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Novak Djokovic began his campaign for a record 23rd men's Grand Slam singles title with a straightforward victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic.

The Serb, a two-time champion in Paris, defeated the 114nd-ranked American 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-1).

World number three Djokovic, 36, will face Hungary's Marton Fucsovics in the second round.

"I played well in the first two sets but then I missed opportunities and lost a little focus," Djokovic said.

"But it is also a sign of Aleks' level, which was getting better.

"When you get to a Grand Slam it is not the opponent who gives you the victory, you have to earn it."

Elsewhere on day two, Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime became the first men's top-10 seed to exit the clay major.

The 10th seed lost 6-4 6-4 6-3 to Italy's Fabio Fognini for his fourth first-round defeat in five years at Roland Garros.

There was victory for another Canadian, however, as Denis Shapovalov battled to a 6-4 7-5 4-6 3-6 6-3 win over American Brandon Nakashima.

Australian 18th seed Alex de Minaur beat Belarusian Ilya Ivashka in four sets, while Spain's 19th seed Roberto Bautista Agut wrapped up a 7-6 (7-4) 6-1 6-1 win over China's Wu Yibing.

Former England Under-20 coach Alan Dickens will join Leicester as attack and backs coach from next season.

Dan Palmer will become scrum coach after fulfilling his duties with Australia at the upcoming World Cup.

Ollie Richardson will become head of physical performance.

Incoming Tigers head coach Dan McKellar said:external-link "I am excited by the group we have put together, which has a great balance of continuity and new voices who will bring fresh ideas."

He continued: "It was important to me that there was a mix of people who not only understand the Premiership, but vital that they understand Leicester Tigers and we have got that in Brett Deacon, Matt Everard and Matt Smith, as well as the majority of our performance staff who remain with the club.

"In addition, to have Alan Dickens and Ollie Richardson's knowledge of the English game, players and competitions we compete in is of great value, and Dan Palmer's expertise is very exciting for the club moving forward."

Dickens became England Under-20 head coach at the tail end of 2019, leading them to a Six Nations Under-20 Grand Slam in 2021, and was recently succeeded in the role by Mark Mapletoft.external-link

Tigers were Premiership champions in 2022 under Steve Borthwick and reached the Premiership semi-finals last season under Richard Wigglesworth, who took charge after Borthwick left to become England coach.

Here's how you can access live streams to Golf Channel's coverage this week. Click on the link for direct access to that event (all times ET). The times represent the live streams and the televised coverage. For events that are tape-delayed, the coverage times are also noted.

All events listed below will be broadcast on Golf Channel, unless otherwise noted. Those airing on NBC and simulcast on Peacock are highlighted.

You will also notice QR codes during Golf Channel and NBC Sports’ digital and TV coverage. If you see one pop up on your screen, open the camera app on your mobile device and hover over the code. The camera app will automatically read the code and take you to this page for the weekly rundown or directly to the stream being promoted on coverage.

Stream links will be updated as made available.

Monday

5-9PM (GC/Peacock): NCAA DI Men’s Golf Championships, Final rd. stroke play (NCAA)

Tuesday

Noon-2:30PM (GC/Peacock): NCAA DI Men’s Golf Championships, Quarterfinals (NCAA)

5-9PM (GC/Peacock): NCAA DI Men’s Golf Championships, Semifinals (NCAA)

Wednesday

5-9PM (GC/Peacock): NCAA Men’s Golf Championships, Finals (NCAA)

Thursday

7AM-Noon (GC): Porsche European Open, Round 1 (DP World Tour)

11AM-2PM (GC/Peacock): Mizuho Americas Open, Round 1 (LPGA)

2-6PM (GC/Peacock): Memorial Tournament, Round 1 (PGA Tour)

Friday

7AM-Noon (GC): Porsche European Open, Round 2 (DP World Tour)

11AM-2PM (GC/Peacock): Mizuho Americas Open, Round 2 (LPGA)

2-6PM (GC/Peacock): Memorial Tournament, Round 2 (PGA Tour)

3:30-5:30PM (NBC/Peacock): Principal Charity Classic, Round 1 (PGA Tour Champions)

  • Tape-delayed; airs 7-9 p.m. ET on Golf Channel

Saturday

7-11:30AM (GC): Porsche European Open, Round 3 (DP World Tour)

12:30-2:30PM (GC/Peacock): Memorial Tournament, Round 3 (PGA Tour)

