Zak Crawley admits he was “shocked” to be named England captain for the one-day series against Ireland, more than two years after his only previous appearances in the format.
With England’s World Cup squad preparing to head for India, the selectors have cast their net far and wide for their three Metro Bank ODIs, but Crawley was still an unexpected pick as leader.
Despite being an ever-present in the Test side in recent times – and an Ashes star this summer – he has played only three 50-over games. They all came in the 2021 season, when Covid withdrawals left England scrambling for late replacements.
Speaking at Headingley on the eve of his first outing in charge, the 25-year-old said: “Yeah, I was shocked. I was just hoping to get into the team and play more for England. But they told me I was captain and it’s a great opportunity for me.
“It was Motty (head coach Matthew Mott) who gave me the call to say I’d be in the squad and captaining. It was as simple as that. He was doing the rounds phoning everyone else so it was a pretty brief phone call but a pretty good call.”
While Crawley will be leading an inexperienced squad, including four uncapped players and seven more with six caps or fewer, the vastly experienced Joe Root will be on hand on Wednesday to help out.
Like the rest of the first-choice squad he was not due to feature but asked to play at his home ground in a bid to find some form after a lean series against New Zealand.
And for Crawley, having his first Test skipper there is a major boost.
“Obviously having Joe in the team makes it stronger, no matter what team you’re in. It’s great having him,” said Crawley.
“Especially so for me as captain because I can lean on him for that kind of stuff. It’s awesome and hopefully he gets what he wants from it.”
Newcastle have said they are “deeply concerned” by reports that a fan was stabbed in Milan on Monday night.
A 58-year-old was apparently attacked by a group of men in the city centre ahead of the Magpies’ Champions League clash with AC Milan on Tuesday.
Pictures posted online showed a man with a bloodied torso lying on the ground.
A Newcastle spokesperson said: “We are deeply concerned by reports that a supporter was seriously assaulted in Milan on Monday evening and we are liaising with local authorities to understand the circumstances.
“Our thoughts are with the supporter and their family and we hope for a full and speedy recovery.”
Milano Today reported that the man had been stabbed twice in the arm and once in the back and was taken to hospital, where his condition was improving.
Royal Ascot disappointment Al Asifah bids to get her season back on track in an intriguing renewal of the EBF Stallions John Musker Fillies’ Stakes at Yarmouth on Wednesday.
Following an emphatic victory on her racecourse debut at Haydock in May, the daughter of Frankel made a huge impression in a Listed event at Goodwood the following month, prompting connections to stump up the supplementary fee to add her to the Ribblesdale Stakes just 11 days later.
The gamble failed to pay off, though, with John and Thady Gosden’s youngster finishing a well beaten sixth behind subsequent Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille heroine Warm Heart and she has since been given an extended break to recover from her exertions.
Angus Gold, racing manager for owner-breeders Shadwell, said: “We gave her a nice break after Ascot and she seems in good form, so it will be very interesting to get her back on the track.
“Until she disappoints again, I would say it all just came a bit quick for her in the Ribblesdale. Lots of clever people said she didn’t stay the mile and a half, but for me that wasn’t what got her beaten as she wouldn’t have won at a mile and a quarter either.
“I just think she was very flat on the day. She’s a big, immature filly and while she’s not temperamentally unsound, I think everything just got on top of her a little bit (at Ascot).
“I’m sure she’ll be better in time and we hope she does well enough that we can keep her in training next year.”
Al Asifah faces a far from straightforward task, with Sir Michael Stoute’s Infinite Cosmos making her first competitive appearance since finishing third in the Musidora at York in the spring, while Sapphire Seas is stepped up in class by Charlie Appleby having won her last three starts.
Gold added: “It always is a good race this and a great race to have on the calendar. You have fillies coming back from little niggles and different things, so it will be a good test for her.”
The Shadwell colours will also be carried by Roger Varian’s Mukaddamah, who has been placed in Listed company before – but Gold acknowledges this is a tough assignment for the grade.
