• 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: Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images

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

Here is the article in question and a snippet of Andy’s stat action …

Mac Allister’s sense of responsibility extends to implementing Iraola’s instructions for his new team. Figures from Opta show the midfielder is winning more tackles per Premier League game this season – 2.3 on average compared to 1.8 last season; winning more duels (4.8 from 3.8); winning more aerial duels (0.9 from 0.6) and winning more possession (5.6 on average compared to 3.8).

He is sacrificing the offensive side of his game to bring more aggression and organisation to the defensive aspect, and his touches in the opposition box, chances created, goals and assists are all down on last season as a consequence. Not that Iraola is complaining.

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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

• 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: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

© Photograph: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

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. 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