Times Crossword 28,204 across down Yesterday’s solution 28,203
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P W V E E I L
SPRI TE LOCUT ION
A N N I A U
FLAGGOCOMMANDO
O A A P L O
FORMAL IN LOVE
N E I C G A E
STET RAREB IRD
H E D O E O
FEARLESSLY URDU
N T S A T W
SOUVLAK I REEFER
S I I N E V L
DERA I L GRAVELLY1 Maybe wing of hospital is facing
the early sun (9)
6 Quarrel about right fish (5)
9 Two people taking month for
construction in Italy (5)
10 Physicist holding out to get
Rutherford’s head designer (9)
11 Popular jazz style introducing a
prelude (7)
12 Terminated agent having taken a
lot in (7)
13 Inn may have done this ordering a
red table-cloth (6,2,3,3)
17 Tense and concise statement of
Pollyanna’s views? (7,7)
21 Scenery material overturned — the
cause of Hamlet’s death (7)
23 What’s bad for PC behaviour? Pray
we and society reform (7)
25 Joys people mostly somehow got in
casual wear (6,3)
26 A day in the last month of age (5)
27 Reliable? It doesn’t start, impaired
by neglect (5)
28 Large bottle’s risk after spicy dish?
Finish off both (9)1 Uncanny, the Spanish doctor
suppressing skin irritation (8)
2 Rabbit taking vegetable — not
rabbit’s first (5)
3 Herb goes courting, embracing
David North (4,5)
4 Are singers in Queen film to get
back in Top Twenty? (7)
5 Bar quite regularly brought in offer
to buy a round (4,3)
6 Thus regularly take to cook in
marinade (5)
7 Control plane over top of errant
balloon again (9)
8 Angry speech one used in
exchange (6)
14 Nature of theft is so unclear,
unfortunately (9)
15 One’s sent off for this description of
Aquae Sulis? (5,4)
16 Witness a time trial with stripped-
down Ford (8)
18 Sweetheart’s in resetting bones for
some cosmetic surgery (4,3)
19 Solo dance is out of fashion you
feel at the end (3,4)
20 More immediate Conservative
failure (6)
22 Ends with boy finally drunk (5)
24 Italian region mostly down by river
is humming (5)
y(7HB7E2*OTSKOM( |||+"!\Newspapers
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UK newspapers in 2020 was 67%Elizabeth Ammon
Ashley Giles, the England director of
men’s cricket, has become the first
casualty of the Ashes debacle and will
leave his role with immediate effect. It is
expected that Chris Silverwood, the
head coach, and Graham Thorpe, the
assistant coach, will also be sacked in
the coming days.
After England’s 4-0 loss down under,
and given the ignominious nature of
those defeats, Andrew Strauss, the
former England captain who is now
head of the ECB’s cricket and perform-
ance committee, made recommenda-
tions to the governing body’s board of
directors that a clear-out was necessary.
Giles, who took over the director’s
role from Strauss in 2019, was responsi-
ble for the appointment of Silverwood
after the departure of Trevor Bayliss.
He then took the controversial decision
to remove the position of head of select-
ors, giving the head coach sole respon-
sibility for picking the squads.
Strauss has agreed to take on the role
of director of cricket on an interim basis
and will lead the arrangements for the
tour to the West Indies while the search
for a replacement begins. It means the
former England captain is likely to be
responsible for picking the squad and
will also appoint an interim head coach.
It is understood that Giles met Tom
Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive,
yesterday morning, where it was agreed
that Giles should leave his role. Harri-
son, who was in Australia for the dura-
tion of the Ashes, is believed to have
Thursday February 3 2022 | the timesSp ort
ary 3 200000022222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| tthtththtttthttttttthtttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttthtttttttttttttttttttttttttthtttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhe times6 Why Curry can lead England at Murrayfield
6 School sessions that honed Smith’s flair
Pages 62-65Best for rugby
Giles is first
head to roll
after Ashes
been unimpressed with what he saw of
the culture within the camp and agreed
with Strauss that a new coaching team
must be installed, along with the rein-
troduction of a selection panel.
England’s Test squad will fly to the
West Indies for a three-match series on
February 24. The squad needs to be se-
lected next week and it appears that the
ECB will install an interim coach, poss-
ibly Alec Stewart, who is the director of
cricket at Surrey, to help pick the squad
and lead the touring party.
Silverwood, who was elevated from
assistant coach to head coach in 2019, is
understood to be liked by the players
but England’s Test record under his
tenure has been disappointing.
Strauss consulted with several
players and discovered that many felt
the Test team could not move forward
under Silverwood. It is also understood
that Harrison and Strauss are in favour
of splitting the role of Test and limited-
overs head coach. Thorpe is also set to
be axed after allegations that the
players did not feel supported by him
during the Ashes.
Harrison said: “I’m extremely grate-
ful to Ashley for his commitment and
contribution to England men’s cricket
over the last three years.”
Giles said: “The past couple of years
have been incredibly challenging and
I’m proud of what we’ve been able to
deliver in the toughest of circumstan-
ces. I’m now looking forward to spend-
ing some time with my family before
looking at the next challenge.”
Mike Atherton, page 66Strauss steps in as interim director of cricket
Keane wanted
by Sunderland
Jason MellorSunderland want to hold talks with Roy
Keane over a return to management at
the Stadium of Light.
The 50-year-old is among the names
at the top of a shortlist drawn up by the
Sky Bet League One club’s owner, Kyril
Louis-Dreyfus, to succeed Lee John-
son, who was sacked last week.
Keane, who guided the Wearside
club from the Championship relegation
zone into the Premier League during a
successful two-year spell in charge
from 2006, has not been a manager
since leaving Ipswich Town in 2011.
The former Manchester United
captain has since forged a reputation as
an acerbic pundit for Sky Sports but is
believed to be keen for a return to the
dugout. The club are planning talks
with Keane before the start of next
Continued on page 69Saudis target
top 100 golfers
Rick Broadbent@AFCAJAXHow Brentford
lured Eriksen
Thomas Frank, left, speaks exclusively
to Alyson Rudd about how his club
signed the Denmark star, pages 70-71Phil Mickelson, the six-times major
winner, has revealed that Saudi Ara-
bia’s golf chiefs have approached most
of the world’s top 100 golfers to take
part in their proposed super league.
It is a display of intent by the Saudis,
who are using their sovereign wealth
fund to muscle in on the PGA and DP
World Tours in the United States and
Europe. Their first step has been to in-
vest $300 million (about £220 million)
in the Asian Tour, with plans for the
Super Golf League to follow.
Players who sign up face bans from
the PGA and DP World Tours as well as
the Ryder Cup and potentially the ma-
jors. One European player has report-
edly turned down a $10 million offer.
The Saudi International, the Asian
Tour’s flagship event, starts today, with
huge appearance fees luring big names.
Analysis, page 67