Mohammed Shami (PTI Photo)

Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun has questioned the way Mohammed Shami has been treated by the current selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar, insisting that the veteran pacer still has plenty to offer despite being out of the national setup.Shami has not played for India since the Champions Trophy campaign in March 2025, when India went on to win the tournament. Since then, the 36-year-old has remained outside the national team despite putting together a series of strong performances in domestic cricket.His continued absence has fuelled speculation that Shami’s international career could be nearing its end. However, Arun believes India should not have shut the door on one of their most experienced fast bowlers.

Bharat Arun unhappy with Shami’s treatment

Shami’s omission has been particularly noticeable when Jasprit Bumrah has been unavailable, with the Indian management opting to invest in younger pace options rather than recall the experienced Bengal seamer.There was also a public exchange between Shami and Agarkar last year. After the selectors left Shami out of the Test squad for the series against the West Indies, Agarkar raised questions about the pacer’s fitness.Shami responded by making it clear that he would not have been playing Ranji Trophy cricket for Bengal had he not been fit.With Shami continuing to perform strongly on the domestic circuit, Arun believes age should not automatically count against him.“They shouldn’t have closed the door on Shami. There is still plenty of cricket left in him. When someone is performing, age shouldn’t be a factor. You see his durability. It is an outstanding number for the kind of talent he possesses. It is actually befitting for Shami. 100 first-class matches with what he loves most, the red ball,” Arun told the Indian Express.Shami is currently representing East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone in Chennai, giving him another opportunity to make his case with the red ball.

Ishan Kishan also sees hunger in Shami

East Zone captain Ishan Kishan has also noticed a different level of intensity from Shami during the current domestic season.Speaking ahead of the Duleep Trophy final, Kishan said the veteran pacer has shown a strong desire to make an India comeback and praised the effort he has been putting into his domestic cricket.“As a captain, looking at the effort, I felt very nice, because Shami bhai coming in, asking me for those extra overs to get the wickets, it always gives confidence,” Ishan said.Kishan added that Shami’s attitude has stood out to him, particularly given that he is no longer a regular member of the Indian team.“Looking at Shami bhai this season, I feel he has been very different. I’ve seen him in the past, but his approach towards the game, his intensity, his energy has been very different. When you are not regularly playing for the Indian team and to again have that same kind of motivation for your domestic games, it is tough but I feel I see that hunger in him. I think he has that hunger and that motivation right now like he wants to do that comeback, he wants to be part of Indian squad again and which you can see in him,” he added.

Shami reaches 100 first-class matches

The Duleep Trophy final has also provided Shami with another significant milestone.The East Zone pacer has featured in his 100th first-class match against South Zone in Chennai, adding another landmark to an accomplished career.Shami also played an important role in East Zone’s semi-final victory over defending champions Central Zone, claiming three wickets in the second innings.

It has been a while since Paul Casey was in this spot, holding a 54-hole lead with a chance to add to his trophy case. But after firing a 7-under 63 on Saturday at Crans-Sur-Sierre Golf Club, Casey will enter Sunday at the Omega European Masters with a three-shot lead.

The last time Casey won a tournament of any sort was the 2021 Dubai Desert Classic. A lot has changed in pro golf since the last time Casey hoisted a trophy. The former World No. 3 left for LIV Golf in 2022. As a member of the Bryson DeChambeau-fronted Crushers, Casey won $31.8 million but never won a solo title, losing twice in a playoff. His last major championship appearance came at the 2022 Open Championship, and his last DP World Tour top 10 was at the Porsche Singapore Classic in 2024.

Casey is now 49 and battling wrist and back issues. But he opened this week at the European Masters in Switzerland, where he now lives, with a 67 and backed up with a 64 on Friday. On Saturday, Casey blitzed the field with six birdies on the front nine. He dropped a shot at the 14th but got it back with a circle on 15 before closing with a birdie on 18 to take a three-shot lead over Eugenio Chacarra, Nacho Elvira, Erik van Rooyen and Maximillian Steinlechner.

