Chinese youngster Si Jiahui snatched a 5-3 lead in an intriguing first session of his World Championship semi-final showdown with Luca Brecel.
The 20-year-old, who came through qualifying at the Crucible to make the latter stages, lost the first frame, but produced back-to-back clearances of 125, 102 and 97 to punish Brecel for errors with a near-faultless display of break building.
However the Belgian, who beat seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan in the last eight, scrapped his way back to 4-3 down before succumbing in a nail-biting conclusion to the afternoon’s final frame.
In a scrappy start to the opening frame, Brecel enjoyed the benefit of an outrageous fluke when he rattled the pink in the jaws and saw the ball run the length of the table down the cushion before dropping in.
He went on to make 50 before missing the blue off its spot, although Si, the youngest semi-finalist at the tournament since O’Sullivan in 1996, was unable to prevent him from going ahead.
However, the youngster announced himself in style in the second, sinking a tough red to get in before compiling an imperious 125 break, and he repeated the feat to take a 2-1 lead when, after the Belgian had missed the yellow at 33-0, he cleared the table once again in a visit of 102 to complete back-to-back centuries.
Si eased himself 3-1 in front at the mid-session interval after an arm-wrestle in the fourth frame with both players twice having missed difficult reds to the middle pockets before he prevailed 103-29 courtesy of a break of 97.
The world number 80 stuttered briefly, missing a regulation red as he applied right-hand side to the cue ball in an effort to develop the pack after Brecel had erred once again, but eventually tied up an untidy fifth frame 103-3.
Si’s first error of note arrived in the next when, 53 points into another seemingly decisive break, he jawed the black to allow his opponent to the table, and his break of 72 stopped the rot.
Having benefited from a mistake, Brecel handed it back almost immediately, following up a good long red with a careless blue, but the Chinese player was equally profligate, leaving himself unable to see a colour as he attempted to develop the pack and taking seven attempts to hit the nominated brown.
A second snooker and three more misses yielded 12 more points to leave the 28-year-old 38-33 ahead, and he eventually drew back to within one frame of his opponent with a visit of 69.
The final frame of the session unfolded with a sustained safety exchange, but it was Brecel who made the first move with a break of 33 before inexplicably missing the pink, although Si faltered at 43-34.
His opponent rattled a pink to the top pocket which would have levelled the match at 4-4 and saw it roll agonisingly over the middle for the younger man to go two up.
Charles Leclerc has brushed off reports suggesting he will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, reaffirming his commitment to Ferrari.
The Monegasque driver is in his fifth season with the Italian constructor and is looking for a first podium of the 2023 season after a muted start.
But amid lingering speculation over the future of seven-time world champion Hamilton at Mercedes, Leclerc has been linked with replacing the Briton.
Ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, however, Leclerc denied reports he is set to swap teams, though he did not explicitly rule out a future move.
"No, not yet," he said. "Not for the moment. For now, I am fully focused on the project I am in today, which is Ferrari and I fully trust and am confident for the future.
"Then we will see, but I am fully confident for the project of Ferrari. I'm fully committed to Ferrari and I love Ferrari.
"It has always been a dream for me to be in this team and my main priority is to win a world championship with this team. So it's not something in my mind."
Hamilton, who picked up a first podium of the year at the Australian Grand Prix, sees his contract expire with Mercedes at the end of the current season.
Speculation over Leclerc succeeding him has had no impact on his own negotiations though, with Hamilton stressing his own commitment to the Silver Arrows.
"I think maybe some of the drivers all have different relationships with different bosses and stuff," Hamilton said. "I like where I am.
"I love my team, and I'm grateful for the journey we've been on and what we're working on moving forwards."
Charles Leclerc has left the door ajar to replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Hamilton’s Formula One future remains in the spotlight with no apparent development on an extension to his contract which expires at the end of the year.
Both Hamilton, 38, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff say a deal will be struck, but a report in Italy this week claimed it was an open secret that Ferrari’s Leclerc was already in dialogue with the Silver Arrows about a future move.
Leclerc’s bid to win his maiden world championship this year has been derailed by two mechanical retirements from the opening three rounds.
And although the Monegasque, who is under contract with Ferrari until the end of next year, insisted ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix that he has not spoken to Wolff about a transfer to the Silver Arrows, he admitted that could change in the future.
