Former Australian international Lisa Keightley became the first woman to be appointed full-time coach of the England women's cricket team on Wednesday the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced.
The 48-year-old who played nine Tests and 85 One Day Internationals succeeds Mark Robinson and will take up her post in January.
Keightley -- who coached the England Women's Academy between 2011 and 2015 -- takes over a team that like their male counterparts are world champions in the 50 over format.
"I'm massively excited. It's a huge opportunity," said Keightley, who went on to win the World Cup as a player in her swansong season in 2005.
"It's a team full of world-class players and to be given the chance to work with some of the players who I worked with a few years ago is really exciting.
"I can't wait to get started and see where we can get to.
"England are the current 50-over world champions and they made it to the final of the last ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
"They're a very ...

Aussie Keightley in historic appointment as England women's cricket coach

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Hundreds of people staged a demonstration in a Bangladesh town Wednesday against a two-year ban on cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan for not declaring attempts to bribe him.
The ban on the 32-year-old superstar was announced on Tuesday by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which suspended one year of the punishment after Shakib "accepted three charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code".
Shakib made a public appeal for support after being banned, unleashing a flood of angry anti-ICC social media posts from his fans.
Police said about 700 people took to the streets in Shakib's hometown of Magura, demanding the ICC revoke the ban which came on the eve of Bangladesh's departure for a tour of India.
"The protesters shouted slogans and marched along a highway. They also formed a human chain as part of their action against the ICC decision," said Saiful Islam, police chief in the western town.
Protesters carried placards saying that Shakib was the victim of a "conspiracy".  ...

Protests in Bangladesh over ban on cricket hero Shakib

The BCCI has asked manufacturer SG to deliver 72 pink balls by next week for India's first-ever day night Test, to be held at the Eden Gardens from November 22.
The BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has already confirmed that SG pink balls will be used for the landmark game, leaving the manufacturer with very little room for error.
Producing a ball fit for a Test match under lights is a big challenge for SG as its pink ball is yet to be tested in a competitive game. The Duleep Trophy was played with Kookaburra pink balls for three seasons and not SG before the BCCI switched back to red ball this year.
"The BCCI has ordered six dozen pink balls and we will deliver them by middle of next week. As you have seen in the South Africa series, we made significant improvements with our red 'SG Test' and we have the same level of research and development for pink ball," company's sales and marketing director, Paras Anand, told PTI on Wednesday.
SG had faced strong criticism from some Indian players 

Day-Night Test: BCCI orders 72 pink balls from SG

"We will put our best foot forward against Oman and Afghanistan," promised India captain Sunil Chhetri, days after his defenceless team left its scoring boots at home in a 1-1 stalemate with Bangladesh in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
On a high after holding Asian champion and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar to a goalless draw, a struggling India escaped with a 1-1 draw against lower-ranked Bangladesh in their previous second round qualifying match in Kolkata.
"I think one of them is going to be in Dushanbe because they (Afghanistan) play their home games over there and then against Oman (in Muscat). Both are very difficult and important games, but we back ourselves. If we play the way we played against Qatar, we can do it. We are not scared," Chhetri said on the sidelines of a Herbalife Nutrition event.
Yet to taste a win, India are scheduled to play Afghanistan on November 15 and Oman on November 20.
Having squandered a one-goal advantage to lose 1-2 to Oman in their opener at home, ...

We will put our best foot forward against Oman and Afghanistan: Sunil Chhetri

ODI captain Mashrafe Mortaza on Wednesday said he will spend many sleepless nights after the recent ICC ban on his colleague Shakib Al Hasan but exuded confidence that the star all-rounder will make a successful comeback and lead Bangladesh to the 2023 World Cup.
Shakib, Bangladesh's Test and T20 captain and the world's No.1 all-rounder in ODIs, was on Tuesday handed a two-year suspension by the ICC for failing to report three corrupt approaches, including one at the IPL, by a suspected Indian bookie, ousting him from the upcoming tour of India.
Twelve months of that ban is a suspended sentence which will come into effect if the 32-year-old fails to comply with the anti-corruption code of the world body.
The one-year ban that he has to serve will keep him out of next year's Indian Premier League (IPL) and also the World T20 to be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15 the same year.
"Definitely I will spend some sleepless nights in the light of the recent incidents ...

