Alex Morgan offered support to the U.S. women's national team despite being 'disappointed' to be left off the Olympic squad.
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Players’ body to comprise only ex-cricketers – both men and women
Nagraj Gollapudi23-Jul-2019In a significant first, the BCCI has approved and recognised the Indian Cricketers’ Association (ICA), the official players’ body for former cricketers. Currently, the ICA is not affiliated to Federation of International Cricketers’ Association (FICA), and will be restricted to only former players – both men and women – unlike player associations in other major international countries, which include current players too.According to BCCI, the ICA, which was registered and incorporated as a non-profit company on July 5 is “aimed” at “conserving and advancing the welfare” of former players. “The Indian Cricketers’ Association (the “ICA”), a non-profit company…has been granted recognition by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (“BCCI”) as the official association for ex-cricketers in India,” the BCCI said in a notice, put on its website, on Tuesday.Currently the ICA has three initial directors: former India captain Kapil Dev, former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar and former India women’s captain Shanta Rangaswamy. It is understood these three will hold the position until the ICA conducts its executive elections, expected to take place before the BCCI elections, which are scheduled for October 22.India and Pakistan are the only major countries to not have had a recognised players’ body. As for India, the BCCI has never wanted to have a third party like a player body become the bridge for negotiations with the cricketers. Instead, it has always reached out to the players directly.The BCCI – and even the state associations – have been not just against players’ associations, but also predominantly not backed players moving on to become administrators. The Lodha Committee took notice of this fact and came up with the recommendation of forming a players’ body for the ex-cricketers. That recommendation is now part of the BCCI’s new constitution that came into being last August after the Supreme Court mandated the Lodha recommendations.As per constitution, one male and one female ICA representative will be part of the BCCI’s nine-member Apex Council while one other ICA representative will be the part of the seven-member IPL Governing Council.According to the Lodha Committee report, the ICA cannot be or act as a trade union and its purpose is to represent the interests of the players and look after their welfare. While the ICA will primarily be concerned with the welfare of retired players, it is understood it can also facilitate the interests of the current players. Since the ICA representatives will be part of the BCCI’s powerful decision-making bodies, they can also voice views over the governance and the player-related activities that concern active cricketers. The ICA could have a say on issues such as day-night Test cricket, workload management, player security.As for differently-abled cricketers, while in principle they are eligible to be part of ICA, it is understood the they will be admitted to membership once to BCCI recognises their cricket.Who can become an ICA member?
* = Every three senior 50-over matches recognised which form part of any BCCI-organised inter-state or inter-zonal tournament(s); and every five senior Twenty20 matches which form part of any BCCI-organised inter-state or inter-zonal tournament(s) shall also be classified as one ‘First-class match’.
The South Africa batsman has been sidelined from the rest of the MSL with injury
ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2019Nelson Mandela Bay Giants’ Farhaan Behardien has been sidelined from the rest of the Mzansi Super League with injury. Thirty-nine-year-old Port Elizabeth-born Netherlands allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate has been signed as Behardien’s replacement.Behardien brings a wealth of short-format experience, having played more then 350 T20s, including stints in the IPL, Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League, Bangladesh Premier League and more recently the T10 league in the UAE.Giants have set the early pace this season, claiming four wins in five games to top the points table.”I spent so much time watching cricket in the 1980s in Port Elizabeth,” Ten doeschate said of his South African homecoming. “It’s now an utter privilege that I get to play with a team that is doing so well in this tournament. I think it’s going to be absolutely fantastic and I am really looking forward to it.”Giants’ coach and former South Africa pacer Eric Simons welcomed the value ten Doeschate would add to the side.”When we lost Farhaan we obviously lost a specific talent and we thus needed to find someone who could bring that to the game,” Simons said. “We needed someone who can access the boundaries and perform much like the way we’ve seen with Heino Kuhn. “Ryan brings with him significant experience, calmness and he’s a leader.”Giants will next face Paarl Rocks in a top-of-the-table clash at St George’s Park on November 27.
