Ben Stokes has been hailed as a “talisman of English cricket” after he announced his shock international retirement.

The England captain will bring an extraordinary international career to a close following the Rothesay Series decider against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.

Stokes informed his England teammates in the dressing room on the morning of day four in Nottingham.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) then made the announcement publicly while Stokes was on the field, in the midst of an 11-over bowling spell, as he endeavoured to bring England back into contention in the final Test of the series, which currently stands at 1-1.

Former team-mate Stuart Broad said on commentary for Sky Sports: “(He is) a talisman of English cricket. He will be remembered wearing that Three Lions with a crown on top very proudly.

“A complete match-winner, someone that won’t look at the numbers, look at the moments of his career.

“Someone that’s always there in the big moments of games, giving absolutely everything.”

Stokes fittingly went on to take a wicket with his first ball after the news was made public, catching the edge of Zak Foulkes and Harry Brook gobbling up a low chance at second slip.

Broad added: “What a magical moment. Who writes his scripts?”

England and Wales Cricket Board chair Richard Thompson was also full of praise for the two-time World Cup winner.

Thompson said: “Ben Stokes leaves the international game as one of England’s greatest ever cricketers and one of the defining figures of his generation.

“His performances under pressure, his relentless competitiveness and his ability to produce the extraordinary when it matters most have given me and millions of other fans memories that will endure forever.

“Whether inspiring victory in the biggest moments – not least driving England to World Cup wins in 2019 and 2022 and his heroic Ashes innings at Headingley – or leading the Test team with courage and conviction, Ben has been a talismanic figure in English cricket.

“Beyond his remarkable achievements on the field, his performances have inspired many youngsters to embrace cricket with positivity and belief. We are losing a batsman, a bowler, a captain and a talisman.”

The news comes days after Stokes was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Cricket Regulator following an altercation at a nightclub earlier this month.

The 35-year-old was suspended for one Test match by the ECB and told senior figures he was considering his long-term future, before returning to the team for the third Test.

Greg Eurell may have a smart two-year-old on his hands in the form of Lucky Brook, who opened the card at Caulfield on Saturday by winning the Sportsbet Race Previews Handicap (1000m).

By Lucky Vega, the debutant had recorded four jump-out victories and successfully transferred that winning form to race day, running out a one-length winner under the reins of Lachlan Neindorf.

Neindorf was pleased to keep Lucky Brook, who started as the $4.20 favourite with leading Aussie betting sites, out of traffic from a wide gate, scoring over Egyptian Dancer ($16) with Aston ($7) a short neck behind in third.

Eurell indicated that there are ample options for Lucky Brook in the early stages of the Spring, with the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) for early three-year-olds a key target.

“The plan was always to try and win a race and then sort of set her up for the spring, and there wasn’t much to offer, so to win a city race was even better,” Eurell commented.

“It gives us a chance to give her a bit of a let up, map something out going forward. It certainly gives us a lot of confidence going forward.”

“The spring can sort of stretch out a little bit now, so you’ve sort of got to be a little bit careful— sort of where you start and where you think you want to end up but she may be back here (for the Quezette).”

“I think she’ll cut the mustard. I think she’s very genuine, she’s obviously above average.”

The Quezette Stakes is scheduled for August 15 at Caulfield and has a history of producing subsequent Group 1-winning sprinters such as Charm Stone, Bella Nipotina, and Sunlight.

While those heights are a distant goal for Lucky Brook, Eurell believes she possesses the attributes to continue progressing and potentially extend her stamina as she matures.

“I like her attitude, everything we’ve done with her. She’s just so professional. I think she’s going to be a lovely filly going forward,” Eurell said.

“Once we sort of get a bit deeper into the prep, she’ll suggest what she’s going to do.

“But she does relax and travel. She might give herself that opportunity to sort of stretch out to a mile, however, at the moment, if she does what she does over the shorter trips we’ll be happy.”

