• Updates from the final day of the series at Newlands

• Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email

3rd over: Australia 14-2 (Head 9, Green 1) Brave of Green to leave the ball outside off. Similar spot to the one that got Marnus, a touch fuller perhaps. He gets moving from the fifth ball, knocks a single into the off side.

2nd over: Australia 13-2 (Head 9, Green 0) Well, I said that Australia needed Head to take a bite out of the chase first, but wasn’t anticipating that he would lose two partners in the first over. He decides to do his part anyway. Defends three balls from Jansen, then lets loose as he sees width. Misses his first flail, connects cleanly with his second one along the ground, and connects dirty with his third, in the air through the cordon but safe. Two boundaries, but if I were South Africa, I’d happily feed that shot a few times looking for the mistake.

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© Photograph: Halden Krog/AP

© Photograph: Halden Krog/AP

© Photograph: Halden Krog/AP

⚽ All the latest as we build up to Saturday’s games
⚽ Ten things to look out for | Fixtures | Mail Billy

“It’s not always rosy and nice conversations,” Michael Carrick said on Thursday as he reflected on a difficult week at United amid speculation over his future and the general state of the club.

United have gone eight games without a win after their worst league start in 40 years. They are 16th in the Premier League, one point above the relegation zone. Carrick suggested he had held talks with Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada this week …

It’s pretty clear, it’s not always rosy and nice conversations between anyone, whether that’s between me and the players, whether that’s between me, Jason, Omar or the owners.

It’s the truth, it’s the hard truth at times and it’s what we need to move forward. Whatever we need to move forward, we will do.

I’ll be totally honest, it was mixed feelings for me. To have the appreciation from the supporters and that connection and that respect is something I feel strongly about.

It wasn’t a nice situation but to feel that was important, of course, but it didn’t make me feel better in the fact that I’m with the players 100% and we’re all in it together. I’ve told the players that, I’m happy to say that.

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© Photograph: Chloe Knott/Tottenham Hotspur FC/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Chloe Knott/Tottenham Hotspur FC/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Chloe Knott/Tottenham Hotspur FC/Shutterstock

• Updates as Kangaroos take on Cook Islands in Townsville

• Kick-off time is 7.05pm local/8.05pm AEDT/9.05am GMT

• Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email

The Kangaroos will be wearing their familiar dark green uniform with gold accents. Plenty of green in the Cook Islands outfit as well, but it is the secondary colour to a majority white base.

Tonight’s referee is NRL veteran Ashley Klein.

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© Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP

© Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP

© Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP

Updates on the ODI in Lahore. Play starts 8am GMT
Eliminated England beat Sri Lanka | Email Tanya

3rd over: Sri Lanka 10-0 (Avishka 6, Kamindu 4) Shaheen, something less than a towel, more like an ironed pocket hankerchief, tucked into his waistband runs in. Kamindu launches into a pull but just collects a single, but Avishka collects the first boundary of the day to short fine leg.

2nd over: Sri Lanka 5-0 (Avishka 2, Kamindu 3) Pakistan’s James Dean, Naseem Shah, slides in at the other end. Shorter, skiddier. Sri Lanka’s eager beavers have to be content with knocking about a few singles.

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© Photograph: KM Chaudary/AP

© Photograph: KM Chaudary/AP

© Photograph: KM Chaudary/AP

Ballon d’Or winner’s move to WSL has transformed the Lionesses on and off the pitch with belief soaring ahead of Manchester City clash

As Martin Semmens, the London City Lionesses chief executive, sits down is his office he looks like the cat that got the cream. He says he has just learned that the club’s Instagram page has generated 34m hits since Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d’Or on Monday evening, and it is only Thursday afternoon. On Sunday, two clubs with seven of the top 30 players in the Ballon d’Or rankings will go head-to-head when Manchester City visit Hayes Lane, Bromley. It is, Semmens, says, “awesome for the WSL”.

From the outside, it can feel slightly surreal. The independent women’s club, owned by the businesswoman Michele Kang, are third in the top flight, two‑and‑a‑half years after finishing eighth in tier two, and Semmens believes signing the world’s best player has helped change the mindset of everyone at the club.

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© Photograph: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

© Photograph: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Intercity train operator’s compensation bill likely to top £70m this financial year amid rise in claims across network

Avanti West Coast paid out more than £20m to passengers in just three months this summer in refunds for disrupted journeys on Britain’s main intercity rail network.

The intercity operator paid out almost as much in a four-week period to 25 July – £9.3m – as its annual profits for each of the past two years. It repaid a further £12.2m in the subsequent eight weeks.

