Eternal 31 makes Crawley the tallest small person in England’s Ashes pyre

It seems a little distant now, a little by-the-by, that this Ashes series was billed, among other things, as a referendum on Zak Crawley’s England career. The tour he was groomed for. The hidden sub-menace in his one-year central contract offer. Here was a chance to justify the high-wire walk of the last few years, to find an answer, perhaps, to the eternal question: is Zak Crawley actually any good?In the event other things have happened, other warning lights blinked, other elements of England’s collective failure creaked more urgently. Shoaib Bashir, the project spinner, plucked from social media for this tour, is in the 12 for Sydney

Reluctant trailblazer Khawaja confronts racial stereotypes before Sydney farewell | Taha Hashim

More than half an hour into the press conference, with his retirement from Test cricket confirmed, Usman Khawaja was asked about the role of opening the batting and its relevance in the modern game. He answered with ease, detailing the specific mental challenges of facing the new ball. Minutes later, he was asked how Australia can unite after last month’s terrorist attack at Bondi Beach. Again, there was little hesitation before the lengthy reply. He cited the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, politicians who “try to divide and conquer” and closed with his reflections on the tragedy itself

Anthony Joshua’s driver charged with dangerous driving after fatal crash in Nigeria

Nigerian police have charged Anthony Joshua’s driver with causing death by dangerous driving after a fatal crash that killed two people.Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, was also charged with driving without a valid driving licence and “driving without due care and attention, causing bodily harm and damage to property”. He is due to appear in court on 20 January.The Federal Road Safety Corps in Nigeria said they believed the vehicle was travelling “beyond the legally prescribed speed limit”.Kayode was driving the former world heavyweight boxing champion, Joshua, 36, his personal trainer, Latif Ayodele, and strength coach, Sina Ghami, on 29 December on a busy highway linking Lagos and Ibadan in south-west Nigeria

Your Guardian sport weekend: World Championship darts final, Ashes and Afcon

Here’s how to follow along with our coverage – the finest writing and up-to-the-minute reportsWith action from the Premier League, the Old Firm, Afcon and the best of Europe, Saturday’s football has a truly international feel. Our matchday liveblog – brought to you by David Tindall and Yara El-Shaboury – will bring you the latest updates, team news and the snippets from our reporters on the ground to keeps you informed. Whether you are travelling to a game or following at home, feel free to get involved: send your thoughts, hopes and dreams to matchday.live@theguardian.com

Sydney’s tradition of goodbyes coincides with Bazball reckoning

As well as being a bucket list venue for players and supporters, the Sydney Cricket Ground has a reputation in England as the ground of the one-cap wonders. This is based on Mason Crane, Scott Borthwick and Boyd Rankin getting a go at the end of recent Ashes tours, rather than anything more historically substantial.If anything, as the traditional scene for the final Test of the Australian summer, the SCG is more like the Oval – the ground where careers often come to an end. And on Friday, surrounded by his family and with a fair bit to get off his chest, Usman Khawaja confirmed the final instalment of this Ashes series, starting on Sunday, will be his international farewell.Amusingly, there was a brief panic in the afternoon when it was announced that Steve Smith, like Khawaja a day earlier, was bringing forward his press conference

Callum Chick revels in Northampton’s chase of lost causes after culture shock

To see what Callum Chick brings to any side he plays in, watch the 55th minute of Northampton’s electrifying win at the Rec last Saturday. Henry Arundell is speeding down the Bath right, nearly into Saints’ 22, after a defensive error by Henry Pollock. A try for the champions looks a certainty before the flanker desperately dives at Arundell and dislodges the ball from his grasp.A dextrous pick-up by George Hendy allows him to sprint downfield before setting up Pollock to dive over – 13 seconds after Arundell was threatening at the other end.“I showed that clip [to the squad] a couple of times,” said Northampton’s director of rugby, Phil Dowson, while preparing to meet Harlequins at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday