sport

LONDON: Those in charge of cricket in England must implement guidelines laid out in a damning report into discrimination in the sport released this week if they are to properly tackle a lack of diversity, a leading sports lawyer has said. The England and Wales Cricket Board apologized “unreservedly” on Tuesday after the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket released its evidence of racism, misogyny, and elitism being entrenched in the sport.

NEW YORK: Some of the players to watch in NBA free agency, which starts Friday evening: Kyrie Irving, Dallas This one will be interesting. Irving is one of the best players in the NBA. He also tends to be a challenge, and evidently got unhappy over time at his previous stops — Cleveland, Boston and Brooklyn. It seems unlikely that Irving will want a short-term deal, but there aren’t many teams that can afford him, either Fred VanVleet, Toronto

BILBAO, SPAIN: Cycling’s Tour de France, with its caravan of teams, media, publicity and security, was visible everywhere around Bilbao on Thursday, as champion Jonas Vingegaard prepared to start the defense of his title. The 22 teams received a loud reception on their parade in downtown Bilbao. Starting in front of the landmark Guggenheim Museum with the tension tangible as riders warmed up beneath low hanging black clouds with the peculiar hills straddling the horizon. “I feel good, I feel ready, I’m where I want to be,” said Jumbo-Visma rider Vingegaard.

MANCHESTER, England: Manchester United have agreed to sign midfielder Mason Mount from Chelsea for £55 million ($69 million). The agreement was confirmed Thursday by two people with knowledge of the negotiations, which have been on-going since the end of the Premier League season. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been publicly announced. Mount will sign a five-year contract, with the option of a further 12 months.

MANCHESTER, England: In an offseason when Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema have already made moves, Declan Rice is turning into one of the biggest stories of the transfer window. Arsenal appears to be closing in on a deal worth up to a reported 105 million pounds ($133 million) for the England international, who has been linked with many of Europe’s biggest clubs. Manchester City, which has also targeted the West Ham midfielder, is not prepared to match that figure, according to a person with knowledge of the Premier League champion’s transfer plans.

It would be a surprise if any of the spectators at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, were not highly impressed by the quality of cricket played by the women chosen to represent England and Australia over five days between June 22 and 26. Women’s cricket has taken a long time to emerge from the shadows of the men’s game. After this match, any lingering doubts about its quality and appeal have surely been dispelled.

LOS ANGELES: Regan Smith, shaping up for a World Championships showdown with Australian Kaylee McKeown, clocked a blistering 2min 03.80sec to win the 200m backstroke at the US swimming championships on Wednesday. Smith, whose previous world record was broken by McKeown in March with a time of 2:03.14, showed again that her move to train with coach Bob Bowman — former mentor of Michael Phelps — — was paying off.