The Spin | Revealed after 100 years: how a corrupt official robbed Percy Fender of the England captaincy

After a mere 100 years the Spin, always first with the news, is finally able to reveal the details of one of the more extraordinary secrets in the history of English cricket. The story comes from the private family archives of the former Surrey captain Percy Fender, which are being compiled into a fascinating new documentary film. It has always been a mystery that Fender, who was described by Wisden as “the shrewdest county captain of his generation” was never picked to lead England. After all these years, it now appears he was blackmailed out of the job by a corrupt cricket official.In a private audio recording made shortly before his death in 1985, Fender explains that in May 1924 he was approached “by a gentleman who was very well known in the cricket world” who, during the course of a conversation over two half-bottles of champagne in Fender’s flat at the Adelphi, offered him the England captaincy for the 1924-25 Ashes tour

Jacob Bethell plays starring role in Ashes Wars Episode 5: A New Hope | Barney Ronay

Et in dystopia ego. In the midst of death, we are in life. On a throbbingly hot deep blue afternoon in Sydney, as this ghost ship of an England Ashes tour creaked towards its final dock, the fourth day of the fifth Test produced an unexpected late plot twist. Something good happened.Jacob Bethell batted for six hours from mid-morning to close of play and scored a hundred of rare beauty at the SCG

Bethell’s elegant first Test century presses pause on Australia’s Ashes party

It was good. So good. So unbelievably good. On the penultimate day of a tour packed with regret for England, a star was born as Jacob Bethell, 22 years young, compiled a truly golden hundred that offered hope for the future.There were no histrionics upon getting there either, no suggestion this was a maiden first-class century compiled in the heat of an Ashes Test

Beau Webster steps off the sidelines into the light as promise of Cameron Green wilts | Geoff Lemon

There was an irony to the fact that Cameron Green’s catch made Beau Webster’s day look even better. Green had not had a good one, having earlier dived in front of Australia’s most prolific slip catcher to spoil a simple Steve Smith catch. It followed a poor day the day before, skying a pull shot after getting settled on 37, and a poor series before that. Then came Webster, an off-break swept into the deep, and Green’s long legs ate up the turf before crashing his body into a dive that gathered up the ball in its fall, the two Australians combining for what might be the tallest wicket in Test history.There is usually only room for a single two-metre all-rounder in a team, unless they’re operating at specialist level in one discipline

Australia v England: fifth Ashes Test, day four – as it happened

Time for me to depart, thanks for your company and comments. Stay tuned for all the wrap up from day four.Join us tomorrow for the final day of the 2025/6 Ashes series. Goodbye and toodle-oo.“Morning Jim, to this very England of mornings

John Harbaugh fired by Baltimore Ravens after 18 seasons in charge

The Baltimore Ravens have fired head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons in charge, the team announced on Tuesday.Harbaugh is the most successful coach in the history of the franchise and was the second longest-tenured head coach in the NFL before his dismissal. Ironically, his final game with the Ravens came against the only name ahead of him in terms of tenure length – Mike Tomlin, who has been head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 19 seasons.Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti called the decision “incredibly difficult” in a statement.“Throughout what I firmly believe is a Hall of Fame coaching career, John has delivered a Super Bowl championship to Baltimore and served as a steadfast pillar of humility and leadership,” Bisciotti said