Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been ruled out of his side’s World Cup match against England after falling off a golf cart and sustaining a concussion.
Maxwell, who hit a tournament record 40-ball century against the Netherlands last week and also offers a handy second spin option, will miss Saturday’s clash in Ahmedabad after a bizarre sequence of events.
Maxwell had finished a round at Gujarat’s Kalhaar Blues and Greens club on Monday evening and was riding on the back of a cart with team-mates when he lost his grip, fell and hit his head.
Head coach Andrew McDonald told cricket.com.au: “In transporting him back from the clubhouse to the team bus, Glenn Maxwell came off the back of a car and has suffered a small concussion.
“He’ll go into six to eight days concussion protocol, so they said that takes into account the England game. It was just a clearcut accident. He’s an important player for us, hopefully it’s just the one game he misses.
“The guys were ferried off on carts. Glenn and a few other players jumped on the back of carts and unfortunately he lost his grip on the way back to the team bus and sustained that injury. Over the last couple of days he’s been assessed. We feel as though it’ll be a relatively straightforward return to play protocol with where he’s at at the moment.”
England’s Jonny Bairstow missed 10 months of cricket after badly breaking his leg playing golf near Harrogate in August 2022, while Maxwell also suffered an unlikely injury last November when breaking his leg at a birthday party in Melbourne.
Australia have two all-round options available to step in for Maxwell, with Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis vying for a spot.
The Betfair Chase and Coral Gold Cup are the two options under consideration for Corach Rambler following the Grand National hero’s disappointing reappearance at Kelso on Saturday.
Lucinda Russell’s dual Cheltenham Festival and Aintree victor made his eagerly-anticipated return in the Edinburgh Gin Chase in the Scottish borders but was in trouble before the home turn and trailed home last of five finishers.
Russell had intimated beforehand that a step up to Grade One level in the Betfair Chase next month could be on the cards – and while his performance was clearly below expectations, a trip to Merseyside will remain under consideration if the ground is suitable.
Russell’s partner and assistant Peter Scudamore, also Corach Rambler’s regular work rider, confirmed Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup the following weekend as a possible alternative, however.
He said: “Corach seems fine, as happy as anything.
“I wouldn’t run him on ground as soft as that again. We’ve been talking about it and he’ll go to the Betfair Chase if the ground is not too soft, or he’ll go to Newbury for the Coral Gold Cup.
“I think he just needed the run and the ground didn’t suit him at Kelso, a bit of both.”
England seamer David Willey will retire from international cricket at the end of the World Cup, unhappy after missing out on a central contract.
The 33-year-old was the only member of the touring party in India not to receive a new deal last week and “wasn’t best pleased”, in the words of Rob Key, managing director of England men’s cricket.
A total of 26 players were handed new terms, with three more on pace development deals, leaving Willey in the strange position of pondering his immediate future while simultaneously trying to turn around England’s tanking campaign.
The left-armer has held up his side of the bargain, taking five wickets in three games and delivering the best economy rate of the six fast bowlers England have used at the tournament.
Willey channelled his growing frustrations in the perfect way in Lucknow at the weekend, taking a fine haul of three for 45 including star batter Virat Kohli for a nine-ball duck, but has now resolved to walk away.
Despite five defeats in six games of their World Cup defence, England’s players have lined up one after the other to praise the unity and morale in the squad.
But, in revealing his decision with three group games still to go, starting with rivals Australia in Ahmedabad on Saturday, Willey’s timing frames his personal frustrations.
Revealing the news in an emotive Instagram post, Willey wrote: “I never wanted this day to come. From a young boy, I’ve only ever dreamed of playing cricket for England.
“So, with careful thought and consideration, it is with great regret that I feel the time has come for me to retire from all forms of international cricket at the end of the World Cup.
“I have worn the shirt with immense pride and given my absolute everything to the badge on my chest.
“I’ve been very lucky to be a part of such an incredible white-ball team with some of the best players in the world.
“I’ve made some special memories and great friends along the way and been through some very difficult times.”
