Whether it is forehand, backhand or a slice, knowing what type of shot to play and when is key to winning tennis matches. But so too is a player’s position on the court – with the very best in the world knowing where to be to anticipate a return, or to gain a few more valuable seconds to plan their next move. Few are better masters of this art than Carlos Alcaraz, who is proving to be one of the most complete players on the tour at the moment. Having won the French Open in his final match of the…
Author: dmnews
Nothing will ever come close to the tension and drama of Ben Stokes’ epic Headingley miracle in the Ashes in 2019. But, in terms of a pure run chase, England’s pursuit of 371 to win the first Test against India on the same ground is right up there with the very best I have seen. Special things happen here. The most memorable are Stokes’ win and the famous 1981 Ashes comeback victory, inspired by Ian Botham and Bob Willis’ iconic performances. Another special performance came from Mark Butcher, who led England to victory with a fourth-innings century against Australia in 2001,…
Cricket Ireland has confirmed Warren Deutrom will step down as chief executive at the end of August after 19 years in the role. During the Englishman’s time at the helm, Ireland were granted Test status by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2017. More recently, planning was lodged for a new 4,000-seater cricket stadium in Dublin to be built in time for Ireland co-hosting the 2030 T20 World Cup. With 30 years experience in cricket administration, Deutrom has previously worked for the ICC and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). “It’s hard to explain my feelings since making this decision –…
Hampshire have signed Australian batter Chris Lynn for their remaining T20 Blast group matches. The Hawks have six more games in the group stage and Lynn’s arrival comes after South African pair Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dewald Brevis earned international call-ups. South Africa are scheduled to play in a two-Test series against Zimbabwe from 28 June. Lynn has played in the Blast before for Northamptonshire Steelbacks and has played 292 T20 matches with over 8,000 runs in the format. The 35-year-old, who featured 22 times for Australia, played for club side Gosport Borough as a teenager. “It’s great to return to…
Jofra Archer is in line for a first Test appearance in more than four years after being named in England’s 15-man squad for next week’s match against India at Edgbaston. The 30-year-old made a thrilling start to international cricket in 2019 but has not played a Test since 2021 after a series of injuries. A recurring stress fracture in his elbow has required multiple operations, while a stress fracture in his back ruled him out of an entire summer in 2022. Archer returned to white-ball cricket in early 2023 but when the elbow issue returned he missed the summer once…
Saqib Mahmood is one of Jofra Archer’s closest friends in cricket. “With Jof the easiest thing for him to have done is just gone purely white ball,” Mahmood tells BBC Sport. “He’d have been financially better off and had all of that. But I could always tell he wanted to play Test cricket. I just knew it.” Mahmood could be proven right next week after Archer was called into England’s squad for the second Test against India. After an injury-ravaged four and a half years, Archer is back on cricket’s biggest stage. It has been a story of cruel blows, hard work…
Arsenal are in talks to sign defender Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia. The Gunners want to make a defensive signing this summer and the 20-year-old Spaniard, who can play at centre-back and right-back, is emerging as their favoured option. Arsenal have shown interest in Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace, but the England international may be reluctant to join given that he may find opportunities limited behind Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba. Spain Under-21 international Mosquera has made 90 appearances for Valencia and was a regular in the team last season, playing 90 minutes in 37 of the club’s 38 La Liga…
Wrexham’s first second-tier match for 43 years will be at Southampton on Saturday, 9 August – a day after Birmingham City open the Championship season by hosting Ipswich Town. Leicester City’s return to the second tier begins at home against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, 10 August. League One play-off final winners Charlton Athletic mark their return to the Championship after a five-year absence with a home game against a Watford side now managed by Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano. Sheffield United, who were beaten by Sunderland in the Championship play-off final, start the campaign against the Bristol City side they beat in…
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new two-year contract with Al-Nassr that means he will stay with the Saudi Pro League club until beyond his 42nd birthday. The Portugal captain, 40, joined the Riyadh-based team in December 2022 after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances. His previous Al-Nassr deal had been due to expire at the end of June and there was speculation he could leave, but that has now been quashed. In a post on X, Ronaldo wrote: “A new chapter begins. Same passion, same dream. Let’s make history together.” Although Al-Nassr have not added to their nine domestic titles during Ronaldo’s…
Passengers have been forced to evacuate trains in south London as temperatures soared above 30C (86F). A fault on a train near Loughborough Junction brought all services in the area to a halt, three of them outside station platforms, Thameslink and Network Rail said in a joint statement. “Without power and air conditioning on such a hot day, we pulled all resources from across Sussex and Kent to get personnel on site to safely evacuate passengers as quickly as possible along the track,” it said. Angela Lewis, a Gatwick-bound passenger, said it was “a bloody nightmare”. Thameslink apologised to those…