2:30-6PM (CBS): Memorial Tournament, Round 3 (PGA Tour)

2:30-5PM (NBC/Peacock): Principal Charity Classic, Round 2 (PGA Tour Champions)

5-8PM (GC/Peacock): Mizuho Americas Open, Round 3 (LPGA)

Sunday

7-11:30AM (GC): Porsche European Open, Round 4 (DP World Tour)

12:30-2:30PM (GC/Peacock): Memorial Tournament, Round 4 (PGA Tour)

2:30-6PM (CBS): Memorial Tournament, Round 4 (PGA Tour)

2:30-5PM (NBC/Peacock): Principal Charity Classic, Round 3 (PGA Tour Champions)

4:30-7:30PM (GC/Peacock): Mizuho Americas Open, Round 4 (LPGA)

  • Stream only for first 30 minutes and then Golf Channel TV coverage begins

Ten Hag: Utd need more investment to compete

Published in Soccer
Monday, 29 May 2023 07:49

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has called for more investment in the club so they can challenge for trophies after the team finished third in the Premier League this season.

United sealed the third place, finishing the season with 75 points, after they came from behind to defeat Fulham 2-1 in the last game of the league season on Sunday.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

The Old Trafford club, which won the League Cup in February, has the chance to add to their silverware when they face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

"We are in the right direction, but we are not there where we have to be, there's still a long way to go, there's potential in this team and individual players," Ten Hag told reporters on Sunday.

"We showed during the season we made progress, that's a compliment to the players and the coaches, we worked really hard, but we have to make an investment.

"The club knows if you want to play top four, compete for trophies in this tough league then you have to invest otherwise you don't have a chance because other clubs will do."

United last won the league title in 2012-13 under Alex Ferguson.

The inside story of Pochettino's move to Chelsea

Published in Soccer
Monday, 29 May 2023 07:49

LONDON -- The Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital era at Chelsea is less than a year old, but Mauricio Pochettino's arrival as head coach marks the dawn of a new era. It cannot come soon enough.

Nobody could question the new owners' ambitions; having bought the club for £2.5 billion last May they committed a further £600 million to signing new players across two transfer windows, including the British transfer record of midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for £106.8m. But that huge financial investment has produced an embarrassing return: two sacked managers, the club's second trophyless season since 2016, and a bottom-half Premier League finish that sees them miss out on European football next season. Things could hardly have gone much worse.

The bloated first-team squad lacks direction and cohesion, with caretaker boss and club legend Frank Lampard unable to inject any impetus after replacing Graham Potter in April. Lampard's record: eight defeats, two draws and one win from his 11 games.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

After so much upheaval, Chelsea needed a leader capable of moulding their expensive parts into a working machine. Step forward, Pochettino -- a man who forged his reputation with the club's London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. The 51-year-old remains one of the most highly respected managers in Europe, taking Tottenham from flirting with European football to four consecutive top-four Premier League finishes (2016-2019) and a Champions League final (a defeat to Liverpool in 2019).

However, a mixed spell with Paris Saint-Germain raised as many questions as answers about the Argentine's ability at the highest level. Pochettino won the Coupe de France and Ligue 1 with PSG but was unable to make inroads in the club's quest for a maiden Champions League trophy amid rumours of rifts with the team's biggest stars such as Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Yet for many in England, the team spirit and high-octane football that Pochettino's Spurs team produced in going to the brink of winning major honours lingers stronger in the memory.

It was enough to convince Chelsea's beleaguered owners that Pochettino is the man to lead them at this crucial juncture in the club's evolution. But how did it come about?

Why Pochettino?

Boehly and Clearlake Capital executive Behdad Eghbali moved quickly after firing Thomas Tuchel on Sept. 6. Sources have told ESPN that Tuchel felt he was close to the sack during a preseason in which he became frustrated at both the amount of travelling Chelsea were undertaking (they travelled across the U.S., often in high temperatures, starting with a training camp in Los Angeles and ending in Orlando, Florida) and the amount of engagement the new owners were demanding from him internally.

Although Boehly and Eghbali were familiarising themselves with possible alternatives, the decision to appoint Potter from Brighton was swift. They spoke with other candidates -- including Pochettino and also, according to club sources, multiple managers who offered themselves up for the position without solicitation -- but Potter was almost immediately identified as the club's first choice. He was appointed two days after Tuchel's exit.

