Babar Azam turns to domestic cricket after 7 years (ANI Image)

Pakistan captain Babar Azam is set to return to domestic first-class cricket for the first time in nearly seven years, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) keen to see him back in action following Pakistan’s disappointing Test tour of England.Babar to represent Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) against Kingsmen Academy in the ongoing President’s Trophy Grade-I competition, starting September 18. His return comes after Pakistan suffered a 0-3 series whitewash in England and the PCB made sweeping changes to the touring squad and coaching staff.

PCB wants Babar back in red-ball cricket

Babar has not played domestic first-class cricket since 2019, when he represented Central Punjab in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. OGDCL sports head Farah Batool said the PCB had sent his name to the team for inclusion as a guest player.“Babar’s kit has been ordered and he will decide whether to play in the match from September 18 or from September 24 in the third-round game,” Batool said.

Shaheen, Haris among centrally contracted players in action

Babar is not the only centrally contracted Pakistan player featuring in domestic red-ball cricket after the England tour. Fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf have also turned out for their respective teams in the President’s Trophy.Shaheen has represented KRL, claiming four wickets in an innings, while Haris picked up a five-wicket haul for PTV. Haris, who has played only one Test, against England in 2022, when he suffered an injury after bowling 13 overs, has expressed his willingness to return to Pakistan’s Test setup.“If I can be useful for Pakistan because of my pace, I would gladly play Test cricket,” he said.The fast bowler, who is primarily known for his T20 performances, had declined to play the Test series in Australia in December 2023, citing the need to manage his workload. His central contract was also suspended for a period before being restored.

Babar’s captaincy under scrutiny after England whitewash

Babar was reappointed Pakistan’s Test captain in July and has since overseen a 1-1 series draw against the West Indies and a 0-3 defeat to England. The PCB’s decision to make seven changes to the squad and remove head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul after the second Test at Lord’s reportedly came without consulting or informing Babar.Pakistan’s defeat in the second Test came inside three days, prompting major changes ahead of the final match of the series.

Heisman Trophy odds: New threat to Darian Mensah for the award emerges appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

As we head into Week 3 of the 2026 college football season, the newest Heisman Trophy odds show that Miami quarterback Darian Mensh remains the favorite for the prestigious award. However, there are several big-name players coming after his top spot, including stars like Jeremiah Smith, Arch Manning, and CJ Carr.

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The Hurricanes have now beaten their first two opponents (Stanford and Florida A&M) by a combined score of 122-13, with Mensah orchestrating the wildly dangerous offense to perfection. The Duke transfer is leading the pack with +575 Heisman Trophy odds heading into the ‘Canes’ matchup with Wake Forest on Friday.

This race is far from over, though, as big names are looming after the Ohio State-Texas instant classic shook up the favorites board.

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OSU wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is now right behind Mensah at +750. Those odds improved slightly from the previous week, when he was +800. It also pushes Smith above his own QB, Julian Sayin, who now has just the seventh-best odds at +1600.

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Following Mensah and Smith are Texas Arch Manning (+900), Notre Dame QB CJ Carr (+1100), Miami WR Malachi Toney (+1200), and Ole Miss Trinidad Chambliss (+1400). In addition to the top five, including football royalty like Manning and Carr, what is most interesting here is that Mensah’s true sophomore teammate is on the list. While Mensah and Toney are both top Heisman candidates now, that may become a problem when the votes start coming in, as voters will have to decide which player deserves more credit for Miami’s success.

Outside of the top seven, Week 3 risers include Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor (+15000 to +2000), Georgia QB Gunner Stockton (+3300 to +2200), and SMU QB Kevin Jennings (+7500 to +4000). Players who dropped after Week 2 include Oregon QB Dante Moore (+1100 to +4000), who went from tied for third to tied for 13th after the Oklahoma State Cowboys upset the Ducks.

Related: Kyle Shanahan, Mike Macdonald skyrocket up Coach of the Year odds after big Week 1 wins

Related: Houston vs. Texas Tech prediction, odds, pick for top 25 Big 12 clash in Week 3

2026/27 United Rugby Championship: five key questions ahead of new season

One of club rugby’s leading competitions gets under way on 25 September. While the teams are finalising their preparations for the opening fixtures, 1xBet.ie review assesses the Irish sides’ chances and looks at the key storylines ahead of the new campaign.