“The birdie on 18, that was the highlight of the day, with the great Swiss crowd,” Casey said after his round. “I love this place, I really do, so it’s a wonderful day.”

A win Sunday would be Casey’s 16th DP World Tour title, but one of the more meaningful in a career that is reaching the setting sun.

After finishing with a closing birdie, Casey became emotional thinking about what a win on Sunday would mean, especially at a place that is now embedded in his heart.

“This is now home. I now live in Switzerland, so it would mean an awful lot. It feels like a home week for me,” an emotional Casey said.

Then, he made a vow. Win or lose on Sunday in the mountains of his new home, Paul Casey vowed that any winnings that come his way will all be donated to help the victims of the fire at Le Constellation bar that killed 41 people and injured 115 in the early hours of New Year’s Day in the Crans Montana, where the event is being hosted.

“And tomorrow, whatever happens, I hope I win, and I’ll be playing really hard,” Casey said. “But I’ll make sure that all my prize money as well is going to the charity and the victims of the fire here in Crans Montana, so I’ve got a lot to play for tomorrow.”

Mali teammates celebrate defeating Spain after the women’s World Cup basketball match between Mali and Spain, in Berlin, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. (Andreas Gora/dpa via AP)

BERLIN — Mali pulled off the first stunner of the Women’s Basketball World Cup by shocking Spain 82-73 on Saturday.

It was only the second win ever in tournament history for the African country, which beat Senegal in overtime in 2010.

Mali was down two at the half, but outscored Spain 31-19 in the third quarter to take the lead. Mali went on a 16-4 run in that period after it was down 45-44 to take command. Sika Kone, who finished with 19 points, had two 3-pointers during that game-changing run. Kone, who plays for the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA, also had 10 rebounds.

READ: Record-setting Japan, US start Fiba Women’s World Cup with wins

“ITS FOR ALL AFRICA”

SIKA KONE REPRESENTING THE CONTITENT 🇲🇱#FIBAWWC pic.twitter.com/aWiynMEvPY

— FIBA Basketball (@FIBA) September 5, 2026

Mali (1-1) scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, including another 3-pointer by Kone, to put the game away as Spain could get no closer than nine the rest of the way.

Djeneba N’Diaye also had 19 points for Mali, which is 2-10 in its World Cup history.

Iyana Martin scored 20 points for Spain (1-1), which was one of the top teams in the world.

Host Germany slows down Japan for first win

Germany got off to a fast start and slowed down Japan in a 74-58 win.

In front of a sold-out crowd that was loud for the entire game, Germany outscored Japan 28-11 in the first quarter. Japan, which beat Mali 102-97 in its opener Friday, couldn’t find any rhythm against the hosts. A day after hitting a World Cup-record 20 3-pointers, Japan was just 3-for-27 from behind the arc. Two of those makes came in the final 1:38 of the game.

“We know Japan shoots more 3s than 2s, so we took away the 3,” said German star Leonie Fiebich. “Our goal was to be physical with them.”

READ: Germany hopes to defy injuries, losses at home Fiba World Cup

Frieda Buhner scored 19 points and Nyara Sabally added 18 for Germany (1-1).

Kokoro Tanaka led Japan (1-1) with 15 points.

All four teams in Group A are tied at 1-1.

Hungary posts first World Cup win in 28 years

Dorka Juhasz had 19 points and 16 rebounds to help Hungary edge Nigeria 71-67.

Nigeria (0-2) was down 66-52 with 3:57 left before getting within two with 3 seconds left on Elizabeth Balogun’s basket. Nigeria fouled Reka Lelik with just over a second left and she calmly knocked down both free throws to seal the win.

It was Hungary’s first victory since 1998 when the team topped China in the quarterfinals. Now they’ll play Korea next to close out pool play.

Virag Takacs-Kiss added 17 points for Hungary (1-1). Juhasz, who plays for the Minnesota Lynx, had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the first half.