“No, there have not been any conversations,” said Leclerc, 25, before adding: “Not yet, not for the moment.
“For now, I am fully focused on the project I am in today – and that is Ferrari. For the future we will see, but I am fully confident in the Ferrari project.
“It has always been my dream to be in this team and my main priority is to win a world championship here so it (a move to Mercedes) is not in my mind.”
Asked whether he had directly spoken to Wolff, Leclerc replied: “No. Zero. Really zero. You all smile because you don’t believe me, but I promise.”
Hamilton finished second last time out in Australia, but he is already 31 points behind Max Verstappen.
It was put to him in Baku whether the speculation surrounding Leclerc’s future had any impact on his own.
“No, not really,” said the seven-time world champion. “Maybe some of the drivers have relationships with different bosses.
“I like where I am. I love my team. I am grateful for the journey we have been on and what we are working on moving forwards, so it doesn’t have any impact, no.”
The season fires up again on the streets of Baku following an enforced break after the round in China was scrubbed from the calendar.
F1 bosses have introduced a change to the format here, with the introduction of two qualifying sessions – one to decide the order for Sunday’s grand prix and the other determining the starting grid for Saturday’s sprint race, the first of six sprint events this season.
Qualifying for Sunday’s main event takes place here on Friday evening.
World champion Verstappen recently said that he could quit F1 if the sport’s chiefs pressed ahead with plans to extend the number of sprint races.
“One thing you do question is whether it is worth it,” said Verstappen on Thursday.
“I do like racing. I do like winning. I know that with the salary and everything, you have a good life. But is it actually a good life? I do feel that if it’s getting at one point too much, then it’s time for a change.”
Kevin De Bruyne claims a “do-or-die” attitude is driving Manchester City on in their treble quest.
City took firm control of the Premier League title race on Wednesday as they thrashed leaders Arsenal 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium.
The victory took them within two points of the Gunners at the top and, with two games in hand, they are very well placed to go on and secure their fifth title in six years.
City are also through to the FA Cup final and the last four of the Champions League and have a strong chance of emulating Manchester United’s 1999 achievement of scooping all three trophies.
“I think we’ve been playing well for months, winning most of the games,” said playmaker De Bruyne, who scored twice in an unexpectedly comfortable defeat of Arsenal.
“We’ve been defensively good recently but we know it’s do or die every game. It’s going to be the same on Sunday, we have to win. We can’t win this one and then go to Fulham and not win.
“I think everyone wants to play in games like this. We are very fortunate to have played in these games a lot of times, being in this position.
“It’s great to be fighting for these things. We keep going to the end of the season.”
De Bruyne’s opener came after just seven minutes and he also provided the cross for John Stones to double the lead just before the break.
The Belgian’s second on 54 minutes effectively wrapped up victory and Erling Haaland – with his 49th goal of the season – completed the scoring in added time after Rob Holding had netted an Arsenal consolation.
“I just try to play the best football I can,” said De Bruyne of his outstanding contribution.
“It was fine, picking the right moments to go in behind and I think we really hurt them in that first half on occasions. We could have scored more.”
There is little respite for City with Sunday’s trip to Fulham followed by home games against West Ham and Leeds next week before the first leg of their Champions League tie with Real Madrid in the Spanish capital.
Talk of the treble is growing but De Bruyne does not know if they have a better chance of achieving it now than in previous seasons.
“It’s hard to say, we’ve come close in other years,” he said. “We won all the cups in England one year but we lost against Tottenham in the last minute in the quarters of the Champions League.
“Things happen. It’s so hard to think about it anyway as the schedule is so tough. We don’t even have the time to think about what can happen in two weeks – because in three days we play again and we need to be 100 per cent ready.
“In some ways it’s good to have such a tight schedule so you don’t have the opportunity to think about it. It’s fun and hard but this is the way we like it.”
Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui believes Brighton are one of the best teams in the world.
The 56-year-old takes his side to the Amex on Saturday with the Seagulls still pushing for a surprise European spot.
Roberto De Zerbi replaced Graham Potter in September and has them eighth, five points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa with three games in hand.
Brighton lost 3-1 at Nottingham Forest on Wednesday but, despite defeat, Lopetegui is an admirer.
“In my opinion, the best team now playing football in the world is Brighton,” he said.
