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Neutral officials, match referees, the aid of technology and DRS – from the 1990s, cricket’s global body has taken a lot of effort to modernise decision-making in the game

Rod Lyall05-Sep-2025Allegations of biased umpiring are as old as the game itself, and there were many claims by touring teams over the years that home umpires were making decisions against them. It was even not unknown for touring captains and managements to object to the appointment of specific umpires. But as international cricket gained a higher profile, with matches shown live on television, so the pressures grew correspondingly, and incidents like Mike Gatting’s confrontation with Shakoor Rana in 1987 persuaded many that action needed to be taken.The issue, like most other things in international cricket, also had a cultural dimension. Those in the subcontinent were convinced that the complaints against their umpires were racially motivated, part of the old imperial hangover, and that biased umpiring elsewhere was regarded by officialdom with a much more benign eye. That no doubt explained Imran Khan’s initiative to bring in two Indian umpires for a Test against the West Indies in Lahore in 1986, and to fly in two English officials to stand in the series against India in 1989/90.By this time proposals to introduce neutral umpires were gaining momentum at meetings of the Conference, and in 1992 a first, cautious step was taken with an experimental rule requiring one neutral official in every Test match. The first such appointment was the Englishman Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird, who stood in the series between Zimbabwe and India, starting in Harare on 18 October 1992. It took ten years before the requirement was extended to both on-field umpires, and again it was an Indian tour which broke new ground, with Asoka de Silva (Sri Lanka) and Daryl Harper (Australia) standing in the first three Tests in the series in the West Indies in April-May 2002, with David Shepherd (England) and Russell Tiffin (Zimbabwe) taking over for the final two. They were members of the ICC’s new Elite Panel of umpires, which had taken over from the International Panel first established in 1994 and which would now for the most part supply both umpires for Test matches and one for ODIs; the other official in ODIs would be one of the host country’s umpires on the International Panel.Related

• Do we really need neutral umpires anymore?

• The use of Hawk-Eye

• Which team uses the DRS best? (2020)

• The arrival of the DRS (2018)

• The art of the review (2017)

