Brendon McCullum credits the inspirational leadership and “total conviction” of Ben Stokes for giving England a fighting chance of leaving India with a series win.
The score is tied at 1-1 after two gripping Tests in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, giving England a realistic shot at becoming the first side to win away on Indian soil since 2012.
Head coach McCullum will lead his side to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for a short break before the contest resumes on February 15 and, while the players will be resting up with family rather than hitting the nets, he insists they will be ready to “drop the shoulder and go hard” when they return for the third Test in Rajkot.
A crucial part of England’s ability to do just that so far has been the contribution of three novice spinners in the form of Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir, who have defied their lack of experience to claim 26 wickets between them against players who have grown up against the turning ball.
And McCullum was glowing about Stokes’ ability to instil belief in the group.
“There are heaps of positives. Our spin bowling unit, albeit young and raw, have shown they’ve got what it takes,” he said.
“I put it down to the skipper. He has total conviction in his methods and is incredibly empathetic towards people.
“He spends time with them to ensure his messaging is really consistent, in his body language and behaviours, and he backs up what he says to them off the field with opportunities on the field. He is desperate to lead this team and he wants to take this team to whatever level he can take it.
“I am absolutely delighted in how they have performed with very little experience under their belt. You look around and you just see guys who look like they belong at international level.
“I think 1-1 is probably a fair reflection of where the contest is at the moment and, if the next three Tests are anything like these last two, it’s going to be one hell of a series.”
A return to form for Joe Root would be the biggest possible boost for England’s prospects, with the former skipper yet to make an impression with the bat.
A total of 52 runs from four innings represents a meagre return for a cornerstone player with a strong case for being the country’s best ever sub-continental batter.
The manner of his most recent dismissal, slogging wildly at the wily Ravichandran Ashwin, caused consternation, but McCullum harbours no such concerns.
“There are three Tests left, still an opportunity to score a whole s*** ton of runs,” he said with a smile.
“Joe’s a world-class player and as good as anyone England has ever seen.
“People will look to the dismissal, look at the method of his option, but he was trying to get the field back so he could milk them.
“It is the bravery you have to show at times and sometimes you get out doing it, that’s just the way the game rolls. There is no doubt from our point of view about that approach.”
England are not currently anticipating any changes to their Test squad for the second phase of the trip.
A virus has made an unwelcome intrusion on the camp but should be gone before the series resumes and concerns over Root’s injured little finger have eased.
There is no expectation of Harry Brook returning to the tour, with the team management giving him space to deal with the family matters that brought him home on the eve of the series.
The only uncertainty surrounds Jack Leach, who injured his knee in Hyderabad, missed the next game and has now been hit by illness.
“It is still pretty inflamed, but I don’t really know because he has been crook,” McCullum explained.
“His knee is pretty bad though and it was remarkable he got through what he did in the first Test match.”
St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson has stressed the importance of Wednesday night’s home clash with Dundee to his players.
The fifth-placed Buddies are bristling with confidence following their convincing 3-0 cinch Premiership win over Hibernian at Easter Road on Saturday.
Next up are Tony Docherty’s Taysiders who, along with Hibs, are also competing with Saints for a top-six finish, but Robinson is looking for more league joy before St Mirren host Celtic in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup on Sunday.
The Northern Irishman said: “We established ourselves as a top-six side last season.
“The hardest bit is trying to repeat that. So far we are doing that.
“These two games against teams directly below us means it gives you a little bit of a cushion if you can win the game.
“Sometimes you try to play that down to players, but we have done the opposite, we have played it up and made the level of importance of the game really high and it is the same on Wednesday night.
“We created numerous chances against Hibs, but that comes from a solid base and we need that tomorrow night and we need it again on Sunday.”
Robinson insists lessons were learned in the 4-0 defeat by Dundee in November, the Buddies’ biggest defeat of the season.
He said: “We had a lot of possession, 60 per cent, and we had more than 30 crosses into the box, but we played in front of Dundee a lot, we didn’t go in behind them, turn them around and make them go towards their own goal. So there’s lessons in that.
