Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook has brought the curtain down on his record-breaking cricket career, saying: ‘It is the right time for this part of my life to come to an end.’

The left-handed opener’s 12,472 Test runs is the most by any English batter, placing him fifth in the all-time list, but after retiring from international duty in 2018, he carried on playing for Essex.

His contract at the county expired at the conclusion of the domestic season last month and the 38-year-old, part of Essex’s County Championship-winning side in 2019, has elected against seeking a renewal.

‘It is not easy to say goodbye,’ Cook said in a statement. ‘For more than two decades, cricket has been so much more than my job. It is the right time for this part of my life to come to an end.

‘I have always given absolutely everything I possibly have to be the best player I could be, but now I want to make way for the new generation to take over.

‘From the eight-year-old boy who first played for Wickham Bishops Under 11s to now, I end with a strange feeling of sadness mixed with pride. Although, above all, I am incredibly happy.’

Essex head coach Anthony McGrath had hoped ‘we’ll see him for a bit longer’ as speculation swirled about Cook’s future after the Chelmsford club finished runners-up to Surrey in the championship.

But Cook’s decision to retire ends a remarkable career which began in 2003, impressing enough early on to earn the first of 161 Test caps three years later against India in Nagpur, making a ton on debut.

He went on to amass another 32 Test centuries – an England record – and was part of Ashes series wins in 2009, 2010/11, 2013 and 2015, captaining them in the latter two. His 766 runs in the 2010/11 series saw him crowned player of the series and helped England seal a first win Down Under since 1986/87.

Cook won 24 of his 59 Tests as England captain between 2010 and 2016 and skippered the ODI side between 2010 and 2014 before being unceremoniously axed just months before the World Cup the following year.

He bowed out of England duty with a hundred against India at the Kia Oval in September 2018 and was given a knighthood for services to cricket a few months later in the New Year Honours List.

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Lexi Thompson will be in seventh heaven when she hits her first shot at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas.

She adds to the ranks of six previous women to play on the PGA Tour and is relishing the opportunity to mix it with a field of established professionals headed by Europe’s Ryder Cup star Ludvig Aberg.

Thompson, a 28-year-old from Coral Springs in Florida, is no stranger to hitting the headlines.

She was the youngest golfer to qualify for the US Women’s Open when she was just 12 and, after turning professional three years later, she became the youngest player to win an LPGA Tour title when victorious at the Navistar Classic aged 16 years, seven months and eight days.

Thompson then enhanced her glowing reputation by being the second youngest winner of an European Tour event when she triumphed at the Dubai Ladies Masters.

And she has since won a total off 11 LPGA Tour titles including the Chevron Championship, one of the five majors on the women’s circuit.

It’s fitting Thompson has accepted a sponsor’s exemption to play at the Shriners as her brothers Ben and Curtis have both appeared on the PGA Tour and it caps a year in which she was part of the United States team at the recent Solheim Cup.

Brittany Lincicome was the last woman to appear on the PGA Tour when she played in the 2018 Barbasol Championship while the only others to have done so this century are Annika Sorenstam and Suzy Whaley in 2003 and Michelle Wie , who made the first of eight PGA Tour appearances the following year when she was just 14.

Wie famously missed the cut by one shot on her debut at the Sony Open after a second round 68 – a score she repeated two years later at the same tournament.

Thompson is used to playing on tight, accurate courses on the LPGA Tour but loves to hit bombs off the tee and will relish the opportunity to use her driver to find the long fairways on the par four and five holes at the Shriners.

She is 12/1 with bet365 to make the cut and has the experience, character and ability to get the job done.

Aberg is 12/1 with William Hill to lift the trophy and our other each-ways are Adam Hadwin, Luke List and Aaron Rai (40/1, 50/1 and 50/1 with the same firm).

• Aiden Markram walloped 106 off just 54 balls when South Africa beat Sri Lanka in their Cricket World Cup opener and he’s 12/1 with Sky Bet to be the top scorer in their match against Australia. 

• Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who has been hitting the front pages in the United States for dating singer Taylor Swift, is 11/2 with Sky Bet to score the opening touchdown in Thursday’s NFL duel with disappointing Denver. 

Pair the Chiefs to win by over 9.5 points with the Baltimore Ravens to eclipse the Tennessee Titans by more than a field goal in Sunday’s game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The double returns just over 3/1 with Betway.

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King Kong slugging it out with Godzilla, Spider-Man battling Doctor Octopus in Manhattan and Muhammad Ali going toe-to-toe with Joe Frazier in the Thrilla in Manila were true battles of the titans.