“They play in a different way than the rest of the teams – they are very good.
“They are different, they attack in a different way, they are able to play with consistency with the ball, have different solutions in different parts of the pitch.
“They show they are enjoying to play in this way – all the players – so it’s about the fantastic work of De Zerbi and the fantastic players playing football.
“This is a big challenge for us but a chance. We have to go there with the aim and the spirit to be able to fight and compete with them.”
Sasa Kalajdzic (knee) remains out and Boubacar Traore (groin) is lacking match fitness with Lopetegui due to continue with the same squad from Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.
It meant the former Spain boss has guided Wolves eight points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with five games left.
Lopetegui added: “We are going to need a lot of points, this is sure. We have a lot of hard work and we have to be ready to compete and ready to compete against a very good team.
“I don’t agree with mathematics of football (assuming a certain amount of points for survival), it’s the worse thing you can do. You have to work a lot to achieve a lot.
“To think in the future is not for us. We have to think about the next training session and put the focus on the pitch.
“It’s about the needs we have to achieve our aim. We have suffered a lot and we will continue to suffer until the end.”
Manchester City and Manchester United fans are facing serious travel disruption for the FA Cup final after train drivers announced fresh strikes in a long-running row over pay.
Aslef rejected a “risible” four per cent pay offer from the 16 train companies it remains in dispute with and announced union members will walk out on May 12 and 31 and then June 3 when Wembley hosts the all-Manchester final.
The Football Association only confirmed on Wednesday that the final will start at the traditional time of 3pm after Metropolitan Police deemed it a high-risk match, therefore insisting upon a kick-off time no later than 4.45pm.
The earlier kick-off allows for fans to travel back from London via public transport, but Aslef’s planned rail strike has thrown thousands of fans’ plans into chaos.
Both clubs are assessing the situation and will be liaising with the FA, authorities and fans groups, with the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust expressing their frustration at the situation.
“A train strike on cup final day will be a huge inconvenience to the tens of thousands of supporters travelling down from Manchester to London on the day,” MUST said in a statement to the PA news agency.
“We need all modes of transport available to cope with the level of demand and the railways are a key part of that.
“We call on the Government and the trade union to get round the table and find a way to avert this industrial action.”
Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said drivers have not had a pay rise at the companies they are in dispute with since 2019.
“Our executive committee met this morning and rejected a risible proposal we received from the Rail Delivery Group,” he said.
“The proposal – of just four per cent – was clearly not designed to be accepted as inflation is still running north of 10 per cent and our members at these companies have not had an increase for four years.
“The RDG, in turn, rejected our proposals to modernise Britain’s railways and help them run more efficiently, for passengers and for businesses, in the 21st century.
“Consequently, we have today announced three more days of strike action on Friday May 12, Wednesday May 31 and Saturday June 3 at the companies with which we are in dispute, and which are letting down passengers, and taxpayers, so badly.
“We are also withdrawing non-contractual overtime from Monday May 15 to Saturday 20 inclusive, as well as on Saturday May 13 and Thursday June 1.”
The train operating companies involved in the dispute are: Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, GTR Great Northern Thameslink, London North Eastern Railway, Northern Trains, Southeastern, Southern/Gatwick Express, South Western Railway, SWR depot drivers, SWR Island Line, TransPennine Express and West Midlands Trains.
The May 12 strike will be held the day before the Eurovision final in Liverpool.
A spokesperson for the RDG said: “This is disappointing news for our customers and staff, more strike action is totally unnecessary and will only heap more pressure on an industry already facing an acute financial crisis.
“Senselessly targeting both the final of Eurovision and the FA Cup final is disappointing for all those planning to attend.”
Paris Saint-Germain were accused by the mayor of the French capital on Thursday of making a "ridiculous" offer to buy the city-owned Parc des Princes stadium.
PSG are 10 years into a 30-year tenancy agreement but have targeted ownership of the stadium before going ahead with ambitious expansion plans.
According to the mayor, Anne Hidalgo, the Ligue 1 giants have proposed paying €38million to buy the site.
PSG are reportedly also interested in acquiring the Stade de France, with L'Equipe claiming the club would formally lodge an expression of interest on Thursday.
They are seeking a home big enough to match their ambitions, and the Parc des Princes, which seats close to 48,000 spectators, does not currently come up to the mark.