“We conceded from two set-plays. Dundee are a high threat in set-plays, very well-organised and very pro-active in their set-plays.
“We have to be well versed in that. No matter how bad we played up until half-time, we were 2-0 down due to set-plays.
“It is a critical part of the game now and we have to be on top of that tomorrow night.”
David Carson accepted Livingston’s perilous position in the cinch Premiership with confidence when he opted for a move to the top-flight.
The 28-year-old midfielder departed cinch Championship side Inverness for the Lions on an 18-month contract last week after five years at the Highland club.
The Newcastle-born player made his debut in the 3-0 defeat by Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday which left David Martindale’s side without a league win in their last 16 attempts and six points behind second-bottom Ross County having played two games more.
Ahead of Wednesday night’s game against fourth-placed Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, where the in-form home team have lost only once in 10 games in all competitions, Carson conceded that some people may have questioned his decision to join a club whose Premiership future is fraught.
He said: “I agree, people will look at it like that but I am a player, I know the situation we are in and there is still a lot of football to play.
“I am coming in with the aim, like everyone else at this club, to keep us in the Premiership. That’s what I have come to do.
“As a player you always want to play at the highest level you can and there was an opportunity for me to do that.
“First and foremost it was that, I wanted to test myself and when I spoke to the manager it was a positive chat.
“I know the situation that we are in but we can affect that and hopefully we can start to pick up points.
“There is absolutely a lot of confidence. There are a lot of games that we can go and attack and try to pick up points.
“Saturday was difficult but we have to let that pass, it is done. We were well in the game before the first game.
“We have to move on to Wednesday night which is a big game for us.
“We can’t concentrate too much on what other people are doing, we have to go in there with a game plan and see if that gets us some points.
“We are confident. There is a good group of lads, I have seen that in training already. There is some real quality in there so why not start a good run on Wednesday?”
Phil Foden believes the Premier League title race will go to the wire this season.
The England midfielder scored a hat-trick in Manchester City’s 3-1 win at Brentford on Monday night.
It was a potentially pivotal victory which lifted City above Arsenal into second place, two points behind leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.
“It’s going to be tight one. Liverpool and Arsenal are two top teams doing really well,” said Foden.
“They are going to push us until the end so we have to try and not drop points and try to win all of our games really.”
City fell behind against the run of play when Neal Maupay fired Brentford into the lead.
But Foden finally beat inspired Bees goalkeeper Mark Flekken to haul his side level before the interval.
The 23-year-old headed them in front early in the second half from Kevin De Bruyne’s cross, and then completed a stylish treble to ensure City’s title destiny is firmly in their own hands.
The treble winners also trailed in away matches against Everton and Newcastle recently, but Foden says they are beginning to show their mettle by coming back to win each time.
“Resilience. We keep proving it season after season,” he told the club website.
“We keep surprising everyone by keeping our standards high and it’s down to the manager and this fantastic group of players.
“It’s the togetherness, when things aren’t going right, to bounce back.”
Nerves are starting to jangle at Brentford, who have lost seven of their last eight matches and lie just three points above the relegation zone.
The fixture list does not offer much respite with City – again – Liverpool and Arsenal all on the schedule in the next few weeks.
But boss Thomas Frank is looking no further ahead than Saturday’s trip to Wolves.
“I’m always looking just one game ahead; that’s where our maximum focus is,” he said.
“It’s the same top focus on the next game. Every game we will have a very good chance to win it and that will be the same on Saturday.”
Flanker James Botham has been released from Wales’ Guinness Six Nations squad due to a knee injury.
The Welsh Rugby Union said that Botham, who is the grandson of England cricket great Sir Ian Botham, was hurt during Saturday’s 27-26 defeat against Scotland.
Cardiff forward Seb Davies has been called into the squad, while experienced Harlequins prop Dillon Lewis has also been summoned by Wales head coach Warren Gatland ahead of next Saturday’s Twickenham appointment with England.
The WRU said: “James Botham (Cardiff Rugby) has been released from the squad due to a knee injury picked up during Wales’ 26-27 defeat to Scotland on Saturday.
