Ben Stokes reckons the past three months have been the “hardest period” of his time as England captain but is determined the current leadership group can oversee a revival in the Test team’s fortunes. Earlier on Monday, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Richard Gould, confirmed Stokes, managing director Rob Key and coach Brendon McCullum would all stay in their posts despite the team’s 4-1 loss on their five-Test tour of Australia, which ended in January. 

Key denied suggestions Stokes and McCullum had fallen out in Australia, despite the pair offering contrasting messages during a desperately disappointing series loss.

Stokes, in an emotional Instagram post, said he was determined to learn from his mistakes following the lowest period of his near four-year spell as England captain, with Key and McCullum still the right men to be alongside him. 

“Being England captain is the greatest honour a player can be given and I do not take it for granted,” Stokes wrote.

“It has its highs and it has its lows, it makes you want to smile, it makes you want to cry. It completely and utterly consumes you and feels like it’s the only thing in your life at times.

“The last 3 months has without a doubt been the hardest period of my captaincy journey, it’s tested me in so many different ways and I’m sure every other captain has gone through this as well.

“Baz (McCullum), Rob and myself have the passion and desire to take this team forward, we are going to give you everything we have, we know we made mistakes along the way and we have learnt from those mistakes, you learn more from failure than success.”

In addition to England’s poor performances on the field, there were reports of excessive drinking by players on a break, raising concerns about the dressing-room culture.

Revelations followed that vice-captain Harry Brook had been involved in an altercation with a nightclub bouncer on the pre-Ashes visit to New Zealand.

A midnight curfew has since been enforced, while the ECB are trying to recruit a new national selector after Luke Wright resigned for family reasons.

Stokes has not played since suffering a groin injury in the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney in January, but is set to feature for Durham in the County Championship ahead of this season’s home Test programme.

England have three Tests against McCullum’s native New Zealand in June before a  trio of matches against Pakistan in August and September.

Stokes added: “I have learnt a lot about myself but the most important thing that I want the fans to know is that….

“I F*****G love cricket, I F*****G love this team, I F*****G love being England captain and I have got so much more to give to this role and I’m so happy that I get to do it with Baz and Rob.

“We all appreciate every single person who supports us. We do what we do for many reasons but one of those reasons is to bring our supporters and fans happiness and a sense of pride and we will aim to do those things as much as we can in the future.

“See you all in June for the start of the Test Match summer.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

After Syracuse got demolished by UConn in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, 98-45, on Monday, Orange head coach Felisha Legette-Jack used her opening statement in the postgame press conference to send a message to the NCAA selection committee.

“For us to do what we’ve done, to continuously have to come to UConn … it’s unfair to the young people,” she said, later adding that it was “unacceptable,” “wrong” and a “personal attack.”

Legette-Jack became the Orange head coach in 2022. Her team has made the NCAA Tournament twice in the last four years; both times, it faced UConn in the second round. Syracuse, a No. 9 seed this year, took down Iowa State in the first round on Saturday. The Orange were crushed by the unbeaten reigning champs on Monday, however. UConn was up 65-12 at halftime before cruising to the 53-point win. Legette-Jack’s team kept it much closer in 2024, losing to UConn 72-64.

Prior to coming to Syracuse, Legette-Jack was the head coach at Buffalo, where she led her team to four NCAA Tournaments. In 2019, Buffalo was a No. 10 seed and had to face UConn in the second round, where it lost 84-72. Syracuse also drew UConn in the second round before Legette-Jack was at the helm, in 2021 and 2017.

In the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the top four seeds host games on their campuses. It is not uncommon for the selection committee to make bracket-placement decisions based on geography, and Legette-Jack noted that she believed Syracuse has “earned the right to go anywhere outside of a four-hour radius.” She also mentioned that she would have been OK being a No. 10 seed instead of a No. 9 seed if it helped avoid this placement.

Per NCAA rules, “Any team that has to travel at least 400 miles during the opening weekend is eligible to take a flight chartered by the NCAA. That drops to 350 miles for the regional finals and the Final Four.” So, the NCAA saves money on travel if it is able to reasonably place teams in brackets closer to their campuses.

You can read the full transcript of Legette-Jack’s opening statement below:

I asked God to touch my heart and help me speak kindly about this opportunity, but also have a responsibility. And when I tell my players the need to ‘woman up,’ I think I have to do the same thing.

And for us to be coming from a [12-18 season] last year, OK, let’s judge it on this season.

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For us to do what we’ve done, to continuously have to come to UConn, and every single school that I go to, from Buffalo to — it’s unfair to the young people.

I don’t know what it is. Somebody said, is there something that they might have against me? If that’s the case, then we need to communicate about that.

