When center Matt Duchene signed a seven-year, $56 million contract with the Nashville Predators this summer, the rest of the league barely batted an eye. "Come on," one prominent agent told me recently. "Everyone knew that was going to happen."

Indeed, the 28-year-old Duchene -- who has also played for the Avalanche, Senators and Blue Jackets -- has been linked to the Predators for years. In a conversation with ESPN, Duchene addressed why there was so much speculation surrounding the move (country music! property records!) as well as reaction to the shots former coach John Tortorella took in the media. Duchene also opened up about how he'd like hockey players to be marketed and whether we'll be comparing him to P.K. Subban for years to come.

ESPN: Many people in hockey -- fans, media, other players, executives, hockey Reddit -- speculated for some time that you would end up in Nashville. They mentioned your love for country music. A lot of people pointed out last year that you bought property in Nashville. Do you think the coverage was a bit overblown?

Matt Duchene: Yeah, I think so. I think the reason is because there were so many rumors. There were almost-trades that happened. There were things over the course of probably the last four years -- a lot of almosts. I think people know my interests. They thought my interest in country music was the reason I was going to end up there.

ESPN: You're not the only player who loves country music ...

Duchene: Yeah, totally. But I'm probably the most passionate about it in the league. At the same time, that wasn't part of our decision. The big thing about it was, it's a great hockey team, it's a great place for [me and my wife, Ashley] to live. It's our style of community and city and a place we'd love to bring our little guy up [Matt and Ashley welcomed a son, Beau, in January].

So, yeah, it was speculated for a long time, and there was definitely some merit to that speculation. There was a mutual interest, for sure. But even when I bought a property out there, it wasn't ever to live in. I mean, it's a small townhouse for an investment kind of thing. Short-term rental type thing because it's such a great market for that out there. My buddy lives next door. So that was the case with that. That place is going to come in handy right now when we move into our other place.

ESPN: Was it a little unnerving to see your property records online go so public?

Duchene: I was really upset about that because it looked like I had the whole thing planned out from day one. And that was never the case. When I went into camp last year with Ottawa, I was committed to playing there, and I thought there was a good chance I was going to stay there. We looked very hard at that. It was a tough decision to leave Ottawa. When I got to Columbus, same thing. We loved Columbus, and we looked at Columbus right up until the end. Once we got to the point where we got to choose, at that point, it was obvious where our hearts were. But throughout the rest of that, I was committed to the team I was playing for, for sure, one hundred percent.

ESPN: One a scale of 1-10, how anonymous do you think you can be in public -- one being nobody recognizes you at all, 10 being you are swarmed the second you step outside?

Duchene: Depends where you are. I think you can be a zero, and I think you can be a 10.

ESPN: OK, so what about while you're in the city you're playing in at that time?

Duchene: Nashville, I'm not sure. Probably I would say pretty low. I think it's pretty touristy around downtown. I know it's touristy because I've been a tourist there many times. So I think you could fly under the radar there. There are other places where you wouldn't, but I haven't experienced it yet.

ESPN: Was Ottawa the 10 side of the scale?

Duchene: Ottawa was, yeah, it was up there for sure. Columbus was actually pretty [similar] -- they love the team there. Their fan base is really sneaky, a pretty awesome fan base they have there.

ESPN: What did you learn about that market during the playoff run last season?

Duchene: I couldn't believe how great a hockey city that Columbus was. I just didn't know. You don't hear about it. You don't meet a lot of Columbus fans, like, walking around the street, but then in that city, my goodness. I never heard a rink be like that in my life. Game four [of the first round], when we put out Tampa, it was deafening. We were in the room after, and all of us were on such a high because we were like, "Wow, we accomplished something pretty amazing." First time this franchise has been past the first round. The city was just starving for it. [That's] something I'll have with me my whole life and something I'll look back on.

ESPN: Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella had some pretty strong comments recently to The Athletic. He talked about the free agents who left and basically said it made him angry to see you guys want to win elsewhere when Columbus has a great chance. What was your reaction to that?

Duchene: I didn't take it personally. He and I texted throughout the summer, even after I signed [in Nashville]. I understand. Torts is a guy that is all for his players, and he wants to show to his guys that he's in there with them still and feeling that way. It's what he does. And that's what makes him a good coach. I didn't take any offense to it. I know where he's coming from, and he's a passionate guy.

