Verstappen on pole for Abu Dhabi F1 title decider but Norris hot on his heels

The world championship remains finely poised after the three contenders duked it out for pole position at the decisive season-finale Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Max Verstappen scored first blood with pole position in front of his rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in second and third, but all three drivers know the title will be decided on Sunday and Norris still has the edge.A competitive and tense qualifying was a perfect curtain-raiser for the race and sets up an unmissable and potentially dramatic opening as the three head into turn one together.Certainly Verstappen confirmed he would not be holding back when asked about his attitude to the opening corners. “All out, I have nothing to lose,” he said

Noah Caluori brings the speed to help Saracens thrash depleted Clermont

On a sodden afternoon in north London the fast-improving – and downright fast – Noah Caluori excelled for Saracens, dominating aerially and scoring a breathtaking second-half try. The director of rugby, Mark McCall, pointedly remarked that it was the pack who created the necessary platform, but Caluori’s world-class talent is ever more clear.A depleted and heavily rotated Clermont Auvergne looked likely to struggle against a home side crammed with quality even in the absence of England’s Maro Itoje, Ben Earl and Jamie George. Seven of the visitors’ side from last Saturday’s victory against Stade Français started. They spent 3% of the match in Saracens’ 22: enough said

Mitchell Starc hailed as ‘greatest lefty of all time’ after piling more Ashes pain on England

Michael Neser described Mitchell Starc as “the greatest lefty of all time” after the 35-year-old top-scored for Australia and then helped bowl his side to the verge of victory in the second Ashes Test.At stumps England were 134 for six in their second innings, 43 behind Australia’s first-innings total of 511. None of their partnerships lasting as long, or scoring as much, as Starc’s with his fellow bowler Scott Boland. They scored 75 off 164 balls, with Starc ending on 77.“He’s a special player

Why is Michael Jordan suing Nascar? The blockbuster antitrust trial, explained

The basketball legend says Nascar gives teams too little power with too much risk. His lawsuit could force historic changes to how one of America’s biggest sports is runMichael Jordan took the stand on Friday in his landmark antitrust fight against Nascar, a case that could reshape how one of America’s biggest sports is run. Jordan’s team, 23XI Racing, and Front Row Motorsports say Nascar holds so much control over everything, from the tracks to the money to the rulebook, that teams have no real bargaining power. Nascar denies that and says the lawsuit threatens to blow up a system that has held the sport together for decades.The case has already pulled blunt internal messages into public view and laid bare long-running frustrations between teams and Nascar leadership

Mitchell Starc’s bat-and-ball double whammy at dusk propels Australia into the light | Geoff Lemon

England endured their tormentor’s late batting stand and when tourists surrendered to 97 for three the bowler attackedIf you really squinted – perhaps with the aid of a 36-hour plane trip or a handful of 1970s anxiety medication – there was a time when you could have claimed England had pulled off a tactical masterstroke. When the looming threat of the day was Mitchell Starc bowling in the gloaming at around 6pm Brisbane time, perhaps the smart play was to let him bat in the hot sun for four hours first, tuckering him out so your openers could smash him.It may have been a calculation Starc also considered when wondering whether to throw the bat or to keep on grinding out runs. In the end, he valued more that each of them added to Australia’s lead. The team’s principal bowling weapon burnished his series contribution with 77 runs from 141 balls, 22 runs below his highest score and three deliveries below his longest

Archer’s pillow shot becomes awkward symbol of England’s Ashes nightmare I Simon Burnton

There are often single images that come to sum up entire Ashes series and frequently they have been taken when no cricket was being played. Andrew Flintoff consoling Brett Lee; Shane Warne’s balcony dance; the sprinkler; Ian Botham celebrating a miracle win at Headingley, Ben Stokes doing the same; and all the way back to the Oval pitch invasion in 1926.Maybe this year’s has been taken, with England’s campaign in danger of being summed up by the footage of Jofra Archer arriving here on Saturday clutching a pillow. The day Archer imagined and the one Australia subjected England to turned out to be very different.With the home side six down overnight, the notoriously chilled bowler presumably thought he would help his side swiftly steamroller the lower order and spend the rest of the day being laid back, while his teammates assembled a match-winning lead