Ringrose would have been 'unbelievable'
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ben Stokes' absence offers a worrying glimpse into Ashes grilling... England will be hard pressed to beat Australia without talisman meets Superman, writes LAWRENCE BOOTH
No sooner had Ben Stokes been declared unfit for the series finale against India than thoughts turned, in something close to blind panic, to the Ashes. Because if the last few weeks have confirmed anything, it's that England will be hard pressed to beat Australia without him. Bazball would be declared dead even before it had faced its ultimate challenge, and the Australian media – still high-fiving each other after England's churlishness on the final evening in Manchester – would go into overdrive. It hardly bears thinking about. Yet the restructuring of the team for the fifth Test at The Oval provided an unsettling glimpse of the future: with England understandably keen to field four seamers on a green-looking surface, the absence of Stokes has created an imbalance solved only by the dropping of Liam Dawson, the team's lone frontline spinner. Dawson might have been omitted in any case after sending down 62 overs for a single wicket on his return to Test cricket at Old Trafford, an experience that included a very public one-to-one tutorial from Stokes as England walked off at tea on the last day. But what if Stokes breaks down again during the Ashes, leaving an unbearable onus on Shoaib Bashir, the 21-year-old off-spinner who would then form a crucial part of a four-man attack? Again, the scenario is unthinkable. But it's not as if it was unforeseeable. Stokes has bowled 140 overs in this series, 23 more than his previous-heaviest workload, in his debut series in Australia in 2013-14. Throw in 11 overs against Zimbabwe in May, and he has not endured a heavier home summer since 2017, when he played in seven Tests rather than five. All the while, his body has creaked and groaned, becoming a story in its own right, much as Denis Compton's knee did in the 1950s. The kneecap was eventually removed and sent for safekeeping to Lord's, where it lives in a biscuit tin – a curious memory of a more innocent time. Stokes has put himself through the wringer so vigorously, so often, that his list of ailments is a little longer: two operations on his left index finger, surgery on his left knee, hamstring trouble and now a grade-three tear of a right shoulder muscle. That's before any mention of the break he took to look after his mental health in 2021. He has put body and soul on the line for his country, and his body has rebelled once more. Clearly, he knows no other way. Even so, should he have taken things easier? During India's first innings at Lord's, England's bowling coach Tim Southee was sent down to the boundary by the pavilion to suggest Stokes remove himself from the attack after one long spell. In the second, with the game on the line, he followed a burst of nine overs with one of 10: talisman meets Superman. Then, in Manchester, he bowled eight overs in a row on the final morning, and clutched his right arm in pain after every delivery. Inspirational and selfless, certainly. But was he pushing his luck? Later, he outlined his philosophy: 'Pain is just an emotion.' It turns out pain is rather more than that. Stokes being Stokes, he has no regrets. 'When I'm out on the field, I play to win and give everything I possibly can,' he said, attending the pre-match press conference as if he, not stand-in Ollie Pope, were still in charge. 'If I feel there's a moment in a game where I need to put everything I'm feeling aside, I'll do that because it's how much this team means to me, how much playing for England means to me, how much winning means to me. Being a professional sportsman, injuries are part of this game and I can't do anything about that.' Stokes's absence has created room, at long last, for Jacob Bethell, who now has the chance to prove why England were wrong to ignore him for the first four Tests. But it also picked at the scab that periodically troubles this team. When Stokes is missing, 11 players seem inadequate to cover all bases. And if his rehab extends beyond the 10-week upper limit outlined by England, and drifts towards the first Ashes Test at Perth on November 21, that scab could become a full-blown wound – one from which his team may struggle to recover.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
New-look Dragons must get better
Thomas Young has embraced the pressure of helping the new-look Dragons turn around their 33-year-old flanker has moved from Cardiff as part of a substantial recruitment drive by the Rodney Parade team after a nightmare 2024-25 Tiatia's men finished bottom of the United Rugby Championship (URC) after losing 17 straight games following their opening weekend win against the Ospreys."With the signings that have been made and the boys that were already the core here, as a region we have to get better," said Young."That point has been put across to us quite hard over pre-season and it's up to us as players to make sure we go out and do that." Changing the record The Dragons finished 20 points behind 15th-placed Zebre while they also failed to qualify in the Challenge Cup after a solitary success at Newcastle."You play rugby to win and that's definitely our intention, we know that we have got to improve," said Young."That's what pre-season is about, to make sure we improve so that we go out there for the first game and build on what the boys did last year. We've got to get better."Dragons last avoided being Wales' bottom team in 2020, when the Ospreys had that have been plenty of false dawns at Rodney Parade but Young & co are determined to change the record."It's got to turn at some point," he said. "The squad is completely different with a lot of new signings, who have been brought in for a reason."We will soon find out, but it's up to us in the off season to make sure we are on the same page and pushing each other forward, because we should be doing a lot better." Hunting a starting spot Young came through the ranks at Cardiff and then, after spells in England with Gloucester and Wasps, returned to the Arms Park in 2022 to play for his father flanker made 14 appearances last season under Matt Sherratt but eight of those outings were off the hopes to lose his tag as an impact sub and earn the number seven jersey when the URC gets under way against Ulster in Belfast on 26 September."I didn't play as much as I wanted to last year but I still enjoyed it," said Young. "I was involved a fair bit, I only missed the first few games through injury but after that was fit and available."Everyone wants to start but I got seen as something different last year. That was a role I enjoyed but I've come here and want to be starting."Young wants to be in the starting side after effectively swapping clubs with fellow dynamic back-rower Taine he will also be a mentor for young forwards and will soon be joined at training by open-side Harry Beddall, a summer signing from Leicester who is fresh from captaining Wales at the World Rugby U20 Championship."I've seen what he has done with the 20s and it's exciting to work with someone like that," said Young."He is well thought of and hopefully I can also learn stuff off him - as much as I can help him, he can help me. "His legs might be fresher but I'd like to think I'll push him as much as he pushes me."
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Indiana's Sophie Cunningham inks podcast deal as off-court profile soars
Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham continues to cash in on her fame gained as the on-court defender of team-mate Caitlin Clark. Front Office Sports reported Wednesday that Colin Cowherd's digital media property, The Volume, has signed a podcast deal with Cunningham. She is the co-host of 'Show Me Something with West Wilson of Bravo's Summer House, whom she went to high school with in Missouri. The podcast, which makes its debut Wednesday, will stream weekly and include guests from the lifestyle, entertainment and sports sectors. 'It's an exciting time for the WNBA, and we're thrilled to grow The Volume's portfolio with a show that celebrates women's sports, pop culture, and friendship,' Dane Aagaard, chief revenue officer for The Volume, said in a statement to Front Office Sports. Cunningham, 28, has been a hot commodity since she fought with a pair of Connecticut Sun players in a game on 17 June in defense of Clark. Since then, she has signed a deal with home-security company Ring, with her promotional video focusing on how she protects her 'home court' with Ring. She also has endorsement deals with Arby's and Adidas and her social media following has grown rapidly. She has more than 1m followers on both TikTok and Instagram. Cunningham is in her first season with the Fever after six with the Phoenix Mercury. She has appeared in 21 games (four starts) and is averaging 7.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