Speaking to French broadcaster RFI, Hidalgo said: "We had opened the door to the possibility of selling the stadium to our club.
"It is true that in the economic model of the big clubs, they are almost all owners and of course we have look at this argument.
"To sell, you had to respect the rules, because the stadium belongs to the Parisians, it does not belong to me.
"We are in a state of law, so there are procedures and we have to set prices that must correspond to the good. The club offered €38million. I think ridiculous is the right word. There is no longer any possible path."
French president Emmanuel Macron has reportedly held talks with football's world governing body, FIFA, about the possible sale of the Stade de France.
It would be a startling move for FIFA to buy the stadium that was built for the 1998 World Cup but may yet be feasible.
Hidalgo said she does not expect PSG to leave the Parc des Princes and move across the city, adding that it would be "very complicated to give up a stadium, even if the president of the Republic has opened this possibility".
PSG's Qatari owners have funded heavy spending on playing and coaching staff to turn the team into France's dominant side, packed with superstars including Neymar, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Ramos.
The owners will not find it as straightforward to navigate local rules and regulations, though. Qatar built a host of spectacular stadiums for last year's World Cup, when it wanted to show itself off to the world, but this is a different story.
Hidalgo said there was "maybe a bit of bluffing or maybe misunderstanding what our democratic rules are" when it comes to PSG eyeing up the Stade de France.
She added: "Yes, it's true that with us, stadiums don't spring up like mushrooms, it's true that you don't arrive with a bundle of millions and become the buyer of any property for any conditions."
Jarrod Bowen is confident West Ham will bounce back from Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat at home to Liverpool.
The Hammers missed the chance to move further clear of the Premier League relegation fight, despite taking the lead against the Reds.
A trip to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace on Saturday is West Ham’s next assignment and Bowen insists the team will go there in good spirits.
Thanks for your support tonight, Hammers ⚒️
We go again on Saturday ? pic.twitter.com/Vd25r1ZLzZ
— West Ham United (@WestHam) April 26, 2023
“This game was a kick in the teeth, but we’ll bounce back from that,” he told West Ham TV. “We’ve got a real spirit in this group to bounce back from disappointment, so we’ll do that again.
“It’s also difficult when you go to Selhurst Park with the atmosphere they create.
“But we can go there full of confidence I think, especially with our recent performances and results we’ve picked.”
Cody Gakpo’s long-range effort cancelled out Lucas Paqueta’s opener at the London Stadium before Joel Matip headed home a second-half corner to complete Liverpool’s comeback.
Bowen felt the home side only had themselves to blame with the manner of the goals they conceded.
“The goals were just a disappointment on our behalf,” he added. “One was from a set-piece, which we usually pride ourselves on defensively and offensively, and the other one sees Gakpo shoot, and we probably could have got a bit closer to it.
“We knew they would have a lot of the ball and they are a good team, there is no denying that.
“With the way they play, there were times we had to suffer without the ball and there were times when we had to go and put the pressure on and I think we got the balance right.
“It was disappointing on our behalf, to give them those goals, but there were some positives from this that we can take into Saturday’s game.”
David Moyes’ men went into Wednesday night’s match having scored eight goals in their previous two games, a 4-1 Europa Conference League victory over Gent and a 4-0 thrashing of Bournemouth, and they had chances to score more against Liverpool.
Bowen had the ball in the back of the net just after the break, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
“The last few weeks we’ve been at it to a better level, closer to what we expect of ourselves,” he added.
“Even (last night), there were times when we could have been better on the ball, but I also thought there were times when we looked dangerous.”
Every angle of Cody Gakpo's fantastic leveller last night in #WHULIV ?
Presented by @Sonos ? pic.twitter.com/ZiypTCNfQ3
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 27, 2023
Gakpo’s 18th-minute goal was his sixth in the Premier League since his January arrival at Anfield and the Holland forward feels Liverpool are heading in the right direction.
The win at West Ham made it three victories in a row.
“I’ve not been here so long, so I don’t know how it felt before, but I think we’re getting on the right track,” Gakpo told Liverpoolfc.com.
“I think you have to stay sharp for 90 minutes (against West Ham) because it’s only one moment they can counter and then they get a goal.
“But we did really well defensively – at the end they scored one and we scored two. We did great.”