ESPN: How's life with your first kid?

Duchene: It's great. It's amazing. Not as much sleep as I used to get, but I think I'm more energized by him. It's the best thing I've ever done in my life, and he's just the sweetest little guy. He's smiley as heck and laughing all the time. I miss him when I'm gone. We were FaceTiming the other day, and he recognized me on the phone. He tried to grab the phone, and he was smiling. It just melts your heart.

ESPN: What's the most Canadian saying?

Duchene: Anything with "eh" in it. Back home it's like, "How are you there, eh?" That's probably the one that everyone says the most.

ESPN: When was the last time you Googled yourself?

Duchene: I don't even remember.

ESPN: How about searched yourself on Twitter?

Duchene: A long time. Twitter and Instagram are just a black hole of negativity. I wish it was just not in existence, but it's a powerful tool also. For me, I get to share great parts of my life with people and kind of let people get to know me as a person. But you can go down a bad road that way too. I know guys who have. People don't realize how tough it is on your mental health as an athlete to have to deal with some of that stuff.

ESPN: What attributes do you think a modern NHL coach has to have?

Duchene: You want to command respect but do it in a respectful way. I don't think there's a place in our game, because we're all grown men, and we're all doing our best -- well, most of the time we're all doing our best or should be -- and I don't think disrespect is a good thing. I think the best coaches have a way of demanding from their players in a respectful way. I think empowerment, showing that belief in your team and that empowerment in your team. I've had times where I felt like I was playing against my coach more than I was playing against the other team. You're never going to get out of your team what you can with that.

ESPN: I notice a lot of cultural differences between sports. In football, everyone wants to be called men. In hockey, it's boys. Everyone calls each other boys. Why?

Duchene: It's probably a Canadian thing. With the boys, let's go, boys. I think it's very suiting, too, because we're all just big kids. Hockey makes you mature faster than anyone else because the situations you are in are unrealistic in this world. A hockey dressing room is one of the hardest places to learn how to fit in, to learn how to navigate. It took me a long, long time to refine that. I'm still working on it. But at the end of the day, we get to play a kids' game for a living, and we're all just a bunch of boys at heart.

ESPN: What's one change to make the NHL better?

Duchene: I think there's room still to grow our game. Obviously in Canada you don't need to grow it -- it's what it is. It's the biggest thing in North America. There's not a demographic that's more passionate about a sport than Canadians are with hockey. In the U.S., you obviously have the big four, and we're number four. Anybody who does get into hockey ends up loving it, and most of the time it becomes their No. 1 sport. The biggest thing is how do we get everyone to that sport?

It's amazing how many Americans I meet who grew up with baseball, basketball, football as their main culture, and then they go to a hockey game, and they're hooked. It's fast, and it's entertaining. Guys are warriors. There's a ton of skill and finesse in it too. It's a very well-rounded game -- obviously, I'm biased. How do we get those people, that demographic into it more? It's pretty cool to be going to a market like Nashville, where it's a Southern market. That city has become a hockey town, and I'm excited to be part of it and to be part of that culture.

ESPN: Along the lines of promoting the sport, my belief is that hockey needs to do a better job promoting its athletes. I'm curious: Would you feel comfortable appearing in a national ad campaign, or would you feel, as a hockey player, that it would be too big of a distraction for your team and you wouldn't want to put yourself out there?

Duchene: No, I'd be in 100 percent because I think it would be good for the game. I think you're right. I think hockey players are marketed as hockey players, not as athletes, a lot of the time. And that's where the other sports are different. There's a lot of guys in other sports that are recognized as pro athletes, and everybody knows who they are. "Oh, yeah, that guy plays this." That's the second thing that comes to your mind. But we're almost hockey players first, athletes second. If we could change that way of thinking, I think the game will grow.

ESPN: I just had a conversation with a player who said the NHL needs to be better about guys wearing not just suits. He suggested guys start wearing white sneakers with suits because that makes them more fashionable. I noticed when you walked in that you're wearing some white sneakers right now.

Duchene: I definitely won't be pulling these out my first few weeks or months or whatever in Nashville. But I think this is the way the style is going, with suits and the sneakers now. So I think you'll start to see some guys start doing it throughout the league. It's a good look! Everyone is doing it right now. You watch TV, all those reality shows, the hosts are all wearing suits and sneakers, and they look great. Obviously, that's the style.

