Category Sports News

First Test between England and India

Venue: Headingley Dates: 20-24 June Time: 11: 00 BST

In every way, this is it.

Bazball . Offsetting James Anderson with a pension. Knee of Ben Stokes. Hammer in Ben Stokes. The Heist in Hyderabad and Rawalpindi Raid. In Wellington, one run. The moral ashes and enough golf to become a major champion are the result.

All of which produce this.

The difference between this England team being regarded as ideological entertainers, glorious winners, or both in ten Tests, five against India right now, and five against Australia in the winter, is between five against India.

The captain, Stokes, is guaranteed a place in history. His continued dominance as England’s greatest cricketer ever would be strengthened by a further success in the months leading up to January. Brendon McCullum, the England coach, could leave today and still be remembered as the one who revived the team. He now has the chance to return some of New Zealand’s biggest prizes to his stables.

There is a good chance that both McCullum and McCullum are still in charge this year next year because both are contracted until 2027, but there is also a chance that both will lose both. Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows are the next two events in the story arc, and the result will be the demand for a stage show with a Cursed Child.

The dressing room won’t be flooded with references to a “defining period.” Before he bowled the super over in the 2019 World Cup final, Stokes famously said to Jofra Archer, “Today doesn’t define you.” How many of us, on a human level, want to be evaluated after working for six months?

At the conclusion of the episode, Stokes said, “I don’t tend to worry about what other people will think about what I did as a captain.”

Despite this, it is unquestionably true that some aspects of professional sport are more significant than others. There are larger days, matches, and series. The series against India will begin in Leeds on Friday in a sun-kissed mood.

Everything must be viewed in the context of the Ashes, according to English cricketing disease. The most memorable memories are often made during contests against Australia, which tend to cement legacy and shape futures.

Even though framing it in this manner disrespects the biggest cricketing juggernaut on earth, it is best for England to arrive in Perth in November in the strongest possible shape.

Although they share a longer history than England and Australia, India are in a league of their own in terms of influence, attention, and scrutiny. A headline act in the sporting summer, their presence in this country for the next seven weeks, where they won’t compete for oxygen with Premier League football, is unquestionable.

England’s Test team is excellent, though perhaps not quite as good as they should be. In each of their previous eight games, they have won four and lost four. Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand in Hamilton, Pakistan in Rawalpindi, and Pakistan in Rawalpindi, respectively, in the third of those defeats.

Fans are irritated by the sloppiness, which is made even more so by the awareness of how good England can be at their best.

In what could be excellent batting conditions, the home side’s fast bowling is down to earth and a potential area of weakness. Hopefully, improvements will be made. The latest stage in England’s desperate for his return is when he trained on Wednesday and Archer will play for Sussex on Sunday, akin to Vladimir and Estragon’s anticipation of his return.

The spotlight may once more typically on Stokes. England probably needs his runs more than his overs, despite the effort the all-rounder has put in to become a bowler.

Stokes isn’t the biggest box office hit for the record. India’s Jasprit Bumrah is currently the best cricket player on the planet, compiling a career that will rival that of any other fast bowler who has participated in the sport. How well-versed England is in his staccato approach and possessive intellect will determine the series.

Every performance from Bumrah, who may only play three Test matches, is a must-watch, just like the middle-order pyrotechnics of India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. When Pant attempts to hit him outside of Yorkshire, English spinner Shoaib Bashir will have to keep his composure.

Bumrah and Pant are well-known players in Shubman Gill’s first-ever unfamiliar India team. India is evolving, but they don’t have a lot of talent from their vast reserves, despite the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin.

There is a little less stardust in general, but not necessarily a diminished chance of India succeeding because of Kohli’s absence. The question is whether India are weaker without Kohli, whose returns to test cricket had gradually slowed since his retirement last month. With him on the team, they never won a series in this nation.

India have not won this game since 2007 and have not won it because England are the favorites to win the first half of what would be a spectacular double.

Despite the success of the Stokes-McCullum regime, which there has been, they still manage to win a prestigious five-Test series.

A decade ago, when England last ruled India and Australia simultaneously, can be compared. Under coach Andy Flower’s leadership, their cricket was infamously dry, with little movement in the dressing room or out of the siege. They did, however, win.

This England team has it all. the glory, the glory, and even the golf.

for Stuart Broad’s bails and the Old Trafford rain. For Jonny Bairstow’s runs and broken leg. for Ollie Robinson’s podcast and Moeen Ali’s finger. For Dan Lawrence, Multan opened the batting with 823-7. for Mark Wood’s rockets and Joe Root’s records. For Bazball.

Briton Oscar Onley won the fifth stage of the Tour de Suisse in an uphill sprint finish.

The 22-year-old Picnic PostNL rider edged out UAE Team Emirates XRG’s Joao Almeida on the 183.5 km (114-mile) mountainous stage from La Punt to Sant Maria.

Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale’s Felix Gall was third, 23 seconds behind Onley.

Arkea–B&B Hotels rider Kevin Vauquelin finished fourth to take the overall lead from Romain Gregoire, who was more than six minutes behind Onley.

Vauquelin leads fellow Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe by 29 seconds, with Almeida third and Onley fourth, one minute 21 seconds off the lead.

“I don’t win often and I’ve had a quite a few podiums so far this year, or quite close results, so to pull it off today is really nice for myself and my team-mates, because they do a really good job every day. Today was no different.

“It’s nice to be able to pay them back now and again.”

It is the biggest win of the Scottish Borders cyclist’s career so far.

The stage was held in memory of Gino Mader, who died at the age of 26 after a crash in the 2023 race.

A statue was unveiled near the Albula Pass, the location of the crash.

Tour de Suisse stage five results

1. Oscar Onley (GB/Picnic PostNL) 4hrs 33mins 28secs

2. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates XRG) same time

3. Felix Gall (Aut/Decathlon–AG2R) +23secs

4. Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/Arkea–B&B Hotels) +57secs

5. Matthew Riccitello (USA/Israel–Premier Tech) +1min 5secs

General classification

1. Kevin Vauquelin (Fra/Arkea–B&B Hotels) 20hrs 12mins 10secs

2. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Tudor Pro Cycling) +29secs

3. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates XRG) +39secs

4. Oscar Onley (GB/Picnic PostNL) +1min 21secs

Although he may not be well known to most sports fans, he has a huge following among the world’s biggest teams.

He plays in sports like baseball, basketball, Formula 1, football, tennis, and hockey, and was recently named one of Sports Illustrated’s most influential figures in the sport.

Mark Walter’s portfolio is expected to grow even more.

In what is thought to be a record $10 billion (£7.45 billion), Walter will become the majority owner of the renowned NBA team Los Angeles Lakers.

He is the CEO of Guggenheim Partners, a privately held global investment company that claims to have assets worth more than $ 30 billion.

Walter, a native of Chicago, received his accounting degree from Creighton University, earned a law degree from Northwestern University, and then established a business that later became a part of Guggenheim Partners.

Additionally, Walter is the owner and CEO of TWG Global, a holding company established to purchase and own the shares of other companies.

TWG has interests in agriculture, sports, media, entertainment, eco-tourism, and renewable energy, according to the Milken Institute think tank.

In 2012, Walter assumed control of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. They won the World Series in 2020 and 2024.

In 2014, he and former Lakers star Earvin “Magic” Johnson purchased the WNBA team Los Angeles Sparks.

The Cadillac F1 team, which will enter in Formula E in 2026, and Andretti Global, which will compete in Indycar and Formula E, are two other sporting teams TWG has listed in its portfolio.

Through his ownership of BlueCo, the parent company of both football clubs, Walter also owns shares in Chelsea and Strasbourg.

He was a member of the consortium that purchased Chelsea for £2.5 billion in 2022, led by Todd Boehly.

Boehly owns a stake in the Lakers, the Dodgers, and the LA Sparks.

Walter has a lot of influence, but he seems to have lost touch with people because he rarely gives interviews.

He reportedly told the Chicago Tribune in 2012 that he was “quite quiet and private.” I haven’t therefore sought publicity.

There really aren’t any moments that change you, in my opinion, if you just keep your head down and work and have the fortune to be successful.

“Yes, your business expands and you now have more things to do, but you still have the same people you once had.”

When he addressed reporters from the Los Angeles Times about the LA Dodgers’ sale, Walter said, “I’m a baseball fan, but I’m not qualified to make decisions about baseball, and I don’t want to pretend to be.”

I’m here to help and support my people as much as I can. I’m here to make everyone yawn loudly.

He also shared his thoughts on the impact of sport and why he is investing in it in a press release announcing his joint venture with the International Tennis Federation for the BJK Cup in 2023.

“I think sports are one of the most crucial channels for social change,” he said. “It can make a real difference in creating a more equitable society.

According to Nizaar Kinsella, a BBC football reporter, Todd Boehly and Mark Walter have “probably got the strongest connections” at Chelsea.

In terms of individual net worth, he is the richest member of the group.

“I believe there was a conscious effort by the current owners to make Todd Boehly the kind of frontman of the Chelsea bid when it came out, so that’s why he is well known,” Mark said.

He would be very much on the Todd Boehly side if there was a division between Chelsea and the ownership.

Why would someone with such high wealth as Walter want to make such a large sports investment?

Sport finance expert Kieran Maguire said, “The price is intriguing. It demonstrates that there is only one way to increase the value of sports franchises and sports businesses.

It also shows the sports industry’s “scarcity factor.” Because a rival won’t increase their participant count, you can’t create one.

You have a wealthy owner who wants to purchase the trophy asset, but you can’t get more than the Lakers, the owner says.

It’s similar to purchasing a piece of art, according to the author. Prices have increased because of that rarity and inability to duplicate them.

It’s a statement-making purchase, they say. You are actually set aside. It’s a way to say to your fellow billionaires, “I’m at the top of the tree,” in Mark Walter’s circles.

Would not be the best response, especially if you asked Johnson, your “business partner.”