Bet on the upcoming spring features with competitive racing odds from leading bookmakers.

Happy Sunday Husky fans. The Husky coaches have been busy on the recruiting front and it sounds like some good news should be heading their way over the next couple of weeks. Several top offensive line targets have set their commitments after visiting last weekend.

4 star offensive lineman Gecova Doyal from Puyallup HS, WA is set to commit on July 1st with the Huskies looking like they are in a good position to reel him in. Rated as the 16th best composite interior offensive lineman Doyal had seemingly narrowed his recruitment down to Oregon and UW. The Huskies got the last visit and the Huskies would love to add Doyal who looks like a future mauler on the offensive line. Listed at 6’3″ and around 285 pounds, Doyal looks destined to play guard in college. The Huskies would love to continue their dominance of landing the majority of the top in-state players under coach Fisch and landing Doyal would be a big win for the Huskies over the Ducks.

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3 star offensive tackle Tye Kennedy from Mountain View HS, AZ is set to commit on July 1st as well and I like where the Huskies sit for him. Kennedy, who has a prototypical frame for an offensive tackle, has immense potential and would be a big pickup for the Huskies. With a similar build to his father, former Husky great Lincoln Kennedy, Tye has accumulated offers from Michigan, Stanford, and Utah. The Huskies don’t have an offensive tackle currently committed to them and Kennedy would fill that role as a potential fixture at tackle in college. Kennedy, is rated as the 49th best offensive tackle in the country by 247sports.

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4 star offensive lineman DaJohn Yarborough from Basha HS, AZ is set to commit on July 11th and is another top target that appears to be trending towards UW. Listed at 6’5″ and around 340 pounds Yarborough has the size to play tackle or slide inside and play guard. The Huskies have been battling Cal, FSU, and Mississippi State and would love to reel in Yarborough who is rated as the 26th best interior offensive via composite rating. After missing part of his junior season, Yarborough looks ready to go and would be a big pickup for the Huskies if they can land him.

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If you like beef then these next couple of weeks should be fun to follow for Husky fans. That is all for today and as always follow me @asieverkropp.

The viral World Cup fan, known as Freddy, has traveled all over the U.S. to get the full American experience as he dives into his hardcore soccer fandom.

On Sunday, he’s getting a different treat.

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Mike Santana and Matt Hardy attend the AMC Networks 2026 Upfront Party at Spring Studios in New York City on April 29, 2026. (John Nacion/Variety)

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) invited Freddy to its Slammiversary pay-per-view event in Boston at the Agganis Arena. Freddy said the TNA event will be the appetizer to his attendance at Germany’s knockout round match against Paraguay.

“The next two days in Boston will be super exciting. Not only are we going to the Germany match on the 29th, but we’re also going to a wrestling show tomorrow,” he wrote on X. “We’re attending @ThisIsTNA Slammiversary and we might even get the chance to meet Jeff and Matt Hardy. This will be fun!”

TNA responded, “We’re excited to have you at the Agganis Arena tomorrow as we celebrate 24 years of TNA at #TNASlammiversary!”

Matt Hardy, who will be teaming with Jeff Hardy in a four-way ladder match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship, also replied to Freddy.

Jeff and Matt Hardy win during Showdown at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 7, 2025. (Bradlee Rutledge/Getty Images)

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“I’m so happy you’re enjoying your time in America, @FreddyLA7! Gonna make sure @ThisIsTNA has you all set up for #TNASlammiversary tomorrow. Looking forward to meeting you.”

Freddy’s journey across the U.S. has been one of the World Cup figures taking hold of the tournament off the pitch. The internet has fallen in love with his exploits and his seemingly good-natured demeanor has landed him some incredible experiences.

He was also invited to the White House, Ambassador Nick Adams, who is the Special Presidential Envoy for American, Tourism, Exceptionalism and Values in the Trump administration, confirmed to Fox News Digital earlier this month.

