Stuart Broad reached 100 wickets in Lord's Tests, but it was emphatically South Africa's day at Lord's as England suffered a dose of their own medicine.
On day two of the first Test, South Africa clipped the English tail to turn an overnight 116-6 into 165 all out, before going on to reach 289-7 themselves by stumps.
South Africa's lead of 124 runs came about largely thanks to Sarel Erwee's 73 and a seventh-wicket flurry that came with a hint of 'Bazball' about it.
That is, of course, the nickname that has been afforded to England's vivacious batting approach since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum became the captain and coach partnership, and the ball repeatedly raced away to the boundary as South Africa showed off their own attacking flair.
On Friday, the hosts must step up, or they will soon slide 1-0 behind in this three-match series.
After Wednesday's play was curtailed by rain, South Africa should have seen the back of England anchorman Ollie Pope in the first over of Thursday's action, but Erwee made a laughably bad attempt to cling to an edge off Kagiso Rabada at first slip, juggling before the ball hit the deck.
Rabada had a stroke of luck in removing Pope soon afterwards, with an inside edge into his stumps accounting for the batsman, whose 73 provided the only substantial home resistance.
Broad also fell to Rabada, fooled by a slower ball, and after Jansen bowled Jack Leach, Rabada completed figures of 5-52 by pinning James Anderson lbw.
Captain Dean Elgar looked sharp with the bat at the outset of South Africa's reply and had reached 47 when Anderson struck in bizarre fashion, the ball trickling onto the stumps after hitting the Proteas skipper on the pad and arm.
Keegan Petersen and Aiden Markram fell for modest scores, the latter prised out by Leach after a snick to Ben Foakes from the first ball after tea.
Stokes then dismissed Erwee with a snorting delivery that might have hurt the batsman's chin had he not put the bat there in self-defence, the ball looping up for Foakes to take safely.
The home skipper had Rassie van der Dussen pegged lbw moments later, and Broad reached his Lord's wickets century when Foakes held on to remove Kyle Verreynne.
Stokes broke up the entertaining 72-run seventh-wicket alliance between Marco Jansen (41 not out) and Keshav Maharaj (41) as the light began to fade, but it was resoundingly South Africa's day.
Broad's 100 puts him in familiar company
Broad is the second member to enter the Lord's 100-wicket club, joining Anderson (117 wickets) in getting to three figures.
It was the sixth instance overall of a bowler taking 100 Test scalps at a single venue, with Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralitharan responsible for three of those ton-up feats, with centuries of wickets in Kandy, Galle and Colombo.
Muralitharan's compatriot Rangana Herath also managed 100 Test wickets at Galle.
Video Assistant Referee Mike Dean has admitted he "got it wrong" by not encouraging referee Anthony Taylor to go to the pitchside monitor and consider sending off Tottenham defender Cristian Romero in the feisty 2-2 draw with Chelsea.
The hosts led 2-1 going into the dying seconds at Stamford Bridge, before Spurs were awarded a late corner with Argentina international Romero appearing to pull Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella to the ground by his hair during the build-up.
There was a pause in play while Dean took time to review the incident at Stockley Park, but he decided against sending Taylor to the pitchside monitor to consider a red card and play was restarted.
Harry Kane then headed in a dramatic late equaliser before head coaches Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte clashed at full-time, with both receiving red cards after the final whistle.
While Dean acknowledged that he could not have given Chelsea a free-kick through VAR, he accepted that he should have sent Taylor to look at the incident.
In his column with the Daily Mail, Dean said: "Sometimes in hindsight, you realise you could have acted differently. I've now had time to reflect on Sunday's clash at Stamford Bridge.
"I asked referee Anthony Taylor to wait while I looked at the incident involving Tottenham's Cristian Romero and Chelsea's Marc Cucurella. I could not award a free-kick as VAR, but I could recommend to Taylor that he visit the referee review area to consider a possible red card.
"In the few seconds I had to study Romero pulling Cucurella's hair, I didn't deem it a violent act. I've since studied the footage, spoken to other referees and, upon reflection, I should have asked Taylor to visit his pitchside monitor to take a look for himself.