He said: “She’s a nice, solid filly and we’ve been trying to win a Listed race with her.
“With the other filly in here I wouldn’t expect her to win this, but we don’t have many options as she doesn’t really like soft ground, so I think they just felt this was the obvious race for her.”
Great Britain have been drawn to play Novak Djokovic’s Serbia in the Davis Cup quarter-finals in Malaga.
Britain secured their place in November’s knockout stage by finishing top of qualifying Group B on Sunday night after their thrilling 2-1 win against France.
Defending champions Canada will face Finland, the Czech Republic play Group B runners-up Australia and the Netherlands take on Italy.
The final eight nations will compete for the 2023 Davis Cup in Malaga from November 21-26.
Britain secured their place in this year’s finals after Dan Evans and Neal Skupski saved four match points in their decisive doubles match against French pair Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin at a sold-out AO Arena in Manchester.
Evans and Skupski clinched a 1-6 7-6 (4) 7-6 (6) win in the deciding rubber after earlier 2-1 wins against both Australia and Switzerland.
Britain captain Leon Smith opted to play his highest-ranked duo Cameron Norrie and Evans in the singles against France.
Andy Murray and Jack Draper had featured against Switzerland and Australia respectively, while world number three in the doubles rankings Skupski completed the five-man line-up.
Smith is confident Britain can mount a serious challenge to repeat their success of 2015 when Murray led them to their last Davis Cup win with victory over Belgium in the final.
Constitution Hill will stay over hurdles this season, trainer Nicky Henderson has announced.
The six-year-old is unbeaten in seven career starts to date, with six of those victories at Grade One level, including a nine-length triumph in last season’s Champion Hurdle.
Following Constitution Hill’s Aintree Hurdle verdict in April, Henderson, owner Michael Buckley and jockey Nico de Boinville discussed a possible switch to chasing over the summer.
However, they have now decided to remain over the smaller obstacles, with another Champion Hurdle success the ultimate aim.
Henderson told the PA news agency: “The news on Constitution Hill is that after a lot of deliberating and a lot of advice from everybody in the world, because everybody wants a piece of this, he is going to stay over hurdles.
“At the end of the day I don’t think it was the hardest decision I’ve ever made. People will ask if we’ve schooled him over fences and why have we come to this decision.
“He would jump fences with his eyes shut, if we wanted him to, but the basis of the decision was we had to be 100 per cent sure that he would stay three and a quarter miles (in the Gold Cup).
“There was nothing to be gained by switching to fences by running in an Arkle, Champion Chase and possibly a Ryanair, great races though they are, but the Champion Hurdle is the Champion Hurdle, so if you are going to run in anything you might as well stick to what you know.
“I dare say there will be plenty of people saying this is unimaginative, but there was no doubt in Nico’s (De Boinville) mind, stamina was likely to be a major issue and the only point in doing it was if one felt he could become a Gold Cup horse.”
“For all three of us the decision was unanimous. You might say why did it take three months, but we all felt it was the right decision.”
Phil Mickelson has revealed the harm and hurt his gambling addiction has caused to those closest to him.
The 53-year-old six-time major winner, who opened up about his addiction in a lengthy post on social media, claimed it affected those he cared about “in ways I wasn’t aware or could fully understand”.
Mickelson wrote on X: “I won’t be betting this year because I crossed the line of moderation and into addiction which isn’t any fun at all.
“The money wasn’t ever the issue since our financial security has never been threatened, but I was so distracted I wasn’t able to be present with the ones I love and caused a lot of harm. This lack of presence has been so hurtful.
“‘You’re here but you’re not with us’, is something I’ve been told often throughout my addiction. It affected those I care about in ways I wasn’t aware or could fully understand.”
Betting guru Billy Walters opened the lid on Mickelson’s gambling habit in his autobiography, claiming the LIV golfer had placed bets of more than one billion dollars in the last 30 years.
Mickelson paid tribute to wife Amy for her support and urged gamblers not to “confuse your enablers as friends like I did”.
He said: “It’s like a hurricane is going on outside and I’m isolated in a shelter oblivious to what was happening.
