Kylian Mbappe takes aim at tactics after 'sloppy' France crash out to…

Kylian Mbappe openly admitted France's World Cup semifinal defeat was a comprehensive failure. He pointed to tactical issues and a lack of effective pressing against Spain's midfield. Mbappe also criticized the team's technical execution and poor first touches after regaining possession. Youngster Rayan Cherki echoed these sentiments, stating France lacked everything on the field. As captain, Mbappe accepted full responsibility for the team's inability to reach the final.

Smriti Mandhana reflected on India's historic Lord's Test victory and her significant contributions. She also discussed lessons learned from past T20 World Cup disappointments. The impact of the Women's Premier League on Indian talent was also a key topic. Mandhana expressed her readiness to lead India if the captaincy opportunity arises. She highlighted the importance of a positive team culture in her leadership philosophy.

India’s T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer’s sister Shresta is very close to her brother and believes that any prospective bride for him will have to first seek her nod of approval.

“I’m very possessive about my brother. I want the right girl for him. Obviously, he will choose the girl, but he will take my opinion, and I’ll let him know if she is or isn’t the right partner for him, because only a girl can understand another girl,” Shresta, a choreographer and social media influencer, said on a recent episode of the Unscrolled podcast. blablasex.es

Shresta, who was recently eliminated from a TV reality show after being called an “entitled brat,” added that she has already warned Shreyas about certain girls in the past. “I’m good at gauging people’s intentions, and I’ve kept them [selfish girls] away from his life and mine,” she said.

Meanwhile, Shreyas has endured a rocky start to his India captaincy tenure, losing six of seven T20Is (two vs Ireland and four vs England, with one being rained out). He’ll be hoping to answer his critics with the bat in the three-match ODI series, which began in Birmingham on Tuesday.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has landed itself in a new soup as Major League Cricket (MLC) franchises have accused the board of alleged extortion. As per reports, the PCB demands a whooping $25,000 fee to grant No Objection Certificates to the Pakistan players to take part in the league. Pakistan players, who take part in majority of the T20 leagues across the globe barring the Indian Premier League (IPL), are required to take NOCs from the PCB to participate in the tournaments, much akin to how other countries function as well.

PCB accused of extorting money from MLC franchises

As per Pak Passion, a source close to an MLC franchise owner accused the PCB of conveying to the franchises in the last-minute that a $25,000 fee was required to grant NOCs to Pakistan players. The source claimed that the PCB would stay silent for an entire year and ask for the fee just before the tournament when the franchises find themselves in a vulnerable position. The source went on to cite an incident from the second edition of the tournament where one MLC team had four Pakistan players and the PCB had told the franchise that they wouldn’t have to worry about the NOCs as long as the money reached their account.

“There were four Pakistani players for one of the teams, but, the PCB forgot about the fourth player and asked for three payments of $25,000. They, then extorted another $25,000 for the fourth player for an NOC just a few hours before a match was to be played. That team was wiring the money to the PCB and asking for the NOC. The PCB stated don’t worry about the NOC, if your money comes and hits our bank account before the first ball is bowled, we’ll take care of the NOC for you,” the source claimed.

The source further claimed that when the matter was raised with PCB cheif Mohsin Naqvi, the response was that this was a means of revenue for the PCB and that they had every right to ask for the money. In MLC 2026, Haris Rauf is the sole Pakistan player in the tournament, playing for San Francisco Unicorns. As per the report, this extrotion technique deployed by the PCB is forcing the MLC franchises to not consider buying Pakistan players. The source also claimed that the fee was imposed only on the MLC franchises.

“With what’s been happening, most of the franchises have decided that they’re not going to sign Pakistani players anymore. The franchises who were signing Pakistani players were suffering financially and had to pay over their budget. Owners have had enough and have told the agents of Pakistani players, we don’t want their players because of the extortion,” the source added.

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