Latest news about sports from all over the world
Traditional powers Ohio State, Georgia and Alabama exit the College Football Playoff along with Texas Tech. Upstarts Indiana, Ole Miss, Miami and Oregon continue on.
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Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has insisted he wants to “fight with his team” and see out his contract at the club, following reported interest in former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca.
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“As you know, I need time,” he said. “Give me time and you’re going to see what I do. You can already see what I did before because I didn’t start yesterday.
“I’m going to be a liar if I say, ‘everything is happy, everything is good’. No, it’s not the case, but I knew that before.
“That’s why I’m calm during all the questions you ask me. I’m not pleased to hear people don’t like me, but they have the right to say it because in terms of results, this is not what we want.
“Tomorrow is a big game. But the context is that I’ve only had 13 training sessions with my team. Usually we have four weeks of pre-season.
“It’s totally normal that you guys kill me. I’m fine with that because I know where I want to go. Judge me in a few weeks or months. If you want to judge me now, you can do it. I didn’t have the results we wanted – it’s a fact, I cannot deny that.”
Nancy says he will “die” to achieve his goals at Celtic and believes results under him have not reflected performances.
“It’s totally normal my players need a bit of time and are confused at certain moments,” he explained.
“It’s a process. I don’t like the word process because people think I am going to hide behind ‘process’, but it’s true.
“Judge me, no problem, but have a look at the games since I have been here and analyse if we should have won or lost. Do it.
“I am a clear guy. For the moment, I cannot talk because results are not good enough. I shut my mouth and I take it, but I know where we are going. After that, if it’s going to work or not, I don’t know. We are going to do everything to do it and I am here for that.
“Yes, I want to win every game. Yes, I want to win titles. I want to create a legacy here. I am going to die for this club, for sure.”
Crash kills two men and injures British boxer Anthony Joshua in Nigeria.
Published On 2 Jan 20262 Jan 2026
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The driver of a car carrying British boxer Anthony Joshua that was involved in a fatal crash in Nigeria has been charged with reckless and dangerous driving, police in southwestern Nigeria’s Ogun State say.
Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, was driving the boxer and two of his friends, Latif Ayodele and Sina Ghami, on a busy highway linking Lagos and Ibadan on Monday when the Lexus SUV in which they were travelling rammed into a stationary truck.
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“The defendant was granted bail in the sum of 5 million naira ($3,480) with two sureties. He was remanded pending when he meets his bail condition,” police spokesman Oluseyi Babaseyi told the AFP news agency on Friday.
Kayode has been held in police custody since he was discharged from hospital on Thursday.
Nigerian police and state officials said Ayodele and Ghami died at the scene while Joshua and the driver sustained minor injuries.
Preliminary investigations showed that the vehicle was moving at an excessive speed and had burst a tyre before the crash, the Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency in Ogun State, where the accident occurred, told AFP earlier in the week.
After leaving the hospital on Wednesday, Joshua and his mother paid their respects at the funeral home where the bodies of his friends were being prepared for repatriation.
A government source suggested to AFP on Thursday that the remains of the victims may have been repatriated to the United Kingdom. Joshua’s whereabouts are unknown.
Chelsea interim manager Calum McFarlane admits it’s been a “whirlwind” 24 hours since he was named as temporary replacement for Enzo Maresca.
Italian Maresca parted company with the Blues on Thursday, 18 months after replacing Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.
McFarlane, Chelsea‘s U21s head coach, was named as interim manager and will take charge of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Manchester City.
Such was the unexpected nature of McFarlane’s appointment, the Englishman’s training ground pass had to be amended to grant him access to the club’s press conference room on Friday morning.
“It’s been a crazy 24 hours, a whirlwind, as you can imagine, but also really enjoyable and really exciting,” said McFarlane.
“I can only feel positive about it. It’s an amazing experience.”
He added: “I am quite relaxed. I am sure as we get closer to the game it will become more nerve-wracking. I haven’t worked at this level before but the lads have been brilliant and we will do this together.”
Maresca’s departure came after a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth on Tuesday, which left the Blues 15 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.
It means McFarlane’s debut as a manager of a senior team will come against Pep Guardiola, who celebrated managing his 1,000th match as a head coach in November.
“The team needs to be ready and prepared and our role is giving the players the support they need to go and execute,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say we have nothing to lose. We have to give a real good account of ourselves.”