“He will continue his rehabilitation back at his club.”
Botham scored Wales’ opening try during a thrilling second half against the Scots that saw them fight back to within a point after trailing 27-0.
His Cardiff team-mate Alex Mann, who also touched down, replaced him on his Test debut and now looks a likely starter against England.
Botham’s problem is another back-row injury blow for Gatland, with World Cup co-captain Jac Morgan and 104 times-capped number eight Taulupe Faletau out of the tournament.
Lewis, who has won 54 caps, was a surprise omission from Gatland’s original Six Nations squad.
And he now becomes the fourth tighthead in the group, joining Leon Brown, who started against Scotland but went off at half-time due to an injury, Keiron Assiratti and uncapped Bath forward Archie Griffin.
Former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Miguel Angel Gonzalez has died at the age of 76.
Miguel Angel played for Madrid for 18 seasons between 1968 and 1986, winning two UEFA Cups, eight Spanish league titles, five Spanish Cups and one League Cup.
He was also capped 18 times by Spain, and played in both the 1978 and 1982 World Cups.
Following his playing career Miguel Angel held various roles at Real Madrid, including working as goalkeeper coach and director of the former training complex Ciudad Deportiva.
Miguel Angel was diagnosed with ALS, a form of motor neurone disease, in December 2022.
In a statement on Tuesday morning, the club said: “Real Madrid CF, its president and its board of directors are deeply saddened by the death of Miguel Angel Gonzalez, one of the greatest goalkeepers in our history, a legend of Real Madrid and Spanish football.
“Real Madrid would like to express its condolences and affection to his wife, Maria del Pilar, his son Miguel Angel, his grandchildren Daniela and Mauro, his family, his team-mates and all his loved ones.”
West Indies suffered a white-wash in the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against Australia, after another woeful batting performance saw the Caribbean side slump to an eight-wicket thrashing at Manuka Oval on Monday.
Opener Alick Athanaze with a 60-ball 32, was the only batsman to offer any real resistance as West Indies were embarrassingly bowled out for 86 in 24.1 overs, their fifth lowest ODI score. Only Keacy Carty (12) and Roston Chase (10) were the other double figure scores in the dismal innings.
Still, Australia, playing their 1,000th ODI, the second nation to do so after India, were almost flawless following comprehensive victories in Melbourne and Sydney.
Xavier Bartlett, like he did in the first contest, again starred with the ball, as he ended with four wickets for 21 runs, after which openers Josh Inglish and Jake Fraser-McGurk raced toward the low target by smashing 67 runs within five overs, and laid the foundation for the hosts to complete their eight-wicket victory with 43.1 overs to spare in what was the shortest men's ODI ever played in Australia.
The match lasted just 31 overs and was completed in three hours, including the innings break.
Australia 87 for 2 (Fraser-McGurk 41, Inglis 35*) beat West Indies 86 (Bartlett 4-21) by eight wickets
Inglis raced to 22 off seven deliveries, as he played gorgeous orthodox shots, but was quickly overtaken by Fraser-McGurk, who muscled three sixes in four balls off seamer Matthew Forde.
Fraser-McGurk was on track for a rapid half-century, but holed out to mid-on to end his 18-ball 41 and dashed Australia's hopes for a 10-wicket win.
Aaron Hardie made just two before Australia passed the target after 6.5 overs.
Earlier, Steven Smith's decision to bowl first was aided by a shoddy West Indies effort with a number of batters dismissed in tame fashion.
Following his stunning four-wicket debut at the MCG, Bartlett was immediately on the money with the new ball, as he had opener Kjorn Ottley trapped in front in his second over.
Athanaze and Carty held firm as West Indies' fortunes momentarily seemed to turn, and they eyed a decent total on the traditionally batting-friendly Manuka Oval surface.
West Indies avoided the early collapses that marred their opening two games, but the introduction of Lance Morris in the 11th over soon left them in familiar woe.
