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Professional snooker players have “a list as long as your arm,” according to Shaun Murphy, of potential changes that they would like to see implemented following the formation of a new body to represent their interests.

The independent Professional Snooker Players’ Association (PSPA) was established in August with the intention of giving players “a stronger voice” to “champion the sport.”

The players’ board includes world number one Judd Trump, Kyren Wilson, Murphy, Mark Allen, and Mark Selby, and four-time world champion John Higgins, who is chairman of PSPA.

The association claims that players’ opinions should be taken into account when governing snooker.

It vowed to work with the sport’s authorities, including the WPBSA, the current WPBSA Players’ Board, and the World Snooker Tour (WST), “to enhance the sport’s future, while safeguarding player welfare and commercial interests.”

The WPBSA’s own players’ body was established in 2020, and the governing body claims that it has “a specific mandate to act in the collective best interest of members in relation to welfare and issues affecting the professional game.”

In February, the former world champion, Murphy, resigned as the chairman of the WPBSA Players to concentrate on his playing career and other non-traditional interests.

The 43-year-old now believes that the PSPA will allow players to have their say in sport decisions.

After defeating David Lilley 4-0 in the first round of the Northern Ireland Open at Belfast, Murphy told BBC Sport, “The new body has a long way to go, but one of the big things it has is that it’s completely independent.”

It can never truly be independent of the people it is trying to negotiate with and make the game better for the players because of how the game is funded, how the WPBSA earns its money, and how the money is funneled into WPBSA Players.

Murphy was elected to the WPBSA Players Board in December 2023, becoming chairman in May 2024, and previously served on the main WPBSA Board, the governing body that coordinates the commercial WST, from 2017 to 2018.

Murphy thinks that transparency is crucial for the interaction between players and governance.

The players in [the PSPA] have a list as long as your arm of things to see changed, done differently, looked at, and taken into account, but the WST guard their secrets very closely, and there is frequently a lack of information as to why some decisions are made.

I believe that once players understand that information, such as the calendar of events, they will understand why some things are done the way they are.

The fact that [the PSPA] is independent makes it able to pose questions that WPBSA staff members don’t want to ask, and there are very good arguments for both of those things.

The current Masters champion thinks that players are showing a lot of concern about the potential impact of the PSPA.

“In my time as a professional snooker player, there has been a lot of political drama, and it hasn’t been without its problems, but I believe the players are very close to [being] united, probably as close as they have ever been in terms of seeing what this new association is about.

They seem to be certain that something is being done, I believe.

Everyone should take it seriously, according to John Higgins, and if it’s serious enough for John to throw his hat in the ring.

Murphy is a member of a highly selective group of players who have won the World Championship, the Masters, and the UK Championship, three of snooker’s “Triple Crown” competitions.

He wants to see a return to the points-based ranking system, as opposed to the current standings, which are calculated based on prize money won in ranking events.

Murphy moved up to ninth place in the world rankings and third place on the one-year list, which reflects more recent form, after winning the recent British Open and finishing second overall in the Xi’an Grand Prix.

After winning the Saudi Arabia Masters in August, Neil Robertson now enjoys a significant lead in the one-year list.

The Saudi Masters is not, in my opinion, five times as difficult to win as the British Open, but it offers five times as many points and prizes. According to Murphy, the system is “skewed,” “.”

2015 saw the launch of the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award.

After a panel of experts, which includes coaches, players, administrators, journalists, and administrators, chooses a five-player shortlist, the decision is made by a global public vote.

The previous winners are as follows:

2015: Asisat Oshoala

Asisat Oshoala, a Nigerian and Liverpool forward, was the first female BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year.

Oshoala, 20, helped Nigeria’s senior team win the African Women’s Championship and won the Under-20s World Cup as tournament player of the year.

Veronica Boquete, Nadine Kessler, Kim Little, and Marta were also shortlisted.

2016: Kim Little

Kim Little, a midfielder for Scotland, won in 2016.

Little then defeated Becky Sauerbrunn, Amandine Henry, Carli Lloyd, and Gaelle Enganamouit at Seattle Reign.

2017: Ada Hegerberg

The 2017 winner was the Lyon and Norway striker.

Hegerberg finished ahead of Melanie Behringer, Christine Sinclair, Hedvig Lindahl, and Marta.

2018: Lucy Bronze

In 2018, England defender Lucy Bronze won the match, and Lyon players came back in it.

She was followed by Pernille Harder and Dzsenifer Marozsan, who were also shortlisted. She then defeated Lieke Martens and Sam Kerr to win the award.

2019: Ada Hegerberg

Hegerberg won the award twice in 2019 as the first recipient.

