Between October 11 to 13, the Indian Cricketers Association (ICA) will conduct its inaugural election. The ICA came into being in July after the BCCI recognised the players body on the condition that it was meant only for retired cricketers - men and women - and that it would be a non-profit organization. The BCCI said the ICA was meant for conserving the welfare of former players.

On Wednesday, the ICA released a final list of eligible members that could vote for the various positions. Here is an explainer on the ICA elections and why they matter.

How will the members cast their votes?

Through e-voting.

When will the results be announced?

On October 15.

Why is the ICA election significant?

In addition to picking the office bearers, the ICA members will also elect three representatives that will be part of the two powerful decision-making bodies in the BCCI administration. As per new BCCI constitution, one male and one female ICA representative will be part of the board's nine-member Apex Council, while one other ICA representative will be the part of the seven-member IPL Governing Council.

The Lodha Committee, the backbone of BCCI's structural reforms, had recommended that having players on the two key committees would allow their interests to be represented and guarded.

According to the final electoral roll, former Delhi batsman Surinder Khanna will be the ICA representative on the IPL Governing Council as he was the sole nominee. Similarly, former India women captain Shanta Rangaswamy, who recently quit the ad-hoc Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) and stepped down as ICA director, will sit on the Apex Council, being the only nominee.

The key contest would be for the male ICA representative on the Apex Council with three members in fray. The former Indian batting pair of Anshuman Gaekwad and Kirti Azad will vie for the post, alongside former Gujarat and Vidarbha allrounder Rakesh Dhurv.

What other positions are up for grabs?

The ICA members will vote to elect a secretary and treasurer. Also the former India and Bengal batsman Ashok Malhotra is set to take charge as the ICA president considering he is the sole nominee for the position.

How many ICA members are there in total?

The final electoral roll comprises 1207 members - 764 male and 443 female. The list includes names such as Kapil Dev, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, and former women's captain Shubhangi Kulkarni. Some of the notable missing names include Bishan Singh Bedi, Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar.

Winning back the Ashes in Australia is top of Chris Silverwood's to-do list in his role as England's new head coach.

Speaking to the media for the first time since the ECB announced his elevation from the position of bowling coach to head coach across all formats on Monday, Silverwood said his priority was to work with Test captain Joe Root in driving the success of his team, which is ranked No. 4 in the world and saw Australia retain the Ashes in England for the first time in 18 years after a drawn series last month.

"Job No. 1 would be helping Joe, putting a lot of support around Joe, making sure that the Test team starts moving forward and we keep moving forward, but in two years' time when we go back to Australia, we can make a real impact out there," Silverwood said.

"The relationships certainly between myself and the two captains is key but equally I've got strong relationships now with all the players and all the backroom staff. I understand how the system works and how the team works as well, so I think the continuity from me as a person to the players is key."

Silverwood, who emerged as the frontrunner for the job last week after Alec Stewart pulled out of the recruitment process and Gary Kirsten was also interviewed, said he was comfortable with the increased responsibility of his new role, not least of which will be addressing concerns over England's unsettled Test batting line-up.

"The step up, obviously there's going to be a lot more responsibility, obviously I've got to deal with you guys [the media] a lot more, which is fine, that is something I will feel my way into, but from a relationship point of view, not a lot will change," he said. "I will have to step back a little bit, but equally, I want them [players] to know I am available and accessible to them as well.

"I've already got some very good coaches around me, which is key for me as well, and some good people out there to give advice, but equally we'll be looking to put the right people in the right places in that batting line-up and push the Test team forward."

Managing Director of England's Men's Cricket Ashley Giles said Silverwood would have a strong support network, including batting coach Graham Thorpe and Paul Collingwood, who has worked with the team as a contractor over the past year and is poised to be added to the coaching staff full-time. Giles also remained steadfast in his belief that there should be one coach across all three formats.

