Former Australian captain Ian Chappell says the coming IPL season will be good practice for India's players ahead of their highly anticipated series Down Under in December.
Indian and international cricketers -- including several Australians -- are currently in the United Arab Emirates ahead of the virus-delayed Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament which starts on September 19.
The coronavirus pandemic halted major sporting events around the world, with players forced indoors and unable to train with the teammates.
Virus concerns mean India are unlikely to have any practice games before they tour Australia for four Tests and three one-day internationals in December-January.
"With venue bubbles, isolation rules, social distancing, and a number of changes to playing conditions, adapting to international competition has been testing for players," Chappell wrote on the Cricinfo website.
"It's made life difficult and different even in a team environment but imagine the individual's dilemma in enforced isolation with a tour looming."
But those cricketers taking part in the T20 competition at least have "some challenging IPL cricket" in the lead-up to the series, Chappell added.
Chappell cited the example of former England batsman Ravi Bopara, who he said used the IPL matches to lift his game. He went on to score back-to-back centuries on the West Indies tour in 2009.
The series for the Border-Gavaskar trophy is a part of the ICC Test championship, which India leads ahead of Tim Paine's Australia.
A farmhouse located on the Althorp Estate, the former home of Princess Diana, has been destroyed in a suspected arson attack. Earl Spencer, Diana’s younger brother, confirmed the incident and said the fire was believed to have been started deliberately by vandals.
Emergency services were called to the estate in the early hours of 28 May, where they found the building “fully on fire”. The affected property, Dallington Grange Farmhouse, was an 18th-century building that had been unoccupied for several years and was scheduled for redevelopment.
In a statement shared on social media, Earl Spencer said: “Stunned to learn that one of Althorp House’s farmhouses – fortunately, unoccupied at the time – was apparently burnt down by vandals last night. So very sad that anyone would think this a fun thing to do.”
Adey Greeno, the estate’s long-serving head gamekeeper, echoed these sentiments, adding: “The farmhouse that we lost to a deliberate act of vandalism last night has now had to be razed to the ground for safety reasons. So sad. The world we live in.”
Northamptonshire Police have confirmed the fire is being treated as deliberate, though investigations into the exact cause are ongoing.
Diana spent much of her early life at Althorp after moving there with her family in 1975The Telegraph
A spokesperson for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service stated that firefighters were called at approximately 1.30am to a blaze on Mill Lane in Kingsthorpe. On arrival, they found a two-storey, unoccupied farmhouse engulfed in flames. At the peak of the incident, four crews equipped with breathing apparatus and hose-reel jets worked to control the fire and prevent it from spreading further.
By the following morning, one crew remained at the site, accompanied by a water bowser, to extinguish any remaining hotspots.
David Horton-Fawkes, Chief Executive of the Althorp Estate, expressed gratitude to emergency responders and estate staff for managing the fire: “Our priority is to secure the site and make sure it is safe. As far as we know, no one was injured and we are very grateful to Northampton Fire Brigade and the estate team for dealing with the fire so effectively.”
Althorp Estate, situated in Northamptonshire, has been in the Spencer family for over 500 years. The 13,000-acre property was inherited by Charles Spencer in 1992. The estate gained international attention following the death of Princess Diana in 1997. She was laid to rest on a small, private island in the middle of Oval Lake, within the estate grounds. This secluded area, located in the Pleasure Garden, is not open to the public, but a memorial nearby allows visitors to pay their respects.
Diana spent much of her early life at Althorp after moving there with her family in 1975. It was where she met a young Prince Charles before their marriage. While she often spoke candidly about her difficult childhood, particularly the impact of her parents’ separation, she reportedly loved the estate and its surroundings.
In past interviews, Diana reminisced about practising tap dancing on Althorp’s marble floors, and it is said that the grand King William bedroom was her favourite room in the house.
Betty Andrews, a former cook at Althorp, once told the BBC: “Looking back, it was probably the happiest time of her life. You get the sense that she is coming home. Her father is buried here. I’m sure it is what she would have wanted.”
Investigations into the fire continue, as the estate works to secure the site and assess the full extent of the damage.
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Karan Johar, Janhvi Kapoor, Neeraj Ghaywan, Vishal Jethwa and Ishaan Khatter at Cannes for Homebound last Wednesday (21)
On paper, Neeraj Ghaywan’s Homebound, which was premiered last Wednesday (21) at the Cannes Film Festival, may seem like a typical Bollywood tearjerker.