Chelsea travel to Manchester three places and 11 points behind second-placed City.
Reports following Maresca’s departure suggested the Italian had held talks with City over succeeding Guardiola, though the former Leicester City boss denied the claims.
“From my point of view Chelsea have lost an incredible manager and an incredible person,” Guardiola said on Maresca’s departure.
“It’s a decision from the Chelsea hierarchy so I’ve nothing to say. How lucky I am in the club where I am. My club is extraordinary.”
Asked about his own future, Guardiola – whose current deal runs until the end of the 2026-27 season – said: “I have one more year.
“I’ve been here for 10 years and I promise you I will leave one day but I have a contract, I’m happy, I want to fight with my team, the hierarchy respect me – they proved last season when we didn’t win one game in three months.”
Rosenior, a right-back, had a solid but unspectacular career as a player – featuring in the top flight for Fulham, Reading, Hull and Brighton.
Roughly half his career was spent in the EFL and that’s where he started his coaching career.
After a spell as Brighton‘s under-23s coach, he spent three years at Derby.
He was first-team coach under Phillip Cocu and then assistant boss to Wayne Rooney – before taking over as interim boss after Rooney’s departure.
But he was more hands-on than the average assistant.
“There was an argument when Mel Morris sacked Phillip Cocu in November 2020, Rosenior should have been put in charge, not Rooney,” said BBC football news reporter Simon Stone.
“Rooney had the profile of course, but it was Rosenior who put the sessions on at Derby and who guided the team during games.
“Rosenior replaced Rooney for a short time in 2022, after administration had led to relegation into League One.
“It was Rosenior who put Derby back together, helping to bring in 14 new players after the club had been left with only five under contract.
“History suggests the new ownership would have been better leaving Rosenior in charge, given they were seventh when he left and under his replacement, Paul Warne, they didn’t even end with a play-off place.”
He then spent almost two years as Hull manager – with observers again thinking he was harshly done by at the end.
The Tigers were one point above the relegation zone when he took over in November 2022 and led them to 15th.
The following season they finished three points off the play-off places, and Rosenior was sacked.
In 2024-25 while Rosenior was leading Strasbourg into Europe, Hull City avoided relegation from the Championship on goal difference.
Will Bryson III of St. Paul stuck it out for his senior basketball season even though the team lost pretty much everybody to graduation except for him.
All he can do is his best, and that’s what he has been doing, including a 68-point performance two weeks ago in Las Vegas in a triple overtime game.
The 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 33.1 points a game for St. Paul (6-9) and showing dedication in that he stayed knowing the team might not be as good as last season’s 19-11 team, but he’d be the leader entrusted to help young players develop. On Friday, he faces the state’s leading scorer, Jason Crowe Jr. of Inglewood, in a noon game at Morningside. Bryson ranks as No. 3 in the state. Crowe is averaging 43.9 points and the two have been facing off since their youth days.
Coach Patrick Roy has been raving about Bryson’s contributions.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
United States tennis legend Venus Williams returns to the Australian Open for the first time since 2021.
Published On 2 Jan 20262 Jan 2026
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Seven-time major singles champion Venus Williams has been handed a wildcard to the Australian Open aged 45, becoming the oldest woman to play at the season-opening tennis Grand Slam.
The American, who has played only a limited number of singles matches in recent years, will compete in the main draw at Melbourne Park for the first time since 2021.
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“I’m excited to be back in Australia and looking forward to competing during the Australian summer,” Williams said on Friday.
“I’ve had so many incredible memories there and I’m grateful for the opportunity to return to a place that has meant so much to my career.”
Williams is a five-time Wimbledon champion and also won two US Opens.
She was an Australian Open singles finalist in 2003 and 2017.
She will become the oldest woman to play at the Australian Open since Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round in 2015.
Williams, a four-time Australian Open doubles champion, is set to begin her preparations for the January 18-February 1 tournament at the Auckland Classic next week, having returned to the circuit at the US Open last year after a 16-month break.
She will then head to the Hobart International immediately before Melbourne.
Two-time Grand Slam champion and fellow American Coco Gauff said it was “incredible” to see Williams still turning up for tournaments.
“She’s a legend of the sport, so it will be cool to see her back in action,” she said.
