Sam Billings has defended the "phenomenal" Rob Key despite England's early World Cup exit, saying people have "short memories".

England's defence of their World Cup crown came to a dismal end, crashing out at the group stage and suffering defeats to the likes of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

The miserable elimination has led some to criticise Key, England's managing director, but Billings has come to his defence, praising the work he has done since being appointed in 2022.

"I think Rob Key has been phenomenal," Billing told Stats Perform, speaking on the Pro Am Padel Tour. 

"People have ridiculously short memories. He's accountable for everything that's been a positive change over the last 15 months.

"So yeah, I think people always like to shoot people at the top. I think it's all just paper talk, but you look at where English cricket is at the moment – it's an interesting time for cricket as a whole.

"There are so many options. There are so many different competitions around the world, and so multifaceted where you're trying to juggle everything so I think they're doing a fantastic job."

Billings believes England's terrible World Cup campaign is a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in sport, saying: "Without stating the obvious, it's hugely disappointing.

"But it's just a reminder of how brutal sport is. There are no guarantees, we prepare the best we can as athletes, the best we can as a team, but ultimately, there are no guarantees and every single team, regardless of how good they are or how good they've been, can have off days that can kind of mount up.

"It's just been one of those things – I think it's important to keep perspective in a time like this where it's been five weeks, probably, of poor cricket over an eight-year period. When you put it in perspective like that, I think that's pretty much all I can say about it. I just think it's important to keep perspective."

Ryan Jack will have Euro 2024 thoughts at the back of his mind until next summer after Scotland’s qualifiers concluded with a 3-3 draw against Norway.

Steve Clarke’s had already qualified for the tournament in Germany before the final two Group A games in Georgia and against the Norwegians at Hampden Park.

A 2-2 draw in Tbilisi on Thursday was followed by a thrilling match against Norway on Sunday, when the 31-year-old Rangers midfielder came on as a late substitute.

The draw will take place on December 2, after which the race will be on to make Clarke’s 23-man squad.

Jack said: “We all go back to our clubs. There is obviously a lot of football to be played, everyone will have a lot of big games to play from now to then.

“It is always at the back of your mind. You are never going to just forget what we have achieved.

“It is going to give everyone motivation to play well, to play consistently for their club and do everything we can to be part of it.

“It has been a great campaign. We qualified with a couple of games to spare and that has not been done for a long time.

“We wanted to go out with wins but at the start of the campaign the most important thing was qualifying and we did that.”

It was quite a final Group A game at Hampden where Aron Donnum fired the visitors ahead in the third minute before Scotland captain John McGinn levelled with a penalty 10 minutes later.

Striker Jorgen Larsen regained Norway’s lead before an own goal by Leo Ostigard had the Scots level again before half-time.

A fine strike by Scotland midfielder Stuart Armstrong had the home side ahead for the first time but that was cancelled out by a late header from Norway substitute Mohamed Elyounoussi.

Scotland have lost only twice in total in their last two qualifying campaigns – to Spain last month and to Denmark in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, which ended with Clarke’s side eventually missing out.

The Scots did make the previous Euros, albeit they could not emerge from their group which included England, Croatia and the Czech Republic.

But Jack believes that experience will be beneficial.

He said: “That (consistency) comes with belief and the confidence of getting results. The same core of the squad has been here since the last qualification.

“We are in a good place at the minute but we need to keep that going.

“We will be going to the tournament a lot more experienced and very optimistic.

“That (Euro 2020) will help. It probably didn’t go as well as we hoped so there will be a lot of reflection on that and what we think went wrong in that tournament and hopefully we can rectify that for this one.

“Hopefully the experience we have all had, the backroom staff, the players, will stand us in good stead for the next tournament.”

Wales welcome Turkey to Cardiff for their final Euro 2024 qualifier on Tuesday.
Rob Page’s side must win and hope Croatia do not beat Armenia in order to secure automatic European Championship qualification and avoid the play-offs in March.

Here, the PA news agency studies some of the main talking points surrounding the game.

Favour needed

Wales’ disappointing 1-1 draw in Armenia on Saturday took automatic qualification out of their hands heading in to the final round of matches.

