England recall Dawson to squad for fourth Test
Left-armer Dawson, 35, is recalled after off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was ruled out of the rest of the series with a broken finger.
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Dawson's selection means fellow left-armer Jack Leach, who has an England central contract, has been overlooked.
Leach was replaced as England's first-choice spinner by Bashir last year, but still played three Tests in Pakistan and was part of the squad that toured New Zealand over the winter.
For Dawson, this is a hard-earned call-up and reward for some outstanding form in domestic cricket. The Hampshire man has been named the Professional Cricketers' Association player of the year in each of the past two seasons.
Part of the England squad that won the 2019 World Cup, he was overlooked by England for three years before making his international return in the T20 series against West Indies earlier this summer.
More to follow.
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Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why are England taking the knee at the Women's Euros when most other teams aren't?
England have begun all three of their 2025 European Championship matches so far by taking the knee before kick-off. They were joined by their three group-stage opponents — France, the Netherlands and Wales — in performing the anti-racism gesture before each fixture, but it is not something that has been seen at many other matches across the tournament. What is taking the knee? Taking the knee is an anti-racism gesture, designed to protest against systematic racism and police brutality towards Black people, and was popularised in football in 2020 following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by a white police officer in the United States in May of that year. Taking the knee in sport can be traced back to American football quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who did it during the traditional performance of the U.S. national anthem before an NFL game — players and coaches on the two teams usually line up to attention along opposite sides of the field for this — when with the San Francisco 49ers in September 2016. After remaining seated on the 49ers' bench during the anthem at a game the previous month, Kaepernick had explained: 'I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses Black people and people of colour.' Why are England taking the knee at Euro 2025? The Football Association (FA) explained England's decision to take the knee in Switzerland this summer was 'player-led but with the full support from the FA'. It said the team's choice to do so had been communicated to UEFA, European football's governing body and the organisation that runs the tournament. 'It's been something the team have done for several years,' the FA added. Premier League players took the knee following football's return from three months of Covid-19 enforced lockdown in June 2020 and Women's Super League (WSL) teams then did the same during that competition's 2020-21 season. While the Premier League announced in August 2022 that players would stop kneeling before every match and instead 'select significant moments' to do so, WSL sides have continued the practice. It is often greeted by applause from supporters in the stands. England's men's side took the knee before all their matches at the delayed 2020 European Championship, which got postponed for 12 months because of the pandemic. This was both applauded and booed by sections of the England fanbase, while several prominent MPs from the then ruling Conservative Party voiced their opposition to it, including the home secretary at that time, Priti Patel. Team GB's women's football team, whose squad consisted solely of England players, confirmed their intention to perform the gesture at the similarly-delayed 2020 Olympic Games hosted by Tokyo, Japan that same summer. Explaining the decision, head coach Hege Riise said: 'The players and staff have been taking the knee at club and international level for over a year now and we were all united in our decision to continue doing whatever we can to raise awareness of racism and discrimination in all its forms, standing in unity and solidarity with all those whose lives are affected. 'We are clear that taking the knee is an important symbol of peaceful protest against discrimination, injustice and inequality.' England's women have continued to take the knee since, including at the 2022 European Championship and the following year's World Cup. Which other countries have taken the knee at Euro 2025? Taking the knee was seen frequently at the Euros in England three years ago, with teams including the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden and Austria all doing it, too. Germany and England both took the knee before facing one another in the final at Wembley. This summer, France, the Netherlands and Wales all joined opponents England in taking the knee in those three group-stage matches. However, these sides did not do it in their other Group D fixtures against one another. A spokesperson for Sweden confirmed to The Athletic that they will also take a knee with England before playing England in the quarter-finals today. Both host nation Switzerland and opponents Iceland took the knee before their Group A fixture on July 6, but it has not been commonplace at matches during the tournament. Teams must let UEFA know beforehand if they intend to take the knee and it is then incorporated into the 'running order' for the match, the governing body says. 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New York Times
28 minutes ago
- New York Times
Myles Sohna had a bright Aston Villa future – then he didn't. Now he's plotting a coaching career