Matt Hardy participates in the U.S. vs. Canada Border Brawl in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on May 25, 2025. (Robert Okine/Getty Images for Zone-ify)

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The Hardys take on Bear Bronson and Brian Myers, The Righteous and Jason Hotch and John Skyler in the ladder match with the titles on the line. The main card begins at 4 p.m. ET.

As we count down to the first college football game of the 2026 season, we continue our new series: The records of each top CFB program in the West against all the others in the region.

Some schools have met many times over the years, while others are beginning new rivalries in the wake of recent realignment.

For each opponent in the table below, we provide the total games played, wins, losses, ties, winning percentage, first year played, and most recent contest.

We continue with Hawai’i, which has played 535 games against regional foes, winning 225, losing 305, with 5 ties for a winning percentage of .425.

The Rainbow Warriors have recorded the most wins (25), played the most games (57), and lost the most games (31) against Fresno State.

Here is a breakdown of Hawai’i’s records vs. the region’s teams.

A jockey’s least favourite morning announcement turned into a triumphant moment for Reece Jones, whose commitment to weight reduction for a pick-up ride saw Lighthouse Lass overcome a slow start to claim her second career win.

Jones, who had five rides scheduled at Rosehill, the lightest at 52.5kg, received a late request from trainer Will Freedman on Saturday morning. He was asked to ride Lighthouse Lass at 52kg after the first emergency gained entry into the Kia Ora Bloodlines to Headlines Handicap (1100m).

The jockey accepted the ride and immediately began shedding the necessary half-kilogram.

“It was a little bit late notice, but the advantages of being four-feet tall,” Jones quipped. “It definitely helps. I had to get the weight off this morning, and I’m glad I did now.”

Lighthouse Lass had not visited the winner’s circle since her Scone debut in January last year, but had placed in five of her eight starts since joining Richard and Will Freedman in February.

Will Freedman was pleased to see her finally achieve a win, noting she was due for a change in fortune.

“She’s had her fair share of bad luck,” Freedman said. “The one thing that really benefitted her today was missing the kick and having a bit of room to build into it. She’s not that tractable when things don’t go her way. They did go her way today, and she was always going to be strong late because she’s come back in distance.”

In other results, the Chris Waller-trained four-year-old Tarzing continued his good form, notching his third win from five starts in the Irresistible Pools and Spas Handicap (1400m). This was a notable success for Phil Gould, General Manager of Football for the Canterbury Bulldogs, and club Chairman Adam Driussi, who are part-owners of Tarzing, coming shortly after the Bulldogs’ victory over the Gold Coast Titans on Friday night.

Waller’s assistant trainer, Darren Beadman, indicated confidence in the four-year-old’s future prospects.

“He really hasn’t put a foot wrong. His form was good in Melbourne, and he came up here in good order,” Beadman said. “It was a nice win and he’s going through his grades nicely.”

Discover the best betting sites for this week’s racing action.

A wave of relief washed over Tom Charlton as King Pedro, overcoming a string of frustratingly narrow defeats, delivered a dominant performance to claim the Stayers Cup at Rosehill.

Since his last triumph at Gosford in November, the lightly raced gelding had recorded four second placings in his five subsequent starts. Charlton admitted to feeling considerable anxiety about his charge, the $2 favourite with leading betting sites, delivering on Saturday.

“I’m a bit nervous because I feel like the horse has been quite unfortunate for a lot of this preparation,” Charlton disclosed. “I’m relieved for the owners and staff and horse that he has managed to get the job done.”

He further elaborated on the horse’s potential: “He’s a really nice stayer. He will definitely make a better grade, and a good grade, in time. He is effective on all ground, effective at 2000 to 2400 (metres), and he could be effective over even further in time.”

King Pedro, a four-year-old, is sired by Eminent, a New Zealand-based stallion by Frankel who remains relatively obscure in Australia. The stable had identified him as a promising stayer after his sixth-place finish from a wide draw in the 2025 New Zealand Derby (2400m), and Charlton was hopeful of his return to competitive racing at a higher level.

