India to play Champions Trophy games in Dubai after refusal to visit Pakistan

India’s matches at the 2025 Champions Trophy will be held in Dubai, the International Cricket Council confirmed on Tuesday.Pakistan, the tournament hosts, selected the United Arab Emirates as a neutral venue for India’s fixtures with the team not able to play matches in Pakistan because of political tensions.The hosts’ Group A game against India will now be played in Dubai, along with India’s games against Bangladesh and New Zealand. The decision also means that the venue for the final on 9 March will change from Lahore to Dubai if India qualify.Last month the Board of Control for Cricket in India, citing government advice, told the ICC it would not send a team to the tournament, which begins in February

Grey Dawning bids to follow in Desert Orchid tradition for King George glory

A bold-jumping grey in the King George at Kempton: for a dozen years from the mid‑1980s, it was a Boxing Day tradition as Desert Orchid, One Man and Teeton Mill racked up seven wins from nine appearances between them. And as Robert Kirkland, a racehorse owner for nearly 40 years, still recalls, there might have been another.“The first horse I ever had a share in was called High Edge Grey,” Kirkland said this week. “He won the Charlie Hall at Wetherby in 1988 and the plan was to go to Kempton, but then he hurt his back in the Hennessy at Newbury. In those days, you didn’t have chiropractors for horses, and he missed it

The Breakdown awards: best rugby matches, players and quotes of 2024

The best and worst of the last 12 months and hopes for 2025 in our review of the year in rugby union1 Antoine Dupont (France, Toulouse, France sevens)2 Eben Etzebeth (South Africa)3 Pieter-Steph du Toit (SA), Ox Nché (SA), Wallace Sititi (New Zealand), Ellie Kildunne (England)1 Rassie Erasmus (South Africa)2 Joe Schmidt (Australia)3 Franco Smith (Glasgow Warriors)1 England 37-42 Australia – Twickenham (sorry, Allianz Stadium)2 Bordeaux 41-42 Harlequins – Stade Chaban-Delmas3 Leinster 22-31 Toulouse – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; Bath 26-36 Bristol – Recreation Ground1 Toulouse2 Bristol3 England women1 Ilona Maher (US)2 Antoine Dupont3 Jack Willis (Toulouse)1 Rugby Football Union2 Stuart Hogg3 Exeter ChiefsThe eight-year-old Stevie Mulrooney stole the show before Ireland’s 36-0 win over Italy in February with a splendid rendition of Ireland’s Call.Rugby Journal.Ronan O’Gara (Irish Examiner).Tom Willis (Saracens), Cameron Hanekom (Bulls), Guy Pepper (Bath), Henry Pollock (Northampton), Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester), Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Sale Sharks).Sam Prendergast (Ireland), Tom Jordan (Scotland), Tom Rogers (Wales), Theo Dan (England)

The NFL’s rushing renaissance: how running backs reclaimed the narrative

The NFL is said to be a passing league with running backs are no longer critical to success. The metrics are telling a different story in 2024 – and not just in Philly and BaltimoreIf you’re remotely familiar with the National Football League these days, you know what people say about both modern offenses and the value of running backs within them. Over the last two decades, with the increase in having multiple receivers on the field, and the decreasing value of running backs both in the draft and free agency, it’s now writ large that the NFL is a passing game, and that running backs don’t really matter.As is the case with any absolute, there’s more to the story, and that’s been especially true in the 2024 season. Most people already know that Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles and Derrick Henry of the Baltimore Ravens are re-jiggering the concept of running back value with their MVP-level seasons, but there’s an undercurrent of creative and effective run games throughout the league in 2024 that is showing up more and more in the metrics

What time are the NFL Christmas games and when does Beyoncé perform?

What time does it start? Why Netflix? And when does Beyoncé go on? We (mostly) have the answersThe NFL Christmas games are taking place on, you guessed it, Christmas. And if you’re anything like millions of people around the world then you’re probably wondering: what time does the Beyoncé show begin?But is that all you really need to know? What about the sporty bits? The odds of a Taylor Swift sighting? And how long you’ll have to stream it on Netflix before it disappears? Read on for all the answers …The kickoff time for the Kansas City v Pittsburgh game at Acrisure Stadium is 1pm ET (6pm GMT).But you’ll want to get to the couch about 10 minutes early if you’re interested in seeing Mariah Carey perform a special pre-taped version of her 16-time platinum single All I Want for Christmas Is You.The tabs are reporting Taylor and All-Pro boyfriend Travis Kelce will be spending the holiday together with both of their families. So it’s a safe bet she’ll be at the stadium on Wednesday, possibly alongside field hockey coach and Rogan-toppling podcaster Kylie Kelce

Heat dials up with Sam Konstas to be thrown into MCG cauldron at Boxing Day Test | Geoff Lemon

Before Christmas has even hit, there is more anticipation about Boxing Day than usual, in more ways than one. Australia and India sit at 1-1 with two Tests to play, the first at the MCG where India won on their last two tours. The ticketing forecast says it will be a full house, the weather forecast says it will hit 40C, and while the latter may suppress the former, it’s the first time that all tickets have been claimed since the Ashes match of 2013. Amidst all this stands a Test debut opening the batting for a 19-year-old, with Sam Konstas’ spot in the XI confirmed on Tuesday by Australia coach Andrew McDonald.Older generations will remember Doug Walters debuting at 19, and some would remember Neil Harvey doing the same