All posts by h716a5.icu

There’s nothing better than a full day of Sunday baseball, and I have a pair of bets – on some road teams – to consider on June 16.

We’re starting in New York with the San Diego Padres taking on the New York Mets, but I’m also fading one of the better teams in baseball today based on a key difference in the starting pitching matchup. 

Let’s dive into this MLB slate and how to back these squads.

MLB Best Bets Today for Sunday, June 16San Diego Padres Moneyline (-130) vs. New York MetsTampa Bay Rays Moneyline (-102) vs. Atlanta Braves

San Diego Padres Moneyline (-130) vs. New York Mets

Dylan Cease is on the mound for the Padres on Sunday, and he’s been solid for San Diego this season, posting a 3.36 ERA, a 3.02 Fielding Independent Pitching and leading the Padres to a 8-6 record in his 14 starts. 

The Padres are looking to salvage a game against the New York Mets, who have won four in a row, on Sunday.

Tylor Megill (1-3, 3.51 ERA) is on the mound for New York, and I’m looking to fade him and the Mets since New York is just 1-4 straight up in his five outings. 

Megill has given up eight runs and 12 hits in just 9.2 innings of work this month, most recently losing to the Miami Marlins. 

Even with the struggles the Padres have had in 2024, I think Cease is a little undervalued at this number – even on the road. 

Tampa Bay Rays Moneyline (-102) vs. Atlanta Braves

I'm fading Atlanta Braves rookie Hurston Waldrep in this one, as he was rocked in his season debut, allowing seven runs in 3.2 innings in a loss to the Washington Nationals.

The Braves are still favored – but they haven’t been nearly as dominant as we may have expected coming into this season, and Ronald Acuna Jr. is done for the year. 

Meanwhile, Zach Eflin (3.61 Fielding Independent Pitching) gets the ball for the Tampa Bay Rays, and they've been solid in his outings, going 7-5 straight up.

Waldrep certainly could have a bounce-back outing, but Eflin is the much more proven starter entering this matchup as an underdog. 

I expect Tampa Bay to get off to a strong start on Sunday.

Marcus Rashford has signalled that he wants to extend his successful spell at Barcelona and has revealed the three team-mates who have made life so enjoyable for him since joining the Catalan giants. Rashford made the difficult decision to forge a career away from his boyhood club Manchester United earlier this summer, but it’s a decision he certainly doesn’t regret.

How life turned sour for Rashford

Rashford's final months at Man Utd were defined by his struggles with form, public disputes, and eventual departure on loan. He remains under contract at Old Trafford until 2028. Following a career-best 30-goal season in 2022-23, his output dramatically declined amid issues with his lifestyle and strained relationship with then-manager Erik ten Hag. After Ruben Amorim froze him out a loan move to Aston Villa very briefly revitalised his form, but his inconsistencies continued. This led to a subsequent loan move to Barcelona in July this year, which has proven to be a massive success. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportLoving life in LaLiga

Rashford has made an excellent start to his loan spell at Barcelona, which has breathed new life into his once-floundering career. He’s bagged five goals and six assists in 12 appearances across all competitions, the England international has thrived under coach Hansi Flick. His performances have been a key factor in the Catalan giants’ positive start to the season, and he has expressed his strong desire to make the loan move permanent.

Enjoying a new life in Spain

When asked if he would like to stay at the Catalan giants, Rashford told Barcelona's YouTube channel: "I’m really enjoying my time in Spain. The weather is the best part. It’s a very big change. I’m learning every day, I’m really enjoying it. I hope to be here for a long time. I get along really well with Roony (Bardghji), as well as Jules (Kounde) and Frenkie (De Jong). It’s a team where we all blend together. We’re united. The team is fantastic. I just have to be in the right position. I’ll keep trying to do this. We have to keep going like this to be our best. We have a lot more to do this season."

He added: "I’m enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game so to play here is an honour. I just believe that things happen when they’re supposed to happen. It’s not the first time I spoke with Barcelona about potentially coming here, but for whatever reasons it didn’t happen in the past, and now is my opportunity to make it happen. I feel like there’s no time like the present now.

"People forget this, but 23 years of my life was with Manchester United. So sometimes you just need a change. I think maybe this is the case with me and yeah, I’m enjoying everything. I don’t feel there is much change in me, I just feel it’s a new environment and culture and one I looked forward to coming here. It’s just about me adapting and fitting in as well as possible. I’m so hungry to keep improving."