But for us to be — what we’ve done and our body of work, to have to come and play the best team in the country, I mean, Geno has this thing going, and I love what he’s done. But we, I thought, deserved a little more respect.

After being in this business for 37 years, and to have to come and be in this particular bracket every fricking year is unacceptable. It’s wrong. It’s — somebody — and if you’re on the committee and you’ve been around for more than a year or two or five to 10, 15 years, you understand what that looks like.

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I have been on those committees to see how it’s done, how you can put people on different lines. Put us on a 10 line, whatever. But for us to continue to come to Connecticut year after year after year is, to me, it’s a personal attack, because I just think that we are way better than what we performed today.

But I think what you’re going to notice, that everybody that comes through Geno and UConn is going to get the wrath of what they can bring.

I just know that this team right here had a strong chance of getting beyond this particular level, and I am hoping that I’m not disrespecting anyone. I’m hoping that I’m not bringing shame to Syracuse by crying spilled milk, but after a while — I’ve never said anything in this kind of light before.

A lot of people talk about rev share. I just want the young people that’s in my locker room to have a fighting chance, and I am grateful to be in an NCAA Tournament, from where we’ve come from, but I think that we’ve earned the right to go anywhere outside of a four-hour radius. That’s all I have.

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Legette-Jack has been open about the challenge UConn presents since the draw came out. 

“I gave a directive to my manager. She said she’s good at kidnapping people. I asked her to kidnap [UConn head coach Geno Auriemma] and [UConn forward Sarah Strong]. And I looked at her and I said, did you follow through with the directive I gave you? And she said, no. So they’re going to be there,” she joked in the press conference on Sunday, the day after Syracuse’s first-round win over Iowa State.

At the end of her press conference on Monday night, Legette-Jack made it clear how much she respects UConn’s program.

“Just before I go, I just want to say thank you, UConn, for growing women’s basketball to newfound heights every year. You just make it great,” Legette-Jack said. “And our hope is that we can grow our program so that we can be competitive enough so when they bring us back here next year, we’ll be more prepared. Thank you. God bless.”

Former U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe spoke out in support of the Iranian women’s soccer team amid the players’ trials and tribulations over the last few weeks while competing in Australia.

The Iranian women’s soccer team was in Australia earlier this month to compete in the Women’s Asian Cup. Players were seen refusing to sing their country’s national anthem as the U.S. and Israel launched a joint military campaign on the Iranian regime. The players were dubbed “wartime traitors” by an Iranian broadcaster for their decisions during the tournament.

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Retired United States soccer player Megan Rapinoe looks on before a SheBelieves Cup match against Colombia at Sports Illustrated Stadium on March 7, 2026, in Harrison, New Jersey. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

Australian officials then raced to try to get the players asylum in the country. At least two players stayed in Australia while the rest of the team made it back to Iran.

Rapinoe praised the “bravery and courage” of the women.

“I’m just thinking about this in the context of, like, the immense pressure that these young adults and these young women are under to make a decision like this,” she said on the “A Touch More” podcast. “Like, the incredible courage and bravery it would take knowing what that could potentially mean for their family back home. The bravery and courage to protest the national anthem, basically in protest of the Iranian regime and not singing the national anthem during a match. The stress and uncertainty they’re facing – their family, their loved ones. What does that all mean for back home?

“I, of course, fully support their decisions to seek asylum and seek a better life and to try to escape an incredibly oppressive regime in that situation. I don’t know what’s going on with them and why some of them left and however that is. I hope the ones that returned home have done so under their own free will and choice and that their families are safe, that they’re safe, and their friends are safe. I hope the ones that have chosen to stay feel a sense of peace and hope about a potential for a new life in Australia or otherwise.”

Iran players react during their national anthem ahead of the Women’s Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAP Image via AP)

IRAN WRESTLING CHAMPION SPEAKS OUT AGAINST COUNTRY’S TREATMENT OF FEMALE ATHLETES AMID SOCCER PLAYER CONCERNS

Rapinoe added that she was “in awe of their courage.”

The former U.S. soccer star faced scrutiny for not speaking out as the saga was unfolding in the country. Piers Morgan was among those who labeled Rapinoe as “hypocritical.”

“The silence over this from Rapinoe, and so many supposed ‘feminists’ like her, is so telling, damning, and hypocritical,” he wrote in a social media post. “They’d rather campaign for biological men to wreck women’s sport than campaign for these heroic young sportswomen to help save their lives.” 

She didn’t address her critics in her latest podcast episode with Sue Bird.

Initially, seven of the Iranian women’s soccer players accepted asylum but turned around and declined the opportunity at the last minute. Two players who stayed were seen training with one of the country’s premier clubs last week.

