Series victory would offer chance to experiment in fifth Test but Stokes and McCullum are trying to be here now at Old Trafford

The last time India were in Manchester for a Test was in 2021 and it was a pretty bleak affair. An outbreak of Covid‑19 among their backroom staff led to the series finale being called off just 90 minutes before the toss, even if many suspected the proximity of the rescheduled Indian Premier League also had a role to play.

“I saw Lanky the Giraffe walking into the ground with his head slumped,” said Tom Harrison, at the time chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, after crossing paths with Lancashire’s club mascot that morning. “It summed up my feelings, too.”

The would-be chef is working on a yacht, using water from the ocean to make spaghetti. Is this a good idea?

Name: Brooklyn Beckham.

Age: 26.

• World No 2 ‘needs to recover physically and mentally’

• Zverev and Fritz due to head the lineup in Toronto

Carlos Alcaraz has become the latest in a series of leading men’s players to withdraw from the Canadian Open as the world No 2 joined Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper on the sidelines.

The players are skipping the Toronto tournament, due to begin on Saturday, to rest and recover from injury before the final grand slam of the season, the US Open in New York starting on 25 August.

It appears a radical departure by FSG to build so ambitiously from a position of strength, while sending an ominous warning to their rivals

Almost £300m worth of talent added to a squad that cruised to the Premier League title last season and Liverpool may not be spent yet. Whatever they’re smoking in Boston is having an unusual effect on a global fanbase.

Big-spending Liverpool, blowing competitors from Bayern Munich to Newcastle out of the water with their pulling and spending power, may be a strange reality for supporters who not so long ago sang: “The Reds have got no money, but we’ll still win the league.” The chant can be retired now that the first part is demonstrably untrue. It always was.

Deputy PM says government must show it is helping people amid concerns about potential for more riots in England

Immigration and deprivation are the main factors causing public disenchantment with politicians and the government that has led to social unrest and rioting, Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, has warned.

According to an official summary of Tuesday’s meeting of the cabinet, Rayner, who is leading a wider government project on improving social cohesion, also highlighted the increasing amount of people spending time alone and online as a driver of disturbances.