Two more epic tales will go down in folklore this weekend when France face South Africa and Ireland battle against New Zealand with trips to the Rugby World Cup semi-finals at stake.

Parisians looking into the night sky on Sunday will see a streak of light dashing past the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, heading to the Stade de France. 

It won’t be Superman but his French equivalent Antoine Dupont, flying into action just three weeks after an operation to repair a shattered cheekbone.

Barring any setbacks, Dupont will square up with the equally excellent Faf de Klerk, his opposite number at scrum-half, and his return is a huge boost to the host nation on a night when the difference between winning and losing will be wafer thin.

France beat the Springboks 30-26 the last time they met just under a year ago, ending a run of seven defeats to the Southern Hemisphere giants and defending World Cup champions.

Les Bleus have been building to gigantic moments such as this and are 5/6 to win with Betway.

Double that up with Ireland to beat New Zealand at the same venue 24 hours earlier at 3/4 with the same firm.

The Irish have never advanced beyond the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals but will put the record straight on Saturday.

They were a joy to watch as they annihilated Scotland at the weekend, winning 36-14 and making a very good side look remarkably ordinary.

The All Blacks were the last team to beat Ireland 18 matches ago but they are not the force of old despite winning the Rugby Championship earlier this year.

Since then they have been beaten by South Africa in a warm-up and by France in the tournament opener and they lost four times in 2022, with two of those defeats against Ireland.

Discipline can be a problem for New Zealand and they’ve had players sent off in heavy defeats to the Springboks and the Irish so a red card is worth backing at 10/3 with bet365.

• Virat Kohli, one of cricket’s all-time greats, is 9/2 with Sky Bet to hit the most runs in front of an adoring Delhi crowd when India engage in Cricket World Cup action with Afghanistan.

 • Jon Rahm can milk the applause and appreciation after helping Europe regain the Ryder Cup as he wins the Open De Espana in Madrid at 11/5 with Betway and Bet Victor. England’s Eddie Pepperell is worth an each-way nibble at 90/1 with Betfred.

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Heads historically roll in France, the home of the guillotine, and there’s going to be some big names fearing the chop if England fail to reach the Rugby World Cup semi-finals in Marseille on Sunday.

Steve Borthwick’s side – who could face France or South Africa in the semis – are nowhere near the standards set when England were runners-up to the Springboks four years ago in Japan and, if we are being honest, they are playing some of the dullest rugby in the tournament.

True they had already qualified for the knockout stages, but Saturday’s close shave against Samoa did little to suggest they are a confident, cohesive unit willing to grasp the nettle.

A late Danny Care try followed by a match-saving tackle from the Harlequins scrum-half secured an extremely tight 18-17 victory and with so many basic errors blotting the copybook there’s tonnes of work required in training this week if the Flying Fijians are to be eliminated.

The Pacific Islanders also limped into the last eight, despite losing arguably the most entertaining match of the tournament so far when they were beaten 24-23 by Portugal.

Fiji’s losing bonus point was enough to eliminate Australia and ruin the chance of a classic storyline which would have pitted Wallabies coach Eddie Jones against the England team he managed to mess up during the final stages of his time in charge.

The pressure told against Portugal but Fiji just about did the job and are at their best when they are underdogs with nothing to lose.

They are more likely to be the XV which thrilled in a narrow defeat to Wales in their Pool C opener before defeating the Wallabies and morale will be considerably boosted by memories of their historic 30-22 victory over a ragged England at Twickenham in August.

Fiji fritter away a large amount of penalties giving Owen Farrell or George Ford the opportunity to kick Borthwick’s blunderers to victory.

But England are nowhere near the 2/5 favourites chalked up by numerous bookmakers for this encounter and Fiji are worth a punt at 23/10 with Betfair to register a seismic victory which will spark a revolution in English rugby.

Wales are rounding into form at the right time and can dispose of inconsistent Argentina to reach the semi-finals. Warren Gatland has done a fine job improving the Dragons and they are 6/4 with Betway to beat the Pumas by more than a converted try in Marseille on Saturday.

• Saud Shakeel can demolish the Sri Lanka bowling if he maintains the dashing form which saw him hit 68 runs off 52 balls in Pakistan’s Cricket World Cup victory over Netherlands. He is 17/1 to be the top batter in Tuesday’s match in Hyderabad.

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Dharamshala is a beautiful city on the edge of the Himalayas, surrounded by cedar trees and home to the Dalai Lama.

It enjoys a reputation for being a tranquil place where residents and visitors can relax in peaceful contemplation but that will be anything but the case when England face Bangladesh at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium for what figures to be a tense, fraught showdown in the Cricket World Cup.