"It goes to show that no matter how experienced you are - and I've spent more than two decades as a Premier League official - you are always learning."
Prior to the injury-time incident, there were also complaints from Chelsea over Spurs' first equaliser in the 68th minute.
A sliding challenge from Rodrigo Bentancur on Kai Havertz was deemed not to be a foul, before there were claims the flag should have gone up with Richarlison stood in an offside position and obstructing goalkeeper Edouard Mendy's view as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg stroked the ball home.
But Dean believes he was right to let Hojbjerg's goal stand, saying: "This one was relatively straightforward. I can't go back 44 seconds to look at Rodrigo Bentancur's potential foul on Kai Havertz.
"The question was whether Richarlison was interfering from an offside position. When Hojbjerg's shot was struck, Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy had a view of the ball for me. His line of vision wasn't clearly blocked, so it was onside and 1-1."
The prize pot for this year's US Open will top $60million for the first time in the competition's history, event organisers have announced.
The 2022 edition at Flushing Meadows gets under way on August 29 and runs for just under two weeks.
It was revealed on Thursday that $60m will be up for grabs, topping the previous record of $57.5m from last year, with both singles champions to receive $2.6m.
Players will be given $80,000 for making the main draw and $121,000 should they make it to the second round. Runners-up in the singles will pocket $1.3m.
In the doubles, the champions will receive $688,000, the runners-up $344,000 and the semi-finalists $172,000.
Deshaun Watson apologised for "any pain this situation has caused" before the Cleveland Browns quarterback insisted that was not an admission of guilt on any level over the accusations of sexual misconduct made against him.
Watson has received an 11-game suspension and a $5million fine after the NFL and NFL Players Association (NFLPA) reached an agreement over his punishment.
The 26-year-old faced 24 civil lawsuits over sexual assault and misconduct allegations. He was not charged by two grand juries and settled 20 of 24 lawsuits in June, with a further three settlements reported ahead of a hearing verdict early this month.
Watson was given an initial six-game suspension and no further fine after a disciplinary hearing conducted by former US district judge Sue L. Robinson. However, the NFL formally appealed against that ruling in order to seek further punishment, agreeing to the new sanctions with the NFLPA.
Watson's first game back is scheduled to be on December 4, against his former team the Houston Texans.
Having denied any wrongdoing after the accusations were made, Watson last week apologised to "all of the women that I have impacted".
A similar message came on Thursday in a statement from the Browns, in which Watson said he wished to "apologise once again for any pain this situation has caused".
"I take accountability for the decisions I made," Watson's statement added. "My focus going forward is on working to become the best version of myself on and off the field and supporting my team-mates however possible while I’m away from the team."
Just minutes later, Watson faced the press and said he would continue to "stand by my innocence".
Watson said it was important to swallow the punishment, stating: "My whole life has to be able to move forward."
He spoke of needing "to grow as a person", but refused to offer a view on the level of punishment dished out.
"I can't speak on the fairness," Watson said. "The NFL did what they had to do, and the NFLPA communicated with the legal side. I'm going to keep my opinion to myself."
Watson was not mincing his words when he added: "I'm moving on with my career and my life, and I'm continuing to stand on my innocence. Just because a settlement's been paid, it doesn't mean a person is guilty for anything."
When asked about whether he would tell all at some point, Watson said: "That's definitely the plan, that's definitely the goal. I've felt like through this whole process I've been trying to tell my side of the story, but a lot of people didn't really pay much attention to it."
He said he needed "to do what's best for Deshaun Watson" and said he could not control public opinion.
On top of the ban and fine, Watson will be required to commit to an evaluation with behavioural experts while also following a mandatory treatment programme. He says he wants to prove himself to the Cleveland community.
"Counselling is definitely a big part of that," Watson said. "I'll continue to show my face and show people who I really am."
Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam issued a joint statement in which they spoke of "a real opportunity to create meaningful change", saying they were "committed to investing in programmes in Northeast Ohio that will educate our youth regarding awareness, understanding, and most importantly, prevention of sexual misconduct and the many underlying causes of such behaviour".
