
He coached Hoffenheim in 2019-20, though left in June of that season and linked up with Ronald Koeman at Barcelona, acting as assistant to the former Netherlands boss, who will take charge of the Dutch giants once again following the World Cup later this year.
"Becoming head coach at Ajax is an honour and a great opportunity, that I will grab with both hands," Schreuder said.
"I'm also excited to return here, because I enjoyed the one and a half years I've worked at Ajax very much. I wish to win prizes here in Amsterdam, with a team that plays attractive football. With a good balance between experienced top players and very big talents.
"But first I want to end the season with Club Brugge successfully. I want to say goodbye with a title, that is very important to me and I will do my absolute best to accomplish that."
Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar added: "We know Alfred as a tactically strong trainer with good and versatile exercise material. These last years he has gained experience as a head coach and as assistant coach at top clubs in various countries and competitions."
Former Liverpool defender Jose Enrique believes Romelu Lukaku could be an "unstoppable" threat in the FA Cup final but questioned the desire of the Chelsea striker.
Lukaku has found some form in the past week, scoring twice in the draw with Wolves and once in the 3-0 win at Leeds United.
However, the flurry followed a 10-game run without a goal in the Premier League for the former Inter and Manchester United striker.
Enrique has not been impressed by Lukaku in the first season of his second spell as a Chelsea player, and expressed amazement at how he handled himself late last year.
That was when Lukaku made clear his unhappiness at Chelsea in an interview with Sky Sport Italia, complaining about his role in Thomas Tuchel's team.
In an interview with Stats Perform, Enrique questioned whether head coach Tuchel had been behind the decision to sign Lukaku last August, or whether it was taken above his head.
"Obviously it was a wrong decision because of what Lukaku did in January," said Enrique.
A laughing Enrique added: "I don't really understand what he's done, to be honest with you.
"Obviously he doesn't like to run, either, another comparison with [Paul] Pogba at [Manchester] United is this kind of profile.
"Ability-wise, I love Lukaku; he has everything. I think he's a top, top world-class player that whenever he wants to have his game he's nearly unstoppable, but he just doesn't want to be there.
"That's why that signing maybe actually doesn't make them get where they want to be. They are not fighting for anything except the FA Cup now."
Enrique was speaking before Lukaku's sudden burst of form, yet a return of just eight goals in this Premier League campaign has fallen well short of expectations for the Belgium striker.
Saturday's Wembley clash is a repeat of the EFL Cup final that Liverpool won 11-10 on penalties in February when Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga missed from the spot.
It also comes 10 years after Liverpool were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea in the FA Cup final, with Enrique on the beaten side that day.
He still believes Liverpool were unfairly denied a second goal on that day, when Andy Carroll's header, touched onto the crossbar by Petr Cech, went close to crossing the line.
Television evidence was inconclusive, but Enrique believes modern-day technology would have given Liverpool an equaliser.
"I hope Liverpool get their revenge because I lost it 10 years ago against them," Enrique said. "I believe we should have got a goal with the head from Andy Carroll. In the modern game it would have been a goal in my opinion."
Looking ahead to the rematch, Enrique, who retired due to a knee injury almost five years ago, said Liverpool cannot afford to let their standards dip.
"If Liverpool perform as they have been doing, I believe Liverpool are the favourites if you ask anybody," he said. "But being the favourites doesn't mean you're going to win it. They need to be careful because it's one game and you can have a bad game and you lose it."
Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Premier League's Player of the Month award for the second time this season after an impressive April on an individual level.
United's woes this season have been well-documented, with April an especially tough month that saw them win just once in six Premier League outings.
It would have undoubtedly been an even worse spell were it not for Ronaldo's five goals across four appearances, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner netting United's equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on April 28 and a hat-trick to just about see off Norwich City 3-2 12 days earlier. His other goal came in a 3-1 reverse at Arsenal.
No one in the Premier League managed more non-penalty goals (five) than Ronaldo across April – those strikes came from a modest 1.8 expected goals (xG), highlighting just how clinical the 37-year-old was.
A debate around Ronaldo's suitability to United has rumbled for much of the season, with some of the opinion his apparent lack of impact both off the ball and in build-up play makes him a luxury that an underachieving side cannot afford to accommodate.
However, his performances in April altered the narrative slightly, particularly following United's confirmation of Erik ten Hag as their next permanent manager on April 21.
Interim manager Ralf Rangnick suggested Ronaldo's recent performances have shown he can be an asset for Ten Hag, with rumours regarding a potential end-of-season departure cooling.
The Player of the Month award is another vindication of Ronaldo's usefulness to United, as he joins Steven Gerrard on six such gongs over the course of his career – only Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane have claimed more.
New Zealand legend Brendon McCullum has been appointed England's Test head coach.
The 40-year-old was confirmed on Thursday as Chris Silverwood's successor and will take up his first coaching role at international level.
Former Black Caps captain McCullum had been considered a strong candidate to coach England's white-ball teams, having been employed by Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders and Caribbean Premier League team Trinbago Knight Riders.
Rob Key decided to bring in separate Test and white-ball head coaches after he was appointed as managing director of England men's cricket last month.
Key led the interviews for both roles this week, and it is former wicketkeeper-batter McCullum who has been given the opportunity to turn England's fortunes around in the longest format under new skipper Ben Stokes.
McCullum said: "I'd like to say how pleased I am to be given this opportunity to positively contribute to England's Test cricket set-up and move the team forward into a more successful era.
