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Former Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales has been accused of "inappropriately touching" England players after the Women's World Cup final.

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Rubiales accused by FA chair Debbie HewittHe also allegedly forcibly kissed Jenni HermosoRubiales has hit back at allegationWHAT HAPPENED?

According to new documents released by FIFA, to support their decision to ban Rubiales for three years over his alleged forced kiss on Jenni Hermoso and conduct at the World Cup final, Rubiales behaved inappropriately towards both Lucy Bronze and Laura Coombs. Debbie Hewitt, the Football Association's chair, alleges that Rubiales "cupped and stroked" Coombs' face, and "seemingly forcefully kissed Lucy Bronze on her face".

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In addition to his alleged kiss on Hermoso, Hewitt also claimed that Rubiales' behaviour towards the Spanish team made her "deeply uncomfortable and embarrassed", as she stood just metres away from the former head of the Spanish Football Federation. Hewitt claims that she did not see any evidence that the kiss with Hermoso was consensual, although he has denied sexually assaulting the player.

WHAT RUBIALES SAID

Rubiales has issued a fierce rebuke to the claims, insisting that Hewitt's allegations are "astonishing".

He added: “Applying the same logic she [Hewitt] used, that [hugging] could be understood as a forceful non-consensual physical contact. The hypocrisy is blatant."

He also claims he was merely trying to comfort Coombs, who did not play in the final due to an injury.

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Rubiales resigned in September, but will await the verdict of the investigation from FIFA to discover whether his three-year ban is ratified. It remains to be seen if FIFA will release any further testimony.

Jason Holder’s mental strength was on display on the third day against Australia in Kingston, where he scored an unbeaten 82 despite what he called “a lot of chirping” from the Australians

Daniel Brettig in Kingston14-Jun-2015Jason Holder’s toughness was on display twice on day three. First of all he demonstrated it in the morning with an innings of real chutzpah, taking West Indies past the follow-on by clattering Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon with fearless intent as well as the natural leverage provided by his considerable height.An equally striking impression was to be provided at day’s end when Holder spoke about the series and his encounters with an Australian side seldom shy of being aggressive in word and deed. Holder was harried by both these avenues throughout his 82, but spoke boldly of how much he enjoyed the verbal sparring.He even went as far as saying there should be more of it at international level, and that he had fed on it for motivation across both these Test matches. Holder is clearly made of stern stuff, and has earned the respect of his Australian opponents for the way he has carried himself in a pair of lopsided contests.”You get a lot of chirping – they’re that type of team,” Holder said of Australia. “They’re always at you, whether they’re bowling or just at you verbally. You expect that from the Australians, and that’s what they thrive on, so for me personally I just try to stay in the game and try to feed off it as much as possible.”I think they get tired at some stage. But there’s always someone in your ear at some stage of the game. But I love it, that’s cricket. I don’t think it would be international cricket without it, it’s something that should be done more often – obviously in a very discreet way – and I think that’s part of the game and I look forward to it. There’s always a chance for us to give it, and that’s cricket, you give it and you get it.”Holder’s attitude is also typified by the way he has taken on whatever role the captain Denesh Ramdin has set out for him. Based on technique and temperament there is plenty of evidence to suggest Holder should be batting higher up the order than No. 7, but he did not complain about a posting that left him stranded 18 runs short of a hundred when Hazlewood winkled out the last two wickets.”It’s whatever the team requires,” he said. “I’m pretty much able to do whatever the team wants me to do and I’m one of those players who tries not to give up and try to give a big effort whatever. If the captain decides that he needs me up the order I’ll do it.”I back my technique. It’s more mental than anything. I just need to apply myself more mentally to get through any situation. The Australians as a team come at you really hard and I think once you get over the chirp from the boys, it’s a lot easier as it goes on.”My mental game is improving each game. It’s been very tough physically, I’ve been going since November last year, we’ve been playing cricket straight through. So it’s been pretty taxing on the body and a challenge to motivate myself day in, day out. But I can say one thing that’s improving is my mental game and I’m very pleased that I can stand here today after each day’s play still standing.”Towards the end of a season that also featured Holder leading the ODI team to the World Cup down under amid a hail of criticism about team selections, he said he took great encouragement from the words of the latest ICC Hall of Fame inductee Wes Hall in his speech at the WIPA awards before this match. Hall’s resilience and energy have stayed with Holder, who showed similar qualities at Sabina Park on day three.”It was very inspirational for me,” he said. “He’s one of the few people who could talk for a very long time and still draw your attention. It’s not the first time I’ve sat and heard him speak. He’s very inspirational for me, and to see the things he’s achieved and the path he’s taken in life is just inspirational for me. You can take a lot from it.”Spoken like a future Test captain.