ESPN: Last thing. You were not traded for P.K. Subban. It wasn't one for one. But everyone is going to compare you guys the next couple of years, with you signing this contract in Nashville [and him being traded to clear cap space for it]. Is that weird?

Duchene: See, I don't get that sense. I don't think that's going to be a comparison. Because we weren't traded [for each other]. We're different positions. It's hard to compare apples to oranges. We're different people. There's a lot of differences. I think that's something that will be overlooked pretty quickly. Maybe it's just fresh right now.

He's a heckuva player, a big personality, obviously, a guy who has done an amazing job off the ice giving the league some personality. I don't see that being a thing. That's the last thing on my mind, to be honest with you.

An Iranian female football fan has died after setting herself on fire outside a court when she learned she may have to serve a six-month jail sentence for trying to enter a football stadium.

Women in Iran are banned from football stadiums, though they are allowed at some other sports, such as volleyball.

The semiofficial Shafaghna news agency reported on Tuesday that 30-year old woman identified only as Sahar died at a Tehran hospital.

Sahar was known as "Blue Girl" on social media for the colours of her favourite team, Esteghlal.

She set herself on fire a week ago, reportedly after learning she may have to go to prison for trying to enter a stadium in February to watch an Esteghlal match.

United States President Donald Trump met with his FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino at the White House to talk about potential improvements to women's soccer as well as preparations for the 2026 World Cup.

The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the U.S., who won a joint bid with Canada and Mexico.

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The USWNT won the Women's World Cup this year, and following their success, the discussion immediately turned to equal pay with the men's side.

"So thank you very much everybody, Gianni Infantino is the head of FIFA," Trump told reporters. "He's the biggest man in soccer and we are -- as you probably know -- getting the World Cup in 2026 for the United States.

"Some of it is a partnership with Mexico and Canada and it's coming into the United States for a large percentage of the games and we're very excited about it. Plus, Gianni and I just had a meeting on women's soccer and what everybody's going to do to make that even better and more equitable etc., etc.

"So Gianni thank you very much. We had a great meeting. Very big though, we're getting the World Cup in 2026 so that's a big thing. Gianni thank you for being here."

Infantino said he is hoping to make the 2026 World Cup the "biggest social event" ever.

"Thank you very much, thank you," the FIFA president said. "Thank you.

"Well, indeed, it's fantastic to be here and to boost even more soccer in this country -- soccer which is the No. 1 global sport. World Cup 2026, taking place here but we start already now.

"It's the biggest event ever. It's more than four billion viewers all around the world and we will make it the biggest not only sports event but the biggest social event that we can think of.

"Soccer, which is a big part of this country as well, and women's soccer where you are world champion, there is much more to do.

"The president was saying this to me and he's right and we are working on that and we will announce very soon some new initiatives. Thank you."

Despite a 3-0 defeat to Mexico on Friday night, United States men's national team head coach Gregg Berhalter is pleased with the progress his team is making.

"I think it's very clear to the players what we want to do, and now it's just continuing to work on that," he said during a Monday afternoon press conference in advance of Tuesday night's match against Uruguay at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. "When we have conversations with the guys, when we do video sessions with the guys, it's really impressive how tied in they are to what we are doing, how informed they are. The group's been great. We're come a long way since January."

Berhalter, who took over as head coach in January after the failed World Cup qualifying campaign, believes his young team -- the starting XI averaged just over 24 years old against Mexico -- can rise to the challenge.

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"Don't forget, it's a very young team, and we'll get there," he said. "You're talking about a number of young players that could easily be the core of this team for the next eight years."

One of the youngest stars is Joshua Sargent, the 19-year-old forward who plays for Werder Bremen. The American coach praised the rising teenage star.

"I like his movement off the ball," Berhalter said. "I really like his finishing. I think inside the box is where he really shines. He's able to process goal-scoring opportunities very quickly and able to make good contact with the ball on frame most times."

Another one is San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Jackson Yueill, who Berhalter said will start against Uruguay. The visiting side will present a formidable squad.

"Everything is a challenge with them," Berhalter said. "Ground. Space is a challenge with them. It's a very physically aggressive team. It's a very compact team."