Croatia seized advantage by winning 2-0 in Latvia to move in to the box-seat and claim the second spot behind Turkey.

The mathematics for Wales are simple: nothing other than beating Turkey will do, while praying Croatia do not finish with victory.

Armenia have been Wales’ bogeymen in this group by taking four points from them, but they now need a huge favour from the team ranked 95 in the world.

Play-off lifeline

Amid the gloom of a flat performance against Armenia in Yerevan and Croatia’s subsequent success a few hours later, it was overlooked that Wales actually secured a play-off spot on Saturday due to other results across Europe.

Wales would have suffered the agony of missing out on the play-offs had three from Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland and the Czech Republic missed out on automatic qualification.

While Italy and the Czechs await their fate on Monday, Netherlands’ 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland and Switzerland’s 1-1 draw with Kosovo secured their places at Euro 2024 and gave Wales a play-off safety net.

Wales now hope Italy and the Czech Republic confirm their places in Germany next summer and provide them with a home play-off semi-final in March.

 Will the real Wales stand up?

Two months, two games, two very contrasting displays.

October saw Wales produce one of their best performances of recent times as Croatia, World Cup semi-finalists less than 12 months ago, were downed in 2-1 in Cardiff.

Confidence was running high going into November’s camp but, having been stunned by an early Armenia goal, Wales were disjointed and fortunate not to lose again to a team ranked 67 places below them in FIFA’s world order.

Boss Rob Page’s task now is to rediscover the fizz and fluency that swept aside Croatia and shelve the anxiety and hesitancy that bedevilled them in Armenia.

Defensive Locks?

Wales must make at least one change with defender Chris Mepham suspended after collecting a third booking of the campaign in Armenia.

Tom Lockyer has had an eventful time over the last six months – winning promotion with Luton and requiring heart surgery after collapsing on the Wembley turf in the Championship play-off final.

But Lockyer, known as ‘Locks’, might get the nod over Ben Cabango to join Joe Rodon and skipper Ben Davies in Wales’ three-man central defence against Turkey.

Tottenham’s Brennan Johnson could also be restored to the attack, despite an underwhelming second-half performance off the bench in Armenia.

Talented Turkey

Turkey are on the rise again after missing out on the 2022 World Cup and underperforming at the last two European Championships when exiting at the group stage.

Having sacked Stefan Kuntz and appointed Vincenzo Montella as head coach halfway through Euro 2024 qualification, Turkey have won five of their seven games and sewed up a top-two spot last month.

Turkey avenged a solitary defeat to Croatia by winning 1-0 in Osijek, and their soaring confidence was underlined by a 3-2 friendly victory over Germany in Berlin on Saturday.

Real Madrid’s Arda Guler, who scored in sensational style against Wales in June, and Kenan Yildiz, of Juventus, are both 18-year-old attacking midfielders and rated two of the brightest prospects in European football.

Daryl Jacob has been handed the plum spare ride aboard Bravemansgame in the Betfair Chase, with Paul Nicholls confirming his Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up is likely to line up at Haydock on Saturday.

Nicholls had indicated the Grade One contest was a possibility for his star stayer following his reappearance second in the Charlie Hall and if conditions are suitably dry throughout the week, it appears the eight-year-old will travel to Merseyside en route to the King George at Kempton.

With Bravemansgame’s usual rider Harry Cobden set to be in action at Ascot, it is an opportunity for Jacob to add to the three Betfair Chase victories he secured aboard Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Bristol De Mai.

It also represents a return to the fold at Ditcheat for the 40-year-old, with Jacob once stable jockey to the champion trainer, riding Cheltenham Festival winners aboard Zarkandar and Lac Fontana.

Speaking to Betfair, Nicholls said: “An update for everybody. He schooled this morning nicely. Daryl Jacob rode him. He runs on Saturday.

“Daryl’s going to ride him, you know. He’s got all the experience in the world. He rides out a little bit here, so he got on great with him this morning.

“We’ve confirmed him this morning, and we’re just going to monitor the ground during the week. If it was heavy, he definitely won’t run, but I’m encouraged by the weather forecast. Looks like it’s drying up.”