“When I came out there was so much damage to clean up that I just wanted to go back inside and not deal with it.
“If you ever cross the line of moderation and enter into addiction, hopefully you won’t confuse your enablers as friends like I did.
“Hopefully you won’t have to deal with these difficult moments publicly so others can profit off you like I have.
“But hopefully you will have a strong and supportive partner who is willing to help you through being your worst self, and through your worst moments like I have in Amy.
“She has loved me and supported me through my darkest and most difficult times. I couldn’t have gotten through this without her.”
He added: “Because of her love, support and commitment, I’m back on track to being the person I want to be.
“After many years of receiving professional help, not gambling, and being in recovery from my addictions, I’m now able to sit still, be present in the moment and live each day with an inner calm and peace.
“I still have a lot of cleaning up to do with those I love the most but I’m doing it slowly and as best I can.”
Ante-post favourite Vauban has been given a weight of 55 kilograms for the Lexus Melbourne Cup.
Willie Mullins’ charge, who won the 2022 Triumph Hurdle, heads the market for the November 7 contest after winning each of his two starts on the level this term – chalking up a seven-and-a-half-length verdict in the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot before landing the Group Three Ballyroan Stakes in fine style last time.
The five-year-old’s weight, which equates to around 8st 9lb, has him 3.5kg behind last year’s winner and top weight Gold Trip.
Mullins has a second string to his bow in Absurde, who is guaranteed a start in the Group One contest after winning the Ebor under a fine Frankie Dettori ride at York last month.
He finished second to Vauban at Ascot and has been given 53kg for the Flemington showpiece, while Aidan O’Brien’s Broome, winner of the Dubai Gold Cup back in March, has 56.5kg.
O’Brien also has St Leger fourth Tower Of London on 50.5kg, with son Joseph – already a dual winner of the race with Rekindling (2017) and Twilight Payment (2020) – having Valiant King (50kg) and Okita Soushi (51.5kg) in the field.
The William Haggas-trained Desert King, who finished a gallant third for the King and Queen in Saturday’s St Leger, has been given 51.5kg.
Fellow Newmarket-trained runner West Wind Blows is on 54kg for Simon and Ed Crisford, with the four-year-old already in Australia ahead of a possible run in the Turnbull Stakes on October 7.
Dermot Weld, who broke new ground when sending Vintage Crop to become the first northern hemisphere-trained winner of the race in 1993 before adding another victory nine years later with Media Puzzle, has Harbour Wind in contention this year but his weight of 50kg leaves him well down the field, which has a limit of 24 runners.
Other familiar names in the field include ex-Haggas runners Alenquer (56.5kg) and Soulcombe (53.5kg), last year’s second Emissary (52kg) plus Francesco Guardi (54kg) and El Bodegon (55.5kg), who were both previously trained by James Ferguson, and last year’s Irish Oaks victor Magical Lagoon (51kg).
Racing Victoria’s head of handicapping David Hegan said: “Gold Trip is the standout performer among the entries for both Cups (Melbourne and Caulfield) and the natural topweight with Broome the only Group One winner among an international contingent that boasts an assortment of rapidly emerging stayers.
“We have effectively lifted Gold Trip 2kg from his true weight last year, which is less than the penalty afforded other Melbourne Cup winners in recent times, however we are mindful that it is 48 years since a horse has carried 58.5kg to victory in either Cup so a significant challenge awaits.”
What the papers say
England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, 25, is attracting transfer attention after being dropped to the bench for Arsenal’s match at Everton. The Daily Mail reports that Chelsea and Bayern Munich are keeping an eye on the situation as he battles David Raya for the Gunners’ starting role.
Newcastle are lining up a potential £52million move for Brazil midfielder Lucas Paqueta, 26, according to the Daily Mail. Paqueta had been linked with an £80m move to Manchester City this summer but, amid an investigation into alleged betting breaches, he ended up staying at West Ham.
Real Betis are the latest suitors for former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, 32, reports The Sun via Fichajes in Spain.