Can Leinster defend their title?

Leinster have won the last two URC titles and look the favourites to be crowned champions again. However, they face another battle on two fronts, with their European ambitions as strong as ever. A packed schedule will require regular changes to the starting XV, so their chances of retaining the trophy will also depend on the players called upon to deputise for key figures between major matches.

Will Munster return to title race?

Munster will have to start the new campaign without Jack Crowley, who is still recovering from injury and is not expected to return until 2027 at the earliest. In his absence, the experienced JJ Hanrahan could take on the role of main playmaker, and Munster’s performance in the first half of the season will depend largely on him.

They need to find a way to win consistently without Crowley and prevent their rivals from pulling too far ahead. If Munster remain among the leaders by the time he is back, a title challenge would become a realistic prospect.

Will home advantage help Connacht go further?

Last year, Connacht showed just how difficult they can be to beat in Galway. At the redeveloped Dexcom Stadium, they defeated Glasgow Warriors 15–10 and Munster 26–7. Away from home, however, Connacht looked less assured. In the quarter-final against the same opponents, they couldn’t repeat that success and lost 33–21 to Glasgow. For Stuart Lancaster’s side, that provides an added incentive in the battle for a top-four finish. A home quarter-final would significantly improve Connacht’s chances of going further than they did last season.

Which new signings will have the biggest impact?

Following Jack Carty’s retirement, Connacht needed a new leader in attack. Ciarán Frawley, who has joined from Leinster, could take on that role. He has already worked with Stuart Lancaster in Dublin, so adapting to the coach’s demands should not take long. Munster have also strengthened their front row by signing Marnus van der Merwe, formerly of Scarlets. The South African is particularly effective at the set-piece when competing for possession.

After a year in France, Jamie Ritchie is back in the URC, where he represented Edinburgh for more than a decade. The former Scotland captain will now line up for Edinburgh’s rivals, Glasgow Warriors.

Thomas du Toit’s return to the Sharks is another notable move. He spent most of his career there before joining Bath, and the Rugby World Cup winner with South Africa should provide a significant boost to the front row as the team looks to make the play-offs again after finishing tenth last season.

Who will challenge our clubs?

Irish teams are not the only contenders for the trophy this year. The Bulls have reached the final in each of the last two campaigns, losing to Leinster on both occasions. The South Africans will now be determined to take the next step and finally win the competition.

Glasgow Warriors should not be written off either. The 2024 champions reached the semi-finals again last season, losing to the Bulls. This time, the Scottish side will be looking to go one better.

The upcoming URC promises plenty of surprises. It is even more exciting to follow the championship on the official website and via the 1xBet.ie app, where new customers can use promo code URC26 and receive 48 EUR for a bet of 10 EUR or more.

Stay at the heart of the action and root for your favourites with 1xBet.ie!

LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

NEW YORK – If you’ve ever wondered what hype looked like, a few minutes in and around Cavan Sullivan’s orbit will do the trick. The 16-year-old may have walked into the EA Sports FC 27 launch party quietly on Tuesday, but in no time, he was swarmed with attention he seemed to be prepared for and was ultimately unfazed by, perhaps because he had enough people in the room whisking him away from those obligations in short order.

The buzz was a reminder rather than the point itself. Two days removed from scoring off a backheel and nutmegging a goalkeeper in San Diego, the latest in his tally of five goals and seven assists following MLS’ World Cup break, the Philadelphia Union attacker has earned the spotlight. He claimed Tuesday that he has no idea if his first senior call-up to the U.S. men’s national team is on its way, though he’ll reportedly be on Thursday’s squad, per ESPN, instead characterizing his current priorities differently.

“I’m just working to develop my game and get better day by day and hopefully keep proving myself, proving [to] the world what I can do in the games and just having fun,” he said.

After a North America-set World Cup that gripped U.S. audiences, Sullivan’s impressive run of form has allowed him to fill the attention vacuum seamlessly. He is tied for first on goal contributions post-World Cup with Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, who had already collected three LaLiga titles and two UEFA Champions League trophies before Sullivan was born. The 16-year-old said he was unaware of that commonality with Messi, though he did not hesitate to link it to the Union’s unbeaten run that has been intertwined with his own uptick in form.

