David Miller was visibly distraught following Delhi Capitals’ (DC) narrow one-run loss to the Gujarat Titans (GT) in their IPL 2026 clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. Miller, who slammed an unbeaten 41 off just 20 balls, took a massive gamble on the penultimate ball of the contest, but the decision backfired. With two runs needed off as many balls, Miller refused a single on the second-to-last ball of Prasidh Krishna‘s over. However, it turned out to be the defining moment of the contest as Krishna bowled a slower bouncer to beat Miller.
Miller and Vipraj Nigam, who was at the non-striker’s end, attempted to steal a quick bye, only for Jos Buttler to affect a direct hit at the striker’s end to dismiss Nigam.
Miller was completely heartbroken after the result and had to be consoled by DC captain Axar Patel, who shook hands with his teammate and gave him a pat on the back.
Meanwhile, DC finished agonizingly short on 209 for 8 in pursuit of 211.
Jos Buttler (52 off 27) returned to his ballistic ways with a six laden half century before captain Shubman Gill (70 off) and Washington Sundar (55 off 32) powered Gujarat Titans to 210 for four.
Rahul (92 off 52) and Pathum Nissanka (41 off 24) provided an ideal platform for Delhi Capitals with a 76-run stand off 49 balls. However, Rashid Khan struck thrice in the middle overs to wrest the momentum from Delhi Capitals.
Titans had all under control until the 19th over with the home needing 36 off the last two overs.
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It was a tough ask but with Miller (41 not out off 20) returning to the centre after treating his finger in the dressing room, there was hope.
Miller singlehandedly brought back Delhi Capitals in the game with a couple of cracking sixes and a four in a 23-run penultimate over from Mohammed Siraj.
(With PTI Inputs)
Featured Video Of The Day
IPL 2026 News | Shami’s Sensation Leads Lucknow to First Win of Season
Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.
Shots hit on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Masters week may not count on the scorecard, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t important. The work that happens early week at Augusta National can oftentimes be the difference between wearing the green jacket and becoming just another footnote to history.
In recent years, golf fans have gotten an even closer look at how players are going through this prep. With the debut of the Masters range tracker, you can see every shot hit on the practice tee throughout the week. It’s heaven for golf nerds.
Another neat integration comes courtesy of CBS’s utilization of GOLFTEC’s OptiMotion technology. With it, they can break down players’ swings like never before. This week, they captured defending champ Rory McIlroy’s swing — and highlighted a key move that all golfers can learn from.
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Copy this Rory move
On the swing in the video above, you can see the weight distribution between McIlroy’s feet throughout the swing.
The weight starts fairly evenly distributed between both feet as he starts, and then it shifts to favor the trail side as he takes the club back. However, it does not continue shifting away from the target throughout the entirety of his backswing. Instead, his weight is maximally shifted away from the target (about 65 percent) when his lead arm is parallel to the ground. Then, it starts to gradually shift back toward the target.
By the time his backswing is complete, McIlroy has already started shifting his weight back to his lead side, with only 59 percent of his weight favoring his trail side. This move — known as re-centering — is crucial for solid ball striking, and is seen in every good golf swing.
“When we look at amateur golfers — particularly those who struggle to generate consistent contact — we notice they do not follow this same pattern,” says GOLF Top 100 Teacher Nick Clearwater. “Instead of shifting up to 20 percent of their weight toward the target by the top of the swing like the pros do, they typically shift only a fraction of that percentage.”
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McIlroy’s swing demonstrates this move well — and it’s something you should strive to copy if you want to improve your ball striking.
The idea of 11 Premier League teams playing in Europe may sound unlikely, but under current rules, it is possible.
In recent seasons, qualification for European competitions has become more complex. A major reason is the introduction of European Performance Spots (EPS). These are extra Champions League places given to the two leagues with the best results in Europe each season.
The Premier League has already secured one of these extra places for the 2026–27 season after Arsenal beat Sporting CP 1-0.
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This means England will have at least eight teams in European competitions next season.
How the places are shared
With the extra spot, the current plan looks like this: • Fifth place goes into the Champions League • Sixth place goes into the Europa League • Seventh place goes into the Conference League
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The race for fifth place is very close. Liverpool are currently fifth with 49 points, but several teams are just behind them, making the battle very tight.
What if Liverpool win the Champions League?
If Liverpool win the UEFA Champions League and finish in the top four, nothing changes. England will still have five teams in the Champions League and eight in Europe.