Even more significant than the appointment of neutral umpires was the development of the role of match referee. When Colin Cowdrey, the first independent ICC chairman, introduced a code of conduct for international matches he included a referee as the final judge on disciplinary matters. The first such official was former England captain Mike Smith, who refereed the first two Tests of the 1991/92 series between Australia and India. The path to acceptance of match referees was not entirely smooth. On 28 December 1992 the Australian Peter Burge suspended Pakistan bowler Aaqib Javed for dissent during an ODI against New Zealand in Napier, after he had called umpire Brian Aldridge a cheat, and continued ill-feeling between the teams led Burge to warn both sides that he would take further action under the code of conduct if they did not moderate their behaviour.It helped considerably, though, that the ICC was quickly able to assemble a panel of respected referees who had had distinguished careers in international cricket. In addition to Burge, the first cohort included Pieter van der Merwe and Jackie McGlew (South Africa), Clive Lloyd and Cammie Smith (West Indies), Raman Subba Row (England), Srini Venkataraghavan (India) and Frank Cameron (New Zealand). Between them they were able to ensure that the code of conduct became an accepted feature of the cricket landscape, and that their own role as arbiters of on-field incidents was increasingly taken for granted. With these two developments, neutral umpires and match referees, the ICC clearly expanded its role in the management of international cricket.This was not achieved, however, without challenges to its authority, principally from the BCCI. In November 2001, match referee Mike Denness penalised six Indian players for their conduct during the second Test at Port Elizabeth, suspending Virender Sehwag for one match and handing suspended sentences to five others, including the captain, Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar appeared on television coverage of the match to have been altering the condition of the ball and Sehwag allegedly charged at one of the umpires, while the other four were reported by the on-field umpires for various disciplinary infringements. BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya immediately exploded, accusing Denness of racism, demanding his replacement as referee, and threatening to call off the third Test at Centurion.Terrified of the financial consequences of a cancellation, South Africa backed the BCCI position, while the ICC dug in, refusing to replace Denness for the remaining match. When the USB and BCCI appointed former South African Test player Denis Lindsay, an ICC referee, to take over from Denness, the ICC’s response was that the game would no longer be regarded as official. Dalmiya objected that they had no power to withdraw official status, but the ICC rightly saw that what was at stake was ‘the right of the ICC, as the world governing body for cricket, to appoint referees and umpires, and for those officials to make decisions which are respected by both players and Boards’. If this were not accepted, it added, ‘the sport could descend into anarchy’. There were even fears that this seemingly minor episode could lead to a split in world cricket along racial lines.An advertising hoarding in Mumbai in 2001 refers to the Mike Denness affair•Sebastian D’Souza/AFP/Getty ImagesThe match was duly played, without Sehwag and with Lindsay in charge, South Africa winning by an innings and 73 runs. But the dispute did not go away. With England due to play India in Mohali at the beginning of December, the Indians claimed that Sehwag had served his suspension and was now eligible to play, while the ICC position was that since the Centurion match had been unofficial, he had to miss the Mohali Test.After some brinkmanship from Dalmiya the BCCI agreed not to play Sehwag, while the ICC undertook to review Denness’s decisions and to reconsider the status of the match at Centurion. As if to demonstrate its confidence in Denness, though, the ICC appointed him as referee for the forthcoming series between Pakistan and the West Indies in Sharjah, and at the same time established a commission, chaired by the South African judge Alby Sachs and also including the former Test cricketers Majid Khan (Pakistan) and Andrew Hilditch (Australia), to investigate the possibility of a right of appeal against a referee’s decision, along with the introduction of a code of conduct for referees, and the need for greater consistency in their decision-making.But Dalmiya was still not satisfied: he objected to the ICC’s nominees to the commission and complained that none of the ten candidates he had proposed – two of whom, Richie Benaud and Imran Khan, had declined – had been included. By February 2002 it was evident that the BCCI was simply refusing to co-operate with the commission, Dalmiya insisting that it be expanded to a membership of ten or its
deliberations put on hold. He took his demand to a meeting of the Asian Cricket Council in Sharjah later that month, where he received the support of the other full members from the region. The matter was thrashed out at the executive board in March, with the Denness affair now referred to a ‘Disputes Resolution Committee’, chaired by Michael Beloff QC and including three board members: Peter Chingoka of Zimbabwe, Bob Merriman of Australia and Wes Hall of the West Indies.The board also agreed that in future all disciplinary charges would have to be laid by the umpires – it was an obvious flaw that Denness had charged Tendulkar and Sehwag himself and then judged their cases – and that a match referee would be allowed to explain his decisions at a press conference, as Denness had been unable to do. The only point on which the ICC was able to score even a symbolic victory was that the disputed third Test in South Africa remained unofficial.The umpiring errors in the 2008 Sydney Test between Australia and India prompted the ICC to introduce the Decision Review System•Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesAt the same time that it was moving to take control of umpiring and refereeing, the ICC was also adjusting to the technological possibilities of improved television coverage.Calling together the leading international umpires for a conference in August 1993, the board invited them to consider ways in which a third umpire might review on-field decisions in Tests and ODIs where appropriate TV facilities were available, an option which they had just approved in principle. This revolutionary use of technology, which would eventually evolve into the DRS system of player reviews, had been pioneered by the South Africans in Durban in 1992, when two cameras were used to enable close run-out decisions to be resolved. The number of cameras was soon expanded to four, and the technology proved useful in determining not only run-outs, but also doubts about whether the ball had touched the boundary rope.By 1995 the umpires were ready to take the system a stage further, recommending that it could also be applied in determining whether a catch had been taken cleanly or not. For traditionalists, all this was an erosion of the power of the on-field umpires to make all the decisions, but others, including many of the leading umpires themselves, saw it as a way of avoiding mistakes and reducing tensions on the field. Discussing the issue in 2003, ICC general manager David Richardson confirmed that technology ‘will not be introduced at the expense of the umpire’s status as the key decision-maker in relation to the rules and regulations’.For the 2004 Champions Trophy, however, in addition to connecting the on-field umpires’ earpieces (now standard equipment) to the output from the stump microphones (ditto), decisions on front-foot no-balls were experimentally transferred to the third umpire. Richardson presented this as beneficial to the standing umpire, who ‘will not need to adjust his line of sight from the bowler in delivery stride to the batsman receiving the ball’. And Speed was adamant that umpires’ decision-making authority was in no way under threat; “I do not believe,” he insisted, “the game or its followers want to see umpires reduced to the role of coat racks.”DRS changed the way the game was played, allowing players for the first time to challenge umpires’ decisions on the field•Hannah Peters/Getty ImagesSurveyed before the tournament, international captains expressed themselves in favour of the use of technology, although Australia’s Ricky Ponting and Zimbabwe’s Tatenda Taibu had more reservations than the rest. In this first phase it was up to the on-field umpires to call for assistance in making marginal decisions, but in March 1997 a Colombo-born lawyer named Senaka Weeraratna proposed that the use of technology could be extended to give players the right to challenge decisions with which they disagreed.The mental shift required here should not be underestimated. It had always been a fundamental principle that the umpire’s decision was final and absolute, and the notion that it might be overturned through the use of technology after objection by a player seemed to go against everything that the game had always stood for. After all, the code of conduct which Cowdrey had introduced imposed clear penalties for player dissent. At the same time, it could not be denied that umpires were far from infallible, and even with neutral officials there were obvious cases, increasingly shown up by the improved technology, in which mistakes were made.One of the worst cases was the New Year’s Test in Sydney in 2008, in which umpires Steve Bucknor and Mark Benson made a series of glaring errors, most, but not all of them, contributing to India’s 122-run defeat. Andrew Symonds admitted that he was wrongly given not out on 30 on the opening day, going on to make an unbeaten 162, and with the Indians set to make 333 to win on the final day, Rahul Dravid was given caught behind for 38 off a Symonds delivery which had struck the knee roll and Sourav Ganguly was out to a slip catch off Brett Lee which was generally believed to have been grounded. The BCCI was furious and instructed the team management to complain to match referee Mike Procter.The match had also seen an on-field incident between Symonds and Harbhajan Singh, which led to the Indian spinner being charged with offensive behaviour. He had, it was claimed, called Symonds, one of whose birth parents was Afro-Caribbean, a “monkey”; Harbhajan always denied this, but there was no question that the Australian had been subjected to monkey noises by Indian crowds at several venues, and Symonds had suggested that Harbhajan was a contributor to ill-feeling between the sides. The spinner was suspended for three Tests, but he and his team-mates continued to insist that there had been no racist taunt. The BCCI stated that for them “anti-racial stance is an article of faith as it is for the entire nation which fought the apartheid policies”. Since they had initially tried to claim that the monkey noises from the Indian crowd had been worship of the monkey-God Hanuman, this did not perhaps ring entirely convincingly.Howzzat out: television replays and tools like Hawk-Eye and infra-red cameras have turned every fan into an expert at umpiring•IDI/Getty ImagesIndian manager Chetan Chauhan also complained that Brad Hogg had used the word “bastard” in sledging Anil Kumble and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a charge which was subsequently dropped, a decision which Hogg himself described as “a kind gesture, lovely gesture”. Amidst rumours that the tour would be called off, the ICC confirmed that Bucknor would stand in the third Test in Perth, but then replaced him the following day with the New Zealander Billy Bowden. This was greeted by the BCCI’s chief administrative officer as ‘a satisfactory decision’, although Malcolm Speed was quick to insist that all the ICC was trying to do was to ‘take some tension out of the situation’, and that Bucknor would continue to umpire elsewhere. They also flew the chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle in to try to mediate between the captains, while retaining Procter as the match referee.The New Zealand High Court judge John Hansen was appointed to hear the Harbhajan appeal, which was delayed until after the completion of the series. With the player claiming, supported by Sachin Tendulkar, that what he had actually said was “teri maa ki”, an admittedly obscene Hindi term referring to one’s mother’s genitalia, Hansen found the charge of racial abuse unproven, and reduced the sanction to 50% of the player’s match fee. But the judge also commented that the ICC had only revealed one of Harbhajan’s four previous convictions, a result of database and human errors. Had he known, he stated, of an offence in 2001 which had earned the player a one Test suspended sentence and a fine of 75% of his match fee, he would have taken a different view when determining his sentence. Once again, the ICC had managed to emerge with black marks against its reputation.The mistakes made by Bucknor and Benson, however, remained irrefutable. In March 2008, prompted by ICC general manager Richardson, the Chief Executives’ Committee agreed to try out a review system broadly along the lines suggested by Weeraratna, and commissioned the cricket committee, which, under the chairmanship of Sunil Gavaskar, had been sceptical about the idea, to establish the guidelines for its implementation. Ironically, in view of subsequent events, Sri Lanka and India tested it during their series which began in Colombo that July.Using slow motion replays, noises from the stump microphones which had now become standard equipment in international cricket, and the Hawk-Eye technology to track the ball up to the point of impact (but not to predict its future trajectory), the third umpire would review a decision should this be requested by either side. The testing continued, and by February 2009 Haroon Lorgat was able to argue that ‘[t]he referral system has improved the rate of giving correct decisions’; the rate of correct decision-making had risen from 94% to 98% as a result of the reviews.Pitch PublishingContinuing to tweak its system, the ICC now added Hot Spot, a technology which created infra-red images to confirm that the ball had touched bat, glove or pad, to its battery of measures informing a review. The experiment was sufficiently successful for it to be adopted formally for Tests in November 2009, with nine of the ten full members supporting it; the BCCI stood out against it as the Indian players believed that it had worked against them during that Sri Lanka series. Under the Decision Review System (DRS), players could challenge up to two decisions per Test innings, losing one of these challenges should their request for a review prove unsuccessful.In May 2011 the ICC cricket committee recommended that DRS be used in all Tests, and that it should also be employed in ODI and T20 series with one review per side per innings. The BCCI continued to object to the use of Hawk-Eye, insisting that it would only accept the system when it was “foolproof”, and in 2011 the ICC had to back down from its position that the use of DRS was mandatory, accepting that it would only be implemented where both sides agreed. When an attempt was made to leave the decision to apply DRS to the home board, Srinivasan reportedly threatened that India would pull out of any tour where the system was to be used. Not until 2017 was it finally agreed that it would apply uniformly in all series and tournaments involving the full members.Reviewing the situation in his 2013 Cowdrey Lecture, Simon Taufel reflected on how television and the introduction of technology had altered the game. “In today’s cricket,” he observed, “the decision of the umpire is scrutinised by all these cameras including slow motion, ultra motion, hot spot front on, hot spot leg side, hot spot off side, ball tracking and prediction, Snicko, stump audio, the mat and then by up to three commentary experts upstairs in the box.” And while such detailed scrutiny eliminated the most obvious errors and many less obvious ones, it also made every viewer an umpire and put more pressure on players and umpires.The system has continued to be tweaked and improved, introducing the umpire’s call to allow for extremely marginal lbw decisions, renewing the number of challenges allowed after 80 overs in Tests, removing the soft signal in cases where there was doubt whether a catch had been cleanly taken, and so on.A decade on from Taufel’s lecture it takes an effort to remember how controversial the use of technology to assist the on-field umpires once was, and while there will always be marginal cases where one side feels aggrieved and the armchair umpires bitterly disagree with each other, one effect of DRS has been to demonstrate how extraordinarily good most international umpiring actually is.