Willey has played 70 ODIs and 43 T20s and England must now decide whether to continue picking him for their remaining games against Australia, the Netherlands and Pakistan or use the moment to move on.
Sam Curran stands by as the most obvious replacement, as a left-arm swing bowler and attacking lower-order batter, while Surrey’s Gus Atkinson has played just once so far.
Both options are 25 and would represent an investment in the future, but England must also balance the need for an instant change in fortunes with a place at the 2025 Champions Trophy on the line.
“I feel I still have a lot more to give on and off the field while I am still playing my best cricket, and my decision has nothing to do with our performance during the World Cup,” he continued.
“I’m sure everybody who knows me does not doubt that, whatever my involvement in the remainder of this campaign, I will give my everything and more! That’s the only way I know.”
Announcing the new batch of central contracts in Bangalore last week, Key admitted an annoyed Willey had been unlucky to miss out.
“It’s fair to say David Willey wasn’t best pleased, as you can understand, being the only one not to get a contract,” he said.
“It’s bloody tough, to be honest. We’d love to live in a world where you can just say we have a pot of extra cash and you can just give him one because he’s coming out here for the World Cup.”
Willey missed out on England’s 2019 World Cup triumph in devastating fashion, named in the initial 15-man squad only to be axed at the last minute to make way for the newly available Jofra Archer.
That could have been the end of his international career but he fought his way back into contention and found a way back in when England needed two separate squads following the coronavirus pandemic.
He went on to be part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad in Australia last year.
Nottingham Panthers will hold a gathering on Saturday night following the death of their player Adam Johnson last weekend.
The 29-year-old American was playing for the Panthers in a Challenge Cup match at rivals Sheffield Steelers last Saturday when he was reportedly hit in the throat by an opponent’s skate, causing a fatal injury.
South Yorkshire Police have since conducted inquiries at the arena, studied footage of the collision and spoken to experts, aided by Sheffield City Council’s health and safety team.
The Panthers, who in confirming Johnson’s death referred to the incident as a “freak accident”, have invited fans of all clubs to attend Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena to celebrate the former NHL player on November 4.
A statement from the Panthers on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: “The Nottingham Panthers will come together on Saturday evening to remember Adam Johnson.
“Supporters of all clubs and the general public are invited to attend the Motorpoint Arena from 5:30pm to pay tribute to our #47.
“The arena bowl will be open and people will be invited onto the ice, which will be carpeted, to sign books of condolence.”
The Panthers have also announced the creation of an official fundraising page to raise money for the ‘Love for Hibbing and Hockey Memorial Fund’ – established in Johnson’s memory.
The Panthers added: “The purpose of this fund is to support local charitable activities in Adam’s hometown area of Hibbing, Minnesota, as selected by the Johnson family.”
On Monday evening, the Elite League confirmed all games scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday would be postponed.
Following consultation with the eight teams and their players, a consensus was for games to resume at the weekend when “appropriate and fitting tributes” to Johnson will take place.
Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers, though, will not be involved in any games over the next round of fixtures.
What the papers say
Brentford have put an £80million price tag on striker Ivan Toney, who was banned for eight months because of gambling offences, the Evening Standard reports. Toney, 27, will be free to play in January next year, with Chelsea and Arsenal both interested in the one-cap England international who scored 20 goals last season.
Manchester United and their right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka have reportedly stalled contract talks, the Daily Mail says, with the club instead opting to activate a 12-month extension.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Real Madrid are in a three-way battle for 17-year-old Shamrock Rovers winger Naj Razi, according to The Sun.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Jhon Arias: Wolverhampton, West Ham and Leeds are all interested in signing Fluminense’s 26-year-old Colombian winger, Teamtalk reports.
Trevoh Chalobah: Teamtalk says the 24-year-old is in Manchester United’s sights after Chelsea told the Englishman he is not part of their future plans.
Rookie Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs recorded a comeback victory against the Phoenix Suns after taking the lead with just one second remaining.
After being down 18 points at half-time, the Spurs rallied back in the second half and with just six seconds left, Wembanyama, who had 18 points, cut the Suns lead to just one point with a put-back dunk.
