Author: James Martin

Four days on from England’s comfortable win against Andorra at Dean Court, the Three Lions are in Albania for their second European Championship qualifier of the international break, and we hope it will see the first appearance for Hull City star Keane Lewis-Potter. The 21-year-old was an unused substitute on Friday evening and will hope to get on the pitch at the Elsaban Arena this evening, as Lee Carsley’s men go in search of a significant victory in their quest to track down Group G leaders the Czech Republic. Lewis-Potter’s busy week will take another twist when he flies back…

The two teams have been confirmed, and here they are. The only player to start both this game and Saturday’s against Switzerland is … Arsenal’s Ben White. The only player to start neither this game nor Saturday’s against Switzerland is … Arsenal’s Emile Smith-Rowe (and Fraser Forster, if you count late call-up goalkeepers). Ten changes, and Raheem Sterling captains. England: Pope, White, Mings, Maguire, Mitchell, Bellingham, Rice, Ward-Prowse, Sterling, Watkins, Grealish. Subs: Shaw, Forster, Henderson, Guehi, Coady, Walker-Peters, Foden, Mount, Kane, Gallagher, Pickford, Smith Rowe.Ivory Coast: Badra Ali Sangare, Kamara, Deli, Bailly, Aurier, Seri, Kessie, Gradel, Cornet, Pepe, Haller. Subs:…

The former England batter and coach Graham Thorpe has been named as the new head coach of Afghanistan’s men’s team. Thorpe, 52, was sacked as England’s assistant coach following the backroom shake-up in the wake of the disastrous 4-0 Ashes series defeat in Australia.England’s batsmen struggled desperately in Australia, failing to make 300 in a single innings, and Thorpe further attracted negative publicity for his involvement in an early-hours drinking session with players from both sides after the final Test. Police were called around 6am after the assistant coach smoked a cigar inside, the party was disbanded and somehow footage…

Luke Gale is back in contention and he’ll come straight back into a position where he’s under pressure to perform. It’s going to be interesting because young Ben McNamara has done a decent job in his absence. He’s got to get on the field, stay on the field and start really contributing. The team has done really well while he’s been out of it. One of the most impressive things about this opening period for Hull FC is how players have stepped up in the absence of others. Brad Fash and Jack Brown have done really well without Kane Evans…

A 20-year-old university rugby player has died a fortnight after being injured during a match.Friends and teammates paid tribute to Maddy Lawrence as a bubbly, talented young woman who loved the game.She died on 25 March after suffering an injury while playing for UWE Bristol women’s second team against the University of Bristol’s women’s second team.A spokesperson for her university said: “Everyone in the UWE Bristol community is profoundly shocked and saddened by the death of our student and talented UWE women’s rugby player Maddy Lawrence.“We would like to pass on our deepest condolences and sympathies to Maddy’s family, friends…

Subscribe to CNN’s Fitness, But Better newsletter. Sign up for our newsletter series to ease into a healthy routine, backed by experts. CNN  —  Forty-five percent of the world’s population is trying to shed a few pounds, according to a 2020 Ipsos poll. And they prefer to do it by exercising more and eating better, not by dieting. That’s essentially the well-known “calories in, calories out” method, where you try to burn more calories than you take in. There is just one problem: Nailing down your calorie burn is harder than you may think. The number of calories a person…

CNN  —  After circulating at nearly nonexistent levels last year, influenza is increasing in most of the United States. That’s according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent flu report, released Friday, which also notes that the number of reported flu-related hospital admissions has increased each week for the past seven weeks. “I have been tracking recent influenza activity nationally and locally. We are not surprised that influenza activity is increasing,” Dr. Angela Branche, an infectious disease specialist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester, wrote in an email Wednesday. “I’m a little…

England versus South Africa. A World Cup semi-final that – if the rest of the tournament is anything to go by – is likely to come down to the wire. Heather Knight at the helm, facing off against Marizanne Kapp, Laura Wolvaardt & co. If that all sounds familiar, it’s because it was exactly the situation faced by England on their path to world domination, five years ago at home in 2017.On that occasion, at Bristol, England were left relying on an unlikely hero with the bat – Anya Shrubsole. With England eight wickets down and needing two runs to…

Brett Hodgson takes his Hull FC side to Wigan Warriors on Thursday night for what is arguably the biggest game of the club’s season so far. The Black and Whites have won their last three matches in all competitions and they’ll be keen to continue their climb up the league ladder in round seven by seeing off the Warriors. Wigan have started the season well and sit level on points with table toppers St Helens and Catalans Dragons, however, FC will be boosted by the return to three key men. Skipper Luke Gale, Kane Evans and Darnell McIntosh have all…

Drinking two to three cups of coffee daily has been associated with a 10% to 15% lower risk of getting heart disease, heart failure or a heart rhythm problem, or dying early for any reason, according to three research abstracts published Thursday. “Because coffee can quicken heart rate, some people worry that drinking it could trigger or worsen certain heart issues. This is where general medical advice to stop drinking coffee may come from,” Dr. Peter M. Kistler, the study’s senior author, said in a statement. Kistler is head of clinical electrophysiology research at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute…