Women's Ashes: England captain Charlotte Edwards happy with Twenty20 switch

England women's captain Charlotte Edwards believes the switch to Twenty20 cricket will give her side a welcome boost.

While they remain on course to retain The Ashes in the multi-format series after winning the one-off against Australia and the opening ODI, the home side are back in contention after winning the last two 50-over games to reduce the deficit to 8-4.

The series moves on to Hobart on Wednesday and Edwards is hopeful they can secure the victory required to retain the Urn.
"I think for us it's good that we're changing formats now," Edwards said ahead of the series, which will be played before the three men's games.

"Twenty20 is a format that we've been very successful at over a period of time now.
"I think everyone's looking forward to the next week of Twenty20, especially with the double-headers with the men."

Australia may have frustrated England in recent matches but Edwards insists no one is panicking over the reversal of fortune.
"We're 8-4 up. I'd rather be our position that theirs," she added.
"They've played well in the last two games, but I think T20 cricket is very much who turns up on the day, whose big players turn up.

"I think probably if we were playing two more ODIs the momentum would be with the Australians, but I'm quite happy for a change of format. It's a format that we've been very successful at.
"We've got some good strategies in place and we play a lot of it now as well. Hopefully it will help our squad."

Canada 2014: Falconets pick World Cup ticket

The Nigeria U20 women defeated South Africa 1-0 on Saturday and qualify for the World Cup with a 7-0 aggregate victory

Wales full-back Dan Evans agrees three-year deal with Ospreys

Wales international Dan Evans has agreed a three-year contract with the Ospreys.

The Ospreys have announced that the Newport Gwent Dragons full-back will move from Rodney Parade at the end of this season.
Swansea born Evans, 25, won two caps on Wales' tour to North America in 2009 where he started in the wins over Canada and USA.

"This is a great opportunity for me," he told the club's official website.
"The Ospreys have been the most successful team in Wales over the last 10 years, winning leagues and producing players for the national team.
"There is some real world-class talent in the squad so it's a big challenge for me personally, but I can't wait to get involved and fight for my place."

Andy Lloyd, Rugby Operations Manager at the Ospreys, said: "We are delighted to have been able to secure the services of a talented Welsh player who has been in eye-catching form over the last two seasons.
It's great news for the region that he wanted to come here.

"We believe that Dan is a good fit for us, the way that our back line is developing around a group of players who may be young in age but are gaining a lot of experience and are starting to mature as a collective.
"He's been a regular points scorer over the last few years and while we believe that we can help him reach that next level, he can also give us some focus at the back and create some real competition for the shirt."

Stanislas Wawrinka salutes injury-hit Rafael Nadal after final

Stanislas Wawrinka said he felt sorry for an injury-troubled world No 1 Rafael Nadal after claiming his first Grand Slam title in dramatic fashion on Sunday.

The eighth seed roared through the first two sets and overcame the distraction of a back injury to Nadal, and

Essien completes AC Milan move

Chelsea have announced on their official website that Michael Essien has completed his transfer to AC Milan.

The Ghana international was no longer needed at the Premier League giants and will now be looking to relaunch his career at the San Siro outfit.

Jose Mourinho regrets not making Juan Mata better player

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has admitted he regrets not being able to make Juan Mata a better player on his return to Stamford Bridge.

The Spain international completed a £37.1m move to Manchester United on Saturday after failing to secure a regular place in the Chelsea side under Mourinho, despite being named the club's player of the season for

How Stephen Keshi got his tactics right against Morocco

Nigeria prevailed over Morocco in a seven-goal thriller to book their ticket to the African Nations Championship (CHAN) semi-finals on Saturday. The game ended 4-3.
As expected, Bright Esieme took the place of the suspended Solomon Kwambe and Ugonna Uzochukwu returned to partner Abdullahi Shehu in the center of midfield. The rest of the side was the same as in the win over hosts South Africa, and lined up in the same 4-2-3-1. Morocco was also 4-2-3-1.

Chemmy Alcott included in Great Britain team

Skier Chemmy Alcott has been included in the Great Britain team for the Winter Olympics in Sochi after convincing the selectors of her fitness.

The 31-year-old Londoner only returned to full-time training in December after breaking her leg for a

Van Persie & Fellaini return to Manchester United training

The duo, who have both been out of action since December, are unlikely to feature in Wednesday's Capital One Cup semi-final but are on the verge of being available again.
 Manchester United duo Robin van Persie and Marouane Fellaini returned to first-team training on Tuesday as they continue their much-anticipated return from injury, Goal can reveal.

Both players trained with the rest of the first-team squad for all but the final part of Tuesday's session at the club's Carrington training base as they near a return to action.
Van Persie has been sidelined for over a month with a thigh injury, with the Netherlands international last featuring for United in the Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on December 10.

The 30-year-old worked with PSV Eindhoven fitness coach Arno Philips in a bid to step-up his recovery, with Goal exclusively revealing Van Persie returned to Manchester on January 9 after completing the two weeks of specialist fitness work in Holland.

Former Everton midfielder Fellaini, meanwhile, underwent wrist surgery towards the end of December and, despite initial fears that he could be out of action for six weeks, has recovered ahead of schedule.

It is unlikely that Van Persie or Fellaini, who trained without a cast on his wrist on Tuesday, will be available for Wednesday's Capital One Cup semi-final second leg, with there being only an outside chance that they will be named on the substitutes' bench.

Black Caps win by 15 runs in Hailton by Duckworth Lewis

New Zealand beat India by 15 runs in their rain-shortened second ODI thanks to one of the more bizarre Duckworth-Lewis method run chases in Hamilton.

Despite scoring more runs in less overs, India went 2-0 behind in the five-match ODI series and also lost

Diego Ulissi edges leader Simon Gerrans to stage two victory

Diego Ulissi emerged victorious on stage two at the Santos Tour Down Under after winning the sprint into Stirling.

The Italian Lampre-Merida rider timed his kick to perfection on the right-hand side of the road to surprise a number of more established fast finishers.

Manchester City cruise to Wembley with 9-0 win over West Ham

Manchester City cruised into the Capital One Cup final with a 3-0 second leg success over West Ham to complete a 9-0 aggregate victory.

Alvaro Negredo struck twice and Sergio Aguero was also on target for Manuel Pellegrini's men as they set up a Wembley meeting with either Manchester United or Sunderland on March 2.

Messi's most memorable matches at Barcelona

As the Argentine forward prepares for his latest career milestone, Goal takes a look at his most significant games for the Catalan club since his debut in 2005

The numbers are astronomical.

Tony Bellew to face cruiserweight Valery Brudov in Liverpool during March

Tony Bellew is to fight in Liverpool during March, moving up to cruiserweight in a bid to earn another stab at a world title.

Bellew, 31, has already failed in two attempts as a

Nigeria face Morocco in CHAN quarterfinal

Stephen Keshi’s men will lock horns with the Atlas Lions in one of the last eight fixtures of the 2014 African Nations Championship

Super Eagles of Nigeria will play north African rivals Morocco in the quarter final of the African Nations Championship currently going on in South Africa.

Eugenie Bouchard and Li Na book semi-final places

Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard recovered from the loss of the first set to beat Ana Ivanovic and set up a semi-final date with fourth-seed Li Na at the Australian Open.

Taj Gibson helps Chicago Bulls to last-gasp win over Lakers

Taj Gibson made a lay-up shot on the buzzer to give Chicago Bulls a dramatic 102-100 overtime win over Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.

Manchester United need new players but no-one will sell them

Manchester United need help in the form of up to four new players but are going to struggle to sign them, says Gary Neville.

A Samuel Eto'o hat-trick gave Chelsea a 3-1 win over United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday which leaves David Moyes' side seventh in the Premier League.

Frankie Dettori returns at Lingfield

Jockey Frankie Dettori has three booked rides as he returns to action at Lingfield Park on Wednesday afternoon.

The Italian has been sidelined since early October when he suffered a fractured ankle in a fall going down to the start before a race at Nottingham.

Maria Sharapova out of Australian Open

Maria Sharapova followed top seed Serena Williams out of the Australian Open with a shock defeat by Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in the fourth round.

The Russian, who won the title in 2008, lost 3-6 6-4 6-1 in an erratic display on Rod Laver Arena.

Rafael Nadal edges past Kei Nishikori; Grigor Dimitrov makes history

Nadal had won all five of his previous meetings against Nishikori and, while he made it six out of six on Monday, he was pushed hard by his Japanese opponent before sealing a 7-6 (7/3) 7-5 7-6 (7/3) win at Rod Laver Arena.

Premier League preview: West Brom take on Everton in Pepe Mel's first game

Former Real Betis boss Mel, confirmed as Steve Clarke's successor earlier this month, inherits a side just three points above the Premier League drop zone.