Stuart Broad hopes Australia try to fight fire with fire by trying to adopt England's aggressive approach in the Ashes.
England have enjoyed a significant upturn in fortunes since Brendon McCullum was appointed Test head coach and Ben Stokes replaced Joe Root as captain.
An attacking philosophy enabled them to secure an unprecedented 3-0 away series whitewash of Pakistan after they beat New Zealand and South Africa on home soil, as well as India in a rearranged Test.
They also drew 1-1 in New Zealand, losing a thrilling second Test by one run after making the Black Caps follow-on.
Seamer Broad believes Australia could come unstuck if they try to score at a rapid rate in the battle for the urn.
He told the Daily Mail: "'It's going to be a slight clash of styles and I'm fascinated to see how their bowling attack will defend against us.
"And it will be interesting to see how their batters stay calm because we play so aggressively now. Will they be able stick to their game plans and bubbles when we're playing this style? That will be a test for them.
"I think it would be great for us if Australia try to take us on at our own game. If we can get them playing in a slightly different style they could make mistakes and that would be brilliant for us.
"Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja are all guys who like to bat time and accumulate so if we can nibble away at them and just get them thinking 'why are we not scoring quicker? Why are we not moving the game forward?'
"We leave Jack Leach's mid-on and mid-off in all the time and Stokesey basically says 'you're not having them back. Let them keep hitting you'.
"And he's probably got more caught mid-offs now than lbs, so it's playing on minds. I'd love Smith to dance down the track and sky one to mid-off early doors. That would be classic."
England were hammered 4-0 in the last Ashes series in Australia, but Broad has written that off as "void".
"Nothing was harsher than the last Ashes series," he said. "But in my mind I don't class that as a real Ashes. The definition of Ashes cricket is elite sport with lots of passion and players at the top of their game.
"Nothing about that series was high level performance because of the Covid restrictions. The training facilities, the travel, not being able to socialise. I've written it off as a void series."
Max Verstappen believes the approach of the leading drivers in Formula One will not change with the new sprint format, which debuts this weekend in Azerbaijan.
The new approach will see qualifying for Sunday's race take place on Friday, with Saturday seeing qualifying for the sprint followed by the short-form race itself.
Previously, qualifying would set the order for the sprint, which in turn would decide the line-up for the grid in Sunday's main race.
The idea is to encourage drivers to take more risks in the sprint, though Verstappen is not sure that will be the outcome.
"Maybe some people who are outside the points try to get a point. But once you are upfront, it's not making a massive difference," he told Sky Sports.
"I don't see it being a lot different for us than in the previous sprint weekends. There will be a little bit more chaos around because of the extra qualifying. This track is always quite chaotic, so this will make it a little bit more chaotic.
"From my side, I don't think it will change a lot. If you're first, second, third, you're quite happy in that position to just get the points, get it over with and focus on the race."
Verstappen has regularly been a vocal critic against changing the format of Formula One but admits he will have to cope with the new changes.
"You have to be ok with it. I love racing in general but I do feel like you don't have to touch anything that is great and I always thought that Sunday was great," he added.
"Of course, I understand selling more tickets on the Friday and Saturday, make every day worth fighting for, but when you're doing 24 or 25 race weekends, I think a good option would be to shorten it a bit anyway.
"Some people love racing, they will do it forever, but it also needs to be a healthy option as well. At one point, you start questioning that. Then when you add in these sprint weekends, it's even more busy."
While Verstappen made his concerns clear, McLaren's Lando Norris welcomed the new changes and believes the format is much better than before.
"There's still the budget cap, you don't want to damage the car, you don't want to do anything silly. Especially us, where we're wanting to improve the car as much as possible, the least amount of damage we cause, the better," he said.
"But I'm excited. I think it's a better format, I prefer it compared to what we had before. There's more room and more opportunities for everyone.
"I like the fact you have two qualifying. I love the format of practice, then qualifying on the Friday. The pressure is definitely higher, but it's enjoyable."
Frank Lampard hinted Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could have a role to play in Chelsea’s run-in after the striker made just his second appearance since February in the loss to Brentford.
The team’s goalscoring woes plumbed new depths at Stamford Bridge as a toothless 2-0 defeat on Wednesday extended their poor run to a single goal scored in the last seven games.