Amy Okonkwo scored 17 points to lead Nigeria, which finishes off pool play against France.

France recovers to rout South Korea

Marine Johannes scored 14 of her 17 points in the first half as France rallied from a slow start to beat South Korea 95-69 in the final game of the day.

South Korea (1-1) got off to a hot start and led 31-24 after the first quarter. Then Johannes and France got going, scoring the first 14 points of the second quarter. Johannes had nine of those as the French (2-0) led 43-37 at the half.

France put the game away at the start of the third quarter with a 24-4 run dominated by Dominique Malonga and Gabby Williams. Malonga had 10 points and Williams nine during that spurt.

South Korea could never recover.

Malonga and Williams each finished with 14 points.

No. 16 Michigan beat Western Michigan 13-12 on a Hail Mary pass on the game’s final play Saturday night after the officiating crew put one second back on the clock. JJ Buchanan reeled in the 47-yard bomb from Bryce Underwood to lift the Wolverines to a controversial victory that left college football buzzing over the following question.

“As I watched the first Hail Mary and the ball sailed out of the back of the end zone, I glanced at the clock, and I was pretty sure there was one second left,” Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham said. “That, obviously, is not up to me. The refs went to replay, and they confirmed it and gave us one more opportunity.”

Should the play have ever happened?

The Broncos appeared to have secured a historic upset just moments earlier when a prior Hail Mary attempt from Underwood sailed out of the back of the end zone with the clock on the NBC television broadcast showing 0:00 when the play ended. However, the officiating crew went to the monitor and determined that one second remained.

A historic throw and catch ensued as Michigan avoided what would have been a catastrophic beginning to the Kyle Whittingham era. The outcome left Western Michigan distraught and left the Big Ten officiating crew with questions to answer about a confounding call that appeared to have no justification in the moment.

According to a statement released by the Big Ten after the game, officials got the call right: it was determined that Western Michigan defender Micah Davis made contact with the ball while out of bounds with one second remaining.

“Following video review, it was determined Western Michigan’s #18 started his jump from an established out-of-bounds position (left foot) and made contact with the ball with one second remaining on the clock,” the statement read. “As shown in the provided video of what was viewed during the replay process, a side-by-side view of the play and the game clock, using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium, was used to determine the final ruling.

“Eighty-five minutes prior to the game, all broadcast cameras used for the replay system, including the camera on the game clock, are synced using a strobe system to ensure all cameras are aligned.”

Watching the play in real time, it’s even more confounding how a second was placed back on the clock. Western Michigan’s sideline had already begun emptying onto the field in celebration and chants of “fire Kyle” could be heard in the background.

The review felt like nothing more than than a crew checking the box. But the crew came back with a monumental decision, opening the door for Michigan to escape.

After the initial mayhem, NBC went to rules analyst Terry McAulay, who relayed that the broadcast and stadium clocks were, in fact, in sync. Given that fact, he struggled to explain what the officiating crew may have seen that led them to place a second back on the clock.

“The ball isn’t even close to touching a player when it goes to zero,” McAulay said on the NBC broadcast. “Their system, their hawkeye system, apparently either had a different sync or whatever, and they came up with one second when it touched a player. I don’t see that happen. Assuming our clock is correct, it is clearly not touching a player. The ball is clearly still in the air when the clock goes to zero on our screen. The Big Ten is going to have to tell a lot of us how did they get to one second on this play.”

WMU coach handles saga graciously 

Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor said in his postgame press conference that he believed MAC leadership had alread reached out — presumably to the Big Ten — for clarification on the call.

“I know when I looked up at the clock, it was past zeroes before we touched it,” Taylor said. “I knew that they would review it. It’s the last play of the game. And because we defended it so well, I wasn’t worried or concerned about our guys going out and defending it a second time. Unfortunately, we did not defend it as well the second time.”

President seeks review

In an unorthodox move, Western Michigan president Russ Kavalhuna addressed the media after the game, saying the school we’ll work through official channels to seek a review of the game’s ending.

