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England all-rounder Alice Capsey has set herself the goal of becoming the “best batter in the world”.

The 20-year-old has been a regular fixture in England’s white-ball sides since making her debut in July 2022, playing 26 one day-internationals and 45 T20s, registering four half-centuries in the shorter format.

However, she is one of a number of players under scrutiny in an under-performing England batting line-up, having posted single-figure scores eight times in 13 T20s over the past year.

“Over the last year to now, I haven’t performed how I would have liked,” said Capsey.

“I want to be the best batter in the world. Any player who’s playing international cricket will want to strive to be the best.”

Capsey was dropped from the T20 squad to tour South Africa in November after England suffered a group-stage exit from October’s T20 World Cup.

She was recalled because of an injury to Paige Scholfield but did not play in the three T20s, though did feature in the third T20 in the Women’s Ashes against Australia, before also touring Australia with the England A side in March and April.

“Getting dropped from that T20 squad in South Africa was the best thing for me,” she said.

“A lot of work went on during the winter.

England trail India 3-1 heading into the fifth final T20 at Edgbaston on Saturday, handing a first series defeat to head coach Charlotte Edwards, who replaced Jon Lewis in the role in April.

The hosts were bowled out for 113 and posted 127-4 in defeats at Trent Bridge and Old Trafford. They also collapsed from 137-0 to 171-9 at The Oval, although they went on to win that match by five runs.

In addition to their batting, England’s fielding has been criticised throughout the series, with Edwards labelling it “really disappointing”.

“Our fielding has been a big talking point,” said Capsey.

“We haven’t been good enough over the last 12 months and again this series. Everyone holds their hands up to that.

“No-one means to not do well. No-one means to lose a game. We all want to win games of cricket for England. For us, it’s about learning from every single game.

“Edgbaston is another game for us to come back and end this T20 series showing what a good team we can be and how much we have learned over the last six to 12 months.

Ireland international Curtis Campher said his Munster Reds team-mates were “in shock” as he became the first male cricketer to take five wickets from five balls in a professional game.

The 26-year-old all-rounder, who finished with figures of 5-16, produced the spectacular spell in his side’s 100-run Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy win over the North West Warriors in Dublin on Thursday.

“I think a bit of disbelief, to be honest,” he said of the reaction.

“It’s one of those things that you don’t really think is going to happen – or can happen – and it just did.

Campher previously took four wickets from four balls for Ireland against the Netherlands in the 2021 T20 World Cup.

He was captaining the Reds on Thursday and produced the first two wickets of his haul in the 12th over before resuming bowling duties in the 14th to finish off his piece of cricketing history.

He believes both the break and his duties as skipper distracted from the feat.

“I was worried about the next over and who was bowling and the rate and managing the game for a bit, so then I didn’t really realise that I was on a hat-trick,” he said.

“When I got the hat-trick, I was like, ‘Listen, there’s a new batter in here, I’ve got to try and hit four from four again’.

“I managed to nick it off and then when I knew it was a left-hander on strike, so I thought round the wicket and just try and hit the stumps. It got a little bit of nip and down the hill she went.”

The performance made plenty of headlines throughout the game with Campher pleased to raise the profile of domestic cricket in Ireland.

“I think any time you can grow the game in Ireland, it’s really, really cool,” he added.

“I think the guys in the national team have really pushed that too. You have the front-runners like Kevin [O’Brien] and Stirlo [Paul Stirling], guys that have really pushed the game forward and then hopefully we can try to grow the game more on the Irish soil.”

Personally, however, Campher feels his place in the history books will take some time to sink in.

“I think maybe when I retire, I think that might be a moment where I look back and, if I have a few kids, I might say, ‘Look, this is what I used to do and this is what I did’.

“That’s quite a cool moment. I think maybe when I’m finished playing in a couple of years’ time, I might look back and be like, that’s really cool to have under the belt, for sure.

The last 48 hours or so have seemed very un-Tottenham like.

Preparing to commit £115m on Mohammed Kudus and Morgan Gibbs-White isn’t behaviour you’d necessarily associate with Spurs in the Daniel Levy era.

The general feeling around Tottenham and their transfer market spending in recent years has been one of frugality – although those at Spurs would be quick to point out they did spend £55m on Dominic Solanke last season, in a deal that could eventually become a club-record £65m.

Yet you can’t escape the sense that the previous couple of days represents a change in narrative.

If Gibbs-White’s £60m signing from Nottingham Forest goes through – after some late legal issues – it will be the biggest initial fee paid by the club.

Tottenham remain hopeful the deal will be completed despite Forest looking at whether a confidentiality agreement in the player’s contract had been breached. It is also understood the club are claiming Spurs haven’t asked permission to speak to the player.

Heading into the summer transfer window, well-placed sources indicated the club would be limited in the amount they would be able to spend.

But the capture of Kudus for £55m and the potential arrival of Gibbs-White for £60m flies in the face of any such restrictions.

So what has changed?

It is no secret Tottenham chairman Levy has been canvassing for external investment into the club in recent months.

However, BBC Sport understands the current spending on transfers is more likely to be the result of an injection of cash from owners Enic, who are understood to have kept a closer eye on club operations in recent months, rather than any external investment.

There has been talk of overseas investment – particularly from the Middle East.

For fans, of course, the source of the finances is neither here nor there.

All they really care about is the assembling of a team that can eventually challenge for the title and qualify consistently for the Champions League.

In Kudus and Gibbs-White, they would have two players capable of helping fulfil supporters’ wishes.

Both are flair players that live up to Tottenham’s attacking traditions and crucially are players who have Premier League experience.