As Borussia Dortmund prepare for a defining Bundesliga clash against an in-form Bayer Leverkusen, Niko Kovac is confronted with a growing dilemma with the uncertainty surrounding defender Nico Schlotterbeck. With contract talks stalling and interest from Bayern Munich and Liverpool intensifying, Dortmund now face the risk of losing their key centre-back.

• Kovac hit with Schlotterbeck questions ahead of Leverkusen clash

  The defender, whose contract runs until 2027, remains reluctant to sign an extension, pushing Dortmund into a corner as European giants circle. According to reports, the Dortmund defender is being circled by top European clubs with Bundesliga rivals Bayern also pushing to sign him, while Liverpool reportedly have him on a list of targets, with Ibrahima Konate possibly leaving and questions surrounding Virgil van Dijk's form.

  Dortmund are determined to convince him to stay, but Kovac admits that the situation is out of his control.

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  Kovac’s honest admission and Schlotterbeck's contract stalemate

  During his press conference ahead of the Leverkusen clash, the coach addressed the growing speculation head-on, saying: "I don't know to what extent I can influence things there – other than showing him appreciation. I show him that every day.

  "He knows what we have in him. But he also knows what he has in the club. I'm optimistic, but only time will tell. I'm not a fortune teller. Let's wait and see."

  Schlotterbeck’s hesitation stems from a mix of sporting and strategic concerns. Despite being offered a major salary increase and even the possibility of inheriting the captain’s armband, the defender remains unconvinced about Dortmund’s long-term title prospects and playing style. He previously stated the team “needs to play more football,” making his expectations clear.

  Sporting director Sebastian Kehl reaffirmed Dortmund’s stance that they want the contract situation to be resolved by the Christmas.

  "We are trying to provide conditions that offer Schlotti an attractive environment… Ultimately, a decision will have to be made," said Kehl.

