Ball Games

More than eight years after his last England appearance, Mason Crane is back in the national squad. The 29-year-old leg-spinner has been selected for England’s ODI tri-series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka later this month. If he gets onto the field, it will also be his first ever One Day International. Crane’s first England opportunity came when he was still very young. He played two T20 internationals in 2017 before making his Test debut against Australia in Sydney in January 2018, aged just 20. It was a difficult match. Australia made a huge total and Crane finished with one wicket for 193 runs. That remains his only Test appearance. But his career did not stop there. Crane kept playing domestic cricket and eventually moved from...

For most NFL teams, a trip to London is a special event. For the Jacksonville Jaguars, it is beginning to feel much more familiar. This October, they will play two home games in London on consecutive Sundays, first against the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 11 October, then against the Houston Texans at Wembley on 18 October. This is not the Jaguars’ first London double-header. In 2023, they became the first NFL team ever to play back-to-back games internationally, winning at both Wembley and Tottenham. This year will be the third time they have played consecutive games in London, and the Texans match will be their 16th London game since they first started coming regularly in 2013. The relationship with Britain...

For more than three years, England’s Red Roses just kept winning. Their incredible run reached 39 victories in a row, including a home World Cup title in 2025. On Saturday, Canada became the first team since 2022 to stop England from winning, holding the world champions to a thrilling 26-26 draw at Sandy Park. England’s winning streak may be over, but they remain unbeaten in 40 matches. Now they have the perfect match to start again. England face New Zealand at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on 26 September, and there is plenty of history between these two teams. New Zealand were the last side to actually beat England, in the 2022 World Cup final. Since then, the Red Roses have gone on one of the most impressive runs in international...

The Championship “Spygate” controversy has become one of the biggest football stories this week. Southampton F.C. were removed from the Championship play-offs after an investigation into the unauthorised filming of opponents’ training sessions before matches. Some fans believe the punishment is completely fair because secretly gathering tactical information crosses the line. Others think removing a club from the play-offs is too harsh and unfairly punishes players and supporters rather than just the people responsible. The situation also raises bigger questions: Where is the line between analysis and cheating? Would more clubs do this if they knew they would not get caught? Should punishments focus more on staff members instead of...