Indeed, that was the remit for the club’s recruitment team this summer.

The squad is already packed full of exciting young potential, but experience is what new boss Thomas Frank believes it needs.

While Kudus and Gibbs-White are relatively young – 24 and 25, respectively – they are well-versed in the rigours of England’s top-flight.

Kudus has two full seasons for West Ham under his belt, making 80 appearances across all competitions, while Gibbs-White has played in the last three Premier League campaigns for Forest and had prior experience while a teenager at Wolves.

The Gibbs-White deal – if it goes through – would take Tottenham’s summer spending to £170m in initial fees, including the permanent signings of Mathys Tel and Kevin Danso after loan spells last season.

That kind of outlay may feel atypical to some supporters but it actually continues a recent trend of heavy spending by the club.

They were among the Premier League’s top five highest spenders in each of the previous three summers, including a £219m splurge on eight players in 2023 shortly after Ange Postecoglou was appointed head coach. That figure was partially offset by Harry Kane’s £86.5m move to Bayern Munich.

It’s true to say, though, Spurs don’t often spend as much on any individual player as they are hoping to this week. Gibbs-White would be only the fifth £50m-plus signing in their history, just a day or so after Kudus became the fourth.

Gibbs-White’s creativity is not in doubt – just ask Nottingham Forest.

Thriving in the No.10 role for his club under Nuno Espirito Santo, he made his England debut last September and contributed seven top-flight goals and eight assists as Forest improved by 10 places on their finishing position in 2024.

He is the club’s only player to reach double figures for combined goals and assists in three consecutive Premier League seasons.

Last season, the 25-year-old was involved in 148 attacks that led to an attempt on goal in the Premier League, either through him taking the shot, creating the chance or being involved in the build-up. None of his team-mates came close to matching that tally.

New Spurs head coach Frank will have an abundance of options to play as the central attacking midfielder, with Kudus’ preferred position also as a No.10 – despite typically playing out wide for West Ham.

Tottenham, of course, already had James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski in the building for that role, although all four players are versatile.

Across their Premier League careers, it’s Maddison who fares best per 90 minutes in terms of goals, assists, shots on target, chances created, through-balls and passes played into the opposition penalty area.

Swede Kulusevski ranks highest for chances created from open play, and also after he’s carried the ball a distance of at least five metres.

Spurs’ current squad is stacked in attack with Kudus, Maddison, Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Manor Solomon and Brennan Johnson.

But Frank’s reported interest in Christian Norgaard, before he signed for Arsenal from Brentford, suggests they are also looking for defensive reinforcements in midfield.

Australia and New Zealand Invitational XV v British and Irish Lions

Date: Saturday, 12 July Kick-off 11:00 BST Venue: Adelaide Oval

Ben Earl doesn’t look like a man in a hurry when he sits down to address the media in Adelaide. A debutant tourist, he’s engaging and loving every moment.

”I can wholeheartedly tell you that it’s like the best thing I’ve ever done by a mile,” said the British and Irish Lions back-rower.

“I’ve learned more in the last five weeks than I probably have in the last four years.”

The 27-year-old has had a busy few years.

Earl has been a constant presence for England – having played the full 80 minutes in 24 of his 26 England starts since 2023.

There is some irony in that it is here in Australia, on the greatest stage of his career, the Saracens forward has learned the art of stripping it back.

The Lions hectic schedule, hopping between Australian cities to face new opposition every three days, has meant his preparation has been less meticulous than usual.

“This tour has taught me one thing, just turn up and play rugby,” he added. “If I think too much about that, what good am I going to be?

“You actually don’t need to do seven days of going into a monastery and coming out on a Saturday and being able to play. You just have to work out what you’re good at and try and do it.”

Once described by World Rugby Player of the Year Ardie Savea as “pretty swaggy with the ball”, Earl will be going up against All Blacks former team-mates in number six Shannon Frizell and number eight Hoskins Sotutu on Saturday.

Australian Pete Samu, who won the European Champions Cup with Bordeaux-Begles this season, completes the back row of the Australia and New Zealand Invitational XV in the Lions’ final tour game before the series opener against the Wallabies on 19 July.

After the Lions suffered at the breakdown against the Brumbies, coughing up 12 turnovers before prevailing 36-24, a good performance by Earl against a team full of power should surely count for something in the reckoning for a Test spot?

”Well, you probably have to ask the man that was just sitting in there [he points to Andy Farrell]. I just want to play well,” said Earl.

Earl will start alongside Wales’ Jac Morgan at seven and England team-mate Henry Pollock at six for the first time during this tour.

The precocious Pollock – who started the season on the bench for Northampton before several storming performances put him in Lions reckoning – is easily pigeon-holed as the peacock. Meanwhile, Morgan – who manfully led Wales through most of their 18-Test losing streak – is the warrior.

”Henry is far more talented than I am,” added Earl of the 20-year-old. “Henry is double the player I am and will continue to do great things in the game.”

But Earl was reluctant to concede the ‘fearlessness’ of youth is what sets him apart.

”I’m yet to see a man who doesn’t play like he’s full of fear when playing in this shirt,” he added.

“Henry probably shows it in a different way but seeing Jac Morgan before the Argentina game, I would say there’s a man that plays with no fear.

“There’s many ways to skin a cat, there’s many ways to show fearlessness on the pitch.

“Jac Morgan has done some unbelievable things, look at some of the jackal turnovers he took against the Reds – it takes a pretty brave man to make some of those turnovers.”

So what about Earl?

According to Opta the nine defenders he beat against the Waratahs was the joint most by a Lions forward since 2009 and his 21 carries in the same match were the second most by a Lion since 2009.