Chelsea have secured one of their young talents for another year, according to the Evening Standard. Defender Alfie Gilchrist, 19, has reportedly extended his contract until 2025.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Jose Maria Gimenez: Manchester United are being linked with Atletico Madrid’s Uruguayan defender, 28.
Serge Gnabry: United are also reportedly lining up a bid for the Germany forward, 28, from Bayern Munich.
Adam Wainwright recorded his 200th career victory with seven brilliant innings as the St. Louis Cardinals edged the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, 1-0, on a historic Monday night at Busch Stadium.
Wainwright, pitching in his 18th and final season in a Cardinals' uniform, yielded just four hits and two walks to become the 38th pitcher in NL history to reach the milestone.
The 42-year-old had gone 0-10 over an 11-start stretch before picking up an elusive career win No. 199 last week, when he allowed two runs over five innings to beat the Baltimore Orioles.
Willson Contreras accounted for the game's lone run with a solo homer in the fourth off Freddy Peralta, who permitted just four hits and struck out six over six innings in a hard-luck loss.
The loss kept Milwaukee's magic number to win the NL Central at seven. The Brewers hold a six-game lead on the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds atop the division.
Orioles rally past Astros in clash of division leaders
Cedric Mullins hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning that lifted the Baltimore Orioles to an 8-7 win over the Houston Astros in Monday's opener of a three-game series between American League division leaders.
Astros closer Ryan Pressly entered in the ninth to protect a 7-5 lead and gave up consecutive one-out singles to Ryan O'Hearn and Austin Hays before Mullins launched a 2-1 pitch into the right-field seats to send Baltimore in front.
Cionel Perez and Yennier Cano kept Houston scoreless in the bottom of the ninth to extend the Orioles' lead over second-place Tampa Bay to 2 1/2 games in the AL East.
Houston, which is now lost five of seven, maintained a 1 1/2-game edge on Texas and Seattle for first place in the AL West. The Rangers were handed a 4-2 loss by the Boston Red Sox on Monday, while the Mariners posted a 5-0 win over the Oakland Athletics to tie Texas for the AL's third and final wild card berth.
O'Hearn's hit in the ninth capped a 5-for-5 night in which he drove in two runs. Mullins added an RBI double in the seventh that tied the game at 5-5, while Gunnar Henderson finished 3 for 5 with three runs scored and Adley Rutschman knocked in a pair of runs.
Houston had taken a 6-5 lead on Jose Abreu's solo homer in the seventh, and Martin Maldonado had a solo shot in the eighth to increase the margin.
Reds top Twins, move into tie for NL's final wild card
There's also now a tie for the NL's final wild card spot after Cincinnati rookie Connor Phillips pitched the Reds to an important 7-3 victory over the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins.
Phillips collected his first major league win by holding Minnesota to two runs and three hits while striking out seven in seven innings. The 22-year-old's performance helped the Reds move into a tie with the Chicago Cubs for the NL's third wild card berth, a half-game in front of Miami after the Marlins were dealt a 2-1 loss by the New York Mets.
Will Benson homered and drove in three runs to aid Phillips, while Joey Votto had two hits and two RBIs and Spencer Steer finished 3 for 4 with an RBI single.
Both Minnesota runs off Phillips came via solo homers, one from Royce Lewis in the fourth inning and the other from Alex Kirilloff in the seventh.
Twins starter Joe Ryan took the loss after surrendering four runs in five innings.
Japan pulled off the greatest shock in Rugby World Cup history as they stunned mighty South Africa 34-32 at the Amex Stadium in Brighton on this day in 2015.
Karne Hesketh’s 84th-minute try sealed a staggering victory from the Brave Blossoms, sinking the two-time world champions and leaving coach Eddie Jones rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
Jones admitted: “Japan beating South Africa? I had to look at the scoreboard at the end just to see if it was true or not.
“We kept hanging in there. It looked at one stage when they got seven points ahead that they would run away with it.
“That would have been the normal scenario, like the horror story where the woman goes for a shower after midnight and you know what’s going to happen.