"I think one man should lead," Giles said. "The important thing around that one man is having the diversity in thought in the individuals who support him. So he'll have a good group of coaches working under him. We are crossing the t's and dotting the i's on, hopefully, Paul Collingwood joining us full-time and Graham Thorpe is obviously there, has been there for some time.

"Those two guys will offer Chris a huge amount of support and knowledge and knowledge of different experiences. The bowling coach position is obviously now vacant. I would like Chris to have a massive say in who that person is."

The 44-year-old Silverwood became England's full-time fast bowling coach at the end of 2017. After his retirement from playing, Silverwood joined the coaching staff at Essex in 2010. He was appointed head coach ahead of the 2016 season, leading them to promotion that year and then on to the Championship title in 2017. Essex won the Championship again in 2019 with Anthony McGrath as head coach.

On announcing the appointment, the ECB cited Silverwood's intimate knowledge of the current England set-up along with his strong relationships within the county system, forged largely during his time at Essex, and Giles emphasised those credentials.

"He's a winner," Giles said. "He could only prove that where he's been able to prove it and that's in the domestic game but the job he did at Essex was fantastic and we're still seeing the legacy of that now. The sign of a good coach or a good manager is leaving a team in a better state than you found it and that team is still moving on without him at the helm.

"No disrespect to Anthony McGrath or anyone else at the club right now but that's his work still in action. His relationships and his knowledge of what we're doing is really important but I think next to me here we have an exceptional bloke who cares deeply about what we're doing and is a very good coach.

"You can only be tested within the environments you've worked and he couldn't have worked in a more pressurised environment, whether he was head coach or assistant coach, this summer, as a World Cup and an Ashes summer, and he's proven he can deal with that."

Silverwood's first competitive series at the helm will be England's tour of New Zealand, which includes a five-match IT20 series starting on November 1 in Christchurch and two Tests against the Black Caps from November 21.

The BCCI's electoral officer has upheld the decision taken by the Committee of the Administrators (CoA) to disqualify three key state associations from participating in the BCCI elections, scheduled for October 23. On Thursday N Gopalswami, the board's electoral officer, removed Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Maharashtra from the final electoral roll, thus taking away their voting rights.

In another significant move, Gopalswami also disqualified Rajeev Shukla and Rajkumar Imo Singh, the nominated representatives of Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) and Manipur Cricket Association respectively.

Shukla had met Gopalswami in person on Wednesday, but the electoral officer disqualified his nomination because he had not undertaken the mandatory three-year cooling off period since wrapping up as the IPL chairman in August 2018. Shukla had already served 11 years as a UPCA office bearer before taking up the IPL job in 2016.

Imo Singh, meanwhile, is a Member of the Manipur Legislative Assembly and politicians can no longer be administrators or an office bearers thanks to the changes made in the BCCI constitution last year.

The draft electoral roll, which was announced on October 4, had 38 members including three government-funded institutions: Services, Indian Railways and Association of Indian Universities. All three institutions had originally nominated a representative to participate in the board elections, but as per the new BCCI constitution only their player associations are allowed to nominate a person.

While announcing the election process, Gopalswami had made it clear that if the nominated person was disqualified, the state association could not appoint a replacement. This was a CoA directive as well. So all five of the UPCA, Manipur Cricket Association, Services, Railways and Universities have also lost their voting rights and will not be allowed to attend the BCCI AGM that takes place on the day of the elections.

What happens now?

As they indicated on Wednesday, the TNCA will approach the Supreme Court on October 14, nine days before the BCCI elections, to challenge their disqualification. It is unclear whether Haryana and Maharashtra will follow suit.

If the court upholds the CoA and electoral officer's verdicts, then the BCCI elections will take place on October 23 and will be contested among the nominated representatives that feature in the final electoral roll.

The representatives can list out which posts they will be contesting on October 11, 12 and 14. On October 16, a week before the elections, the final list of candidates will be released.