Facing Liverpool at Old Trafford is the "perfect game" for Manchester United to kick-start their season, Virgil van Dijk has warned.
United followed up a 2-1 home loss against Brighton and Hove Albion in their opening Premier League game of the campaign with a heavy 4-0 defeat at Brentford last weekend.
The Red Devils find themselves bottom for the first time since August 1992, which is the only previous occasion they lost their opening two games in the competition.
Erik ten Hag is the first United manager to lose his opening two games in charge since John Chapman in 1921 and the Dutchman's task does not get any easier.
United face fierce rivals Liverpool on Monday, when Van Dijk expects the home side to be extra motivated to get off the mark in front of their own fans.
"It's massive, but it's not about making a statement. We want to win and do everything that's possible to win there," Van Dijk said.
"This year they've had a difficult start and we've not had the best start that we wanted either, so it will be interesting.
"Obviously they're not in the best situation confidence-wise probably, but it's the perfect game to turn it around for them."
Liverpool finished one point behind champions Manchester City last season, but they have started the 2022-23 campaign with draws against Fulham and Crystal Palace.
That makes Monday's encounter the first time that United and Liverpool have been winless in the Premier League heading into this fixture.
Jurgen Klopp's side have won their past two league games at Old Trafford, including a 5-0 thumping last season, and are looking to make it three in a row for the first time.
"Over the years it’s proven tough for us to win there, though last year was a great result, we can't deny it," Van Dijk said.
"This week we showed a lot of good spirit and fight in training, and we've got to bring that to the game on Monday."
Deshaun Watson has received an 11-game suspension and a $5million fine after the NFL and NFLPA reached an agreement over the Cleveland Browns quarterback's punishment.
The 26-year-old faced 24 civil lawsuits over sexual assault and misconduct allegations. He was not charged by two grand juries and settled 20 of 24 lawsuits in June, with a further three settlements reported ahead of a hearing verdict early this month.
Watson was initially given a six-game suspension and no further fine after a disciplinary hearing conducted by former US district judge Sue L. Robinson.
The NFL formally appealed against that ruling in order to seek further punishment, and they have now agreed an extended suspension and fine with the NFLPA.
Watson will additionally be required to commit to an evaluation with behavioural experts while also following a mandatory treatment program.
The ban means that Watson's first game back is scheduled to be on December 4, against his former team the Houston Texans.
Watson denied any wrongdoing after the accusations were made. He then last week apologised to "all of the women that I have impacted."
The Texans traded the three-time Pro Bowler to Cleveland in March, and the Browns promptly signed Watson to a five-year, $230m extension that is entirely guaranteed.
Elite 1 Horizon and Elite 1 Waves both secured wins on day three of the P.H.A.S.E 1 Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball League at the National Arena in Kingston on Wednesday.
In the first game, the Waves got past the Elite 1 Rivers by a score of 91-75 to close the preliminary round with a 1-2 record and confirm a winless preliminary round for their opponents.
Forward Xander Bowers was named man-of-the-match after leading the way for the Waves with 21 points, four steals, three assists and three blocks. Gemaal Davis also contributed 20 points for the winners.
“Just playing at our pace,” was Bowers’ response when asked what the key to victory was for his team.
“Our coach has been preaching playing at our pace, staying patient and taking care of the ball,” he added.
When asked about his own performance, he felt he could’ve been even better.
“I thought I did okay. I could’ve been a little more aggressive in the second and third quarters. I feel like I started off well and I ended well.”
The same two teams will square off in the third-place playoff on Saturday and Bowers says more of the same should result in a win for the Waves.
“We have the confidence and we know we can beat them now. The key is going to be playing at our pace and being able to take care of the ball and get good shots,” he said.
The second game of the day was a preview of Saturday’s championship game between the unbeaten Horizon and Elite 1 Storm.
What was expected to be a tight encounter proved to be anything but as the Horizon produced a suffocating defensive display to send a message to the Storm ahead of Saturday with a comprehensive 106-84 victory.