Joe Tizzard will work back from the Arkle with JPR One, certain he has a top-class operator in the novice chasing division following his agonising last-fence stumble at Cheltenham on Friday.

The six-year-old was in the process of putting up a huge display in the Grade Two Arkle Trial, displaying tremendous scope at his obstacles as Brendan Powell took no prisoners on the front end.

However, disaster struck when three lengths clear at the last when, although getting over the obstacle successfully, he stumbled on landing, unseating his jockey with the race at his mercy.

Tizzard reports JPR One is 100 per cent fine following the incident and is now looking forward to seeing his charge make his mark as the season progresses.

“He’s fine, that’s the main thing, he trotted up beautifully,” said Tizzard.

“He didn’t do anything wrong and he jumped so well for all of it, he didn’t even make a mistake at the last, he was just a bit unlucky.

“He was putting up a hell of a performance. I’ve been in the game long enough and I’ve been on the receiving end and I’ve been the beneficiary, but I think he would have been super impressive and I’ve got a super nice horse to go to war with.

“On official ratings, we need to find a bit and it wasn’t the strongest Grade Two in the world, but the way he was doing it, and the way he jumped, makes me seriously excited.

“We have always loved the horse and knew he would be a better chaser. He’s got low mileage and we have purposely delayed things with him and he’s got a very exciting future.”

Next up for JPR One could be further Pattern-race action in the Betfair Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown on December 9, but the main day circled in Tizzard’s calendar is the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival in March, where the gelding could seek Prestbury Park redemption in the Arkle.

“We’ll have a look at that (Sandown) and the only thing in the back of my mind is if you go and something happened there as well, you will regret it,” added Tizzard.

“But if he hadn’t had a little stumble after the last, he would have won well and I would be saying we would 100 per cent be going there. We’ll just take stock for a few days and he will definitely have an entry.

“Kempton at Christmas (Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase, December 27) is certainly on the agenda, but I haven’t had an in-depth look. I was looking forward to Friday.

“In the two-mile division in England I respect them, but I wouldn’t be afraid to take them on.

“Eldorado Allen won the race on Friday and was second in an Arkle and I think that this lad has more pace than him, so we will work back from March.”

What the papers say

West Ham are reportedly still interested in Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke. The Mirror claims the Hammers are planning to bid again for the 26-year-old striker in January after seeing an approach in the summer rejected.

Leroy Sane, 27, is not thinking about a potential move from Bayern Munich, according to the Metro. The Germany forward has been linked with Liverpool and a return to Manchester City.

England forward Ivan Toney is unsure about his future amid interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, according to the Sun. The paper claims the 27-year-old feels he has a debt to repay at Brentford after his ban for breaching gambling rules and is torn on leaving in January.

David De Gea’s next step after leaving Manchester United in the summer remains unclear. The Star says Inter Miami are among the clubs keen on the former Spain goalkeeper, 33, while the Sun reports he has turned down a lucrative move to Al-Nassr.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Chris Smalling: The former England defender, 33, will be available for a move from Roma in January according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

Hugo Ekitike: Paris St-Germain’s French striker, 21, could be a target for Newcastle in January, reports Football Insider.

After seven weeks and 48 games, the 2023 Cricket World Cup is at an end with Australia crowned champions for the sixth time.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at the tournament and the future of the 50-over game.

Did we get a worthy winner?

Over the course of the competition it would be hard to argue against India’s claim to being the best side on show. They were an outstanding unit for 10 straight games leading up to the final, covering seemingly every base. But knockout sport is all about the ability to stand tall when the pressure is on and the stakes are high – something Australia do better than any other team around. With a trophy on the line, they showed the killer instinct.

What went wrong for India?

On a purely sporting level, they met an opponent who turned out better on the day. Beyond that, there must surely be some regret about playing the final on a worn out surface that dragged down the scoring rate and left them scrambling for a competitive total after losing the toss. After the Board of Control for Cricket in India changed the pitch for their semi-final against New Zealand against the wishes of ICC’s independent pitch consultant, there was some suggestion that the tired track was put forward with an eye to aiding the home side’s spinners. True or false, it now looks obvious that a fresh pitch would have been a truer spectacle and a better fit for the hosts.