Cameron White smashed an unbeaten 49-ball 84 to help Melbourne Stars thump Melbourne Renegades by nine wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2014
ScorecardCameron White struck six fours and four sixes during his 49-ball 84•Getty ImagesNineteen sixes were showered at the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, as the spectators were treated to a scrumptious display of big hitting from both the Melbourne Stars and the Melbourne Renegades.In the end though, the Stars overhauled 164 quite easily, thanks to the captain Cameron White’s 49-ball 84 – his 24th Twenty20 fifty – that completely took the match away from the Renegades.The Stars, who now move to the top of the table by virtue of their nine-wicket win, were comfortable throughout the chase, and were rarely threatened by a Renegades bowling attack that failed to produce a consistent, if not threatening, line and length.James Pattinson conceded just two runs off the first over of the innings, but White smoked Matthew Gale for three fours in the second to get the team underway. While White was aggressive, his opening partner Luke Wright was more content picking up singles to keep the runs flowing and rotate the strike. Wright was eventually dismissed for 17 after the pair had made 69 from eight overs, but there was to be no reprieve for the Renegades.Glenn Maxwell combined with White for an unbroken second-wicket association that yielded 98 runs from 50 balls, and ultimately took the Stars over the line with 22 deliveries remaining.The Renegades bowlers were all expensive, particularly Aaron O’Brien who leaked 26 runs in the 13th over. Maxwell finished unbeaten on 58 with two fours and six sixes, and sealed the victory with an outside edge that raced past the keeper for four.That the Stars had to even chase that much in the first place was due to Aaron Finch and Tom Cooper’s fourth-wicket stand of 102 which helped the Renegades recover from a slow start. The Renegades, choosing to bat, were reeling at 3 for 17 thanks to Jackson Bird’s triple strike in the second over, before Finch and Cooper counterattacked by striking seven fours and eight sixes between them.Cooper fell for a 44-ball 60, but Finch remained unbeaten on 84, with six giant sixes, including one off James Faulkner that he pulled straight up to the roof of the stadium. The team finished at 5 for 163, but in the end, it proved to be well short of a total intimidating enough to worry White and Maxwell.

Warwickshire are expected to confirm Dougie Brown, their assistant coach and Academy director, on Thursday morning

George Dobell30-Jan-2013Warwickshire are expected to confirm Dougie Brown, their assistant coach and Academy director, on Thursday morning as the successor to Ashley Giles as their new director of cricket.Brown has fought off other leading candidates for the job such as Graeme Welch, his former Warwickshire team-mate and the county’s bowling coach, and the West Indies coach Ottis Gibson, who has also been discussing the details of a promised new contract with the national side.Brown, who worked in close association with Giles as Warwickshire won the Championship last summer, and also reached the final of the CB40, is a former England and Scotland allrounder who can be sure to bring a passionate approach to the role. He is also a former PCA chairman.Other candidates for the Warwickshire role included David Parsons, the ECB performance director, David Hemp, former Glamorgan and Bermuda captain and now coaching at Solihull School and Andy Moles, the former Scotland, Kenya and New Zealand coach, who was discounted before the interview stage.

Justin Kluivert became just the second player ever to score in each of the big five European leagues after netting for Bournemouth on Saturday.

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Kluivert scored against Sheffield UnitedSet a unique scoring record with BournemouthPowered the Cherries to a 3-1 winWHAT HAPPENED?