The opening-day defeat to New Zealand by nine wickets has left Jos Buttler and his boys in an early hole with the defending champions needing to figure out a way to regain their best form with both bat and ball.

It doesn’t help that injury means they are currently without the inspirational Ben Stokes – who is expected to miss out against – and somehow they must recapture the dashing style of play which helped them storm to the title on a magical day at Lord’s four years ago.

During that campaign England handed out their own shellacking, beating Bangladesh by a whopping 106 runs after powering their way to 385 for six.

Top scorer was Surrey opener Jason Roy with 153 runs off 121 balls which included 14 fours and five sixes.

Unfortunately, he has failed to make the cut and is only a reserve in case of an injury this time around, so maybe Buttler can gain motivation from the 64 he made in the 2019 Cardiff win, or Jonny Bairstow can draw encouragement from his fine 51 in that match.

It isn’t going to be easy as Bangladesh will have gained confidence from their opening six-wicket win against Afghanistan and from having won two of their four World Cup showdowns with England.

Defeat in the shadow of those Himalayas would leave England a mountain to climb to reach the semi-finals with our ante-post betting sailing into the nearest waste paper basket. The pressure’s on.

Joe Root led the scoring with 77 off 86 deliveries against the Black Caps on Thursday and is 6/1 with Sky Bet to plunder the most runs on Tuesday and 10/1 with Ladbrokes and Coral to be man of the match.

But it’s going to need top-drawer efforts throughout the team to ensure victory and there will be very few takers at a widespread 1/5 for England to gain it.

Let’s instead stay calm and remember Dharamshala’s not the place to panic.

• Anyone who backed Rachin Ravindra at 6/1 to be New Zealand’s top batter in the opening Cricket World Cup match with England can feel hard done by. He cracked an unbeaten 123 runs off just 96 balls but was still outshone by Devon Conway’s tremendous 152. It may well be that Ravindra sparkles again in the match against Netherlands and he’s worth a wager at 10/1 with Paddy Power and Betfair to be the match’s top scorer.

• Green Bay Packers and Las Vegas Raiders fans know their NFL season will be heading for the dumpster if their side loses the Monday Night Football game in Sin City. The Packers have a slightly better record of 2-2 compared to the Raiders’ 1-3 and can be backed to win at 23/20 with Coral and Ladbrokes. Cheeseheads running back Aaron Jones is 15/2 with 888Sport to celebrate the first touchdown.

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Jos Buttler has played down England’s dismal performance in their Cricket World Cup opening match defeat to New Zealand and says the team remain positive despite being ‘very much outplayed’.

England were completely dominated by the Kiwis in Ahmedabad on Thursday – who got some measure of revenge for the 2019 final – and won the match with nine wickets and 82 balls remaining.

New Zealand won the toss and put England in to bat, with every single player getting to double figures but only Joe Root (77) making a sizeable score.

England’s total of 282 looked a long way short of par and that proved to be the case, with Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra both hitting unbeaten centuries in a partnership worth 273 runs – the fourth highest partnership in World Cup history and the biggest by any side against England.

Despite the scale of the defeat, Buttler remains upbeat about England’s chances in India and says it has underlined the need to stick to their attacking, positive style.

‘It was a disappointing day. We were very much outplayed by New Zealand and it is a tough defeat to take. But it’s just one loss at the start of a long tournament,’ said the skipper.

‘A lot of guys in our team have played a lot of cricket, we have beaten teams in this way before and been on the end of these results as well.

‘We won’t read too much into it or get too down on ourselves. Just like we wouldn’t get too high if we had won in this manner.

‘I thought we were well below par and obviously, judging by how New Zealand batted, it showed that. We were aiming for around 330. It was a good wicket to bat on and I think it got better under lights. With the start they go off to, it was hard to build any pressure.

‘We will keep being positive and play our way. It shows you need good scores on the board to be able to defend them.

‘You can’t be too defensive. We just weren’t quite on with our execution. We were a long way short of our best but still made 280.’

Speaking to Sky Sports, Root was more critical of the side’s display, saying: ‘We were below par in all departments if we are being brutally honest. Batting-wise I don’t think we had the best of conditions but we kept stalling after building partnerships.

‘It was a really frustrating day but it’s important to remember that there is so much cricket in this tournament. It is important that we don’t panic.’

He continued: ‘We don’t need to spend a long time talking, we know where we have gone wrong. It’s how can we make sure we don’t find ourselves in this situation next time.

