Sports
Kevin Pietersen: Former England batter on Harry Brook and working with Test side before Ashes
Pietersen’s eyes roll slightly when he is asked about Ben Stokes’ recent comments comparing Harry Brook’s talents to his.
Pietersen, like Brook, was a maverick – a batter capable of incredible highs. Those highs mean the lows come with a disproportionate level of criticism.
“Where I can help him is playing situations, because there was a lot of method in my madness,” Pietersen says.
“Yes, occasionally, I got out to reckless shots and crazy shots in the ’80s and ’90s but there was a lot of structure to the way that I batted.
“I’ve still got notes on my phone on how I played in T20 cricket, one-day cricket, Test match cricket, and about hitting straight back at the stumps, and the techniques, and how I did it, and don’t play certain shots.
“That all-round structure is something I could potentially help him with because he’s so flipping good.
“It’s actually frightening how good he is and how good he can be.”
And Pietersen says he will not limit himself to working purely on white-ball cricket.
He has already spoken to new Test coach Stephen Fleming about how he can help the Test batters during his time with the white-ball squads.
Though he said he would not have time for a full-time role, he suggested he is open to working with the Test side before next summer’s home Ashes series.
“I have got a pretty mad schedule,” he says. “I wouldn’t say no.
“I don’t think that necessarily means I need to be in a dressing room.
“There is a lot of time in the lead up to an Ashes series and a tour of South Africa, when I will be with the Test batters.
“There are conversations I can have there.”
Who knows how long this will last. England may as well make the most of this second chance.
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Sports
Warwickshire win 2026 County Championship: Bears beat Leicestershire to seal ninth title
Resuming at 55-3, Leicestershire were dealt a huge early blow when Woakes removed main dangerman Sol Budinger for 47, with only four added to his overnight tally.
Bowling round the wicket, Woakes brought an unplayable delivery back from outside off stump to hit the top of middle.
In his next but one over, Woakes had Jonny Tattersall caught by Rob Yates at second slip.
Then, just three balls later, it was Bamber’s turn as he had Leicestershire’s first-innings top scorer Ben Cox caught by Sam Hain at first slip.
Bamber struck again four overs later when Will Young hung onto an amazing one-hander high to his left at third slip to dismiss Ben Green.
Captain Ian Holland added a further 35 with Scriven before being trapped in front by Bears skipper Ed Barnard, and the ninth-wicket pair added 22 more to delay lunch by half an hour, but India Test spinner Manav Soutar removed Ajaz Patel’s off stump with a vicious turner.
The Foxes battled hard to at least take the game into an eighth session – but, with Scriven cruelly one short of a deserved 50, Bamber quickly wrapped it up by clean bowling him to start another Edgbaston party.
More to follow.
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Sports
Israel v Republic of Ireland: Republic of Ireland confirm Israel game will go ahead
The Republic of Ireland have confirmed Sunday’s Uefa Nations League B3 game against Israel in Debrecen, Hungary will go ahead.
There appeared to be real doubt on Saturday morning whether the fixture would take place.
A pre-match news conference with manager Heimir Hallgrimsson and a player, scheduled for 09:15 BST, was postponed just 15 minutes before it was due to start, with reporters informed it would instead take place after the team’s training session.
That training session, scheduled for 10:00 BST, also came and went with the team still in their hotel where reporters relocated in anticipation of a statement.
The players were locked in a meeting, with unconfirmed reports that several players, including goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, expressed their wish to withdraw from the game leading to questions whether the game would go ahead.
Around 13:00 BST, players began to filter out of the meeting room with it then confirmed the news conference would indeed go ahead, back at Nagyerdei Stadion at 14:30 with training to follow.
Over five hours after the initial news conference was due to begin, Football Association of Ireland [FAI] CEO David Courell – flanked by Hallgrimsson and FAI Director of Football – confirmed a players’ vote passed by a significant majority to play the game.
More to follow.
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Sports
Noel Gallagher says Man City triumphs are not tarnished: 'I know what I saw, I know what I felt'
Manchester City fan Noel Gallagher says he has already been “shouted at in the street” after the news that the club are to be found guilty of the vast majority of the Premier League’s 115 charges over alleged financial mismanagement, but he insists their achievements will not be tarnished in his eyes.
The Athletic revealed on Friday that the independent panel overseeing the Premier League’s case against City, which began in February 2023, has recently reached a guilty verdict on almost all fronts, with official confirmation set to follow shortly.
The club had been accused of failure to…
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