After joining Bournemouth in the summer, Kluivert became the first Dutch player to play in each of the top five European leagues. Now, the 24-year-old became just the second player, after Stevan Jovetic, to have scored at least once in each of the top five domestic leagues in Europe in the 21st century after getting on the scoresheet against Sheffield United.

Just before the half-time whistle, Kluivert doubled Bournemouth's lead after dispossessing Wes Foderingham outside the box. After the keeper was pickpocketed, the forward passed the ball into an empty net to silence the home crowd.

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Despite being just 24, Kluivert has been a journeyman. After starting his professional career with Ajax, he moved to AS Roma in Serie A in 2018. After two seasons in the Italian capital, he was sent out on loan at RB Leipzig, Nice, and Valencia in the next three campaigns. After joining the Cherries in the summer, he scored his first Premier League goal, and second across all competitions, which helped him achieve the unique feat in European football.

DID YOU KNOW?

Florin Raducioiu was the first player in history to find the net in Germany, England, Spain, Italy and France but he did that in the 20th century. In 2021, Jovetic became the second player to match the feat after he scored for Hertha Berlin against Cologne, and the first to do it in this century.

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Kluivert played a crucial role in Bournemouth's 3-1 win over Sheffield along with Marcus Tavernier who scored the other two. It was a much-needed three points for Andoni Iraola's troops which propelled them to the 16th position in the league table. They are set to host Aston Villa in their next match on December 3 in the Premier League.

Lydia Greenway was England’s hero as they regained the Ashes with a five-wicket victory in the second Twenty20 at the Ageas Bowl

Andrew McGlashan at the Ageas Bowl29-Aug-2013
ScorecardLydia Greenway’s innings was full of sweeps and paddles, as England secured the Ashes with a five-wicket win•Getty ImagesLydia Greenway was England’s hero as they regained the Ashes with a five-wicket victory in the second Twenty20 at the Ageas Bowl. The chase of 128 was wobbling badly on 9 for 3, but Greenway showed all her experience with a magnificently paced innings full of deft touches as England secured the two Ashes-winning points with six balls to spare.For the second time in two days the record for England’s highest individual Twenty20 score was broken, with Greenway’s unbeaten 79 overtaking Sarah Taylor’s 77 at Chelmsford. Fittingly it was Greenway who sealed the match with two reverse sweeps in the final over then a scampered single, which was the signal for an invasion from the England bench.Australia’s 127 for 7 – built around Meg Lanning’s 60 – was initially made to look more daunting when three wickets fell inside the first three overs. Heather Knight played around a straight one from Julie Hunter then Sarah Coyte produced a superb over to remove Sarah Taylor – brilliantly held, one-handed in her follow through – and Danni Wyatt.Then, however, came the moment that could well have decided to the Ashes when Greenway was given a life on 10, a missed stumping off Erin Osborne, which would have left England 25 for 4. Together with captain Charlotte Edwards the pair – who hold 121 Twenty20 caps between them – firstly steadied the chase and then increased the tempo.Edwards played the anchor role while Greenway dominated the scoring. Laps and sweeps, a hallmark of her batting, featured regularly as she kept finding the gaps in whatever field Jodie Fields tried to set. It was one such delicate sweep – from a delivery around middle and off – which took Greenway to her fifty from 45 deliveries.By then she had lost Edwards, who found mid-off trying to go over the top and spent the rest of the innings living every delivery in the dugout. Natalie Sciver offered sensible support in a stand of 40 in 27 balls until sacrificing herself for a tight single, leaving Greenway to finish the job, which she did in style.Australia’s innings had struggled for early impetus against accurate bowling from Katherine Brunt, who delivered her four overs straight, while Jess Cameron was run out by a direct hit from Jenny Gunn as she chased the ball in her follow through.Lanning and Alex Blackwell gave the innings backbone with a stand of 57 in seven overs, Lanning collecting the one six of the innings when she cleared deep square leg off Gunn to go to fifty at a run a ball. Her eagerness to try and get back on strike ended her stay when she was run out backing up when a fierce drive from Blackwell clipped Holly Colvin’s fingertips.The innings closed in rather chaotic fashion with England claiming a team hat-trick in the final over – Danielle Hazell’s two wickets sandwiched either side of Fields’ run-out by Greenway, who would go on to have a far greater impact on the match.