"In taking this role on, I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the team faces at present, and I strongly believe in my ability to help the team emerge as a stronger force once we've confronted them head-on.
"I've enjoyed several robust conversations with Rob Key about the direction of travel for the team and have found his enthusiasm contagious. I'm no stranger to bringing about change within a team environment, and I can't wait to get started.
"Ben Stokes is the perfect character to inspire change around him, and I look forward to working closely with him to build a successful unit around us."
New Zealand legend Brendon McCullum has been appointed England's Test head coach.
The 40-year-old was confirmed on Thursday as Chris Silverwood's successor and will take up his first coaching role at international level.
Former Black Caps captain McCullum had been considered a strong candidate to coach England's white-ball teams, having been employed by Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders and Caribbean Premier League team Trinbago Knight Riders.
Rob Key decided to bring in separate Test and white-ball head coaches after he was appointed as managing director of England men's cricket last month.
Key led the interviews for both roles this week, and it is former wicketkeeper-batter McCullum who has been given the opportunity to turn England's fortunes around in the longest format under new skipper Ben Stokes.
McCullum said: "I'd like to say how pleased I am to be given this opportunity to positively contribute to England's Test cricket set-up and move the team forward into a more successful era.
"In taking this role on, I am acutely aware of the significant challenges the team faces at present, and I strongly believe in my ability to help the team emerge as a stronger force once we've confronted them head-on.
"I've enjoyed several robust conversations with Rob Key about the direction of travel for the team and have found his enthusiasm contagious. I'm no stranger to bringing about change within a team environment, and I can't wait to get started.
"Ben Stokes is the perfect character to inspire change around him, and I look forward to working closely with him to build a successful unit around us."
Naomi Osaka has told Kyrie Irving there is "always room" after the NBA star asked if "hoopers" were welcome in her new agency.
The four-time grand slam winner – who withdrew from the Internazionali d'Italia this week due to an Achilles injury she suffered at the Madrid Open – announced on Wednesday she was leaving IMG to start her own agency, Evolve, with long-time agent Stuart Duguid.
Duguid told Reuters the venture will be a "small boutique and bespoke agency" that will only welcome athletes "who transcend their sports; or those with the potential to do so".
Irving is one of the leading players in the NBA, and the Brooklyn Nets star hinted at his interest on Twitter, messaging Osaka on Wednesday to ask: "yall got room over at your agency for hoopers. Just inquiring" with an emoji of two champagne flutes clinking together.
Osaka replied on Thursday simply saying: "always room" with the same champagne emoji as well as one of a basketball.
The 24-year-old said on Wednesday that the move was to make the "next step" in her journey "as an athlete and a businesswoman", telling Sportico: "I've spent my career doing things my way, even when people told me that it wasn't what was expected or traditional.
"Evolve is the natural next step in my journey as both an athlete and businesswoman, as well as a way to continue being myself and doing things my way."
World Rugby has confirmed Australia and the United States as the next two hosts of the men's Rugby World Cup.
The men's tournament will be held in Australia in 2027, and the women's World Cup will be hosted Down Under two years later.
Australia has not hosted the men's tournament since 2003, when Jonny Wilkinson's last-gasp drop-goal ensured victory for England over the Wallabies in the final.
The USA, meanwhile, will host the competition for the very first time in 2031, with the women's tournament held there in 2033. The next women's World Cup, in 2025, will take place in England.
World Rugby confirmed the news at its annual meeting in Dublin on Thursday, promising to deliver "a golden decade for the sport".
Bill Beaumont, chairman of World Rugby, said: "We have approved three exceptional Rugby World Cup host nations – England, Australia and the USA – providing unprecedented certainty and an unparalleled opportunity to accelerate the growth and impact of rugby globally. It is great for rugby, for fans and for the host nations.
"Today is a landmark moment for the sport, and an exciting development for fans. I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making this dream a reality as we look to deliver a truly global sport for all."
Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan labelled it as "an historic day for rugby in Australia", while USA Rugby chief executive Ross Young said: "I speak for the rugby community and fans across the United States when I express our sincere gratitude to World Rugby for their trust and endorsement of our vision to grow this incredible sport exponentially across our country."
The next men's World Cup will be held in France in 2023, with South Africa the reigning champions following their triumph over England in 2019 in Japan.
Isco's time at Real Madrid may be winding down, but the playmaker at least was able to see the funny side as he wished team-mate Marcelo a happy birthday.
Marcelo turned 34 on Thursday. The left-back joined Madrid in 2006 and has gone on to enjoy five LaLiga titles, two Copa del Rey triumphs and four Champions League crowns.
Isco, meanwhile, swiftly established himself as a key cog in Carlo Ancelotti's system upon joining Madrid from Malaga in 2013.
However, the 30-year-old has struggled with injuries and was used sparingly by Zinedine Zidane in 2020-21.
Isco's struggles have persisted in Ancelotti's second spell in charge and he has been restricted to just 386 minutes of action this season, across 16 appearances in all competitions.
Just three of those have been starts, while Marcelo has played 17 times, totalling 790 minutes.
Isco, though, managed to see the humour in the situation while celebrating Marcelo's birthday.
"Happy birthday legend," a photo of Marcelo and Isco on the latter's Instagram story was captioned. "It was hard for me to find a photo of when we played!"
That being said, it should not have been too difficult for Isco to find a photo of the pair playing together.
Only last month, Marcelo started and Isco came on as a substitute in a victory over Espanyol, one that clinched the title. Both players seem unlikely to be at Madrid to help push for more trophies next season, though.
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