Ben Stokes paid a glowing tribute to Chris Woakes after England’s perennial unsung hero walked away as the leading man of this summer’s Ashes.

Woakes’ outstanding career has often played out in the considerable shadow of the record-breaking duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad but, when it came to handing out the prestigious Compton-Miller Medal for player of the series, it was his turn to take the acclaim.

The 34-year-old was not picked for the first two Tests, both of which Australia won, but breathed fresh life into the contest after returning to the side and inspired the hosts to a 2-2 draw.

He starred with the ball at Headingley, Old Trafford and the Oval, collecting 19 wickets at a miserly average of 18.14 and bolstered the lower order with a couple of important cameos.

Woakes was the spark behind England’s fifth-day triumph in the final Test, taking four for 50 in a sustained spell of high-class seam bowling, and his contribution was key to denying the outright series victory Australia craved.

Already beloved by his team-mates, who know him as ‘the Wizard’, he now has an achievement to match the esteem they hold him in and nobody was happier than Stokes.

“I think to play three games and walk away with man of the series proves how good a cricketer Woakesy is. Has that ever been done before?” the England skipper said.

“He’s a massive team man and he should never be underestimated for his contributions to English cricket. He might not have got the opportunities people might think he should have but that’s purely because he’s been playing in the era of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

“Every time he has walked out for England he’s given absolutely everything. This series in particular is something he’ll be very proud of for what he’s managed to achieve and I’m very proud of him too, for coming in and putting in these performances.

“The way in which Woakesy has come in, not just with the ball but with crucial runs down at eight, has been really good for us. He’s been a massive part of the reason we are sitting here talking about why we’ve drawn the series 2-2 after being 2-0 down.”

Stokes attempted to share those exact sentiments with his fellow all-rounder when he finally took a breather after leaving Australia eight down – allowing the retiring Broad to finish things off in a dream finish – and got short shrift.

“When he stopped bowling I just said to him ‘you’ve been a massive reason we’re in this position right now’ but he wasn’t having a bar of it,” Stokes added. “He just said ‘let’s finish the job and get it done’. He’s been awesome for us. Just a quality cricketer.”

Woakes missed the first year of the ‘Bazball’ revolution due to injury problems and admitted finding his way back into the Test set-up in time to tangle with the Australians was a prime motivator.

“I’ve not been a part of this squad and team for over 12 months, so I was desperate to get back in and have a go,” he told BBC Sport.

“When you come into an Ashes series you want to perform and contribute to wins and I couldn’t have asked for it to go much better really. This is up there as one of my favourite moments in the series and probably up there with my best moments. This is the pinnacle of Test cricket so it is amazing.”

“Ballgate” and the reported lack of a post-match drink between the two sides dominated Australian press coverage following England’s victory in the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval.

The changing of the ball just before rain stopped play on the fourth day, when openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja were well set, sparked a fair amount of outrage among Australian journalists and pundits.

The Daily Telegraph in Australia described the ball change as “disgraceful”, while Peter Lalor in The Australian asked if a “blunder” by the umpires had cost Australia the series victory, saying the change “appeared to alter the course of the game” and argued it “cost the visitors dearly”.

And the Sydney Morning Herald quoted former Australian captain Ricky Ponting on Sky Sports who described it as “a huge blunder that needs to be investigated”.

He said: “The biggest concern I have is the big discrepancy in the condition of the ball chosen to replace it.

“There is no way in the world you can even look at those two balls there and say in any way they are comparable.

“That is a huge moment in this game, potentially a huge moment in the Test match. And something I think has to be investigated.

“I will put my hand up and say I have no doubt at all that [old] ball would not have done anywhere near as much as that one did this morning.”

But writing for the same title, Daniel Brettig argued “ballgate” was not to blame for Australia’s defeat.

He said: “It may be tempting to apply a conspiratorial lens to the replacement ball.