Morris had his first international wicket when Carty was brilliantly caught by a flying Marnus Labuschagne at backward point. Captain Shai Hope unsuccessfully reviewed a leg-before-wicket decision off Sean Abbott in the next over, before Morris clean bowled debutant Teddy Bishop with a searing full delivery that rattled the stumps.
Athanaze held the innings together until he threw away his wicket with a rash sweep stroke against leg-spinner Adam Zampa that was caught at deep backward square.
Smith went on the attack and brought back Bartlett, who on his first delivery nicked off Romario Shepherd.
West Indies' woeful performance was summed up with a comical run out of Forde, who bickered with batting partner Roston Chase on his way off, as their 27-year ODI drought against Australia in Australia continues.
Scotland have suffered further injury woe after forwards Luke Crosbie and Richie Gray were ruled out for the remainder of the Six Nations.
Edinburgh back-rower Crosbie went off in the second half of Saturday’s 27-26 victory away to Wales with a shoulder issue, while Glasgow second-rower Gray was forced off in the first half with a bicep problem.
The injuries have now been assessed and Scotland confirmed on Tuesday morning that the pair – who both started in Cardiff – will be sidelined for the rest of the tournament.
Scotland were already missing some key players going into last weekend’s opener as co-captain Rory Darge was not deemed fit enough to feature due to a knee injury sustained at the end of December, while Toulouse full-back Blair Kinghorn and Edinburgh wing Darcy Graham were ruled out of at least the first two matches with knee and quad problems respectively.
The Scots are hopeful that Darge will be fit enough to return in Saturday’s Murrayfield showdown with France, which would offset the loss of Crosbie in the back row, while Edinburgh lock Grant Gilchrist is available after suspension to take the place of Gray.
Harry Fry has his eyes fixed on two of Newbury’s biggest prizes of the season with Boothill and Altobelli on Saturday.
Two-mile chaser Boothill is set for a clash with Edwardstone, Editeur Du Gite and dual winner Funambule Sivola in the Betfair Exchange Game Spirit Chase.
Boothill won twice at Ascot early in the season, missed the Tingle Creek due to the heavy ground and was a faller last time out in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton.
“We are looking forward to running Boothill on Saturday in the Betfair Game Spirit Chase at Newbury,” said Fry.
“He was last seen at Kempton where he fell at Christmas, but thankfully he was none the worse for that fall and we are hoping he can put that firmly behind him on Saturday.”
Altobelli, a second-season hurdler, has been placed in two big-field handicaps at Ascot, first when second to Dan Skelton’s Knickerbocker Glory and then when third to Luccia in the Betfair Exchange Trophy and he is chasing more of the sponsor’s money this weekend.
“Altobelli is all set to run in the Betfair Hurdle having run well in two competitive handicap hurdles at Ascot so far this season,” said Fry.
“The experience of those races won’t be lost on him and, with hopefully slightly slower underfoot conditions, that can only play to his strengths and he can be competitive, all being well on Saturday.”
The Philadelphia Eagles will play in Brazil on the opening weekend of next season as South America hosts its first-ever NFL regular season game.
As well as three games in London and one in Munich in 2024, the league announced in December that it would be breaking new ground by taking another to the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo.
The Eagles, last year’s Super Bowl runners-up, have been confirmed as the designated team for the historic occasion in Brazil in September.
View this post on InstagramThe NFL has confirmed that the game would be played on the Friday night of opening weekend – the first time a fixture has been in that slot since 1970.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said: “This landmark first international game in South America demonstrates the ongoing expansion of our global footprint.
“Playing on Friday night of week one is a unique way to highlight our international growth and ambitions.”
The opponent, like with the other International Games, will be announced shortly before the 2024 schedule release in the spring.
A recent vote by teams means the NFL will have the ability to schedule up to eight international games per season from 2025.
LeBron James says he loves the players in the current Los Angeles Lakers locker room as speculation about roster changes swirls ahead of Thursday's trade deadline.
The Lakers won 124-118 against the short-handed Charlotte Hornets on Monday, with their third straight victory marking their best run since winning the NBA Cup in Las Vegas.
