The Sport Matrix: Tuesday 6 August 2013

England retain urn after sodden draw

England retained the Ashes yesterday after the rained-out third Test at Old Trafford was drawn.

The tourists were in a commanding position before the showers fell, having removed Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen to reduce England to 37-3 in pursuit of 332. MORE

QPR close to losing Remy and Taarabt

Newcastle United are closing in on a season-long loan move for Queen’s Park Rangers striker Loïc Rémy, while Moroccan midfielder Adel Taarabt is also expected to leave Loftus Road to join Fulham on loan. Frenchman Rémy was reported to be on Tyneside for his medical yesterday. MORE

Murray dreams of Slams, not No 1 title

Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has stated his desire to win more Grand Slams – even ahead of becoming world No 1. “I sat down a few days ago and talked a bit about that,” he said. “Every player would like to get to No 1. But I would rather win another Grand Slam or two.” MORE

Montgomerie dies after Darwin fall

Australian jockey Simone Montgomerie has died after a fall at the Darwin Cup yesterday morning. The 26-year-old fell while leading the race, with the three remaining races cancelled. The Darwin Turf Club have said there will be an investigation into the incident. MORE

Yorkshire widen gap on rainy day

Yorkshire extended their lead at the top of the County Championship to 10 points after their game with Warwickshire was abandoned as a draw. After a rain-delayed start, Yorkshire added 32 runs before being bowled out for 180, with Chris Woakes taking 5-42. MORE

Woods dominates ahead of final major

Tiger Woods was celebrating yesterday after winning the Bridgestone Invitational for a record eighth time on Sunday night. Woods’ seven-shot winning margin means he is still favourite for the PGA Championship, which begins on Thursday. MORE

Johnson-Thompson idolises Ennis-Hill

Heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson aims to follow in the footsteps of her idol Jessica Ennis-Hill ahead of competing in this weekend’s World Championships in Moscow. “I thought maybe one day I could do the same as her,” the 20-year-old said. MORE

Bale to miss Spurs’ Espanyol friendly

Tottenham will play Espanyol on Saturday without Gareth Bale, whose withdrawal due to injury will do nothing to lessen speculation over his future. Bale’s camp is confident he will not need to officially request a transfer. MORE

Rooney may face dressing-room rift over transfer row

The relationship between Wayne Rooney and Manchester United is thought to be spiralling out of control as the striker’s future at the club continues to look unclear. Manager David Moyes must decide whether to force the striker to play against his will and face the music from fans in Rio Ferdinand’s Old Trafford testimonial against Sevilla on Friday.

Rooney’s shoulder injury is only expected to keep him out of training for three or four days, but one that United yesterday revealed has prevented the 27-year-old from travelling to play in tonight’s pre-season friendly in Stockholm.

An impression is also being given that Rooney’s relationship with some of the senior players in the United dressing room – Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra – is becoming strained, amid those players’ concerns that their pleas with him to stay at United have been ignored.

Chelsea are still optimistic about signing Rooney before the transfer window shuts on 2 September. It is widely regarded that United are likely to face the same situation in future transfer windows if Rooney is kept on the same contract at Old Trafford. MORE

Rodriguez banned for 211 MLB games

Alex Rodriguez, the highest paid player in baseball, has been banned for 211 games for his “use and possession of prohibited performance-enhancing substances”. Rodriguez will be able to play while his expected appeal is lodged and considered. MORE