England and India went to the wire, to the fifth day of the fifth Test, but the tourists earned a deserved draw from the epic contest. After a combination of rain and bad light sent this gripping series into Monday, the drama came to a boil across an absorbing morning, with bowlers Mohammed Siraj – the player of the match after a five-wicket haul – and Prasidh Krishna providing the spark as the ball hooped around corners.
It ended with Gus Atkinson shielding Chris Woakes, batting while wearing a sling with one arm tucked inside his jumper. But Siraj rebounded after squandering a chance to dismiss Harry Brook before his marvellous innings of 111, sealing a win for his country and the thousands of delirious India fans in south London. Afterwards Ben Stokes gave a blunt response to the idea of introducing substitutions in cricket after Woakes' heroics, while hailing the future of Test cricket. This is the final edition of Sports Brief. From next week, you'll start receiving Inside Football by our chief football writer Miguel Delaney – delivered every Monday and Friday. It's packed with behind-the-scenes insight, transfer chatter and mixed-zone gossip. If you'd rather not receive it, you can opt out here. For more great sport coverage – from tennis to rugby, F1 and everything in between – you can keep up to date here. |
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Our favourite sport features |
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| India deny England to seize exhilarating victory and series draw despite Chris Woakes heroics |
If the equation appeared simple enough at the start of play, with England chasing 35 runs for victory in the Test and series, and India desperately searching for four wickets, with one of those the one-armed Chris Woakes, to earn a draw, then the margins immediately narrowed yet further, writes Jack Rathborn at The Oval. Mohammed Siraj, so often the villain throughout this absorbing series packed with plenty of needle, brought a counterpunch, superbly tempting Jamie Smith into a narrow miss with a lazy waft. The respite would not last, though. A belated walk after the next ball, feathering one to Dhruv Jurel, with the review eventually revitalising Indian hopes. Just two runs from Smith, England's last recognised batter, brought even more jeopardy to the contest.
Siraj was wheeling away a moment later after his next ball, as Gus Atkinson nicked to KL Rahul. But the fielder couldn't squeeze his fingers under the ball, the agony of the ball pressing them into the turf. An extraordinary over underlined the reality of how this game is defined by inches. Two overs down, nails shortening by the minute. |
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| Successful series shows why the Lions are here to stay – but new threats provoke tough questions for the future |
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| The great exodus of British and Irish Lions fans has begun, the pilgrims in their red cloaks making passage back to their home isles after the adventure of a lifetime. It is estimated that more than double the number of travelling fans came to Australia to soak up this series than in previous trips, a figure inflated by the Covid-wrecked affair in South Africa that saw plenty delay a once-in-a-lifetime experience, writes Harry Latham-Coyle in Sydney. Their presence has helped make the 2025 edition the most profitable tour in history "by a significant margin". Certainly, in Brisbane, Melbourne and now Sydney, it has been impossible to miss the massed red bodies – one suspects the hostelries and hotels of Australia will have been glad of their presence.
But look closer among them and one would have found plenty of rugby high-rollers and influential players, too. As with any major event in the sport, these have been crucial weeks of discussion, bread-breaking and plotting, with a number of executives taking the chance to visit Australia to catch up and set out plans for the future. |
Pauline Ferrand-Prevot has made history for France – and shown the way forward for women's cycling |
Forty long years have passed since a French rider won the Tour de France. Forty years of hand-wringing in L'Equipe and feverish tension every July. The great Bernard Hinault has endured a long wait for a successor, writes Flo Clifford.
As Pauline Ferrand-Prevot crossed the line in Chatel, soaking in the adulation of the crowd, 40 years of hurt came to an end. She held out her arms, slipped off her bike and lay flat on her back in the finish area, the weight of her achievement sinking in.
The 33-year-old's palmares is among the most impressive in history, spanning nearly every discipline: a win on the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix earlier this year, 12 world titles, Olympic mountain bike gold, to name just a few standouts. But there was a sense that this one meant more than any other victory.
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