Adam Gilchrist has raised doubts over Shaun Marsh’s dismissal against Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday, saying that he was not convinced the ball carried through to the wicketkeeper.

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2012Kings XI Punjab captain Adam Gilchrist has raised doubts over Shaun Marsh’s dismissal during their eight-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday, saying that he was not convinced the ball carried through to the wicketkeeper.Marsh was controversially dismissed in the 14th over, when his edge off a Brett Lee delivery was taken low by wicketkeeper Manvinder Bisla. The on-field umpire then ruled him out, even though TV replays suggested there was a doubt. Kings XI relied on Marsh to give them momentum, after Gilchrist pulled a hamstring in the 11th over while completing a quick single. Until Gilchrist’s departure, Kings XI were going along at 7.50 but post-Gilchrist, it had declined to 5.93.”I am not convinced it was out, but I think there’s a huge element of doubt there,” Gilchrist said. “Shaun asked the wicketkeeper, which I must say is the way I like to play the game, you ask the fielder and the wicketkeeper told him ‘yes I caught it’, so Shaun walked off.”Following the dismissal, Gilchrist stepped in to quash a debate between the team owner Preity Zinta and match officials. “I saw her on the sidelines and all I said was ‘let me handle this’ and she responded and sat down.” Gilchrist said.After the match, Knight Riders medium-pacer Rajat Bhatia said that Gilchrist’s injury and Marsh’s dismissal helped them restrict Kings XI to 124. “Bisla never said that he took the catch. He said that ‘I think I took the catch’. If the umpires would have given it to the third umpire then the decision would have been different. That really helped us, to be honest,” Bhatia said.Having lost three matches and won two in the IPL, Gilchrist said that consistency is important to succeed in the tournament. “We all need to contribute as there’s a full batting line-up there. It’s up to all of us to get the runs. We’ve been inconsistent and that’s an area where we can improve.”Gilchrist also said he was concerned about the security of players after an intruder ran on to the field during the match.”There’s always concerns when you get pitch invasions in any sports,” Gilchrist said. “We’ve seen historically there’ve been some terrible things happening. When someone runs on like that and runs towards players, we can never be too sure what’s going to happen. It is a concern and no doubt the ground authorities will try and improve on security and ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

Mumbai Indians and Lions will meet each other in a must-win encounter in Jaipur, after torrential rain in Ahmedabad left the ground at Motera unfit for play

The Preview by Alagappan Muthu26-Sep-2013Match facts September 27, 2013
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)Sachin Tendulkar is closing in on 50,000 runs in recognised cricket•BCCIBig PictureBoth teams have taken the field only once in this Champions League T20, but when Mumbai Indians and Lions meet in Jaipur, neither will be far from desperate times. Both could not impart any damage to Rajasthan Royals’ perfect record at their home ground this year and with torrential rain in Ahmedabad causing a double washout to compound their troubles, Mumbai and Lions are still searching for their first win. They will need to win to prevent themselves from a situation wherein their fortunes are dependent on other results.History sides with Lions, although their 2-0 record over Mumbai was cultivated in South African conditions and with a markedly different team. Neil McKenzie’s absence, courtesy a pulled stomach muscle, hit them hardest in their previous match. Though captain Alviro Peterson acclimatised reasonably well to his new role in the middle order, there was very little support on offer from the others, unlike in the last edition when veteran opener Gulam Bodi – another man who was missing from the XI against Royals – gave McKenzie company among the top three run-getters in the tournament.Experience, however, does not guarantee success as depicted by Mumbai’s faltering top order. Only once has the opening partnership crossed 12 in the last five matches and Mumbai will hope that on a true Jaipur pitch, Sachin Tendulkar, who had averaged 22.07 in IPL 2013, and Dwayne Smith strike better rhythm. They might have to contend with the threat of Imran Tahir, after Lions witnessed the exploits of legspinner Pravin Tambe first-hand.The situation reverses in the bowling department with Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Coulter-Nile forming a potent combination at the top, the former bringing the ball in and the latter taking it away. Without Malinga’s pin-point yorkers to bank on in the death and Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha looking tame enough that they only bowled four overs between them in the first match, Mumbai will have to concentrate on early wickets.There’s a bit of a sidenote to this match: Tendulkar is 31 runs short of becoming only the 16th player and first Indian to aggregate 50,000 runs in all recognised cricket.Players to watchHardus Viljoen lived up to his billing of being as fast as Dale Steyn, consistently touching speeds in excess of 145kph. His height adds an extra dimension, which could prove decisive on a pitch with ample carry and against a batting line-up that revolves around Indian batsmen and Kieron Pollard.The rise of Ravindra Jadeja has relegated Pragyan Ojha to excess baggage in the Indian team and he would have endured a sense of déjà vu as he was limited to bowling only one over in Mumbai’s opening match. Against a side on its first tour of India, his flight and guile would be expected to make an impact.Quotes “We need to lift our game, and if we do that, we have enough talent in our bowling and batting to make it to the semis.”