Yet the way in which Potter's tenure unravelled in less than seven months, with 11 defeats and eight draws from 31 games, made the Chelsea hierarchy determined to follow a more measured process this time around. While Boehly and Eghbali would get involved in the later stages, they were keen for co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart to lead the search.

The club planned to speak to a variety of candidates about the role in creating a first formal shortlist of seven names. That septet was then gradually whittled down over the ensuing weeks in what one source connected to a manager involved described as "like a beauty pageant."

But not every interested party was content with walking through the hoops. Former Spain and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique flew to London to hold in-person talks with the Chelsea hierarchy shortly after Potter's exit. Sources told ESPN that Enrique made it clear he was willing to take the job immediately, and the loose framework of a contract lasting the rest of this season and then for a further two years was even discussed. Enrique left the meeting believing he was a strong candidate, but Chelsea then appointed Lampard as caretaker until the end of the season, creating a fresh sense of frustration.

Chelsea also met with former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann, with initial talks said to have been positive on both sides. However, with the Blues still at a formative stage of their thinking, Nagelsmann withdrew from the process, with club sources suggesting he became irritated by the lack of progress. On the other side, a source close to Chelsea argued the club's due diligence on Nagelsmann came back with "mixed results" and suggested the 35-year-old wanted a "coronation" rather than to engage fully with a detailed manager search.

Sources have told ESPN that Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou and Feyenoord's Arne Slot were among others the club discussed, before a three-man shortlist of Pochettino, Burnley's Vincent Kompany and one other candidate was identified.

As talks intensified, Pochettino emerged as the preferred option. The composition of his backroom staff was eventually agreed, with longtime assistant manager Jesus Perez, plus first-team coach Miguel D'Agostino, goalkeeping coach Toni Jimenez and his sports scientist son, Sebastiano, all joining the club.

Sources have told ESPN that further discussions have taken place on ensuring Pochettino has an active say over player recruitment. There has been an acknowledgement internally at Chelsea that to attract an elite coach, a degree of compromise on how the club's hierarchy works on a day-to-day basis will be required in order for the transition to be as smooth as possible.

Boehly has hired two sporting directors -- Winstanley and Stewart -- as well as technical director Christopher Vivell, while Joe Shields, Kyle Macaulay and Jim Fraser are responsible for talent management and recruitment. Chelsea are keen to allow data analytics to play a significant role in their decision-making, but Pochettino is expected to have a prominent voice within this group to help shape the squad in a satisfactory and collaborative way. Pochettino will not officially begin work until the end of the season, but sources have told ESPN he will speak to Lampard as part of a series of conversations to garner as much information about the group as possible to ensure he can hit the ground running and reach their goals.

"We're a long way off when Antonio Conte last won the title," Dan Silver, Chelsea Supporters Trust board member, told ESPN. "Pochettino has done enough for Tottenham in terms of how he developed them. He took a while to get his ideas across but he turned them around.

"Chelsea are arguably now where Tottenham were when he took over. He's not coming into a dressing room of winners. He's got young players who have been parachuted in very quickly. He'll have time to work with them on the training ground with no European football and hopefully he'll get us challenging for top four which is the minimum expectation next season."

For his part, Pochettino has not been short of job offers since leaving PSG, but although there was speculation he could return to Spurs after they sacked Conte, sources said that Tottenham never made a formal approach to rehire him. Pochettino was reported to have been concerned about the impact on his legacy of potentially choosing Chelsea over Spurs; ultimately that situation was avoided because his old club never actively pursued him.

play
1:09
Laurens: Boehly should let the people around him lead Chelsea

Julien Laurens believes Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly should let the right people at Chelsea lead the club as they have the experience to do it.

What has been the reaction within the squad to his appointment?

Sources close to multiple players in the squad have told ESPN that Pochettino's appointment has been greeted positively, not least because of the clarity it will bring this summer. Potter had his favourite players and while Lampard criticised the overall fitness of the squad, those within it knew meaningful conversations about their status in the squad would occur only once a new permanent head coach was in place. There is respect for Pochettino's achievements as a coach and a willingness to embrace the style of football he became synonymous with at Tottenham.

Fans are feeling positive too. "I'm very pleased, very excited," Silver added. "Pochettino has got Premier League experience, arguably made Tottenham into the best Tottenham team in my lifetime and I started football in 1982. He's got that edge that we need. He's got an iron fist, won't accept mediocrity and very good appointment given who was out there. He was the best of what was available and we didn't have to pay compensation to another club for another manager."