‘With the ball we need to be consistent with a good length early on. We leaked, giving them scoring opportunities both sides of the wicket. When have you seen a World Cup campaign where there isn’t a stumbling block? We must stay calm.’

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The Cricket World Cup is upon us and promises to be a thriller, with England well equipped to defend their title and a host of challengers, led by much-fancied hosts India, aiming to wrest it from them.

Established stars and rising ones will be out to make their mark on the grandest stage, as the action kicks off today with a repeat of the 2019 final as England once again face New Zealand.

Here are some of the players to look out for over the next few weeks:

Ben Stokes (England)

There was minor controversy when England’s Test captain answered the call to come out of ODI retirement, stirred up by former Aussie skipper Tim Paine.

In as a specialist batter because of his chronic knee problems, Stokes did his best to quell any concerns with an England ODI record knock of 182 from 124 balls against New Zealand last month.

A big-match, big-moment player with a big presence to match – providing he can shake off his latest injury scare, which emerged on the eve of the tournament.

Jasprit Bumrah (India)

Virat Kohli has superstar status (and his record is ridiculous) but Bumrah could sneak up as the main man for the hosts.

A back injury sidelined him for a year but if he stays fit he’s a brilliant fast bowler – his ability to produce inch-perfect yorkers and savvy slower balls at the right time could be decisive on home soil.

Babar Azam (Pakistan)

An obvious man to keep an eye on as the ICC’s top-ranked batter in 50-over cricket. Averaged 67.71 at the last World Cup, has a career average of 57 and is equally comfortable against pace or spin.

Simply brilliant to watch and rattles along at a strike rate of almost 90.

Adam Zampa (Australia)

Seamers like Mitchell Starc will spearhead the Aussie attack but don’t underestimate the importance of Zampa’s spin.

He’ll be carrying extra responsibility as the only specialist spinner in the party, with Ashton Agar injured, but Australia have a rich history of leggies and conditions in India should suit him.

Smashed about in South Africa last month but has more ODI wickets than anyone since the last World Cup (74).

Mujeeb ur Rahman (Afghanistan)

A spinner with an enviable skill-set who England batters should be wary of when they face him.

In demand with franchises around the globe, he’s risen to No.3 in the ODI bowler rankings with a deadly mix of off-spin, googlies and leg-spin in his bag of tricks.

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England’s defence of the World Cup they won four years ago begins in Ahmedabad when they play New Zealand, the team they beat in the 2019 final by the ‘barest of margins’ to become world champions for the first time.

If everyone is fit, they will be able to field seven of the side that played in that groundbreaking match, though many will be relying on muscle memory given the 50-over format is not as ubiquitous as it once was, domestically or internationally.

Take Jos Buttler, England’s captain. Since the last World Cup he has played 27 matches, which is 18 fewer than Virat Kohli (below). Even more strikingly, Joe Root has played just 19 ODIs over the same period as England, who prioritised white-ball cricket in the lead-up to 2019, return their attention to the Test team.

Does their lack of 50-over cricket matter? England will say not. Their aim, as far as I can divine, is to approach this World Cup not as a distinct format but as T20 x 2.5. Listen to Buttler’s rhetoric and it is about all-out attack and cricket without fear or ambiguity – something of a culture clash with tournament favourites India (currently ranked No.1), who are likely to adopt a more cautious, wickets-in-hand approach, especially in front of their billion-strong adoring public.

This is the first time India have hosted the 50-over World Cup on their own (they previously shared the honour with Sri Lanka and Pakistan), an acknowledgment of their place at the top of cricket’s tree.

Power and hubris often go hand in hand and there have been reports of the tournament not being advertised and of online ticket sales being a fiasco. Yet India operates to a different logic, one which argues, ‘Why spend money publicising something that doesn’t need it?’

One thing that is certain is the expectation on their team will be enormous, adding the equivalent of another 25-30 runs to run-chases and another two wickets to opposition line-ups.

Even so, they look the team to beat, having timed their form and strength to perfection, in particular the return to fitness of gun bowler Jasprit Bumrah.

Normally at World Cups three or four teams stand out as likely finalists but this time any combination of India, England, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa could be on that grand stage on November 19.

To get there, a combination of nerve, consistency and that special, game-changing moment in the field is likely to be required. Oh, and a smidgen of luck, especially in the knockout stages, something that aided England in 2019 when a throw from the outfield in the final struck Ben Stokes’ bat and ricocheted for four.

That slice of fortune enabled England to tie the match at Lord’s which then went to a super over, itself tied on 15 runs apiece.