It follows two best friends who grow up together in a poor village and set out to take on the world, with their friendship and mettle tested at every turn.
But this is no average buddy movie. Set in northern India during the pandemic lockdowns, the moving epic goes far beyond a simple tale of friendship – one boy is Muslim, the other a low-caste Hindu.
Their unbreakable bond, forged in adversity, is the beating heart of the film, which so moved Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese that he got on board to help bring it to the world.
There are millions of such friendships which cross religious and caste divides in India, its director said, “but it has never been shown” before on the big screen.
“Only a handful of films have ever featured dalit (lower caste) stories and most of those were made by people from the privileged castes,” Ghaywan said.
Ghaywan is a dalit director from the lowest rung in the Hindu caste system and a rarity in the Hindi industry.
He believes he is the “first acknowledged dalit behind a camera in the history of Hindi cinema. That’s a stunning disparity,” he said.
And one that means the stories of the quarter of India’s 1.4 billion people who are tribals or come from castes once disparagingly known as “untouchables”, are not being seen.
“India and the world really needs to see their stories,” said Ghaywan, adding that with such a vast population “it is understandable that they are often talked of as just statistics.”
“I myself come from a marginalised background. I am a dalit. So there’s a lot of me in the movie,” said Ghaywan, who lives near Mumbai but grew up in the south of the country. It is also loosely inspired by a heartbreaking real-life tale of poor workers who set out on foot on an epic journey back to their village from the city during the Covid lockdowns.
Ghaywan brought his two leading actors, Ishaan Khatter and rising star Vishal Jethwa, out to the villages to see the lives of India’s poor from the inside
. “We did a long immersive exercise,” Ghaywan said. “We got to know people and ate in their homes. It was genuinely such a humbling experience.”
There was a nine-minute standing ovation following the screening in the Un Certain Regard segment at the Debussy Theatre last week. The cast was joined by producer Karan Johar.
Khatter said he had loved and admired Ghaywan for many years, while Jethwa said Homebound feels like a step forward for “all of us”.
Knowing he has to get past India’s censors, Ghaywan insisted he tried to avoid politics or inflaming tensions.
Sandhya Suri’s movie Santosh, which premiered at Cannes last year, still hasn’t been screened in India despite winning a heap of international awards.
Santosh shone a light on sexism, religious discrimination and corruption in the Indian police as well as the treatment of lower caste people.
“I like to keep politics underneath the narrative, because if your politics supersedes the story it’s just propaganda. Even good propaganda is propaganda. It’s not cinema,” Ghaywan added.
Emotion, however, holds no fear for Ghaywan. “I embrace it. I make no apologies for it. We Indians are an emotional people and this is a story that brings up a lot of them,” he explained.
Industry insiders have “bawled and bawled” at private screenings of the film, he said, with Scorsese saying that “Neeraj has made a beautiful film that’s a significant contribution to Indian cinema.”
The noted filmmaker said he wasn’t surprised that Cannes snapped it up for its secondary “Un Certain Regard” selection after Ghaywan won two prizes there in 2015 with his debut film, Masaan. Flattered as he is, Ghaywan said that “I did not make the movie for festivals” or arthouse audiences.
“The most important thing is that it is seen in India,” he said.
Ghaywan stressed that Homebound is “attacking no one”, with its story even set “in a fictional state”.
(AFP, PTI)
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Victoria’s Secret has not disclosed if law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation
Victoria’s Secret temporarily took down its website and suspended some in-store services in the U.S. on Wednesday following a “security incident.”
Customers visiting the lingerie retailer’s site were met with a black screen displaying a message that read: “Valued customer, we identified and are taking steps to address a security incident. We have taken down our website and some in-store services as a precaution. Our team is working around the clock to fully restore operations. We appreciate your patience during this process. In the meantime, our Victoria’s Secret and PINK stores remain open and we look forward to serving you.”
A spokesperson for Victoria’s Secret told FOX Business that the company immediately activated its response protocols after identifying the incident. “Third-party experts are engaged, and we took down our website and some in-store services as a precaution,” the spokesperson said. “We are working to quickly and securely restore operations.”
Customers visiting the lingerie retailer’s site were met with a black screen Victoria's Secret
The company generated around $2 billion in digital sales in 2024, accounting for approximately one third of its total revenue.
