James Anderson believes Harry Brook can become England’s best ever batter, surpassing even new record run-scorer Joe Root.
Brook became the first England man to make a Test triple century for 34 years in the astonishing defeat of Pakistan in Multan.
In the same Test, Root made 262, and in doing so he passed Sir Alastair Cook’s previous England best of 12,472 career runs.
Anderson, England’s greatest ever bowler and leading Test wicket-taker, believes 25-year-old Brook is the ideal blend of Root and another great, Kevin Pietersen.
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“He’s on the way to being in the top three that I’ve played with,” Anderson said on his Tailenders podcast. “It’s Root, Pietersen and him. He’s definitely got all the attributes to overtake them.
“He’s just got everything. Without trying to big him up too much because he’s still really early in his Test career, I do think that he’s got the perfect amount of each of those two and that’s what will make him the best that we’ve ever had.”
It is high praise from Anderson, whose haul of 188 Test caps is another England record.
Along with Root and Pietersen, Anderson was also a team-mate of other outstanding England batters like Cook, Alec Stewart, Ian Bell, Michael Vaughan and Graham Thorpe.
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Brook has 1,875 runs in 19 Tests and 31 innings. He has a chance to become the fastest Englishman to 2,000 Test runs, beating the 22 matches and 33 innings of the legendary Herbert Sutcliffe in 1928.
Pietersen, perhaps the best three-format batter to ever play for England, had 8,181 runs when his 104-Test career ended in 2014. As a comparison, he had 170 runs fewer than Brook after 19 Tests.
Australia all but secured their place in the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup with a ruthless nine-wicket win over Pakistan in Dubai.
The reigning champions are two points clear at the top of Group A with three wins from three and, given their high net run-rate, it would take an unlikely set of results to deny them a last-four spot.
The only disappointment for Australia on an otherwise comfortable night were injuries to Tayla Vlaeminck and captain Alyssa Healy.
After winning the toss, the six-time winners skittled Pakistan for just 82, the lowest total of the World Cup so far.
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Ashleigh Gardner was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4-21, with Georgia Wareham and Annabel Sutherland claiming two wickets apiece.
They then needed just 11 overs to chase down their modest target, Healy top-scoring with 37 from 23 balls before retiring hurt.
Australia take on India in their final group game on Sunday.
Pakistan still have a very slim chance of reaching the semi-finals but will need a win in their final game against New Zealand on Monday.
The three fighters competing at UFC Vegas 98 all failed to make weight at Friday morning’s official weigh-ins, with Argueta (138.5) missing by 2.5 pounds, Fremd (186) by 3 pounds, and Gooden (172.5) by 1.5 pounds. Their respective opponents Cody Haddon, Abdul Razak Alhassan, and Chidi Njokuani all successfully made weight.
It is not yet known which of the bouts, if any, will proceed as catchweights and, if so, what percentage of the offending fighters’ purses will be forfeited as penalty.
The misses are a particularly bad look for Fremd and Gooden, both of whom have been tripped up by the scale in the past.
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For the second time in his UFC career, Fremd weighed in three pounds over the limit. He also came in at 189 pounds for a middleweight bout against Jamie Pickett at UFC Vegas 78 in August 2013, later going on to defeat Pickett by unanimous decision.
Gooden has now missed weight three times as a UFC fighter. Most recently, he came in six pounds over the limit for a fight with Carlston Harris in March 2023, though on that occasion he had accepted the bout on less than a week’s notice. He is 0-2 after failing to make weight.
In more positive news, flyweight headliners Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira successfully weighed in for Saturday’s main event, with both registering at 125.5 pounds. Royval is currently tied for the No. 2 spot in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, with the undefeated Taira at No. 8. Whoever leaves UFC Vegas 98 with a win might also put themselves in pole position for a shot at flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.
The panel, however, agreed with VAR’s decision to upgrade Ianis Hagi’s yellow card to a red for the Rangers midfielder’s challenge on opposition forward Adama Sidibeh in the same match – and suggested that the onfield officials ought to have identified the seriousness of the challenge.
Meanwhile, the panel decided that two decisions during Celtic’s 2-1 win over Ross County had been overturned correctly following VAR intervention.
No penalty kick was initially awarded when the ball struck Liam Scales, but the panel agreed that the Celtic centre-half’s arm was high and outstretched, making his body unnaturally bigger.
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When Ronan Hale’s spot-kick was saved by Kasper Schmeichel, there was no signal from the assistant referee for the Celtic goalkeeper being off his line.
