Archive May 15, 2025

England have confirmed Tim Southee as a fast-bowling consultant for the first part of the home summer.

James Anderson has held the position since retiring from Test cricket but is unavailable because of his playing commitments with Lancashire – he is expected to make his return for the Red Rose against Derbyshire on Friday.

New Zealander Southee, 36, retired from international cricket in December and is a close friend and former team-mate of England head coach Brendon McCullum.

Southee will be with England for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, white-ball series with West Indies and the five-match Test series against India, before playing for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred.

Southee’s immediate task will be to guide an inexperienced fast-bowling unit at the beginning of a crucial year, with an away Ashes series following the contest against India.

Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Brydon Carse and Olly Stone are all absent from the Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, beginning next Thursday.

The pace bowlers in the squad are Gus Atkinson, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue and the uncapped Sam Cook, meaning England could field their most inexperienced seam attack in a home Test since 2003.

Although England sounded out other candidates for the role, Southee emerged as the leading contender last month.

Only the great Sir Richard Hadlee, with 431, has taken more than Southee’s 391 Test wickets for New Zealand. He ended his international career against England on his home ground in Hamilton just before Christmas, after which McCullum made a presentation to Southee on the outfield.

Along with assistant coach Jeetan Patel, England now have three New Zealanders in their backroom staff.

Before Anderson retired England did not have a pace-bowling specialist in their coaching staff. After the 42-year-old ended his record-breaking international career, he remained a near-constant presence in the England dressing room.

But he has signed a one-year deal to play with Lancashire this summer, which he has stated will be his priority ahead of coaching commitments with England.

“She is on a trajectory to be the best in the world, I have no doubt about that.”

Manchester United manager Marc Skinner has not stopped praising goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce after a near-flawless season for the club.

You can’t blame him after her performances helped United secure a Champions League spot next season and book their place in a third successive FA Cup final.

The 28-year-old American had big boots to fill when England keeper Mary Earps departed for Paris St-Germain in the summer but she has made it look easy.

Earps’ stature had grown so much that by the time she left United, the 32-year-old had a Euro 2022 winners’ medal, two Fifa Best goalkeeper awards and a mural of herself at Old Trafford.

With the departing keeper a fan favourite and a mainstay of United’s starting XI, Tullis-Joyce knew it would be a challenge to pick up the baton.

“I definitely knew that I was coming into a high pressure environment, especially coming after such a great goalkeeper,” said Tullis-Joyce.

“I think for me, that pressure was never related to Mary. I know that I am a different keeper, I never really let that affect me.

“It was more the pressure of making sure that I kept to the same standard that is expected of a Manchester United goalkeeper.

After signing from Seattle Reign in 2023, Tullis-Joyce had to watch on patiently before being handed her opportunity to shine for United.

Few could have imagined just how impressive she would be, but she ended the WSL season with the Golden Glove award for the joint-most clean sheets (13), having also made her USA debut in a friendly win against Brazil.

So rapid was her rise, United handed her a three-year contract extension in April.

But Tullis-Joyce says it has not all been smooth sailing.

“There are absolutely major moments of nerves, self-doubt, and definitely some bumps and bruises along the way,” said Tullis-Joyce.

“But that is what has got us even further I think. All of the mistakes have led us to becoming a better, stronger team, and especially myself.

“There have been moments that I look back on and cringe still watching the videos – but I see the progress that I’ve made and I’m pretty astounded by how much I’ve grown.

“She’s sick!” United captain Maya Le Tissier says at the sound of Tullis-Joyce’s name.

The centre-back says having Tullis-Joyce in goal gives her confidence and she has already become a leader within the squad.

“She’s an amazing person. An unbelievable goalkeeper. We lost Mary in the summer but Phallon had been training the whole of the previous season,” said Le Tissier.

“We knew she was going to be ready and she knew what it was going to take.”

Alongside departing coach Ian Willcock and the rest of the goalkeeping group, Tullis-Joyce said she spent last year as back-up “watching” and “building chemistry” with her team-mates.

Away from the pitch, whenever her schedule allows, the 28-year-old spends time on her other hobbies – scuba diving, photography and collecting fossils.

Pursuing those passions has taken her around the world – from Costa Rica to Egypt to Norway.

“It’s helped me tremendously just to have something that’s completely and utterly separate from my career on the field,” she said.

“I even took up free diving [which involves holding your breath and travelling as far as you can underwater without the use of breathing equipment] as well.

“That helped me understand my body’s physiological responses to stress. I am able to sense my stress a little bit faster.”

Growing up in Long Island, New York, she fell in love with the ocean and went on to study marine biology at the University of Miami – something she is planning on returning to when she hangs up her gloves.

“My plan post career is to go right back into the ocean and hopefully help with expanding marine protected areas to make sure that we take care of all the animals that we live with on this beautiful planet,” she says.

She also takes her football career very seriously.

Manager Skinner revealed last month that she had wanted to be involved in the interviewing process for the club’s next goalkeeping coach, saying the request epitomised her “due diligence as a person”.

“What she was trying to say to me is ‘Marc, I trust you are doing your job right but I want to make sure this is the right person’.”

Tullis-Joyce’s whirlwind season will come to an end with, or without, a winners’ medal at Wembley this weekend.

Her family are travelling to London to watch her play, then Tullis-Joyce already has a holiday booked to Barbados and the Dominican Republic to go scuba diving.

Meanwhile, Skinner is already thinking ahead to the future and what Tullis-Joyce can go on to achieve with the club.

From the “rawness” of the “athletic” goalkeeper he first watched at French side Reims, to the “refined” number one she has become, Skinner has high hopes for what is next.

“Every day she finds something to get better at. The only criticism I have of Phallon is that she is over-critical of herself,” said Skinner.

“We’ve had to stand on her shoulders so many times. When she makes a mistake, she has to stand on ours.

“She is in the perfect part of her career to go on and be the best in the world – I really do believe that.

The men’s and women’s FA Cup finals take place at Wembley this weekend – and you can watch both live on BBC One, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

Crystal Palace meet Manchester City in the men’s final on Saturday (16:30 BST kick-off).

Palace are seeking to win a first major trophy in the club’s history, while City are looking to avoid a first season without a major trophy since 2016-17.

Then on Sunday Chelsea will be looking to complete a domestic treble when they face holders Manchester United in the women’s FA Cup final at the national stadium (13:30 kick-off).

Kevin de Bruyne is expected to make his fourth – and last – FA Cup final appearance for Manchester City after the Belgian announced in April he will leave at the end of the season after 10 years at Etihad Stadium.

Crystal Palace are 12th in the Premier League table – 16 points behind fourth-placed City, who, with two matches remaining, are yet to seal a place in next season’s Champions League.

A Crystal Palace win will earn them a place in next season’s Europa League.

Unlike last season, the 2025 final is taking place during the Premier League season.

However, there are no Premier League fixtures on Saturday to allow the showpiece occasion to receive maximum exposure.

There will be 30 minutes of extra time if necessary and penalties if the scores are still level.

You can watch Saturday’s final on BBC One, iPlayer or the BBC Sport website and app.

TV coverage starts at 15:25, with former Palace striker Glenn Murray and ex-City defender Micah Richards – who won the FA Cup with City in 2011 – joining former England captains Gary Lineker, Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer at Wembley.

Mark Chapman is at Wembley to present BBC Radio 5 Live’s coverage. There is build-up throughout the afternoon before kick-off at 16:30.

Chelsea against Manchester United is a repeat of the 2023 women’s FA Cup final which the Blues edged 1-0 to win the trophy for the third successive season.

United have conceded just once in this season’s competition and defeated neighbours Manchester City 2-0 in their semi-final.

Chelsea remained undefeated on their way to the WSL title and beat three WSL teams en route to the FA Cup final – Everton, Crystal Palace and Liverpool.

There will be 30 minutes of extra time if necessary and penalties if the scores are still level.

You can watch Sunday’s final on BBC One, iPlayer or the BBC Sport website and app.

TV coverage starts at 12:50, with former Arsenal and England defender Alex Scott presenting from Wembley.

She will be joined by former England midfielder Fara Williams, ex-Chelsea and England forward Ellen White and former Manchester United striker Nikita Parris.

England goalkeeper Mary Earps, who joined Paris St-Germain last summer after leaving Manchester United, is also part of BBC One’s coverage at Wembley, while ex-England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis is alongside commentator Robyn Cowen.

Former Chelsea and England defender Gilly Flaherty is alongside commentator Vicki Sparks for full commentary on Radio 5 Sports Extra 3.