What will England take away from their trip?

A whole bunch of regrets and, perhaps, a few lessons. The reigning champions of 2019 arrived among the favourites but saw their defence go down with a whimper after six defeats from their first seven games. Director of cricket Rob Key admitted that his own emphasis on Test cricket had left the ODI group under-prepared but the clearest problem was the fact that so many of the side were older, creakier versions of their former selves. The team got old together and the renewal process was almost non-existent. A fresh start is already on the way but there are red flags ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup too.

What does the future hold for ODI cricket?

Against an unstoppable tide of T20, there was a significant drop in the number of one-day internationals over the last four-year cycle. With new competitions cropping up all the time and the Indian Premier League continuing to spread in influence, it is hard to see that changing. Crowd attendances and viewing figures picked up considerably at the business end but struggles on both fronts led to some genuine questions about the format’s long-term survival. It is likely to be up for debate at the forthcoming ICC board meeting but anything dramatic at this point seems a long shot given the number of broadcast deals and staging agreements already in place. Keeping the product strong may be easier said than done, though, with a host of veteran stars exiting the stage and less prestige attached to 50-over cricket among the next generation.

What will the next World Cup look like?

The following edition has already been allocated to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia and will take a different shape to the last two versions. It will be a relief to wave goodbye to the current structure, which allows only 10 teams to qualify and includes an inordinately elongated round-robin group stage. The stage will be opened up to 14 sides next time around, allowing for a more varied field, fresher match-ups and more underdog stories. But administrators remain bizarrely resistant to allowing a quarter-final stage – instead preferring the flabbier ‘super six’ phase. Two gripping semi-finals of entirely different styles, allied to the surprise result in the showpiece, should be enough to persuade decision-makers to push for more knockout matches.

What are the lingering memories of this year’s event?

On an individual level, Australia’s Glenn Maxwell inked his name into the sport’s folklore with his almost inconceivable 201 not out against Afghanistan. Having survived a hat-trick ball by luck more than judgement he rescued a lost cause with one of the most audacious innings ever seen – a feat made all the more remarkable by the fact he was operating on one leg and was at one point laid out by full body cramp. Among bowlers, Mohammed Shami produced a World Cup record by scooping seven for 57 in the semi-final against New Zealand. On a wider context, Afghanistan had a solitary World Cup victory over three tournaments but added three more – including a jaw-dropping upset of England and an emotionally charged triumph over socio-political rivals Pakistan. In a sport that often seems to have a rigid hierarchy, it was a joyous example of disruption.

Formula One’s Las Vegas gamble came up trumps with one of the best shows of the season as Max Verstappen – chief critic of the £500million race – claimed victory on Saturday night.

Here, the PA news agency dissects the key questions surrounding F1’s maiden extravaganza in Sin City.

Did the Las Vegas Grand Prix live up to the hype?

Formula One bosses were in crisis management mode in the early hours of Friday morning. First practice had been abandoned after eight minutes, and the delayed second running – which finished at 4am – was played out in front of empty grandstands.

It was a catastrophic look for the event which F1 had billed for months as the greatest show on Earth.

By the close of Saturday’s thrill-a-minute 50-lap race – which saw the lead change hand on five occasions – F1 chiefs were celebrating a triumph.

Sin City had delivered on the hype, providing a 48-hour turnaround to savour for the sport’s relieved American owners’ Liberty Media.

What went wrong in practice?

A faulty drain cover tore a hole through Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari. First practice was scrapped and fans were kicked out after witnessing only a handful of laps.

F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali stopped short of an apology, while the organisers did not offer a refund, but a 200 US dollar (£160) voucher to spend on merchandise instead.

The goodwill offer, which largely went down like a lead balloon, did not take into consideration money spent on flights and hotels.

A lawsuit has since been filed seeking damages for the 35,000 spectators who were left feeling aggrieved.

What were the other gripes?

