Archive January 27, 2026

Another day, another hundred, another Joe Root bat raised towards his cheering team-mates.

Set the stage and more often than not the England legend will take his opportunity to further burnish a record that marks him out as one of the greats of the modern game.

This week he has trod the boards at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, hitting two half-centuries and an unbeaten 111 as England completed a rare one-day international series win.

In doing so, Root reaffirmed his position as one of the greatest non-Asian players in sub-continental conditions.

His 247 runs in the series saw him become England’s highest ODI run-scorer on the continent, surpassing Kevin Pietersen.

He now has 1,813 ODI runs in Asia at an average of 53.32, with three hundreds and 15 half-centuries.

Root’s position as one of the all-time greats is hardly news to the cricketing public.

Yet perhaps an underappreciated aspect of his game is his talent in handling spin and the sub-continental pitches that assist slower bowlers.

While England have often floundered on tours of Asia, Root has frequently flowered.

He now sits third on the list of non-Asian ODI run-scorers against spin in Asia with 1,118 at an average of 69.87, behind only Jacques Kallis (1,151) and Ricky Ponting (1,330).

“Joe’s playing of spin is absolutely fantastic because he’s able to manoeuvre the ball,” former England batter Dawid Malan told BBC Sport.

“It’s different challenges, batting in the sub-continent. Wickets vary from ground to ground.

“The last wicket they played on, it turned square, it was incredibly slow. And today, it didn’t turn as much and was a better wicket to play on.

“You have to adapt game by game. Joe’s found ways to do that, to take over and score at a run a ball consistently. He’s done that in all the conditions he’s played in.”

Unsurprisingly, it’s not just in Asia that Root has prospered against spin.

Of all the players to score more than 3,000 ODI runs against slow bowling alone, the 35-year-old currently averages 73.43 – only India great MS Dhoni has a better average.

Indeed, Root has averaged more than 80 against spin in eight calendar years of his ODI career, emerging with a figure of 202.5 in 2017, 101.25 in 2018 and 206 from his first three matches this year.

While many modern players will try to blaze their way through an ODI innings, it’s Root’s steady accumulation that marks him out.

Over the course of his 188 ODIs, Root has taken 3,566 runs in singles, frequently turning over the strike to ensure his side aren’t bogged down.

His ability to find gaps means his non-boundary strike-rate is 60.10, the best of any batter in the format’s history.

“Root’s dot-ball percentage is incredibly low, which is something I found I had to learn playing in the sub-continent,” added Malan.

“If you can rotate the strike really well, you’ll never feel like you’re under pressure.

“If you feel like you get two, three or four dot balls before you hit a boundary, you feel like you’re always having to take a high-risk option.

“Joe seems to find a lot of ways, whether it be with these reverse or deflections or playing off the back foot really well against spin, to score pretty quickly.”

Root also brings calm on his arrival to the crease, as he did on Tuesday when England slipped to 40-2 just after the powerplay.

He put on 126 to build a platform with Jacob Bethell, who hit a refined 65, before sharing an unbroken 191 partnership with Harry Brook.

In his 18 ODI innings since the start of 2024, Root has been dismissed just three times in the first 20 balls of his innings.

Just two weeks after a 4-1 Ashes humiliation, the majority of England’s squad who dragged themselves to Sri Lanka might not have savoured the prospect of three one-day internationals in challenging conditions.

Played when other nations have already started their preparation for the T20 World Cup, this trio of fixtures felt like another maddening quirk of a packed international schedule.

Yet England will now appreciate they had the chance to move on from their trip down under.

Root and Brook, who struck 136, enjoyed their time at the crease, and the pair now have the most ODI runs as a partnership for England since 2023 with 672 at an average of 44.80.

“Batting first in the sub-continent is incredibly tough because you never know what a good score is,” added Malan.

“You have to assess the wicket and that’s where partnerships become so important. If you can have a partnership of 100-plus, it enables you to go deeper into the innings and be able to attack the ball when it does get older.”

The Brook-Root partnership played out in that exact manner, with the England skipper accelerating dramatically as England scored 130 off the last 10 overs, having set a platform in the middle overs.