• Bayern’s push, Liverpool’s interest, and the market pressure

  The tension around Schlotterbeck’s future has been amplified by Bayern's situation. Dayot Upamecano’s contract renewal has hit a wall due to a large gap in signing-fee demands. Should Bayern fail to extend him, Schlotterbeck becomes their prime target.

  That possibility has already been reported by , which claims the defender is seriously considering a switch to Munich. His second preferred destination is reportedly the Premier League, with Liverpool monitoring the situation closely.

  Dortmund’s next few matches, including consecutive Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal encounters against Leverkusen, are seen as pivotal. If the club falters while Leverkusen and Bayern accelerate, Schlotterbeck may conclude that his ambitions cannot be met in Dortmund’s current trajectory. After becoming one of the Bundesliga’s top defenders and playing a central role in Dortmund reaching the Champions League final, he now wants to compete consistently for titles.

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• AFP
  

  The wider picture for Dortmund

  Dortmund's form has fluctuated in recent weeks with an emphatic 4-0 Champions League win over Villarreal which followed a sharply contested last-minute league draw against Stuttgart. Leverkusen, meanwhile, are thriving under coach Kasper Hjulmand, winning six of their last seven Bundesliga games and coming off a confidence-boosting 2-0 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

  Despite the swirling speculation around Schlotterbeck, Kovac was determined to keep the team focused on football first. He praised Leverkusen’s pace and unpredictability, acknowledged Dortmund’s improvements, and urged realism while still keeping ambitions alive.

  “We need to prepare everything now to be in the mix at the end,” he said, noting the club’s strong Champions League run and potential on all fronts. His assessments of players like Julian Brandt, Fabio Silva, and young defender Aaron Anselmino highlighted the internal progress being made.

  But the truth is unavoidable. Schlotterbeck’s decision will shape Dortmund’s defensive future. If he stays, he could become the team’s highest-paid player and its next captain. If he leaves, Dortmund may be forced into a complete reconstruction of their back line.

MLB on Tuesday announced that the ABS Challenge System will be implemented in 2026 spring training, regular season and postseason games after a vote by the Joint Competition Committee. MLB is entering the "robot umpire" age with the ABS system, which was tested in the minor leagues and during roughly 60% of 2025 spring training games. And, according to the numbers from the league's spring training test, one position could be crucial in the ABS Challenge System: catchers.

According to spring training data from MLB's official press release, catchers had a 56% overturn rate compared to 50% for hitters and 41% for pitchers, meaning backstops were the most successful of the three position groups at winning challenges.

While one of the catcher's most important duties, pitch framing, could be rendered somewhat obsolete with a full-on automated system for calling balls and strikes (in other words, only robot umpires), it will still be a factor with the system set to be implemented in 2026.

Each team will receive two challenges per game, and all successful challenges are retained. Only catchers, hitters and pitchers can challenge calls in the ABS System. Players can signal for a challenge by tapping on their hat, helmet or verbally indicating they'd like to challenge a ball or strike call. The home plate umpire then announces the challenge to the ballpark, and a graphic showing the pitch and the result of the challenge appears on the scoreboard and broadcast, a roughly 15-second process. The ABS strike zone is a two-dimensional rectangle set to the width of home plate, with the tops and bottoms adjusted based on each individual player's height.

Teams challenged just over four pitches per game, with a near-50% success rate, during spring training.

Arsenal have now discovered where they stand in the race to sign Malick Fofana, according to recent reports, and the winger has made his mind up on a move to Barcelona.

Despite how impressive the Gunners have been so far this season, their left-hand side remains their biggest weakness. The form of Martinelli remains inconsistent and he remains sidelined, whilst Leandro Trossard is now 30 years old and not a long-term option. After addressing their striker problem by signing Viktor Gyokeres in the summer, Arsenal must do the same on their left-hand side.

Arteta must drop 5/10 Arsenal star who lost the ball every 4 passes

Arsenal were uncharacteristically ropey against Sunderland on Saturday.

By
Matt Dawson

Nov 9, 2025

That said, given that they sit top of the Premier League with an excellent defensive record and set-piece threat, those in North London will be in no urgent rush to panic buy any potential improvements.

Their 2-2 draw against Sunderland on Saturday was the first time that Arsenal have dropped points in the Premier League since September and they’ve not lost a game in all competitions since August. Everything is pointing towards major silverware at long last for Mikel Arteta.

In an ideal world for those at The Emirates, Arsenal will march towards Premier League glory and then find themselves in the perfect opportunity to welcome any other improvements.

Already, the champions-elect have been linked with moves for the likes of Javi Guerra in what would see another La Liga talent arrive and he’s not the only one on their reported shortlist.

Recent reports have also shared Arsenal’s interest in Lyon’s Fofana, who is one of the most-wanted wingers around European football. Those same reports even revealed where the Gunners stand in the race to secure his signature.

Fofana dream revealed as Arsenal find out transfer position

According to Sport in Spain, Arsenal are now the most interested side in signing Fofana alongside Chelsea in a frustrating blow for Barcelona. The Belgium star has made his desire to complete a move to the Premier League no secret, with his agent admitting earlier this year that he dreams of moving to Liverpool.

Whilst that may seem like a blow for the likes of Arsenal, it is reportedly the Gunners who are at the front and centre of the race to secure his signature and not the Reds. Potentially with the Premier League title in hand, those in North London stand every chance of swaying Fofana, who has his sights set on English football instead of a move to Barcelona.

Fofana’s agent, Bobo Fofana, said back in March: “The choice of the heart would be Liverpool. He has the potential to become a regular, and above all, we’d like to see him succeed African legends such as Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, and Elhadj Diouf.”

A player who’s been described as “explosive” by Como scout Ben Mattinson, Fofana is not a talent that Arsenal will want to miss out on, especially if it is to title rivals Liverpool.