The Australian government faced criticism for not working fast enough to get to the players.

“We ended up with an outcome that is certainly far from ideal,” Graham Thom, an advocacy coordinator for the Refugee Council of Australia, told The Associated Press.

Iran players pose for a team photo ahead of the Women’s Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia on Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAPImage via AP)

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“Hopefully the two who are remaining get the protection they need, but we just hope that those who have returned are also safe.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ben Stokes has admitted the past three months have been the “hardest period” of his time as England captain but he is adamant the current leadership group can take the Test team forward.

England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Richard Gould affirmed hours earlier the positions of Stokes, managing director Rob Key and head coach Brendon McCullum were safe despite the Ashes debacle.

Key rejected out of hand suggestions Stokes and McCullum had a falling out in Australia, despite the pair offering conflicting messages during a turbulent campaign in which they were soundly beaten 4-1.

But in an impassioned Instagram post, Stokes insisted he does not take his role as Test skipper, which he has held for nearly four years, lightly as he endorsed himself, Key and McCullum to learn from their mistakes.

Addressing England supporters, he wrote: “Being England captain is the greatest honour a player can be given and I do not take it for granted.

“It has its highs and it has its lows, it makes you want to smile, it makes you want to cry. It completely and utterly consumes you and feels like it’s the only thing in your life at times.

“The last 3 months has without a doubt been the hardest period of my captaincy journey, it’s tested me in so many different ways and I’m sure every other captain has gone through this as well.

“Baz, Rob and myself have the passion and desire to take this team forward, we are going to give you everything we have, we know we made mistakes along the way and we have learnt from those mistakes, you learn more from failure than success.”

England’s decision to have just one warm-up before taking on Australia was fiercely criticised, as was a break in Noosa between the second and third Tests, with reports of excessive drinking by players.

The revelation that white-ball captain Harry Brook was punched by a bouncer the night before he led England in a pre-series assignment to New Zealand led to questions over the culture under McCullum.

A midnight curfew has since been enforced, while the ECB are in the process of searching for a new national selector following Luke Wright’s resignation for family reasons.

Stokes has not played since suffering a groin injury in the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney in January, but is set to turn out for Durham in the County Championship ahead of this summer’s Test programme.

England play three Tests against McCullum’s native New Zealand in June before another trio of matches against Pakistan in August and September.

Stokes added: “I have learnt a lot about myself but the most important thing that I want the fans to know is that….

“I F*****G love cricket, I F*****G love this team, I F*****G love being England captain and I have got so much more to give to this role and I’m so happy that I get to do it with Baz and Rob.

“We all appreciate every single person who supports us. We do what we do for many reasons but one of those reasons is to bring our supporters and fans happiness and a sense of pride and we will aim to do those things as much as we can in the future.

“See you all in June for the start of the Test Match summer.”

As New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and his siblings look to transfer an equity stake to a children’s trust, the overall value of the franchise has been revealed.

An NFL memo obtained by ESPN earlier this month found the Tisch family — Steve, Jonathan and Laurie — are seeking a transfer of their collective equity stake in the franchise to their children. The proposed stake was 23.1% of the team. 

The proposed transfer of equity values the team at $10.8 billion, according to Sports Business Journal, which would put a 23.1% stake at roughly $2.5 billion. 

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New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch arrives for NFL owners meetings in New York City, New York on Oct. 21, 2025.   (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)

For comparison, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross sold 1% of his team to billionaire entrepreneur Lin Bin with the valuation at a record $12.5 billion. 

Julia Koch, a board member with Koch, also bought a 10% stake in the Giants with a valuation at $10.3 billion in October 2025. 

GIANTS CO-OWNER STEVE TISCH, SIBLINGS LOOK TO TRANSFER EQUITY STAKE TO CHILDREN’S TRUSTS, NFL MEMO SHOWS

It’s also worth noting that the NFL memo stated, “Following the transactions, the Sellers will no longer own any interest in the Club.” 

It is unknown if the transfer requests have anything to do with Steve Tisch’s name appearing in the Epstein files released by the U.S. Justice Department in January. His name appeared more than 400 times in the files, and while he said at the time he knew of Epstein, he denied visiting Epstein’s infamous island. 

Steve Tisch executive vice president of the New York Giants looks on before pre-season football game against the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 18, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

“We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy and investments,” Steve Tisch said in a statement on Jan. 31. “I did not take him up on any of his invitations and never went to his island. As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with.”

The U.S. Justice Department released more than 3 million documents related to the Epstein investigation, which included email exchanges from April 2013 and June 2013 between Tisch and Epstein. Some of those exchanges appear to show conversations about women. 