Root, who has not played a T20 international since 2019, can now head home having helped his side turn a corner after a brutal time in Australia.

The NFL’s latest hiring cycle is in full swing with seven head coaches having been appointed following the end of the regular season.

The Buffalo Bills are the latest team to sign a new head coach, with the franchise appointing Joe Brady.

It follows the Pittsburgh Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy and Jesse Minter returning to the Baltimore Ravens, after the Tennessee Titans brought in Robert Saleh.

John Harbaugh (New York Giants) and Kevin Stefanski (Atlanta Falcons) were the first two head coach appointments, while the Miami Dolphins hired Green Bay Packers defensive co-ordinator Jeff Hafley.

Minter has agreed to return to Baltimore in the top job, having previously spent four years as an assistant coach with the Ravens under Harbaugh.

The 42-year-old then worked in the college game before returning to the NFL as the Los Angeles Chargers defensive co-ordinator for the past two seasons.

“This is an organisation whose values, culture and tradition of excellence reflect everything I believe about the game of football and how it should be played,” said Minter.

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti added: “He clearly understands the values, high expectations and history of the Ravens, and he has a great vision for the future.”

Harbaugh had been in charge of the Ravens for 18 years so Minter will be just the fourth head coach in the team’s 31-year history.

The Tennessee Titans were the first team to fire their head coach this season when they sacked Brian Callahan in October, with Mike McCoy acting as interim as they ended the campaign with a 3-14 record.

Saleh has come in as the full-time replacement.

He was New York Jets head coach from 2021 until being sacked in 2024, returning to his former role as the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive co-ordinator for the past season after a stint as an offensive consultant for the Packers.

“This was the most desirable location, the most desirable team,” said the 46-year-old.

The New York Giants were one of two teams to sack their head coach mid-season and they acted swiftly after Harbaugh was released by the Baltimore Ravens upon missing out on the play-offs.

Harbaugh was the most sought-after coach during this cycle and the 2013 Super Bowl champion interviewed with Atlanta and planned to meet with Tennessee.

But the Giants were the first team to welcome the 63-year-old to their training facility and they agreed a reported five-year deal, making Harbaugh one of the NFL’s highest-paid coaches.

Stefanski interviewed with the Giants, Baltimore, Tennessee, Las Vegas and Miami, having twice been named Coach of the Year during six seasons in charge of the Cleveland Browns, who fired him in early January.

Harbaugh was the second-longest serving coach in the NFL behind long-term divisional rival Mike Tomlin, who chose to end his 19-year spell with the Pittsburgh Steelers after they lost in the first round of the play-offs.

The Steelers have now appointed former Green Bay Packers and Dallas head coach McCarthy to replace Tomlin and become just their fourth head coach since 1969.

McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native, was with the Packers from 2006-2018 and led them to the Super Bowl championship in 2011 when they beat the Steelers.

The Steelers are scheduled to present their new coach at a news conference on Tuesday.

With McDermott leaving the Buffalo Bills after nine seasons, it means three of the NFL’s longest-serving head coaches have moved on in the same cycle.

The Bills have decided to promote Brady from being their offensive co-ordinator to their new head coach.

The Cleveland Browns are the third AFC North team hiring this cycle and have held second interviews with their defensive co-ordinator Jim Schwartz and Baltimore’s offensive co-ordinator Todd Monken.

Atlanta and Cleveland have interviewed Seattle’s British defensive co-ordinator Aden Durde, who has helped the Seahawks clinch the NFC’s top seed and go within one win of the Super Bowl having booked a spot in Sunday’s NFC Championship game.

Another UK-born coach could earn a top job as the Las Vegas Raiders seek a replacement for Pete Carroll.

The Miami Dolphins named Hafley as their new head coach following the sacking of Mike McDaniel.

The 46-year-old has spent two seasons as defensive co-ordinator for the Green Bay Packers and has also held roles as an assistant coach with the 49ers, Cleveland and Tampa Bay.

“I believe great things are ahead for the Miami Dolphins with Jeff Hafley leading the way,” said Dolphins owner Stephen Ross.

