David Gower believes the reaction of the Lord's Long Room to Australia during the Ashes was "ugly" and "out of order".
Alex Carey's controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow on day five of England's eventual second Test defeat at the start of July caused a furious reaction from the crowd at the usually reserved Lord's.
That preceded an altercation between Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) members and Australia's players at the lunch break in which Usman Khawaja and David Warner were confronted in the Long Room.
Three MCC members were suspended as a result, and while Gower embraces the rivalry between England and Australia, he also feels there is a line that was crossed in the recent series.
"The rivalry should be on the field," Gower told Stats Perform. "The rivalry should be contained on the field, where you give 100 per cent.
"Each and every man gives 100 per cent each and every day. You bowl your bouncers, hit fours, your sixes, you take people on, there's a bit of banter. That's fine. That's where it should be contained.
"Obviously, in an Ashes series for many years now we've seen both Down Under in Australia and in England now, the fans are very partisan.
"That incident at Lords was ugly, and I'm afraid to say that those members of the MCC in the pavilion at Lord's were horribly out of order."
Gower defended Carey's actions, saying: "For the record, I have no problem with what Alex Carey did.
"I just thought Jonny Bairstow was careless, made an assumption he shouldn't have made. And it could have easily been avoided if Jonny just looked behind him and put his bat down. Not out, carry on with the game. And then England actually might still have had a chance of winning that game."
Gower also believes fans should move on from the 2018 ball-tampering scandal for which Warner and then-captain Steve Smith received 12-month suspensions, with chanting referencing the incident audible during the 2023 series.
"This whole thing, I find it actually quite distasteful to be honest," Gower added.
"Yes, some years ago, they did use sandpaper. [But] they've done everything possible to get over it. They've tried ever so hard to be nice, while still not losing that competitive edge."
Retiring Nadal deserves everything in the world for sacrifices, says Lorenzo
Rafael Nadal deserves "everything in this world" in his retirement after the sacrifices he made during his tennis career, says former Moto GP world champion Jorge Lorenzo.
Nadal officially confirmed his departure from the sport earlier this week, with his glittering 23-year spell on the court set to end after November's Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
The Spaniard has lifted 22 major titles, a total only bettered by Margaret Court, Novak Djokovic (both 24) and Serena Williams (23) in tennis history.
An astonishing 14 of those came at the French Open, which is the most of any player at a single grand slam in history, leading him to be dubbed 'The King of Clay' at Roland-Garros.
Nadal's 112 French Open wins are the most of any man at a single major in the Open Era, while his 14-0 record in Roland-Garros finals is the best recorded by anyone at an event in that span.
Nadal is the latest of the 'Big Four' to announce their departure from the sport after Andy Murray earlier this year, along with Roger Federer in 2022, with Djokovic the only one still playing.
Lorenzo, a five-time world champion who retired from motorsport five years ago, shared his experiences since leaving the track and what the future has in store for Nadal.
"Everyone experiences [retirement] in a different way," Lorenzo told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.
"It has always been said that many athletes after retirement go into a kind of mini-depression and are a bit sad.
"But in my case, it has been the opposite, I have lived five fantastic years. I have really enjoyed the freedom of being able to choose how and where to use my time.
"And I hope that Rafa is very happy because he deserves everything in this world for what he has sacrificed and for the great example that he has shown as an athlete to the whole society."
Nadal's first grand slam title came at the 2005 edition of Roland-Garros, while the 2022 season saw him triumph in the French capital and at the Australian Open.
He is the only player to win at least one major in 15 different calendar years, and between 2005 and 2014, he never ended a season without a grand slam title.
Nadal finished 13 different years in the top two of the ATP World Rankings, more than any other player throughout the Open Era.
The 38-year-old will bring his storied career to a close on home soil in Malaga, where he will be part of Spain's Davis Cup team which also includes Carlos Alcaraz.
Ancelotti influence key for Endrick development, say Dida and Cafu
Carlo Ancelotti's player management can turn Real Madrid's Endrick into a "great player", according to Brazil's World Cup winners Dida and Cafu.
Endrick arrived in the Spanish capital from Palmeiras in July in a deal reportedly worth €60million, signing a six-year deal with the 15-time Champions League winners.
