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Matthew Henry
BBC Sport journalist at Lord’s
England spinner Shoaib Bashir has been ruled out of the remainder of the Test series against India with a broken finger on his left hand.
Bashir, 21, was injured attempting a catch off his own bowling on day three of England’s win in the third Test at Lord’s.
After sitting out much of the remainder of the Test, Bashir returned to bowl on the fifth day despite the issue and took the final wicket as England secured a dramatic 22-run victory.
“It’s not good news for Bash,” said England captain Ben Stokes. “It’s very disappointing for us as a team and for him.”
England say he will undergo surgery later this week.
Bashir also walked out to bat on day four as England sought to set a defendable total, making a nine-ball two as his side’s last batter.
“He’s 21 years old, he’s got a very badly broken finger,” Stokes told BBC Test Match Special.
“To even walk out there and bat. He didn’t even ask, he got his pads on, and got his finger strapped up.
“Every time I looked down at the bench, I could see his face peering saying, ‘Get me on’.
“To finish that game off was written in the stars.”
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Despite being repeatedly backed by his captain and coach Brendon McCullum, Bashir has come into question given his 10 wickets have cost 541 runs at an average of 54.10.
Bashir has played in all of England’s Tests since the fourth match of their tour of India in February 2024.
That has come despite him not being the first-choice spinner at his county, Somerset, and having to go out on loan.
Left-arm spinner Jack Leach, who has played 39 Tests, is preferred by Somerset and is still centrally contracted to England.
He played alongside Bashir in Pakistan last autumn and went on the tour of New Zealand before Christmas.
Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed was also on that tour. He and his 17-year-old brother Farhan, who is an off-spinner, played for England Lions against India A earlier this summer.
Left-armer Liam Dawson, the leading spinner in the County Championship in recent years, was recalled to England’s T20 side earlier this year.
Billie Eilish has revealed that she had an upbringing far from the glamour of showbusiness, with the popstar recalling how she grew up ‘poor with one pair of shoes and a shirt’.
Billie Eilish has revealed that she had an upbringing far from the glamour of showbusiness(Image: Getty Images)
Over the past seven years, Billie Eilish has emerged as one of the most influential artists of her generation, shaking up pop with her diverse sound and unique style. “Billie has undeniably altered the course of 21st-century music,” Thomas Smith, editor of Billboard UK tells Mirror of the star, who is currently touring. “She turned the whole industry on its head, bringing something so fresh and new with her.”
As many cultural experts have noted, her music – including three No1 albums to date – defies all classification. “Billie is not any one genre, but she has this beautiful voice that can sound so current, but also like it’s from decades ago, or even the future,” says Nina Nannar, arts editor of ITV News. “She’s not like Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter, or anybody else. She’s just distinctly herself, and she just seemed to become one of the biggest artists on the planet effortlessly.”
Now worth millions, Billie says she once had ‘one shirt and one pair of shoes’ to her name(Image: FilmMagic)
Though still only 23, Billie has made history with a series of record-breaking milestones. For starters, she was the youngest female artist in UK chart history to bag a No1 album with her debut, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? in 2019, when she was just 17. The following year, she became the youngest artist to win all four major Grammy categories in a single night, and then her 2020 song No TimeTo Die made her the youngest artist to write and perform a theme for the James Bond franchise. “It feels crazy to be a part of this in every way,” she said at the time.
As if that weren’t enough, the song later won her an Oscar, as did What Was I Made For? her track from the 2023 Barbie movie.
Addressing topics such as depression, anxiety, body image and climate change, Billie is not afraid to speak out in interviews or in her songs. But, as Nina suggests, “She doesn’t set out to be brutally honest, she just says what’s in her head. She arrived at the perfect moment, when a new generation who felt let down by world leaders were looking for alternatives, and truth. And fans were like, ‘Oh, she’s authentic. We believe her.’”
Gennaro Castaldo from the BPI, the UK music organisation that stages the Brits, agrees. “She knows her own mind and conveys a strong sense of independence, which gives her a bit of an anti-establishment, maverick vibe,” he says. “She also has a certain vulnerability, and these are qualities that have always resonated with young music fans.”
Billie grew up in Los Angeles to parents who were also actors and musicians(Image: Getty Images for Apple)
Billie was born in Los Angeles to actor-musician parents, who have always played a big role in her career. But she didn’t enjoy the affluent showbiz upbringing many might assume.
“People have a really weird interpretation of how I grew up, and I think it’s because I’m a girl, I’m from LA and an artist,” she has said. “Automatically, people think you’re from Beverly Hills or some sh*t. Not at all. I grew up with no money at all, I grew up poor. I had one pair of shoes and a shirt.”
She was homeschooled with her older brother Finneas, now 27, and decided she wanted to be a performer after a childhood trip to see Matilda on Broadway.