Some supporters have had a more mixed reaction, though, chiefly due to Pochettino's history with Spurs. The Argentine managed the north Londoners for 5½ years up to November 2019, overseeing a period in which they finished above Chelsea twice in his five full seasons (although the Blues won two Premier League titles in that time.)

Perhaps most infamously, Pochettino became personally involved in what became known as the "Battle of the Bridge" in May 2016. Spurs had to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to keep their chances of a Premier League title alive, while Chelsea were languishing in mid-table after a dreadful season that saw manager Jose Mourinho depart in December. Their only motivation was to stop Tottenham from catching Leicester to win the title.

Pochettino was a bundle of aggression on the touchline, setting the tone for a fiery contest. And, when Spurs defender Danny Rose and Chelsea winger Willian clashed close to the dugouts just before half-time, the manager entered the field of play and split the pair up before moving toward Willian as players from both sides ran to involve themselves in the melee.

Spurs blew a 2-0 lead to eventually draw 2-2, a result that ended their title hopes, sparking another scrap at full-time. They ended the game with nine yellow cards -- a Premier League record for one team in a single game -- and it would have been worse had referee Mark Clattenburg not let so much go (he later admitted there should have been three red cards in the match.)

Spurs have had a history of appointing former Chelsea managers in the Premier League era -- Conte, Mourinho and Andre Villas-Boas -- but this is the first time since Glenn Hoddle in 2001 that the Blues have hired someone so closely associated with Spurs to be their manager. In the intervening 22 years, the shift in power between the two clubs has been profound, with the Blues winning every major club trophy possible in a total haul of 21 and Tottenham landing only the 2008 League Cup.

Pochettino has won the Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain, but there are doubts about his ability to deliver the game's biggest prizes. His behaviour in the "Battle of the Bridge" was cited by some as evidence of inexperience under pressure but, seven years on, Chelsea will feel they have a more polished version of Pochettino.

What is on Pochettino's to-do list?

The Chelsea squad in its present form is almost unmanageable. There are 31 first-team players, plus eight players out on loan including Romelu Lukaku, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tiemoue Bakayoko.

Sources close to the club have told ESPN that Potter struggled to arrange training sessions that fully engaged such a vast number of players, while veteran defender Thiago Silva admitted recently that the club had to "increase the size of the changing rooms because they didn't fit the size of the team."

While some managers join a club with a wishlist of players they would like to sign -- and Pochettino will likely be no exception -- the first priority is to make decisions on which players should be allowed to move on. The clock is ticking. Any exits completed before June 30 would help offset the £600m expenditure overseen by Boehly and Clearlake Capital as they would fall in the 2022-23 tax year and would help reduce the overall loss and comply with financial fair play.

In March, the club announced a loss of £121.3m, but the total commitment on new signings under Boehly/Clearlake has been estimated at over £1.2bn including transfer fees, wages and agent fees. The club sought to offset some of that outlay by handing out seven- or eight-year contracts, meaning transfer fees are amortised over a longer period, mitigating the potential losses for 2022-23 to the year ending June 30.

But the absence of any European football is a loss in revenue that Boehly and Clearlake did not anticipate, leading in part to the timing of Potter's departure as they desperately hoped the return of Lampard would spark a short-term uptick in form. Consequently, compliance with UEFA's financial fair play rules is a mounting concern. Money from player exits has always been important to Chelsea. The club have reported overall losses totalling £343m over the four years of published accounts up to 2021-22, despite £354m profit in player trading in that period.

"If they get this appointment wrong and it is another year without Champions League football, that is huge from a financial perspective," Silver said. "We need to have a good season. They need to get this right -- if not what do we become? A mid-table team? Could they then build the new stadium? It is a huge season for us moving forward, almost as much as it was when Roman Abramovich came in in 2003."

play
0:41
Why it's time for Christian Pulisic to leave Chelsea

Steve Nicol explains why he thinks Christian Pulisic should leave Chelsea in the summer transfer window.

Pochettino will be expected to work with several young players Chelsea have invested huge sums in as part of a strategy to develop a fresh core. Fernandez, Benoit Badiashile, Mykhailo Mudryk and Wesley Fofana are four members of that group. But as ESPN reported on Feb. 10, Chelsea have long planned a host of departures this summer as they look to streamline their squad and balance the books.

