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

‘The whole world can think whatever they want’ – Naseem Hamed on boxing, racism and his greatest regret

Former champion on his relationship with trainer Brendan Ingle, now portrayed on film, quitting at the right time and the importance of his faithNaseem Hamed carries himself with a stately grandeur these days. Having settled his considerable bulk into a comfortable chair he pauses meaningfully. We look at each other intently and it’s hard to believe the incorrigible little “Naz fella”, the swaggering Prince Naseem who became a world champion 30 years ago and changed British boxing forever with his dazzling aptitude for fighting and showmanship, is 51 now.“This is the one thing you need to understand,” Hamed says as he remembers Brendan Ingle’s famous old gym in Sheffield. “The minute I walked through the doors of that boxing club, that was it

Olympic tensions flare as US skeleton star alleges Canadian coach rigged qualifying event

Sporting tensions between the USA and Canada have erupted once again, this time in skeleton as next month’s Winter Olympics approach.The USA’s Katie Uhlaender, a five-time Winter Olympian in skeleton, has accused the Canadian team of depriving her of a place at the Milan-Cortina Games by manipulating a qualifying event over the weekend.Uhlaender says that Canada deliberately pulled four of its six athletes from the race in the North American Cup in Lake Placid, New York. That meant the field was reduced to under 21 athletes and fewer qualifying points were on offer due to the lack of competition. Uhlaender believes the Canadian team did so to prevent American athletes from catching them in the standings for Olympic qualifying

Australian Open is drawing record crowds before the tournament has even begun

“Cricket’s in December,” Tennis Australia’s chief executive, Craig Tiley, says with a smile on a record-breaking first day of the Australian Open on Monday. The veteran may be rumoured to be considering a move to the US Tennis Association, but for now he remains focused on his sport’s summer dominance.“Our objective is we want to own January,” he says. At the launch of one of many Melbourne Park sponsor activations, conditions are ripe for Tiley to talk a big game. “We’re intense, and we’re intense because we’re 21 days, every day

Stan Wawrinka: ‘I really believe that I squeezed the lemon until the last drop’

The 40-year-old is nearing end of his career and has few regrets after winning three grand slams in Big Three eraIn the first week of the final year of his life as a professional tennis player, Stanislas “Stan” Wawrinka found himself in the familiar position of staring down an opponent nearly half his age. Wawrinka, now 40, had tussled with the talented 23-year-old Flavio Cobolli for nearly three hours before offering himself a shot at a monumental victory.Just a few tense errors deep in a tense final set tie-break saw those chances slip away. In theory, deciding that 2026 will be the final year of his career should provide Wawrinka with an opportunity to swing for the fences and completely empty his tank, playing without inhibitions. Life, however, is far more complicated than that

49ers dethrone Eagles; Bills beat Jaguars in thriller: NFL playoffs wildcard round – as it happened

And here is the playoff bracket as it stands, as I bid you goodnight! What a start to the postseason.49ers 23-19 Eagles, final scoreAnother fourth-quarter frenzy sees the 49ers comeback from 16-10 down. A really limp showing from the Eagles to only find 114 yards of offense and two field goals in the second half with the season on the line.Did Nick Sirriani’s blow up with AJ Brown in the first half affect the outcome? Brown did not make a catch after the first quarter and made a crucial drop in the final drive.49ers 23-19 Eagles 0:40, 4th quarterPressure