Harry Randall and buoyant Bristol keen to carry form into new year

Harry Randall and Bristol enter the new year with high hopes. The scrum-half has returned to fitness ahead of schedule after hamstring surgery and marked his 150th Bears appearance in the win against Newcastle last Saturday.Pat Lam’s side approach the Prem encounter with Sale at Ashton Gate on Friday after five straight victories, sitting fourth in the table, their attractive style having clicked. A fresh assault on the playoffs looks likely.Randall played a part in England’s winning tour to the Americas last summer – and a return to club action is a chance to restate his case for international selection before the Six Nations

Damien Martyn, former Australian Test cricketer, in induced coma with meningitis

The former Australian Test cricketer Damien Martyn has been admitted to hospital and placed in an induced coma after being diagnosed with meningitis.The sporting community is rallying around the 54-year-old, who “is in for the fight of his life”, according to the former AFL player Brad Hardie, who revealed Martyn’s condition on 6PR on Tuesday.Martyn remains in a serious condition after falling ill on Boxing Day and being taken to hospital in Queensland where he was diagnosed with meningitis, according to sources close to the family. Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.Former teammate Darren Lehmann urged Martyn to “keep strong” via X, as the cricket world began to react to the news

From Matildas magic to Winter Olympic wonders: Australia’s sporting highlights for 2026

Football captures the imagination, Formula One and tennis hopes rise – our writers pick the Australian sport moments to watch this yearWhether you want sun or snow, football or tennis, home-soil heroes or intrepid contenders – there is something for every Australian on the 2026 sporting calendar. Guardian Australia’s sport team have selected the events they are most looking forward to in 2026, at home and abroad.Lando Norris may be the new Formula One world champion, but he will face a new source of adversity when he arrives in Melbourne in March: parochial Australians.Many in Australia have seen red this year at the seemingly selective application of the papaya rules. There’s also a growing suspicion that McLaren might want to see a wealthy, marketable Briton succeed at the expense of the Melbourne-born upstart Oscar Piastri

The Spin | The men’s Test cricket team of the year: from Travis Head to Jasprit Bumrah

Our selection panel’s votes have been counted to reveal the best men’s Test side from the last 12 monthsSharpen your pencils and swallow your marmalade on toast before you read on, everyone, it’s time for the Guardian’s annual men’s Test XI of the year (here’s the women’s team from last week). This year’s 13-person selection panel included Ali Martin, Vic Marks, Tim de Lisle, Adam Collins, Rob Smyth, Jonathan Liew, Tanya Aldred, Taha Hashim, Daniel Gallan, Emma John, Simon Burnton and James Wallace. Everyone taking part picked and submitted their own XI in the days after Australia’s victory in the third Ashes Test at Adelaide (statistics are from 1 January 2025 up to and including this match). When the votes were added up, Earth’s combined side to play Mars looked like this:Travis Head: 759 runs at an average of 42. Votes (out of 13): 10The E and the D in the end of England’s Ashes chances

Life after LeBron James: who will inherit the NBA’s future?

That the NBA is reckoned in seasons is apt. To measure a legacy this way is as much existential as it is symbolic. Martin Heidegger argued that time is not something we pass through, but the condition of our being – less a pathway than a pressure. Heavy stuff, yes, but the NBA has always operated under similar weight.The millennial superstars who stabilized the league for two decades are now entering their twilight: LeBron James (who turned 41 on Tuesday), Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Chris Paul

Spin bowling on the back foot with pace dominating quickfire Ashes

Disappointment can be found in all corners of this Ashes series. England’s victory came too late. Australia may have secured the urn again but Glenn McGrath’s usual prediction didn’t hold. It has been a serious letdown for the neutral, never mind that a 3-2 scoreline is still in the offing. This was meant to be the one where England had a shot, where the Sydney finale would actually have something on the line beyond World Test Championship points