“It’s incredible the longevity of her career. She’s one of the people I looked up to, so looking forward to seeing her back on court.”
From Anthony Solorzano: After a night of rain in Pasadena, the Indiana Hoosiers washed away the weight of history.
Entering the Rose Bowl, College Football Playoff teams coming off first-round byes were winless. At the start of the season, the Hoosiers led college football with the most all-time losses. During their sole previous Rose Bowl appearance in 1968, the Hoosiers lost to USC.
Indiana’s football program spent most of its time stuck in the Big Ten conference basement, but that era is over.
Now, with new blood infused by head coach Curt Cignetti and an offense led by Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, the Hoosiers have turned the page and shattered expectations.
After a quarter of brushing off their rust following a three-week break, No. 1 Indiana rolled to a 38-3 Rose Bowl victory over No. 9 Alabama Thursday afternoon in front of a crowd of 90,278. It is the largest postseason margin of defeat in Crimson Tide history.
When an ESPN reporter asked Cignetti moments after the win how his team managed to handle the Rose Bowl pressure and proved the moment wasn’t too big for them, he responded, “Why should it be too big, because our name’s Indiana?
”… We’ve come through in clutch moments. I’m proud of the way they’ve responded.”
College Football Playoff roundup
In front of more than 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl, Indiana running back Roman Hemby scores on an 18-yard run in the fourth quarter during the Hoosiers’ win over Alabama on Thursday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
From Bill Plaschke: Two unbeatens owned Pasadena Thursday, two unbeatens who transformed a dreary morning into a startling afternoon, two unbeatens who overcame questions to shine like the poke of the midday sun.
Indiana and Grandaddy.
First, the Hoosiers, who improved to 14-0 and bolstered the growing belief that they are the best college football team in the country after a 38-3 beatdown of Alabama in the Rose Bowl’s CFP quarterfinal game.
Second, the Rose Bowl itself, the “Grandaddy of Them All” improving to 112-0, again proving immune to bad weather and misguided criticism while putting on college football’s most majestic show.
The rain that had soaked the morning Rose Parade stopped before the game. Early in the second quarter, the sun creeped out. A postponed pregame flyover eventually joined the party, a single jet buzzing the cheering crowd at the start of the third quarter. Finally, early in the fourth quarter the San Gabriel Mountains made their annual breathtaking appearance, barging through the clouds like the Hoosiers rolling over the Tide.
Melanie Jackson, daughter of Keith Jackson, holds up a photo of the iconic college football broadcaster at the family’s home in Sherman Oaks on Thursday.
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
From Sam Farmer: Even the “Granddaddy of Them All” has a dad.
That’s the late and legendary ABC Sports announcer Keith Jackson, who coined that term for the Rose Bowl Game and it stuck. He clicked off his microphone for the last time precisely 20 years ago after Texas beat USC on this storied field.
The game was a classic and so was Jackson, the Saturday evening soundtrack for generations of college football fans. His melodic baritone filled millions of households with tales of Southerners and soph-ah-mores, with praise for the “big uglies” and proclamations of “Hello, Heisman.”
“I still hear his voice,” said his daughter, Melanie, standing Thursday in the office of the family home in Sherman Oaks, where Keith and Turi Ann raised their children Melanie, Lindsey and Christopher. “I come up here sometimes just to say hi to him.”
Jackson, who died in 2018, still lives in the hearts of his family, friends and fans, and his countless stories and famous calls are woven into the lore of college football — although he covered many sports — and the history of the Rose Bowl itself.
Rams safety Quentin Lake jogs back to the locker room before a game against the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 16.
(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)
From Gary Klein: As safety Quentin Lake played through much of the final year of his rookie contract, he said he did not worry about whether he would come to terms with the Rams about an extension.
If he took care of business on the field, everything would work out.
On Thursday, that manifestation came to fruition.
Lake signed a three-year extension that will keep another pillar of the Rams’ defense in place.
Terms of the deal were not announced but it includes $25.7 million in guarantees, said a person with knowledge of the situation who requested anonymity because the terms were not announced.
UCLA coach Jerry Neuheisel stands on the sideline against Penn State on Oct. 4.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
From Ben Bolch: Jerry Neuheisel is leaving home to go work for someone familiar.