Aubameyang, who was frozen out under former manager Graham Potter, emerged from the bench at half-time and had a noticeable impact on the way Chelsea tried to play, lending their attack a badly-needed focal point.
But it was not enough to prevent Lampard from suffering a fifth consecutive defeat since he was appointed as interim boss.
Chelsea’s starting XI against Brentford have scored only 10 Premier League goals between them this season, and a tally of 30 in 32 games means only four teams in the division have fewer.
By contrast, relegation-threatened Leeds and Leicester have scored 12 and 14 more goals respectively than the Blues.
Brentford take the points tonight. #CheBre pic.twitter.com/yCHybh2VqH
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 26, 2023
Lampard, who was unable to select Aubameyang for the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid after Potter left him out of his European squad, suggested there may be chances for him in the run-in.
“Auba has been a tough one for me because I’ve got complete respect for him as a player,” said Lampard. “He’s scored 300 and whatever goals in his career.
“He couldn’t play the two Madrid games for me because he was not in the squad, he came on against Wolves (a 1-0 defeat) and for a number nine particularly, to be sharp and to be playing regularly is key.
“To see him train, when we haven’t had big minutes for training, in the last few days I’ve seen him be able to train, so he was in my thinking for (Brentford) anyway.
“He certainly has the profile of a number nine. We don’t have that elsewhere in the squad. So I did see a difference.”
Chelsea have won seven times in the league since Champions League-winning coach Thomas Tuchel was sacked on September 7.
That run has seen three different managers try and coax results out of the squad assembled by owner Todd Boehly at a cost of almost £600million.
Mauricio Pochettino is expected to be appointed as Potter’s permanent successor in the next week to try and lead a restoration of the club’s fortunes.
Lampard was asked whether he worried about the impact being associated with the club’s current demise might have on his reputation.
“I took (the job) on knowing the jeopardy of what it might be, but I’m very proud to manage here,” he said. “I came here (in 2019) when we had a difficult moment before, and we had big success in my first year. I went to Everton and had a challenge to stay in the league, I stayed in the league.
“People will perceive you in a different way anyway. In the short-term, I’m not worried. I want to win games, that’s clear. But I understand the problems as to why we’re probably not winning games.
“I got asked before about belief and how we’re going to change that. I can’t just say ‘lads, believe’ and they’re going to run out and believe all of a sudden. Those things take time and they take a bit of work, then maybe something goes in your favour. (Against Brentford), nothing went in our favour.”
Mark Wood has backed fellow England fast bowler Jofra Archer to be fit and ready for a role in this summer’s Ashes.
The pace pair have struggled with serious injury problems over the course of their careers – perhaps unsurprising given their shared ability to hit extreme speeds in excess of 95mph – but are hopeful of taking on Australia in the coming months.
Archer last played Test cricket more than two years ago, spending much of the intervening period battling with a longstanding elbow complaint, and reacted angrily to reports this week that he had recently been forced to undergo a minor procedure on the joint.
He took to Twitter to rebuke revelations that came at a “worrying and troubling time for a player” but he was cleared to play his second IPL game of the season on Saturday and remains in England’s thoughts for their hotly-anticipated series against Australia, which begins in June.
Wood, who is also in India with Lucknow Super Giants, is also hoping to be involved after being ruled out of the whole of last summer’s international programme and expects Archer to be ready too.
“I feel for Jofra actually and I can sympathise with him quite a bit there,” the Durham quick told Sky Sports News.
“You feel like you’re just getting back and then you have a little setback and things happen. The curve’s never in a straight line is it? You know that on the way back you’re going to have bumps along the way. But he’s a champion player and I’m sure he’ll come back and be a champion again.
“I think, reading between the lines, it sounds like it’s not a massive setback that he’s going to have. He has overcome bigger things and I’m sure that he will be ready for the Ashes.
“England aren’t going to be silly with things. They’re going to know they want him for that series and they’re going to be looking ahead. He’ll get great treatment there in Mumbai and England will look after him so that, come the Ashes, he will be mentally and physically ready.”
Wood was one of the few visiting players who enhanced his reputation during England’s humbling 4-0 defeat Down Under in 2021-22 and is sure it will be a much closer contest this time around.
“I think Australia are a world-class team and I think it will be a great series,” he said.
“This (England) team is capable of achieving great things and I wouldn’t want to put any marker on it and say we can’t do anything, or set the bar at any sort of level, because I think this team can really achieve great things.”
