A look at some of the long-standing barriers or world records which were broken in athletics, cricket and badminton.
England trail 2-0 in the five-Test series after being outplayed with bat, ball and in the field during the eight-wicket loss in the day-night match in Brisbane.
Travis Head proved England's nemesis once again as he scored his second century of the Ashes to carry Australia toward a seemingly inevitable series triumph on day three at Adelaide Oval on Friday.
Australia dominated day two of the second Ashes Test on Friday with a punishing batting assault on a lifeless Gabba pitch as England fumbled their chances in the field.
Their last eight Tests in Perth have all been defeats, with the most recent setback a bitter innings and 41-run capitulation in 2017 that saw Joe Root's team surrender the urn.
Idris Elba, Torvill and Dean star in Britain's New Year honours
Fast bowler Jofra Archer was ruled out of the rest of the Ashes series with a left side strain.
Indian cricketers have dominated the Wisden Almanack 2026 awards, securing seven of the nine honours.
Australia, England registered shameful record during first Ashes Test at Perth as express pace dominates proceedings
Fast bowler Josh Tongue is confident England are prepared for the Ashes series in Australia and have a good chance of ending their long drought Down Under thanks to their fearsome bowling attack.
Diksha Dagar, Tvesa Malik, and Hitaashee Bakshi of India experienced a difficult final round at the MCB Ladies Classic in Mauritius, causing them to fall in the leaderboard. Denmark's Smilla Tarning Soenderby won the tournament.
Greg Chappell said that while he admires positive cricket, a "full-frontal assault" approach is insult to the intelligence of the players and the public alike.
The wealth of experience in Australia's ranks helped them remain calm in a difficult lead-up to the Ashes, fast bowler Mitchell Starc said after they defeated England on Sunday to win the series with two matches to spare.
Delhi will host the 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship in 2026 at the Thyagraj Stadium, with players from more than 35 countries expected to participate, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced on Wednesday.
New Zealand will bid farewell to one of its cricketing greats when all-rounder Suzie Bates calls time on her international career at the end of the White Ferns' T20 World Cup campaign in England.
Casemiro backs Michael Carrick for the permanent Manchester United job after a strong run that lifted the club to third in the Premier League.
Spin-bowling all-rounder Will Jacks will replace paceman Mark Wood in an otherwise unchanged England side for the second Ashes Test against Australia in Brisbane.
England have not won the Ashes in Australia after losing the first Test since the 1950s but McCullum and Stokes will remain convinced they can turn the series around, just as they did against South Africa in 2022 when they won 2-1 after losing the opener at Lord's.
England Head Coach Brendon McCullum revealed his team may have been victims of their own thoroughness, conducting "five to 10 training sessions" in the extended break between Tests after losing the opener in Perth inside two days.
UK police have made several arrests as part of an investigation into serious offences alleged to have involved members of an Ahmadi sect in north-west England.
Mark Wood, who was one of England's standout bowlers in the 2021-22 series when he claimed 17 wickets, had been sidelined since February due to a knee injury and was hoping to build up match fitness in this week's warm-up match ahead of the Ashes.
Sanju Samson's unbeaten 87 against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026 on Tuesday, earns praise from Eoin Morgan and Aaron Finch.
Surrey seamer Matthew Fisher has been added to the squad and will link up with the group this week, having been in Australia with the England Lions.
Jonny Bairstow supports Liam Livingstone's criticism of the England cricket hierarchy's level of care for players, highlighting concerns about the system's support for those outside the core group and the need to rebuild connections with county cricket.
Pakistan's newly-appointed hockey team head coach, Manzur ul Hassan, believes the nation erred by not participating in the FIH Pro League's inaugural edition in 2019, depriving players of crucial experience against top-tier opponents.
Ayush Shetty's silver medal at the Asia Championships has positioned him as a potential men's singles contender for India, boosting the nation's badminton prospects as they prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
At just 11 years old, Bodhana Sivanandan has become Great Britain's No 1 Women's Chess player dethroning four-time British Women's Champion Lan Yao.
Croatia and AC Milan's Luka Modric sustained the injury following a clash of heads with Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli during their Serie A match on Sunday.
India's oldest Test cricketer CD Gopinath passes away at 96
Akash Deep and Harshit Rana are unlikely to be fit for the upcoming home series against Afghanistan and the white ball tour of United Kingdom as they are still some time away from getting fully match-fit, sources in BCCI said.
Beyers Swanepoel leaves mid-match for England flight, forcing Lions to field 10 players as Titans win dramatic domestic final; probe launched.
The extraordinary performance of 15-year-old cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has sparked speculation about whether his talent is natural or aided by artificial intelligence.
Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has criticised the idea of creating two separate T20I teams for Team India, advocating for 'A' team tours to provide players with more exposure instead.
Lalit Modi suggests IPL franchises owning Test teams and four-day matches as ways to revive Test cricket, which he says is in decline globally.
Indian women's team captain Harmanpreet Kaur believes the team's performance against South Africa has come at the right time, allowing them to address shortcomings before the T20 World Cup.
In the league stage, South Africa suffered two heavy defeats and their batting came apart against spin in both games.
'But I think that the manner in which they play is part of the reason why I think they've got their best chance in 15 years of regaining the Ashes Down Under, because in 2010-11 when we went down there and won, we pushed back against Australia.'
England are unlikely to tinker with their side for the second Ashes Test against Australia starting in Brisbane next week despite being thumped in the opening match, their former fast bowler James Anderson said.
England's Joe Root conquered his final frontier with a first Ashes century in Australia as the tourists pushed past 300 on day one of the second Test in Brisbane on Thursday despite a six-wicket haul from pace spearhead Mitchell Starc.
Suryakumar Yadav's recent batting form has raised questions about his place in India's T20 plans, especially with the 2028 Olympics on the horizon and the emergence of young talent like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
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