Johnson, a well-known face associated with Walter, has reassured fans that the Lakers’ ownership may change from that of the Buss family, who has been their team’s owner since 1979.

After Jerry Buss’ passing in 2013, Jeanie Buss has been the Lakers’ governor.

“My sister Jeanie would have only thought about selling the Lakers organization to someone she knows and trusts would continue the Buss legacy, which was started by her father, Dr. Buss,” Johnson said.

She now has a genuine friendship with Mark Walter, whom she can rely on to deliver the message.

She has seen him form a successful team with the Dodgers and is confident that Mark will stand up for the Lakers organization, team, and fans!

Rhian Wilkinson had to travel Yr Wyddfa on Thursday morning for the length of a game.

At the top 90 minutes of the day, she took some time for herself after texting the Football Association of Wales (FAW) staff to inform them that she would not be joining them on the train to Wales’ highest peak.

She had only been named Wales’ head coach a year ago when she scaled the 3,500-foot mountain six times, but her devotion to the spectacular summit extends far beyond that.

Her parents, Welsh mother Shan and English father Keith, spent their honeymoon in the Eryri national park. When the family and Wilkinson were both schoolgirls when they first moved back from Canada, they would frequently spend the winter vacation there.

It seemed appropriate to arrange for the family to hold a memorial ceremony for her father six months before she took the Welsh job.

As she named her Wales squad for the summer, which will make their first appearance at a major finals, Wilkinson said, “It feels quite full circle.”

When they decided there was no better place to show how their side, which had not even been officially recognized until 1993, now deserves to be high on a platform of its own, the FAW had no idea of Wilkinson’s bond with the breathtaking landscape, whether by accident or by accident.

The former Canada international, 43, had also used the mountain, or Snowdon, to change a mindset.

Rhiannon Roberts, a defender, was quoted as saying, “This place is what we based our journey on,” after seeing images of it throughout the qualifiers.

“We would have our badge and all the other items going up the mountain at the beginning of the campaign, and then our goal, our summit, would be at the top.

We would “mountain” each game, ticking them off one by one. And we are. “

Posters were dotted around the team’s breakfast and meeting rooms in addition to the PowerPoint that introduced international weeks.

Goalkeeper Olivia Clark remarked, “We got on board with every camp as we moved up and onto the next game.”

“And then we finished first in qualifying, but now we’re going because we have a new mountain at the tournament.”

Given that Sophie Ingle’s inclusion in the 23-player Switzerland squad, where Wales face the Netherlands, France, and England, was a bigger challenge, perhaps because it was such a timely boost after nine months out.

Ingle, 33, has won 141 caps and has spent more time on this route than most, and Wilkinson acknowledged that some players and staff had openly doubted whether or not they would ever succeed given the number of near-misses that were required to qualify.

She called a mental performance coach to try to put past baggage behind them after she had a mental block, and she went back to the mountain.

According to Wilkinson, “It was used as a theme because it was always going to be an uphill battle with setbacks.” All these parallels, the steeper parts, the flattening off, and more.

“And as we approach the Euros, we’ve started discussing the Everest portion of it, which is that nothing is impossible until it is,” we’ve said. And we are present.

Wales is new, but Wilkinson is not. During her 181-cap international with Canada, she was inducted into their hall of fame and recognized as one of their greatest players, earning two bronze medals from three Olympics and appearing at four World Cups.

“They were huge moments for me, helping this team create a moment for themselves is very special,” she said. “It was a dream to be an Olympian.

More time should be had.

Wilkinson said, “We will surprise people, and she added that she anticipates some of the squad’s less well-known players, besides the likes of Ingle and the recognizable Jess Fishlock, to catch the eye once the platform is theirs.

If the Euros’ lowest-ranked team actually produces the surprise she anticipates, they might be.

The audience was informed that the games would be conducted step-by-step in the two and a half weeks before the opener against the Dutch in Lucerne and that the audience would have the opportunity to watch them play three of the European game’s heavyweights: holders, former winners, and former semi-finalists.

The focus was not on England, but the obvious questions came. No one ever considered whether the legend of a dead giant being buried at the summit from the Wyddfa was another metaphor Wilkinson was about to use.

Instead, the squad, which includes three still-unnamed training players, and a hectic schedule leading up to the first game on July 5, will attend a Portugal training camp.

As she made her way up the mountain, Wilkinson was thinking about everything that was to come, as well as a long-term perspective.

Wilkinson joined the media and officials on the train for the return down the mountain after the interviews and photos at the summit, where the haze of the sunshine kept the view from Pembrokeshire 96 miles to the south. This is a reminder that the impact of this side has lasted just as far.

A local team welcomed Wilkinson in front of a giant Wales shirt dubbed Ein Crys Cymru/Our Wales shirt, which was set to take him on a tour of the nation to engage with the next generation, making for a historic trip even for a railtrack that has been in operation for 129 years.

If not already passed before the summer, the number of participants is believed to be close to the 20, 000-girl target of 2026.

Yr Wyddfa turned to Wilkinson, the mountain that has inspired her team and the 23 members heading to Switzerland, as some of those numbers grinned for one last picture.