However, if they win it and finish outside the top four, then six English teams will qualify for the Champions League: • The top four teams • Liverpool as champions • The EPS place
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In this case, one Europa League spot would be lost, meaning the total number of English teams in Europe would remain eight.
This happens because UEFA rules say if a team qualifies for both a higher and lower competition, the lower place must be given up.
Could England get nine teams in Europe?
Yes, but only if Liverpool win the Champions League and finish outside the normal European places. That means finishing below the top six or seven, depending on cup results.
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What if another English team wins the Europa League?
If Aston Villa win the UEFA Europa League, the situation is similar to Liverpool’s case. Their final league position would decide whether England gains an extra place or loses one.
But things are different for Nottingham Forest. If they win the Europa League, they cannot qualify for Europe through the league. So England would automatically have: • Six teams in the Champions League • At least nine teams in Europe overall
So how could 11 teams qualify?
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For the Premier League to send as many as 11 teams to Europe, several rare outcomes must happen at the same time: • English clubs win multiple European competitions • Some of those winners finish outside the normal qualification places • Domestic cup winners also take European spots
While it is unlikely, the rules make it possible. For now, one thing is certain — the Premier League will have at least eight teams playing in Europe next season, and possibly even more depending on how results go.
Jul 11, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first base coach Davey Lopes (15) during the game against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Davey Lopes, a four-time All-Star second baseman and a prolific base stealer, died on Wednesday at the age of 80.
Lopes played for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1972-81, winning a World Series in his final season with the club.
He led the majors with 77 stolen bases in 1975 and topped the National League with 63 thefts in 1976. Lopes ranks second in Dodgers history with 418 steals.
“The Dodgers mourn the loss of Davey Lopes, who passed away today at age 80,” the team posted on social media. “Lopes was a member of the team’s record-setting infield of the 1970s and 1980s and one of the finest basestealers in MLB history. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.”
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Lopes made four straight NL All-Star teams from 1978-81 while sharing the infield with first baseman Steve Garvey, shortstop Bill Russell and third baseman Ron Cey. The group set an MLB record for games played together with 833.
Lopes played for the Oakland Athletics (1982-84), Chicago Cubs (1984-86) and Houston Astros (1986-87) following his time in L.A. He retired with a .263 batting average, 155 homers, 614 RBIs and 557 steals in 1,812 games.
He set a record by stealing 38 consecutive bases during the 1975 season, a mark later surpassed by Vince Coleman with 50 straight from 1988-89.
Lopes won a Gold Glove at second base in 1978.
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Lopes managed the Milwaukee Brewers from 2000-02, posting a 144-195 record. He was fired after a 3-12 start to the 2002 campaign. He was on the coaching staffs of the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies and the Dodgers.
Jadon Sancho has endured a torrid term with Manchester United since his arrival in 2021, but his nightmarish era at Old Trafford could draw to a close this summer
Daniel Orme Trends Writer and Aaron Morris Senior Sports Reporter
He has managed just 12 goals in 83 appearances for United and has spent the last two-and-a-half seasons away on loan. Sancho spent the second half of the 2023/24 campaign at Dortmund, before moving to Chelsea last season.
Chelsea had been obligated to make that deal permanent but paid a penalty fee to withdraw from that agreement. Sancho has since been at Aston Villa but has found the net just once during his time in the Midlands.
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With his contract set to expire this summer, and United opting against activating an option to extend it by a further season, he looks all but set to depart the club. Dortmund managing director Ricken has now revealed that Sancho is among several potential targets for the German outfit.
Speaking to Sport Bild, he said: “We are currently looking at a lot of players and analysing them. We check whether they can make us better.
“We are doing the same with Jadon. Of course, we are looking for an offensive player who brings quality, can help us immediately, and doesn’t require an unrealistic transfer fee.
“In defence, Niklas Süle is leaving us, and Emre Can will be out for a while. So we are thinking about that area as well.”
Sancho has endured a difficult campaign with Villa, having made just 17 starts across all competitions. His sole goal came in a 1-0 away victory against Fenerbahce in the Europa League.
However, speaking earlier this year, manager Unai Emery appeared to indicate he would be receptive to making the move permanent. He said: “Not yet, but he is a fantastic player.
“Hopefully he can help us by increasing his qualities in our structure like he is doing. He will need another contract, and maybe it could be here.
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“If he plays his best football, we will want him. But also other teams could be involved in the interest for him.”
Reflecting on Sancho’s performances for Villa, Emery added: “The first part of the season was not enough. He was working and trying, but not achieving the performance we needed.