Durant was then given the ball and became surrounded by three Spurs players, with his team rejecting to call the time out.
He then had the ball stolen by Keldon Johnson who scored the winning basket with just 1.2 seconds left on the clock, which was the first time the Spurs led during the game.
Johnson finished with a game-high 27 points, while Durant, who became the 12th player in NBA history to score 27,000 points, had 26 points in the 115-114 loss.
The New York Knicks put together their best defensive effort of the season as they kept the Cleveland Cavaliers to just 91 points in an 18-point win.
New York took the lead in the first quarter and did not let it go for the game’s duration.
The Knicks boasted a shared scoresheet, with four players scoring more than 15 points and forward Julius Randle landing a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Cavaliers fell to their third loss of the season despite shooting guard Donovan Mitchell scoring 26 points. Isaac Okoro was the only other player who scored more than 10.
Meanwhile, Paul George starred for the Los Angeles Clippers in their 118-102 win over the Orlando Magic with 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
The Clippers were slow out of the blocks with only 13 points in the first quarter but their talent across the board was too much for the youthful Magic.
Simone Biles defied a kidney stone to become the first female gymnast to win four all-around world titles, on this day in 2018.
Such was the American’s dominance of her sport, she could afford a series of uncharacteristic mistakes in Doha without feeling unduly threatened by her rivals, with Japan’s Mai Murakami taking silver more than one and a half points behind.
Victory gave Biles her 12th world gold medal and her second of the championships. She went on to collect six in total – four golds, one silver and one bronze.
However, after claiming the all-around title, she insisted: “I’m definitely more upset with myself than happy. It’s not who I am go out and bomb a meet like that.
“Even though I still won, I wish it had been something different. It kind of sucks that I did so bad and still won. You have to earn it and I don’t think I earned it tonight.”
Biles’ success was all the more remarkable given her admission to hospital the night before the qualifying round, but she refused to use her continuing discomfort as any kind of excuse.
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“If it had been a challenge for me, I wouldn’t have competed at all, rather than blame it on the kidney stone,” Biles added.
“I think finals will definitely cheer me up because I get to redeem myself and show people who I really am.”
Biles took a two-year break from competition following the Tokyo Olympics, during which time she announced she would be working on her mental health and also gave evidence to Congress over the abuse she suffered at the hands of disgraced doctor Larry Nassar.
The Las Vegas Raiders fired head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler on Tuesday night, the team announced.
“After much thought about what the Raiders need to move forward, I have decided to part ways with Josh and Dave,” owner Mark Davis said in a statement. “I want to thank them both for their hard work and wish them and their families nothing but the best.”
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders plan to name linebackers coach Antonio Pierce as their interim head coach.
The Raiders dropped to 3-5 with Monday night’s 26-14 loss to the Detroit Lions and are tied for last place in the AFC West.
McDaniels was in his second season as coach of the Raiders after signing a six-year contract in January 2022. He concluded his Raiders tenure with a 9-16 record and no playoff appearances.
Ziegler also joined the Raiders in 2022 when he replaced Mike Mayock.
pic.twitter.com/8P5s2sKxwl
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 1, 2023Keldon Johnson scored on a contested layup after a steal with 1.2 seconds remaining to give the Spurs their only lead of the game and San Antonio rallied for a stunning 115-114 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
The Suns led by as many as 13 in the fourth quarter, but the Spurs closed to within 114-113 after Victor Wembanyama scored four straight points.
Johnson then stole the ball from Kevin Durant and put in a layup to put San Antonio on top.
Durant missed a fadeaway as the buzzer sounded to give the Spurs their first win against the Suns in the past 10 meetings.
Johnson finished with 27 points and Devin Vassell and Wembanyama each added 18 for San Antonio, which outscored Phoenix 33-19 in the fourth quarter.