Shakib will lead Bangladesh to 2023 World Cup: Mortaza

Indian men's doubles pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has reclaimed its position in the top 10 of the latest BWF rankings.
Satwik and Chirag, who became the first Indian pair to enter the finals of a BWF World Tour Super 750 event at the French Open last week, gained two places to grab the ninth place.
The Indian duo had broken into the top 10 for the first time in August following its historic triumph at the Thailand Open BWF Super Tour 500 event.
Satwik and Chirag had shocked the then reigning world champions Li Jun Hui and Liu Yu Chen of China in the Thailand Open final to become the first Indian men's pairing to win a super 500 event.
Last week, the young Indian pair dished out a superlative performance, stunning reigning world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, World No. 8 Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and World No. 6 Hiroyuki Endo and Yuta Watanabe on way to the finals.
The Indian duo lost in the finals to world no 1 Indonesian ...

French Open finalists Satwik-Chirag reclaim top-10 spot in BWF rankings

Kusal Perera top-scored with 27 as tight bowling from Australia restricted Sri Lanka to just 117 off 19 overs Wednesday in the second Twenty20 in Brisbane.
The home team emphatically won the first of the three-match series in Adelaide on Sunday, thrashing the visitors by 134 runs, with David Warner smashing a century.
It was Australia's biggest-ever win in the format and Sri Lanka's heaviest T20 defeat, with skipper Lasith Malinga urging his team to show character at the Gabba and bounce back.
But two wickets from the towering Billy Stanlake, in for Mitchell Starc who was attending his brother's wedding, and a brace each for Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa and Pat Cummins kept them in check.
Australia got an early breakthrough in the second over when Kusal Mendis was run out after a mix-up with Danushka Gunathilaka, who called for a run after hitting the ball then didn't move.
He attempted to make amends by opening his bat, clubbing a huge six off Stanlake, before his luck ran out and he was .

Australia restrict Sri Lanka to 117 in 2nd T20

Cricket South Africa said Wednesday it had placed three top officials on "precautionary suspension".
No names were given but South African media reported that they included Corrie van Zyl, the interim director of cricket, who was seen as a front-runner for the full-time role which holds responsibility for the national team.
The suspensions came less than two months before South Africa host England in a four-Test series, with the key positions of director of cricket and team director yet to be filled.
CSA said in a statement the suspensions were related to a dispute over unpaid fees to players following the Mzansi Super League T20 tournament last year. The 2019 version of the tournament starts on November 8. The other officials reportedly suspended are chief operating officer Naasei Appiah and sponsorship head Clive Eksteen.
The suspensions came a week after the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA), which represents professional players, declared a dispute with CSA over money ..

Cricket South Africa suspends three top officials

Former BCCI chief curator Daljit Singh on Wednesday proposed more grass on the 22 yard-strip and lesser than usual on the outfield to counter the "unavoidable" dew factor for the first ever day-night Test to be played in India next month.
The BCCI and its Bangladesh counterpart on Tuesday agreed to playing a historic Test at the Eden Gardens from November 22, leaving little time for preparation.
What goes in favour of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is that it has some experience of hosting a multi-day game with pink ball.
"One of the main worries will be the dew. There is no doubt about that. They will have to understand that it will be a handicap which you can't eliminate," Daljit, who retired as BCCI chief curator last month after 22 years of service to Indian cricket, told PTI.
"To counter that, you have to have thin grass cover on the outfield and taller than usual grass on pitch. The heavier the outfield, the more, it will attract dew. They need to start doing that from .

Pink Ball Test: Seasoned curator Daljit advises more grass on pitch, less on outfield

Former Bangladesh captain and national selector Habibul Bashar is shocked that a "mature" man like Shakib Al Hasan didn't report corrupt approaches to the ICC and believes it would be tough, if not impossible, for the banned all-rounder to regain his peak position.
The world's No.1 ODI all-rounder was on Tuesday banned by the ICC for two years, one year being a suspended sentence, for failing to report corrupt approaches from an alleged bookie Deepak Aggarwal on three occasions, including one during the 2018 Indian Premier League.
While Bashar expects the 32-year-old, who has over 11,000 runs and more than 500 wickets across three formats, to be back after the ban, he also admitted that it will be easier said than done.
"It is a tough ask. Shakib will be out of cricket for a year, which will be mentally tough for him...After one year, to first make a comeback and then strive to reach where you were before the ban is a tall order but not impossible," Bashar told PTI in an ...

Shocked that Shakib didn't report, comeback won't be easy: Bangladesh selector Bashar

Ravinder secured India's first medal at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championship after advancing to the 61kg category final here.
The 22-year-old pinned senior European champion Arsen Harutyunan of Armenia to storm into the final with a 4-3 win on Tuesday night, a statement from Wrestling Federation of India said.
Earlier, he had notched up a 12-1 win over Hungary's Marcell Budai Kovacs in his opening bout and then followed it up with an 11-0 demolition of Russia's Dinislam Takhtarov in the quarter-finals.
The Sonipat grappler, who won gold at the South Asian Games in 2016 and also a bronze at the Cadet Asian Championships in 2014, will be aiming for the biggest achievement of his career when he takes on Kyrgyzstan's Ulukbek Zholdoshbekov in the summit showdown that is scheduled to take place on Wednesday night.
In 74kg, Gaurav Baliyan will get another chance to take a medal after he made it to repechage, where he faces USA's Brady Gary Berge. Baliyan made a fantastic start against ..