The 17-year-old has scored two goals in nine appearances across all competitions this season, though he has only featured for 107 minutes across those games.
But Ancelotti has shown his faith in young players during his tenure with Los Blancos, with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo all developing under his stewardship.
Cafu, who made 119 appearances for Milan under Ancelotti, believes Endrick has the right man to guide him through the early stages of his promising career.
"Ancelotti is a great coach, and he is really good at developing young players," Cafu told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.
"He's really good at managing them, he understands them and knows when it's the right time for them to play or when they need to stay on the bench.
"For someone like him he will be like a father who will give the right advice."
It was a sentiment echoed by Cafu's former Milan team-mate Dida, who hopes he can become an important player for Brazil ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
"We all know Carlo [Ancelotti], he knows how to manage all the champions," Dida added.
"He knows how to make these kids grow even if they are already in an important team.
"And that is certainly something very nice for [Endrick], we hope he does well because he is a Brazilian who will surely do well with the [Brazil] national team.
"I hope that our national team always works with this type of players and we hope that Carlo, as always, does his job."
Endrick was picked for the Brazil national team for the first time in November 2023, becoming the youngest male player to secure a senior call-up since Ronaldo Nazario in 1994.
He netted his first goal for his national side in a 1-0 win over England at Wembley back in March this year, scoring again three days later in an entertaining draw with Spain.
Endrick was also part of Dorival Junior's squad for the Copa America.
After three substitute appearances in the group stage, he made his first start for Brazil, replacing Vinícius who was suspended for their quarter-final against Uruguay.
However, he struggled during the contest, completing just one pass during the match, from kick-off, as they crashed out on penalties to Marcelo Bielsa's side.
Though showing only glimpses of what he can become, Cafu believes the sky is the limit for Endrick.
"Endrick can become a great player. He's young and has enormous potential and can grow a lot," Cafu concluded. "With Ancelotti as a manager, I'm sure he can become a top player."
Kempes backs Messi to lead Argentina's 2026 World Cup charge
Lionel Messi remains in control of his 2026 World Cup destiny with fitness no issue due to the lesser demands of playing in MLS.
That was the message from former Argentina international Mario Kempes, who expects Lionel Scaloni's superstar attacker to be physically capable of featuring in FIFA's next tournament.
Doubts remain as to whether Messi will make it to the tournament hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada, where he will hope to play aged 39.
The former Barcelona star is already playing in the USA's domestic competition, though, and Kempes believes that could have a significant influence on him featuring at the World Cup.
"I think Messi will arrive in good shape and fresh, because the MLS is not really very demanding, even though he demands himself," Kempes told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.
"I think he will arrive in good shape, but first we have to wait for the qualifiers and see how he feels because he is the one who will decide if he is in condition to come in and contribute everything he knows."
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner suffered an unfortunate ankle injury in the 2024 Copa America final but has since returned to the international fold.
Messi missed several MLS matches for Miami, with that absence allowing him to recover in time for Thursday's 1-1 qualifying draw with Venezuela.
Such management of fitness issues could be key for Argentina's Messi-led hopes at the next World Cup, where he will hope to add to his 13 goals at the tournament.
Only Gerd Muller (14), Ronaldo Nazario (15) and Miroslav Klose (16) have managed more strikes at the World Cup, with Messi out for further history if he makes the 2026 edition.
Having scored seven goals en route to Argentina's 2022 success, Messi will have no doubts of adding to his impressive tally, though Kempes urged caution for expecting him to be available.
"You never know what can happen because there is still a long way to go," Kempes, who appeared 43 times for Argentina, added.
With or without Messi, Kempes has been impressed with Scaloni's work in transforming Argentina's fortunes, winning two Copa titles as well as FIFA's top prize.
"Scaloni has already surprised us all when he takes over the national team and changes all the players except for [Nicolas] Otamendi, [Angel] Di Maria and Messi," Kempes continued.
"I think he has made a generational change that has not been noticed, because he mixed the players who were already there with the new ones.
"And the new ones have been very well received and have that winning mentality that led Argentina to win two Copa Americas and a World Cup."
Argentina wrap up their October internationals when they host Bolivia on Wednesday, aiming to extend their three-point lead at the top of their qualifying group.
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