Jonny Bairstow may be riding the crest of a cricketing wave but England’s in-form wicketkeeper-batsman says he is only too well aware of the perils of taking things for granted.

Former England captain Paul Collingwood’s long-running love affair with Durham will be extended to 22 years after he signed a one-year extension to his present contract yesterday.

Alastair Cook said batting with Joe Root encouraged “blockers like me” to go for their shots after England’s senior batsmen dominated Pakistan’s attack in a crushing second Test victory at Old Trafford.

China’s Sun Yang has suffered a number of setbacks in the build up to the Rio Olympics but the freestyle specialist said his controversial past has made him more determined to defend his Olympic titles in the Rio Games.

China’s Wu Minxia will make her bid to become the most decorated female Olympic diver at the Rio de Janeiro Games, fronting an attempt by her country to sweep all eight titles next month at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre.

Greatness can be hard to define but two words suffice for Olympic swimming — Michael Phelps.

If things had gone to plan for Carlin Isles, the Olympic Games might have witnessed a duel between the fastest man in rugby and the fastest man on the planet.

Former Grand Slam champions Petra Kvitova and Samantha Stosur were unfazed by opening-day weather delays, cruising into the second round of the WTA hardcourt tournament in Montreal on Monday.

Nick Kyrgios turned in a patchy performance to exit the Toronto Masters 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 6-3 on Monday at the hands of Wimbledon junior winner Denis Shapovalov.

In a dramatic turn in NBA free agency, the Miami Heat have landed Oklahoma City Thunder free-agent guard Dion Waiters with their $2.9mn salary-cap exception, agreeing to terms Monday on a one-year contract.

The Detroit Tigers made things interesting in the eighth inning, but went on to beat the Red Sox.

Australia has a good chance to clinch gold in the women’s basketball at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics but the nation is unlikely to win any medals for racial tolerance, according to outspoken centre Liz Cambage.