17-02-2019 Time to stand tall for Ashes: Root, Stokes, Burns and Wood can be key

Joe Root and Ben Stokes are more important than ever for England this summer while Rory Burns and Mark Wood may also step up“Cut off the head and the rest will follow” was a phrase often used in the dressing room of the great West Indies sides of the 80s. Their fast bowlers would make a point of targeting the opposition captain in the (usually justified) expectation that this would cause maximum distress. On this tour they managed this most successfully. After two Tests Joe Root had scored 55 runs. In Antigua the England captain received two brutish deliveries, which he could do little about. Job done. Series won. Continue reading...

17-02-2019 How Swansea City went from model club to desperate cautionary tale | Stuart James

Chaotic transfers and incompetence at the top have put the club into a downward spiral with no obvious source of salvationAs the clock ticked down on transfer deadline day last month, and chaos reigned behind the scenes at Swansea City, Connor Roberts tweeted a gif showing Milhouse, a character from The Simpsons, throwing a frisbee to himself in the park. The Wales international removed the post not long afterwards but the inference was clear: Swansea’s players were feeling every bit as disillusioned as the supporters.Swansea were doing what Swansea now have a reputation for doing on deadline day – shifting everything they possibly can. The same happened last August, when four players departed in the final 24 hours of business. On that occasion it was the turn of the top scorer, Oli McBurnie, to post a soon-to-be-deleted message on Twitter expressing his bemusement. Continue reading...

17-02-2019 Phil Foden ‘brilliant’ for Manchester City against Newport, says Pep Guardiola

• Manager praises 18-year-old’s influence in hard-fought win• ‘He’s a player who is ready – ready to play’Pep Guardiola praised Phil Foden for producing a “brilliant” performance against Newport County after the 18-year-old scored twice to help Manchester City reach the quarter-finals. Leroy Sané and Riyad Mahrez scored the other goals as the Premier League champions won 4-1 to break Newport’s brave resistance. Related: Sané and Foden send City through as dogged Newport are finally downed Continue reading...

17-02-2019 Chelsea v Arsenal: Women's FA Cup fifth round – live!

Keep up with all the action from the 2pm GMT kickoffBristol City v Wolves: FA Cup fifth round – live!Feel free to email Will or to tweet: @Will_Unwin 1.29pm GMT The game today will be shown live on Facebook, which is a great idea to attract new audiences by making it available for free on one of the world’s most accessible platforms. The women’s game is definitely growing in England but initiatives like can only help. 1.24pm GMT Arsenal have their gamefaces on.We've arrived at Kingsmeadow Gameface #WeAreTheArsenal pic.twitter.com/R6j1XbOM8S Continue reading...

17-02-2019 Hamilton would be world champion in a Mercedes or a Ferrari - Palmer column

In his latest column, former Renault driver Jolyon Palmer looks at the brilliance of five-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

17-02-2019 Formula E: Lucas di Grassi wins dramatic Mexico E-Prix

Brazil's Lucas di Grassi wins a dramatic Mexico City Formula E-Prix after overtaking Pascal Wehrlein metres before the finish line.

17-02-2019 Formula 1 testing: Williams pull out of opening day in Barcelona

Williams are forced to pull out of the first day of pre-season testing on Monday as their car is not ready.

17-02-2019 Who is the greatest F1 driver ever?

After Lewis Hamilton won his fifth world title on Sunday, BBC Sport is asking you just who is the greatest F1 driver ever?

17-02-2019 Hakeem al-Araibi arrives home in Melbourne – video

Former Socceroo Craig Foster welcomes home refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi at Melbourne airport, where he is greeted by an enthusiastic throng. Al-Araibi was released from prison in Bangkok after a Thai court dropped Bahrain's deportation case that would have sent him back to his native country, where he says he was tortured Continue reading...

17-02-2019 Wigan’s Tom Davies: ‘I came to terms with the fact I wasn’t going to make it’

The winger talks about his arduous road from working in the pavilion at Leigh to lining up in the World Club ChallengeWhen the superstars of Sydney Roosters take to the field at the DW Stadium on Sunday evening in the 2019 World Club Challenge, the Wigan winger Tom Davies may be forgiven if he takes a moment to look around and pinch himself. He is already a Super League winner at the age of 22 but not so long ago Davies would have been thought more likely to be watching his hometown club from the stands as the Warriors aim to be crowned the best club side in the game.“I came to terms with the fact that I wasn’t going to make it,” he says. The journey for most talented young players in Wigan is often fairly simple: they are signed for the club’s junior development system at a young age and eventually progress to the first team. Davies’s story could not be more different. Continue reading...

17-02-2019 'Solari the stopgap with bigger name to come' - what is going on at Real Madrid?

The relatively unknown Santiago Solari has been placed in charge of Real Madrid - but he is not likely to be in the role for long, writes Andy West.

17-02-2019 Football transfer rumours: Suso to Spurs or Arsenal? De Ligt to Man City?

Today’s fluff is warming up nicelyNow that Tottenham no longer plan to spend half of their cash on an executive cheese room at the new White Hart Lane, they can make more room in their budget for football stuff. That means they can buy some new training bibs, take muddy kits to the launderette after every game, make sure that everyone has shin pads, get enough half-time oranges for the whole team and give Son Heung-min a new contract worth a whopping £150,000 a week. Hooray! Let the good times roll! Related: Sergio Ramos facing Champions League ban for intentional booking at Ajax Continue reading...

17-02-2019 Sport on the BBC: Best of this week's TV & radio coverage

This week's sport on the BBC includes snooker's Welsh Open, Premier League football and the Alpine Ski World Championships, plus much more.

17-02-2019 Maurizio Sarri: I haven't spoken to Abramovich for three weeks – video

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri admitted he has not spoken with club owner Roman Abramovich since his side's record-breaking 6-0 loss to Manchester City – or for the weeks leading up to that result.The Italian has come under pressure after a string of poor results that has seen Chelsea slip to sixth in the league. Continue reading...

17-02-2019 Cougars claw back in a heartwarming tale of rugby league resurrection | Tanya Aldred

Keighley were in special measures and heading nowhere in November. Now they are back on the sporting mapIn dark times, stories of resurrection have always worked a treat for those trying to flog a religion or sell a little hope. And in a small Yorkshire town once sustained by textiles, resurrection is exactly what a likable offbeat collective is trying to bring.Keighley Rugby League Club, a regular member of the last-chance saloon, was placed in special measures in November for failing to pay the players’ wages. It looked to be in dire trouble, only to be rescued at the 11th hour by a consortium of familiar faces, the men in charge during the glory years of the 1990s, when the waiting list for boundary boards was so long that the club flogged advertising space on the roof. Continue reading...

17-02-2019 Formula E: 'Absolute chaos' as Nelson Piquet crash brings out red flag in Mexico

Nelson Piquet's spectacular crash with Jean-Eric Vergne causes "absolute chaos" and brings out the red flag at the Mexico City E-Prix.