As teenagers, she and Finneas began working on songs together in his small bedroom, where her entire first album was recorded. “They showed you don’t need all the big, glossy production and technical stuff these days,” says Nina. “But if you do make music in your bedroom, you’ve got to be damn good – and what Billie and Finneas achieved by themselves is absolutely unbelievable.”
The singer was homeschooled with her older brother Finneas, now 27, who is also in music(Image: Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images)
Their breakthrough came when Billie’s first song Ocean Eyes went viral overnight in 2015, and she and Finneas cemented her position as pop’s rising star with follow-up singles including BuryA Friend , You Should See MeInACrown and WhenThe Party’s Over , which appeared on her first album.
Worlds apart from much of the formulaic music dominating the charts, Billie’s unusual vocal approach was obvious from the beginning. “She can make these super-weird, dark songs, and yet also more commercial Oscar-winning songs,” says Thomas, who has interviewed Billie more times than any other British journalist. “She just has that huge range.”
Her biggest hit to date came with the anthemic Bad Guy , which was the highest-selling single globally in 2019. “The response to Bad Guy ? That changed my life,” she said.
During the pandemic, Billie and Finneas made her second album, Happier Than Ever , which was released in July 2021 and hit No1 in 28 countries, with songs including Your Power , My Future and Oxytocin . Hot on its heels, she scored another first in June 2022 as she became the youngest person to headline Glastonbury, wowing 100,000 at the Pyramid Stage.
“Her set was absolutely unbelievable,” recalls Nina. “She seemed so relaxed, and to be so comfortable headlining the biggest music festival on Earth aged just 20 really does take a special kind of person.”
As usual, Billie’s outfit for her moment of Glasto glory was a talking point, with her signature oversized streetwear and trainers matching the rebellious mood. But while she has been dubbed a “misfit” and an “outsider” in the past, her unconventional aesthetic is all part of her appeal. “I’m lucky enough to be in a generation that’s able to break every rule,” she has said. “When I think about artists who grew up in a time where you could only have one genre and one look, and couldn’t change that ever… That must have been torturous.”
As teenagers, she and Finneas began working on songs together in his small bedroom, with the track Ocean Eyes catapulting her to fame(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Always pushing limits, her third album Hit Me HardAnd Soft also broke new ground, smashing sales records with the biggest opening week of 2024 in the UK. Its second single Birds Of A Feather was the world’s most streamed song on Spotify last year too, even beating Sabrina Carpenter’s megahit Espresso .
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Showing a new maturity, the album offered bold statements about her sexuality, which has always been the subject of speculation. “She’s found the confidence to talk about it, but has also made it clear she won’t be pigeonholed,” adds Thomas. “She just wants to be who she is, and to like whoever she likes – whether that’s men, women or both.”
READ MORE: Billie Eilish: The Ultimate ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ Tour Special – On Sale Now
Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari will be buried in his hometown of Daura in the northern state of Katsina, once his body is repatriated from the United Kingdom, the state governor has said.
The remains of the ex-leader, who died aged 82 in London on Sunday following a prolonged illness, will reach Nigeria on Tuesday, with his burial taking place later the same day, according to Dikko Umaru Radda.
Preparations for the burial were under way in Daura on Monday, while the country’s Vice President Kashim Shettima was in London organising the repatriation of Buhari’s body.
Buhari, who first ruled the country as a military leader between 1984 and 1985, served consecutive presidential terms between 2015 and 2023. He was the first opposition politician to be voted into power since the country’s return to civilian rule.
The self-described “converted democrat” is being remembered by many as a central figure in his country’s democratic evolution. However, some critics have also noted his failure to improve Nigeria’s economy or its security during his presidency.
Paying tribute to his predecessor on Sunday, President Bola Tinubu called him “a patriot, a soldier, a statesman”.
“He stood firm through the most turbulent times, leading with quiet strength, profound integrity, and an unshakable belief in Nigeria’s potential,” Tinubu wrote in a post on X.
“He championed discipline in public service, confronted corruption head-on and placed the country above personal interest at every turn.”
Tinubu added that all national flags would fly at half-mast for seven days from Sunday, and said Buhari would be accorded full-state honours.
The Nigerian flag flies at half-mast following the death of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria, on July 14, 2025 [Sodiq Adelakun/Reuters]
Radda also paid his respects to the former president, describing him as “the embodiment of the common man’s aspirations”.
Ibrahim Babangida, a former military ruler who ousted Buhari in a coup in 1985, also released a statement after his death was announced.
“We may not have agreed on everything — as brothers often don’t — but I never once doubted his sincerity or his patriotism,” Babangida said.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Alexis Akwagyiram, managing editor at Semafor and a longtime observer of Nigerian politics, noted that Buhari was popular for his “personal brand of integrity and honesty”.