“Normally they would score three or four, it ends up 50-20 and everyone says, ‘well done Japan, you tried hard, you were brave’. But we were more than brave.”
Instead it was the South Africans who found themselves starring in their own horror movie.
They trailed 10-7 midway through the first half thanks to a try from Japan’s New Zealand-born captain Michael Leitch, which cancelled out Francois Louw’s score, but led by two at half-time after Bismarck Du Plessis went over.
Lood De Jager and Adriaan Strauss scored under the posts in the second half but a try from full-back Ayumu Goromaru, as well as his nerveless kicking, drew Japan level at 29-29 with just 10 minutes to play.
When Handre Pollard kicked a penalty with five minutes remaining it appeared South Africa would at least avoid a humiliating defeat.
But relentless pressure from Japan paid off when rather than take a penalty for a draw, they were rewarded for their bravery when Hesketh scored in the left corner.
South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer said: “We let our country down, we weren’t good enough but all credit to Japan, they played really well.
“I said before, this will be the toughest World Cup ever and I think there will be more shocks. I still believe we can win the World Cup, but I have to press some hard buttons to try to fix it.”
Linebacker TJ Watt returned a fumble 17 yards to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a 26-22 win and complete a bad night for the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns, who lost for the 20th-straight regular season visit to Pittsburgh, lost star running back Nick Chubb with a serious-looking knee injury in the first quarter.
Players from both teams knelt in prayer as Chubb received attention before being taken off the field on the back of a cart.
Cleveland recovered to lead midway through the fourth quarter before Watt seized on quarterback DeShaun Watson’s fumble.
Meanwhile, Tony Jones Jr came off the bench to run for two touchdowns as the New Orleans Saints beat the Carolina Panthers 20-17 to start the season 2-0 for the first time in 10 years.
Jones, elevated from the Saints practice squad, replaced the injured Jamaal Williams and grabbed his chance as the visitors cashed in on the work of their defence in the second half.
They sacked rookie Bryce Young, top pick in the draft, four times on his home debut and restricted the Panthers to 239 yards.
The Saints got within little more than a minute of going two games without conceding a touchdown before Young found Adam Thielen to briefly revive the Panthers’ hopes.
The New York Giants expect star running back Saquon Barkley to miss three weeks with a sprained right ankle he sustained in Sunday's comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals, ESPN reported Monday.
According to the report, an MRI taken on Barkley's ankle did not reveal a more significant high ankle sprain that would require a lengthier recovery period. Still, the 2022 Pro Bowl selection is certain to miss the Giants' game at San Francisco on Thursday and potentially more.
Barkley was injured with under two minutes left in New York's 31-28 win, in which the GIants rallied from a 21-point third-quarter deficit. The six-year veteran got his right ankle caught in a pile on his final rushing attempt and needed to be helped off the field with the assistance of trainers.
The 2018 No. 2 overall pick played a big role in Sunday's comeback with both a rushing and receiving touchdown in the second half. Barkley finished the game with 63 rushing yards on 17 carries and added six receptions totalling 29 yards.
Barkley helped the 2022 GIants to their first playoff appearance in six years with an outstanding season in which he finished fourth in the NFL with a career-high 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He accounted for 27.7 per cent of New York's total yards from scrimmage last season, the sixth highest rate of any player for his respective team.
The 26-year-old is entering the final season of a one-year, $10.091 million contract that can be worth up to $11 million with incentives. The Giants gave Barkley the franchise tag this offseason, which prompted him to skip the team's minicamp in June, but the two sides reached an agreement on a revised deal just before the start of training camp.
Veteran Matt Breida and Gary Brightwell are both expected to see increased touches during Barkley's absence.
Breida has spent the majority of his career as a backup but did rush for 814 yards in 14 games with the 49ers in 2018. Brightwell's most extensive action came in the 2022 regular-season finale, in which he rushed for 60 yards on 11 carries against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Cleveland Browns star running back Nick Chubb suffered a gruesome knee injury Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers and was carted off the field.
