North Carolina aims to be a contender in the Atlantic Coast Conference behind star quarterback Drake Maye

Harry Maguire’s £30 million move to West Ham is off, with the England defender now likely to stay at Manchester United. The two clubs had agreed a fee for the centre back, who had been stripped of the Man United captaincy this summer. But Maguire would have had to take a substantial cut in his wages to leave Old Trafford, with his Man United salary going up this summer after Erik ten Hag’s team qualified for the Champions League, and no pay-off was agreed. Ten Hag has always said that he regards Maguire as a valuable member of his squad and wanted the former Leicester, Hull and Sheffield United player to stay and fight for his place. He was on the bench for Monday’s 1-0 win over Wolves, though Ten Hag brought on Victor Lindelof ahead of him. Man United were also concerned that Maguire’s departure this late in the window would not have given them much time to find a replacement, though Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard would have been one contender. West Ham, who have signed midfielders Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse with the proceeds of Declan Rice’s £105million sale to Arsenal, are now expected to switch their attention to other defensive targets. The former Man United midfielder Jesse Lingard, who had a successful loan spell under David Moyes in 2021/22, is also training with West Ham and available on a free transfer after leaving Nottingham Forest. Read More Football rumours: Crystal Palace unhappy with Chelsea over bid for Michael Olise Harry Maguire looking set to remain with Manchester United Harry Maguire’s move to West Ham in doubt

Australia’s cricket captain Pat Cummins has told England goalkeeper Mary Earps to “play by the rules” in an amusing Ashes call back ahead of the Women’s World Cup semi-final. The two sporting rivals go head-to-head in Sydney on Wednesday 16 August, with a place in the final up for grabs. Ahead of kick-off, Cummins was asked if he had any advice for England’s shot-stopper - and whether she should “stay on her line” if penalties are required. “Yeah, play by the rules,” he laughed, calling back to the Jonny Bairstow stumping controversy in the second Test at Lord’s earlier this summer.

Bayern Munich has 11 Bundesliga titles in a row and a 12th in its sights

Ben Stokes is coming out of retirement from one-day internationals to play in England’s defense of the Cricket World Cup

Australia are facing England in the Women's World Cup semi-final today, with both teams trying to get into their first-ever World Cup final. Playing in the host nation's Stadium Australia in Sydney, from 11am BST, the Matildas (as they are known) will face England's Lionesses and it is expected to be an exciting match given how well both teams have been playing in the tournament. But those developing an interest in women's football for the first time may be confused as to why Australia's team are called the Matildas as they watch the action unfold. The history behind the nickname is pretty interesting. When Australia qualified for their first Women’s World Cup in 1995 they were known as “the Female Socceroos”, referencing the men’s team, a portmanteau of “soccer” and “kangaroos”. But before the tournament started, the Australian Women’s Soccer Association ran a viewer competition to find a better nickname, with the shortlist including the “Soccertoos”, “Blue Flyers”, “Waratahs”, “Lorikeets” and “Matildas”. The Matildas, which comes from popular Australian song “Waltzing Matilda”, which is seen as an unofficial national anthem, won the poll and the name stuck. The song “Waltzing Matilda” tells the story of a person who steals a sheep and is chased by police, and jumps into a pond to escape, but drowns. Former Australia player Moya Dodd once told The Sydney Morning Herald why she thought the nickname was so fitting for the team. “I think it did capture a sense of rebelliousness, if you like, which is women’s football,” she said. “It was banned for a long time. To be a woman playing football was a social transgression. In a way, it identifies well with a song about a guy who’s defying authority by stealing things, and then making sure he doesn’t get caught.” So there you have it. Regardless of the team's nicknames, the countdown to the semi-final is getting increasingly exciting, with an Australian newspaper accused of spying on England's latest training session, showing just how intense the long-running rivalry between the two countries is getting. European champions England defeated Colombia 2-1 in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, the Matildas’ dramatic penalty shootout victory against France in their winning quarter-finals became the most-watched sporting event in the country since the 2000 Olympic Games. The winner will play Spain in Sydney, after La Roja defeated Sweden 2-1 in the other semi-final and then we will know who has won the World Cup. It's all to play for. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Alexi Lalas was considered a pioneer when he joined Padova in 1994

'Mystic meerkats' who correctly predicted the Lionesses' results to the Euro 2022 finals have made their guesses on who will come out on top at England vs Australia at the Women's World Cup. The animals, who live at Drusillas Park in Sussex, have gotten into predictions as a form of enrichment, and have become internet stars as a result. They're presented with a bucket, one with each team's flag, before they decide which one is their favourite. It's set to be a good day for England. Sign up to our new free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Deontay Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel, has said he is ‘optimistic’ that a fight between the “Bronze Bomber” and Anthony Joshua will take place early next year. Joshua knocked out Robert Helenius in the seventh round on Saturday (12 August), 10 months after Wilder stopped the Finn in Round 1, and a clash between the former heavyweight champions has never seemed closer. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has spoken positively about negotiations for months, while Finkel has commented on the situation less frequently. However, Finkel told Sky Sports on Tuesday (15 August): “I am optimistic that a deal can be made for Deontay to fight Joshua in early 2024.” The fight has been one of the most-anticipated in boxing since 2018, though Briton Joshua and his American counterpart have experienced mixed fortunes since. Joshua suffered his first professional loss in 2019 when he was stopped by Andy Ruiz Jr, and he has lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk since then. “AJ”, 33, has also outpointed Ruiz and Jermaine Franklin and knocked out Kubrat Pulev and Helenius in that time, though. Meanwhile, Wilder fought Tyson Fury to a controversial draw in late 2018 before suffering two knockout losses to the Briton. The 37-year-old has, however, knocked out Dominic Breazeale, Luis Ortiz and Helenius in the last four years. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Anthony Joshua has the blueprint to beat Deontay Wilder – is he brave enough to use it? Deontay Wilder’s coach reveals American’s reaction to Anthony Joshua knockout Tyson Fury promoter Frank Warren hits out at ‘boring’ Anthony Joshua performance

Kenya is likely to haul in another good chunk of medals in distance races at the upcoming track and field world championships in Hungary

Watch live as supporters arrive at Stadium Australia for the Women’s World Cup semi-final between Australia and England. A place in the showpiece final is up for grabs, in what could be one of the biggest football matches of the year so far. For Australia, they will hope star striker Sam Kerr will be fit enough to feature from the start. She picked up an injury ahead of the tournament and has been limited to appearing as a substitute so far. England boss Sarina Wiegman, though, believes simply nullifying the threat posed by Kerr will not be enough to see the Lionesses through to a first-ever World Cup final. The Australia captain is her country’s leading goal-scorer of either gender but has not yet started a match in the global showpiece after injuring her calf. European champions England take on the Matildas at 11am BST in Sydney, where the majority of the 75,000 in attendance will be backing the co-hosts. Read More ‘Mystic meerkats’ predict winner of England vs Australia World Cup semi-final England forward Rachel Daly among six World Cup stars shortlisted for PFA award England vs Australia: Key stats ahead of crunch World Cup semi-final

Jill Scott has sent a message of encouragement to the Lionesses ahead of their World Cup semi-final showdown against co-hosts Australia. The former England midfielder - who was part of the Euro 2022 winning squad last year - told the current crop of stars to be themselves and “put on a show”. “Keep doing what you’re doing, you’ve got so many fans from around the world,” Scott said. “Go out there, put on a show for the fans, we’re all so proud of you. A massive good luck from me.”