England won by virtue of having struck more boundaries in the match, a decider that has been removed this time round in favour of further super overs, which have been extended to all matches and not just the knockout stage.

Otherwise the format is the same as four years ago: ten teams each playing the other once with the top four making up the semi-finalists.

Pitches, which will be overseen by the ICC’s head groundsman Andy Atkinson, should be batting paradises which means the main point of difference among teams will be the bowling.

Spin tends to dominate in India but maybe not as much now that the home side cannot influence playing surfaces.

With most games day-night affairs, dew could also be a factor in limiting the effectiveness of spin at least for those teams bowling second, a greasy ball lacking grip off the pitch as well as in the bowler’s hand.

England have an excellent chance of making it two in two, though their bowling does not appear as strong for the conditions as their batting, which runs deep.

Their trio of left-arm pacemen, Sam Curran, Reece Topley and David Willey fit the brief according to analysts of the Indian Premier League, who reckon left-arm pace bowlers outperform their right-arm equivalents, but they need the ball to swing to be properly effective and that is not a given.

Buttler’s team possess serious 90mph pace in the form of Mark Wood and rookie Gus Atkinson, and also have great experience from Chris Woakes, who like Curran and spinner Moeen Ali, has played several seasons in the IPL.

With England playing their nine group matches at eight different venues, every ounce of that collective knowledge will be needed as they traverse an area as large as Gibraltar to John O’Groats and Bangor to Berlin, with all the variety that brings.

Moeen, along with Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone and Root, will form England’s spin attack. In the build-up to this tournament Eoin Morgan, England’s triumphant captain in 2019, said Rashid would be England’s key bowler.

His 50-over record in India, three wickets at 87 from four matches with a economy rate of 7.7, suggests otherwise but all those matches were against the home side whose batsmen are not as easily impressed by wrist-spinners as some of the other teams here. So he could yet be England’s kingmaker.

Two Test-playing countries are absent, West Indies and Ireland, their places taken by Netherlands and Sri Lanka following their success in the pre-tournament qualifier. Afghanistan play because they finished in the top eight of the ODI rankings. All have it in them to cause the odd upset.

India remain the bookies’ favourite but many fancy South Africa who have a good, varied bowling attack and some big- hitting batsmen, Heinrich Klaasen chief among them. Yet their reputation as chokers continues to dog them, the team having reached four semi-finals but never a final.

Personally, I always watch out for New Zealand and Pakistan at World Cups, two teams who tend to over-perform at tournaments, though for different reasons. England play them first and last in the group stage, and on those two results could their prospects of retaining the trophy lie.

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Persistent rain is public enemy No.1 for cricket fans and it hasn’t helped punters ahead of the World Cup in India.

Downpours deprived us of the chance to take a close look at the hosts playing England at Guwahati and gaining valuable insights into the form of the two favourites before the tournament starts on Thursday.

India head the market and will have a huge advantage if they reach the final in front of 120,000 fans packed into the stadium at Ahmedabad. Also in their favour is the fact the last three tournaments have all been won by the host nation.

That trend was continued four years ago when England squeezed past New Zealand in the most thrilling fashion at Lord’s and the defending champions have travelled to the subcontinent with a balanced squad who look more than capable of successfully defending their crown.

Their 15-man squad includes Harry Brook at the expense of Surrey opener Jason Roy, who misses out after losing playing time in the summer with back spasms, and the Yorkshireman could enjoy a formidable campaign.

He has just been named men’s player of the year by the Professional Cricketers’ Association after scoring 363 in the remarkable Ashes series against Australia and smashing the fastest century in The Hundred history.

Brook scored an unbeaten 105 for Northern Superchargers which included 11 fours and seven sixes.

That included three fours and a six off the final five balls to bring up his ton and is just the spirit under pressure needed to shine at the World Cup.

England are 10/3 with Betfred to win the final and Brook is 66/1 with Coral and Ladbrokes to be the tournament’s top runscorer.

The 24-year-old won’t be fazed by the conditions either as he was the first player to score centuries in both the Indian Premier League and the Pakistan Super League.

Australian paceman Mitchell Starc took a hat-trick in a warm-up match against Netherlands and is the 12/1 choice to take the most wickets in the tournament, while Ben Stokes is 16/1 with Sky Bet and StarSports to hit the most sixes.

• Paris Saint-German are 17/10 with Betfair to beat injury-hit Newcastle at St James’ Park while Manchester City are 10/13 with BetUK to win their Champions League match at RB Leipzig.

• Bristol City, Norwich, Sunderland and Coventry form Wednesday’s Football League yankee.

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