Sam Billings has defended the "phenomenal" Rob Key despite England's early World Cup exit, saying people have "short memories".
England's defence of their World Cup crown came to a dismal end, crashing out at the group stage and suffering defeats to the likes of Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
The miserable elimination has led some to criticise Key, England's managing director, but Billings has come to his defence, praising the work he has done since being appointed in 2022.
"I think Rob Key has been phenomenal," Billing told Stats Perform, speaking on the Pro Am Padel Tour.
"People have ridiculously short memories. He's accountable for everything that's been a positive change over the last 15 months.
"So yeah, I think people always like to shoot people at the top. I think it's all just paper talk, but you look at where English cricket is at the moment – it's an interesting time for cricket as a whole.
"There are so many options. There are so many different competitions around the world, and so multifaceted where you're trying to juggle everything so I think they're doing a fantastic job."
Billings believes England's terrible World Cup campaign is a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in sport, saying: "Without stating the obvious, it's hugely disappointing.
"But it's just a reminder of how brutal sport is. There are no guarantees, we prepare the best we can as athletes, the best we can as a team, but ultimately, there are no guarantees and every single team, regardless of how good they are or how good they've been, can have off days that can kind of mount up.
"It's just been one of those things – I think it's important to keep perspective in a time like this where it's been five weeks, probably, of poor cricket over an eight-year period. When you put it in perspective like that, I think that's pretty much all I can say about it. I just think it's important to keep perspective."
Retiring Nadal deserves everything in the world for sacrifices, says Lorenzo
Rafael Nadal deserves "everything in this world" in his retirement after the sacrifices he made during his tennis career, says former Moto GP world champion Jorge Lorenzo.
Nadal officially confirmed his departure from the sport earlier this week, with his glittering 23-year spell on the court set to end after November's Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
The Spaniard has lifted 22 major titles, a total only bettered by Margaret Court, Novak Djokovic (both 24) and Serena Williams (23) in tennis history.
An astonishing 14 of those came at the French Open, which is the most of any player at a single grand slam in history, leading him to be dubbed 'The King of Clay' at Roland-Garros.
Nadal's 112 French Open wins are the most of any man at a single major in the Open Era, while his 14-0 record in Roland-Garros finals is the best recorded by anyone at an event in that span.
Nadal is the latest of the 'Big Four' to announce their departure from the sport after Andy Murray earlier this year, along with Roger Federer in 2022, with Djokovic the only one still playing.
Lorenzo, a five-time world champion who retired from motorsport five years ago, shared his experiences since leaving the track and what the future has in store for Nadal.
"Everyone experiences [retirement] in a different way," Lorenzo told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.
"It has always been said that many athletes after retirement go into a kind of mini-depression and are a bit sad.
"But in my case, it has been the opposite, I have lived five fantastic years. I have really enjoyed the freedom of being able to choose how and where to use my time.
"And I hope that Rafa is very happy because he deserves everything in this world for what he has sacrificed and for the great example that he has shown as an athlete to the whole society."
Nadal's first grand slam title came at the 2005 edition of Roland-Garros, while the 2022 season saw him triumph in the French capital and at the Australian Open.
He is the only player to win at least one major in 15 different calendar years, and between 2005 and 2014, he never ended a season without a grand slam title.
Nadal finished 13 different years in the top two of the ATP World Rankings, more than any other player throughout the Open Era.
The 38-year-old will bring his storied career to a close on home soil in Malaga, where he will be part of Spain's Davis Cup team which also includes Carlos Alcaraz.
Ancelotti influence key for Endrick development, say Dida and Cafu
Carlo Ancelotti's player management can turn Real Madrid's Endrick into a "great player", according to Brazil's World Cup winners Dida and Cafu.
Endrick arrived in the Spanish capital from Palmeiras in July in a deal reportedly worth €60million, signing a six-year deal with the 15-time Champions League winners.
The 17-year-old has scored two goals in nine appearances across all competitions this season, though he has only featured for 107 minutes across those games.
But Ancelotti has shown his faith in young players during his tenure with Los Blancos, with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo all developing under his stewardship.