Two long, straight scars tell the story. Myles Sohna is now smiling, but his 'war wounds', as he puts it, are visual representations of toils and the relentless sense of unjust. 'You ask yourself why,' he tells The Athletic. 'Why does it happen to me? Between the ages of 18 and 21, I had three serious injuries. It didn't make sense to me. I got to a point where I resented football. I used to watch and it made me depressed. I associated football with trauma because of all the pain it caused me. That feeling lasted for the duration of my final rehab.' Advertisement The former central defender is talking from a coffee shop in Cheltenham, having moved back in 2023 once he knew his time at Aston Villa was up. He had no other choice but to retire the following year. This was not supposed to happen to him or someone of his age. He was supposed to be a footballer or, at least, be given the chance to be one. 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They sort of repaired it, but not to the extent where it was new again.' Advertisement Doctors drained the cyst while Sohna took steroid injections to numb the pain. Initially, he experienced a few symptoms and, remarkably, impressed the first team head coach, Steven Gerrard, who wanted him to stay training with his squad. 'Then we had a midweek match against Leicester City,' Sohna exhales, his tone again deepening. 'I went into a tackle and felt that pain again. I went to consult a specialist in London who offered the option of surgery to remove the cyst and tidy up the meniscus. 'When I woke up after surgery, the specialists said it was worse than they thought. The bone was exposed, so that meant I needed to let the body heal to allow a new layer of cartilage to form. Instead of maybe being out for three months, I was out for eight months — again. Sohna knew the prognosis put paid to any hope of staying at Villa. 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This was hardly surprising given his age and headset focus on playing first, but he had earned coaching badges at Villa as part of an initiative offered to all scholars and young professionals. 'I was lucky because doing that put me in this position now where I'm coaching in Cheltenham's academy,' he smiles. 'I'm just about to go into my second season coaching the under-14s.' Advertisement Sohna's face relaxes from talking about injuries. He reflects on this summer, when Cheltenham's under-15s travelled to Spain to compete in a tournament. He takes pride in how he and his fellow coaches deviated from traditional strategy — from a full-court press to a mid-block — in the final against a Levante side who dominated possession. Cheltenham ended up winning on penalties. 'I never thought as a coach I would feel nervous, but I did then,' he laughs. 'I want to coach at the highest level, so that's my goal now, but it's the same as playing in taking the steps up the ladder. 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The money gave me a base to start my new life, but also a reward that my hard work did amount to something.' Sohna is now at ease with what happened and, importantly, says he has 'learned to feel proud' in what he achieved, rather than harbouring resentment. Six months ago, he returned to Villa to finish his UEFA B licence. 'I went to watch the under-18s and saw familiar faces,' he says. 'I had good conversations and got the impression they would welcome me back. That feels like an option to go back and coach, which would be nice.'
New York Times
28 minutes ago
- New York Times
How and why Brentford brought Jordan Henderson back to the Premier League
Two years after his controversial move from Liverpool to Saudi Arabia's Al Ettifaq, Jordan Henderson is back in the Premier League. On Tuesday, Brentford announced the 35-year-old England international midfielder had joined them as a free agent, signing a two-year contract after Dutch side Ajax let him out early from a deal that ran until next summer. Advertisement It has been a strange journey back to his homeland for Henderson, while this all feels slightly out of character for Brentford. They do have a track record of signing experienced players who are out of contract or available on loan, including Winston Reid, Mathias 'Zanka' Jorgensen and Ben Mee, but none of them were older than 32 — or had the profile of the former Liverpool and England captain. Henderson, who won eight trophies in 12 seasons at Anfield, including the Premier League and Champions League as captain, turned 35 last month and has signed a contract which places him towards the higher end of Brentford's wage scale. He is a unique case in lots of ways. He wanted to stay at Liverpool in the summer of 2023 but realised, following a conversation with their manager at the time Jurgen Klopp, that he would play fewer games than in previous seasons if he did. After that, he was convinced to move to the Saudi Pro League by Steven Gerrard, his former Liverpool team-mate, who was Al Ettifaq's manager at the time. Henderson was widely criticised for his decision. He had been a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ+ community but moved to a country where it is illegal to be transgender or homosexual. A couple of months after he went to Saudi Arabia, Henderson defended his actions in an interview with The Athletic. 'I can understand the anger,' Henderson said. 'I get it. All I can say is I'm sorry they feel like that. My intention was never, ever to hurt anyone. My intention has always been to help causes and communities where I felt like they had asked for my help. 'Now, when I was making the decision, the way that I tried to look at it was I felt as though, by myself not going, we can all bury our heads in the sand and criticise different cultures and different countries from afar. But then nothing's going to happen. Nothing's going to change. 'I think people know what my views and values were before I left and still do now. And I think having someone with those views and values in Saudi Arabia is only a positive thing.' Henderson denied reports he was being paid £700,000 ($936,000 at the current rate) a week at Al Ettifaq and was even asked about the prospect of joining a team further down the Premier League pecking order instead, such as Brentford (or Brighton & Hove Albion), if they had shown interest. 'I wanted something that would excite me,' he said. 