Forward Anton Ivey was man-of-the-match with 23 points and eight rebounds while guard Bobby Gray also chipped in with 19 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.
Ivey credited his team’s defense as the catalyst for this statement-making win.
“Our gameplan was defense and we picked it up in the second half,” he said.
He then made no secret of the plan going into Saturday’s finale.
“Same gameplan, defense. We have to do the same things but execute better in the first half,” Ivey said.
The Horizon finished the preliminary round with a perfect 3-0 record while this loss means the Storm finish 2-1.
The Los Angeles Lakers will honour Spanish legend Pau Gasol when they retire his number 16 jersey next year.
A ceremony will take place on March 7, 2023 when the Lakers host the Memphis Grizzlies.
Gasol played for the Lakers between 2008 and 2014, having arrived from Memphis, appearing in three NBA Finals and winning two championships alongside Kobe Bryant.
Three of his six All-Star appearances came during his time in Los Angeles, before he left for the Chicago Bulls in 2014.
After time with the San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks, Gasol returned to Europe for a second spell with Barcelona, where his career had begun, before retiring in October last year at the age of 41.
Following the announcement, Gasol took to Twitter to thank his former franchise, writing: "Beyond thankful and honoured!!!"
Gasol had an average of 17.7 points per game during his time with the Lakers, as well 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 blocks in 429 appearances.
He will join a number of legends, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Bryant and Magic Johnson, in having his jersey retired by the Lakers.
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has reiterated that defender Wesley Fofana is "not for sale" as Chelsea reportedly remain keen to secure his services.
The 21-year-old centre-back has been strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge after missing out on Jules Kounde, who joined Barcelona.
The Foxes are said to have rejected two bids from Chelsea and it has been suggested that a world-record fee for a defender may be required to prise him away from the King Power Stadium.
That record currently stands at £80million, which Leicester received from Manchester United for the signature of Harry Maguire.
Fofana has played in Leicester's opening two league games of the Premier League season, and Rodgers expects him to stay at the club.
"The idea is that he’s still very much a Leicester City player," Rodgers told reporters. "I’ve said a number of times that he’s not for sale.
"The club have made that clear so unless anything changes, I would expect him to be here."
Fofana is one of a number of players linked with a move away from Leicester, with midfielders Youri Tielemans and James Maddison linked with Arsenal and Newcastle United respectively.
Jesus Manuel Corona saw his World Cup ambitions crushed on Thursday as the Sevilla winger suffered leg and ankle injuries that should keep him sidelined until early next year.
The Mexico international was expected to play a key figure for his country at Qatar 2022, but that plan can seemingly now be shelved as he faces up to five months on the sidelines.
Corona, often known by his nickname 'Tecatito', broke his left fibula and ruptured ankle ligaments in training with Sevilla.
The club said in a statement that the injury occurred without any contact from a team-mate, adding that Corona was rushed to hospital for tests that revealed the devastating extent of his injuries.
"Tecatito will be operated on this afternoon for the injury by Dr Najarro at the FREMAP hospital," Sevilla stated. "Initially, this type of injury requires a recovery of between four and five months."
With the World Cup taking place in November and December, it appears inevitable that Corona will play no part.
Mexico will face Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Poland in Group C at Qatar 2022.
The Mexican Football Federation sent best wishes via the national team's Twitter account, wishing Corona "a lot of strength" and adding: "We know that you will give everything to come back and you will do it in the best way."
Corona only joined Sevilla in January, moving to Spain after a successful six-and-a-half-year spell in Portugal with Porto.
Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte believes he should be allowed on the touchline against Wolves after being charged by the FA for his behaviour against Chelsea.
The charge came after he was involved in multiple incidents with Chelsea counterpart Thomas Tuchel during and after a thrilling 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
An altercation after the final whistle led to both Tuchel and Conte receiving red cards, and the subsequent FA charges mean it is unclear whether both will be allowed on the sidelines for their respective Premier League fixtures this upcoming weekend.
Conte though believes he should be allowed in the dugout against Wolves, though, telling reporters during his pre-match press conference: "I hope so. It's right, it's right to stay in my place.