Ravinder in finals of U-23 world wrestling championship

Former world bronze-winner Shiva Thapa (63kg) advanced to the final with a hard-fought triumph along with Pooja Rani (75kg) but two other Indians ended with bronze medals after losing their opening bouts at the Olympic Test event for boxing here on Wednesday.
In the morning session of the semifinals, Thapa, a four-time Asian medallist who claimed his third national title earlier this month, defeated Japan's Daisuke Narimatsu in a split verdict.
Rani, a former Asian Games bronze-medallist, got the better of Brazil's Beatriz Soares in a unanimous decision. Rani had won a silver medal at the Asian Championships earlier this year.
However, former junior world champion Nikhat Zareen (51kg) and Vahlimpuia (75kg), in the men's draw, lost their respective semifinal bouts to end with bronze medals.
Both the pugilists had made the last-four stage without any preliminary contest owing to the small size of their respective draws.
Zareen lost in a split decision to Japan's Sana Kawano, while ...

Shiva Thapa, Pooja Rani enter finals of Olympic Test event

Following is the timeline of the conversations between Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan and suspected Indian bookie Deepak Aggarwal that was released by the International Cricket Council. Shakib has been banned for two years, one year suspended, for failing to report these approaches.
#In January 2018, he (Shakib) was selected as part of the Bangladesh team participating in a Tri-Series between Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. During this series, he and Mr Aggarwal engaged in further WhatsApp conversations.
#On 19 January 2018, he received a WhatsApp message from Mr Aggarwal congratulating him for being named man of the match in that day's game. Mr Aggarwal followed this message with a message saying "do we work in this or I wait till the IPL".
#The reference to "work" in this message was a reference to him providing Inside Information to Mr Aggarwal.
#He did not report this contact from Mr Aggarwal to the ACU or any other anti-corruption authority.
#On 23 January 2018, he ...

Timeline of Shakib's chats with suspected bookie

Former England captain Michael Vaughan demanded a harsher ban while Australia's Dean Jones wondered why Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan did not report the corrupt approaches made to him at a time when "players are well aware of the rules".
The 32-year-old Shakib was on Tuesday banned for two years, one year of it suspended, for failing to report approaches by suspected Indian bookie Deepak Aggarwal to the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Unit.
"No sympathy what's so ever for Shakib Al Hasan ... Non what's so ever ... In this era the players get briefed all the time about what they can & cant do and what that have to report straight away ... 2 yrs isn't enough ... Should have been longer ...," tweeted Vaughan.
"For all you abusing I have zero tolerance for corruption .. It doesn't matter what team you play for .. Players these days know exactly what they can and can't do .. also know they have to report anything .. if they don't they know the consequences," he ...

Shakib should have got a harsher ban: Vaughan

Suspended for failing to report multiple corrupt approaches, Bangladesh captain and top all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has stepped down from the World Cricket Committee of the MCC -- the custodians of the game's laws.
The 32-year-old Shakib was on Tuesday banned for two years, one year of it suspended, for failing to report approaches by suspected Indian bookie Deepak Aggarwal to the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit.
The suspension rules the all-rounder out of next month's away series against India, and the IPL and the T20 World Cup next year.
"...Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) can today confirm that Al Hasan has stepped down from his involvement with the MCC World Cricket committee," the club stated in a press release.
Shakib accepted charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and therefore does not have the right to appeal against the punishment, which could have been a maximum of five years.
Shakib joined the MCC World Cricket committee in October 2017, and attended meetings in both ..

Shakib quits MCC world cricket committee following anti-corruption suspension

Lionel Messi made it clear he is fit and back to his scintillating best by tearing apart Real Valladolid on Tuesday in a thumping 5-1 victory for Barcelona.
Messi scored another spell-binding free-kick at Camp Nou after his sumptuous pass had already teed up Arturo Vidal for Barca's second. He then drove home his second late on before sliding through Luis Suarez to make it five.
Yet in truth his two goals and two assists were just the start of it, the defining moments of another mesmeric all-round performance that was dotted with flicks, passes and dribbles, not to mention two humiliating nutmegs.
"I don't know what more I can say," said Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde.
"There were wonders coming out of his foot," said Valladolid's Michel. "You can only applaud and enjoy it."
Valladolid had threatened to make a game of it when Kiko Olivas benefitted from a rare Marc-Andre ter Stegen error to equalise, after Clement Lenglet had struck in the second minute.
But with Messi in this sort .