Another challenging question about retention for RCB is around fast bowler Yash Dayal, who has not played any cricket since IPL 2025 final
Nagraj Gollapudi14-Nov-20258:48
Chatter: Will ownership change result in new name for RCB?
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to release England allrounder Liam Livingstone ahead of the auction for IPL 2026.Livingstone, who was picked for INR 8.75 crore (US$ 1.04 million approx.) at the 2025 auction, scored 112 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 133.33 with just one half-century. He also picked up two wickets in the nine overs he bowled at an economy rate of 8.44. Since then, Livingstone captained Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred, and was their leading run-scorer (241 at a strike rate of 155.48) and took the second-most wickets for them (seven at an economy rate of 7.36). He also scored 260 runs at a strike rate of 176.87 and returned six wickets in Lancashire’s run to the semi-finals of the T20 Blast.The presence of Australian power-hitter Tim David along with West Indies allrounder Romario Shepherd means RCB already have enough options for the finisher’s role. David had a strike rate of 185.14 for his 187 runs last IPL, while Shepherd scored 70 runs off the 24 balls he faced (strike rate 291.66) in IPL 2025. Releasing Livingstone, as a result, could help RCB head into the auction for the next season with a stronger purse.Related
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The other potentially challenging question for RCB about retention concerns fast bowler Yash Dayal. The left-arm fast bowler from Uttar Pradesh, who picked up 13 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 9.59 last IPL, played a major hand in RCB pulling through high-pressure moments across the season. In the final, Dayal finished with impressive figures of 3-0-18-1. However, he has not played any cricket since then and skipped the UPT20 League recently.The deadline to finalise releases is November 15.
Celtic are flying this season. Not only are the Hoops undefeated at the top of the Scottish Premiership, but they are also, aside from a thumping at the hands of Borussia Dortmund, doing well in the Champions League.
Brendan Rodgers’ side have won two of their four games so far, most notably beating German outfit RB Leipzig, and currently sit 15th in the new-look league phase table, ahead of the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and AC Milan.
As a result of their good form, Premier League teams are now understood to be tracking a number of Celtic’s biggest stars, most notably forward Nicolas Kuhn.
The German wing has been the Hoops’ standout player this season, providing 10 goals and 11 assists from the right-wing. According to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, he’s now been the subject of inquiries from multiple teams from England’s top flight.
According to a report from reliable reporter Alan Nixon of The Sun, Celtic are keen on Airdrie midfielders Cole and Dylan Williams.
The 16-year-old twins, described as sensations, who were on the books at Celtic Park as youngsters, have played for Airdrie’s U18s and have appeared on the bench for the first-team on three occasions this season, but are yet to make senior debuts for the Scottish Championship side.
Nixon claims that Premier League clubs West Ham United and Southampton are also interested in the duo, and currently have the edge in the race to sign them. The two clubs have had people watching the Williams twins in recent weeks, though it’s unlikely that either player would be a major part of the squad were they to join.
Amid the interest in them, Cole and Dylan are free to quit the Diamonds as they are on short-term agreements and it looks as if Celtic are ones to watch in a potential transfer race.
A separate report from Football Insider earlier this month claimed that both Crystal Palace and Everton are also eyeing moves for the Williams twins.
The publication reported that both clubs want the young midfielders to join their academy setups, which have been responsible for producing a number of Premier League stars in recent years.
Anthony Gordon, Lewis Dobbin, and Ellis Simms are among the most high-profile graduates at Goodison Park. Meanwhile, Tyrick Mitchell, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Jesurun Rak-Sakyi all came through the ranks at Selhurst Park.
Football Insider reported that Airdrie are desperate to keep hold of both the Williams brothers, and want to tie them down to professional contracts to avoid losing them for free.
North Lanarkshire outfit Airdrie finished fourth last term in the Scottish Championship, but are currently bottom this term having lost 11 of their 14 games so far. Despite their poor start, however, manager Rhys McCabe believes it won’t be long until his side return to form.
“We’re not a million miles away,” McCabe said following his side’s 2-0 defeat to Bairns at the weekend. “Anybody can see that we have got 10 injuries at the moment.”