“We’ll talk to our commissioner and we’ll try to see if there’s anything that we can ask for a review on,” he said. “Frankly, I don’t know if we can. I just want everyone to know that this football team deserves a second look, if that’s possible.”

Andy Ruiz was beaten by Damian Knyba on Friday and now two-time world welterweight champion Shawn Porter has shared his verdict on his performance.

Former unified world heavyweight champion Ruiz was competing for the first time in over two years, as he went up against Knyba in a clash that was expected to kickstart ‘The Destroyer’ back on the path towards another future crack at world honours.

It didn’t work out that way though, as Ruiz was dropped in the seventh round and went on to lose by unanimous decision, with many shocked by the outcome of the contest.

Porter doesn’t appear to be one of those who saw it as a surprise though, as he told FightHype that Ruiz performed exactly how he expected him to.

“He looked how he was supposed to look. Two years out of the ring, you’ve got a tall guy in front of you, you haven’t had to track anyone down, you haven’t had to make any mental adjustments, physical adjustments, anything like that at all.

“The expectation of Andy I think was more so built on everything he’s been in the past. He was stronger than Knyba but he couldn’t catch up to him. Truly not willing, more than not able, I think he was not willing to do what he took to get to Knyba.”

The loss means that Ruiz has now suffered the third defeat of his professional career, and he has already revealed what he plans to do next following the bout.

Multi-time champion Danny Green gives his honest take on the new-look Lakers roster originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

In the 2026 offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers have made major changes. They have parted ways with LeBron James, the player who has been the superstar for the past eight years. He’s not the only departure, because the likes of Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes have also left the team.

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This made the Lakers‘ front office pivot to other targets, as they made a major sign-and-trade for Walker Kessler and signed underrated names like Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle, and Sandro Mamukelashvili. Despite the potential these signings have, it seems it was not the best offseason that multi-time champion Danny Green would have hoped for.

Danny Green walks back his criticism of the Lakers’ offseason

It is normal for someone like Green to criticize the Lakers because he knows what it takes for a team to win. He has three championships under his belt, including one with the Lakers in 2020.

Throughout his career, he has been part of all kinds of top teams, and he felt the Lakers were not doing enough earlier in the 2026 offseason. Now that the Lakers have made more moves, it seems that Green is walking back a bit on that criticism.

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MORE: Derek Fisher sends a warning to the Lakers in the post-LeBron James era

Green understands that the Lakers are in a new era now, especially with Luka Doncic as the superstar player. That is why they need to build around him with players who complement his play style. With the moves they have made, that is clear, so Green is a bit more optimistic about the 2026-27 season.

“I mean, at first, I wasn’t sure where they were going, the direction, and then everything happened so fast, and I was like, ‘Damn, okay, this piece, that piece.’ I liked a lot of the pieces they picked up.
I know they’re young, so not super experienced. I think they’re gonna be a pretty good regular-season team. Playoffs, I don’t know because of the youth and experience,” Green said to ESPN Los Angeles about the Lakers’ offseason.

It is a fair opinion to have because the current Lakers are not a proven bunch like the LeBron-led teams. This will be an interesting situation to follow, especially in the Western Conference. If they can pull it off, they could be a dangerous team when the postseason rolls around.

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Headwall is poised to attempt consecutive victories in the same race at successive starts, a rare feat as he prepares to re-enter the fray in the Concorde Stakes at Randwick.

The gelding achieved a brilliant win in the $1 million sprint 12 months ago, but a subsequent leg injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

His return on Saturday follows a deliberate and careful preparation, with trainer Matthew Smith admitting his keenness to see the horse race again.

“It has been a long build up. Every time you gallop him you’re holding your breath,” Smith said.

“I just can’t wait to get him to the races on Saturday.”

“He’s a horse who could win a Group One this ‘prep’. He’s ready to go so we’ll see what happens on Saturday and he’ll improve into the preparation.”

