Ireland’s men have called off plans to host a multi-format series against Afghanistan this year “for financial reasons”.
Ireland were scheduled to play one Test against the Afghans, as well as three ODIs and three T20s, according to the Men’s Future Tours Programme.
The Irish men’s team will however play their first home T20I series against England in September, as well as hosting ODI and T20 series against West Indies in May and June respectively.
“One planned series that won’t go ahead for financial reasons is against Afghanistan”, Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom said.
“This decision is part of our management of short-term budgetary constraints, as well as our requirement to comply with the Board’s mandate to deliver balanced investment across the organisation’s strategic objectives”.
He added that Ireland fans would however “be able to enjoy some of the world’s best cricketers playing on these shores”.
Ireland’s women will welcome Zimbabwe for three T20Is and two ODIs in July and the following month will host Pakistan for three ODIs.
Their schedule will also include competing in two ICC World Cup qualifier tournaments.
Tiger Woods will be sidelined indefinitely after undergoing surgery for a ruptured left Achilles tendon on Tuesday, the golf superstar said on social media.
The 15-time major champion, who hasn’t teed it up since the Open Championship last July, said he was diagnosed after feeling a “sharp pain” in the tendon when he was practicing.
His latest injury setback comes less than a month before the first major of the year, the Masters at Augusta National.
Mikel Arteta said Arsenal are focused on “fighting to win every game” even though their Premier League dream appears to be over as they eye the next round of the Champions League.
The second-placed Gunners trail Premier League leaders Liverpool by 15 points after Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Manchester United extended their winless league run to three matches.
It is a crushing disappointment for Arsenal, who have finished as runners-up to Manchester City for the past two seasons.
Arsenal, who have one foot in the Champions League quarter-finals after their 7-1 first-leg away win over PSV Eindhoven last week, host the Dutch side at the Emirates in Wednesday’s reverse fixture.
“We are going to carry on fighting to win every game”, Spanish coach Arteta said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
“There are the demands we put on ourselves in every competition. We are very much conscious that the demands for this football club are to reach the highest level and to win football matches.
” There’s always improvement. We have talked about what we can do better, it’s about execution. My job is to give the players as many tools so we can deliver again. “
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Arsenal’s Dutch defender #12 Jurrien Timber (C) celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg football match between PSV Eindhoven (NED) and Arsenal FC (ENG) at the PSV Stadion, in Eindhoven, on March 4, 2025. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)
Despite missing injured forwards Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, Arsenal had six different scorers in their crushing victory over PSV.
The Gunners, who have never won the Champions League, will face the winners of the tie between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the next round should they advance, as expected, on Wednesday.
” It’s a competition that we have a lot of enthusiasm for. We have been very consistent and tomorrow can put us in an exciting position, “Arteta said.
France international defender William Saliba is keen to help guide his side to their first trophy since Arsenal’s 2020 FA Cup triumph against Chelsea.
” I think we are very close, we need to keep going, “Saliba said, referring to Arsenal’s trophy ambitions.
” We can’t stop working. When you’re close and don’t win trophies it’s sad. With work we will make a big step and I am sure we will arrive there.
“Everyone wants to win the Champions League, it’s a competition that’s hard to win, anything can happen”.
Steps star Ian ‘ H ‘ Watkins revealed that he’s still battling with an illness after a months-long battle.
H, 48, worryingly shared that he’s lost a huge section of his vocal range due to an unnamed virus that took hold months ago, and that he still hasn’t been able to shake the illness off. The musician added that he had the virus back in November during the run of Steps musical Here &, Now, and it’s followed him through to 2025.
“When we launched Steps The Musical in Birmingham, I had this awful virus and I still have not recovered from that. So, if I had been asked to do a show, I would have had to have cancelled. Half of my range has just gone. It knocked me for six”, he told Heat.
While H hasn’t named his current health battle, he previously opened up about another lifelong struggle he’s faced, insomnia. Despite being known for his high-energy stage performances, he told HuffPost UK back in 2020 that he’d battled with the debilitating disorder for decades.
H shared that he’s been battling a virus for months, alongside previously sharing that he was ‘ wrecked ‘ from lifelong insomnia (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
He told the outlet: “Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and can be wide awake for two hours, then by the time I fall back to sleep, it’s time to get back up again”, adding that he often feels “pretty wrecked” in the mornings.
H added that his global travels with Steps have made the disease worsen, with him flying in and out of different time zones for years.
“It really did screw with my body clock for years and years, and I think that pattern has just settled with me now – it’s not great”, he admitted.
Alongside dealing with his health issues, H’s suffered a major blow to his personal life in 2017 when he split from his partner of a decade, Craig Ryder, barely a year after the duo became parents to twin boys Macsen and Cybi through surrogacy in March 2016. The former couple’s split wasn’t easy, devolving into a very public legal dispute.
H’s split changed his young family, making him a single father early on in the boys ‘ lives. Speaking with Sky News in 2021, H said: “I have been a single parent virtually from the beginning, I guess, so I know exactly what it’s like to be outnumbered if you are a single parent out there”.
The star admitted that it wasn’t always easy, sharing: “It’s tough… There is no traditional family unit anymore. Families come in all shapes and sizes”.
Detailing the parental balancing act, H continued, “When it comes to single-parent families, I’m outnumbered, completely. So I have to divide my time and I have to devote attention to what’s needed.
” I am a little bit of a, well, 90%, I’d say, I’m bad cop because I have to be, you know, I do rule my children with discipline, but I also put the fun dad hat on as well. So it’s a juggling act, really. And it’s tough. “
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Chris Eubank Jr has been fined £100, 000 for slapping Conor Benn with an egg during a chaotic news conference last month.
As the pair prepared for the obligatory face-off, Eubank produced an egg from his pocket and hit his British rival across the cheek with his left hand.
Benn, with his father Nigel next to him, lost control and both boxers were held back by security guards.
In a statement, the British Boxing Board of Control said Eubank, 35, was in breach of regulation 25 in relation to misconduct.
The incident happened in Manchester on 25 February as the pair promoted their fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next month.
A scheduled fight between the pair in October 2022 was called off when Benn failed a voluntary drugs test, prompting a two-year battle with anti-doping authorities, before his suspension was lifted in November.
Benn has always denied intentionally doping and both fighters are being tested by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) for the contest.
An independent report by sanctioning body WBC in February 2023 said the 28-year-old’s failed drugs test was not intentional and could have been caused by a “highly elevated consumption” of eggs.
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Chris Eubank Jr has been fined £100, 000 for slapping Conor Benn with an egg during a chaotic media conference last month.
As the pair prepared for the obligatory face-off, Eubank produced an egg from his pocket and hit his British rival across the cheek with his left hand.
Benn, with his father Nigel next to him, lost control and both boxers were held back by security guards.
In a statement, the British Boxing Board of Control said Eubank, 35, was in breach of regulation 25 in relation to misconduct.
The incident happened in Manchester on 25 February as the pair promoted their fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next month.
A scheduled fight between the pair in October 2022 was called off when Benn failed a voluntary drugs test, prompting a two-year battle with anti-doping authorities, before his suspension was lifted in November.
Benn has always denied intentionally doping and both fighters are being tested by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) for the contest.
An independent report by the World Boxing Council (WBC) in February 2023 said the 28-year-old’s failed drugs test was not intentional and could have been caused by a “highly elevated consumption” of eggs.
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