Caretaker Keith Downing remained at the helm for

Ronaldo did not win anything & does not deserve Ballon d'Or, says Ribery

Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery has slammed the outcome of the 2013 Fifa Ballon d'Or and feels Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo did not deserve to win the award as the Portugal international did not collect any trophies last year.

Rafael Nadal brushes aside Gael Monfils in straight-sets

World No 1 Rafael Nadal sent a message to his rivals by beating Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-1 6-2 6-3 in the third round of the Australian Open.

Monfils, with his flashy shots and crowd-pleasing style, has caused a degree of trouble for Nadal in the

McIlroy penalised as Craig Lee takes two-shot lead into final round

Craig Lee fired a 69 to lead by two entering the final round of the Abu Dhabi Championship, as Rory McIlroy was left to rue a two-shot penalty.

It appeared that McIlroy had carded a 68 to take him within one of the lead

Chelsea Fc vs Manchester United Preview

Chelsea - Manchester United Preview: Mourinho sets sights on 100th Premier League win

David Moyes faces one of his biggest tests since taking charge of the Old Trafford club this summer, as his Portuguese counterpart chases a new record at Stamford Bridge

Manchester United will sell Rooney to an overseas club - Mourinho

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho claims that Manchester United may sell Wayne Rooney to an overseas club at the end of the season.
The Blues had two bids for Rooney rejected in the summer, and have continued to be linked with the strikeras he refuses to enter contract talks at Old Trafford.

Extreme temperatures force play to be suspended

Whether to put the policy into effect is entirely at the discretion of tournament referee Wayne McKewen this year after a change in the rules.

McKewen uses the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature reading, which takes into account humidity and wind

UK Sport sets Team GB medal target for Sochi

The nation's high performance sports agency has invested over £14m of National Lottery and Government funding in backing the country's best athletes over the Sochi 'four-year cycle'.

If the agreed targets are met it would represent Great Britain's best combined Olympic and Paralympic performance in 20 years.

Andy Murray defeated Vincent Millot of France to move into round three

The fourth seed spewed countless unforced errors against the 267-ranked Frenchman in the first two sets despite winning them both 6-2.

However, Millot only had to raise his game a notch to move into a 5-1 lead in the third with two breaks of the Murray serve.

Seedorf confirmed as new AC Milan coach

AC Milan have confirmed the appointment of Clarence Seedorf as their new head coach following the dismissal of Massimiliano Allegri.

Allegri was sacked on Monday, less than 24 hours after a shock 4-3 loss to Sassuolo that left theRossoneri 11th

Promoter Eddie Hearn set for talks with Carl Froch over rematch with George Groves

Promoter Eddie Hearn believes there is a "great chance" of a rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves taking place in 2014.

The two British super-middleweights were involved in a fight-of-the-year contender last November that

Leigh Halfpenny: Wales full-back wins Rugby Union Writers' award

The 25-year-old, who was voted man of the series in the British and Irish Lions win over Australia last summer, picked up the Pat Marshall Trophy.

Martin Johnson, Jonny Wilkinson, Sam Warburton, Jonah Lomu and Lawrence Dallaglio are among past winners.

Asafa Powell: Jamaican sprinter to appear before anti-doping panel

The former 100m world record holder, 31, tested positive for the banned stimulant oxilofrine  at the national championships in June.

Training partner Sherone Simpson tested positive for the same stimulant but denied being a "cheat" at her hearing.

Australian Open: Sixth seed Roger Federer pleased with winning start

Federer has employed six-time grand slam champion Edberg for 10 weeks this season, starting at the Rod Laver Arena against home hope James Duckworth on Tuesday, as he once again bids to

Arsenal sweat on injuries but Wenger hails 'big win'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hailed a "big win" for his side after beating Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League on Monday.

The Villans shocked the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium with a win on the opening day of the season but, despite Christian Benteke's second-half strike, the

Ronaldo beats Messi & Ribery to Fifa Ballon d'Or

The 28-year-old has won the prestigious award for the second time in his career after being crowned the best player in the world in Zurich on Monday evening

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed the Fifa Ballon d'Or, beating off competition

Joost Luiten hits albatross to lead Volvo Golf Champions in Durban

Joost Luiten made the first albatross of the season to take the joint lead of the Volvo Golf Champions  in Durban.

The Dutchman's first ever albatross came when he holed his second shot on the 560-yard par-five 10th.

Heineken Cup: Ulster record home win over Montpellier

Ulster maintained their unbeaten record in the Heineken Cup with a 27-16 win over Montpellier - but the result wasn't quite enough to clinch them a place in the quarter-finals.

