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London, Aug 25 (IANS) Captain Joe Root has admitted he is “really hacked off” that England’s off-field issues continue to overshadow their performances on the field, after Brydon Carse was briefly arrested following a night out in Derby and subsequently withdrawn from the squad for the second Test against Pakistan.

Carse was filmed in handcuffs celebrating Durham’s victory over Derbyshire on Saturday night. He was later released after a short spell in the cells after police suspected him of being drunk and disorderly. The incident is being investigated by the Cricket Regulator and Carse has been stood down from England’s squad for the Lord’s Test.

England had only just returned to form, dominating Pakistan in an innings and 103-run victory at Headingley in three days. The win was also a successful comeback for Root in charge of England’s Test side.

“If I’m being brutally honest, I’m really hacked off,” Root told a press conference. “I’m really disappointed that after last week’s performance we are sat here and we’re talking about something not related to it at all.

“In terms of the incident itself, obviously with the regulator, there’s not a lot I can say on it. It’s in their hands now.

“I’ve spoken to Brydon when I first found out; my first concern was for him as a person. In my time in the dressing room, you obviously develop personal relationships with players.

“I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn when I say he’s been very upset and has been very apologetic and understands his actions. I’m sure when he gets his chance, he will say that himself.

“It’s not the isolated incident itself, it’s the fact that we continually keep making stupid mistakes away from the game and it’s detracting from what we’re doing on the field.”

The Carse episode is the latest in a string of off-field incidents involving England players. Last autumn, white-ball captain Harry Brook was punched by a bouncer while out the evening before an ODI in New Zealand, while an unverified video appeared to show Ben Duckett drunk during England’s Ashes tour.

Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson missed the second Test against New Zealand earlier this summer after breaking curfew to attend a Chelsea nightclub following England’s win in the first Test at Lord’s. Both were given written warnings for breaching contractual obligations and were found not guilty of violent conduct.

Root believes England must now rebuild their image and build a stronger culture in the team.

“We have an opportunity going forward,” he said. “Clearly we’re not portraying ourselves as we want to. We’ve got an opportunity to build a culture that is very strong, and we can be proud of that; it’s player-driven.

“That’s not going to happen overnight. We’ve had conversations about what is expected from us, what it means and takes to play for England.

“We want to create something we can be proud of, what people following us can be proud of. We want supporters to look at us and revere us, not just what we do on the field but off it as well.”

Root also stressed that England must ensure their off-field standards match the quality they showed during their emphatic win at Headingley.

“Over the next little while, as leader of this team, with Stephen [Fleming], and with the group of players as well, I am creating something that is just that.”

Root continued: “We have a chance to build something that lives alongside what we achieved last week on the field. I thought it was a brilliant performance. The way we played was exceptional.

“We have to align that with being exceptional off the field as well and understand what that looks like and how we want to represent ourselves and our nation.

“With what we’ve got coming up, there are plenty of opportunities to do that. But like I say, it’s not going to happen overnight; in many ways we’re going to have to earn a lot of trust back.

“And something we’re going to have to live and breathe consistently.”

–IANS

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Mumbai, Aug 6 (IANS) When the Indian women’s cricket team participated in the World Cup in 1997 at home, they got Rs 1000 as match fee for each match. Things have come a long way from those dark ages to 2025, when in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) mini-auction, Simran Shaikh got a bid of Rs 1.90 crore, and the 16-year-old G Kamalini went for Rs 1.60 crore.

The media has started taking attention, and the broadcasters are also showing women-only sports even amidst top-level men’s competition — like in the case of WPL 2025 in the middle of the men’s Champions Trophy.

However, there is a lot that still needs to be done to change society’s perspective towards women’s sports, attract more eyeballs on the broadcast spectrum and gain the confidence of the corporate world to take a full dive into women’s sport.

This was the outcome of an evening of discussion on the scope of the sector during The Sports Women Huddle 2025 — Invest in Her, organised by Capri Sports Foundation, which owns the WPL franchise UP Warriorz, the Bengal Warriorz team in Kro Kabaddi League and the Warriorz FC, a women’s football team.

In a panel discussion on female athletes as market makers, brand builders and change drivers, multiple-time Grand Slam champion in doubles tennis, Sania Mirza, two-time Olympic medallist shutter P.V Sindhu, 2016 Paralympic Games silver medallist Dr. Deepa Malik and Atiqua Mir, first female racer from India to win the Micro Max category at the Rotax Max Challenge International Trophy (RMCIT) held in Le Mans, talked about their experiences, how they tackled adversities to succeed and how they envision the women’s sport growing in the country.

The panellists discussed how, in the changing world, when there is social media, improved corporate sponsorship and a bit more attention being given to women’s sports, what more needs to be done to improve female participation, change the narrative to their skills and promote them as people capable of laying the marker when it comes to brand promotion and corporate engagement.