Arteta has Arsenal's best finisher since Van Persie & it's not Gyokeres

From a young girl who loved to bat, she’s transformed into a legspinner and is a key part of Gujarat Giants’ run into the playoff

Daya Sagar12-Mar-20254:30

Priya Mishra: I feel batters are not able to read my googly

In 2005, Sandeep Mishra came to Baljeet Nagar, a locality in West Delhi, from Allahabad (now Prayagraj). The neighbourhood was home to daily-wage labourers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Back home, he was fed up with the unprofitable returns in farming and, having learnt the work of an electrician, had come to find some work in a big city.At the time, the expansion of Delhi’s metro network was on and the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation needed electricians, so Sandeep, a 30-year-old high-school dropout, found a job. He was blessed with a daughter just months before he came to Delhi, and brought her and the family along two years later. It was not long before that she started playing cricket in the street with the boys.That irked the neighbours and relatives, who used to taunt Sandeep. But it had little effect on Sandeep, who looked at it as a way for her daughter to get a government job via the sports quota, if nothing else. Like most of his time, Sandeep longingly looked at government jobs for the security they provided. He used to play state-level kabaddi for getting a government job using the sports quota but when that did not work, he dreamt of the same for his children.Related

• Gujarat Giants face bogey team Mumbai Indians in bid for final spot

• Harmanpreet adds more aggression to her game

• The rise and roar of Kashvee Gautam

• Mooney confident GG can challenge for playoffs

That girl now has an India cap and a WPL contract to her name. Priya Mishra, 20, made her international debut last year and has 15 wickets in nine ODIs at an average of 26.60 and a strike rate of 27. She has picked up six wickets in eight league-stage matches of WPL 2025 where Gujarat Giants (GG) have made the playoffs for the first time.”When I played cricket in the streets, I did not think of it as a career prospect; I used to play with the boys just for fun,” Mishra tells ESPNcricinfo. “People used to tease me, saying I am playing with the boys for nothing, as I will have to take care of the house [get married and be a housewife] eventually. But my family, especially my father, supported me a lot.”The Gujarat Giants players gather around Priya Mishra after a wicket•BCCIThe turning point in Mishra’s life came when her sports teacher at Salwan Girls Senior Secondary School, Priya Chandra, saw her playing cricket. Chandra, a former state-level player, advised her to go to Shravan Kumar, who has coached Ishant Sharma, Harshit Rana, Simran Dil Bahadur and Pratika Rawal among others.”When an 11-year-old Priya came to me in 2015, she loved batting,” Shravan says. “She came to the academy on foot and was also fond of medium-pace bowling. But since she was not tall, I suggested her to bowl spin, because she got the ball to spin sharper than the boys did. It did not take long for her to develop a googly, which is her main weapon now.”Most of Mishra’s international wickets have come with the googly, as have all of her six wickets in WPL 2025 so far – Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Deepti Sharma and Yastika Bhatia. Mishra maintans that the googly is just to deceive the batters and her stock ball is still the legbreak.”I take wickets from the googly because batters can’t read me,” she says. “I try to set batters up using legspin, try and attack their feet as much as I can. This makes batters think I can only bowl the legspin, which is when I bowl a googly to pick up wickets.”Shravan Kumar suggested Priya Mishra to bowl spin instead of medium pace•Priya MishraAfter enrolling in an academy, Mishra had to travel to various parts of, and sometimes outside, Delhi to play school-, district-, state-level and age-group matches. Since she was young, Sandeep used to accompany her for those, even when he did not get leave from work.”Irrespective of what happens at work, if Priya had a game to play, I used to always go with her,” Sandeep says. “As she progressed in the sport, my seniors became accommodating and I used to get more leaves. That aside, Shravan sir also never took money for coaching and cricketing equipment, which, at that time, was difficult for us to afford.”Mishra made it to the Delhi Under-19 team at the age of 13. She picked up wickets in bundles for two seasons, which meant she made it to Delhi Under-23 team at 15, and then to the senior team at 18. Since then she has 78 wickets in 35 List-A appearances at an average of 16.48 and a strike rate of 21.79. She also has 22 wickets in 26 T20 matches at an economy of a mere 6.85. In August last year, Mishra was part of India A’s tour of Australia, where she picked up six wickets in the unofficial Test including four in the first innings. She also returned a five-for in the only unofficial ODI she played.”I took about 26-27 wickets in nine Under-19 matches in a season and was confident of going to the next level. But there is a big difference in the level of international cricket and domestic cricket,” Mishra, who considers Shane Warne her idol, says. “Balls that are a good option in domestic cricket are easily played by international players, so I try and attack the stumps now.3:53

Mithali Raj impressed with Priya Mishra’s talent

“T20 cricket is such that you have to think before every ball because batters are there to hit every ball. You have to think about the line that will trap the batter. For now, I am trying to bowl in line of the stumps as much as possible. By doing that, you don’t give batters much room and increase your chances of picking up wickets.”At GG, Mishra works with spin-bowling coach Pravin Tambe, who makes her undergo single-wicket drills for a long time. She also exchanges notes with Deepti in the India team.”I constantly talk to Deepti and I consider her my second guru. She helps me as much as she can. If she is at slip, she tells me what ball I should be bowling and where I should be bowling. Even Harman tells me not to be nervous and do what I have been doing thus far.”For now, Mishra is happy she does not have to live on rent in Baljeet Nagar. With her WPL earnings from last year and savings from domestic cricket, she bought a house and a car in 2024. Now her dream is to play long for India and help them win a World Cup on home soil.

