edge

Australia dismissed India for 198 on day one of the day-night Test in Perth as Alyssa Healy begun her final match as captain of the hosts.

Australia closed on 96-3 in reply, trailing by 102 runs, with Healy – who will retire from all formats after this series – falling for 13 at the Waca.

All-rounder Annabel Sutherland starred with the ball, taking 4-46, while left-arm fast bowler Lucy Hamilton impressed on her Test debut by claiming 3-31.

After losing the toss, India slipped to 107-5 but Jemimah Rodrigues compiled a defiant 52 to prevent her side being skittled.

In reply, Australia openers Georgia Voll (two) and Phoebe Litchfield (nine) both made single-figure scores to leave the hosts 31-2, bringing Healy to the crease.

She started to rebuild alongside Ellyse Perry before picking out Rodrigues at point off Sayali Satghare as the Aussies fell to 58-3.

However, Perry remains unbeaten on 43 and Sutherland is 20 not out as Australia will look to build a first-innings lead on day two of the four-day game.

F1’s technical changes pose challenges for drivers and engineers alike while raising concerns about the quality of racing.

Formula One’s new era ⁠starts at this weekend’s season-opening ⁠Australian Grand Prix, where teams will leap into the unknown and grapple with sweeping technical changes under race conditions for the first time.

F1 has simultaneously overhauled chassis and power unit regulations for the first time ⁠in decades, posing a challenge for drivers and engineers while raising concerns about the quality of racing.

With near-parity between electrical and combustion engines and cars running on 100 percent advanced sustainable fuel, drivers gained some insight into the changes during winter testing. But all ⁠are in the dark about how the reset will play out when going wheel-to-wheel on race day.

“I’m certainly more comfortable now than I was a couple of months ago with how to drive these cars and how to try and get the most out of them,” McLaren’s Oscar Piastri told reporters on Wednesday.

“But I think there’s still the saying of ‘You don’t know what you don’t know.’”

Australian Piastri said McLaren ‌thought they had the cars worked out two months ago, only to find they had “a whole bunch of stuff” they did not understand during winter testing.

With more power generated by electricity than last year’s engines, there is more emphasis on drivers needing to be tactical with energy deployment and regeneration.

The old drag reduction system has been replaced by a new overtake mode, giving extra power for overtaking.

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen described the changes as “like Formula E on steroids” and “anti-racing”.

Formula One Chief Executive Stefano Domenicali defended them and assured fans there will still be plenty of thrills.

The changes may have different effects at ⁠different circuits, leaving all teams to learn on the fly, week by week.

Piastri said Sunday’s race ⁠at Albert Park, a suburb of Melbourne, would probably showcase the more “unnatural” parts of driving.

“You know, a lot more lift and coast, a lot more kind of just driving to maximise the power unit,” he said.

“You’ve got power units that are reducing in power down the straights at different points. And there’s a lot of unknowns, ⁠a lot of challenges in there.”

The new regulations raised hopes of a more open championship and the prospect of a disruptor team emerging to force change at the top. But preseason testing in ⁠Bahrain hinted at a familiar top four, with Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and ⁠McLaren all performing well.

Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley said the gap between the “best and the rest” might only widen.

“I think it’s going to be a very different year in terms of the competitiveness in the sport,” he told the Reuters news agency. “We’re already seeing the gap between the fastest teams and the slowest teams but larger than it’s been ‌in the last few years.”

Whatever the pecking order, F1 race tracks will be more crowded with the addition of the new Cadillac team although there may be more breathing room at Albert Park, given Aston Martin’s preseason troubles.

Despite the technical guidance of Adrian ‌Newey, ‌who joined from Red Bull, the Honda-powered team completed few laps during winter testing and have reliability problems.

The AMR26 cars will be in Australia – something of a relief for F1 management – but may only race for a few laps before retiring.

St Helens: Sailor; Feldt, Macdonald, Cross, Murphy; Lomax, Hastings; Klemmer, Clark, Walmsley, Sironen, Wright, Shorrocks.

Interchanges: Robertson, Host, Delaney, Whitley

Leigh: Hodgson; Senior, Niu, Brand, Charnley; Cook, Lam; Trout, Ipape, Mulhern, Badrock, Alick-Wienke, Ofahengaue.

Interchanges: Hughes, Liu, Davis, Horne

Referee: Aaron Moore.

THE Holiday Inn in Oxford might not be the fanciest, but it is one of the most affordable for visiting the historic city.

Here is everything you need to know including room rates and how to get there.

What is the hotel like?

The hotel is a bright, modern 220-room hotel just a short detour off the M40 motorway.

The terrace bar is a great suntrap, perfect for enjoying a gin and tonic or a pint of Stella while topping up your tan.

There’s also a spacious lobby bar inside, a decent sized gym and other amenities like a Starbucks and Waitrose within a minute’s walk.

What are the rooms like?

They have huge walk-in showers, robes and slippers (a nice touch in a value hotel), and big TVs with Netflix and other subscription services built-in.

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Ask for one of the recently refurbished rooms if you can.

We were on the ground floor but slept soundly with no road noise, despite the easy road links in the area.

Room rates start from £76 per night, or £92 with breakfast.

What is there to eat and drink at the hotel?

While it is a 15-minute drive into Oxford city centre, the hotel restaurant serves up big portions at decent prices.

Fish and chips, curries, pizza and burgers are among the options. Save room for a triple chocolate brownie or Belgian waffle for dessert.

Breakfast is available until 11am on weekends, so you can enjoy a lie-in before your full English.

What else is there to do?

The hotel sits in between the city centre of Oxford and the Cotswolds with its rolling hills and charming villages.

Gorgeous landmark Blenheim Palace is only a 10-minute drive away or spend a day exploring Oxford’s famous university buildings and visiting a pub on the banks of the Thames.

Discount designer shopping complex Bicester Village is another good local draw – also a 15-minute drive away.

If the hotel family friendly?

Family rooms that sleep four and connecting rooms are available, as well as cots on request.

Is it accessible?

The hotel has wheelchair accessible rooms, which include accessible door locks as well as bathrooms with grab bars, tall toilets and adequate clear turning space.

Team GB’s men’s curlers took a step closer to securing a Winter Olympics semi-final place as they compiled an accomplished victory over Germany.

Bruce Mouat’s world champions have now won four of their opening five matches in northern Italy, with six victories almost certain to guarantee a place in the last four and a shot at the medals.

The Scottish quartet beat their German counterparts in both the European and the World Championships last year and were rarely in danger here.

Level at 2-2 after three ends, the British rink moved smoothly into a 5-2 advantage at the interval, then accelerated clear with a further steal of two in the seventh end.

Germany were floundering at that stage and, although they cut the deficit, Mouat closed out another couple in the ninth end to secure the win.

The men are back on the ice later on Sunday, against the unbeaten Switzerland (18:05 GMT).

Before then, the GB women will play their fourth match, with the fancied Sweden their opponents (13:05) as they try to revive their own semi-final hopes.