Durant scored 26 points and Eric Gordon had 20 for a Phoenix team that was again without the injured starting backcourt of Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
Knicks handle undermanned Cavaliers
The New York Knicks got 19 points and 10 rebounds from Julius Randle and never trailed over the final three quarters in a 109-91 win over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jalen Brunson scored 19 points and Immanuel Quickley added 18 off the bench to help the Knicks win the first half of a home-and-home series.
Donovan Mitchell had 26 points in 29 minutes for the Cavaliers, who lost their third straight and fell to 0-3 at home.
Cleveland was without point guard Darius Garland (left hamstring strain), center Jarrett Allen (left ankle bone bruise), top reserve Caris LeVert (left hamstring soreness) and backup guard Ty Jerome (right ankle sprain).
The Texas Rangers are just one win away from their first World Series crown after a dominant 11-7 game four win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Marcus Semien hit a two-run triple and a three-run home run for the Rangers, who opened a 10-0 lead after just three innings.
The Rangers now lead the Diamondbacks 3-1 in the seven-game series having stretched their unbeaten away record in the postseason to 10 games.
They became the first team in World Series history to have consecutive five-run innings with all-star pairing Corey Seager and Semien continuing their hot form, both players batting in six runs apiece during the series.
Saeger hit his third two-run home run of the series while Jonah Heim got in on the action in the eighth inning with a home run to stretch the lead further.
After scoring one run in the fourth, the Diamondbacks fought back with six more across the final two innings, but the gap was too big to bridge.
Arizona’s second baseman Ketal Marte recorded two more hits, sending his record postseason hitting streak to 20 games.
Texas can clinch their first MLB crown on Wednesday night in Arizona, but they will have to do it without veteran pitcher Max Scherzer and star outfielder Adolis Garcia who were injured in game three.
The last team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the World Series were the Chicago Cubs in 2016, but 42 of the last 49 teams up 3-1 have gone on to win.
Jessica Pegula produced an impressive display in the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, as she beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.
Pegula broke her losing streak against the Belarusian having lost their last five meetings and the American has now won her last five games against top 10 players.
Sabalenka made 33 unforced errors, but it still took Pegula seven match points before clinching a 6-4 6-3 win and a place in the semi-finals.
After the match, Pegula said her improvement comes from feeling “more comfortable” playing top players this year.
Sabalenka will now play Elena Rybakina on Thursday night to determine the second qualifier from the group after Rybakina defeated Maria Sakkari 6-0 6-7 (4) 7-6 (2).
Rybakina started with a fury with a dominant first set but Sakkari fought her way back, winning the second set in a tiebreak.
Sakkari had two break point chances in the final set at 4-4, but Rybakina fought back and finished the tiebreak in a dominant fashion, skipping out to a 6-0 lead.
A number of players, including Sabalenka, Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova and Iga Swiatek criticised the conditions of the courts in Cancun.
For the third year in a row, the host of the prestigious tournament – which features the top eight players of the season – was decided less than two months prior to the event.
Marcus Semien hit a three-run homer and drove in five runs as the Texas Rangers moved within one win of their first World Series title on Tuesday with an 11-7 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Corey Seager added a two-run home run and the Rangers won their 10th straight postseason road game, extending their MLB record.
Texas scored five runs in the second and third innings, becoming the first team in World Series history with consecutive five-run innings.
Texas can wrap up the World Series in Game 3 on Wednesday.
Only seven of the last 49 teams to take a 3-1 lead in the World Series failed to win. The most recent team to overcome a 3-1 deficit was the Chicago Cubs against Cleveland in 2016.
Seager’s third two-run homer of the Series capped the five-run second and Semien’s blast punctuated the third.
The Rangers learned before the game that slugger Adolis Garcia and pitcher Max Scherzer will miss the rest of the World Series.
Garcia, the ALCS MVP, has a moderate strain of his left oblique and Scherzer, who was in line to pitch a possible Game 7, has a muscle spasm on the right side of his back.
Garcia hit .323 with eight homers and a major league-record 22 RBIs in these playoffs.
Travis Jankowski took Garcia’s spot in right field and had two hits and two RBIs in his first Series at-bats.