Sciver-Brunt scored century in a game where India’s batting collapsed in the absence of senior players

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2025Without Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Pratika Rawal, India’s batting order crumbled against England at Bengaluru’s Centre of Excellence ground in a warm-up fixture ahead of the ODI World Cup. Chasing 341, India were all out for 187, with Arundhati Reddy not coming out to bat due to a leg injury she sustained while bowling.Wicketkeeper Uma Chetry, who was included in the squad in place of the injured Yastika Bhatia, made a promising 45, while captain Jemimah Rodrigues top-scored with 66 off 68 balls. Richa Ghosh, Deepti Sharma, and Sneh Rana combined to make just 43 runs in the middle order.Related

• Reddy suffers blow to knee during warm-up match against England

Sent in to bat, England, propelled by captain Nat Sciver-Brunt’s brisk 120 and Emma Lamb’s 84, piled up 340. India’s pace spearhead Renuka Singh struck in her first over to remove Tammy Beaumont, and the hosts had both Amy Jones and Heather Knight back before the halfway stage. However, Sciver-Brunt and Lamb’s 173-run stand put England in front, despite Kranti Goud’s three-wicket haul later in the innings.Shafali Verma notched up 70 off 49•Getty Images

Shafali Verma, left out of India’s World Cup squad, scored a blistering 49-ball 70 in India A’s four-wicket win over New Zealand in a rain-affected fixture.After New Zealand posted 273 for 9 on the back of Izzy Gaze’s unbeaten 101 at No. 7, multiple rain interruptions left India chasing a revised target of 225 in 40 overs. Shafali’s brisk knock – which included 11 fours and a six – gave the innings early momentum. Captain Minnu Mani remained unbeaten on 39, while wicketkeeper Madiwala Mamatha contributed a crucial 56 not out off 60 balls at No. 8.Earlier, Sayali Satghare, the reserve seamer for India at the World Cup, picked up three wickets. India A had New Zealand reeling at 146 for 7, but Gaze’s counterattacking century helped the Sophie-Devine-led side post a competitive total.In Colombo, both the Pakistan-Sri Lanka game and South Africa’s match against Bangladesh were washed out. Sri Lanka were 33 for 1 in 7.3 overs when play came to an end, while in the other contest, South Africa had reached 45 for 3 in nine overs before rain intervened. Bangladesh’s young pacer Marufa Akter dismissed both Laura Wolvaardt and Annerie Dercksen, while Nahida Akter bowled Marizanne Kapp – a dream start for Bangladesh.

We've officially hit the All-Star Break of the 2025 MLB season, with the next two days dedicated to honoring the league's best.

This year's slate of events will take place at Atlanta's Truist Park and will begin with the Home Run Derby on Monday night.

Of the eight participants, seven are first-timers—including the sensational Cal Raleigh, who leads MLB with 38 jacks—and are set to compete for some serious prize money.

So how much does the winner receive? And how is the money divvied up? Here's everything you need to know about the 2025 Home Run Derby prize pool:

2025 Home Run Derby Total Prize Pool

The total prize pool handed out at the MLB Home Run Derby is a whopping $2.5 million. However, it isn't winner-takes-all. While the champion receives $1 million off the top, the rest of the money is then trickled down to the rest of the participants in a variety of ways.

Here's how:

2025 Home Run Derby Prize Pool Structure

Simply participating in the Home Run Derby guarantees you a hefty check of $150,000—not too shabby. Additionally, the runner-up receives $500,000, and hitting the longest home run of the night earns you $100,000.

With the BBL set to explore privatisation, Smith says SA20 will look to continue to “dominate” in the southern hemisphere

Firdose Moonda18-Aug-2025The SA20 organisers believe they have established enough of a foothold not to be threatened by the BBL’s aim to become the second-biggest league in the world after the IPL, according to commissioner Graeme Smith.The SA20, which will begin its fourth season on Boxing Day this year and has IPL ownership across all six franchises, has the second-highest salary cap after the IPL of R41 million (US$2.31 million). By that measure, it could be regarded as the next-best league in the global game and with a marquee auction scheduled for September 9, Smith explained they plan to stay that way.”When we started we were built up against the ILT20 and Big Bash and we set ourselves big ambitions upfront,” Smith told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the closing of player registration for the auction. “In the southern hemisphere window we want to dominate and we want to be the biggest league outside the IPL. Three years in, we’ve set the standard. Every decision we make is around making sure that we uphold those standards. I expect there will be a top number of leagues that will elevate themselves in a calendar cycle and that will be the priority for players, investors and fans. Our ambitions are to remain right at the top of that alongside IPL.Related

• CA exploring BBL investment 'unashamedly' to be second behind IPL

• BBL privatisation and later start among recommendations

• SA20: Markram heads to the auction ahead of 2026 season

Smith’s comments come less than two weeks after CA CEO Todd Greenberg told that his board would “unashamedly” chase second spot by exploring privatisation. “It’s going to be very hard to chase the IPL, given the scale of cricket in India, but unashamedly, we want to run a league that comes second. And to do that we’re going to need to make sure that player availability and player salaries are commensurate with everything else that goes on around the world, and there’s one thing you need for that, you need money, you need investment. We’d be naive if we weren’t asking ourselves these questions and making sure we’ve got an eye on what’s next,” Greenberg said.The BBL’s move to seek private investment will make it the last of the established leagues to look for funding outside of board structures. The Hundred is the most recent to make the same moves, with deals for six out of their eight teams finalised ahead of next season. While happenings in the Hundred do not affect the SA20 because it is played in a different window, the BBL clashes with the SA20, which could mean a clash over status and crucially, player availability.Again, Smith had reason to be bullish. While the BBL is played at the same time as Australia’s international summer and so does not have Test players fully available, all South Africa’s national and domestically contracted players will prioritise the SA20, even if at the expense of international games. South Africa sent an understrength Test side to New Zealand last year, as an example of this policy in action. At the time, it drew criticism, but with South Africa going on to win the World Test Championship final, Smith sees it as proof that formats can co-exist if the planning is right.”Everyone was worried that we were going to destroy Test cricket but we’ve seen our national team go on a few years later to win the World Test Championship final. We’ve all played our role in the ecosystem,” he said. “We’ve been part of bringing gravitas back to South African cricket, seeing new fans come back to the game and new energy.”Graeme Smith expects a strong England presence in the upcoming SA20 season too•Sportzpics