Talking about how society’s perspective towards female sportspersons needs to change because they still want them to but demure and act like good girls, Sania Mirza said the onus is on women to also be on the female sportspersons to act like world beaters and conduct themselves in such a way that they get the attention they deserve.

Sania Mirza said there is no doubt that it is a man’s world, and in the case of Indian sports, it’s the cricket world when it comes to Indian sports, but the players have to do it for themselves and not for others..

“So the fact is that as female representation, I think it the onus is also on us, how we represent ourselves, how we are showing the world.

You know we have world beaters in this part of the world. But we don’t want them to act like world beaters. We still want them to act like they are Bichare (simpletons). So if you act like a world beater, they’re like ‘array, they have attitude, and they are arrogant’.

“But if you are acting like you’re Bichare, a good girl or whatever, then they say, ‘Oh, you don’t have killer instinct’.

So there is no winning that. So in short, you don’t do anything for other people, you do it for yourself. So I don’t care how other people represent me. I care how I represent myself. And the onus is on me to have that killer instinct or have that attitude or have but do whatever it takes to represent myself in the best way possible and to win,” said Sania.

Sindhu agreed with Sania and said female sportspersons should not be bothered by what others think about them but should pursue sport because they like it.

“At the end of the day, it’s us we represent. And you know, you know when you lose, when social media was right there, you know when you lose, you know, they take you there, and when you win, they keep you at like cloud 9. So, you know, you don’t have to actually bother or feel bad about what they think, but it’s what you think. And what matters is, you know, how are you feeling at the end of the day? Because it’s what you are thinking about what others are thinking, I think that will really take you somewhere that, you know, you can’t even imagine, because it breaks you at the end of the day,” said Sindhu.

Deepa Malik talked about how the sports world has changed for the differentially abled sportspersons and said it will have a bigger impact on society if more people from small towns and villages become successful in the sports world.

“Imagine a disabled girl coming from a small village becomes successful and wins a medal in, say, the Paralympic Games, it will change the total outlook of the entire village and inspire many more to take up the sport. It has happened with me when I became the first Indian female to win a medal in the 2016 Paralympic Games, and now in Paris 2024, so many women won medals,” she said.

She also talked about the role of male partners in assisting disabled sportspersons in achieving success in sports. Talking of her example, she said he needs the assistance of a male to get strapped into her wheelchair for participating in an event in such a way that she does not commit a foul.

Sania, Deepa and Sindhu also advised young sportspersons on how to handle pressure and losses when transitioning from junior to senior level. She told them not to get bothered by defeats because initially, they will lose a lot of matches. “Lose, lose and lose so much that you no longer lose anything,” she said.

–IANS

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Perth, Oct 18 (IANS) Australia captain Mitchell Marsh is preparing for a blockbuster one-day series against India with a mix of excitement and good humour, admitting he hopes Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma don’t produce “too much great cricket” in what could be their final appearance on Australian soil.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s opening ODI at Optus Stadium — a sell-out fixture despite a 90 per cent chance of rain — Marsh said the series promised to be a special occasion both for fans and players. With over 1,75,000 tickets already sold across the three matches, anticipation is high as two of India’s modern greats return to Australian shores.

“Had the privilege of playing against them quite a lot over the journey. They are obviously legends of the game,” Marsh said. “Virat, especially in this white-ball format, is the greatest chaser ever. I think you can see why the ticket sales are so high and why a lot of people are coming to watch them. And if it is their last time on Australian soil, I hope they enjoy it and I hope people can witness — not too much great cricket from them — but witness two of the greats playing in Australia.”

Marsh, who will lead the ODI side in Pat Cummins’ absence due to injury, said captaining Australia at home was a privilege in itself.

“Any time you’re captaining your country is always a huge honour. Playing at home is always extra special and by all reports, it’s going to be a big crowd,” he said. “To see the stadium packed out against India, it’s going to be a great experience for our group.”

The series opener will also mark the start of Kohli’s swansong tour Down Under, with both he and Rohit having retired from Tests and T20Is to focus solely on one-day internationals as they eye the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Marsh also light-heartedly ruled himself out of any potential Test recall despite ongoing injury concerns around fellow West Australian Cameron Green and Beau Webster ahead of the Ashes next month.

“I’ve got tickets for day one and two. I haven’t asked the wife yet, so that’s about as much thought as I’ve given it,” Marsh joked.

Green, who has been managing side soreness, is expected to recover in time for the first Ashes Test in Perth. “He’s okay, it’s obviously on the very minor end and a cautious take on it, but he’s all good,” Marsh said.

Turning focus back to the white-ball challenge, Marsh emphasised the importance of a strong start on Sunday.

“Often you see Perth (Optus) Stadium can swing around with a new ball and both teams will be looking to do early damage on that wicket. Look across the board in the Big Bash, a lot of your biggest scores are back-ended,” he said. “I believe it’s going to be a high scoring affair, but getting through the first 10 overs for both teams will be a challenge and maybe where the game’s won and lost.”

–IANS

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