The scheduling on the Strip left much to be desired. Following the 4am finish to Thursday night’s delayed practice, qualifying concluded just after 1am, with Justin Bieber waving the chequered flag on Saturday’s race shortly before midnight.

A jet-lagged paddock was forced to adjust to an effective Japanese time zone on America’s west coast. For three straight days, weary mechanics downed tools as the sun rose before they were required to return to the track only a handful of hours later.

The travelling circus will now head to Abu Dhabi – a mind-boggling time swing of 12 hours – to do it all again for the sport’s fifth race in six frantic weeks.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner did not mince his words when he said: “Everybody’s leaving Vegas slightly f*****.”

Will F1 make changes?

The sport is already locked into a 24-round calendar next season which sees the Qatar Grand Prix immediately follow the race in Vegas.

The running on the Strip took place at unsociable hours to avoid road closures during the day.

F1 executives will need to reach an agreement with the city to bring forward the track schedule for its future visits.

So, was it a success?

Verstappen spent much of the weekend pouring scorn over the event, labelling it “99 per cent show and one per cent sport”. He also likened it to English football’s National League.

But even prior to the triple world champion’s derisory comments, there had been plenty of negativity – much of it unwarranted.

A former F1 driver said he had been bamboozled as to why the event was proving so unpopular before an engine had been fired up in anger.

Of course, the celebrity-fuelled razzmatazz isn’t for everyone – particularly F1’s traditionalists – but there is little doubt that the race captured Vegas’ imagination.

And as F1 continues to build on its sudden popularity surge across the Pond, Las Vegas – whether Verstappen likes it or not – will remain front and centre of Liberty’s plans.

Eddie Jones was announced as England’s first ever overseas rugby union head coach on this day eight years ago.

The Australian took the role on a four-year deal starting in December 2015.

Jones, a former Australia and Japan coach, replaced Stuart Lancaster, who paid the price when England became the first host nation to be eliminated from the group stage in a dismal Rugby World Cup campaign.

As part of Jones’ negotiations with the Rugby Football Union, compensation had to be paid to the Stormers for the early release from his long-term contract with the Cape Town-based Super Rugby franchise.

“The opportunity to take the reins in possibly the world’s most high-profile international rugby job doesn’t come along every day,” said Jones, who had guided Japan to a remarkable victory over South Africa in their opening World Cup Pool B fixture.

“I’m now looking forward to working with the RFU and the players to move beyond the disappointment England suffered at the World Cup and hope to build a new team that will reflect the level of talent that exists within the English game.

“I believe the future is bright for England.”

Under Jones’ leadership, England went on to complete a first Grand Slam in 13 years as they claimed the 2016 Six Nations title and then secured a 3-0 Test series victory in Australia.

England beat New Zealand to reach the 2019 World Cup final in Japan, where they were defeated by South Africa, while they were also Six Nations champions in 2017 and 2020.

Jones was sacked in December 2022 after a poor run of results.

William Nylander scored 3:09 into overtime to give the surging Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild in Sunday's final game of the NHL's Global Series in Stockholm, Sweden.

Nylander and Auston Matthews each had a goal and an assist to help Toronto extend its winning streak to four games. Morgan Rielly had a goal and two assists for the Maple Leafs, who got 33 saves from Joseph Woll in a game in which they were outshot by a 36-25 margin.

Toronto finished 2-0-0 on the European trip after earning a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in Stockholm on Friday. The slumping Wild are now 0-3-2 over their last five games, including a shootout defeat to the Ottawa Senators in Sweden on Saturday.

Minnesota did manage a point after third-period goals from Jake Middleton and Mats Zuccarello tied the game at 3-3. Zuccarello also assisted on Jon Merrill's goal that gave the Wild a 1-0 lead 2:37 into the contest.

Matthews' power-play tally and a goal from Matthew Knies put Toronto up 2-1 after one period, and Rielly scored 4:22 into the third to extend the advantage.

Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 21 saves for the Wild.

Poehling's three points help Flyers win fifth straight

The Philadelphia Flyers are on a strong run of their own after Sunday's 5-2 victory over the reeling Columbus Blue Jackets extended their winning streak to five games.