The longtime UCLA assistant who was born at the school’s medical center, played quarterback for the Bruins and rose to de facto offensive coordinator last season will rejoin former boss Chip Kelly in a new role at Northwestern.
Neuheisel has agreed to become the quarterbacks coach under Kelly, who will serve as the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator after being fired late last season from the same role with the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard dunks during the first half of a 118-101 win over the Utah Jazz at Intuit Dome on Thursday night.
(William Liang / Associated Press)
From The Associated Press: Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points, James Harden added 20 and the Clippers recovered from blowing a 21-point lead to beat the Utah Jazz on 118-101 on Thursday night, extending their winning streak to a season-best six games.
Leonard was the only Clippers starter on the floor for much of the fourth quarter. He singlehandedly matched Utah’s points in the period (20), with blood on his nose from what appeared to be a scratch.
The Clippers hit seven straight three-pointers, with Leonard making four, to pull away. Nicolas Batum finished with 14 points and went four for six from three-point range.
Tampa Bay forward Brayden Point, left, Kings forward Andrei Kuzmenko battle for the puck during the first period of the Kings’ 5-3 loss Thursday at Crypto.com Arena.
(Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Associated Press)
From the Associated Press: Gage Goncalves scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:41 to play, and the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied from a late deficit to beat the Kings 5-3 on Thursday night for their sixth consecutive victory.
Anthony Cirelli scored the tying goal with 3:19 left in regulation for the Lightning, who fell behind early in the third period on Kevin Fiala‘s power-play goal.
Cirelli crashed the net and pushed home his 11th goal on a play set up by Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov. Moments later, Cirelli and Goncalves drove the net again, and Goncalves eventually converted a behind-the-net pass from Jake Guentzel for his fourth goal.
1961 — George Blanda passes for three touchdowns and kicks a field goal and the extra points to give the Houston Oilers a 24-16 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in the first American Football League championship game.
1965 — The New York Jets sign Alabama quarterback Joe Namath for a reported $400,000, the most lucrative rookie contract in football history.
1966 — Jim Taylor and Paul Hornung gain 201 yards on four inches of snow at Lambeau Field to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 23-12 victory over the Cleveland Browns and their third championship in five years.
1977 — Atlanta Braves’ owner Ted Turner is suspended one year by Major League Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn for tampering in the free-agent signing of Gary Matthews.
1982 — Rolf Benirschke’s 29-yard field goal at 13:52 of overtime ends one of the wildest and highest-scoring playoff games as the San Diego Chargers beat the Miami Dolphins 41-38. San Diego’s Dan Fouts completes 33 of 53 passes for 433 yards and three TDs. Miami quarterback Don Strock completes 29 of 43 passes for 403 yards and four TDs.
1984 — Miami defeats Nebraska 31-30 in the Orange Bowl to win the national championship.
1985 — Nevada-Las Vegas beats Utah State 142-140 in triple overtime as both teams set an NCAA record for total points. The Runnin’ Rebels score a record 93 points in the second half, and coach Jerry Tarkanian gets his 600th victory.
1986 — Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders becomes the 11th NHL player to score 500 goals. Bossy scores No. 500 on an empty netter with 17 seconds remaining to clinch a 7-5 victory against the Boston Bruins at Nassau Coliseum. Bossy reaches the milestone in 647 games, fewer than anyone in NHL history at that time.
1987 — No. 2 Penn State beats No. 1 Miami 14-10 in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship.
1989 — Notre Dame beats West Virginia 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl to finish the season at 12-0. The Irish are named national champion in the polls.
1996 — No. 1 Nebraska demolishes No. 2 Florida 62-24 in the Fiesta Bowl, making them the first repeat champions in 16 years.
2001 — Jose Theodore becomes the sixth NHL goalie to score a goal in a regular-season game and stops 32 shots as Montreal blanks the New York Islanders 3-0.
2002 — Carolina’s Ron Francis becomes the fifth player in NHL history to record 500 goals and 1,000 assists when he scores in the Hurricanes’ 6-3 loss to Boston.
2009 — Utah finishes 13-0 with a convincing 31-17 win over No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The Utes are the first team from a non-BCS conference to win two BCS bowls.2009 — Doug Weight has a pair of assists for the New York Islanders in a 5-4 loss to Phoenix to become the eighth American-born player to reach the 1,000-point mark.