“But the underlying truth of The Oval, and indeed the second half of this Ashes series, is that Australia too often left themselves in positions where they needed to perform miracles in order to get ahead of the game.

“It will be a source of significant disappointment that a team of maturity and even temper was unable to summon a single performance good enough to win any of the last three Tests.”

Both the Sydney Morning Herald and The Daily Telegraph reported the customary post-series drinks did not happen.

The Herald quoted an England spokesman who said it had been a “misunderstanding” and Australia’s players had left the ground when they invited them in.

The report said an Australian team spokesman declined to comment, but quoted sources close to the team who said they knocked on the England dressing room door a number of times and waited for more than an hour.

The Australian’s Gideon Haigh looked beyond the drama of the five-match series and expressed concerns for the future of the format, despite England captain Ben Stokes’ assertion it was “what Test cricket needs”.

While conceding the series “contained classic matches, and imperishable passages of play, mainly from the hosts”, Haigh criticised the way the Ashes had been shoehorned into such a short period to make room for more short-form cricket.

He wrote: “This was an Ashes series not an Ashes summer. Australia have shoehorned six Tests into 54 days, England six into 60. Australia now does not play its next Test until December 14, England its next until January 25.

“Hours before the day began, one team beat another in Dallas, concluding a fortnight of T20 funded largely Indian capital and principally sponsored by an online betting company; today, one team plays another in Nottingham to commence The Hundred, in which the England Cricket Board will in due course try selling to similar corporate interests.

“Viva the Ashes! Long live Test cricket! That might be the most premature celebration of all.”

The Daily Telegraph also had some sobering news for cricket as it said viewing figures for Australia’s victory over Canada in the Women’s World Cup – which coincided with the first session – beat the final day drama at The Oval “by an enormous margin”.

An Ashes series for the ages received a fitting finale with Stuart Broad at the heart of the action on day five of the final Test at the Kia Oval.

Broad was able to write his own script with the last act of his glittering career, finding the edge of Alex Carey’s bat to hand England victory by 49 runs and earn a deserved share of the series at 2-2.

The final wicket of an enthralling Ashes fell at 6.25pm on the designated last day with Broad able to provide a Hollywood finish after he announced his intention to retire after the series on Saturday night.

Since ball one at Edgbaston on June 16, the series has ebbed and flowed with Australia drawing first blood in Birmingham and striking what could have been a killer blow at Lord’s via Carey’s controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow.

Ben Stokes’ men fought back in another Headingley thriller and while rain ruined the fourth Test in Manchester to end the prospect of a winner-takes-all decider, there was still theatre of the highest order in south London.

England’s day one 283 was marginally bettered by 295 from Australia and despite an eventual target of 384 looking a tall order for the Baggy Greens, the tourists made it to 264 for three before Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali got on a roll to set up a grandstand finish for Broad.

View from the dressing room

Stokes conceded even he felt a sense of inevitability when he threw the ball to Broad with Australia eight down and the dismissals of Todd Murphy and then Carey followed in quick succession to end the veteran’s career in style.

Mo opens the door

When Travis Head joined forces with Steve Smith before lunch, the duo would not have expected to still be out in the middle four hours later. While rain had a part in that, the pair were ticking along nicely when Moeen got the door ajar.

Moeen, in what would prove his final Test appearance, was able to throw the ball up and watch it spin out of the rough with Head edging behind on the drive to Joe Root to leave Australia on 264 for four.

It sparked a pivotal spell of four wickets in 18 deliveries that put England in the driving seat for a series-levelling success.

Woakes wows again

After Australia reached the close on day four on 135 without loss, England knew a strong start was essential and Woakes provided it with David Warner and Usman Khawaja gone in quick succession.

Woakes’ role was not over with Smith and Head dampening spirits along with the wet weather in the capital until the Warwickshire warhorses combined for a scintillating and series-defining spell.

Two of the four wickets in three overs went to Woakes, including the key dismissal of Smith for 54 and it helped the 33-year-old finish the series with 19 scalps in total despite only playing three Tests.

