If Harry Brook is truly a generational talent, that promise needs to be delivered now | Barney Ronay

“They were shocking shots. I’ll admit that every day of the week. Especially the one in Perth. It was nearly a bouncer and I’ve tried to drive it. It was just bad batting

Ben Stokes calls on England to show some ‘dog’ in Adelaide and keep Ashes hopes alive

Ben Stokes has called on his England players to summon up the rage witnessed against India in the summer and show some “dog” as they seek to keep their slim Ashes hopes alive in Adelaide.After going 2-0 down in Brisbane, Stokes spoke of Australia being “no country for weak men” and stressed the same went for the England ­dressing room under his captaincy.Looking ahead to the third Test that gets under way on Wednesday, that comment was seemingly no slip of the tongue.Instead, having allowed it initially to sit with his players ­during their mid-series break in Noosa, Stokes has since doubled down internally. This included a reminder of the timewasting row with India at Lord’s in July that triggered a spate of running verbals and, in the end, a 22-run win

It’s Lionesses v Red Roses v Rory’s Europe as BBC names Spoty team of year shortlist

England’s Lionesses are up against their rugby union counterparts, the Red Roses, and Europe’s winning Ryder Cup side on the shortlist for team of the year at the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award.For the first time the BBC have swerved having to make the call themselves by making the team award a public vote, with the winners to be announced live at the ceremony on 18 December.It will be a battle that pits history-makers against game-changers and a team that conquered America and a relentlessly hostile crowd.Sarina Wiegman’s England will have their supporters having become only the second country to retain the Euros after a penalty shootout victory over the world champions, Spain. The victory also meant the Lionesses became the first senior England team to win a trophy abroad

Philip Rivers: how a 44-year-old grandpa nearly pulled off one of the NFL’s greatest comebacks

The Colts quarterback was coaching high school football before his surprise return. And he showed brains are almost important as brawn at his positionIs quarterback the most demanding position in sports? It’s close enough to make no difference: players must memorize a complicated playbook, orchestrate an entire offense, scan for open receivers while 280lb opponents sprint toward them with violent intent, and then thread a pass to a target who could be 30 yards downfield amid a crowd of defenders. Now try doing all that as a 44-year-old grandfather, exactly 1,800 days since you last started an NFL game.Philip Rivers broke a historic streak for the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. The longest layoff between games before then belonged to another 44-year-old quarterback who returned to action after years out of the game, and some time in coaching – Steve DeBerg for the Atlanta Falcons in 1998

Prem Rugby to seek investors if RFU backs relegation-free franchise league

Prem Rugby is planning to launch a tender process to secure external investment in the competition after it has received formal approval from the Rugby Football Union to become a closed franchise league. That is expected to happen next year.The English top division engaged the investment bank Raine Group and the accountancy firm Deloitte to conduct a review of the sport’s finances and potential funding options this year and is preparing to go to market in the second quarter of 2026.The Prem sold 27% of its commercial rights to the private equity firm CVC Capital Partners for around £200m six years ago and will seek a further cash injection after a ­turbulent few years that resulted in three clubs – Wasps, London Irish and Worcester – filing for bankruptcy.The New York-based Raine is understood to have attracted ­several inquiries from American investors looking to buy into English sport ­during its review

Cricket commentator Michael Vaughan says hearing gunshots at Bondi was ‘terrifying’

The former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan has described hearing gunshots during the terrorist attack at a gathering to celebrate the first night of Hanukah at Sydney’s Bondi beach as “terrifying”.Vaughan, who is in Australia working as a media pundit for the Ashes series, said he was locked in a restaurant “a few hundred yards from the attack” with his wife, two daughters, sister-in-law and a friend.A father and son have been identified as the alleged shooters, with authorities confirming the death toll from the massacre targeting the Jewish community has risen to 15, including one child. One of the gunmen was also confirmed dead.Writing in the Telegraph, Vaughan said: “Like most people, I have been at home watching terrorist attacks unfold in London, or Manchester, near where I live