OVAL AND ALL OUT

Broad gets fairy tale final wicket as England deny Australia win in superb Ashes

MATT HARDY

RETIRING Stuart Broad took a wicket with his final ever delivery in cricket as England took seven wickets in the last session to draw the Ashes.

Australia will return to the southern hemisphere with the famous urn but the 2-2 Ashes draw ensures they continue a run in England without a series victory which dates back to 2001.

Australia went 2-0 up after Test matches at Edgbaston and Lord’s before England halved the deficit at Headingley.

The fourth Test at Old Trafford was drawn to ensure Australia retained the Ashes but England levelled the series yesterday at the Oval.

With rain dampening the odds of a result on the final day in south London, Australia needed 146 runs with seven wickets in hand after a rain delay to claim an historic series victory in England.

Travis Head fell to one of Moeen Ali’s three wickets in the session before Steve Smith was caught by Zak Crawley off England’s player of the series Chris Woakes’ bowling.

Mitchell Marsh was dismissed by Ali, who came out of retirement for this series, before Woakes disposed of Mitchell Starc.

Captain Pat Cummins was caught by

United agree record £900m 10-year deal with Adidas

MATT HARDY

MANCHESTER United have agreed a record extension with kit maker Adidas worth £900m through to 2035.

The brand will pay nearly £1bn to the club across a 10-year period, beating Chelsea’s 15-year deal worth £900m signed with Nike in 2017, subject to “certain adjustments”.

Manchester United’s last deal with the German brand was worth £750m over a decade.

“The relationship between Manchester United and Adidas is one of the most iconic in world sport,” said Manchester United’s chief executive Richard Arnold. “With its roots in the

1980s, our partnership has been reinvented over the past decade with some of the most innovative designs and technology in sportswear.”

Adidas chief executive Bjorn Gulden said: “Adidas and Manchester United are two of the most important brands in international football and it is very natural for us to continue our cooperation.”

Manchester United, who finished third in last season’s Premier League and qualified for the Champions League, could still be under new ownership at some point within this year with current owners, the Glazer Family, still in talks with various parties to sell the club.

England skipper Ben Stokes off the bowling of Ali before Broad came into play. The 37-year-old swapped the bails in Australia’s first innings and proceeded to get batter Marnus Labuschagne out next ball. Yesterday evening he did the same before dismissing Todd Murphy next ball. The perfect script crescendo was being written. And Broad –who hit the last ball he faced with the bat for six – got his 604th and final wicket with his last ever delivery in Test cricket, against Alex

Carey, to earn England a 49-run victory.

It was a fairy tale ending for Broad, England and an Ashes series that has delighted for six weeks –albeit neither side managed to win the series.

“Coming into this series, if you looked back 14 months ago, to bounce back from 2-0 would have been tough for any team,” Stokes said. “What a series to be part off, it’s what test cricket needed.

“I know we’ve been vocal about it but this series has captivated so many new fans and attracted new fans to the game.” And on the appetite for the next Ashes in 2025? “It’s hard to lose an appetite when you love Test cricket as much as I do,” he said.

Ali confirmed a second retirement from Test cricket at stumps yesterday.

There have been talks in the past over a merger between the region and London’s leading Championship club Ealing Trailfinders.

City A.M. approached the Ospreys over the venue but they did not wish to comment on the location.

The two Premiership sides in London – champions Saracens and Twickenham side Harlequins – have stadiums with capacities of 10,000 and 14,800 respectively.

The Ospreys could also play at the 17,250 capacity Brentford Community Stadium, former home to London Irish, or Ealing’s smaller ground in west London.

“Today we’re also confirming that Ospreys will take one game on the road to London in our 202-24 season,” the club said in a statement confirming the financial make-up of their season tickets on Monday.

“When fixture and venue details are announced, Season Members will get 50 per cent off tickets and an exclusive priority window to purchase.”

Interestingly, season ticket holders will still need to purchase tickets for what organisers will list as a home United Rugby Championship match.

Leicester City fined £880k by competition watchdog

THE Competition and Markets Authority has confirmed the sanctions it has imposed on Championship club Leicester City and JD Sports as part of a case relating to shirt restrictions.

A fine of £880,000 has been imposed on the 2015-16 Premier League champions while JD’s decision to report the conduct to the CMA sees them benefit from immunity.

The investigation was launched in autumn 2021 with a later CMA report stating that the two organisations “colluded to restrict competition in the sales of Leicester City-branded clothing, including replica kit in the UK”.

“A fine of £880,000 has been imposed on Leicester City Football Club Limited...,” the CMA said on Monday. “The penalty includes a discount to reflect the fact that these parties have settled the case with the CMA.

“JD Sports reported the conduct to the CMA and benefits from immunity to any fine under the CMA’s Leniency programme.”

Leicester begin their Championship campaign at home to Coventry having been relegated from the Premier League last year.

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