However, the panel supported the VAR’s decision to intervene and award a retake, from which the striker scored.
NOT only is Conor Benn the son of legendary fighter Nigel Benn, he’s also an undefeated former WBA Continental welterweight champion.
Although currently serving a doping ban, Conor hit the headlines in October 2024 for squaring up with the son of another pugilistic great — his fierce rival Chris Eubank Jr.
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Conor Benn is a former WBA Continental welterweight championCredit: Getty
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He is also the son of former two-weight world champ Nigel BennCredit: PA
Who is Conor Benn?
Born on September 28, 1996, in Greenwich, London, Conor Benn — nicknamed “The Destroyer” — is the son of former two-weight world champion Nigel Benn.
Despite growing up in a life of privilege, Conor chose to pursue boxing the hard way.
Instead of relying on his family’s wealth and connections, he built his career from the ground up.
Early life and career
He was raised in a luxury mansion in Majorca, Spain — but later moved to Australia with his family.
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It was in Australia that Benn first picked up boxing gloves, initially just for fun.
His amateur career in Sydney saw him win 20 out of 22 bouts.
When Benn decided to pursue boxing professionally, he moved back to England at the age of 19, leaving behind the comfortable life he knew in Australia.
Since making his debut on April 9, 2016, he has refined his skills and steadily climbed the ranks in the welterweight division.
Benn has consistently denied any intentional wrongdoing regarding the doping allegations.
He released a statement saying: “I am still completely shocked and in disbelief by this and will be working with my team and my lawyers to understand what has happened and I will be commenting further when I can.”
Boxing record and opponents
Conor Benn has an impressive professional record of 23 wins and 0 losses, with 14 of those victories coming by way of knockout — meaning he’s won 61% of his fights by KO.
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Benn and Eubank Jr were scheduled to fight in October 2022, but was cancelled due to doping allegations against The DestroyerCredit: Getty
Benn’s professional fights:
Peter Dobson (February 3, 2024, Las Vegas) – UD, 12 rounds
Benn and Eubank Jr had a heated exchange in RiyahdCredit: X@CHRISEUBANKJR
Squaring Up with Chris Eubank Jr
The rivalry between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr has continued to simmer despite their cancelled fight.
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Benn had to be separated from Brit rival Chris Eubank Jr after him during an impromptu face-off.
Eubank Jr was in the final stages of cutting weight for his Saudi showdown with Kamil Szeremeta on Saturday, October 12, 2024, night when he was accosted by Benn in the fighter hotel.
Ben started the trouble by shouting: “Oi, Chris. Don’t f**k up the bag, son. Don’t f**k up the bag.”
After Eubank Jr said he “liked” the energy he was showing, Benn said: “You like what? You’re lucky you’re fighting tomorrow [or] I’d f**k you up right now.”
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A visibly drained Eubank Jr smiled before saying: “You see this guy comes in when I’m cutting weight.”
“Cutting weight?” Benn fiercly replied. “I’ll see you tomorrow after the fight, I’m going to get into that ring and f***ing give it to you.
LAS VEGAS – The main event for the UFC’s latest home show is official after the headliners made weight Friday.
Ahead of UFC Fight Night 244 (ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex, recent flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) and unbeaten contender Tatsuro Taira (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins.
Check out the video from their trips to the scale below.
The #UFCVegas98 main event is on weight and official.
Serbia’s Djokovic has won 24 Grand Slam titles – a men’s record – and claimed a long-awaited Olympic gold earlier this year.
The 37-year-old will face American world number seven Taylor Fritz in Saturday’s semi-final as he bids for a landmark 100th title.
Fritz, 26, comfortably beat Belgium’s David Goffin 6-3 6-4 on Friday to book his place in the last four. It extended a run that has seen Fritz progress past the third round for the first time in Shanghai.
Djokovic, who will now compete in a 78th Masters 1,000 semi-final, said he was motivated by matches against the upcoming generation.
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“It keeps me going, and pushes me to really dig deep, and to show to the world that I’ve still got it in my legs, that I can still go the distance with the young guys,” he said.
“I’m super glad that I managed to win this very challenging match.”
Mensik, 19, held his nerve in the opening set against Djokovic.
Yet Djokovic, a record four-time winner of the tournament, was able to regroup after a scrappy performance in the tie-break and breezed through the second set, before putting the match to bed after two hours and 21 minutes.
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Although US Open runner-up Fritz might provide a tough test for Djokovic, the decorated veteran holds a 9-0 career record from their past meetings.
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