Phil Mickelson expects the four majors to find a way to include the cream of LIV Golf talent even if ranking system chiefs refuse to award points to the breakaway series.
LIV bosses are pushing for the official world golf rankings (OWGR) to award points for its events, but that has yet to come about.
There is no guarantee the situation will change, but Mickelson cannot see how it is in anyone's interest for the majors, golf's pinnacle events, to exclude some of the sport's biggest stars.
His LIV Golf colleague Bryson DeChambeau labelled the rankings "almost obsolete" when he spoke this week in Singapore. He has slipped from inside the top 30 to 178th since committing to LIV, where lucrative sign-up fees and prize money have drawn a host of golf's elite players.
Mickelson and Brooks Koepka, who both defected from the PGA Tour to LIV, finished tied for second at the recent Masters.
Sharp dips in ranking status could mean LIV stars are frozen out from the majors, but there seems likely to be an arrangement reached.
Reflecting on the sport's showpiece occasions and future prospects for LIV players, Mickelson said: "It's going to all iron itself out because if you're one of the majors, if you're the Masters, you're not looking at we should keep these guys out.
"You're saying to yourself, we want to have the best field, we want to have the best players, and these guys added a lot to the tournament this year at the Masters. How do we get them included?
"We have to come up with a qualifying mechanism that is inclusive, and if the world golf ranking isn't going to be inclusive, then they have to find another way.
"Maybe they take the top five or top 10 or winners of LIV, but they're going to have to find a way to get the best LIV players in their field if they want to have the best field in golf and be really what major championship is about. So they're already looking at that.
"If the world golf rankings doesn't find a way to be inclusive, then the majors will just find another way to include LIV because it's no longer a credible way.
"So it will all iron itself out for the simple reason that it's in the best interest of everybody, especially the tournaments, the majors, to have the best players."
The US PGA Championship is coming up in May, followed by the U.S. Open in June and the Open Championship in July.
Meanwhile, the Singapore leg of the controversial, Saudi-backed LIV series begins on Friday.
DeChambeau, a former winner of the U.S. Open, has little time for the ranking system as it stands.
"You should realise that the OWGR is not accurate, one," he said. "Two, I think that they need to come to a resolution, or it will become obsolete. It's pretty much almost obsolete as of right now.
"But again, if the majors and everything continue to have that as their ranking system, then they are biting it quite heavily."
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi does not know whether his side have the squad depth required to cope with a hectic run of games.
The Seagulls’ European dream suffered a big blow on Wednesday night as they were beaten 3-1 at Nottingham Forest, where De Zerbi said his players lacked energy just three days after they lost the FA Cup semi-final to Manchester United on penalties.
They now have eight games to play in a month as they aim to qualify for European football for the first time in their history.
Asked whether his squad is light, the Italian replied: “I don’t know. For sure I am honest and I don’t want to speak in this way when we lose the game.
“I am proud of my players even though we lost. We will speak with (chairman) Tony (Bloom) at the end of the season. We are suffering too many injuries in this moment.
“I said this game was the most important game of the season. I knew the game was very, very, very tough. It was very tough for the energy but for the head too. The big teams are used to playing today, tomorrow, at four o’clock in the night, at nine o’clock in the morning, in the afternoon with the rain or sun. We are working on this.
“I think we can reach this level. I am speaking with Tony (Bloom). If we want to reach this level I think it is better to say I know the way. I will work hard to reach this level. I am not speaking about the table, I am speaking about the mentality.”
For Forest, victory gave their survival chances a much-needed shot in the arm as they climbed out of the bottom three.
Boss Steve Cooper was delighted that his side stuck to a plan to deliver a first three points in 12 games.
“We were never going to have a competition of possession or passes with them, because that wouldn’t have been the right plan,” Cooper said. “I asked the players at half-time to continue, not to get too frustrated – because some parts of the game they wouldn’t have enjoyed greatly – but I said they would get their rewards.
“We scored the second goal completely from the plan. The little box they play in midfield, with the centre-backs and the midfield players, is good, but if you do get it, it’s a really open pitch. We managed to take advantage of that.
“The players stuck to the plan brilliantly. It’s not as if we’ve been winning every week, so for the players to show that mentality and confidence in the game…We should take a lot of heart from that.”
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