No matter the opponent, one thing is clear: the U.S. will not stop in a pursuit of developing their own style, and Berhalter's players understand their coach's directions.

"Our buildout out of the back could improve," Sargent said. "We gave away a couple of goals that way. We're definitely going to look to improve that against Uruguay."

After a handy defeat against Mexico, it's time to move on, to improve, to keep trying.

"There's another game, another day to put things right," United States defender and St. Louis native Tim Ream said.

Now that Samuel Eto'o has retired from football, debate will rage about whether or not he was the greatest African footballer of all time. In short, he was and by some margin.

What shouldn't be debated was that "Samu" (as most of his teammates knew him) was one of the most contrary, stubborn, volatile, fiercely competitive, determined, talented, agile and unstoppable footballers in living memory. Perhaps even all-time.

Some examples. The first time I interviewed him, Eto'o had already helped Barca win their first trophy for six years (La Liga in 2005), helped them retain that title a year later and won the Champions League in Paris against Arsenal. One of the questions for him was to list the top five achievements of his career. The absolute creme de la crème moments. And he looked at me straight in the eye with an "I dare you to contradict me!" expression while listing "joining Real Madrid" (three appearances) and "Winning the Champions League with Real Madrid" (53 minutes played across 1999-2000) as two of his five greatest achievements...

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Plus, he didn't include anything to do with Barcelona despite his two La Liga medals, his flood of goals since moving to the Camp Nou or the Champions League final win a few weeks earlier where he'd actually scored to make it 1-1 vs. Arsenal. He was in a huff with Barcelona that day so he simply erased his current employers from his "my greatest moments" list.

Need more proof?

This is a guy who ditched a Cameroon youth team tour of France, when he was only 11, and hid for seven months in his big sister's flat, not leaving during that entire time in case the police stopped him and asked for his (nonexistent) residence papers. Eventually, in spite of his indomitable will, he arranged to go home only to arrive back in France a couple of years later, illegally again, and stay secretively with his sister while arranging trials with football clubs around that country, all of which unsuccessful. Stubborn and determined.

Eto'o is, incidentally, the only man in the entire history of football to win back-to-back Trebles of the league, the national cup and the Champions League. That he did it with two different clubs, one that had tried to toss him out the previous summer (Barca), and the other that had previously won the Champions League only twice during the competition's 55-year existence (Inter), makes the feat even more impressive.

What about another slightly personal anecdote in the list of Samuel Eto'os massive list of proud, aggressive, "winning" idiosyncrasies?

When we were filming the "Take The Ball, Pass The Ball" documentary in 2016, based on my book about Barcelona, an interview was agreed with Eto'o in Turkey on the occasion of a star-studded benefit match for his charitable foundation. By chance, the attempted military coup d'etat against the ruling government took place around the same time, which resulted in hundreds of casualties and, as you'd expect, the immediate cancellation of the event.

One of our producers, Marc Guillen and our cameraman, Victor Gros, were there for Eto'o's take on his single, volatile season under Pep Guardiola era. Initially, all planes were grounded because the military were bombing significant locations around Turkey. Then, suddenly, there was a window granted for some foreigners to exit the country. Private jets roared into the skies, with most of the stars who'd arrived early for the match naturally taking their chance to flee.

Not Eto'o.

He insisted that before using this window of opportunity he "must" complete his commitment and speak to our camera crew. And he did. His interview is intense, funny, characterful and you'd never tell that the instant Marc called "cut!" Eto'o was up and off the couch as quickly as he's ever moved for a penalty box chance. I think his jet left about 15 minutes later. But he stayed, risking the chance of being stuck in Antalya and making sure we had what he'd promised. That's Samuel Eto'o.

On the subject: I guess everyone remembers Guardiola arriving as manager at Camp Nou in 2008 and announcing he was giving Deco, Ronaldinho and Eto'o the boot. It caused a huge furore not just at the club but around Europe. Only Eto'o managed to avoid the cut, eventually hammering in 36 goals across all competitions in that single season under the Catalan boss.

After initially being shown the door, Eto'o stayed under Guardiola and became a central figure in helping Barca through the final knockout qualifying round for the competition itself, an ignominy the club hasn't suffered since. He scored in Guardiola's first Clasico. He accepted playing on the right wing to enable Guardiola's first 'Messi-as-false-nine' experiment in the 6-2 win at the Santiago Bernabeu and he scored the opening goal, from an improbable position, in the Champions League final against Manchester United.