After he helped England get over the line at both Headingley and Kia Oval, Woakes deserved all the plaudits he received on Monday.

Broad’s Ashes

Broad could easily have been thinking about what might have been when 24 hours after his retirement announcement Australia had batted for 38 overs without losing a wicket.

Monday’s morning session saw further plays and misses. Head was tied up in knots by Broad before lunch but wicket number 603 stayed on ice.

Broad returned for one last spell and after another switch of the bails – at the non-striker’s end – saw off Murphy and pitched another up for Carey to edge behind to bring the curtain down on a stellar career in spectacular fashion.

One more wicket to the tally

Broad wheeled off in celebration after Bairstow claimed Carey’s edge and in a wonderful moment of fate it was new ball partner James Anderson who was the closest fielder to him.

The experienced seam duo shared a touching embrace after claiming 1,039 wickets between them during the 15 years they have shared the Test stage.

If Broad had written the script, it could not have finished any better. The Ashes are over for another two and a half years but this series will be talked about for a lifetime.

Elena Svitolina repeated her Wimbledon victory over Victoria Azarenka in the first round of the DC Open with supporters given a warning the players would not shake hands at the end of the match.

The message, shown on the scoreboard after the first set of Svitolina’s 7-6 6-4 win in Washington, was designed to prevent the boos which marred their clash at the All England Club.

Ukrainian Svitolina has not shaken hands with opponents from Russia or Azarenka’s native Belarus during the current conflict.

Wimbledon semi-finalist Svitolina, playing her first hardcourt match since March last year after giving birth to her daughter Skai, said: “It’s the right thing. I asked for the WTA to respect the decision of Ukrainians. And they did.”

Both players headed straight to the sidelines and the match umpire after the tight one hour, 47 minute clash.

Two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka, on her 34th birthday, said the warning to fans had arrived “about… 18 months too late” and asked whether it was a big story.

On the court, Svitolina rattled off 11 straight points to open a 3-0 lead, only for Azarenka to win five games in a row before she failed to serve for the first set and Svitolina won another three straight games.

The Ukrainian also failed to serve out for the set but eased to a 7-2 win in the tie break.

Breaks of serve continued to dominate in the second set with just one hold as Svitolina sealed victory.

The Chicago Cubs landed one of the most coveted bats in the trade market Monday, re-acquiring third baseman Jeimer Candelario from the Washington Nationals for a pair of prospects.

Candelario made his MLB debut for the Cubs in 2016.

At 29 years old, Candelario is putting together the most consistent season of his career, batting .258 with 16 home runs and 53 RBIs in 99 games.

Candelario batted just .217 in 2022 and was non-tendered by the Detroit Tigers last offseason before the Nationals signed him to a one-year, $5million deal.

The Cubs also added right-handed reliever Jose Cuas from the Kansas City Royals.

An aggressive trade deadline approach by the Cubs seemed unlikely even two weeks ago, but Chicago used a 10-1 stretch in late July to get back over .500 and within striking distance of the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.

The switch-hitting Candelario has primarily been a career third baseman but could see time at first or designated hitter for the Cubs.

Diamondbacks trade three players for Mariners closer Paul Sewald

Targeting their first playoff berth since 2017, the Arizona Diamondbacks are buyers at the trade deadline.

Arizona acquired relief pitcher Paul Sewald from the Seattle Mariners for infielder Josh Rojas, outfielder Dominic Canzone and minor leaguer Ryan Bliss, multiple media sources reported Monday.

Arizona’s front office faced a fork in the road after a 7-16 record in July has jeopardized a promising 49-34 start to this season.

The Diamondbacks (56-50) entered play Monday in third place in the NL West but trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by just four games. Arizona began Monday one game off pace for a wild card spot.

Sewald has a career-high 21 saves in 24 opportunities this season and has been among MLB’s most effective relievers over the past three seasons, boasting a 2.88 ERA in 172 appearances since the start of the 2021 campaign.