More to follow

Unified welterweight world titlist Errol Spence Jr. was involved in one-car crash early Thursday and is in a Dallas hospital with serious injuries.

Spence was in intensive care but is expected to live after he crashed his Ferrari overnight.

"Errol was in an accident, and his parents are with him at the hospital," Premier Boxing Champions spokesman Tim Smith told ESPN. "The doctors are monitoring his condition, but his injuries are not life-threatening. We will have further updates as the doctors update his condition. We're all wishing the best for Errol."

Dallas police told media outlets that the accident occurred at 2:53 a.m. CT, when the car was traveling at "a high rate of speed."

"The Ferrari veered left over the center median onto the southbound lanes and flipped multiple times, ejecting the driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt," police said.

Police are investigating the cause of the crash.

Spence (26-0, 21 KOs), 29, of DeSoto, Texas, a Dallas suburb, scored the biggest win of his career on Sept. 28, when he won a split decision against Shawn Porter to unify two 147-pound world titles at Staples Center in Los Angeles in an action-packed contender for fight of the year.

Porter tweeted Thursday morning to say he was praying for a quick and full recovery for Spence.

CINCINNATI -- Bengals star wide receiver A.J. Green is ready for all potential outcomes as the trade deadline gets closer.

In an interview with the team's website, the injured 31-year-old said that although he hasn't heard of any potential moves and certainly isn't lobbying to leave Cincinnati, he's aware of the possibility.

"I'm prepared for anything," Green told Bengals.com. "A trade's not going to change who I am. I'm still going to play. I'm still going to be A.J."

Green is in the final year of his four-year, $60 million deal. The No. 4 pick in the 2011 draft is still recovering from an ankle injury he suffered on July 27 during the team's first practice of training camp.

The Bengals' top player hasn't practiced since the injury and has already been ruled out of Sunday's game at Baltimore (3-2). It will be the 19th game he has missed over the past three years.

The trade speculation comes during Cincinnati's 0-5 start to the season, its worst since 2008. First-year coach Zac Taylor, the spokesperson for the team's front office, said the contract negotiations between the Bengals and Green are similar to those of others on the roster. Earlier this week, Taylor affirmed Green's value to the franchise.

"He obviously means a lot to this organization," Taylor said. "It's something we continue to talk through."

Green is second in franchise history in total receptions (602) and receiving yards (8,907) and third in career touchdowns (63). Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson holds the records in all three categories.

Although it's unclear whether the Bengals and Green can find a suitable long-term contract after this season, Green told the team's website he understands the value of playing his entire career with one team, much like Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald.

"I want the team records," Green told Bengals.com. "I want more Pro Bowls. I want all that so when I leave there is going to be a standard."

SHANGHAI -- A tumultuous week for the NBA made a shift back toward normalcy with an actual basketball game played between the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.

The Nets beat the Lakers 114-111 in the first of two exhibition games scheduled for the 2019 China Games. It tipped off at Mercedes-Benz Arena despite a string of cancellations in the past 72 hours calling the main event into question. The game was a temporary reprieve as the league continues to deal with the fallout from Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's since-deleted tweet supporting protests in Hong Kong.

While the basketball was familiar, there were still stark reminders of the situation that exists in China. Approximately 3½ hours before tipoff, an NBA spokesman informed reporters there would be no media availability of any kind for either team and that commissioner Adam Silver's previously scheduled pregame news conference was canceled.

The stipulation, sources said, was at the behest of the Chinese government, which also had a hand in canceling two NBA Cares events, an NBA 2K League logo unveiling and a fan appreciation event in the days leading up to the game, causing many to question if the Lakers and Nets would make the lengthy trek and never even get a chance to face one another.

While many of the staples of a typical NBA game were on display -- such as hip-hop music blasting over the public address system and dance teams taking the court during timeouts -- there was no mistaking how different this was.

Many of the capacity crowd of 15,992 entered the arena toting hand-held Chinese flags that were being distributed outside. Before the starting lineups were announced, there was no singing of the national anthem -- not the American "Star-Spangled Banner" nor the Chinese "March of the Volunteers."