Pochettino wants a say in identifying which players are allowed to depart, although the club's recruitment team has already established views of its own. Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Hakim Ziyech are among the players expected to leave, while the club will likely listen to offers for many others including Kalidou Koulibaly and Hudson-Odoi. Talks with £97.5m striker Lukaku are planned at the end of the season once he returns from his loan at Inter Milan.

Contractual situations elsewhere will influence decisions. Sources close to the player have told ESPN that midfielder Mason Mount is increasingly likely to leave given he has one year left on his deal and there has been no progress over an extension for several months. Sources said Pochettino is an admirer of Mount's abilities, but Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are among the interested clubs.

Elsewhere, Mateo Kovacic is in a similar position, with City reportedly monitoring the Croatia midfielder, and N'Golo Kante is out of contract this summer with his latest injury setback casting doubt over the recent optimism that he will sign a new deal.

Pochettino must quickly identify the players he wants while creating a sense of identity to give Chelsea some structure to their football. Improving fitness is also likely to be high on the agenda. Sources at Chelsea's Cobham training ground have told ESPN that while Potter was generally liked, even as results soured, the atmosphere around the place was considered too relaxed for an elite team. Lampard seemingly picked up on that when suggesting shortly after joining the club that the players he inherited lacked requisite fitness to perform consistently at the highest level. He did his best to avoid criticising Potter directly, but the implication was clear.

Pochettino's high-press, high-energy style means a gruelling preseason likely lies in wait for Chelsea this summer amid five friendly games in the United States starting with Wrexham on July 19 in North Carolina and ending with Borussia Dortmund in Chicago on Aug. 2.

Underpinning it all, Pochettino must establish strong relationships with the hierarchy Boehly has appointed above the head coach. Tuchel was fired, in part, for his reluctance to work with hands-on owners and engage with differing voices about the team's progress. Potter was identified as a more amenable character able to work in a collaborative environment.

Chelsea will hope Pochettino is a combination of Tuchel's pedigree and Potter's personable manner. If that happens, the new era at Stamford Bridge looks bright.

Ahmedabad dawned bright and sunny on Monday, the reserve day of the IPL 2023 final between defending champions Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings. However, the met department and local papers predict intermittent rain between 4pm and 10pm.

The outfield that bore the brunt of a thunderstorm that lashed the city for four hours on Sunday evening was described as "bone dry" by a member of the broadcasting crew that began setting up for a re-run. There has been no rain since 10.45pm on Sunday night.

A GCA official explained a five-over contest on Sunday wouldn't have been impossible to achieve, but a fresh final is the "best-case scenario" for both teams after the match officials felt it may have been "touch and go" to get the ground ready for a truncated shootout. Another official said there was a long debate on the possible risk of injuries given the amount of water that had seeped underneath.

The playing conditions remain the same as they were on Sunday night. The cut-off time for a full match to start is 9.35pm. For a five-overs-a-side match, officials can wait till 12.06am before starting play. The final option to determine a winner is a Super Over shootout. The cut-off time to start that is 1am. The playing conditions say that if even a Super Over is not possible, Gujarat Titans will be declared champions since they finished higher in the points table in the league stage - they finished No. 1, with CSK at No. 2.

As such, the drainage at the Narendra Modi Stadium has been set up in accordance with "modern standards" and machinery. A similar downpour on Friday evening, albeit for just 45 minutes, allowed for Qualifier 2 between Titans and Mumbai Indians begin within 40 minutes of the rain abating. Two super soppers had swung into action even before the rain had completely stopped to ensure the mop-up operations didn't take long.

The ground staff, ESPNcricinfo understands, have been rigorously trained to ensure "maximum ground coverage in least possible time". This was in view on Sunday night when there was a brief 20-minute window where it appeared as if the game would start. Only a while earlier, parts of the outfield had been inundated with puddles with water seeping underneath the covers near the square.

The possibility of a full game means the fans' excitement hasn't dimmed - another full house is expected - but hotel prices and airfares out of Ahmedabad had shot through the roof. All direct flights out of Ahmedabad to Chennai had been sold out for Tuesday, with connecting flights priced at INR 28,000 for a sector that charges INR 5000 on an average. Several CSK players, especially the overseas players, who were scheduled to fly out of the city in the wee hours on Monday, have been rescheduled for a later departure on Tuesday.