2011 — Seattle becomes the first sub-.500 division champ in league history with a 16-6 win over St. Louis. The Seahawks finish as champs of the NFC West at 7-9, the first playoff team with a losing record — sans the 1982 strike-shortened season — since the merger in 1970.
2018 — Marc-Andre Fleury stops 29 shots in his second shutout of the season, leading Vegas past Nashville 3-0. Vegas wins its eighth straight and earns at least one point in 13 consecutive games, both NHL records for a first-year team.
2019 — United States international Christian Pulisic becomes the most expensive American soccer player when he moves from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea for £57.6M ($73M); remains at Dortmund on loan until the end of the season.
2023 — Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapses in cardiac arrest and is revived by CPR on the field in televised NFL game against the Bengals in Cincinnati.
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Who: Senegal vs Sudan
What: CAF Africa Cup of Nations
Where: Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier
When: Saturday, January 3, 5pm (16:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.
The AFCON round of 16 begins with a clash between the heavyweights and minnows, as title favourites Senegal face Sudan, the lowest-ranked side remaining in the competition.
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Boasting considerable attacking firepower in Nicolas Jackson and Sadio Mane, Senegal stormed their way into the knockouts, affirming their place among the title favourites as the AFCON 2021 champions seek their second title.
The 117th-ranked Sudan, on the other hand, needed a helping hand to qualify and will play in the knockout stages for the first time in 14 years. Reaching the round of 16 represents a significant achievement for Sudan, whose footballing progress has defied ongoing turmoil at home.
Here’s everything you need to know about Senegal vs Sudan:
Sudan has been ravaged by war since fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands, displaced more than 12 million people and triggered famine in several parts of Sudan, a situation the United Nations has described as the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis”.
Sudan’s goalkeeper, Mohamed Abooja, had to deal with the anguish of his brother being taken prisoner by the RSF. “Of course, the team has been impacted. Everyone has just tried to get through this period, but it has been difficult with the tension all over Sudan,” Abooja told AFP news agency.
“In the end, our results on the pitch are what make the people happy and boost their morale.”
Sudan’s team progressed to the last 16 as one of the four best third-placed teams, collecting three points in Group E courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea: a result that marked only their second-ever win at the tournament since lifting the trophy in 1970.
That historic victory was aided by a moment of good fortune, with an own goal from Equatorial Guinea’s Saul Coco proving decisive.
Senegal, Africa’s second-highest-ranked nation at 19th in the world, finished top of Group D with seven points after two wins and a draw, edging DR Congo on goal difference.
They finished the group stage with the joint-second highest goal tally (seven, alongside Algeria), just one behind Nigeria.
The winner of the Senegal and Sudan match will stay in Tangier to face the winner of the Mali and Tunisia match in the quarterfinals on January 9.
Striker Nicolas Jackson made an impressive start with two goals in the opening match against Botswana, while Cherif Ndiaye also has two goals to his name – both scored after coming on as a substitute.
The experienced winger Sadio Mane is another star player of Senegal, alongside midfielders Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye.
Mane has been involved in 17 AFCON goals (10 goals, 7 assists), the most by any player since 2010.
Midfielders Walieldin Khidir and Ammar Toaifour, along with defender Sheddy Barglan, have been Sudan’s standout performers at the tournament.
All matches, most recent result last:
Senegal: W-D-W-W-L
Sudan: L-W-L-L-L
Senegal and Sudan have met in seven previous encounters, across competitive and friendly games.
Senegal boast an unbeaten record, having won four times and drawn three times.
The teams recently met in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in September when Senegal won 2-0.
Saturday’s game will be their first meeting at AFCON and fifth overall in a span of a year.
Senegal have never lost to an East African opponent at AFCON, having played five matches, winning four and drawing one.
This is Senegal’s 18th appearance at the AFCON finals, with their best result being the 2021 title they won in Cameroon. They have also finished runners-up twice: in 2002 and 2019.
Sudan are making their 10th appearance this year. Since their debut in 1957, they have finished runners-up twice – in 1959 and 1963 – and won their only trophy in 1970.
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw will be without his captain, Kalidou Koulibaly, who is suspended for this match, having picked up a red card in their final group game.