But it wasn't completely foreign.

Whatever unrest existed in the days leading up to the game was not reflected by the crowd during pregame warm-ups, as cheers erupted in the stands with every LeBron James dunk. And there were plenty of them, as the Lakers forward was clearly putting on a show.

Dwight Howard tried to get in on the act too, throwing an alley-oop off the backboard to himself that caused as much amusement from his teammates as delight from the fans when Howard's warm-up pants fell down to his ankles when he landed on the floor after the throwdown.

On the Nets side of the court, Kyrie Irving -- whose preseason debut was short-lived as he was ruled out after just one minute of playing time because he aggravated the facial fracture he suffered in an offseason pickup game -- had fans holding their cellphones in their outstretched arms, trying to capture his dribbling display on video.

James continued to elicit adulation once play started, receiving boisterous approval after scoring the first bucket of the game on a layup and later hearing "MVP!" chants when shooting free throws during the first quarter.

Of course, when James backpedaled downcourt after the free throws, he walked across a rough patch on the hardwood where a logo needed to be scrubbed from the surface in the days leading up to the game after a corporate sponsor pulled its commitment -- another reminder this wasn't just any other game.

James finished with a team-high 20 points in 25 minutes and waved to the crowd as he made his way back to the locker room after the final buzzer, stopping briefly to toss his rubber bracelets and sweat-soaked headband to fans as souvenirs.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, starting for the second time this preseason, missed a potential game-tying 3 as time expired, leading to a collective groan from the fans rooting for an overtime session.

Spencer Dinwiddie paced the Nets with 20 points, helping Brooklyn's reserves outscore L.A.'s bench 81-41. Taurean Prince, acquired in an offseason trade with the Atlanta Hawks, led all Nets starters with 18 points.

Rajon Rondo added 18 points and six assists for the Lakers, and Anthony Davis had 16 points and five assists.

The Nets and Lakers will travel to Shenzhen to play again Saturday.

A league official told ESPN he was unsure if the same media ban would be in place then.

Kyrie Irving's preseason debut was cut short, as the Brooklyn Nets guard played just one minute against the Los Angeles Lakers in Shanghai on Thursday after aggravating the facial fracture he suffered in an offseason pickup game before training camp.

Irving was wearing a mask for the game and was guarding the Lakers' Rajon Rondo along the sideline. Rondo appeared to inadvertently hit Irving in the face with his arm while shielding the ball.

Irving immediately took off his mask, winced and signaled to the bench that he was coming off the floor. He has been ruled out for the rest of the game.

When he was introduced as Philadelphia Phillies manager in 2017, Gabe Kapler said his goal was to bring a World Series title to team owner John Middleton.

After two seasons without a playoff berth, the Phillies on Thursday fired Kapler, whose team (81-81) underachieved even with the addition of big-money free agent Bryce Harper and whose nontraditional, analytical style irritated many of the franchise's passionate fans.

"Several years ago, I promised our loyal fans that I would do everything in my power to bring a world championship team to our city," Middleton said in a statement. "I will never waver from that commitment. ... I have decided that some changes are necessary to achieve our ultimate objective. Consequently, we will replace our manager.

"I am indebted to Gabe for the steadfast effort, energy and enthusiasm that he brought to our club, and we are unquestionably a better team and organization as a result of his contributions."

For your passion and dedication to the Phillies and the city of Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/e5t6XomuxF

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 10, 2019

Kapler is the third consecutive Phillies manager to be fired after no more than two full seasons, joining Pete Mackanin and Ryne Sandberg. Middleton said general manager Matt Klentak will lead the team's search for a new manager.

The Phillies are the eighth team seeking a new manager this offseason, joining the Angels, Cubs, Giants, Mets, Padres, Pirates and Royals.