“He has tenacity and grit, while at the same time establishing trust with his players in order to get the most out of them.”

Kansas City Chiefs offensive co-ordinator Matt Nagy is among the candidates thought to have been interviewed by the Arizona Cardinals as they look for Jonathan Gannon’s successor.

Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar crashed his car in wet conditions on the second day of Formula 1 pre-season testing in Barcelona.

The 21-year-old Frenchman, promoted to the senior Red Bull team for 2026 after just one season in F1, lost control at the fast final corner and hit the barriers.

The test is being held in private with no access for independent media, and Red Bull have not responded to requests for comment on the incident.

But eyewitnesses at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya say Hadjar was on his first lap on a set of intermediate tyres having just switched from full wet tyres.

The track was still damp and the weather was drizzly when he went off, spinning and hitting the barrier backwards.

Until then, Red Bull had continued their encouraging progress of the first day, and Max Verstappen had had his first run in the car in the morning session.

The four-time champion had an off at Turn Five on his first lap out of the pits but was able to rejoin.

World champions McLaren, who last week said they would first run their new car on either Tuesday or Wednesday, were not ready to run until late in the morning session and decided because of the weather to wait to run until Wednesday. They will now take part in each of the final three days of the test.

For Ferrari, Charles Leclerc drove in the morning and Lewis Hamilton in the afternoon, doing a total of 123 laps – just short of two grand prix distances – between them.

Leclerc said: “It’s not been the best conditions because it was a bit rainy, but we did our programme because we are not focusing on performance.”

F1 has introduced revised rules for chassis, engines, tyres and fuel this season that means the cars are completely new, and a much bigger role for the hybrid part of the engine will make energy management a major factor in F1 this season.

But Leclerc said it was “very early” to comment on the car’s behaviour.

“We haven’t pushed any bit of the car just yet, it was all about doing a proper system check on track,” he said. “We will know a bit more the more we do mileage. The first feeling is it is going to be a bit more of a challenge for us drivers to manage those things and then let’s see if it’s going to make things more exciting.

“For now, we have gone through the very first preliminary checks of the car, everything went properly and we will go through our check list of the first systems to then eventually what matters most, which is performance. But this will come probably a bit later in these three days and then trying to understand first how everything behaves.”

Ferrari had a poor season in 2025, with both Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton failing to win a grand prix, and have hopes the new rules will enable them to be more competitive.

Leclerc said: “I am very excited to see what the others have in store and when we start pushing a bit more to see where we are compared to the others.

Arne Slot believes his Liverpool side can still achieve “very special things” this season but refused to discuss what an “acceptable” outcome would look like.

Liverpool have won just five of their past 18 Premier League games, leading to “noise” that is making life uncomfortable for the head coach and his players.

Slot says Liverpool may struggle to “shut down” criticism, given the trophy holders appear to be already out of the domestic title race.

However, they can secure automatic qualification for the Champions League last-16 stage when they take on Qarabag on Wednesday.

Slot’s team could have a deep run in Europe and they also remain in the FA Cup.

“If we can improve in both boxes, we can do very special things this season,” Slot said.

“But if we can only improve in one box, then it will probably be an acceptable season but not more than that.

Pushed on what his definition of an “acceptable” season would be, Slot said: “When you are Liverpool, the aim is to win the league. We’ve only done this twice in the last 30 years. The aim is to be competitive in every single competition we are in.

“That’s always the aim, but the reality is that in the last three years we’ve won one League Cup and one Premier League title.

“What is acceptable? I have my opinion but I’m not going to share that.

“The outside world has an opinion. As we all know, a lot has been said about the £450m [that Liverpool spent in the summer], but people tend to forget the £300m we bought in.”

Liverpool are sixth in the Premier League and have won none of their past five games (D4, L1) in the competition.

“I think it’s going to be really difficult to quiet the outside noise with the position we are in in the league,” Slot said. “So even if we win a few games, every loss or every disappointing result will start the noise coming back again.

“That’s what you can expect if you started the season as we did – not started, but at a certain moment with so many losses. So it’s impossible to shut down the noise at a club like this if you are not competing for the league.”