Knowing a bonus-point victory would secure them at very least a spot as one of the two best runners-up, the Irish

Lionel Messi deserves to win the Ballon d'Or

A Goal writer will make the case for each of the candidates ahead of the Fifa gala, continuing with Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi who enjoyed another prolific year.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the world’s most in-form player by the end of 2013, while Franck Ribery was the poster boy of the globe’s greatest team over the

Celtic star Ambrose has flipping surprise for fans

FOR Efe Ambrose, life at Celtic is a roller-coaster Twelve months ago, he was on top of the world after helping Nigeria lift the African Cup of Nations, and believed 2013 was going to be a year of highs.

The team he had joined only six months earlier was surging clear in the SPL title race, well on course

Laura Robson upbeat ahead of Melbourne Grand Slam

Laura Robson expects to be fit for the start of the Australian Open which opens in Melbourne on Monday.

The world No 46 has been struggling with a wrist injury and was forced to withdraw from a recent tournament in Auckland.

CAF Moves 2015 AFCON Draw To April

--Morocco to host biennial event

Plans to host the draw for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Cape Town at the end of the month have been shelved.

Instead they will be held in host nation Morocco in April, the Confederation of African Football has decided.

England captain Alastair Cook fails to back batsman

Captain Alastair Cook has refused to give Kevin Pietersen any guarantees about his England future.

Asked whether he wanted the 33-year-old batsman to help him regain the Ashes in 2015, Cook would not be drawn.

New Orleans Saints return to Seattle Seahawks

As if being two wins away from the Super Bowl in a Divisional play-off game was not enough, the New Orleans Saints have revenge on their minds when they return to Seattle and the scene of their massive play-off upset three years ago.

FIFA Upgrades Status Of CHAN Tournament

FIFA have confirmed that matches at the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) finals in South Africa will be given full "A" status in a contradiction of past precedent.

David Moyes charged with misconduct by FA

Manchester United manager David Moyes has been charged with misconduct by the Football Association.

It is in relation to comments made after Tuesday's 2-1 League Cup semi-final first-leg loss to Sunderland when Moyes, 50, said United are "beginning to laugh at referees" for their "terrible" decisions.

He added that they are "playing referees as well as the opposition".

Moyes has until 18:00 GMT on Wednesday, 15 January to respond to the charge.

"It is alleged the comments called into question the integrity of the match officials... and/or implied that such match officials are motivated by bias; and/or brought the game into disrepute, in contravention of Rule E3(1)," said a statement.

The first-leg defeat was United's third loss in a week - the first time that has happened since 1992.

The Premier League champions were beaten 2-1 at home by Tottenham at the start of 2014 and followed that up with elimination from the FA Cup at the hands of Swansea, a game which was also played at Old Trafford.

The former Everton manager was also irked by a decision during the Spurs defeat, stating it was "scandalous" United were not awarded a late penalty.

Moyes, who succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson at United at the end of last season, said he had the pedigree to guide the club through "difficult" times.

"I have done it before, I'm experienced and I just sense that it's just on the verge of turning," he added.

"If you are going to be in this job, then that's what happens. You have got to win and in the last few games, I have not won.

"We are going through a difficult time. It's part of football management, it's never going to be an easy ride."

Moyes has also rejected suggestions the presence of Ferguson at matches is a hindrance to him.

He said: "It tells you that people don't know me and don't know Sir Alex. People are saying it because they have no idea about how it works.

"Sir Alex has been fantastic. He has been incredibly supportive and is only there to help me."

Earlier this week, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was fined £8,000 over comments he made about referee Lee Mason after the defeat at Manchester City.

Why Mikel did not win African Footballer of the Year Award

Last night in Lagos, Nigeria hosted the CAF awards for African footballers, coaches and teams that excelled in 2013.

It came as a shock to many Nigerians when Sunday Oliseh (former Super Eagles star) announced the winner

Nigeria slams Player of the Year vote

Top Nigerian officials on Friday criticised the procedure used to determine the CAF African Player of the Year after John Obi Mikel lost out to Ivorian star Yaya Toure.

The national team coaches of the 54 member countries vote for 10 nominated players on a scale of

Coach backs Jessica Ennis-Hill to make return to top after pregnancy

Toni Minichiello is backing Jessica Ennis-Hill to make a return to the very top level after the birth of her first child.

The star of the 2012 Olympics and the Sky Sports Living for Sport Ambassador has announced she is pregnant and will miss this