Michael Hussey, the Chennai Super Kings and former Australia batsman, has said he might have been “a little bit wrong” when he wrote in his autobiography that Gurunath Meiyappan, who was arrested for alleged illegal betting in May, was in charge of Super

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2013Michael Hussey, the Chennai Super Kings and former Australia batsman, has said he might have been “a little bit wrong” when he wrote in his autobiography that Gurunath Meiyappan, who was arrested for alleged illegal betting in May, was in charge of Super Kings. Hussey also said that he has met with and apologised to N Srinivasan, the BCCI president who is the vice-chairman and managing director of the company that owns Super Kings. Hussey said they met at a team dinner where Srinivasan was present.Speaking on the Cricket Couch podcast on ESPNcricinfo, Hussey said he would not question Srinivasan, who would “know a lot better” about who was running the IPL team. Srinivasan had distanced himself and the franchise from Gurunath – who also happens to be his son-in-law – calling him “an enthusiast”. Gurunath was charged by Mumbai police last month with cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy, including passing on information that compromised the team.”Certainly Guru was around the team a lot. I knew he was talking to Kepler [Wessels, Super Kings’ coach in IPL 2008] and the players, and we saw him at training and at the hotel. I didn’t know what his official title was but he was around the team quite often,” Hussey said. “I probably may have written the wrong thing.”I knew he was a close part of the team, no question about that, and I saw him around the team pretty much every day. [But] I am certainly not going to question the word of Mr Srinivasan. I think he would know a lot better than me about who is running the show. So maybe I got that a little bit wrong.”Srinivasan had stepped aside from the day-to-day administration of the BCCI after Gurunath’s arrest. He was cleared to resume office by the Supreme Court of India only last week, after being re-elected as BCCI chief, unopposed, at the end of September. Gurunath and Super Kings were initially cleared of “wrongdoing” by the BCCI’s probe panel, but the courts have since ruled the panel to be constituted illegally and set up a fresh investigation. Part of the investigation would be to establish Gurunath’s exact role at Super Kings – he was often seen in the team dugout, at the auction table to represent Super Kings, represented himself as the team prinicipal on a verified Twitter account, and his IPL accreditation represented him as an owner.Hussey’s book had said: “Our owner was Indian Cements, headed by Mr Srinivasan. As he was also on the board of the BCCI, he gave control of the team to his son-in-law Mr Gurunath. He ran the team along with Kepler Wessels, who was coach.”Hussey said he has since cleared the air with Srinivasan. “We had a team dinner where Mr Srinivasan came along,” Hussey said. “I spoke to him very briefly about it and apologised if I caused him any grief. He was fine and said, ‘No, don’t worry, it is all fine. There is no issue with all you said. It was all written before all the controversies came out, anyway. You don’t have anything to worry about.'”Hussey said he hoped to be associated with Super Kings in some capacity even after he stops playing. “I certainly hope not [that the comments in his book would affect his relationship with the franchise]. I have a fantastic rapport with everyone at CSK. I get on very well with the coach. I get on very well with the players and have had a lot of success with CSK. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and they are a fantastic franchise. I would love to continue there in whatever capacity in the future.”