At the same time, the SA20 also attracts internationals from other countries and last year had several English Test players, who had the winter off, join the tournament. This season, with the Ashes on, could be different but Smith still anticipates a strong contingent.”In the first two seasons we saw a lot of the England white-ball players come through and then with the FTP ebbing and flowing every year that changes,” he said. “So this year with the Ashes, we see some of those white ball players come back and maybe the Test players won’t form part of this season. The Ashes finishes on the ninth (of January, 2026). I don’t know if some of their players will form part of replacement lists but we’ve seen the likes of a Jos Butler come back into the tournament this year as an example.”Buttler, who played for Paarl Royals in the first two seasons, has been pre-signed by Durban’s Super Giants for the fourth season. Each franchise was allowed a maximum of six retentions or pre-signed players ahead of the new season. Of the 36 spots available, only a third (13) have been filled by South African players which Smith believes will create a lively auction. “I expected a lot more top South African players to pre-sign and that didn’t happen,” he said. “From our perspective it’s set up a very exciting auction with a very big purse.”The fourth season of the SA20 will be played over the festive period as South Africa do not host any home Tests this summer. Matches will not be played on any of the new drop-in pitches which are planned for the 2027 ODI World Cup but Smith hopes the lack of cricket this season will result in surfaces with a bit more life in them compared to last year, when they showed signs of wear.”The pitches last year didn’t play as well as we would have liked and it’s something that’s being worked on in terms of revamping stadiums and facilities ahead of the World Cup,” he said. “We’re working closely with Cricket South Africa in terms of improving the quality of stadiums, lights and pitches. Everything is a big work in progress behind the scenes.”The SA20 auction will take place in Johannesburg on September 9. Player registration for the auction closes on Monday, August 18.

Kieran McKenna has delivered his verdict on Celtic following recent reports that the Scottish giants could look to land the Ipswich Town manager to replace Brendan Rodgers.

It’s been quite the week at Celtic Park. Chaos unfolded on Monday when Brendan Rodgers made the decision to resign and since then, the Hoops have travelled back in time – appointing Martin O’Neill on an interim basis.

The veteran manager has instantly got the Scottish champions back to winning ways, overseeing a 4-0 victory over Falkirk on Wednesday evening before telling reporters: “I’m really pleased to win in the manner we did, and we played some delightful stuff. Could have scored a couple more, too.

“My anxiety has calmed somewhat. When you get a few goals in front you can perhaps enjoy the last 10 or 15 minutes, and it kind of brought me back. I’ve not seen Celtic often, not live, to make criticism of this side. A restoration of confidence was great.”

Leaving O’Neill to turn things around on the pitch, Parkhead chiefs have commenced their search for a new manager and already faced their first blow thanks to Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian has reportedly chosen to take a break from football after getting the sack at Nottingham Forest just 39 days into the job. This shuts down any rumours that he could be making a sensational return to Scotland in the coming weeks.

Forced to search elsewhere, Celtic could yet turn towards Wales boss Craig Bellamy or Club Brugge’s Nicky Hayen, who has refused to rule a move out.

Meanwhile, another option is McKenna. The Ipswich Town boss has quite the reputation and has reportedly made Celtic’s shortlist as a result. Whether he decides to call it quits at Portman Road is another question, however.

Kieran McKenna delivers fresh Celtic verdict

Asked about the vacant job in his latest press conference, McKenna revealed where he ranks Celtic as a club whilst also speaking about his verdict on the position in Scotland.

Despite holding them in high regard, it looks as though Celtic will have a tough task on their hands if they want to lure McKenna away from Ipswich.

The former Manchester United coach has done an excellent job in Suffolk, taking Ipswich to as high as the Premier League following back-to-back promotions before suffering relegation last season.

Former Irish League star Thomas Stewart is one of many ex-players and pundits to have praised McKenna, previously telling reporters: “He’s well-educated, an intelligent man and I always felt that when we had conversations when we were younger.

As good as Kenny: Celtic star who won 10 duels is already undroppable

This Celtic star who was as good as Johnny Kenny is now undroppable for Martin O’Neill.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 30, 2025

“I think we were the only two from the U16 Victory Shield team that got left out and went on to play for the U21 team. I’ve full respect for him and he’s doing an amazing job.”

For now, though, Celtic may be forced to miss out on their managerial target.

Celtic to contact Craig Bellamy

He has transformed himself and his multi-faceted team to prioritise winning above all else

Alagappan Muthu03-Oct-20242:35

Manjrekar: ‘This is the legacy Rohit Sharma will leave as captain’

A century is a sacred thing. Everybody understands its significance, its pull. When Sachin Tendulkar was touring the world with 99 of them in his pocket, all anyone wanted to talk about was that next one, which would’ve been fine except he was trying not to think about it. It became awkward every time he went down to breakfast and they were giving him his tea with a side of knowing looks.The hundred is the most recognisable feature of our sport, to the extent that others have found reason to tap into it to generate that sweet, sweet engagement. Premier League champions Manchester City marked the occasion of their star striker, Erling Haaland, scoring 100 goals by putting a picture of him in full cricket gear on their socials.India just finished a Test match that flew in the face of all that. In Kanpur, Yashasvi Jaiswal not only had the chance to bring up three figures but do so quicker than anybody else from his country. He could’ve walked it in singles. Bangladesh had spread the field all the way out. Instead, he saw a little gap at third and went for the ramp shot. Now, there weren’t a lot of reasons for him to be in such a hurry. The one he had, though, was extremely compelling.Related