Arizona’s bullpen has proven to be in dire need of an upgrade, posting a 6.37 ERA during the team’s July slump.

Brewers acquire outfielder Mark Canha from Mets

The Milwaukee Brewers added a right-handed bat to their lineup Monday, while the disappointing New York Mets shed another veteran player.

The Brewers acquired outfielder Mark Canha from the Mets for pitching prospect Justin Jarvis, multiple media outlets reported.

Canha, 34, is batting .245 this season with six home runs and 29 RBIs.

Canha joins a Brewers team that is battling for a third NL Central title over the last six seasons and added veteran first baseman Carlos Santana last week.

The Mets, meanwhile, continue their fire sale after dealing Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers on Saturday and closer David Robertson to the Miami Marlins on Friday.

Giants hope to revive outfielder AJ Pollock

The San Francisco Giants acquired outfielder AJ Pollock and utilityman Mark Mathias from the Seattle Mariners Monday, according to multiple reports.

Pollock, 35, is hitting just .173 this season, but the Giants hope he can help a banged-up outfield group that just lost Mike Yastrzemski to the injured list.

“Obviously [Pollock] hasn’t had a great season in Seattle,” President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi said. “But we kind of look at sort of some of the underlying measures - plate discipline, of how he’s moving around the field, his sprint speeds are good. We just view him as a really good change-of-scenery candidate.”

The Tampa Bay Rays have bolstered their starting rotation, acquiring right-hander Aaron Civale from the Cleveland Guardians on Monday, a day before the MLB trade deadline.

The Rays are sending the Guardians their No. 4-ranked prospect, first baseman Kyle Manzardo.

Civale, who is under contract through the 2025 season, is enjoying a career year, going 5-2 with a 2.34 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP in 13 starts, yielding two runs or fewer in 11 of those outings.

The 28-year-old missed nearly two months earlier this season with a strained left oblique and has never made more than 21 starts in his five-year MLB career.

Although he doesn’t have a lengthy track record, he has been one of hottest pitchers in baseball this month.

His 1.45 ERA in six July starts trails only San Diego Padres left-hander Blake Snell’s 0.56 ERA for the lowest in the majors among the 69 pitchers with at least 25 innings.

However, while he’s done a masterful job of keeping the opposition off the scoreboard, he hasn’t been fooling many hitters.

In 37 1/3 innings this month, he’s struck out 25 batters for a strikeout rate of 6.03 per nine innings – the seventh lowest among those 69 qualifying pitchers.

On the season, opposing batters miss on 21.1 per cent of swings against Civale, which ranks 89th among the 108 pitchers with a minimum of 75 innings.

Civale threw six scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday in his final start for Cleveland, which entered Monday just one-half game behind the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins.

He now joins a Tampa Bay team that trails the first-place Baltimore Orioles by 1 ½ games in the AL East.

Manzardo, 23, is batting .238 with 11 homers and 19 doubles in 73 games this season for Triple-A Durham.

Moeen Ali confirmed his red-ball retirement after he played a decisive role in England’s victory in the final Ashes Test and joked he would delete any of Ben Stokes’ text messages in future.

Moeen claimed three for 76 on a dramatic fifth day at the Kia Oval to help inspire a 49-run victory over Australia that ensured the series finished level at 2-2.

The all-rounder had been in red-ball retirement before Stokes memorably texted him, ‘Ashes?’ upon the news England’s frontline spinner Jack Leach had been ruled out of the series before a ball had been bowled on June 6.

Doubts lingered for the 36-year-old after he struggled during his previous encounters with Australia, but he answered the SOS call and was thrilled to play his part in a remarkable seven weeks of cricket in this country.

“I know I am done. If Stokesy messages me again, I’m going to delete it! But, no that’s me done.

“I think I really have enjoyed it and it’s great to finish like that,” Moeen told Sky Sports.