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AFPLanguage no barrier to progress

On learning Spanish, Rashford said: "I have watched Barcelona so many times especially in the recent years and I always felt if I was to move this team would be the perfect fit for move. I know it’s a big change but it doesn’t feel so big. I think I’ve come here and fit in well with the team and even now I don’t speak the language fully so it’s something I’m still trying to learn and will also help the process of fitting in."

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has brilliantly described what makes his former club’s rivalry with Liverpool different from others in three words.

Slot looking forward to Liverpool-Man Utd clash

The biggest fixture in English football dominates the weekend’s Premier League matches, with the Red Devils making the trip to Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

It promises to be the next great chapter in a huge rivalry between the two clubs, and speaking ahead of the match, Reds boss Arne Slot assessed a much-anticipated occasion.

“I look forward to every single Premier League game but maybe even more towards the United one, because I know how special it is and I’ve experienced last season how special a game it is. We know that it’s probably the game that’s been watched the most all over the world. It’s special to be part of it but in the end it’s also a game where we have to be at our best, because United, in my opinion, has had a better start of the season than maybe the league table is showing.

“A very interesting game and a game to look forward to, especially because it’s played at Anfield. I think our fans have been so supportive for us as long as I’m here and long before I was here. I think they understand that the team that has lost three times in a row, they need to be ready, our team, but I think our fans can help us and will help us on Sunday as well.”

Rooney perfectly nails Man Utd-Liverpool rivalry in three words

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show [via Rousing The Kop], Rooney explained the “deep, deep hatred” that exists between Manchester United and Liverpool, and why that makes it different to the Merseyside derby with Everton.

Rooney is spot on in his assessment, with family members supporting both Liverpool and Everton, giving the rivalry a little less nastiness, even though the Merseyside pair still clearly dislike each other.

With United, it is different, though, with the two clubs having respect for what they’ve achieved throughout history, but also detesting each other most of the time, and wanting to get one over the other every time they play, with bragging rights unrivalled in the English game.

Sunday’s clash at Anfield will be no different, and for the Red Devils, they know that victory would put a major dent in Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes.

Gary Neville's hilarious Liverpool claim in 2023 continues to haunt him

This is one of his worst!

ByHenry Jackson Sep 21, 2025

On the flip side, a Reds victory would heap further pressure on Ruben Amorim, especially if they lose heavily, so there is an enormous amount to play for this weekend, as always.

West Indies put up a fight with Hayley Matthews and Shemaine Campbelle scoring half-centuries but it wasn’t enough

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jun-2025South Africa’s men had their day at Lord’s and it might well have roused the women’s team because they came back from 0-1 down in the ODI series against West Indies with a power-packed performance. There were contributions all the way down the batting order to put up 309 for 9, led by Sune Luus’ enchanting 76 off just 65 balls. Nondumiso Shangase produced a career-best 55 having been trusted with the No. 3 position for only the second time ever. And Annerie Dercksen was around to provide the flourish at the end, even though wickets were falling, as South Africa picked off 106 runs in the last 10 overs.West Indies, in reply, built their innings around fifties from Hayley Matthews and Shemaine Campbelle but their challenge wilted in the face of some miserly spin bowling from Nonkululeko Mlaba, who brought up her best figures in ODI cricket with 4 for 33. Her dismissal of Matthews came at a crucial time with West Indies keeping up with the required rate at 107 for 2 in the 20th over largely thanks to their captain’s fluency. She made 56 off just 58 balls with nine fours.Cambelle kept fighting – 53 off 58 even though she hit just five boundaries – and West Indies arrived into the last 10 overs of the game with 221 runs on the board – 18 more than South Africa at the same time and only 89 away from victory with five wickets in hand. Mlaba and the eternally gifted Marizanne Kapp took a game that was in the balance and broke it with three wickets in 11 balls. Campbelle was gone. The West Indies’ lower order had been opened up and the game petered out to its only conclusion.Scoreboard pressure played a big part in all that. Having been put in, South Africa found the going a little tough with even their free-flowing captain Laura Wolvaardt only able to score 28 off 47 balls. But the openers’ willingness to weather that period – Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits stayed together for 15.1 overs – ensured the rest of the line-up had better conditions to bat in. It showed in how only one of the remaining top seven batters had a strike rate below run a ball. Luus was the major driving force for the innings, scoring her first ODI fifty in the last 20 innings, a sequence that goes back to September 2023. Her partnership with Shangase lit the torch paper – 85 off 69 – and that fire spread. Dercksen came in and kept up the tempo, adding 40 off 23 balls with Luus before Luus fell. But that was just a reason to go harder and Dercksen and Chloe Trying put on 57 off 34 for the seventh wicket.Tuesday’s ODI now becomes a decider before the two teams get together for a three-match T20I series.