Hundreds of fans had gathered outside the stadium hoping to get hands on tickets that several others were hoping to sell in lieu of being unable to cancel their Monday departures. This has led to chaotic scenes with heavy police presence along the water-logged streets outside the ground, similar to how it was late on Sunday night as thousands of fans were forced to wade through at least 3km in ankle-deep waters before getting any kind of public transport outside of the Ahmedabad Metro that had already been running to capacity.

The local authorities have been instructed to ensure fans don't have to undergo similar hassles on Monday night, with a number of feeder buses and smoother checkpoints set up for entry. Fans who couldn't pick up their physical tickets in exchange of the online ones on match days have been permitted to do so at multiple locations in the city to prevent further queues and logjams outside the venue as authorities look to clear up the venue in time for Monday's re-run.

Ricky Ponting wants India to play as many X-factor players as possible if they want to have an edge over Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. Like Ishan Kishan, who, Ponting feels, is a stronger bet than KS Bharat to play as the wicketkeeper-batter in the absence of Rishabh Pant, and Suryakumar Yadav.
Speaking on the latest episode of the ICC Review podcast, Ponting said his India XI at the WTC final would also include both R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, with Jadeja playing primarily as a batter at No. 6, with Suryakumar above Jadeja in the middle order.

"If I was them [India], knowing the importance of this game - and you have to win this Test match - I'd be going with Ishan Kishan in this game," Ponting said. "He provides that little bit of X-factor that you need when you might be pushing for a win in a Test match. Obviously, if Rishabh Pant is fit, he is playing, and he provides that X-factor for India. But with him not being there, and this is no blot on Bharat whatsoever, but I think Kishan just provides that little bit more X-factor, who'd do a good job with the gloves but can provide that really high-scoring run rate that is required in a one-off Test match to push for a win.

"I'd be going with as many X-factor players as I could and put some real pressure back on Australia."

Neither Kishan nor Suryakumar are Test regulars. Kishan is yet to make his Test debut, though he was in the squad for the home Test series against Australia earlier this year, while Suryakumar played his only Test in that same series, making eight runs the only time India batted in Nagpur, where they won by an innings and 132 runs on their way to a 2-1 series win.

Both players, however, have decent first-class records.

While Suryakumar has scored 5557 runs in 80 first class games at an average of 44.45, Kishan has 2985 in 48 matches, averaging 38.76. They have both, however, made their names mainly as explosive short-format batters.

While Ponting did not elaborate on why he wanted Suryakumar to bat at No.5, he did say he was happy to see Ajinkya Rahane back in the Test fold.

Rahane, India's No. 5 until he was dropped in early 2022, had a good domestic season (2022-23) where he finished as Mumbai's highest run-getter in the Ranji Trophy with 634 runs in seven matches at 57.63. Rahane also surprised many watchers with his aggressive stroke play as a top-order impact batter for Chennai Super Kings in the latest IPL.

"Jinks (Rahane) has had an incredible IPL as well. It's funny, isn't it, how IPL runs can now get you picked back into a Test match squad," Ponting said. "Jinks has been on the outer for the last couple of years in Test cricket, but everyone saw how confident he looked and how well he played in the IPL and that was enough to get him back in.

"He has been there and done it before in Test cricket. It was probably a bigger hurdle for him to climb to get back into playing really good T20 cricket than it is for him to go back and play good Test cricket. His make-up is much more suited to the Test game than it is to T20 cricket. He has rediscovered some confidence and if he does get picked, I won't be surprised to see him get runs in that Test match.

"He has always been a really high-quality player and we saw him even with his leadership qualities here in Australia, in that last series to turn things around."

The 15-man India squad has three frontline spinners - all of them spin-bowling allrounders - in Ashwin, Jadeja and Axar Patel. While Axar has showed consistency across formats in recent months, Ponting expects India to opt for Ashwin and Jadeja purely because of the nature of the pitch at The Oval, where the Test will be played from June 7 to 11.

"I think they will pick Jadeja and Ashwin because Jadeja can hold that No. 6 batting spot," Ponting said. "His batting has improved that much that they can pick him as a batter now that might just bowl a few overs if required. There is no doubt that Ashwin is a more skilled and better Test bowler than what Jadeja is, but if Jadeja can hold down that batting spot and then as the game goes on, getting into the fourth and fifth day, if it does start to turn, then you have got that really high-class second spin bowling option if required.

"Historically, the Oval pitch has been a very good batting wicket. It's generally offered something for the fast bowlers on day one, not a lot. But I have also played some games there where it has turned a lot. If it starts a little bit dry, it can turn a lot."

Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo

International cricket will have to find a way to "co-exist" with the continual emergence of franchise-based T20 leagues, ICC's general manager of cricket Wasim Khan has said.
One of international cricket's showpiece events, the World Test Championship (WTC) final, is less than a fortnight away but is being played at a time of growing uncertainty around the relevance of the international game.
The emergence of new leagues this year in South Africa, the UAE, and, from July, the USA has put a further crunch on player availabilities in a calendar that was feeling hemmed in even before this year.
Jason Roy is foregoing a part of his incremental contract with England to play in the US's Major League Cricket (MLC), Trent Boult gave up a central contract with New Zealand last year; there's talk of IPL franchises offering year-round contracts to players. All of this is playing out against the backdrop of an international bilateral calendar that is feeling increasingly arbitrary and expendable. And nothing, Khan pointed out, is dropping out of the calendar for the moment.

"The fact that we're seeing some highly competitive domestic T20 leagues around the world provides more choice for fans, more choice for players in terms of taking part, which is only going to improve the product particularly around our white-ball tournaments, the ICC World Cups," Khan said. "Obviously, the way the schedule is structured now and the emergence of these leagues, there has to be a way for us to co-exist. Nothing is going to be removed so we are going to have to co-exist moving forward."

The fact that Full Members have agreed to retain the WTC over the next eight-year cycle has given Khan confidence that the game's oldest format still holds relevance.

"The context for red-ball cricket, when there is competition from other formats, competition for the time of players, the World Test Championship is still very dear to countries and players," he said. "We've heard from some of the top stars around the world talking about the importance of Test cricket.

"It's important we continue to find an opportunity to co-exist, to ensure our schedule moving forward beyond the next cycle, beyond 2027 is something that provides something for everybody, for all the fans. We have the purists who still love watching Test cricket, players who still love playing it, fans who enjoy white ball as well.

"It is something for us to keep looking at, keep considering. We are constantly reviewing it behind the scenes. We know the emergence of these leagues does put pressure on the schedule but we're confident that at least for the next eight years, continual context will be provided for red-ball cricket."

Some of the discussions have focused on improving pay for Test players across the world, a point Ricky Ponting raised recently. Khan said the point had cropped up in an ICC cricket committee meeting as a discussion point, but had not gone beyond that and had not been taken up by members since.
He did, however, leave the ball in the court of the members, pointing to the fact they will make more money from ICC events than ever before in the new rights cycle - thanks to new lucrative broadcast deals the ICC has signed over the last year.

"It's fair to say distributions members will be receiving in the next cycle will be greater than what they've received previously," Khan said. "Payments of what they pay players is purely down to those members. If there are player associations there, they will certainly be negotiating with those, but where there's not, it's down to the boards - and particularly with the key players within those boards - to decide what the payment structure looks like moving forward."

In the immediate glitz of an incoming WTC final, between India and Australia, the outlook is brighter. The ICC expects full houses through the first four days of the final at The Oval, between the two best teams over the course of a two-year cycle. And the league and its structure, they say, has been a success so far.

"For now, it continues to work as it is. We made small changes in terms of playing conditions, the soft signal is not there moving forward, but the actual structure of the two-year cycle is constantly reviewed by the members.

"We take their feedback before progressing to the next year but the great news is WTC has been signed off for the next eight years at least."

James Anderson and Ollie Robinson have been ruled out of England's first Test of the summer, against Ireland at Lord's from Thursday, but according to Brendon McCullum, both are on course for full fitness come the start of the Ashes at Edgbaston, beginning June 16.
Neither has bowled competitively since, while there are still concerns about the readiness of Ben Stokes to fulfil his allrounder role after an injury-hit stint with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
However, McCullum - speaking at Lord's as England gathered for their first training session of the summer - insisted his team would be ready to "play the cards you are handed". This could yet include a first Test outing of the year for Mark Wood, who was rested from the tour of New Zealand in the spring, and returned home early from an eye-catching IPL stint with Lucknow Super Giants, but was seen putting in an energetic stint in the nets on Monday morning.

"We've got a couple of niggles, so we're just monitoring those at the moment," McCullum told Sky Sports. "Every team that goes into a series has got a couple of little things that you need to work through, but we're pretty confident we'll have a good squad to be able to pick from.

"For the first Ashes Test, I think [Anderson and Robinson] should be fit. They won't be fit for this one against Ireland. We'll just have to monitor it over this next sort of while, but we've got some great options right throughout the squad.