"I have tremendous respect for this organization, this franchise and this city," Kapler said in a statement. "We came into 2019 with very high hopes. We fell short of those, and that responsibility lies with me. The next Phillies manager will inherit a team of talented, dedicated and committed players. There has been nothing more fulfilling in my professional career than the opportunity to work with the players on this team.

"... As I move on, I know that this organization is in a great spot and will see a lot of success going forward. My hope is that I helped contributed to a developing culture in the organization that flourishes in the years to come."

Philly took a gamble when it made Kapler the 54th manager in team history in November 2017, hoping a former big leaguer short on managerial experience -- he previously had managed only one season in the minors (2007) -- could lead them back to October baseball for the first time since 2011.

But the Kapler era in Philadelphia never took off.

In his first game, the Braves rallied from a five-run deficit, winning on a three-run home run in the ninth inning. Kapler faced immediate scrutiny for lifting starter Aaron Nola with the Phillies up 5-0 and one out in the sixth inning. When Philly returned home after a season-opening 1-4 road trip, Kapler was booed resoundingly by Phillies fans.

They ended up 80-82 in 2018, finishing third in the NL East and 10 games behind the first-place Braves.

"I was to thank Kap for his tireless commitment to the Phillies over the last two years," Klentak said in a statement. "When we hired Kap, it was our goal to develop a positive, forward-thinking and collaborative culture throughout the organization that would allow us to compete with the best teams in the league year in and year out.

"While we have fallen short in the win column for the last two years, I can confidently say that Kap's efforts have established a strong and sustainable foundation for this organization moving forward."

A historic contract given to Harper and big trades for catcher J.T. Realmuto and infielder Jean Segura didn't help much in 2019. Although they spent much of April and May in first place, a seven-game losing skid in June stalled any momentum. And while they stayed in the NL wild-card race, they lost eight of nine in late September and ultimately were eliminated from the postseason by Harper's former team, the Nationals.

Kapler, 44, hit .268 in 12 major league seasons as an outfielder with Boston, the Texas Rangers and four other clubs. Before the Phillies, he spent several years as the Dodgers' director of player development.

Britain's Heather Watson earned her biggest win in more than two years by thrashing China's world number 22 Wang Qiang in the Tianjin Open second round.

Watson, ranked 103 places below Wang, won 6-3 6-0 against the number two seed in one hour 18 minutes in China.

The 27-year-old had not beaten an opponent ranked as high as Wang since victory over world number 19 Anastasija Sevastova at Wimbledon in 2017.

Victory was only Watson's second in a WTA tournament this year.

She will play Poland's Magda Linette or Japan's Kurumi Nara in her first WTA quarter-final since reaching the Hobart Open semi-finals in January 2018.

Wang, 27, was ranked as high as 12th earlier this year, after losing in the US Open quarter-finals to Serena Williams.

World number one Novak Djokovic produced another high-quality display to ease past American John Isner in the Shanghai Masters third round.

Serb Djokovic, 32, did not face a break point as he won 7-5 6-3 against the big-serving 16th seed.

Defending champion Djokovic, who won the Japan Open last week, has not dropped a set in seven matches since injury forced him out of the US Open.

He faces Greek sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Pole Hubert Hurkacz next.

"I'm very happy with the way I am playing. This is one of the best serving matches I've played," said Djokovic, who won 85% of his service points.

Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev saved five set points in the first set before squeezing past Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil.

The US Open runner-up, who won the St Petersburg Open last week, earned a 7-6 (9-7) 7-5 victory to extend his record to two defeats in his past 24 matches.

Those losses came against Spanish world number two Rafael Nadal, who is not playing in Shanghai, in the US Open final last month and the Rogers Cup final in August.

Medvedev, 23, will play 10th seed Fabio Fognini in the last eight after the 32-year-old Italian beat Russian seventh seed Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-5.

Italian 11th seed Marco Berrettini progressed with a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 win over Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut, boosting his chances to qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals in London next month.