A Girls Aloud icon revealed her new career plans after going on a reunion tour in memory of the late Sarah Harding
Girls Aloud icon reveals huge career move after emotional reunion tour(Image: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
Girls Aloud icon Kimberley Walsh shared her desire to create another music competition that would create a “really amazing girl band”. The 43-year-old star recently reunited with bandmates Cheryl Tweedy, Nicola Roberts and Nadine Coyle for a mammoth tour in honour of the late Sarah Harding, performing across the nation.
Kimberley was over the moon with the fans’ reaction to the stars reuniting for the tour and admitted she thinks the UK needs another iconic girl group as there is “space for more”. The singer said she’s had a few chats with a commissioner about a possible competition programme.
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Kimberley says there’s room for more girl groups(Image: Getty Images for The National Lo)
“There is actually a guy that I knew from years and years ago that worked on our Pop Stars: The Rivals programme and we were saying that maybe it’s time to create another show that would create a really amazing girl band,” she said.
“I feel like the reaction to us coming back was quite something and none of us really expected it to be quite so huge, which clearly shows people still love girl bands and there’s a space for more,” Kimberley added to The Sun.
The star also said she only wants to be a mentor if a programme were to be created.
She went on to say that no new groups ‘coming out’ and claimed they haven’t been seen in the mainstream media anymore.
It comes after Girls Aloud went on tour in honour of Sarah Harding
Kimberley took to Twitter the night before Girls Aloud’s final concert on March 20 last year, to confirm that she was about to perform at their “penultimate show”.
Throughout the emotional concert, Sarah’s memory was kept very much alive, with her iconic “Take a walk on the wild side of life,” from Something New being played across the arenas.
As the band wrapped up their performance, a huge screen appeared on stage during The Promise, allowing Sarah to shine once again as she belted out: “So here I am, a walking primrose, wondering when I’m gonna see you again,” as fans and the band cheered for the late star.
Moments before the four girls walked off stage, a photograph of Sarah appeared behind them alongside the text: “In loving memory of Sarah Nicole Harding. 17.11.81 05.09.2021.”
The late singer tragically died aged 39 – after confirming her initial diagnosis of breast cancer had advanced to various parts of her body.
Despite her diagnosis, Sarah continued to put on a fight and updated fans on her condition. Although she was initially responding well to treatment, she sadly died on September 5, 2021, surrounded by her family.
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Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, and Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo, arrived at the residence of the Nigerian High Commissioner in London on Monday ahead of the arrival of the body of former President Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria.
The former leaders who are in London to commiserate with Buhari’s family were received by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Buhari, who led Africa’s most populous nation both as a military ruler and a civilian president, passed on in a London clinic on Sunday.
President Bola Tinubu had on Sunday directed Shettima and his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to head to the United Kingdom to accompany the late former president’s body back to Nigeria.
Buhari’s body is expected to arrive in Nigeria on Tuesday and subsequently be buried in his hometown, Daura, in Katsina State, on the same day.
The Federal Government has postponed the special Federal Executive Council (FEC) session earlier scheduled for Tuesday in honour of former President Muhammadu Buhari, due to the state funeral slated for the same day in his hometown, Daura, Katsina State.
A new date for the session will be announced by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation after the funeral proceedings.
To honour the late Nigerian leader, the Federal Government has also declared Tuesday, 15 July, a public holiday.
President Bola Tinubu, who ordered the FEC session as a tribute to Buhari’s “invaluable contributions to the country”, also declared a seven-day national mourning period, with flags flown at half-mast.
Former President Buhari died on Sunday, 13 July, at about 4:30 p.m. in a London hospital following a prolonged illness. He died at 82.
In line with Islamic rites, his remains are expected to arrive in Katsina by noon on Tuesday and will be laid to rest at 2:00 p.m. in Daura.
READ ALSO: Buhari For Burial Tuesday As Mourners Throng Daura Residence
This was confirmed by Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State, who briefed the press after consultations with the late president’s family and associates in the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Vice President Kashim Shettima paid a condolence visit to Buhari’s family in London on Monday. Acting on behalf of President Tinubu, the Vice President met with Buhari’s widow, Mrs Aishat Buhari. Also, he visited the late president’s nephew, Mamman Daura, who is currently recuperating in a London hospital.
According to Stanley Nkwocha, Spokesman and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), the condolence visit was conducted while formal documentation for the repatriation of the remains was being finalised.
Shettima was accompanied by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar; and Deputy Chief of Staff, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia.
As arrangements continue in London, solemn scenes have already begun to unfold in Nigeria. Mourners have gathered at Buhari’s Daura residence, with relatives, neighbours, and associates offering tributes and prayers.
Though security presence has increased in and around Daura, including the Emirate Council, commercial activities have continued in surrounding areas.
Channels Television’s UK Correspondent, Juliana Olayinka, reports that necessary procedures are underway at the London hospital to release the body of the former president.
Tributes have poured in from across the country, with many describing Buhari as a man of integrity and a symbol of selfless leadership.