She scored a hat-trick for Lyon in their Champions League victory just four days later, taking home the trophy.

Pernille Harder, Sam Kerr, Saki Kumagai, and Lindsey Horan were also nominated that year.

2020: Lucy Bronze

Bronze won the award a second time, akin to Hegerberg.

She said, “Winning a trophy twice is special because it’s so much harder.”

Julie Ertz, Megan Rapinoe, Sam Kerr, and Vivianne Miedema were also shortlisted.

2021: Vivianne Miedema

Vivianne Miedema, a striker for Netherlands and Arsenal, won the 2021 title game after finishing second the previous year.

At the time, she was the all-time top goalscorer for both the Netherlands and the Women’s Super League, and she also held the record for the most goals scored at a Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Alexia Putellas came in third, Sam Kerr came in second, and Alexia Putellas came in third. Ashley Lawrence and Caroline Graham Hansen were the other candidates.

2022: Beth Mead

Beth Mead, the forward for England and Arsenal, won the Player of the Year award in 2022 after leading the Lionesses to glory under the Golden Boot and the Player of the Tournament.

Alexia Putellas, who won the Ballon d’Or that year, came in second place, and Sam Kerr came in third.

Alexandra Popp and Wendie Renard were the other nominees on the shortlist.

2023: Mary Earps

Then, as the Lionesses advanced to the World Cup final, England and Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps won the coveted trophy.

Additionally, she assisted United to finish second overall in the 2022-23 Women’s Super League.

Sam Kerr, Fridolina Rolfo, and Alexandra Popp were also nominated, along with Aitana Bonmati, who placed second.

2024: Barbra Banda

In 2024, Barbra Banda took home the award.

Aitana Bonmati, who came second, and Sophia Smith, who came third, were the only people who won the public vote.

Navi Mumbai, ICC Women’s World Cup

Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99), Shorna 3-27

Bangladesh 195-9 50 overs): Joty 77 (98), Athapaththu 4-42

Seven wickets help Sri Lanka win.

In the final over, Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh to claim a stunning victory, keeping their slim chances of making it to the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Bangladesh needed nine runs from the final six deliveries to reach a subpar target of 203 on a good pitch in Navi Mumbai.

However, as Bangladesh chased a single from the second delivery, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu took wickets on the first, third, and fourth balls of the over, and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter.

After three defeats and two failed matches against Australia and New Zealand, Sri Lanka’s first tournament victory places them four points ahead of India and New Zealand, who meet on Thursday.

Although Bangladesh had a flawless start, Marufa Akter striking with Vishmi Gunaratne’s first delivery of the match, was unfairly punished for their subpar fielding display.

Hasini Perera, who was dropped three times, and Athapaththu were given lifelines by them.

Perera made Bangladesh pay even though Athapaththu was unable to capitalize and refused to score after Rabeya Khan had put him down.

She and De Silva shared a significant 74-run fifth-wicket stand with her debut international half-century, making 85 from 99 balls.

With De Silva’s dismissal in the 34th over triggering a Sri Lanka collapse from 174-4 to 202 all out, Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter’s 3-27, dragged themselves back into the game.

In response, Bangladesh was later reduced to 44-3 thanks to Sri Lanka’s opening bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani’s 23-1 powerplay.

Before Sharmin retired hurt for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over, Nigar Sultana Joty and Sharmin Akter rebuilt their innings, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket.

With only 12 runs remaining, Bangladesh had an advantage heading into the final two overs.

In the end, it was a nerve-wracking game. As she prepared to bowl the final over, the highly skilled Athapaththu held her own. Bangladesh did not.

Bangladesh’s batting performance will be subject to a lot of questions. With Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159-4 in the final 30th over, they could have easily been chasing 270 or 280, but the target was much lower.

Bangladesh, however, struggled to put any effort into ball one, scoring on the powerplay with just under 2.5 runs per over and falling short of what they needed to do.

However, if they had taken their chances in the field, that 203-run target would have been much smaller, despite their batting woes.

After three more failed attempts, wicketkeeper Joty failed to remove Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya to break the 72-run second-wicket stand. She got two hands to it after being viciously struck back at the bowler.

Rubya Haider Jhilik received a second chance at 55 and 63, but Rubya Haider Jhilik was able to get the better of it when Shorna tried to raise the bar with partners falling on her.

A missed stumping and a missed run-out were also missed in the later innings, though the latter one was slightly unfortunate, with Jhilik holding the gloves while Joty was hurt.

Unfortunately, Bangladesh’s fielding issues are not unique. At this tournament, they have the lowest catch efficiency (48.1%) among the eight teams, and they have dropped 14 catches from a possible 27.