That goal, after only nine minutes, Alex Ferguson later claimed "killed us [Man United]."

All of these are known, if underestimated, parts of the Eto'o tapestry. What I think isn't known is how he managed to stay after Guardiola dropped the "Get out of town!" bombshell in his first news conference as manager.

In announcing Eto'o would stay, the young Catalan (who was about to rip up football history) said: "During the past month we've been together, I have been very pleased with his performance. I only have words of praise. His behaviour and attitude in Scotland and the United States [training camps] have made me decide that Eto'o will remain with us. And, as well as that, he is a player with immense talent."

What's not widely known is that the key trigger, during Barcelona's St. Andrew's training camp, was when the team captaincy group, helmed by Carles Puyol, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, went to Guardiola and said: "Look boss, we know what you've said and we know 'Samu' can be 'hard work' but he's going to be very useful to us if you'll keep him this season."

It wasn't a mutiny, nor a challenge to Guardiola's authority, but a hard pill for the incoming coach to swallow having committed himself publicly to the need to expunge problem players like the Cameroonian from the Camp Nou environment. The players won their argument and Eto'o seized his chance, but not many footballers generate a reverence among their teammates sufficient for them to risk and arguing with a new coach about extending his tenure. That's Eto'o.

Let's not forget either that Guardiola was the second Barcelona coach who tried to kick Eto'o out of the club. One day in training, one of Frank Rijkaard's assistants (legend says it was Johan Neeskens) failed to give an "offside" in a training ground match and Eto'o furiously grabbed him by the throat. Eto'o was expected to go but against the odds, as is his habit, he remained.

Then there was his belligerence towards racism. One of Eto'o's most-used phrases about his career was "I have to work like a black man to live like a white guy." He's never been scared of saying precisely what he believes with no reservations about controversy or consequences.

See Feb. 28, 2006, when Barcelona played at Zaragoza in the Copa del Rey. After suffering repeated monkey chants it was Eto'o, not Ronaldinho or any of the several players of colour on the pitch, who said: "No mas!" ("No more!") and took the unilateral decision to walk off the pitch in protest. It took extended and vehement persuasion from his teammates, notably Ronaldinho and, eventually, his manager Rijkaard, for Eto'o to eventually play on against his will. I think his actions were right and his cohorts were misguided.

Hit the racists, hurt them where they feel it. Eto'o had it right then, and only now are we beginning to see that.

Yet, and see this as a contradiction if you please, Eto'o was one of the quickest to staunchly defend Luis Aragones after he used derogatory terms about Thierry Henry, mentioning the colour of his skin, to try and shock a reaction out of the late Jose Antonio Reyes. Aragones was wrong, plain and simple. No ifs or buts. But Eto'o was certain he knew his old Mallorca coach better than this incident and firmly told anyone who asked that Aragones "wasn't racist... just Luis!"

With Eto'o, we are talking about a man who, in the early years of his career, steadily bought a fleet of old cars and shipped them back to Cameroon for friends and family to start jobs as taxi drivers and then checked up on them to make sure that they were working hard enough to make his generosity worthwhile. The man who stood in front of us in the Camp Nou mixed zone and, during one of his rare scoring droughts, described goals as "like rats: if you chase them they disappear up a drainpipe." Only Eto'o.

There's little in this appreciation about his time with Inter, Real Madrid (how Florentino Perez must rue losing him. In 20 matches against Madrid he lost only five times, scoring 11 goals.), Cameroon, with whom he won Olympic Gold, or his 11 other clubs.

But be clear about this: with Eto'o's retirement European and African football have lost one of the most superb, talented, athletic, clever, charismatic, quixotic, hot-tempered, big-mouthed, entertaining and most "winning" players we have seen or are likely to.

Tennis star Rafa Nadal recently said: "People get confused about talent. Talent isn't striking the ball well, or very hard. Some play beautifully, some flawlessly, others run brilliantly. But in all sport the final objective is to win. So, in summary, the person who wins the most is the one with the most talent"

Rafa knows. Samuel Eto'o knew. What a talent, what a winner. Adios "Samu!"

Adelaide Strikers have signed Sussex opener Phil Salt for the upcoming BBL season.