There is still much debate over how different Los Angeles' team will look by the time it takes to the court at home to the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
D'Angelo Russell is one of the players mentioned in trade talks and he led the team with 28 points and six assists in Charlotte.
Anthony Davis had his third career triple-double with 26 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, while LeBron had 26 points on 12-for-22 shooting.
LeBron was asked after the game whether the current roster was good enough to win a championship or if he felt changes should be made.
"It's not a question for me," he said, per ESPN. "I love who we have in the locker room and that's all I worry about.
"We are going to go out and prepare ourselves every single night no matter what it is, no matter who's out there on this team. No matter what.
"This is who we have, so there's nothing else to talk about."
Russell is also completely blocking out the speculation after producing an impressive run of performances. The Lakers are 10-6 since he returned from injury in January.
"Show up to work," he said about how he was coping with the trade debates. "That's it. Just play. You can't control that. I don't care at all [about trade speculation].
"Obviously I've been here before, I played for the Lakers before, so I know what the requirements are to be successful here are.
"So, if you're part of the future here you'll be successful. If you're not, you'll get traded. And I've been traded before here. So, my approach is just a little different.
"I really just genuinely, humbly don't care because I know I can't control it, one. And, two, I just won't allow my mind to go there.
"I like to focus on this and you can see how I've been focusing on basketball and not comments and what's trending on social."
Miles Bridges produced a career-high 41 points and rookie Brandon Miller scored 33 points for the Hornets, but it was not enough to prevent them from suffering their eighth straight loss since trading Terry Rozier.
The Lakers are 27-25, ninth in the Western Conference, and would need to improve to at least sixth to avoid the play-in tournament.
After going 4-2 on their six-game road trip, Los Angeles now has three straight home games against Denver, New Orleans and Detroit.
"When we put our minds to it, we can beat any team in this league," added Davis.
"We lost two we felt like we should have won, and we won two that the people in Nevada thought we should lose. When we buckle down defensively and play the right way we are a tough team to beat."
England are locked at 1-1 after the first two games of their Test tour to India, with a pair of gripping matches in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam.
Here, PA news agency looks at lessons learned as the teams take a week’s break before resuming battle in Rajkot.
Rookie spinners are learning fast
With Jack Leach injured, England sent out an almost-unbelievably raw spin attack in the second Test.
Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir had a grand total of three caps between them going into the game – compared to 96 for India’s lead spinner Ravichandra Ashwin.
But under Ben Stokes’ proactive captaincy the youngsters are over-delivering on expectations.
They have each shone in different passages and are a major reason why England have successfully kept India’s batters from getting away.
England took a big gamble by fast-tracking such inexperienced options in conditions where the slow bowlers take huge responsibility but their development is unfolding quickly in front of our eyes.
England need more from their Yorkshire engine room
Joe Root remains the best batter in the England team and nobody has epitomised the ambition of the ‘Bazball’ era better than Jonny Bairstow, but neither man has landed a blow on India so far.
In four innings on tour Root has 52 runs at 13 and Bairstow 98 at 24.50.
It is too early to call it anything other than a blip but if England are to prevail in the next three matches they will surely play an important part.
Root is the team’s best player of slow bowling and has an exceptional record on the subcontinent, while Bairstow has the ability to bully attacks into losing composure.
Both have big roles to play after a slow start.
India are missing Virat Kohli
Both teams are missing key members of their batting line-up for personal reasons, with Harry Brook back home in England and Virat Kohli withdrawing on the eve of the series.
India appear to be missing their former captain most obviously.
He would surely be a more attacking presence in the middle order and a psychological boost for his team-mates, not to mention an electrifying factor in the field.
As a spectacle, the series would benefit from his return, but it would give the away side a new batch of problems to deal with.
Anderson is essential
A lacklustre Ashes series left some wondering if time had finally caught up with the evergreen James Anderson.
Not for the first time, he has brushed the doubters aside with panache.
At the age of 41 his efforts on his return to the XI were exemplary.
He is in outstanding physical shape and bowling with skill, control and the occasional hint of magic.
No other bowler in the squad can combine economy and wicket threat quite like Anderson and, after missing the series opener, he is once again a must-pick.