'And that's not to say those clubs wouldn't excite me, because they are great clubs and they come with really different challenges. But it needed to be something that I felt as though I could add value in and do and try something new — a new challenge, and for different reasons. And this opportunity with Stevie (Gerrard), in a totally different league and culture, was something that maybe would excite us in terms of the project that was put in front of us, in terms of the league and using my experience to try to help with that in many different areas and feeling that people-value.' Advertisement However, Henderson ditched that 'exciting' new project after a few months. In the January, he left Saudi Arabia for the Netherlands. There, he helped to stabilise Ajax, who were on the way to recording their lowest final position (fifth) in the Dutch top-flight for over two decades. Henderson then made 28 league appearances across the 34 games last season, starting 21 of them. Ajax were nine points clear at the top with five games remaining but crumbled and allowed PSV to steal the title. Head coach Francesco Farioli resigned and was considered as a potential replacement for Thomas Frank, who left Brentford in June after nearly seven years in charge to take over at Tottenham Hotspur. The club contacted Ange Postecoglou, sacked by Spurs earlier that month, about succeeding Frank and also considered Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna but eventually decided to promote from within and appoint set-piece coach Keith Andrews. Andrews is a former Republic of Ireland international midfielder who went on to work within their coaching set-up and also at club level for Sheffield United. He made an important contribution to Brentford last season, after initially being reluctant to apply for the role of set-piece coach, but this is his first whack at senior management. As well as losing Frank, Brentford's captain Christian Norgaard and first-choice goalkeeper Mark Flekken have joined Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen respectively this summer and Manchester United have made multiple bids for top-scorer Bryan Mbeumo, while Nottingham Forest had an offer for fellow forward Yoane Wissa rejected. It all adds up to a huge summer of change for the west London side, which is why Henderson's signing makes perfect sense. He will fill the leadership void in the squad created by the departures of Norgaard, Mee (the 35-year-old former Burnley captain left last month upon the expiry of his contract) and Flekken and provide support to an inexperienced head coach. The next oldest players at Brentford now are Ethan Pinnock, 32, and 29-year-old Mathias Jensen. Nathan Collins would be a popular choice as the new captain but nobody will be surprised if Henderson gets the armband. Andrews' support staff includes Brentford's former B-team head coach Neil MacFarlane, ex-Arsenal Under-21s lead Mehmet Ali and Martin Drury, who has been an assistant to Carlos Corberan at West Bromwich Albion and Spanish club Valencia. None of them have worked in the Premier League on a regular basis before, although Ali helped to integrate academy players into Arsenal's first-team squad. Advertisement Henderson will take over the holding midfield role, and No 6 shirt, from Norgaard. The only alternatives are Vitaly Janelt and Yunus Emre Konak. The latter is a highly-rated Turkey Under-19 international but has played just 36 league minutes for the club since joining in January last year. Janelt is recovering from season-ending foot surgery in April and is into the final 12 months of his contract. Negotiations over a new deal are on hold until he recovers. Though this signing addresses an urgent issue within the squad, that position is still an area Brentford need to reinforce with somebody younger. They did add midfielder Antoni Milambo from Dutch side Feyenoord early this month in a £16million deal but the 20-year-old is primarily an attacking player. Yehor Yarmoliuk, 21, performed impressively towards the end of last season but is mainly seen as a No 8. Before they opted to sign Henderson, Brentford analysed his data metrics, including high-speed running and the total distance he was covering in matches. They considered how he would adapt going from playing in teams who dominate possession in most games at Liverpool and Ajax to being in one who tend to have the ball much less. Henderson made 45 appearances in all competitions last season, starting 35 times, but can Brentford rely on a 35-year-old to hold their midfield together every week across a testing 10-month Premier League campaign? Henderson missed out on selection for England's European Championship squad last summer and has only made three appearances for them since the beginning of 2024, with a single start against Andorra in June this year. Maybe he feels that representing Brentford, who finished 10th in the 2024-25 Premier League, will provide him with a better platform to impress head coach Thomas Tuchel ahead of next summer's World Cup. As a bonus that might make his transition to the club easier, he will be reunited with former Liverpool team-mates Caoimhin Kelleher, Sepp van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho, who have all joined Brentford in the past 12 months. 'I've always had huge admiration for (Brentford) and what they have achieved over the last few years,' Henderson said in an interview on their website after his signing was announced. 'I have always been told about how well run and organised they are and that it is very family orientated. When I spoke to Phil (Giles, director of football), Lee (Dykes, technical director) and Keith (Andrews), I had a good feeling about everything. 'I still had that fire to come back and play in the Premier League. It's the best league in the world, with the best players. It's a big challenge and one I was keen on doing. It became an easy decision. Advertisement 'When we had the meetings, there were areas where they felt I could get better at, which is music to my ears. I always want to improve and I want to help as many people around me at the same time.' It will be interesting to see the reception that Henderson receives from opposition supporters in the coming season. There was a lot of anger directed towards him over his transfer to Saudi Arabia but he has mainly been shielded from it, having not played a club match in England since. Those frustrations might have reduced slightly over the intervening two years but there are likely to still be a lot of dissenting voices, including from within Brentford's own fanbase. Henderson's arrival will provide Andrews with a headache in one way, as he will be asked about all of this in press conferences. Frank skilfully handled questions about Ivan Toney's ban for breaching rules on betting and concerns about Christian Eriksen following his return to football after an on-pitch cardiac arrest playing for Denmark. How will the new man cope? From a footballing perspective, this is a move which makes a lot of sense for all parties. But it is impossible to escape the feeling that it might also be part of Henderson's quest for redemption.