While there had been no official announcement about Moeen’s plans to go back into Test retirement ahead of the Kia Oval clash, he was open throughout the whole summer about the Ashes being the only series that could tempt him to put England whites back on.

Captain Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum have often spoken about creating a pressure-free environment where players can express themselves.

And Moeen told BBC’s Test Match Special: “To come back was obviously a little bit daunting because I’ve never played that well against Australia.

“It was one of those things when Stokesy asked me I thought, ‘Why not, I’m going to go into a brilliant side and I still believe I can do alright’ and it’s just great to be back part of this amazing team.

“I’m so glad I came back and said yes. Just from the first day I came back into the changing room with Baz and Stokesy and to play again with (Stuart) Broad and Jimmy (Anderson) and (Mark) Woody, it’s been amazing and I’m chuffed that I can finish with a win against Australia with a bit of a helping hand.

“They brought the best out of me but I am not complaining. I’ve had a good run and I have really enjoyed playing Test cricket with England and representing everyone in this country. It’s been amazing.”

Stuart Broad bowed out from cricket with 604 Test wickets to his name after taking the final two in England’s win over Australia at the Oval.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at the key statistics from his stunning career.

Old enemy

“I’ve had a love affair with the Ashes my whole life and the thought of being able to bowl my last ball and face my last ball against Australia fills me with joy.”

Those were Broad’s words as he announced his retirement after day three of this summer’s final Test and they are reflected in his career statistics.

Only Shane Warne (195) and Glenn McGrath (157) have taken more than Broad’s 153 Ashes wickets, at an average of 28.96, and the 12 men he dismissed seven times or more in Test cricket include eight Australians.

Opener David Warner is famously his favourite opponent with 17 dismissals across seven Ashes series dating back to 2013, including seven in 10 innings in 2019.

He has taken Steve Smith and Michael Clarke 11 times each, Usman Khawaja, Chris Rogers and Shane Watson eight and Travis Head and Mitchell Johnson seven times.

Broad took the wickets of New Zealand pair Ross Taylor and Tom Latham and South Africa’s AB de Villiers 10 times each and De Villiers’ compatriot Hashim Amla on eight occasions. He has dismissed 234 different batters in total.

Game-wrecker

Broad’s wickets came in 167 Tests at an average of 27.68, with his debut coming back in 2007 against Sri Lanka.

Known for his game-wrecking bursts, Broad has 20 five-wicket hauls and three 10-wicket matches – a best of 11 for 121 against Australia at Chester-le-Street in 2013 and two against the West Indies, at Lord’s in 2012 and Old Trafford in 2020.

He produced a scintillating best of eight for 15 at Trent Bridge to help win the 2015 Ashes and has seven-wicket hauls at Lord’s in the aforementioned West Indies clash and against New Zealand in 2013.

Broad is the only England bowler with two Test hat-tricks to his name, removing India trio MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar in successive balls in figures of six for 46 in 2011 and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal and Shaminda Eranga in 2014.

Going out at the top

Broad’s golden period between 2013 and 2016 brought 196 Test wickets at 25.56, with four of his five best innings figures including six for 25 against India at Old Trafford and six for 17 in Johannesburg to bowl South Africa out for 83.

He put together a similarly impressive stretch dating from 2019 – the year he turned 33.

He has 171 wickets at 24.23 in that time and aside from a down year in 2021, with 12 wickets in seven Tests, has averaged almost 40 dismissals a year.

Among the elite

Broad sits fifth and new-ball partner James Anderson third on the list of leading Test wicket-takers, headed by two of the world’s all-time great spinners.

Sri Lanka star Muttiah Muralitharan’s 800 wickets may never be matched, with the late Shane Warne currently the only man within 100 after taking 708 for Australia.

Anderson has 690 while former India spinner Anil Kumble racked up 619 wickets to Broad’s 604.

McGrath and Courtney Walsh are the only other bowlers to take even 500 – McGrath 563 and West Indies great Walsh 519.

Only Kumble of the ‘500 club’ has a higher average than Broad’s 27.68, the Indian taking his wickets at 29.65. McGrath’s 21.64 edges out Muralitharan (22.72) for the best average.

Broad surprisingly has the fewest five-wicket innings among the septet, though on 12 of those 20 occasions he has gone on to take at least six.

More than just a Test bowler

While Broad’s batting declined in recent years, he has 13 Test half-centuries and a memorable 169 in the controversial Lord’s ‘spot-fixing’ Test against Pakistan in 2010.

A Test batting average of 18.03 does not do justice to the all-round ability he showed for much of his career, having in his teenage years followed the lead of his famous father Chris as an opening batter.

His brilliance also translated to different formats, taking 178 one-day international wickets at 30.13 and 65 at 22.93 in T20, where he captained England in 27 of his 56 appearances.

Training camp opened less than a week ago, and the Indianapolis Colts are suddenly short on running backs.

Zack Moss suffered a broken bone in his forearm during Monday's practice and will undergo surgery.

The recovery time is expected to be six weeks, which means he'll miss the rest of training camp and puts his availability for the Colts' Week 1 opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 10 into question.

Moss had been working as the Colts' No. 1 running back in training camp with Jonathan Taylor absent.

Taylor, who was the NFL's rushing leader in 2021, has been seeking a contract extension, prompting him to request a trade.

He is currently on the physically unable to perform list, but the Colts are considering moving him to the non-football injury list after it was reported he failed his physical due to a back injury that was sustained while away from the Colts. He is also working his way back from an ankle injury that forced him to miss six games last season.

Last November with Taylor injured, the Colts traded for Moss from the Buffalo Bills, and in the season's final four games, he rushed for 334 yards on 69 carries with one touchdown while averaging 4.8 yards per attempt.

With Moss injured and Taylor clashing with owner Jim Irsay and the front office, Deon Jackson and rookie Evan Hull are next men up at running back for Indianapolis.

Teed Up dug deep to cling on to victory in the Connacht Hotel (QR) Handicap, the feature event on day one of the Galway Festival.

Trained by Emmet Mullins and ridden by Raymond Barron, the six-year-old was sent off the 7-2 favourite for the two-mile-one-furlong affair after finishing second at Tramore on his most recent outing.

HMS Seahorse and Whisky Sour were to the fore turning for home, but Teed Up grabbed control with a couple of furlongs to run and had to keep finding for pressure as The Very Man produced a finishing burst.

However, Teed Up was not for passing, coming home half a length in front with Shajak a further half-length back in third and HMS Seahorse taking fourth.

Barron said: “It’s my first ride in this race. I’d no ride in it all week and Emmet rang me on Friday. It was like Christmas getting the call.

“He broke well and travelled very smoothly throughout the race. I was nearly there too soon turning in but he was going so well that I kind of had to kick on. He got to the front too soon but he was tough and was very game all the way to the line.

“Around Galway, riding for Emmet and the Mee family, you always have a chance and it’s nice that I could deliver for them today.

“I’m based with Charles Byrnes. I’m getting plenty of rides off Charles and am in a very privileged position and, I suppose as a result of that, I’m getting plenty of outside rides as well.”

Earlier on the card, Mystical Power (6-4 favourite) made a perfect start over obstacles in the Galwaybayhotel.com & TheGalmont.com Novice Hurdle.

Willie Mullins’ charge is bred to be a champion as a son of Galileo and the first foal of multiple Grade One winner Annie Power and he triumphed on his bumper debut at Ballinrobe in May.

Connections made a swift switch to hurdling with the four-year-old and he duly justified that confidence when cruising home by seven lengths in the hands of Mark Walsh.

Paddy Power make Mystical Power a 16-1 shot for both the Supreme and Ballymore Novices’ Hurdles at next year’s Cheltenham Festival and Mullins was certainly impressed.