For Somerset, this was a triumph quite unimaginable after the advantage that Warwickshire, the championship leaders, had achieved

Ivo Tennant at Taunton21-Jul-2012
ScorecardCraig Kieswetter’s innings dominated Somerset’s run chase•PA PhotosFor Somerset, this was a triumph quite unimaginable after the advantage that Warwickshire, the championship leaders, had achieved with bat and ball earlier in this match.For Craig Kieswetter, the highest praise that could be accorded his 152, full of muscular six hitting, was that it was in the finest West Country tradition. Needing 271 to win, he and Nick Compton brought about victory in their wholly differing styles.Only just, mind, by one wicket after five in the lower order had gone for just 12 runs. An on driven four by Peter Trego off Jeetan Patel settled the issue.What an ideal contrasting pair Compton and Kieswetter make: although both from South Africa, the application of the former, best known for his runs in the four-day game, is counter-pointed by the clean hitting of the latter, best known for his exploits in T20 cricket. By the time Compton had reached his half century, made off 143 balls with four fours, Kieswetter had already gone to his first century of the season – and in a most grand style.Patel, who had returned career best figures of 7 for 75 in Somerset’s first innings, was struck for three sixes in one over, all between square leg and midwicket. Twice the Warwickshire fielders in the deep had the ignominy of searching for the ball behind the bank of seats in front of the unappealing apartments that have been built here to ensure the club remained in good financial order.As well as excelling with the pull, the shot often executed several yards down the pitch, Kieswetter was displaying the kind of quick-hands drive that scotches any spin and which has been patented, if not devised, by Kevin Pietersen. This was effective against Patel, who was still gaining some turn out of the rough created by Keith Barker, bowling left arm over the wicket and who almost had Kieswetter pouched at backward short leg off a glove.At tea, Somerset needed 127 off 38 overs and with two strikers of the ball in Jos Buttler and Peter Trego still to come. Nothing seemed more likely than that Compton would reach 1,000 championship runs for the season – he required 65 in this innings – but, having made 52, he pushed forward at Chris Woakes and achieved only a thin edge to Tim Ambrose behind the wicket. His partnership with Kieswetter had amounted to 166 off 43 overs and had given Somerset a quite unexpected chance of victory given they had lost their first three wickets for 15.Buttler, exuding talent and self-belief, drove dismissively through the off side in making 24 off 23 balls before too loose a drive at Barker, when he returned at the Pavilion End, resulted in a catch to first slip. Kieswetter, having swung Patel for a fourth six, this time over square leg, lifted Chris Wright onto the roof of the cowshed. Extraordinarily, there were seven fielders on the boundary in Wright’s next over.He then went to 150 by driving Barker for six over long off, only to hook the next ball straight to long leg. Only 12 were needed at this stage, but there was a further twist. Craig Meschede steered Barker to first slip and, next ball, Alfonso Thomas edged to second slip. Max Waller averted the hat trick but, in Barker’s next over, was also taken at first slip: a sixth wicket and career-best figures for the former Blackburn Rovers footballer.An on driven four by Trego off Patel settled the issue.The target of 271 had come about not through a declaration, as was anticipated overnight, but through Warwickshire inexplicably losing seven wickets before lunch for the addition of just 58 runs. Gemaal Hussain, playing in only his second championship match of the season, and who has found wicket-taking rather harder here than at Bristol – indeed, he had yet to take a wicket – finished with 5 for 48.It was tempting earlier this season to think that Gloucestershire had shed Hussain, Jon Lewis and Steve Kirby from their payroll at the ideal time, but there is bowling left in all three assuming they are not injured too often.Hussain’s steady medium pace ensured the match was nicely set up, for the chances were that Jim Troughton, Warwickshire’s captain, would not have left Somerset a target under 300. Somerset are now just eight points behind Warwickshire, who have a match in hand.