From Botham to Buttler and the Rews — why Somerset set the standard for youth development in county cricket The early-season pace-setters in the County Championship lean almost entirely on homegrown players, with many graduates excelling elsewhere

From Botham to Buttler and the Rews — why Somerset set the standard for youth development in county cricket www.nytimes.com/athletic/721...

What a time to be alive.

The Business of Football: A 10-year anniversary EFL special, plus League Two takeover talk (Gift Article) Our regular column also takes in Leagues One and Two adding a Championship-style PSR backstop to their SCMP approach. Confused? Read on

🎩 The Business of Football looks at 10yrs of B teams, bad gates & Wembley joy in EFL Trophy
💡 Who recalls the Whole Game Solution? It was more prediction than solution
💷 Latest on EFL's attempts to cut losses
🛒 Newport & Tranmere sale updates
🎁 And it's free to read!

www.nytimes.com/athletic/719...

Crystal Palace, Dad and me: Special memories that will live with me forever Football has an almost unique power to bring people together, as it did for our Palace correspondent Matt Woosnam with his dad, Andy

I lost my dad over Easter

Going to watch Palace with him was special, to both of us. For so many years it was a shared bond. It brought us joy

Loved sharing memories with him, about the grounds I visited & him recalling when he went there before

This is a piece of my memories, in his memory #CPFC

If Spurs are relegated, the success of Sunderland will be partly to blame Sunderland defying expectations and not crumbling after promotion is one of the reasons Spurs are now in the bottom three instead

Sunderland have just beaten two of England's Champions League clubs in consecutive games. They have overturned low expectations around promoted Championship clubs with consequences for the bottom of the PL table. Two points off sixth, Sunderland have made some noise. www.nytimes.com/athletic/719...

The state of spin bowling in England — told through the eyes of three bowlers The Athletic talks to Jack Leach, Jack Carson and Farhan Ahmed, along with their respective county coaches, about life as a spin bowler

“If you think you won’t get any help and don’t have a role in April, you shouldn’t be in the team.”
Jack Leach, Somerset

The state of spin bowling in England, told through the eyes of three bowlers at different stages of their careers

✍️ @paulfnewman66.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/athletic/716...

The imprisonment of Imran Khan: ‘It’s hard to know, in the dark hours, what he’s going through’ (Gift Article) The charismatic cricketer turned politician was imprisoned in Rawalpindi in 2023 and now has only sporadic contact with his family

Imran Khan has been in prison - solitary confinement, an 8x10 cell - in Pakistan for almost 1,000 days.

This is a long read on why, for which I spoke to his sons Kasim & Sulaiman, his sister Aleema, David Gower & others.

Free to read.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/716...

Haseeb Hameed on life outside the Bazball bubble: ‘The ambition to play for England will always be there’ The Notts captain is England's forgotten man, but sheer weight of runs over the last two seasons demands he is contention for a Test return

Haseeb Hameed on life outside the Bazball bubble: ‘The ambition to play for England will always be there’ www.nytimes.com/athletic/715...

Ollie Robinson on England: ‘I’ve not done myself any favours. It’s up to me to force myself back in’ The newly appointed Sussex red-ball captain has not played for his country since 2024 but, if fit and firing, he may be in the frame again

Ollie Robinson on England: ‘I’ve not done myself any favours. It’s up to me to force myself back in’ www.nytimes.com/athletic/715...

Textor loses control of multi-club empire, as Eagle Football placed into administration Eagle Football's main creditor, investment firm Ares Capital Corporation, has put the group’s UK-based holding company into administration.

I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for this & John Textor will have that Eagle IPO sorted out before we know it.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/715...

England back McCullum, Stokes and Key after review of Ashes debacle, but mixed messages abound The ECB want the head coach to stay true to himself but also change, so will the team deliver 'Bazball', 'Benball' or something else?

England back McCullum, Stokes and Key after review of Ashes debacle, but mixed messages abound. Analysis from Lord’s for @theathletic www.nytimes.com/athletic/713...

Apologies, only just clocked this!

Welcome to the wild Polish league, where all 18 teams can still win the title... or be relegated

🇵🇱 Welcome to Poland's Ekstraklasa: Europe's craziest league
📉All 18 teams can still win the league...or be relegated
😲 Current leaders finished 15th last season
👀 Relegation zone shocks
📈 Crowds up 50%
🇪🇺 European successes
🎁 Gift article on @theathleticfc.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/athletic/711...