The Liverpool boss expects a tough challenge against a Qarabag side who held Chelsea to a draw earlier in the season.

Liverpool sit fourth in the group phase entering the final round of games, with the top eight going through to the last-16 stage automatically.

A defeat could knock them out of that group of eight, so Slot wants to impress on his players the need to be wary of Qarabag’s threat. The visitors to Anfield sit 18th in the 36-team league table.

“It is always the players that make things difficult. They are very direct, fast players,” Slot said of the opposition.

“They go very direct and fast towards goal and have players who are comfortable on the ball. They have shown against big clubs that they are a very good team. Even Chelsea, they were able to keep them to 2-2.

Andy Robertson’s move to Tottenham now looks unlikely and Slot confirmed that he expects his vice-captain to stay at the club.

Tottenham and Liverpool were in talks for the left-back to make the move in a deal worth £5m, but as it stands Liverpool are not in a position to sell Robertson, who is out of contract in the summer, without having a replacement left-back.

Liverpool have so far been unable to recall Kostas Tsimikas from his loan at Roma.

“Robbo is part of the team tomorrow evening and he has been part of this club for so many years. I’m happy to have him and it’s good that he is available,” said Slot.

Asked if Robertson was staying at Liverpool, Slot added: “It is hard to say anything definite in this world we are in, but I expect him to.”

The Liverpool boss also confirmed Joe Gomez will miss the game against Qarabag with a hip injury after he was forced off in the 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth, but Slot insisted the defender would only be out for a “relatively short amount of time”.

Ibrahima Konate is still absent due to a death in his family, and Slot is in touch with the France international.

“He’s having a hard time. I’m hoping and expecting him back soon, but he’s not available for tomorrow,” said Slot.

Arne Slot believes his Liverpool side can still achieve “very special things” this season but refused to discuss what an “acceptable” outcome would look like.

Liverpool have won just five of their past 18 Premier League games, leading to “noise” that is making life uncomfortable for the head coach and his players.

Slot says Liverpool may struggle to “shut down” criticism, given the trophy holders appear to be already out of the domestic title race.

However, they can secure automatic qualification for the Champions League last-16 stage when they take on Qarabag on Wednesday.

Slot’s team could have a deep run in Europe and they also remain in the FA Cup.

“If we can improve in both boxes, we can do very special things this season,” Slot said.

“But if we can only improve in one box, then it will probably be an acceptable season but not more than that.

Pushed on what his definition of an “acceptable” season would be, Slot said: “When you are Liverpool, the aim is to win the league. We’ve only done this twice in the last 30 years. The aim is to be competitive in every single competition we are in.

“That’s always the aim, but the reality is that in the last three years we’ve won one League Cup and one Premier League title.

“What is acceptable? I have my opinion but I’m not going to share that.

“The outside world has an opinion. As we all know, a lot has been said about the £450m [that Liverpool spent in the summer], but people tend to forget the £300m we bought in.”

Liverpool are sixth in the Premier League and have won none of their past five games (D4, L1) in the competition.

“I think it’s going to be really difficult to quiet the outside noise with the position we are in in the league,” Slot said. “So even if we win a few games, every loss or every disappointing result will start the noise coming back again.

“That’s what you can expect if you started the season as we did – not started, but at a certain moment with so many losses. So it’s impossible to shut down the noise at a club like this if you are not competing for the league.”

The Liverpool boss expects a tough challenge against a Qarabag side who held Chelsea to a draw earlier in the season.

Liverpool sit fourth in the group phase entering the final round of games, with the top eight going through to the last-16 stage automatically.

A defeat could knock them out of that group of eight, so Slot wants to impress on his players the need to be wary of Qarabag’s threat. The visitors to Anfield sit 18th in the 36-team league table.

“It is always the players that make things difficult. They are very direct, fast players,” Slot said of the opposition.

“They go very direct and fast towards goal and have players who are comfortable on the ball. They have shown against big clubs that they are a very good team. Even Chelsea, they were able to keep them to 2-2.

Andy Robertson’s move to Tottenham now looks unlikely and Slot confirmed that he expects his vice-captain to stay at the club.