He said: “That was a huge performance compared to his bumper performance. He likes jumping but there is a lot of improvement to come as he made at least three mistakes.

“Like his mother (who won on debut at Galway), he’s won here on his second run and hopefully he’ll be half as good as her.

“I’ll continue hurdling with him now. I don’t want to go back to the flat – I may do that next year with him. He looks like a horse that we might aim at the Royal Bond or something like that.”

Teed Up dug deep to cling on to victory in the Connacht Hotel (QR) Handicap, the feature event on day one of the Galway Festival.

Trained by Emmet Mullins and ridden by Raymond Barron, the six-year-old was sent off the 7-2 favourite for the two-mile-one-furlong affair after finishing second at Tramore on his most recent outing.

HMS Seahorse and Whisky Sour were to the fore turning for home, but Teed Up grabbed control with a couple of furlongs to run and had to keep finding for pressure as The Very Man produced a finishing burst.

However, Teed Up was not for passing, coming home half a length in front with Shajak a further half-length back in third and HMS Seahorse taking fourth.

Barron said: “It’s my first ride in this race. I’d no ride in it all week and Emmet rang me on Friday. It was like Christmas getting the call.

“He broke well and travelled very smoothly throughout the race. I was nearly there too soon turning in but he was going so well that I kind of had to kick on. He got to the front too soon but he was tough and was very game all the way to the line.

“Around Galway, riding for Emmet and the Mee family, you always have a chance and it’s nice that I could deliver for them today.

“I’m based with Charles Byrnes. I’m getting plenty of rides off Charles and am in a very privileged position and, I suppose as a result of that, I’m getting plenty of outside rides as well.”

Earlier on the card, Mystical Power (6-4 favourite) made a perfect start over obstacles in the Galwaybayhotel.com & TheGalmont.com Novice Hurdle.

Willie Mullins’ charge is bred to be a champion as a son of Galileo and the first foal of multiple Grade One winner Annie Power and he triumphed on his bumper debut at Ballinrobe in May.

Connections made a swift switch to hurdling with the four-year-old and he duly justified that confidence when cruising home by seven lengths in the hands of Mark Walsh.

Paddy Power make Mystical Power a 16-1 shot for both the Supreme and Ballymore Novices’ Hurdles at next year’s Cheltenham Festival and Mullins was certainly impressed.

He said: “That was a huge performance compared to his bumper performance. He likes jumping but there is a lot of improvement to come as he made at least three mistakes.

“Like his mother (who won on debut at Galway), he’s won here on his second run and hopefully he’ll be half as good as her.

“I’ll continue hurdling with him now. I don’t want to go back to the flat – I may do that next year with him. He looks like a horse that we might aim at the Royal Bond or something like that.”

Virgil van Dijk has been appointed as Liverpool captain following the departure of Jordan Henderson, the Premier League club have announced.

The 32-year-old, who arrived at Anfield from Southampton in 2018 and has made 222 appearances, also performs the role internationally for the Netherlands.

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been confirmed as vice-captain after James Milner left to join Brighton earlier in the summer.

Henderson and Milner have departed as part of an overhaul of the team’s midfield as Jurgen Klopp looks to rebuild following last season’s disappointing fifth-place finish in the Premier League.

It meant the club failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2016.

“It has been a very disappointing year last year,” Van Dijk told the club website. “It was actually not a bad run-in. Obviously in the end we didn’t achieve anything we hoped to achieve and that was very disappointing.”

Of the players who were part of Klopp’s title-winning squad in 2020, Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino have also left, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been released following an injury-hit Reds career.

In their place, Brighton’s World Cup-winning midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has been signed along with Hungary international Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig.

“Obviously it has been quite an interesting summer with players obviously leaving and new players coming in, this little transition that is going on,” added Van Dijk.

“We also have to be a bit patient but we want to be there and we want to show what we’re capable of because we have a fantastic group of players, staff, fans, stadium, we shouldn’t even discuss that.”