Chubb was tackled by Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick’s early in the second quarter, with Fitzpatrick’s torso hitting Chubb’s left knee as Chubb’s left foot was firmly planted in the ground.
Chubb was evaluated by trainers on the field for several minutes while some of his teammates knelt solemnly in prayer, and he was eventually helped onto a cart to be taken into the locker room.
The Monday Night Football production staff declined to show some graphic replays of Chubb’s injury.
The Pittsburgh crowd let out a collective groan when the play was replayed on the Acrisure Stadium jumbotron, and Steelers fans gave their rival’s star player a standing ovation as he was carted off the field.
Chubb was almost immediately ruled out for the rest of the game, typically a sign of a serious injury.
He was replaced at running back by Jerome Ford, who caught a 3-yard touchdown pass on the first play after the stoppage.
While playing for the University of Georgia in 2015, Chubb suffered a devastating injury to the same leg – a dislocated left knee with three torn ligaments and cartilage damage.
A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Chubb has been a force since he was drafted by the Browns in the second of the 2018 draft.
Chubb has had at least 1,145 yards from scrimmage in each of his first five NFL seasons, and he set a career high in 2022 with 1,525 rushing yards.
Chubb has averaged 5.25 yards per carry during his NFL career, the second most all-time among players with at least 1,000 carries (Jamaal Charles, 5.38).
Chubb is on the first season of a three-year, $36.6million contract and is one of the running backs who met last offseason to discuss better compensation for players at the position.
Ford and Pierre Strong Jr. are the only other running backs on Cleveland’s roster.
Kareem Hunt, with whom Chubb shared work in the Browns’ backfield from 2019-22, remains a free agent.
Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper expected Callum Hudson-Odoi to have a big impact as his “moment of brilliance” earned a 1-1 draw with Burnley.
Hudson-Odoi reminded the Premier League what he is capable of with a fine debut goal, bringing his side level with a brilliant curling effort in the second half after Zeki Amdouni had put the Clarets ahead.
It is 18 months since the 22-year-old last played in England’s top flight as his promising Chelsea career petered out, but, after a year on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, he was back with a bang.
He was Forest’s brightest spark following his deadline-day move from Stamford Bridge and got his reward.
“Any new player will want to hit the ground running and show what they can do,” Cooper said. “We got Anthony (Elanga) and Callum in really good positions and we could have done more with them.
“I know he has quality and he can have moments of brilliance. We need that at times in the Premier League and we got one tonight. It is great for him, great for us obviously.
“He hasn’t played much football, he has trained well, but I backed him to do well tonight. He ran out of legs, I didn’t think we’d get that long out of him. We have got to push him to do more of that.
“You see goals like that in the Premier League, there is so much quality. It is a brilliant goal. We have had a few of those scored against us but we haven’t had too many of them for us. Beautiful strike, beautiful technique, great for him, great for the team. He will feel good about that.”
The point for Burnley enabled them to get their campaign up and running after three successive defeats, but they might be disappointed they did not leave with all three after they were denied a late winner by VAR as Sander Berge was ruled to have handled the ball.
They then ended the game with 10 men after Lyle Foster elbowed Ryan Yates deep into added time, with VAR also intervening.
Clarets boss Vincent Kompany was pragmatic in his response.
“I have a decent business brain and a decent coaching brain, but when it comes to the laws and legalities I switch off,” he said.
“A handball this way and handball that way, people come in and explain to us all of the time, but I have come to a decision to trust they know what they are doing and that they have the right intentions.
“It’s not something I want to discuss too much because I can’t change it now.”
Having played Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham in their opening three games, Kompany is seeing an improvement.
“You have to fight for every point in this league, but there is a range of teams that we can compete with at the moment from what I have observed,” the Belgian added.
“I thought today was at least even and depending what side of the fence you sit on you probably think you deserved three points.
“But, if we stay in these games, our team has got so much progress still to go and that is the exciting things for us. In these types of games we are there, but in the future there is room for much further improvement.”
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