Ashes in action, Wimbledon wrapped-up, plus lots of other great stories this week. Please feel free to share and spread the word.

CRICKET
Ashes primer: If you don’t know what the Ashes are all about, read this. It’s brilliant. Here are some fun facts to keep you going, plus a guide to sledging.

So England beat Australia in the first Test. Geoffrey Boycott didn’t see it coming. Nobody saw it coming, did they? Well, apart from Andy Bull (read the past 2 pars), Jonathan Agnew, Michael Clarke… So what do Australia do now? Ditch the oldies. But don’t feel sorry for Shane Watson.

Joe Root is England’s batting hero. However, it’s worth noting that his century was a triumph of result over method.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have just completed one of the greatest run chases in cricket history to secure victory in the third Test with Sri Lanka. So are Test run chases getting easier?

Why do Wales not have a cricket team?  Can Nepal make it to the T20 World Cup?

TENNIS
The best post-slam summary is always Jon Wertheim’s 50 things. Here’s what you need to know about Wimbledon 2015.

Welcome to the Djokovic era. Get used to it. Having usurped Federer and Nadal, he now occupies an elevated but strange place in tennis history. And he may dominate for some time to come.

We are lucky to have Serena Williams – she transcends her sport, and should be cherished like Roger is. She may be the most accomplished American athlete of all time.

Don’t write off Roger – he’s still a contender. Plus he transcends national support.

In defence of Nick Kyrgios, via Federer. Don’t forget, tennis needs talent in all forms.

Did you know Andy Murray is a tennis nerd?

Depressed about American men’s tennis? Don’t be – check out the boys. The tennis map is changing again.

Big upsets in tennis are on the wane — unless you’re Rafael Nadal (via me in the FT)

Sharapova outshines Serena, but only off the court. On court, it’s so one-sided you can barely call them rivals. So what does this mean for the US Open?

FOOTBALL
Transfer time. Arguably more fun than the actual game itself.

I have this idea that a Manchester United suit sat down at the European players database that I assume they have, typed in “midfield”, “<£30m”, “IS NOT English” and “Sch*” and two players came up. Unable to decide, they bought both.

Every club wants a striker. So where the hell are they all hiding? Clubs may want strikers, but they need goalkeepers. It’s worth remembering that every transfer is a gamble. Two words: Dejan Lovren.

At last. After trying almost every trick in the book, Raheem Sterling is off to Manchester City. We knew the deal would be way too expensive. But the real winners are QPR.

If Angel di Maria goes to Paris, what does that say about the Premier League?

Back in time: the bizarre tragedy of Zaire’s World Cup debut.

Safe to assume Messi’s grandpa isn’t one for hugs when you graze your knee.

Finally, a brilliant quote from a player who changed the game: “I hate to lose a ball more than missing a goal”

GOLF
Jordan Spieth’s chances of landing the Grand Slam went up 33% as Rory McIlroy got injured. But he has to ditch the white trousers.

Meanwhile, Tiger is still talking up his chances at the Open, the tease.

He may have done good things for golf, but is it really so hard to say that Donald Trump is a bigoted fool? Apparently it is.

CYCLING – TOUR DE FRANCE
Remember baseball’s recent hacking story? Here’s one from the Tour de France, as Sky say Froome’s data was stolen. Is this going to be a new theme?

This year’s Tour de France is “booby-trapped“. Yet the biggest scandal seems to be about motor homes.

BOXING
This is a wonderfully written portrait of Carl Froch’s career, who retired this week.

CHESS
Where are all the female Grandmasters?

ADD THEM TOGETHER
Fancy trying out chessboxing? It doesn’t sound such fun after all.

STADIUMS
You have to watch John Oliver on stadiums. You really do. Allow 15 mins, but it’s worth every second.

You would have thought it might be easier than this to build soccer stadiums in the US.

Arsenal fans say Tottenham’s new stadium looks like a toilet. Nothing bitter there, given it pips the Emirates stadium by a few hundred seats. But forget the style – the NFL tie-up is very clever.

WOMENS WORLD CUP
Carli Lloyd is the new American sports superstar. So it’s time the marketing moolah followed. Serena and Sharapova do pretty well, after all.

BASEBALL
What Finland can teach America about baseball.

Post-Derek Jeter, baseball is blessed with a bunch of very talented youngsters. But don’t be fooled by the whole Moneyball small-budget success story.

BASKETBALL
DeAndre Jordan and how the craziest day in NBA history unfolded.

Basketball careers are going on and on, thanks to data.

ATHLETICS
Tyson Gay: drugs cheat? He says not. Feel free to disagree.

F1
You learn something new: I didn’t know F1 teams staged dummy pitstops to fool other teams. But now I do, I really hope they don’t ban it.

SWIMMING
The new fastest way to swim sounds tough and not that sociable.

That’s it – see you next Tuesday.