A front-row seat for the making of the inaugural Enhanced Games, where select performance-enhancing drugs are permitted, and athletes and organizers alike are pushing the limits of what's achievable in sports.
There is no doubt in Pat Cummins’ mind about where his priorities lie once he leaves the sport in a few years — family. The Australian Test and ODI captain, back at the helm of a high-flying Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026 after missing the first half of the season due to a rehab programme, says the day is not far when he is going to ‘live life’ with his family.
Speaking to Elizabeth Day on her podcast How to Fail, Cummins said: “I’m so crystal clear now on the family’s priority. I want to spend as much time as I can with my family. And you just can’t keep kicking things down the road. I think a lot of sportspeople, but maybe me in particular, think — okay, I’ll play cricket till I’m 35 or 36, Albie will be seven or six years old and then life will start, and then we can start hanging out as a family. I’ve definitely changed my mindset now. It’s like, no, I’m going to live life.”
“I’m going to say a big emphatic yes to things that we really want to do as a family. When we’re on tour, let’s make sure we have the time of our lives. We don’t just want to watch the clock tick by,” said the 32-year-old pace merchant, who may be looking at another three-four years of competitive cricket at best.
The Orange Brigade, now third in the season's standings, had been doing well even without Cummins as leader and Ishan Kishan in charge of things but then, as their bowling coach Varun Aaron says, the Australian’s presence as the leader of the bowling pack would make a difference at the business-end of the tournament.
Pat Cummins turns the corner
27 runs off the over but the #SRH skipper comes back with a wicket
A bit of a reluctant leader when he took over the captaincy in 2021, Cummins steered Australia through one of its most successful phases — including a World Test Championship in 2023 and the ODI World Cup.
Recalling his initial days as captain, Cummins recalled: “Just seen the previous few captains really go through the wringer. There are parts of the role that are obviously appealing — the esteem of captaining Australia — but parts of it that didn’t really appeal to me too much. So, in the end, I decided to go for it. But if it wasn’t to be and if it didn’t work out, I was very comfortable.”
The SRH captaincy since 2024 saw him liberating batters, and top gun Abhishek Sharma was one of the main beneficiaries of the new philosophy. “Marte hue out hona chahiye, darte hue nahi (get out trying to hit, not afraid to hit). I am fine with the team being 100 all out, but I don’t want safe scores of 160 or 170,” Abhishek said recently in an interview, echoing Cummins’ philosophy.
Like a true leader, Cummins owned up after Kolkata Knight Riders snapped its winning streak with a commanding seven-wicket victory on Sunday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. SRH were riding high on a five-match streak as it marched into its den at Uppal to face KKR in match one of the Sunday doubleheader, but the Knights turned the tables in the reverse fixture.
Cummins admitted that his 27-run over against Finn Allen was too costly and they ultimately lost due to fine margins going against them. “Not our best day. We had a pretty good start, but then we weren’t at our sharpest. Probably aimed for 200 and then 180, but it wasn’t meant to be. You just need to adapt. The first 8-10 overs were excellent, but they used the match-ups well, and the second half wasn’t good. It dried up and slowed down; we probably should have aimed at 180,’’ he added.
TEHRAN, May 04 (MNA) – Head of Iran’s Football Federation Mehdi Taj has rejected a request by Canadian officials to speak with Prime Minister Mark Carney after Iranian delegates were subjected to “insulting” treatment by border officers.
Olympique Lyonnais beat Rennes (4-2) to regain third place in the French league, which secures a Champions League spot. With two matches remaining, OL are two points ahead of Lille.
The spectre of former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh came back to haunt the sport again with Olympian Vinesh Phogat identifying herself as one of the six female wrestlers who were sexually harassed by the official.
The admission made by the wrestler in a video statement on Sunday, 3 May was part of a tirade in which Vinesh said Brij Bhushan was trying to scuttle her comeback bid in the Asian Games later this year. She alleged that the WFI’s decision to hold ranking tournaments and trials in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh — a personal stronghold for Brij Bhushan — is not going to provide her a level playing field under any circumstances.
‘’He (Brij Bhushan) has his own private college and this competition is being organised there. That every hardworking athlete will get their due there — this is something very unlikely and almost impossible,’’ said Vinesh, who missed out on a medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 after being ‘overweight’ by 100 grams in the weigh-in. A tearful Vinesh then bid adieu to the sport and took a plunge into politics before announcing her comeback from retirement.
Vinesh further alleged that despite Brij Bhushan's official removal, the federation remains under his de facto control through current chief Sanjay Singh. ‘’Who will referee whose match, how many points a referee will give... all of this will be controlled by Brij Bhushan and his people. And the government and our sports ministry are watching this as silent spectators.
‘’You can imagine — going to his place, to his own college where every person would be connected to him... going there and competing in such a situation is extremely difficult. Even after that, whether I will be able to go there and give my 100 per cent — I do not think so."
The cases against Singh first made global headlines in 2023 when three top wrestlers — Vinesh and Olympic medallists Sakshi Mallik and Bajrang Punia — led months of sit-in protests at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, which took a dramatic turn when police detained them during a march to India’s new Parliament building. Footage of the Olympic medallists being dragged through the streets sparked international condemnation, including a rare rebuke from the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Brij Bhushan, a former BJP MP, was cleared in a separate sexual harassment case filed by an underage female wrestler. A Delhi court accepted a police report recommending the cancellation of that specific case after the complainant reportedly withdrew her statement last year.
However, Brij Bhushan — who has consistently denied all allegations — still faces serious charges of sexual harassment and stalking in the ongoing case involving Vinesh and five other adult female wrestlers. ‘’The Supreme Court guidelines say that the identity of any victim should not be revealed because it concerns their dignity and honour,’’ Vinesh said, before adding: ‘’But today, due to certain circumstances, I want to tell you all something. I did not want to speak while the case is still pending... But I want to say that I myself am one of those six victims who filed a complaint, and our testimonies are still ongoing.’’
MANCHESTER, May 4 — Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has been taken to hospital after feeling unwell ahead of yesterday’s Premier League match between United and Liverpool, media reported.
The 84-year-old had been at Old Trafford for the match between the two rivals.
Sky Sports reported that Ferguson was conscious and had precautionary checks before being whisked away.
Ferguson, who managed United from 1986 until his retirement in 2013, won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies during a glittering 26-year spell at the club.
He hoisted a total of 38 trophies with United.
A United spokesperson said the club was unable to comment on Ferguson’s status.
Ferguson is a regular at United’s home games and has a row of seats in the Old Trafford directors’ box. — Reuters
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