“Now he is getting better. He is getting the challenge for him and us.”
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have been waiting a week for someone to take the reins and come through in a big moment.
It finally happened during Wednesday afternoon’s contest, however, not quite like how manager John Schneider envisioned.
Davis Schneider entered the game as a pinch-hitter, walked twice and ended up scoring the game-winning run after some smart baserunning to lift the Blue Jays to a 4-3 comeback win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in front of 37,766 at Rogers Centre.
“The big hit usually leads to a win (but) sometimes it’s scoring on an error leads to a win,” said John Schneider. “You need something to get you in the win column.”
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Securing that victory allowed the Blue Jays to snap a six-game losing streak and improve to 5-7 on the season. It also helped the home side salvage something from what was a much-hyped World Series rematch with the Dodgers.
The Blue Jays’ overall play had looked uncharacteristically sloppy over their recent skid and Wednesday represented somewhat of a return to form. Nowhere was that more evident than in Davis Schnieder’s contributions.
He began the game on the bench and during the first six innings, spent time taking swings behind the scenes on the Trajekt machine against simulations of Dodgers relievers. Schnieder knew he’d be inserted into the game at some point and the opportunity arrived in the seventh when he pinch-hit for the left-handed hitting Nathan Lukes.
Schneider drew a leadoff walk from Dodgers lefty Jack Dreyer and came around to score on George Springer’s double off the right-field wall. Daulton Varsho then tied the game with a single to centre, helping the Blue Jays get off the mat in a quick-strike inning that was reminiscent of 2025.
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“It felt, I don’t want to say normal, but it felt like kind of what we do well,” said John Schneider. “And the guys feed off of each other when it gets rolling a little bit.”
Davis Schneider was in the thick of it again in the next frame, drawing a five-pitch walk off Ben Casparius and advancing to third base on Andres Gimenez’s single to centre. As Gimenez swiped second, Schneider noticed the ball had come loose on the throw and alertly ran home to score the go-ahead run.
“That’s kind of how we won last year,” said Davis Schneider. “We ran the bases well, went first to third, found ways to score runs besides the home run. And I feel like we did that today.”
“Davis put it all together today in terms of at-bat quality and just being aware of what he’s doing on the bases,” added John Schneider. “All-around good game for him.”
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The manager had plenty to be encouraged about as there were key contributions up and down the roster. Dylan Cease held the Dodgers to two runs over five-plus innings and was picked up by reliever Louis Varland, who entered with none out and the bases loaded and allowed just one run to score, off a Teoscar Hernandez sacrifice fly.
“I love Louis Varland,” said John Schneider. “That situation, bases-loaded, nobody out against that team, it’s almost an impossible ask. But man, he is quickly becoming one of my favourite players. Not just pitchers but players, just because of his mentality, the kind of dude he is and what he can do.”
Springer and Varsho’s hits in the seventh-inning rally were also integral, as were the relief work of right-hander Tyler Rogers (1.2 scoreless innings) and Jeff Hoffman (striking out Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman while earning the save).
Cease is admittedly new to the team and wasn’t privy to the identity of last year’s club. Nonetheless, he’s been impressed with how the club’s handled the adversity of an ugly week.
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“Definitely a lot of fight in this group,” said Cease. “The biggest thing to me is that nobody’s panicking, which I like to see. It’s very easy when you go through a little slump to panic. But that doesn’t seem to be the case here.”
Wednesday’s win carried a bit of a pop-the-balloon type feel to it. A loss would have brought further frustration and avoiding that will no doubt allow for a better feeling heading into Thursday’s off day.
Next up is a three-game set with the Minnesota Twins beginning Friday and the challenge for the Blue Jays is to build off a strong performance against their World Series foe.
“We’re only (12) games in, so it’s such a long season ahead of us,” said Davis Schneider. “Obviously we’re not starting the way we wanted to start, with all the injuries and the losses, but there’s 150 games left, so there’s still a lot of baseball to be played.
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“Hopefully we can use this as kind of like a jumpstart to a win streak here.”
Atletico Madrid secured a 2-0 win over Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash at Camp Nou.
The visitors, led by Diego Simeone, came into the match determined to respond after their recent league loss to the Catalan side. Despite early pressure from Barcelona, it was Atletico who broke the deadlock.
Barcelona suffered a major setback when Paul Curbasi was sent off for a last-man challenge. From the resulting free-kick, Julian Alvarez gave Atletico the lead.