The immediate focus is likely the Grafton Cup (2350m) next month, with consideration also given to races such as The Metropolitan (2400m) in the future.

“Those are the sort of races, maybe a Sydney Cup some day,” Charlton considered. “Whether it comes too soon, but we do feel he could make it into a race like that. He is still quite an unfurnished horse so there is plenty more to come.”

Charlton explained the rationale behind the gelding’s race choices: “We toyed with the idea of going to Caloundra (Cup) next weekend, but we thought the option of an easier race to try to win, and then potentially go to something nicer was probably more suitable.”

Ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, King Pedro ($2 favourite) powered to a convincing three-length victory over Pinhole ($6), with outsider Masoun ($101) securing third place by a short neck.

For those keen on the horse racing action, check out the latest racing betting markets.

The 2026 World Cup is into the serious stuff after the group stage, as the knockout rounds begin with a first ever last-32.

The top two sides in each group qualified for knockouts along with the eight best third-place teams. Uruguay and Scotland were among the 16 nations eliminated, while tournament contenders including Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, England and Germany all topped their groups.

There are 104 matches in North America this summer, up by 40 since the Qatar World Cup in 2022, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo likely to play on this stage for the last time in their glittering careers.

And here is every knockout fixture’s date, kick-off time and host city:

Here are how they finished in the group stage:

The World Cup began in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, the site of Diego Maradona’s most famous and infamous goals against England at the 1986 World Cup.

It was also the venue for two classic World Cup finals: Brazil’s win over Italy in 1970 which included Carlos Alberto’s iconic team goal to cap a 4-1 win; and Argentina’s 3-2 win over West Germany in 1986, where Jorge Burruchaga grabbed an 84th-minute winner.

Mexico and Canada will host 13 games in each, and the United States will host 78.

From the quarter-finals onwards, the US will host all of the remaining matches, with the final in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

Who will win the World Cup?

Football’s biggest question is back – and the debate is already heating up. England’s new golden generation, Argentina’s defending champions, France’s relentless depth and Spain’s evolving young side all have strong claims to glory at the World Cup.

Now it’s your turn: who do you think will lift the trophy?

Paul Pogba has been enjoying the World Cup this summer and has now been reunited with a former teammate from his time at Manchester United

Former Manchester United players Paul Pogba and Juan Mata have reunited at the World Cup. Both players left Old Trafford in the summer of 2022 – winning three major trophies in M16 between them.

Pogba went on to rejoin Italian giants Juventus after his second spell at United, before leaving the Serie A club in November 2024. The 2018 World Cup winner was linked with several clubs, including the Reds, once he was eligible to play again after an 18-month drugs ban.

But it was confirmed in June last year that Pogba had signed for Monaco on a two-year deal. He made six appearances for the Ligue 1 side last season – failing to score or provide an assist.

The 33-year-old attended an Adidas event in New York City over the weekend, where he reunited with Mata, who is working as a pundit for ITV. Mata joined United for a then-club record fee of £37.1m in January 2014 from Chelsea.

The Spaniard went on to make 285 appearances for United, scoring 51 goals and providing 43 assists before leaving to join Galatasaray in September 2022.

And the Melbourne Victory midfielder has posted a picture of himself being hugged by Pogba on Instagram after bumping into the Frenchman in New York. Writing in Spanish, he said: “Love you, my friend!! @paulpogba. It’s always such a joy to see you.”

Mata has always been a fan of Pogba and spoke about the midfielder back in 2019, when he was being linked with a move away from Old Trafford.

“He’s a fantastic midfielder and he’s a very good guy,” Mata said.

Mata also described Pogba as a ‘positive influence’ and someone who ‘brings everyone together’.

Thousands of Man United fans upgraded their matchday last season. This is how they did it.

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