The remarkable story of the 1879 Sydney riot that set the tone for 150 years of Ashes rivalry

Test cricket gets described as a gentleman’s game but this is a lie. Rashes of gentility break out here and there but it’s still a game birthed by rascals, popularised by crooks and sustained by the patronage of louts. This story is one of the finest examples, just after the third Test ever played. It was Melbourne 1879 when Fred Spofforth lived up to his nickname of “The Demon”: he rissoled England with 6 for 48 in the first innings and 7 for 62 in the second, taking the first Test hat-trick along the way. In a timeless match, Australia won in three days

Mark Cuban made the Mavericks relevant. But is his legacy rotten? | Lee Escobedo

The year 2000 cracked open like a glow stick, flooding Dallas with new money – and a new Mavericks owner, who had made his money selling his streaming site just before the dot-com crash. Like the 1990s Mavs, Mark Cuban wasn’t polished – and he sure as hell wasn’t subtle. He was brash and argumentative, clashed with refs, and clapped too hard whenever Dirk Nowitzki buried a three. The internet age, in the form of Cuban, crashed courtside when he bought the team for $285m. Gone was the era of distant owners watching occasional games from the executive boxes: the fan was in control of the team now

New York Giants fire head coach Brian Daboll after another lost season

The New York Giants have fired head coach Brian Daboll after Sunday’s defeat left the team with a 2-8 record and staring at another lost season.“The past few seasons have been nothing short of disappointing, and we have not met our expectations for this franchise,” Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch said Monday in a joint statement. “We understand the frustrations of our fans, and we will work to deliver a significantly improved product.”Assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka will take control on an interim bases as the Giants search for Daboll’s permanent replacement.The Giants fired Daboll the day after the Giants blew a double-digit lead in their defeat to the Chicago Bears

Chessum and Freeman serious doubts to face All Blacks in blow to England

Ollie Chessum and Tommy ­Freeman are serious injury doubts for ­England’s game with New Zealand at Twickenham on Saturday. The two British & Irish Lions players sat out training on Monday and their ­participation against the All Blacks is in jeopardy.Chessum is struggling with a foot injury and was seen on crutches at England’s training base in Bagshot. He was replaced after 70 minutes of the 38-18 win against Fiji on ­Saturday and in the likely event he is ruled out Maro Itoje’s expected second‑row partner would be Alex Coles.Freeman was also replaced in the later stages of the victory and it is understood he is nursing a hamstring injury

IOC edges closer to ban on transgender women in female Olympic events

The International Olympic Committee is edging closer towards implementing a ban on transgender women competing in the female category in time for the Los Angeles Olympic Games.Multiple sources expect such a ban to come into effect over the next six to 12 months with the new IOC president, Kirsty Coventry, making clear she wants to drive through her campaign pledge to protect the female category.Such a policy would also avoid potential conflict with the US president, Donald Trump, before the LA 2028 Games, after he signed an executive order to prevent transgender women from competing in female sport in February.The IOC, however, is still facing some internal resistance to a ban on athletes with differences of sexual development (DSD), who were reported female at birth but have male chromosomes and male testosterone levels.Such athletes, which include the London 2012 and Rio 2016 gold medallist Caster Semenya, have now been barred by World Athletics from the female category

Trump pardons trail runner convicted after taking shortcut during record run

Donald Trump has pardoned a trail runner who briefly took a closed trail on his way to a record time on the tallest peak in the Teton Range of western Wyoming.The pardon for Michelino Sunseri, unlike recent ones for Trump allies, appeared apolitical.“Michelino is pleased, of course, but nobody expects a pardon,” Sunseri’s attorney, Michael Poon, told Outside. “He shouldn’t have had to go through this ordeal to begin with. It’s not a case that should have ever been brought to trial