“It has been frustrating because you are not having the full squad to pick from every week, but there’s no excuses,” he added.
England allrounder cites mental wellbeing after difficult run with injuries
Vithushan Ehantharajah01-Feb-2023Surrey and England allrounder Tom Curran has taken the decision to step away from red-ball cricket, citing his physical and mental health along with a desire to focus on limited-overs cricket.Curran, 27, has played 61 first-class matches, including two Test caps picked up during the 2017-18 Ashes series. However his appearances in the longer format since have been infrequent of late, in part because of injuries. He was ruled out of the first four months of 2022 with a stress fracture of his lower back.Curran has played just two first-class matches since the end of the 2019 season, both of which came in Surrey’s successful 2022 County Championship campaign. The first of those, against Northamptonshire, saw him register his maiden first-class century. The move to focus solely on limited-overs cricket is in keeping with Curran’s general direction of travel. Though he made the last of his 58 ODI and T20I appearances in July 2021, he is regarded globally as an accomplished franchise cricketer. As well as representing Oval Invincibles in the Hundred, he has played for Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League and is currently with Desert Vipers in the ILT20. He is also due to experience the Pakistan Super League for the first time with Islamabad United.With opportunities opening up around the world in the winter, cutting out red-ball cricket altogether is a move he hopes will have a positive effect on mind and body.”The last couple of years have not been easy for me,” Curran said. “I have had a lot of time and this isn’t a decision that I’ve taken lightly.”Some choices in life I don’t think you will ever be 100% sure and this is definitely one of those. But where I find myself at this exact moment, I feel like it is the right decision for my body and for my mental health.”I’m definitely not ruling out playing red-ball cricket again in the future, and I feel like I have unfinished business in this format for both Surrey and England. But until I can feel 100% committed and confident in my body to be performing day in and day out for Surrey in the County Championship, I feel that putting all my time and focus into on our Vitality Blast campaign this year is the right thing to do.”I know it is not ideal news for everyone at Surrey and our fans. But I wanted to say a truly heartfelt thank you to Alec Stewart for the support and understanding of my decision. Surrey has given me everything and is my home. I love it very much and my hope is everyone else will see and understand my decision as he has done.”Surrey’s director of cricket, Alec Stewart, said: “Obviously when you lose a player of Tom’s quality from your County Championship squad it is a blow, but I have spoken to him at length about his decision and understand why he has made it.”He has suffered with injuries in recent years and if this can help strengthen his body and keep him on a cricket field more regularly over the coming years, I fully support the decision.”I look forward to seeing him back in May for our own T20 season.”
Kyle Walker made a surprise visit to Manchester City's training ground amid a tumultuous time for the right-back.
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Celtic booked their place in the final of the League Cup on Saturday with an emphatic 6-0 win over Aberdeen at Hampden Park in the semi-finals.
The Hoops will now face off against Rangers in the final at the national stadium before the end of the year, with an opportunity to seucre their first piece of silverware of the season.
Brendan Rodgers’ side were beaten 1-0 by Kilmarnock in the competition in August last year, which meant that they had to watch on from afar as the Gers went on to win the League Cup against Aberdeen.
The Northern Irishman is now looking to secure the trophy for the first time since his return to Parkhead in 2023 and is well on his way to doing so, with them now being one match away from glory.
Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, and Nicolas Kuhn scored the goals for the Scottish giants against the Dons on Saturday, with Maeda scoring a hat-trick.
Kuhn was one of the top performers for the Hoops, with a goal and an assist, and earned himself a staggering player rating of 10/10 from GlasgowWorld.
At the time of writing (03/11/2024), Transfermarkt currently values the German forward at just €3m (£2.5m) after his relatively slow start to life in Glasgow.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
After arriving from Rapid Vienna in January, Kuhn produced two goals and two assists in 14 appearances in the Scottish Premiership in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.
This season, however, the 24-year-old sensation has been on fire for the Hoops and has taken centre stage for the Hoops after Matt O’Riley’s move to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The left-footed magician has fired in seven goals and provided ten assists in just 15 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants this term, including four goals and four assists in three League Cup outings.