"Stokesy is progressing well too," he added. "He looks really fit as well, looks in great order and has a big smile on his face. He is delighted to be back around the group and as our leader, having that sort of energy he brings is fantastic, so again we'll monitor that and see what happens.

"I think he'll bowl at some stage throughout the summer, yeah, no doubt. He is a world-class allrounder and if he is able to bowl, fantastic. If not, we'll find a way.

"Who knows if we are going to win this summer but we're going to go into it with the right attitude, the right environment, and the right team which believes it's got a chance"

Brendon McCullum

"When I first took over this job, people said there weren't much depth in English cricket and I disagree with that completely," McCullum added. "I think there is an immense amount of depth. There's no point being concerned. You just deal with what you've got and play the cards you are handed. I am confident we will have a good squad to pick from right throughout the summer, and we'll see how we go."

England come into the season with their reputation transformed in the 12 months since McCullum and Stokes took over in a new coach/captain partnership. They have won ten of their 12 Tests in that period, while their most recent outing was an extraordinary one-run loss against New Zealand in Wellington in February, a result that reinforced the "no-fear" brand of cricket that the team has embraced in the interim.

And though the immediate challenge will be to overcome an Ireland team that rolled England aside for 85 in their last appearance at Lord's in 2019, McCullum acknowledged that the Ashes is already looming large in the team's thoughts.

"It's been a great year, this will be a big summer," McCullum said. "There will be a lot of eyeballs on us, not just in the UK but also around the world, and that's what you want to be involved in. Who knows if we are going to win this summer but we're going to go into it with the right attitude, the right environment, and the right team which believes it's got a chance.

"We're a team that knows how we want to play now, and we're not afraid to lose, which is quite a remarkable trait, and that's led by the skipper and some of the senior players as well. If we do play how we want to play, we give ourselves the best opportunity and we've got the talent to put world-class teams under pressure."

As for whether England will be able to play their new liberated brand of cricket against a team of Australia's talent, and in the full glare of an Ashes summer, McCullum was phlegmatic about the qualities within the team set-up.

"Look, Australia is a very good line-up, right? They have world-class bowlers and have been a very good team for a long period of time. They'll be a formidable challenge for us, but it is a challenge we're really looking forward to," he said. "It is what you want to play sport for, right? You want to be playing against the best, in the biggest series and on the biggest stage, and there is no greater opportunity than what lies in front of us in the next six to eight weeks.

"From our point of view, we don't go in to it prescribed with our method, it is about trying to ensure we are nice and free of mind, and being able to live in the present and deal with what comes our way. If it is a high-scoring rate, great. If it's not, that's great too. We'll just see what happens."

Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket

Racist behavior directed at athletes is getting worse, and even software designed to protect them from it has little impact, tennis player Sloane Stephens said Monday.

Stephens, speaking after her straight-sets victory over Karolina Pliskova in the French Open first round, said she has had to endure it her whole career.

"Yes, it's obviously been a problem my entire career," said Stephens, who is Black. "It has never stopped. If anything, it's only gotten worse."

The world's 30th-ranked player, Stephens did not go into specific details but said even software such as that available for players at the French Open, which is designed to block racist comments on social media, could not stop it.

"I did hear about the software. I have not used it," she said. "I have a lot of obviously key words banned on Instagram and all of these things, but that doesn't stop someone from just typing in an asterisk or typing it in a different way, which obviously software most of the time doesn't catch."

Professional athletes in all sports are regularly confronted with racist comments and behavior, with Real Madrid soccer player Vinicius Junior the most notable recent case.

Vinicius was on the receiving end of racist chants at Valencia's Mestalla stadium last week, and his complaints about Spain and LaLiga not doing enough to fight racism sparked a worldwide wave of support and national debate in Spain.

English soccer club Tottenham Hotspur was working this month with the Metropolitan Police to investigate an allegation of racial abuse toward South Korean striker Son Heung-Min.

Stephens said the racism had reached a worrying level.

"I mean, obviously when there is FBI investigations going on with what people are saying to you online, it's very serious," she said.

Stephens did not say whether she was referring to a specific case.

"Obviously it's been something that I have dealt with my whole career," she said. "I think that, like I said, it's only continued to get worse, and people online have the free rein to say and do whatever they want behind fake pages, which is obviously very troublesome.

"It's something I have had to deal with my whole career and something I will continue to deal with, I'm sure. That's that."

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