Call it What You Want: A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. Catch the show YouTube live every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 a.m. ET.

“I didn’t know that,” he admitted. “That’s pretty cool. Like I said, I’m just trying to show what I can do. I told people that the goal contributions will come with the games but as always, the wins are most important, and 10 unbeaten is pretty special.”

The connection to the Union is obvious – Sullivan essentially blew up as soon as he was given an important role with his boyhood club, his promotion only coming this summer. The youngest player to make his MLS debut at 14, his integration into the Union’s first team was understandably slow but Sullivan has been handed a bigger role by interim head coach Ryan Richter, who succeeded Bradley Carnell after he was fired just before the World Cup. Sullivan has made his moments count since, attributing it to the vibe shift in the Union locker room.

“I think it was sort of just a spirit thing, a belief thing,” he said about the tonal change for the Union, who were below the playoff line before the World Cup and now have a three-point cushion on the flip side of the line. “A healthy competitiveness. Locker room filled with excitement to show up to training and excitement in the games. When we score, we celebrate. Sometimes we plan our celebrations and we just have fun.”

A few weeks shy of his 17th birthday, there’s a certain humor in the idea that Sullivan had to wait until the back half of the MLS season for his opportunities. Carnell restricted him to an average of 42.2 minutes per game, a 13-game stretch in which he notched just one goal and two assists. His post-World Cup outings are an example of a player meeting his moment, albeit after leaning into the serious side of a skillset that is built around exuberance and flair.

“I think just like the rest of the group,” he said about surviving the Union’s early season rough patch and the situation around his playing time, “just head down, driven, and continue to work hard … I have this winning mentality. I just really love to win, ever since I was a kid so that’s where the competitiveness comes from. I think it’s just [that] my drive is natural.”

There’s a professionalism to the way he characterized himself on Tuesday, perhaps a tacit acknowledgment that USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his staff are “watching everything” as they prepare to integrate younger players into the player pool. Sullivan, though, did not have a reason to hide his ambitions of representing the national team sooner rather than later, especially as a natural generational shift takes place on the long road to the 2030 World Cup.

“Obviously, everyone dreams of playing for the USA,” he said. “As a kid living in America, it’s the biggest goal, it’s the biggest honor so it would be a blessing to be able to represent. All four of the Sullivan brothers had dreams of playing for the USA. [Older brother] Quinn’s already done it so that was a pretty awesome moment for the family.”

England women’s all-time record try scorer Amy Hardcastle has announced her international retirement.

The St Helens centre, 37, scored 30 tries in 29 appearances for her country, having made her international debut in 2009.

England head coach Stuart Barrow described her as “one of the defining players of her generation”.

She leaves the international game a month before the start of the Rugby League World Cup – having featured at the past three tournaments – but will continue to play at club level.

Hardcastle was the only England player selected in the Women’s Team of the Decade, picked by the NRL in 2020 to highlight the outstanding players of the 2010s.

“Representing England has been the greatest honour of my rugby league career,” she said.

“To wear the national shirt, play alongside so many incredible team-mates and represent my family, clubs and community has meant everything to me.

“After a lot of reflection, I feel now is the right time to step away from the international game. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved and how far women’s rugby league has come during my career.

“I’d like to thank every coach, team-mate, member of staff and supporter who has been part of my international journey.

“I’ll be the biggest cheerleader for the girls who are selected to fly to Australia, and I wish the squad and Stuart Barrow every success at the Rugby League World Cup.”

England’s opening match of the World Cup is against Wales in Perth on 17 October.

Paying tribute to Hardcastle, England head coach Barrow added: “She has been an outstanding ambassador for the sport, a role model for young players and someone who has consistently driven standards on and off the field.

“Throughout her international career, Amy has shown professionalism, resilience and an unwavering commitment to the England programme.

“She has performed on the biggest stages, inspired team-mates and helped elevate the profile of women’s rugby league both nationally and internationally.”

Normally, a batch of Exhibit 9 contracts wouldn’t qualify as significant news. They’re non-guaranteed training camp deals, after all, the sort that teams typically hand out in bunches this time of year. But in the case of the defending NBA champion New York Knicks, however, those deals are potentially significant.