Kuhn has been a constant threat across all competitions and has proven his worth in the Premiership on the right wing, with his ability as a scorer and a creator of goals.
|
24/25 Premiership |
Nicolas Kuhn |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
9 |
|
Starts |
7 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Assists |
5 |
|
Key passes per game |
2.2 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, the German ace has been directly involved in eight goals in seven starts in the division for the Hoops so far, which speaks to how consistent and dangerous he has been in the final third.
These statistics suggest that his value will not remain at just €3m if he can continue to perform like this, as his value will surely rise alongside his sublime performances on the pitch, given his goal and assists numbers have improved significantly in comparison to last season.
However, there is a former Celtic winger who is currently worth millions more than Kuhn, as his value has soared since moving away from Glasgow earlier in his career – Ben Doak.
The youngster came up through the ranks at Parkhead and, remarkably, made his first-team debut in the Premiership under Ange Postecoglou during the 2021/22 campaign.
Doak made two appearances in the top-flight that term as a 16-year-old, making his debut just one month after his 16th birthday, and that speaks to how highly the Australian head coach rated his potential. Postecoglou hailed him as a “fantastic” kid and offered him two chances to experience senior football at such a young age.
However, that was not enough to convince Doak that his future was at Parkhead. The winger opted to move on from the club at the end of the 2021/22 season, signing for Liverpool in the summer of 2022.
His agent revealed that the Scottish forward did not want to stay at Celtic and was not content with playing B team matches in Scotland, which is why he opted to try his luck in the English academy system. This suggests that the Bhoys had little chance of convincing him to stay, no matter how hard they tried.
It was reported that Liverpool had to pay a compensation fee of just £600k to the Scottish giants to secure his signature, which has turned out to be a huge bargain for the Premier League giants.
The teenage gem initially linked up with their academy and caught the eye with his performances at youth level, scoring six goals and providing six assists in 13 appearances in the U18 Premier League and UEFA Youth League combined.
Doak also scored four goals and provided two assists in 12 outings in the Premier League 2 for the U21s, whilst also being handed five first-team appearances by Jurgen Klopp – two of which came in the Premier League.
He then made five appearances in the senior team during the first half of the 2023/24 campaign before suffering a meniscus tear that kept him out for 41 matches for club and country between December 2023 and June 2024.
That disrupted his progress under Klopp, after emerging as a genuine first-team option, and new Liverpool boss Arne Slot decided to send him out on loan to the Championship for the current season.
Second tier side Middlesbrough swooped in to sign the 18-year-old forward on loan for the campaign, and he has been in impressive form for Michael Carrick, who has described him as a “real threat”.
|
24/25 Championship |
Ben Doak |
|---|---|
|
Starts |
6 |
|
Goals |
1 |
|
xA |
1.59 |
|
Key passes |
15 |
|
Dribbles completed per game |
1.6 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, Doak has created 15 chances and scored one goal in six Championship starts for Middlesbrough, but has not been rewarded with an assist, as his teammates have been wasteful in front of goal.
At the time of writing, Transfermarkt currently has the left-footed star’s value at €10m (£8.4m) and this shows that his value has soared by a whopping 1,300% since making the move down south for a compensation fee of £600k, which suggests that he made the right decision to move on from Parkhead.
Doak is currently worth millions more than Kuhn, with both players being left-footed right wingers, and Celtic may rue that they did not get the chance to see him flourish in Glasgow.
Celtic thought they had dream Scott Brown heir, then he left for nothing
The former Celtic defensive midfielder made a strong start to life at Parkhead.
By
Dan Emery
Oct 22, 2024
Agent Jorge Mendes has provided an update on Lamine Yamal's contract situation after a meeting with Barcelona chiefs Joan Laporta and Deco.
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Real Madrid have confirmed that captain Dani Carvajal will be sidelined for up to three months after sustaining a right knee injury during Sunday’s fiery Clasico against Barcelona. The 33-year-old defender, who was involved in a heated post-match confrontation with Lamine Yamal, will undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair the damage, the club announced on Monday.