Edouard Mendy; Krepin Diatta, Abdoulaye Seck, Moussa Niakhate, Ismail Jakobs; Idrissa Gana Gueye, Pape Gueye; Ismaila Sarr, Iliman Ndiaye, Sadio Mane; Nicolas Jackson
Sudan coach Kwesi Appiah will be without midfielders Salah Adil, Abo Eisa and Abuaagla Abdalla, who are injured.
Monged El Neel; Sheddy Barglan, Mohamed Ereng, Mustafa Karshom, Bakhit Khamis; Walieldin Khidir, Abdelrazig Omer, Ammar Taifour; Aamir Abdallah, Mohammed Abdel-Rahman, Mohamed Eisa
CIF Southern Section high school boys’ and girls’ basketball scores for Thursday’s games.
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Rangers are working round the clock to recruit players now that the January window is open, says head coach Danny Rohl.
With Rohl having been appointed in October, this winter period is the German’s first opportunity to make changes to his squad.
“We work at the moment 24/7 for players,” he said,
“It’s about decision making, it’s about negotiations, it’s about timing. We have some players in our mind but you have to be a little bit patient.
“You always hope as a manager, as a head coach to get very early the players in.
“January window you have to be patient, you have to be demanding, I think this is also important and you have to take the opportunities and there are opportunities in the market.”
Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter
London City Lionesses wanted a coach who could help develop and consistently deliver a unique style of football.
They have been influenced by Spanish football and its success, as well as the full-throttle style which has helped deliver eight Women’s Champions League titles at Lyon – one of the clubs also owned by wealthy businesswoman Michele Kang.
A shortlist of coaches was drawn up when they decided to replace former manager Jocelyn Precheur and they did not rule out some from the men’s game.
The main criteria was centred around the playing style, the coach’s ability to collaborate with a wider team of expertise and to have a track record of developing players and talented youth.
Maestre showed his potential with Spanish clubs CD Tenerife and Real Sociedad and London City believe he can become a future leading figure in the game
Led by chief executive officer Martin Semmens, London City have been working on a long-term project to achieve their aims of reaching European competition by 2026.
That is an ambitious target for a club only promoted to the WSL for the first time this season and their decision to replace Precheur with Maestre may have been premature but they were willing to take the risk and will be judged on that with intrigue.
England have selected off-spinner Shoaib Bashir in a 12-man squad for the fifth Ashes Test against Australia in Sydney.
Bashir has not played in the first four matches despite starting the series as England’s first-choice spinner.
The 22-year-old missed out on the first Test after being named in a 12-man squad in Perth and has since been overlooked in favour of all-rounder Will Jacks.
Seamer Matthew Potts is also in the England XII, with the tourists guaranteed to make at least one change from the side that won the fourth Test in Melbourne after Gus Atkinson was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Under captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, England usually name their XI two days out from a Test.
However, the tourists have opted to wait longer before the final match, which starts on Sunday (23:30 GMT Saturday), in order to assess conditions at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
On Thursday the pitch looked to have a thick covering of grass, but by Friday it was losing its green tinge.
Sydney usually offers assistance to slow bowlers. Three of the four leading Test wicket-takers at the venue are Australian spinners – Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill and Nathan Lyon.
But this Ashes has been dominated by seam bowling. So far only nine wickets have been taken by spinners, leaving it on track for the fewest taken by slow bowlers in an Ashes series of at least four Tests.
Australia omitted a spinner from their line-up for the fourth Test, which England won by four wickets in Melbourne to cut the series deficit to 3-1.
Now the hosts could include off-spinner Todd Murphy, while all-rounder Beau Webster may replace Cameron Green and also offers a spin option.
Venus Williams is set to become the oldest female player to compete in the Australian Open main draw at the age of 45.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion has received the final women’s wildcard for the tournament, which begins on 18 January.
Williams last appeared at Melbourne Park in 2021 when she was beaten by Italy’s Sara Errani in the second round.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to return to a place that has meant so much to my career,” she said.
The American, twice a runner-up in the first Grand Slam event of the year, will surpass the record of Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she played at the event in 2015.
Kawhi Leonard scored 45 points, James Harden added 20 and the Clippers recovered from blowing a 21-point lead to beat the Utah Jazz on 118-101 on Thursday night, extending their winning streak to a season-best six games.