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Alexander Sorloth added a second goal after the break to hand Atletico a strong advantage heading into the return leg next week.
In the other quarter-final fixture, Paris Saint-Germain claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory over Liverpool at the Parc des Princes.
Desire Doue opened the scoring in the first half, while Khvicha Kvaratskheli sealed the win after the interval to put the French side in a commanding position ahead of the second leg.
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has new contract until the summer of 2026 with the club holding an option for a further season
Manchester United have tied up the first piece of business ahead of an important summer with Harry Maguire signing a new deal. The England international’s new contract runs until the summer of 2027, with the club boasting the option of a further year.
With so much still to be decided, it’s an important step in the right direction. United have a lot to sort out between now and the end of the season, with Champions League football likely to have a major say on transfers and potentially the new manager.
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As things stand, Michael Carrick has guided the club into third place, and are among the favourites to return to Europe’s elite competition. After Maguire’s new deal, the Manchester Evening News looks at four priorities for United to address:
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Appoint a permanent manager
Manchester United are in the driving seat for Champions League football and if Carrick is able to secure that objective, it’ll be a major feather in the interim head coach’s cap. The club are yet to appoint a permanent successor to Ruben Amorim, with Carrick overseeing proceedings until the end of the season.
The former United midfielder has done an impressive job since taking over on a temporary basis and there’s plenty of clamour for the 44-year-old to be given the role permanently. The club hierarchy need to make a call on who’s going to lead the club quickly if they want to get ahead of their Premier League rivals in the transfer market this summer.
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It’s likely to be a slow start to the transfer market with the world’s best players in action at the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada. But United need a clear plan in place, with a manager’s vision in order to get the best out of the window.
Tie down Kobbie Mainoo
One player who has excelled since Carrick has taken charge of the club is Kobbie Mainoo and the United academy graduate is yet to sign a new deal at Old Trafford.
His reintegration into the first-team set-up will give the club a major boost in any potential transfer talks. The club cannot afford to let a talent like Mainoo leave the club, given he epitomises the United DNA.
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His current deal expires in the summer of 2027, though the club have the option of a further year, with talks reportedly underway regarding a new five-year deal. They need to get it done.
Address Marcus Rashford situation
It’s been pretty bittersweet for some United fans watching Marcus Rashford excel while on loan with Barcelona, with the La Liga club agreeing an option to sign the England international.
There are plenty of conflicting reports regarding his future at both the Nou Camp and Old Trafford. There are some suggestions that Rashford will be allowed to leave United regardless this summer, but want a permanent sale, whereas Barcelona are looking for another loan.
United are well within their right to try and maximise the transfer fee obtained from Rashford this summer, and his fine performances in Spain certainly help that cause.
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Sign Casemiro’s replacement
Brazilian midfielder Casemiro announced he’ll be leaving Manchester United this summer and the club know they need to sign a replacement. Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton, Sandro Tonali and Carlos Baleba are just some of the names linked with a move to Old Trafford, with all four set to demand huge transfer fees.
Simply put, United cannot afford to sign any duds, as they have in the past. The return to the Champions League offers the club a real opportunity to kick on and rebuild, but know they have to comply with the new SCR rules.
Tonali, Anderson and Wharton would all be brilliant additions, but United’s transfer chiefs know they need to get the best value for money.
The £30.6 million Bedworth Physical Activity Hub is now open, replacing a centre which dated back to the 1970s.
The new facility was funded by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Sport England, in partnership with operator, Everyone Active.
Facilities include a 25 metre pool and a learner pool with a movable floor. A 100-station gym with Life Fitness and EGYM equipment; a group exercise studio and a four-court sports hall.
This is the eighth Everyone Active facility to offer a reformer Pilates studio, which will be available as part of the You+ Ultimate wellness membership.
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Other facilities include a wellness hub, meeting rooms and a grab and go cafe.
An external sports pitch is due to open in September, which will be followed later by a skate park and learn to ride facility.
Paul Dowling, Everyone Active’s regional director, said: “Bedworth Physical Activity Hub offers something for everyone, no matter what your age, interests or ability.
“This centre will serve the health and wellbeing of local people for many years to come and we’ve already had a fantastic response from the community. Customers have been able to try out new activities for the first time such as reformer and group exercise classes or benefit from our state-of-the-art gym and swimming pool.”
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The facility supports the Passport to Leisure Scheme which gives eligible residents access to free or concessionary rates on a range of sports and leisure activities at the four Everyone Active centres in the area.