Surgery has saved Stokes
Stokes finally opted to go under the knife in November in a bid to solve his long-standing left knee problems.
He had long resisted surgery, unsure how it would turn out, but it looks to have given him a new lease of life.
The skipper has already pulled off two brilliant pieces of fielding that would have been impossible before – a wonderful run out and a sensational running catch – and no longer seems in constant pain at the crease.
Even more importantly, he has been making a gentle return to bowling in practice and hopes to be back as a fully-fledged all-rounder by the summer.
Luke Littler is ready to “kick on” in the Premier League after taking the darts world by storm.
The teenage sensation has enjoyed a whirlwind few weeks since his remarkable, headline-grabbing run to the final of the World Championship last month.
Littler followed up his Alexandra Palace heroics by winning the Bahrain Masters and reaching the final of the Dutch Masters.
The Warrington-based youngster now wants to make his mark in the Premier League, having reached the semi-finals on his debut in the elite tournament in Cardiff last week.
His next opportunity comes in Berlin on the the second night of the competition on Thursday.
“I am just happy with how I have been playing,” Littler, who also turned 17 last month, told the PA news agency.
“The Worlds was a big step up but I have proved I can play with the best and that is why I have got my shot in the Premier League.
“It was good to win on my debut (in Bahrain) and obviously be the youngest person to hit a nine-darter as well.
“But overall it was just match practice for the Premier League, as was Holland. Now we are kicking on with the Premier League. I know I have got the ability to beat the best.”
Littler has so far taken his sudden fame in his stride.
The player nicknamed ‘The Nuke’ was a relative unknown in December but his performances at such a young age have earned him recognition beyond darts.
He said: “It’s just been crazy but I’ve just been living how I have been doing – chilling when I have time off but when I’m at my darts events, being fully focused.
“That’s what I have always done. I have always been myself and keep myself to myself.”
Littler admits he has mixed feelings about all the attention, particularly the media interest in his life on and off the oche.
Asked if he has enjoyed being interviewed so often, he said: “I have and I haven’t. It does get very boring!”
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Adrian Lam is determined to prove Leigh’s stunning 2023 season was no fluke.
Fuelled by an off-field rebranding campaign, the promoted Leopards not only charged up the Super League table on their top-flight return but dramatically won the Challenge Cup for the first time in 52 years.
After spending most of the summer era toiling in the lower tiers – with just three fleeting single-season campaigns in Super League amid numerous financial crises – it marked an extraordinary turnaround.
The challenge now for their dynamic former Wigan coach Lam is to prove it was no flash in the pan, as he fears many people suspect.
“I think people underestimated us last year,” said Lam, who was named coach of the year after following up cup success with a fifth-placed finish.
“I think people probably still doubt that we can do it and potentially feel that we may have got lucky, so we’ve still got a few people to prove wrong.
“We’re aware that it’s going to be that little bit harder because everyone’s aware of us.
“But we’ve added 10 new players to the group and hopefully they can bring something to us, while we’ve not lost many. We’ve just got to believe really, and have that consistency.”
Lam is pleased with how his squad has been rejigged over the winter. While a host of new faces have arrived, a core of key players including Dream Team entrants John Asiata, Robbie Mulhern, Josh Charnley, Edwin Ipape and the coach’s son Lachlan Lam have all been retained.
Among the new signings is former Penrith and Cronulla playmaker Matt Moylan, a one-cap Australia international, who looks set to play alongside Lam junior in the halves.
Lam senior said: “I think the new players that have come in are definitely better players, to add to the squad and to make us better.
“That’s all really exciting. We’ve just got to make sure that we gel off the field. By doing that we get the trust on the field.
“I think that the goal will be to finish higher than we did last year, so that would be in the top four.
“I think that’s a realistic goal but it’s going to take a lot of hard work. We’re aware of that but we’re a club that’s on the up and we want to show that’s what we’re capable of.”
The Leopards, who beat Warrington 28-12 in a pre-season friendly last weekend, begin their Super League campaign when they host Huddersfield on February 16.
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