It might still be early in the season, but Arsenal are looking like a scary proposition at the moment.

Mikel Arteta’s side are flying atop the Premier League table and remain unbeaten in the Champions League with three wins from three.

While not every win has been emphatic, Tuesday night’s demolition of Atlético Madrid certainly was, as to a man, the Gunners were exceptional.

Moreover, while he didn’t produce a goal involvement, Bukayo Saka was once again a major threat, and in even more encouraging signs, another of the starters is starting to show shades of the talisman in his own game.

Saka's start to the season

Last season was a strange one for Saka and Arsenal as a whole. Although he missed almost four months of football due to a hamstring injury and subsequent surgery, the Hale End phenomenon still racked up a brilliant haul of 12 goals and 14 assists in 37 games for the side.

Appearances

37

Minutes

2619′

Goals

12

Assists

14

Goal Involvements per Match

0.70

Minutes per Goal Involvement

100.73′

It was also clear that, towards the end of the campaign, he was still lacking that match fitness and sharpness that helps make him such a world-class talent.

Fortunately, even though he was still lacking that at the start of this season, he still managed to open his account with a well-taken goal at home to Leeds United on matchday two.

However, as if he hadn’t already dealt with enough bad luck over the last year or so, he also suffered another hamstring injury in that game.

This resulted in him spending another few weeks on the sideline before returning to the fray in the second half against Manchester City last month.

This setback has undoubtedly led to him being a bit rusty over the last few weeks, but even so, his immense talent has seen him remain the most dangerous attacker in Arteta’s side.

Moreover, he’s started to look somewhere close to his best again over the last week or so, and the difference has been crystal clear, as while he didn’t score or assist a goal against Fulham on Saturday, he was a huge threat, racking up an expected assists figure of 0.55 and playing seven key passes.

And then, while he wasn’t quite as influential on Tuesday, he still looked like the Gunners’ most realistic route to goal for much of the first 45, with former professional turned pundit Paul Merson claiming he had the Spanish side “on toast” at points.

In all, despite still not being at his peak, Saka is undoubtedly Arsenal’s most important player and talisman, so it’s pretty exciting to see another player start to show shades of his game in their own.

The Arsenal star emulating Saka

You really could take your pick when it came to standout performers for Arsenal on Tuesday.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Declan Rice was on point once again with his deliveries, Viktor Gyokeres nabbed a brace, and Gabriel Magalhães did what he does best.

However, the starter who once again exhibited some Saka-esque qualities in his game was Myles Lewis-Skelly.

The young Englishman was handed his third start of the season, and he more than repaid Arteta, but what in his game showed shades of his fellow Hale Ender?

Well, perhaps the most important is his ability to pull opposition players towards him, and then skip past them with ease to set up a promising attacking situation for the team.

This is exactly what he did for the second goal on the night, when he took five players out of the game with an incredible run from the middle of the park before setting up Gabriel Martinelli.

However, there are more similarities between the two academy gems than just that.

For example, while you can’t describe either one as towering or particularly imposing, both of them are fighters, far stronger than they look and capable of being a little bit nasty in the most complimentary of ways.

Furthermore, the 19-year-old is also technically brilliant, as in addition to his close control, he has a wand of a left foot, which has seen him chalk up a few assists since his debut.

With all that in mind, it’s not hard to see why one analyst described the youngster as one of the best talents “in world football” on Tuesday night.

Ultimately, there is still some way to go for Lewis-Skelly before he reaches his prime, but as things stand, he’s already an outrageous talent and shares more than a few traits with Saka.

9/10 star who had his "best game in an Arsenal shirt" is becoming like Rice

The game-changing monster is starting to look like another Declan Rice for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 22, 2025

Chicago Fire midfielder Brian Gutiérrez is reportedly eligible to represent Mexico after obtaining his Mexican passport, according to Súper Deportivo. Born in Illinois to Mexican parents, the 22-year-old has been one of MLS’s top young playmakers and now hopes to make the jump to Javier Aguirre’s national team.

Getty Images SportDual national previously played for U.S. youth teams

Born in Berwyn, Illinois, to Mexican parents, Gutiérrez grew up within the U.S. soccer system and even featured for the U.S. youth national teams. Gutiérrez made his senior national team debut for the USMNT in January 2025 during an international friendly camp and earned his first two caps in matches against Venezuela and Costa Rica. He was later called up to the roster for the CONCACAF Nations League Finals in March 2025. 