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© Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

© Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

© Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

• Joanna Wietrzyk claims victory in first event of season in Hamburg

• Australian says pre-race that she is ‘truly so sorry’ for events in Beijing

The Australian athlete who sparked outrage when winning a Hyrox event in Beijing despite soiling herself during the race has returned in style with victory in the first event of the new season in Hamburg.

Joanna Wietrzyk won the endurance sports event in China last month but forfeited the points and soon faced a stinging public backlash as footage of her continuing through demanding exercises and using communal equipment with faecal matter running down her legs went viral on social media.

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© Photograph: Poly Fei/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

© Photograph: Poly Fei/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

© Photograph: Poly Fei/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

The MV Odyssey was billed as the ultimate escape from Donald Trump. Instead, the oil shock caused by his war has left passengers unceremoniously dumped in Cambodia

The idea was a never-ending retirement at sea, a continuous voyage around the globe. The promise to the passengers of the MV Odyssey cruise ship – many approaching the autumn of their lives – was that on the open seas they could cut loose from the troubles of the world. But the world had other ideas.

The end came in an announcement as stark as it was brief: they had seven hours to get off. They were going no further than Cambodia.

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© Illustration: Anaïs Mims/Getty

© Illustration: Anaïs Mims/Getty

© Illustration: Anaïs Mims/Getty

The MV Odyssey was billed as the ultimate escape from Donald Trump. Instead, the oil shock caused by his war has left passengers unceremoniously dumped in Cambodia

The idea was a never-ending retirement at sea, a continuous voyage around the globe. The promise to the passengers of the MV Odyssey cruise ship – many approaching the autumn of their lives – was that on the open seas they could cut loose from the troubles of the world. But the world had other ideas.

The end came in an announcement as stark as it was brief: they had seven hours to get off. They were going no further than Cambodia.

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© Illustration: Anaïs Mims/Getty

© Illustration: Anaïs Mims/Getty

© Illustration: Anaïs Mims/Getty

• World No 10 defeats Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 in quarter-final

• 27-year-old becomes ninth Australian man to reach 350 tour-level wins

Alex de Minaur has enjoyed a landmark 350th tour-level win of his career at the Vienna Open, downing an old rival to set up a semi-final date with the world No 1-elect Alexander Zverev.

Australia’s main man defeated Matteo Berrettini, the Italian he’s had plenty of trouble with down the years, for the second successive year in the quarter-final of the ATP 500 event at the Wiener Stadthalle.

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© Photograph: Lisa Leutner/Reuters

© Photograph: Lisa Leutner/Reuters

© Photograph: Lisa Leutner/Reuters

• Villa chair announces plan on social media

• Carragher said club will ‘never be Man United’

Aston Villa have announced plans to take legal action against Jamie Carragher following his “unacceptable insults” about the club and its supporters.

Carragher told Villa fans to “shut the fuck up” after facing criticism for suggesting Unai Emery should consider taking the Manchester United job. Villa responded on Friday evening with a statement on X signed by their chair, Nassef Sawiris.

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© Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

© Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

© Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA

• USA 12-55 England

• Claudia Moloney-MacDonald runs in four tries

England have seen a lot of records crumble around them in this WXV Global Series but the world champions were not going to let a 35-year winning streak go against the USA. The last time the Eagles claimed a victory over the Red Roses was in the 1991 Rugby World Cup and since then England have won all 22 matches they have played. The Red Roses got back to winning ways and while their recent losses to Canada displayed the top sides had caught up with the world No 1 team, Friday’s outing against the USA evidenced that outside the top three there is still a gap to be closed.

The USA headed into the match in good form with five consecutive wins, including victories over Wales and Ireland, and their No 8 Freda Tafuna has been one of the standouts across all of the teams during the WXV. However, England were able to contain the bright spark and despite good performances from Alev Kelter and Hope Rogers, the hosts did not have enough firepower.

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© Photograph: Caean Couto/Getty Images

© Photograph: Caean Couto/Getty Images

© Photograph: Caean Couto/Getty Images

Dolly Parton, tulips and outback life all feature in the best images captured across the country in October

• Apartments, community centres and a pink outdoor toilet: Australia’s 2026 National Architecture award winners – in pictures

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© Photograph: Christopher Hopkins/AAP

© Photograph: Christopher Hopkins/AAP

© Photograph: Christopher Hopkins/AAP

Red Roses cruise to dominant victory over United States in final WXV game

• Head coach reflects on ‘not always rosy’ conversations

• Players ‘hurting’ after eight games without a win

Michael Carrick said he has had difficult conversations with the Manchester United hierarchy and his players during their turbulent start to the season.

United have not won in their past eight games and start the weekend in 16th place of 20 in the league, one point above the relegation zone.

