Ashes calamity has trashed McCullum’s credibility. It’s time to call on Alec Stewart | Mark Ramprakash

The curtain came down on the Ashes in Sydney with England again being outplayed in the basics of the game. But it is one thing to have a weak team, and another to have a talented one that just looks muddled.I was very optimistic going into the series because England had a quality group of players, many of them in their 20s – in my opinion their peak years – who had played a lot of international cricket together, come through a tough series against India, and appeared to have matured their approach, adding nuance and adaptability, evolving from their old one-size-fits-all swagger. Well, high expectations can be dangerous because if things don’t work out the disappointment is all the more profound.So I look at the wreckage of this series and all those high hopes and ask myself, did this management group – Rob Key, Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes – give the England squad the best chance of success? They all seem to be bullish that they can carry on and of the three it is hard to argue that Stokes should not: he’s the obvious leader in the group and there are not many other candidates

Jess Hull steers Australia to relay gold at world cross-country championships in US

The Olympic medalist Jess Hull has steered a star-studded Australian quartet to a mighty relay win at the world athletics cross-country championships in Florida.Ollie Hoare, Linden Hall, Jack Anstey and Hull took charge to claim gold in the 4x2000m mixed relay in Tallahassee on Saturday.It Australia’s fifth medal in the 46-edition history of the championships.The team clocked a time of 22min 23sec to win by three seconds ahead of France, followed by Ethiopia (22min 34sec), Kenya (22min 42sec) and the US (22min 43sec) among 15 teams.Hoare put the Australians in contention in the opening leg before Hall opened a lead of six seconds then Anstey consolidated and Hull commanded the anchor leg

‘It doesn’t really hit your socials’: is this Australia’s best kept sporting secret? | Sarah Guiney

If there is one thing Australians pride themselves on, it’s playing sport in the elements. From long days of cricket at the height of summer, the sun beating down harsh and unforgiving, to mud-soaked footy in the dead of winter. It’s a test of character, and Australians wear it like a badge of honour.So perhaps it is a surprise that Australia has yet to embrace ice hockey; tucked away in rinks so cold you need a puffer jacket just to sit and watch, even during summer. Combine that with its speed and brutal physicality, and it seems to tick every box

Coco Gauff beats Iga Swiatek but Poland best US to reach United Cup final

A statement victory for Coco Gauff over her great rival Iga Świątek proved to be insufficient to the American’s hopes of leading her team into the final of the United Cup. Poland showed their depth in an excellent team performance to close out a 2-1 win over the United States at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.Poland, who finished runners-up to the US last year, exacted their revenge courtesy of the doubles specialists Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa, who maintained their unbeaten run in the competition by defeating Christian Harrison and Gauff 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3) in the decisive third rubber. Poland face Switzerland in the final on Sunday after the Swiss defeated Belgium 2-1.The tie opened with another victory for Hubert Hurkacz, who continued his impressive comeback from injury by defeating the world No 9, Taylor Fritz, 7-6 (1), 7-6 (2)

Kempton Park’s Lanzarote Hurdle card will go ahead but Warwick frozen off

Kempton Park’s Lanzarote Hurdle card will go ahead as planned on Saturday afternoon, but Warwick’s Classic Chase meeting has failed to beat the weather.Despite being passed fit for racing on Friday after managing to navigate a freezing week, the threat of sub-zero temperatures overnight had led to precautionary 8.00am raceday checks being called at both tracks.Warwick said on X: “Whilst the majority of the track is raceable, the back straight remains frozen in areas. The contingency plan we put in place yesterday, using the outer hurdle line, has frozen under the sheets and is unraceable

NFL wildcard weekend predictions: Allen can carry Bills – if he can handle the pressure

The NFL playoffs kick off with ground-game battles, QB duels and a high-stakes edition of the Packers v Bears rivalryWhat the Rams need to do to win Hold on to the ball. Across five regular-season defeats, Matthew Stafford gave the ball away seven times with six interceptions and a fumble. In the Rams’ worst loss of the season, to the Panthers in November, Stafford held his team back from taking a commanding lead with two picks in the first quarter. Keep it tight.What the Panthers need to do to win The Panthers are massive underdogs but hold an advantage in the vital experience of having already upset the Rams