• Rohit hopes 'exceptional' series against Bangladesh doesn't go 'unnoticed'

• Rohit: 'We were ready to get bowled out for a low score to force a result'

• Stats – India extend dominance at home, at breakneck speed

• Rohit Sharma and the sixes that woke up a dead game

“When we gathered inside [the dressing room] for a small huddle, Rohit Sharma mentioned that we are going to go hammer and tongs and try and make, you know, 400 runs, probably, in 50 overs,” R Ashwin said after India found a way to win a five-day game in half that time. It involved a lot of risk. It wasn’t going to happen without a collective buy-in, especially from the batters, particularly the out-of-form ones.KL Rahul came into this series with an average of 34.08. He has only one century at home, a casualty of overarching plans to make the most of spin-friendly conditions. He might have liked to bed in at Green Park. The pitch wasn’t doing very much and time at the crease is a magical thing. It can erase all the doubt that had ever been cast on you, not from the outside, but also on the inside. It just settles you.Under a less adventurous captain, with a less willing group of men, facing a better quality of opposition and no pressure of World Test Championship points, India would’ve got in a bit of batting practice and left with a draw.”Rohit walked out and just tonked the first ball for a six,” Ashwin said. “So when you walk the talk, I think obviously the dressing room doesn’t have any other choice but to follow that same pattern. We had 50 runs out of three overs. There was no looking back after that.”Rahul made 68 off 43. He had two boundaries within the first ten balls and he was charging and reverse sweeping by the 15th.India have had many captains that have transformed the way they play. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi yanked them out of defeatism. Kapil Dev won them their first world title. MS Dhoni ended the wait for another one. Sourav Ganguly made being bad look sexy. Rahul Dravid broke the ODI chasing curse. Anil Kumble stood up right against wrong. Virat Kohli triggered a fast-bowling revolution. Rohit might just be outdoing them all because he is cutting right into one of the core values of Indian cricket.1:14

‘India exhibited a kind of dominance we’ve never seen before’

Batting means scoring big. You’re almost excused if you get out for a duck but if you get a start and then throw it away, you’re less than nothing. Rohit actually comes from the one place in India where this is basically gospel. He is Mumbai , which means come rain or shine, famine or plague, if you have a bat in hand, you have a responsibility not to get out. You are obliged to score those grand, daddy hundreds that utterly break the oppositions and make them question why they ever woke up that morning. His three double-tons in 50-over cricket are a tribute to this method and its far-reaching consequences. His next best score caused a bit of a flutter too.Rohit made 171 in Perth during a series where India faced questions about whether they cared more for milestones than victories, because their batters kept slowing down and it did have an impact on the final scoreline. Back then, the team was heavily reliant on its top order and so they had to play with a great deal of caution. It is only with time and effort and investment and experience that they now have a batting line-up with threats all the way down.In 2023, Rohit wanted to maximise that, weaponise that. So a man who used to set up to bat the full 50 overs went into a home World Cup and showed a very different side of himself. He kept hitting from ball one because he thought that was the best way for India to win. By then, he’d found strong influences that backed his beliefs.

“In the past, I know of players who have got a fifty in a game like that, they might have just walked out 52 not out. He chose to go for the gallery shot. It is just in his head to see the ball and hit it”R Ashwin on Yashasvi Jaiswal

“When Rahul Dravid was here,” Ashwin said, “he used to mention you will not remember the runs and the wickets that you take but you will definitely remember the memories that you create.”That’s so old school, right? Especially in 2024 where athletes have discovered they aren’t just people, they’re brands. There is incentive to putting themselves first; to safeguarding their success and minimising their risks. The power of a simple individual – let alone those with global acclaim – is sky high right now. It isn’t ludicrous for them to want to cash in, or at the very least have questions when their captain says things like “we’re gonna score 400 in 50 overs”. No one did in Kanpur. Even though the same social-media phenomenon that makes them walking bags of money opens them up to incredible rebuke whenever they fail. And this had potential for failure.Green Park is by no means a template. India will not be scoring at nine runs an over when they go to Australia. But even so, for Rohit to convince his men to follow him like that, in merely the hope of a result, and for them to do it, is no small thing. It’s been a hallmark of his captaincy, across formats. He helped Kohli reassess the price he puts on his wicket in T20s. He protected Jaiswal, genuinely worried he might jinx the opener during his coming-of-age performances against England. In that same series, when Sarfaraz Khan finally broke into the national team, Rohit spent an entire training session looking after him. He has been rewiring his own generation and encouraging the next one to put the win above all else.1:56

T20 champs for a reason? India break batting records in Kanpur

In Kanpur, it meant playing fast-forward cricket, the kind that didn’t just put pressure on the opposition, it caught them completely by surprise. Bangladesh admitted to needing a couple of overs to realise what was happening on that fourth afternoon when India, having batted for less than three hours, had enough on the board for a first-innings lead. Then they came out with similar intent to chase a target of 95, Jaiswal helping himself to another better-than-a-run-a-ball fifty.”It’s just the way he plays,” Ashwin said. “In the past, I know of players who have got a fifty in a game like that, they might have just walked out 52 not out. He chose to go for the gallery shot. It is just in his head to see the ball and hit it.”It’s probably the next generation of players and they are going to be like that. It’s us that need to be able to adapt to their style and be able to facilitate them with the best environment for them to be nurtured for them to prosper.”There are much sterner challenges ahead – the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starts in November and then there’s the Champions Trophy in February and, very likely, the WTC final in July. Each of them will require India to dig deep in various ways. They may come up short. It can happen. But they won’t die wondering. If there’s a chance – even the slightest, most outlandish one – they’ll grab it and they’ll run with it. Rohit won’t let them settle for anything less.