On Wednesday, the Knicks signed five players to those contracts: Ochai Agbaji, Bruce Brown, James Wiseman, John Konchar and Drew Eubanks. The Knicks currently have 13 players under guaranteed contracts for next season with a bit more than $3 million in room beneath the second apron. That essentially leaves them the space to add one player before the season starts, and we now know the five players who will compete for that final spot.

This competition proved hugely significant a year ago, when the Knicks brought in Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon and Garrison Mathews to compete for their final roster spot under fairly similar financial circumstances. Shamet eventually became an essential role player for New York’s championship run and has since re-signed on a four-year deal.

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The Knicks would obviously be thrilled to replicate that success with one of this year’s five signings, but the odds of doing so are usually low. Rarely does a player fighting for a team’s final roster spot even get the minutes needed to have such an impact. And even if those minutes arrive, there’s no guarantee that a player who was available for a camp deal in September would be able to take advantage of them. These are, in essence, low-odds signings. There are only so many Landry Shamets out there.

But they’re notable components of New York’s broader offseason plan, because, at least for the moment, the defending champions appear somewhat incomplete. In an effort to duck the second apron, the Knicks lost key backup center Mitchell Robinson, who signed with the rival Boston Celtics. He was nominally replaced by Andre Drummond, but that’s a downgrade to say the least. 

We know the Knicks want at least one more big man on the roster. Before they signed any of these Exhibit 9 contracts, they tried and failed to trade for Yves Missi of the New Orleans Pelicans. They then tendered a restricted free agent offer sheet to Dallas Mavericks big man Moussa Cissé. Dallas matched, and New York moved on.

A path to adding a playoff-caliber center?

Eubanks, an experienced journeyman big, and Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, are fliers at center. The Sacramento Kings squeezed some occasional minutes out of Eubanks last season, and while Wiseman has only played five games over the past two seasons due to a torn Achilles tendon, there is still upside through his draft pedigree alone. Still, in the long run, it’s hard to imagine either factoring seriously into New York’s playoff rotation. 

If the Knicks are going to add another playoff-level center, it is probably coming through trade.

And that is where Brown, Konchar and Agbaji come into play. The Knicks theoretically could have thrown all of their camp slots at big men in an effort to cast the widest possible net, but instead, they signed three wings to an area of surplus. Shamet, Jose Alvarado, Jordan Clarkson and Miles McBride all seem unlikely to surrender their roles from last season, and both Mohamed Diawara and Tyler Kolek proved they’re ready for bigger roles during their rotation stints a year ago. The Knicks have a perimeter surplus, one that they can potentially trade from if one of those Exhibit 9 signings pans out.

The obvious candidate here would be McBride, who is entering the final season of his extremely team-friendly contract. He’ll make just below $4 million this season, but that’s a figure he could easily triple as a free agent next summer. He’s currently extension-eligible, but the Knicks haven’t yet given him a new deal. Given their commitment to remaining below the second apron, they may not be able to afford to, depending on what they wind up giving Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart. 

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That makes McBride a realistic trade chip if the Knicks elect to pursue another big man at the deadline. Their options are relatively limited given how close they already are to the second apron. In all likelihood, they’d be targeting a center on a rookie deal or a very underpaid veteran. But with McBride on the table and their 2033 first-round pick now tradable, they have the ammunition to target such a player if he becomes available. For now, no such big man stands out. Maybe the Pelicans warm up to the idea of a Missi trade. Maybe another team with center depth or a draft-pick deficit emerges. If that’s the case, the Knicks will presumably be ready to pounce.

Are any of these five players likely to swing New York’s title defense? Probably not. Wiseman and Agbaji have upside based on draft pedigree. Brown has been a legitimate contributor on a championship team (the 2023 Denver Nuggets), but that same champion brought him back a season ago and was underwhelmed enough not to re-sign him this season. Eubanks has bounced around the league, and Konchar seemingly fell out of favor in Memphis. There’s a reason these players were available right before camp.

But the Knicks are as good as any team in the NBA at maximizing the margins. Shamet was a home run signing under these circumstances, and whether they do so directly or indirectly, one of these players has a chance to be similarly impactful by helping the Knicks replace the size they lost with Robinson.