The centre also offers targeted swimming sessions such as women-only swims and adult and family quiet swims, which can provide additional support for neurodivergent individuals by reducing noise levels and creating a calm environment. A range of swimming lessons are on offer – including for babies with their caregivers; adult beginners and adult improvers.
In order to cater for the growing interest in training among younger children there are supervised gym sessions for 11- to 13-year-olds; gym introductions for 11- to 15-year-olds and parent supervised gym sessions.
Sustainability is at the heart of the new site’s design, with energy-efficient measures such as pool covers, air source heat pumps and rooftop solar panels helping to maximise the use of green energy.
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The new site hosts Everyone Active’s signature reformer concept / Everyone Active
Apr 8, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray (54) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Sonny Gray tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings and Trevor Story drove in two runs to help the Boston Red Sox defeat the visiting Milwaukee Brewers 5-0 on Wednesday.
Gray (2-0) limited Milwaukee to three hits, walked two and struck out two. Ten of the 19 outs he recorded came on ground balls.
The victory gave Boston back-to-back victories for the first time this season. The Red Sox beat the Brewers 3-2 in the second game of the series Tuesday. The victory also handed Boston its first series win of the season.
Milwaukee starting pitcher Shane Drohan (0-1) made his MLB debut, but was pulled with two outs in the third. He gave up three runs on three hits, walked four and struck out two. Three of the four walks he issued came in Boston’s three-run third inning.
Boston’s Tyler Samaniego, a left-handed reliever, also made his MLB debut and struck out the side in the eighth inning.
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Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela each collected two of Boston’s seven hits. The Red Sox walked eight times in the win.
Sal Frelick had Milwaukee’s only extra-base hit, a double in the first inning.
Milwaukee second baseman Brice Turang missed his second straight game with left ankle tendinitis, but said before the game that he expects to be in the lineup Friday when the Brewers begin a home series against the Nationals.
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The Red Sox took a 3-0 lead in the third. Rafaela scored when Willson Contreras drew a bases-loaded walk, Isiah Kiner-Falefa made it 2-0 by scoring on Abreu’s infield single and it was 3-0 after Andruw Monastario scored on Story’s sacrifice fly.
Boston added to its lead by scoring twice in the seventh. Contreras singled, moved to second on an Abreu single and scored on Story’s single. Abreu increased the lead to 5-0 by scoring on a fielder’s choice.
French sports fans normally swell with pride when their famous footballers, rugbymans and Olympians step out in the bleu, blanc et rouge. But when a dubious Équipe de France appeared at the Santarem Cricket Ground in Portugal on Sunday, few in France were behind them – not even their government.
The French sports ministry confirmed in a statement that France Cricket has not held official status since January 1 and therefore is “not legally authorised, under French law, to organise official national competitions, to award national titles, or to designate national teams”.
And yet there they were, taking part in an International Cricket Council tournament that runs through Thursday.
France Cricket only held official status by virtue of an agreement with the French Baseball and Softball Federation (FFBS), which expired at the end of last year.
The website of the International Cricket Council (ICC) – the sport’s global governing body – notes that France must have government recognition to qualify as a member. An account of France Cricket’s history that has not been updated since 2016 reads: “France Cricket had to rejoin the FFBS … to comply with ICC requirements concerning government recognition.”
France Cricket is due $560,000 in development funding from the ICC for the period 2026-2027 and reported having made $328,172 in non-ICC income during the previous period.
France Cricket has long sought to become a fully independent federation in its own right, free from the FFBS umbrella and directly recognised by both the French government and the ICC. The signature of France Cricket chairman Prebagarane Balane is on the final agreement between France Cricket and the FFBS – which applied from December 2022 to December 2025 – but it specifies that France Cricket must first obtain official recognition, or agrément, from the sports ministry before attempting to be an independent federation: “Obtaining the ministerial agrément referred to in Article L.131-8 of the Sports Code is a mandatory prerequisite.”
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“We are still waiting for agrément,” France Cricket acknowledged, according to the minutes from a January 30 meeting.
Minutes from a March 13 meeting in the presence of Jubaid Ahamed, president of the French National Teams Committee, noted attempts to arrange talks with the sports ministry and claimed: “The agrément procedure or ministerial delegation have no bearing on France Cricket’s ability to organise federal competitions.”
Those same notes announce plans for three Equipe de France national teams: The men will go on tour to Portugal, the women will begin training at the start of April and the under-19s will train every Sunday morning at Villiers-le-Bel, north of Paris.