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© Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

© Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

© Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

• Bets predicted exact top-five men’s finishing order

• Organiser France Football has contacted police

A series of suspicious bets that correctly predicted the exact top-five finishing order of this year’s Ballon d’Or and generated almost $200,000 (£149,000) in winnings is being investigated by the event’s organisers, France Football, who have also contacted the police.

It has been alleged that 12 Polymarket accounts – an American cryptocurrency-based prediction market – placed the bets, with more than $264,000 wagered on the outcome before Monday’s ceremony. Their extraordinary accuracy has raised serious questions about a potential leak of confidential results before football’s most prestigious individual award. Harry Kane was crowned the winner at the ceremony at the London Palladium, finishing ahead of Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Lionel Messi. Remarkably, this was the exact order predicted by the group of accounts identified in French media outlet Upside’s investigation.

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© Photograph: S Stingl/FC Bayern/Getty Images

© Photograph: S Stingl/FC Bayern/Getty Images

© Photograph: S Stingl/FC Bayern/Getty Images

Arsenal have not won at Liverpool for 13 league games but Gunners’ win in 1989 remains one of club’s greatest nights

Mikel Arteta used a Spanish word to describe what it felt like to be helpless at Anfield while playing for Everton in 2011: bajar. “It’s when a cyclist is going up and looks amazing, then in one kilometre he goes ‘boom’ and he’s struggling again,” he said in Amazon’s All or Nothing documentary. “The game was going well and then suddenly I could only see red shirts flying around. The game is passing all over me and I cannot react. I only had that feeling in my career once, and it was at Anfield.”

Given Arteta’s record at Liverpool, Sunday’s showdown with his childhood friend Andoni Iraola – five days after Arsenal were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Fleetwood – could be expected to fill him with dread. Arteta finally tasted victory there as a player with Arsenal in September 2012, after five failed attempts in the Merseyside derby, but ended up spending the night in hospital with concussion after colliding with Jordan Henderson in an incident he has described as “the biggest fear of my life”.

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© Composite: Guardian Design

© Composite: Guardian Design

© Composite: Guardian Design

Italian 20-year-old is on the verge of becoming the youngest world champion with the Mexican Grand Prix ready for a carnival coronation atmosphere

An undeniable highlight of this Formula One season, marked by discontent at the new regulations, has been getting swept along by the sheer joy that the world champion-in-waiting, Kimi Antonelli, has displayed on his way to a title he will almost surely secure this weekend at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Antonelli was still a teenager for the first half of the year and it seemed fitting to describe him as such. His exuberant embrace of competing for Mercedes at the sharp end of F1 in just his second season was that of any 19-year-old. Like discovering a life-changing new band or how much fun can be had with a cold beer, a wide grin was barely off his face.

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© Photograph: Manuel Velasquez/Formula 1/Getty Images

© Photograph: Manuel Velasquez/Formula 1/Getty Images

© Photograph: Manuel Velasquez/Formula 1/Getty Images

Club’s predicament raises interesting questions about principles, both for individuals and the Premier League

I felt unbelievably ponderous. My head was made of Aztec stone. I realised I didn’t want to be with all these people. Somebody came at me, a huge individual in silver and blue. I fell at his feet and grabbed one shoe. I started untying the lace. He kicked away from me. I got up and walked off. I was exceedingly hungry.

Not my words. Also not the words of the Manchester City centre-back Marc Guéhi, despite what you were thinking there. This is instead a condensed quote from the mind of Gary Harkness, existentially curious college running-back and the narrator of Don DeLillo’s great American football novel End Zone.

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© Illustration: Nathan Daniels/The Guardian

© Illustration: Nathan Daniels/The Guardian

© Illustration: Nathan Daniels/The Guardian

After being dropped for ‘a breach of club discipline’, the winger must face the same questions about respect and self-awareness

For the biggest game in Manchester City’s history, Jack Grealish was given a starting berth while Phil Foden, Julián Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez were on the bench. Grealish played the full 90 minutes of the Champions League triumph against Inter because Pep Guardiola had the greatest faith in the attacking midfielder, but three years on he is at risk of being yesterday’s man.

That trust dwindled, not helped by injuries, and Grealish made only 17 Premier League starts over the next two seasons under Guardiola. City wanted him to leave in the summer of 2025, and Everton provided the solution, taking him on loan and borrowing him again for this season. Six Everton appearances into this campaign he was left out of the squad for Thursday’s Carabao Cup win against Newcastle after missing training on Monday. Everton went public with the fact that there had been “a breach of club discipline”.

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© Photograph: Molly Darlington/Getty Images

© Photograph: Molly Darlington/Getty Images

© Photograph: Molly Darlington/Getty Images