The Diamondbacks were held in check by Andrew Heaney and the Rangers’ bullpen before scoring four runs in the eighth, three on Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s home run off Chris Stratton.
Heaney allowed one run and four hits in five innings.
Gabriel Moreno added a two-run single in the ninth to draw Arizona closer, but Jose Leclerc retired Christian Walker for the final out.
Arizona’s Ketel Marte extended his postseason-record hitting streak to 20 games with a first-inning single.
The day-two leaders in the four categories of the 56th Jamaica Open Golf Championship are from four different countries, making it truly an international tournament. The open is being played at the Tryall Golf Club which is just a short distance from the Grand Palladium Hotel in Hanover, the official hotel and sponsor of the championship.
American pro golfer Andrew Arft maintained his leading position after scoring an even par 72 for a two-day score of six under par 138. His lead was however cut to two from six on the first day by countryman Ryan Sullivan, who posted the lowest score on the second day.
Sullivan scored a six under par 66 for a combined score of 140.
Jamaica's Oshae Haye took over the lead for the amateur section from Sean Morris. His two-day total of 157 came on the back of 75 and 82, on day one and two respectively. Morris was four strokes back on 153.
Trinidad and Tobago's Chris Richards took his day one lead into day two, for a combined total of 146, after posting two under par 70 on the first day, and four over par 76 on the second day, in the Senior Professional category. Canada's Kent Fukushima was in second place on 152.
The final section, for Senior Amateurs showed Canada's Robert Sterling in the lead. His two-day total of 161 came on the back of 12 over par 84 on day one and five over par 77 on day two. Jamaica's Dr. Mark Newnham was in second place on 164 (88 and 76).
The last group of the day all birdied hole number 18 to the delight of the gallery who appreciated the display. The group members were Andrew Arft, Josh Anderson and Chris Richards.
Charlton boss Michael Appleton admitted the 3-2 victory at Wigan – his side’s first away win of the Sky Bet League One season – was ‘job done’.
All the damage was done in the first half at the DW Stadium, with two goals from Alfie May and one from Corey Blackett-Taylor.
After substitute Tyreece Campbell came within a lick of paint of making it four shortly after the restart, the Wigan revival began.
Thelo Aasgaard hit the bar – team-mate Callum Lang had done the same in the first half – before the Norway junior international pulled one back with six minutes to go.
And a frantic finale was ensured when substitute Stephen Humphrys scored Wigan’s second goal in the last minute, only for Charlton to hold out.
“We got the job done, which was the most important thing and the first thing I said in the dressing room afterwards,” said Appleton.
“I’m not going to focus on the last 10 minutes. I’ll focus on what I’ve seen before.
“We were on the front foot. We were pressing really high. The players looked like they were enjoying working really hard and making contact with people.
“If you want to win on the road, you need that type of mentality. We knew the areas of the pitch we had to press really aggressively and we did that and got all the rewards for it.
“Even if they got the first goal, if we’d got three or four wins under our belt on the road, then I don’t think they get a second.
“It’s just that mentality of ‘oh no, surely this can’t happen’, which you could sense was dropping into one or two players.
“But, to be fair, there were a few players on the pitch who rallied round and got after some of our younger players and made sure they could see the game out.”
Wigan boss Shaun Maloney took ‘full responsibility’ for the result after making three changes to a side that had won three matches in the space of a week.
A triple change at the interval helped redress the balance, with Martial Godo coming on and laying on the goals for Aasgaard and Humphrys, but it was too little, too late.
“I spoke a few weeks ago in terms of us having a really great start to the season, and I spoke about complacency setting in,” he said. “And possibly I think that happened again.
“But I have to take full responsibility for that, I didn’t get the team right. You could see the way we played in the second half was very different.
“I didn’t get the team right, the changes I made – that I hoped would have a positive impact – didn’t contribute to a good performance by the team.
“Charlton were very good, they deserved their 3-0 lead at a minimum. But the second half was the complete opposite, and I’ll have to focus a lot on that heading into the weekend.
“As a club, from top to bottom, we have to understand that at no point can we take our foot off the gas, any of us, and that starts with me.”
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