In an email to those involved in the Portugal competition dated March 19, seen by FRANCE 24, Balane was defiant. He said, “France Cricket is a recognised national federation and fully authorised to field a national team.”
The French government’s position was already public by that point.
A report in The Cricketer magazine cited correspondence from France’s sports ministry to a dissatisfied cricket club saying that, under the French Sports Code, France Cricket may not use official designations including “Fédération française de cricket”, “Fédération nationale de cricket” or “Équipe de France de cricket” (France national cricket team).
“France Cricket has neither ministerial agrément nor a delegation [to run cricket],” the sports ministry confirmed in their statement to FRANCE 24 on March 25.
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Spot the difference
Yet on April 5 – at the start of the T20i series between France, Portugal and Norway – “FRANCE” was clearly emblazoned across the blue, white and red kit of the senior men’s team. The French flag and France Cricket’s cockerel logo appeared on hats and shirts. Match results were diligently added to France’s tally on the official ICC website under the French flag and the name “France”.
The only difference to normal proceedings: on a YouTube stream set up by hosts Portugal, France was labelled as “France XI” (a reference to the 11 players on a cricket team). A person familiar with tournament preparations confirmed that France Cricket asked to field its team as such.
At the venue, a printed sign reading “France” had “XI” added beneath it in pen.
“The fact of organising international competitions knowing that the legal framework has collapsed constitutes a management fault on the part of the director,” assessed Jim Michel-Gabriel, barrister at the Paris Bar and founding president of the Association of Sports Agents’ Lawyers.
By losing its FFBS affiliation, France Cricket also lost its federated insurance contract, he pointed out – so players taking the field in Portugal do so without injury cover.
“Without the agrément, the association can no longer guarantee players for bodily injury,” he wrote in an email, noting that France Cricket could face insolvency if a serious incident led to major compensation claims.
Management also risks personal civil liability for fielding national or international competitions without the legal shield of a delegated federation, he said, or could even be held criminally responsible. Under the Sports Code, “the administrator or director of any legal entity” that uses official appellations without authorisation could be charged a €7,500 penalty.
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“It would be very surprising if, in the absence of delegation … ‘France Cricket’ or ‘France XI’ could compete officially under the ‘France’ banner, which could be confused with the banner of a recognised federation,” said Paris lawyer Fabienne Fajgenbaum.
“France Cricket faces a convergent set of legal risks, primarily criminal and institutional, linked to the exercise of rights reserved for delegated federations,” she added, saying such behaviour put it at “high” to “very high” risk of legal exposure to criminal liability, civil liability and administrative misconduct.
Moreover, she said, these practices undercut its chances for official recognition.
According to an initial assessment, Isabelle Wekstein-Steg, a lawyer specialising in sports at Paris cabinet WAN Avocats, said the use of “France XI” does not appear to violate the French Sports Code, which prohibits unrecognised bodies from using designations including, “French National Team.” But she said that if a court were to determine that the team was being presented as a national team, it could be considered a violation of the code regardless of its name.
Also on the line in Portugal was ICC competition money.
The ICC recognises all 20-over matches between associate members as ranked international matches: Perform well and you climb the rankings. Perform badly and you drop.
The top 60 nations in the men’s rankings are remunerated: “France” was at 52nd before the tournament began, a rank worth $13,500 in bonus funding; the prize halved at rank 55, which is where France found itself after two losses on the first day. But this source of funding remains modest for an ICC member running a total budget of about $900,000.
There is, however, a bigger prize in their sights.
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“France” is set for a shot at glory in European qualifiers for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028, slated for May 16-23 in Cyprus, according to an ICC press release.
Vacuum
A potential rival emerged to vie for France’s cricket mandate – the multi-sports federation ASPTT – but pulled its candidacy amid concerns around taking on such a burden before securing ICC backing.
In its March 25 statement to FRANCE 24, the sports ministry said no federation had yet earned the delegation for cricket as of January 1. This means that cricket no longer has a recognised authority in France at all, and dozens of clubs across the country might soon struggle to secure funding.
Neither the ICC nor France Cricket responded to a request for comment. Citing an ICC source, The Cricketer reported that the matches would retain their T20 international status.
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In a January 9 statement, France Cricket said no national or international authority had published a decision “withdrawing or modifying” its delegation, and that it had filed for ministerial agrément in August 2025 and was awaiting a response. “No ministerial decision calls into question either the recognition of France Cricket or its current management of the discipline,” it said.
The description on its Instagram page now reads “French cricket association”, and not “French Cricket Federation”.
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