It ebbed, it flowed and it ebbed again. In a gripping first cricket Test at Lord’s, England overturned a first-innings deficit against New Zealand to win by 124 runs, bowling out the visitors for 220 in the final session on the fifth day. Ben Stokes was England’s hero with a brutal second-innings century and three second-innings wickets to nail a defeat which felt harsh on the Black Caps, who were in contention until the final day. Off the field, England pulled a surprise by appointing New South Wales coach Trevor Bayliss as their new head coach. Meanwhile six years after a terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore, international cricket returned to Pakistan as the hosts won a closely contested T20 series against Zimbabwe.
Hull down, Norwich up
English Premier League football came to a frenzied if largely inconsequential boil, where the main news of note – perhaps the only news of note – was Hull City’s relegation to the Championship after a goalless draw against Manchester United. Trading places with the Tigers are Norwich, who beat Middlesbrough 2-0 in the Championship play-off final at Wembley. Steven Gerrard’s seemingly endless Liverpool farewell actually did end with a 6-1 thrashing by Stoke, possibly not the glittering payoff envisaged by the former England captain after a 710-game league career. Still, Gerrard may be yet followed out of Anfield by the man who declined to renew his contract. “I’ve always said if the owners want me to go, I go. It’s as simple as that,” said a crestfallen Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
Giro d’Italia crashes on
Cycling’s Giro d’Italia dished up thrills and spills as the peloton churned into the final week. A crash on the flat stage 13 from Montecchio Maggiore to Jesolo caused chaos among the leading pack, briefly transferring the overall lead from Alberto Contador to Italy’s Fabio Aru, and destroying any hopes of victory for Team Sky’s Richie Porte, whose focus now turns to the Tour de France. Contador, who dislocated his shoulder in stage 6, said: “I think I can make the time up … The shoulder hurts but I want to think positively.” He then put theory into practice by recapturing the pink jersey on stage 14.
Rosberg hits the jackpot
The billionaire’s plaything of Formula One rocked up in the millionaire’s playground of Monte Carlo, permitting its wealthy patrons to view conveniently from the comfort of their own fortified super-yachts. Had they been paying attention they would have seen Nico Rosberg profit from an ill-judged Lewis Hamilton pit-stop on the instructions of his Mercedes team engineers, which resulted in the Briton blowing a winning position. “I know it was a lot of luck today, Lewis drove brilliantly and deserved the win. But that’s racing,” said Rosberg, defining the concept of schadenfreude. Before everyone gets too dewy-eyed on Hamilton’s behalf, let’s not forget the small consolation of his eye-popping new £100m ($155m) three-year deal with Mercedes.
