England facing uphill battle

England had an apparently unequal struggle on their hands to keep the first Test alive by tea on day three against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Defeat could herald new era for England

As wake-up calls go, England's thrashing at the hands of Pakistan was more a bucket of cold water thrown in the face than a gentle hand on the shoulder and a warm cup of tea. England weren't just beaten, they were overwhelmed.

Republican reactions to Obama’s State of the Union address vary in tone

President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday night prompted an array of reactions from conservative critics, whose divergent responses mirrored the fractures on display this year in a bruising Republican presidential primary. Read full article >>

England need to find some middle ground to stop their drop from the top

Last week, this column gave England the benefit of the doubt. Dubai, the team could argue, was an aberration; don’t judge us just yet. But Saturday in Abu Dhabi settled the matter: too many of them are clueless against top-class spin.

Transfer window deadline day 2012 – live coverage! | Tom Lutz and Rob Smyth

• Hit F5 for the latest or select our auto-refresh button below • Read all the deadline-day gossip in The Rumour Mill • And email your thoughts to barry.glendenning@guardian.co.uk 5.30pm: Seriously, £90,000. Per week. Imagine how much he could command if he scored a few goals. 5.28pm: Guardian newshound Jamie Jackson is back with more news on Bobby Zamora's non-move to QPR. "Bobby Z continuing ...