"Then I repeat for sure after this type of situation you can learn a lot but at the same time I think from my situation I was good to keep calm and [I] didn't have an excessive reaction."
Spurs sit fourth in the Premier League with four points from their opening two games, but will be without key defender Cristian Romero for Saturday's meeting with Wolves due to injury.
"About Cristian, he had a little problem during the game against Chelsea in the final part of the game," Conte said.
"It's a little problem and after the game he started to feel a bit of pain in his adductor [muscle]. We checked him.
"The player wanted to give availability but in this situation we have a lot of games to play, it would be stupid to take risk. For this reason he is not available for Wolves."
Spurs have beefed up their squad in this transfer window with Richarlison, Ivan Perisic, Yves Bissouma, Clement Lenglet, Fraser Forster and Djed Spence arriving.
This week, Destiny Udogie signed from Udinese, though the defender will remain with the Serie A club for the rest of the 2022-23 season.
Tottenham's focus will now be on trimming their squad, with Tanguy Ndombele set to complete a switch to Napoli, while Giovani Lo Celso has rejoined Villarreal on loan, though Conte did not rule out the possibility of further additions.
He added: "If someone goes away then for sure another player has to come. Especially if some players want to go and play regularly and it's difficult to keep them here."
Manchester City have been charged by the Football Association (FA) after their supporters invaded the pitch following the title-clinching victory over Aston Villa on the final day of last season.
Pep Guardiola's side secured a fourth title in five seasons with a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory against Villa at the Etihad Stadium on May 22.
Thousands of supporters made their way onto the field at the full-time whistle, with smoke flares let off, a goalpost broken and Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen allegedly attacked.
Greater Manchester Police charged two men over the disorder and are continuing to investigate a number of other offences that took place.
The FA formally charged City on Thursday for failing to control their supporters.
A statement read: "Manchester City FC have been charged with a break of FA Rule E20 following its Premier League fixture against Aston Villa FC on Sunday 22 May 2022.
"It is alleged that after the final whistle of this fixture that Manchester City failed to ensure that its spectators – and all persons purporting to be its supporters or followers – conducted themselves in an orderly fashion and refrained from using threatening and/or violent behaviour whilst encroaching onto the pitch."
City have until August 25 to respond to the charge.
Chelsea have condemned "idiots" who continue to tarnish the club's name after launching an investigation into alleged racist abuse aimed at Tottenham's Son Heung-min.
Footage emerged on social media on Wednesday appearing to show Son being targeted with a racist gesture from the Stamford Bridge stands as he went over to take a corner in front of home fans.
In a statement released on their official website on Thursday, Chelsea announced they are looking into the incident that took place in the second half of Sunday's eventful 2-2 draw with London rivals Spurs.
"Chelsea Football Club finds any form of discriminatory behaviour totally abhorrent. It has no place at Chelsea or in any of our communities," the statement read.
"Chelsea FC has consistently made its zero tolerance position on discriminatory behaviour very clear, yet there are still idiots like this that attach themselves to this club as so-called 'fans', which shames Chelsea FC, our coaches, players, staff and our true supporters.
"We are investigating this incident and, if identified, this individual will face the strongest action from the club."
Spurs twice recovered from a goal down to rescue a point against Chelsea, with Harry Kane heading a stoppage-time equaliser in a game that saw head coaches Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte sent off after the full-time whistle.
Both managers have been charged by the Football Association, while Stats Perform understands the FA is looking into Tuchel's post-game comments about referee Anthony Taylor, whose performance the Chelsea boss criticised.
Whenever people talk about the NBA, one name is rarely far away from any conversation.
LeBron James is once again the talk of basketball after reports emerged on Wednesday he had agreed a two-year extension with the Los Angeles Lakers worth an eye-watering $97.1million.
The 37-year-old had been entering the final year of a contract worth $44.5m. His new deal includes a player option for the 2024-25 season according to ESPN, citing Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul.
James' deal takes him to $532m in guaranteed career earnings, which would mean he is the highest-paid player in the history of the league, ahead of Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets.