Kim Hellberg: Behind the scenes with the coach driving Middlesbrough towards the Premier League Boro's Swedish coach talks rollercoaster football, overcoming a fear of public speaking and how Hellball could restore the club to the elite

Kim Hellberg's impact on Middlesbrough has been fast and impressive, as have a growing number of Boro's performances. Top of the Championship, tonight they go to Coventry in second. Hellberg's favourite player as a boy was Frank Lampard. Spent a few hours observing. www.nytimes.com/athletic/703...

Football’s sleeping pills problem: ‘My usage was ridiculous – I was in La La Land’ The Athletic spoke to people involved in football about the problems with sleeping pills

'I was in a constant state of sedation'

Football has a hidden problem with sleeping pills

I spoke to a number of players who developed an addiction to them - and explored why footballers may be especially vulnerable

www.nytimes.com/athletic/698...

Any going spare?

Heart of Midlothian, Scottish football’s unlikely disrupters Some cannot get their heads around Hearts being Scottish champions come May. But it can happen.

Another frantic, compelling afternoon at Tynecastle. Hearts' lead is down to four points, as the doubters will note. But they go into February top of the Scottish Premiership and can still do it. Even if they don't, Hearts have made us look again. www.nytimes.com/athletic/699...

Derby Days: Hamburg.

Ahead of tonight’s Stadtderby at the Millerntor, a piece on the rivalry between St.Pauli and HSV from a few years ago.

@theathleticfc.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/athletic/443...

Straight Outta Cobham: A show about Chelsea: Chelsea into UCL top eight after Pafos toil with trip to crisis club Palace up next In the race for eighth place...Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Liam Twomey and Cerys Jones alongside him for a recap of the extremely dull but extremely necessary 1-0 victory over Pafos on...

𝗧𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗣𝗢𝗗! 🚨

@mattdaviesadams.bsky.social, @reallycerys.bsky.social & @liamtwomey.bsky.social discussing...

🇨🇾 Pafos (only just) dealt with
🦅 Palace's plight w/ @domfifield.bsky.social
🏆 #CFCW bloody love a cup final
🔟 Shocking 'top 10' recall

#CFC

pod.fo/e/37e6a0

West Ham and Tottenham have lost their Way The two clubs have huge histories but a modern malaise - unhappy fans, owner issues, unpopular managers, and recruitment failings

Tottenham and West Ham are not what they were, nor, in terms of potential, what they could be. The Way the clubs played seems like a relic of history, yet a sense of it is still entwined in the current fanbase disaffection and disconnection. www.nytimes.com/athletic/692...

Nathan Lyon.

“Eventually, they will get you.

“Sustained excellence, repeated over and over again. Pat Cummins is a freak and Nathan Lyon is a genius. You can swap those around as well if you really want.”

Cameron Ponsonby, Paul Newman & Tim Spiers dissect the talking points from Adelaide Oval ⤵️

bit.ly/4akZGqu

The second day at the Gabba saw Brydon Carse carted to all parts.

By the time England hobbled off for tea with Australia 228-3 and only 108 runs adrift, Carse had conceded the third fastest half century by an England bowler in Test history.

It was a bruising second session.

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Sunderland’s five-year rise: ‘The challenge for us is to break the cycle’ The Athletic speaks with three key decision-makers at the club, including chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, to chart their journey on Wearside

Sunderland's December 2025 is daunting, but it's not December 2020. Spoke to three key decision-makers – Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, Kristjaan Speakman & Florent Ghisolfi – about where the club has been, is today and hopes to be next season and beyond. www.nytimes.com/athletic/685...

Watching Florian Wirtz and thinking of Robert Pires Wirtz will need to be effective in sterner tests than the one provided by West Ham. Like Pires, Wirtz will need time and space and faith

Not an exact comparison, but there is some stylistically and Robert Pires' career at Arsenal showed the benefit of patience, spectacularly so. Florian Wirtz deserves the same at Liverpool. www.nytimes.com/athletic/684...

Thank you Colin! Will have a listen

Christantus Uche: What is going on with Crystal Palace’s summer signing? The €20million summer signing can barely get on the pitch and his manager seems less than impressed

It hasn't gone to plan for Christantus Uche at Palace since joining in the summer.

Oliver Glasner clearly unimpressed with the No 10 and had a long pause before deflecting on whether he was at the level expected in training

An uncertain future now looms #CPFC

www.nytimes.com/athletic/683...

George Best, Manchester United and a mystique that endures It is 20 years since the Manchester United great passed away, yet the man known as the Fifth Beatle remains a presence even now

George Best died 20 years ago. His presence endures. He represented Manchester United in a way last night's team did not. www.nytimes.com/athletic/683...

It turns out Bazball is infectious. Even in Australia.

The opening day of the Ashes in Perth was riddled with it.

🔗 theathletic.com/6819497/?sou...