Salt, 23, joins Rashid Khan as the Strikers' overseas players after South African Colin Ingram left the team at the end of last season.

The right-handed opener has had an outstanding T20 Blast season for Sussex under the guidance of Jason Gillespie, the coach at Sussex and Strikers. He has scored 406 runs in 13 innings, including four half-centuries, at a phenomenal strike rate of 161.11.

Salt has been playing alongside Strikers keeper Alex Carey at Sussex this year and has also played with Rashid.

The Strikers' top-order batting struggled big time last season after being the cornerstone of their title win in BBL 07, and Gillespie was delighted to add a dynamic right-hander to compliment the bevy of left-handers in the top order. "We are incredibly excited to have signed Phil who has showed real signs of promise and has performed well for the Sharks in the Blast," Gillespie said.

"He's beyond excited to get started, obviously we have Carey over here in England and Phil has been chatting to him non-stop about how it's going to work, when he can come out to Adelaide and meet everyone and get stuck in."

Salt has experience playing premier cricket in Adelaide with Adelaide University in 2017-18. He played nine matches across the summer while doing a stint at the Darren Lehmann Academy.

"I had a stint in Adelaide playing for Adelaide University and loved it, I made some really good friends who I'm looking forward to seeing again," he said. "I love working with Dizz (Gillespie), Rash and Alex, it's so key when you're trying to build a great environment to have guys who you know are going to put 100% in at all times and give everything they've got to the cause.

"I've worked really well with Dizz over the course of my career so far and hope that we can be even more successful here at the Strikers."

The Strikers have also signed South Australia wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen to the roster. Nielsen played last season in Carey's absence and will likely be required again when the Australia ODI side tours India for a week in January midway through the BBL.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has denied Niroshan Dickwella a no-objection certificate (NOC) to play in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and will also prevent Thisara Perera from playing in the majority of the T20 league, after the two players - and eight others - refused to tour Pakistan in September and October.

According to SLC CEO Ashley de Silva, it is the board's policy that if there is a national tour for which a player might reasonably be picked, that player will not be granted an NOC to play in a foreign league if he or she withdraws from national commitments voluntarily.

Another SLC official also expressed serious dismay that so many frontline Sri Lanka players had refused to visit Pakistan, despite the fact that the board's security assessments had concluded that the tour was safe.

"It's our policy not to give NOCs when there is a national tour, and the players would have known that," de Silva said. "So Dickwella has not been granted an NOC and will be expected to train with the national team in the next few weeks. We have also asked Thisara to return to the country on September 15, so he can also join the team in training."

Thisara has already played two matches for St Lucia Zouks after initially being granted an NOC. That agreement, however, was conditional upon his availability for Sri Lanka tours. And although he has refused to go on the Pakistan tour, he now has to return to Sri Lanka.

Unlike Thisara, Dickwella had not been granted an NOC at all, because he had been with Sri Lanka's T20 team for the series against New Zealand last week. A third player, Isuru Udana, had also been picked for a CPL team, but later made himself unavailable due to international commitments and is prepared to tour Pakistan. As such, he has not sought an NOC from the board.

Dickwella and Thisara were among ten players who refused to tour Pakistan despite assurances from Sri Lankan security experts. Although chief selector Ashantha de Mel has told players their refusal would not hurt their selection chances for future tours, there remains frustration within the Sri Lanka board that a full-fledged tour could not go ahead as planned.

"We have done a very meticulous security assessment, and the Pakistan board has gone out of their way," one board official said. "Other international players have also toured there with the World XI and so on. And Pakistan is also willing to provide the same security they give to heads of state for the players. What more could they want?"

The Sri Lanka players, however, have suggested they would prefer another team to take the lead in helping international cricket return to Pakistan. It was the 2009 Lahore attack on the Sri Lanka team bus that halted international tours to the country, though only Suranga Lakmal of the current list of players had been caught up in that attack.

"I can completely understand that for players who were actually there during the attack - like Lakmal - why they would be reluctant," the SLC official said. "But we have to help our Asian neighbours. Soon after the Easter Attacks this year, Pakistan sent an Under-19 team to Sri Lanka. We're not trying to risk anyone's life, but we do have obligations and there needs to be reciprocation. The security situation in Pakistan has improved a lot."

On refusing NOCs, the official said: "It's not a question of trying to be vindictive or victimise players. But they do have an obligation."