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in February the league would look into Steve Tisch’s association with Epstein. 

“Absolutely we will look at all the facts,” Goodell said at a news conference in San Jose, California, during Super Bowl week. “We’ll look at the context of those and try to understand that. We’ll look at how that falls under the (league personal conduct) policy. I think we’ll take one step at a time. Let’s get the facts first.”

New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch during warms up prior to the National Football League game between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants on Oct. 28, 2018 at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.  (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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The Tisch family has been involved in Giants ownership since 1991 alongside the Mara family, which founded the franchise in 1925. 

Fox News’ Chantz Martin and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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EXCLUSIVE: A letter signed by former longtime Yale ice hockey coach Keith Allain, addressed to Yale President Maurine McInnis, alleged that current Yale Athletic Director Victoria Chun has created a “toxic environment” for the university’s sports teams. 

In the letter, Allain claimed other Yale coaches urged him to speak out against Chun to McInnis after his retirement. 

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Yale Coach Keith Allain on bench during game vs Cornell at Boardwalk Hall. Atlantic City, NJ 3/19/2011 (Lou Capozzola /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)

“My name is Keith Allain, I have just retired after 19 years as Mens Hockey Coach and I am writing to you at the urging of several head coaches in our Athletic Department. They told me that you were soliciting feedback from a few coaches regarding extending the contract of our athletic director, and are concerned, that with the culture of fear that permeates the athletic department, you will not receive candid feedback,” the letter began. 

Allain went on to call Chun the “worst leader” he has ever been around and alleges she has prioritized “silencing any dissent.”

“As a Yale alum and someone who has a great affection for our University and the role of athletics within the greater Yale community I felt compelled write you as my former colleagues asked. Vicky Chun is the absolute worst leader I have ever been around in my life. She is dishonest, self centered and inaccessible. Vicky’s singular talent is self promotion and has created a toxic environment within the department where she is insulated by a cadre of administrators whose main task seems to be silencing any dissent,” the letter continued. 

UNIVERSITY LEADER ADMITS SCHOOLS ARE ‘NOT A POLITICAL PARTY’ IN WARNING TO ELITE CAMPUSES

Coach Keith Allain of the Yale Bulldogs stands behind the bench during a game against the Boston University Terriers during NCAA hockey at Agganis Arena on December 13, 2016, in Boston, Massachusetts. The Terriers won 5-2.  (Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)

“I know this assessment seems harsh and I am willing to provide detail if you were interested in learning more about my experience and how Vicky’s lack of leadership affect my program. As a point of reference, our teams record before Vicky was 220 wins-144 losses-39 ties, with Vicky 62 wins-110 losses-15 ties. Responsibility for that record is mine, but we all know organizational leadership or lack of it has an impact.”

A source provided the letter to Fox News Digital. Allain later confirmed to Fox News Digital that he wrote the letter and sent it to McInnis in October, shortly after he retired after 19 years leading Yale hockey. Allain declined further comment. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Yale president’s office and athletic department for a response.

Fox News Digital is currently reviewing additional claims and allegations. 

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Head coach Keith Allain of USA during practice before the 2011 IIHF World U20 Championship Group A game between USA and Finland on December 26, 2010 at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York.  (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

Allain, who played ice hockey at Yale from 1976-80, took over as head coach in 2006, leading the program to the NCAA championship in 2013 and seven Ivy League championships during his tenure. He finished his tenure with a record of 282–254–54. 

Chun, a former volleyball player and later head coach for Colgate University, took over as Yale Athletic Director in 2018 after serving in the same position at Colgate from 2012-18.

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Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has described speculation that he will take over at Real Madrid this summer as “nonsense”.

The German stood down after nearly nine years in charge at Anfield following the end of the 2023-24 season and has since fulfilled a role as head of global football with Red Bull.

He has not ruled out a return to football management in the future, although he has been linked with a comeback to Anfield amid his successor Arne Slot’s struggles in his second season in the hot-seat.

Klopp, who won the Champions League and Premier League at Liverpool, has also been mentioned as a candidate for the Real job to replace Alvaro Arbeloa at the end of the campaign.

But Klopp told reporters at the Magenta TV World Cup team presentation in Munich: “If Real Madrid had phoned, we would have heard about it by now.

“But that’s all nonsense. They haven’t called even once, not once. My agent is there, you can ask him. They haven’t called him either.

“Right now I’m not thinking about that, luckily there’s no reason to.

“For my age, I’m quite advanced in life, but as a coach I’m not completely finished. I haven’t reached retirement age. Who knows what will happen in the coming years? But there’s nothing planned.”