Following the website outage, Victoria’s Secret’s shares fell nearly 7% on Wednesday.
At this time, the exact nature of the security incident remains unclear, and the company has not confirmed whether any customer data was compromised.
Victoria’s Secret has not disclosed if law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation.
It is also unknown how long the website and services will remain offline as the company continues to address the issue.
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Melissa has built a respected reputation in football journalism over nearly two decades
Football journalist Melissa Reddy has confirmed her exit from Sky Sports, following reports that she was among several high-profile figures affected by a recent round of redundancies at the broadcaster.
Reddy, who joined Sky Sports in 2021, announced her departure via Instagram on Wednesday evening, stating she had completed her 11th season covering the Premier League and would be stepping back from her full-time role. However, she confirmed she would continue to contribute to the network on a part-time basis.
“Eleventh season of Premier League coverage done and I’ve called time on three years at Sky,” she wrote. “I’ll still be doing bits and bobs for them but I’m genuinely so excited to share all the things I’ll be working on soon, which will allow me to focus on my strengths and passions.”
Reddy also revealed plans to return to writing, with new books in the pipeline. “For those that have been asking for the past five years – yes, that will include new books,” she confirmed.
The South African-born journalist, who relocated to the UK to cover the Premier League, has built a respected reputation in football journalism over nearly two decades. Her departure from Sky Sports comes as part of a wider restructuring at the broadcaster, which Mail Sport first reported earlier this month. The company is aiming to modernise its sports coverage, leading to several redundancies.
Reddy used her statement to reflect on her experiences in the industry, highlighting the racism and misogyny she has faced throughout her career. She recounted an incident from one of her early press conferences in England, where a fellow journalist made xenophobic remarks about her presence in the UK media landscape.
“After the first press conference I covered in England all those years back, a journalist turned to the press officer and said ‘why are you letting them come over here and take our jobs. You just want a little lick don’t you?!’” she wrote.
“I would love to be able to say that things have changed in that regard, but alas… the abuse as a foreign woman of colour in this sphere never ceases.”
Despite these challenges, Reddy maintained a defiant tone, emphasising her resilience and commitment to her work. “I will always be stronger than the hate; I know who I am, I know the substance of my work. You can’t dim the light of someone who learned how to shine in the dark.”
Melissa used her statement to reflect on her experiences in the industryGetty Images
She added that the support she received from managers, players, club staff, and colleagues carried more meaning than the negativity she has encountered. Her Instagram post was accompanied by a selection of photos and clips from her time at Sky, featuring interviews with notable figures such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Arne Slot, and Ruben Amorim.
Reddy’s departure comes amid broader changes at Sky Sports. Her exit follows that of Rob Wotton, who left the network earlier this week after 27 years. Other departures reportedly include presenters Teddy Draper and Jasper Taylor, reporters Jeremy Langdon and Fadumo Olow, and a news editor.
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli during warm up before the match REUTERS/Mihir Singh
THE proposed World Bowling League has received a major boost after India cricketer Virat Kohli came on board as a strategic investor on Wednesday (28).
Apart from being the leading name in international cricket, Kohli is a social media phenomenon and the third-most followed athlete on Instagram behind footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
"The World Bowling League (WBL) is pleased to announce cricketing icon Virat Kohli as a strategic investor in the league, igniting a bold new chapter to elevate the sport of bowling," the league organisers said in a statement.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts bought the first announced team in the WBL, which is yet to announce the franchises and schedule of the first event of the league featuring mixed-gender teams.
"I started bowling when I was 11 years old, spinning the ball by 12," the 36-year-old Kohli said in a statement issued by League Sports Co., the owner of WBL.
"It is evident how popular the sport is while being under-appreciated as a business proposition."
"I'm thrilled to join the WBL as an investor and partner."
Kohli owns a team in the E1 World Championship power-boat series and has a stake in Indian Super League soccer team FC Goa.
"When I discovered Virat is also a bowler, it was exciting to align on this new-age vision for the sport," said Adi K. Mishra, founder and CEO of League Sports Co.
"Every week, we uncover more about bowling's global depth and fascinating history - it's a sleeping giant we're ready to awaken."
Former India captain Kohli, who plays in the Indian Premier League, retired from test cricket earlier this month and now only features in internationals in the 50-overs format.
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