Ryan Poehling had a goal and two assists to lead improving Philadelphia, which moved to 10-7-1 on the season. The Flyers have missed the playoffs in each of the previous three seasons. 

Joel Farabee and Cam York added a goal and an assist to help back 20 saves from Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson.

Columbus has now lost nine consecutive games (0-7-2), including four straight in regulation. 

Farabee opened the scoring 5:11 in, though Columbus' Alexandre Texier tied the contest later in the first period before Bobby Brink's power-play goal just 1:11 into the second put the Flyers back in front.

Poehling scored short-handed later in the second period to give Philadelphia a 3-1 lead, though the Blue Jackets got back to within one when Boone Jenner re-directed a shot past Ericsson with 2:03 left in the stanza.

The Flyers took a 4-2 advantage on Travis Konecny's goal with 7:20 remaining before York scored into an empty net with under 2 1/2 minutes left.

Spencer Martin stopped 21 of 25 shots for the Blue Jackets.

Nedeljkovic stars as Penguins shut out Golden Knights

Alex Nedeljkovic made 38 saves in an outstanding return from a lower-body injury as the Pittsburgh Penguins shut out the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights by a 3-0 score.

Nedeljkovic registered his eighth career shutout in his first start since Oct. 24. Ryan Graves, Noel Acciari and Evgeni Malkin had goals to help the Penguins stop a two-game losing streak, with Jake Guentzel assisting on Malkin's score to extend his point streak to eight games.

Graves and Acciari, each of whom signed with Pittsburgh in the offseason, recorded their first goals with their new team. Graves' came just 2:13 into the contest, while Acciari scored off a Vegas turnover 11:39 into the second.

Malkin delivered his ninth goal of the season with an empty-net tally with 1:18 left.

Adin Hill stopped 30 of 32 shots for Vegas, which fell to 1-2-1 on its current five-game road trip.

Steve Clarke savoured the chance to celebrate Scotland’s Euro 2024 qualification with the Hampden crowd after his side rounded off their campaign with a “strange” 3-3 draw against Norway.

Scotland had qualified with two games to spare and finished second behind Spain in Group A after a second consecutive draw ensured they have only lost once in the section.

The players, including injured captain Andy Robertson, did a lap of honour afterwards to mark their achievement.

Clarke said: “It was nice – and nice for the supporters – to say thank you to the team, a nice night for the team and staff to thank the supporters.

“It’s always nice to qualify for a major tournament. Obviously the last one was Covid-restricted so we missed that connection and that feel with the fans.

“It’s great for everyone in the country that we have something to look forward to next summer.”

Clarke’s side twice came from behind in the first half through John McGinn’s penalty and an own goal before Stuart Armstrong netted a well-worked goal to out them in front just before the hour mark.

However, former Celtic winger Mohamed Elyounoussi came off the bench to head home in the 86th minute as Norway scored their third goal from a cross originating from right-back Julian Ryerson.

“It was a strange game,” Clarke said. “I need to go away and analyse it.

“What we have worked really hard at is being competitive, being a competitive team every time we go on to the pitch.

“That’s why I was a little bit disappointed with the first half, I didn’t think we were competitive enough. Much more competitive second half.

“We are Scotland, we have a certain way of playing, we like to play on the front foot.”

A two-goal win would have put Scotland in pot two for the December 2 draw, although they are arguably better off in pot three given they will now avoid the likes of the Netherlands, Italy and Croatia.

“I’m not bothered,” Clarke said. “I don’t know even know who else is in pot three and pot two. I’m sure I will find out when I get to Hamburg.”

Norway head coach Stale Solbakken felt his side should have been ahead at half-time but feels Scotland will pose problems in Germany.

“Overall we were the better team and should have won but it’s not easy, Scotland are always very well organised,” he added.

“They have a great coach and have very disciplined players who know their strengths and limitations. That’s very important – they play to their strengths and don’t pretend to be something else.

“They also have tournament experience so I think they can be a handful for everyone next summer. They also play two systems which is valuable.

“There will be no easy games for those teams who meet Scotland.”