Leonard was the only Clippers starter on the floor for much of the fourth quarter. He singlehandedly matched Utah’s points in the period (20), with blood on his nose from what appeared to be a scratch.
The Clippers hit seven straight three-pointers, with Leonard making four, to pull away. Nicolas Batum finished with 14 points and went four for six from three-point range.
The Jazz rallied despite being without three starters. They were led by reserve Kyle Anderson with 22 points — his first 20-point game in nearly three years — and Brice Sensabaugh with 20. Anderson’s eight rebounds were a season high. Cody Williams also had 18 points, while Isaiah Collier had 16 points and 10 assists.
The game was tied six times in the third, when Utah took its first lead of the game.
The Clippers outscored Utah 28-7 to start the game. The Jazz missed their first six shots and had one rebound in the first six minutes.
Utah outscored the Clippers 33-22 in the second — when Leonard scored the Clippers’ first nine points — to trail 53-50 at halftime.
Utah played without Keyonte George (illness), Lauri Markkanen (knee) and Jusuf Nurkic (toe). The Jazz have dropped six of eight.
The Jazz had 58 points in the paint and their bench outscored the Clippers’ reserves 51-40.
Up next for the Clippers: vs. the Boston Celtics at Intuit Dome on Saturday.
Ospreys and Dragons start 2026 in style by beating Cardiff and Scarlets in the United Rugby Championship.
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BBC Sport reporter Nizaar Kinsella explains how Enzo Maresca’s position as Chelsea’s manager became “untenable”.
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Gage Goncalves scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:41 to play, and the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied from a late deficit to beat the Kings 5-3 on Thursday night for their sixth consecutive victory.
Anthony Cirelli scored the tying goal with 3:19 left in regulation for the Lightning, who fell behind early in the third period on Kevin Fiala‘s power-play goal.
Cirelli crashed the net and pushed home his 11th goal on a play set up by Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov. Moments later, Cirelli and Goncalves drove the net again, and Goncalves eventually converted a behind-the-net pass from Jake Guentzel for his fourth goal.
Brayden Point had his first two-goal game of the season and Kucherov capped a three-point night by putting his 19th goal into an empty net for the Lightning, who have won back-to-back games to begin their three-game California road trip. Point also scored in Tampa Bay’s 4-3 overtime victory against the Ducks on Wednesday.
Jonas Johansson stopped 17 shots for Tampa Bay (24-13-3), which hasn’t lost since Dec. 18.
Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko each had a goal and an assist on the power play for the Kings (16-14-9), who collapsed late in their eighth loss in 10 games despite scoring multiple man-advantage goals for the first time all season. Los Angeles entered the night with the NHL’s worst power play, scoring on just 14.4% of its chances.
Corey Perry had his first three-assist game since November 2019, setting up both power-play goals and giving him 499 career assists.
Jeff Malott also scored, and Darcy Kuemper returned from injury to make 18 saves in the Canadian Olympic team selection’s first appearance since Dec. 15.
Up next for the Kings: vs. Minnesota at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday.
Match of the Day Pundits Steph Houghton and Dion Dublin discuss the strength in Sunderland’s defence to keep a clean sheet against Manchester City.
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Match of the Day Pundit Steph Houghton discusses Leeds United’s performance against Liverpool and their recent development under Daniel Farke.
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After a night of rain in Pasadena, the Indiana Hoosiers washed away the weight of history.
Entering the Rose Bowl, College Football Playoff teams coming off first-round byes were winless. At the start of the season, the Hoosiers led college football with the most all-time losses. During their sole previous Rose Bowl appearance in 1968, the Hoosiers lost to USC.
Indiana’s football program spent most of its time stuck in the Big Ten conference basement, but that era is over.
Now, with new blood infused by head coach Curt Cignetti and an offense led by Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, the Hoosiers have turned the page and shattered expectations.
After a quarter of brushing off their rust following a three-week break, No. 1 Indiana rolled to a 38-3 Rose Bowl victory over No. 9 Alabama Thursday afternoon. It is the largest postseason margin of defeat in Crimson Tide history.
Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza throws a touchdown pass to wide receiver Camden Jordan (not pictured) during the second quarter Thursday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
Indiana linebacker Rolijah Hardy tackles Alabama tight end Josh Cuevas after a reception in the second quarter.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)