Cafu, who made 119 appearances for Milan under Ancelotti, believes Endrick has the right man to guide him through the early stages of his promising career.
"Ancelotti is a great coach, and he is really good at developing young players," Cafu told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.
"He's really good at managing them, he understands them and knows when it's the right time for them to play or when they need to stay on the bench.
"For someone like him he will be like a father who will give the right advice."
It was a sentiment echoed by Cafu's former Milan team-mate Dida, who hopes he can become an important player for Brazil ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
"We all know Carlo [Ancelotti], he knows how to manage all the champions," Dida added.
"He knows how to make these kids grow even if they are already in an important team.
"And that is certainly something very nice for [Endrick], we hope he does well because he is a Brazilian who will surely do well with the [Brazil] national team.
"I hope that our national team always works with this type of players and we hope that Carlo, as always, does his job."
Endrick was picked for the Brazil national team for the first time in November 2023, becoming the youngest male player to secure a senior call-up since Ronaldo Nazario in 1994.
He netted his first goal for his national side in a 1-0 win over England at Wembley back in March this year, scoring again three days later in an entertaining draw with Spain.
Endrick was also part of Dorival Junior's squad for the Copa America.
After three substitute appearances in the group stage, he made his first start for Brazil, replacing Vinícius who was suspended for their quarter-final against Uruguay.
However, he struggled during the contest, completing just one pass during the match, from kick-off, as they crashed out on penalties to Marcelo Bielsa's side.
Though showing only glimpses of what he can become, Cafu believes the sky is the limit for Endrick.
"Endrick can become a great player. He's young and has enormous potential and can grow a lot," Cafu concluded. "With Ancelotti as a manager, I'm sure he can become a top player."
Kempes backs Messi to lead Argentina's 2026 World Cup charge
Lionel Messi remains in control of his 2026 World Cup destiny with fitness no issue due to the lesser demands of playing in MLS.
That was the message from former Argentina international Mario Kempes, who expects Lionel Scaloni's superstar attacker to be physically capable of featuring in FIFA's next tournament.
Doubts remain as to whether Messi will make it to the tournament hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada, where he will hope to play aged 39.
The former Barcelona star is already playing in the USA's domestic competition, though, and Kempes believes that could have a significant influence on him featuring at the World Cup.
"I think Messi will arrive in good shape and fresh, because the MLS is not really very demanding, even though he demands himself," Kempes told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.
"I think he will arrive in good shape, but first we have to wait for the qualifiers and see how he feels because he is the one who will decide if he is in condition to come in and contribute everything he knows."
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner suffered an unfortunate ankle injury in the 2024 Copa America final but has since returned to the international fold.
Messi missed several MLS matches for Miami, with that absence allowing him to recover in time for Thursday's 1-1 qualifying draw with Venezuela.
Such management of fitness issues could be key for Argentina's Messi-led hopes at the next World Cup, where he will hope to add to his 13 goals at the tournament.
Only Gerd Muller (14), Ronaldo Nazario (15) and Miroslav Klose (16) have managed more strikes at the World Cup, with Messi out for further history if he makes the 2026 edition.
Having scored seven goals en route to Argentina's 2022 success, Messi will have no doubts of adding to his impressive tally, though Kempes urged caution for expecting him to be available.
"You never know what can happen because there is still a long way to go," Kempes, who appeared 43 times for Argentina, added.
With or without Messi, Kempes has been impressed with Scaloni's work in transforming Argentina's fortunes, winning two Copa titles as well as FIFA's top prize.
"Scaloni has already surprised us all when he takes over the national team and changes all the players except for [Nicolas] Otamendi, [Angel] Di Maria and Messi," Kempes continued.
"I think he has made a generational change that has not been noticed, because he mixed the players who were already there with the new ones.
"And the new ones have been very well received and have that winning mentality that led Argentina to win two Copa Americas and a World Cup."
Argentina wrap up their October internationals when they host Bolivia on Wednesday, aiming to extend their three-point lead at the top of their qualifying group.
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