Headwall demonstrates a dynamic record when commencing a preparation, having won three times and placed twice in six first-up runs. However, Smith cautions that this is against the backdrop of the seven-year-old’s extended time off the track.

He is also mindful that the 1000m distance of the Concorde Stakes leaves minimal room for error, although he is very satisfied with Headwall’s condition heading into the race.

“I think he is going as well as last year. That’s where I feel he’s at,” Smith stated.

“But he’s had a year off, you’ve got to remember.”

“The only thing is with these 1000 metre races, it’s a scramble and you’ve got to be lucky. He’s drawn a good barrier and I’m sure they’ll go at a good gallop. We’ll see where we’re up to anyway. Hopefully there will be a flashing light on him going to the line.”

Smith’s stable will also be represented by Way To The Stars in the same contest, after plans to head to Melbourne were abandoned due to a poor weather outlook.

“They’re talking about a lot of rain on Saturday, and we just couldn’t take the chance,” he explained.

“We’re staying here and we’re being realistic about it.”

The accomplished mare Idle Flyer will contest the Tramway Stakes (1400m) for the stable. This follows a tenacious first-up effort where she finished sixth behind Autumn Glow in the Winx Stakes (1400m), facing some of the nation’s premier horses.

Smith is leaning towards targeting her at the Epsom Handicap (1600m) in October. While a mile is considered her optimal distance, Idle Flyer remains undefeated in four second-up appearances.

“Well, look out Saturday,” Smith quipped.

“She was really good first-up and she has come on.”

“She’s potentially going to go to the Epsom now. It will be either the Seven (Stakes) or the Epsom. Once she goes to the mile, she’s at her best so this is another stepping stone in that direction.”

The trainer has experienced a highly successful start to the season, amassing seven city winners and currently sitting third on the Sydney trainers’ premiership, behind the formidable Chris Waller and Ciaron Maher.

Get the latest racing odds at top Australian betting sites for the Concorde Stakes.

Considering Enzo Fernandez wasn’t even supposed to be starting the game against Coventry City, the Manchester City midfielder comfortably settled into his new surroundings on Saturday.

Speaking of comfort, Rayan Cherki is so relaxed on the eye it’s as if he’s wearing slippers such is the poise and grace with which the playmaker effortlessly yet decisively drifts across the turf.

Fernandez and Cherki were two of City‘s standout performers in the win over Coventry and the pair showed signs of striking up an early and dangerous partnership that will have defences at home and across Europe worried.

Cherki’s start to the season has been sensational and while he didn’t manage a goal or assist against Coventry in his 65 minutes on the pitch, he was the game’s standout attacking player. He hit the post early on and was a constant threat with his quick footwork, his vision, awareness and creativity. Every he time he got on the ball there was an expectation of what was to come.

Fernandez, who lasted 10 minutes longer than Cherki before he too was replaced to a standing ovation, played in a more advanced role and regularly got forward to threaten the Coventry backline.

The former Chelsea man displayed a sharp turn in the first half and played a little pass into Cherki who saw his shot blocked, with Fernandez then latching onto the rebound and seeing two efforts of his own deflected away from danger.

The closing stages of the opening period saw the two combine again to send Erling Haaland through when Fernandez played a slide-rule pass into Cherki, who flicked the ball round the corner to the onrushing Haaland, who was denied by a smart save from visiting keeper Carl Rushworth.

Considering Fernandez had had just two training sessions with his new team-mates since arriving on Monday and hadn’t played since the opening weekend of the season having sat out Chelsea’s games since then ahead of his switch to the Etihad, the 25-year-old looked sharp and fit.

Maresca labelled him a winner on several occasions in his press conference on Friday and spoke again after the win over Coventry over the World Cup winner’s ability to help this City side be successful. Cherki is already doing his bit. Both have a winning mentality, a maverick streak and a swagger.

Maresca’s City are already looking one of the league’s great entertainers and in Cherki and Fernandez, who shared a hug before kick off against Coventry, they have two of the superstar showdown.