Tottenham and Liverpool were in talks for the left-back to make the move in a deal worth £5m, but as it stands Liverpool are not in a position to sell Robertson, who is out of contract in the summer, without having a replacement left-back.

Liverpool have so far been unable to recall Kostas Tsimikas from his loan at Roma.

“Robbo is part of the team tomorrow evening and he has been part of this club for so many years. I’m happy to have him and it’s good that he is available,” said Slot.

Asked if Robertson was staying at Liverpool, Slot added: “It is hard to say anything definite in this world we are in, but I expect him to.”

The Liverpool boss also confirmed Joe Gomez will miss the game against Qarabag with a hip injury after he was forced off in the 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth, but Slot insisted the defender would only be out for a “relatively short amount of time”.

Ibrahima Konate is still absent due to a death in his family, and Slot is in touch with the France international.

“He’s having a hard time. I’m hoping and expecting him back soon, but he’s not available for tomorrow,” said Slot.

England striker Tammy Abraham has completed an £18.25m return to Aston Villa from Besiktas.

The 28-year-old has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal at the Premier League title challengers, as he moves back to England for the first time since joining Roma in 2021.

Abraham was on loan at Besiktas from Roma, but the Turkish club activated their buy option on Monday for £11m, so Villa will pay the fee of 21m euros (£18.25m) to them.

Villa boss Unai Emery had been looking for a striker to support Ollie Watkins and has a long-standing interest in Abraham, who had a loan spell at the club in 2018-19 and helped them earn promotion from the Championship.

Teenager Villa midfielder Yasin Ozcan, who has been on loan at Anderlecht this season, is joining Besiktas as part of the deal.

Roberto Olabe, Villa’s president of football operations, flew to Turkey to watch Abraham play as Besiktas beat Kayserispor 1-0 last week.

The forward could feature against Brentford on Sunday but is not registered to play in Thursday’s Europa League game against Red Bull Salzburg.

Meanwhile, former Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz is set to return to the club on loan.

The 27-year-old Brazilian is on loan at Nottingham Forest from Juventus, but he is set to leave the City Ground before Monday’s transfer deadline.

Abraham moved to Roma in August 2021 from Chelsea for £34m and scored 27 goals in his debut season as the Italian side won the Conference League.

His 17 Serie A goals made him the highest English scorer in a single league campaign in Italy.

Nine goals in 54 games followed in 2022-23, but an anterior cruciate ligament injury on the final game of the season kept him out for 10 months.

On his return Abraham made 12 appearances, scoring once, then joined AC Milan on loan in 2024 after Jose Mourinho, who had brought him to Roma, left the club.

He scored 10 goals in 44 games in all competitions for Milan but made just 12 league starts and returned to his parent club at the end of last season.

In total, Abraham made 120 appearances for Roma, scoring 39 goals, before joining Besiktas last summer.

It is not the first time Villa have tried to re-sign Abraham – they remained interested in him and were at the table when the striker previously moved.

However, in 2021, when Abraham opted to join Roma, Villa were not the club they have since been transformed into by Emery.

Abraham also turned down Arsenal on that occasion, as he viewed Roma’s project under Mourinho as the ideal platform to progress – and the forward’s time in Serie A should be viewed as a success.

One of the key factors behind his decision to return to the Premier League is a desire for an England recall, with this summer’s World Cup looming.

Abraham has not played for his country since starting against Italy in the Nations League in 2022 – and would have remained on the periphery if he stayed in Turkey.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has rediscovered his form in the Premier League for Leeds -so if Abraham can hit the ground running under Emery it could put him back in the selection conversation, almost four years since his last cap.

Abraham also has two young children and the lure to return home for personal reasons was strong.

Chelsea had a buy-back option, but with the change of ownership at Stamford Bridge that was never on the cards.

He has taken a wage cut to join Villa, underlining his commitment, and having won the Champions League and Conference League he has the chance to complete a European hat-trick in the Europa League with his new club this season.

The return to Villa Park is seen as perfect timing, even if it has come sooner than expected and just six months into a spell at Besiktas.

But Emery’s plan and vision for the striker convinced him – not that he needed much persuading.