Apart from having four NBA championships, four Finals MVPs, four NBA MVPs, 17 All-Star selections and three All-Star MVPs, what has James done to earn such a lucrative deal?
Stats Perform has taken a trip down memory lane to remind ourselves just why he is still the hottest property in the NBA.
Breakout in Cleveland
As the first pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, it was hardly surprising that James impressed from the start with the Cavaliers, averaging 20.9 points per game (PPG) in his debut season from 79 games.
It was the 2005-06 season where he really exploded, though, averaging 31.4 PPG in the regular season, which remains his highest ever for a campaign, before recording 30.8 PPG in the playoffs, where the Cavs were eliminated in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals by the Detroit Pistons.
James took Cleveland to the postseason for five straight seasons, agonisingly losing the 2007 Finals to the San Antonio Spurs, before taking the mantel again in 2009 as he put up 35.3 PPG in 14 playoff outings before Conference final heartbreak against the Orlando Magic.
He had become a superstar in his home state of Ohio, though it seemed like championship glory was always going to elude him in Cleveland and so in 2010, it was time for a decision.
LeBron brings the Heat
The television event titled 'The Decision' did not go down universally well, it is fair to say, as James dramatically revealed he was leaving the Cavs for the Miami Heat.
However, it turned out to be the catalyst for him to reach the next step as he was undoubtedly surrounded by more talent in Miami, and before long, much-deserved silverware.
Linking up superbly night after night with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, James reached the Finals every year in Florida, winning his first championship in 2012, before following it up in 2013 with another.
His numbers were ever so slightly lower at the Heat than they had been in Cleveland, though that clearly owed to having more help from the likes of Wade and Bosh.
James' first title win 2012 saw him average 30.3 PPG during the postseason, and led the way as he got some revenge on the Spurs in 2013, excelling in Game 7 to win his second championship.
The Cavalier returns home
In 2014, James came back to Cleveland with the desire to take his team to the promised land with him this time, and he did just that.
Just as he had in Miami, James went to the Finals every year of his second spell with the Cavaliers, and every year they played against the dominant Golden State Warriors.
After losing 4-2 in 2015, they returned to get revenge in 2016 as James starred on their way to an almost Hollywood-ending win against the Warriors, securing their first NBA championship.
They were unable to repeat the trick as the Warriors beat them in both the 2017 and 2018 Finals, but reaching four Finals in a row was still more than Cavs fans could have realistically expected.
Unfortunately for them, James was getting itchy feet again.
L.A. dreams not always what they are cracked up to be
James himself had a solid enough start to life in Los Angeles, posting 27.4 PPG for the Lakers in 2018-19, though injury issues sustained by him and several of his new team-mates led to a wobbly season, and therefore, no postseason for the first time for James since 2005.
Inevitably, he came roaring back the following year and in spite of the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, James and the Lakers returned to win the "bubble championship", the fourth title of his career with a third different team.
However, the 2020-21 campaign was one to forget as James recorded his lowest PPG for a season (25.0) since his rookie year, before the Lakers were dumped out of the playoffs in the first round by the Phoenix Suns.
Was it all over for LeBron? Not likely. He responded to that setback by scoring 1,695 points in just 56 games last season at an average of 30.3 PPG, his best regular season return since 2005-06.
James also reached a notable landmark in March, becoming the first player in NBA history to record 10,000 assists and 10,000 rebounds in a career.
Unfortunately for him, his team-mates were unable to match those efforts and the Lakers again failed to even make the playoffs, which could be why they were so desperate to find the funds to tie James' immediate future down.
His PPG has been higher in the playoffs than the regular season at every team he has played barring the Heat, where it was identical (26.9), proving the extent to which he is a clutch player and why it is imperative that the Lakers reach the postseason next year to make the most of the time they have left with him.
Injuries permitting, it is also practically certain he will overtake Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time leading scorer next season (currently 1,325 points behind).
Now that his new deal is agreed, you can be sure when that landmark arrives, LeBron will be wearing the same Lakers jersey Kareem did so famously.
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