Messi fit and firing in Barca demolition of Valladolid

Bangladesh Cricket Board chief Nazmul Hassan has claimed that the BCB had no inkling about the ICC's anti-corruption investigation of its Test and T20 captain Shakib Al Hasan, who was handed a two-year ban for failing to report three approaches by a suspected Indian bookie.
Twelve months of this ban is a suspended sentence which will come into effect if Shakib fails to comply with the anti-corruption code of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The ICC announced the ban on Tuesday.
"I want to state something clearly and that is that neither I nor anyone from the BCB knew anything about the investigation, which has been going on from January," Hassan was quoted as saying by the local media.
"The ACU, an independent body, communicated with Shakib. He informed me two or three days ago following the meeting with the players regarding the strike," he insisted.
The one-year ban that he has to serve will keep Shakib out of next year's Indian Premier League (IPL) and also the World T20 to 

We had no prior knowledge of ICC investigation on Shakib: BCB chief

Daniil Medvedev suffered a shock second-round defeat by French world number 65 Jeremy Chardy at the Paris Masters on Tuesday, ending his bid to reach a seventh straight final, while his fellow Russian Karen Khachanov's title defence met a quick end.
Medvedev, who has climbed to world number four after his brilliant run of form, took the opening set but slipped to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 loss at Bercy Arena.
"It's a shame. At first, I was angry (after the match) for 10-15 minutes, but afterwards you understand that it's life," said the 23-year-old.
"Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Even though I lost, I can take it as an experience." Chardy, roared on by the home crowd in the French capital, saved nine break points in a dramatic deciding set to book a last-16 clash against either 15th seed John Isner or Chile's Cristian Garin.
Medvedev's run of finals dated back to July, during which he had claimed the Cincinnati and Shanghai Masters titles and lost an epic US Open championship match to .

Medvedev stunned by Chardy at Paris Masters, Khachanov out

Arsenal will offer counselling to Granit Xhaka after the Gunners captain found himself in trouble for swearing at his own fans, according to reports in the British press.
Xhaka cupped his ears and gesticulated to towards Arsenal fans who booed him when he was substituted during Sunday's 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium.
The 27-year-old appeared to shout "f**k off" at the crowd as he stormed towards the tunnel and pulled off his shirt.
Arsenal manager Unai Emery admitted Xhaka was wrong to react that way and refused to confirm if he would remain skipper Xhaka has held three meetings with Emery since the incident but the club are putting the player's welfare ahead of any quick decision over his future.
Reports in the British media on Tuesday said counselling will be offered should Xhaka decide on such a course of action, with Emery describing the midfielder's mood as "upset, devastated and very sad".
It is also believed the outburst was a reaction to cumulative ...

Arsenal to offer Xhaka counselling after fan feud: report

England wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow believes New Zealand will be intent on exacting World Cup revenge in the Twenty20 series that begins in Christchurch on Friday.
The Black Caps suffered the cruellest of defeats in the final of the one-day showpiece, when the scores were tied after a Super Over but England won because they had hit more boundaries.
Cricket chiefs have since scrapped the obscure tie-breaker rule but Bairstow said the New Zealanders would still be seething at the result and out to prove a point in their first meeting against England since the decider.
"What happened at Lord's is going to be quite tough for those guys, and there will be a fire in their belly and a hunger to put things right," he said.
However, New Zealand have played down talk of payback, insisting their focus is on building momentum for the T20 World Cup being held in Australia in October-November next year.
"We obviously have a lot of T20 cricket on the horizon ahead of next year's World Cup ...

England wary of World Cup backlash from Black Caps

Proposals to bring Formula One racing to Miami hit a speed bump Tuesday after local officials voted in favour of two measures which potentially complicate plans to stage a race in the Florida city.
After a hearing lasting several hours, the Miami-Dade County Commission gave backing to resolutions which sought to put the brakes on Formula One's ambitions in Miami.
Formula One is hoping to stage a race on a temporary track surrounding the Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team, in Miami Gardens, on the northern outskirts of the city.
However, the plans have run into opposition from protesters who have complained they will cause pollution and impact the quality of life of local residents.
The two resolutions passed by members of the Miami-Dade County Commission on Tuesday both concerned road closures.
One item prohibits road closures near residential neighbourhoods in Miami Gardens, meaning the proposed route of the race would need to be changed.
The second resolution ...

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