However, because those games were not official competitions, the 22-year-old remains eligible to switch federations and represent Mexico at the international level.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportBreakout 2025 season with Chicago Fire

 Gutiérrez enjoyed a breakout 2025 campaign for the Fire, playing 35 matches across all competitions and logging 2,381 minutes. He talled nine goals and six assists in 29 league appearances. His performances made him one of the most productive and creative midfielders in the league, showcasing his vision, technical skill, and versatility in attack.

Getty Images SportGutiérrez by the numbers

Since making his professional debut as a teenager, Gutiérrez has appeared in 164 matches for the Fire, contributing 21 goals and 25 assists in more than 10,000 minutes of play. His consistency and growth have positioned him as a rising figure among MLS-based dual nationals now catching Mexico’s attention.

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Getty Images SportAnother American-born talent choosing El Tri

Gutiérrez’s decision mirrors that of Obed Vargas, the Seattle Sounders midfielder born in Alaska who recently committed to playing for Mexico. As the Mexican Football Federation continues to expand its scouting network across the United States, players like Gutiérrez represent the new wave of binational talent strengthening pool ahead of future international tournaments.

“I personally think that if you want to keep getting the ball changed then each team gets three challenges every 80 overs and that’s it,” Joe Root suggests

Valkerie Baynes11-Jul-20253:04

Root: ‘Great to see Archer smiling, enjoying his cricket’

Joe Root has proposed that each team be given three chances to swap the ball over the course of 80 overs in a bid to ease frustration over the repeated changing of the Dukes ball during England’s home Test series with India.His suggestion, at the end of the second day’s play in the third Test at Lord’s, came after India had expressed their displeasure with the replacement for the second new ball, which came after just 10.3 overs of use.Jasprit Bumrah had taken three wickets in his first 14 deliveries with the original, but his side was unable to take another during the first session with Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse at the crease.Related

India unhappy with replacement ball as Dukes loses shape

The ball was changed again, 48 deliveries after the previous change, the incident adding to criticism of the Dukes ball during this series, and dating back five years, over its loss of shape and becoming soft too quickly.”I personally think that if you want to keep getting the ball changed then each team gets three challenges every 80 overs and that’s it, if you want to get it changed,” Root said when asked about the issue at the close of play. “But the rings have to be the right size, not too big.”That would be a nice way of compromising and saying it’s not all on the manufacturer. Sometimes these things happen but you can’t just keep asking and wasting time and slowing the game down at the same time.”But Root, who had been unbeaten on 99 overnight and brought up his 37th Test century with the first ball of the morning, also suggested teams needed to adapt to conditions regardless and get on with the game.”I don’t know the ins and outs of how they make it,” he said. “I do know that they’re handmade so you’re never going to get two balls exactly the same. I do think this summer has been a bit of an anomaly for us. We’re not used to getting this much sun and this much heat and squares as hard and outfields as firm so whether that plays a part or not [I don’t know].”It’s one of those things where if the balls are going out of shape, you change them, and you don’t make a big deal out of it. I don’t think it’s the end of the world. I think it adds a different dynamic to the game and you’ve got to be skilful enough to adapt to the changes, whether it stops swinging or starts swinging or does a little bit more.”Over rates also came under scrutiny for a second day running. After seven overs were lost on a slow opening day, a further 15 were left unbowled when stumps were called at 6.33pm on the second evening.”I don’t want to get myself in trouble by trying to rewrite the thing but I think that’s one way of policing the ball thing,” Root said. “In terms of over rates, it can be quite difficult on a day like today. We’re not used to this, are we? Thirty [degrees] in England feels like 45 elsewhere. But I guess just try and keep on top of it as much as you can.”Bumrah said he didn’t have a clear memory of the ball being changed during his two previous tours of England in 2018 and 2021 or the two World Test Championship finals he has played.5:34

How the Dukes ball is made and why it’s going out of shape

“The ball changes, I don’t really control that,” Bumrah said. “Obviously I don’t really want to lose out on money because I worked very hard, I bowled a lot of overs, so I don’t want to say any controversial statement and get my match fees deducted. But we were bowling with the ball that we were given and that’s how it is. We can’t change it, we can’t fight it. Sometimes it goes your way [and] sometimes you get a bad ball, that’s how it is.”Meanwhile, Root was understandably delighted with the brilliant catch he took mere millimetres above the ground at first slip to dismiss Karun Nair and move to 211 Test catches, clear of Rahul Dravid to hold the record outright.”I’ll be watching it back, for sure,” Root told . “It should’ve been a long time ago. There’s been a few drops in there, but it was an important one, so nice to cling on to it and keep contributing in the field today.”That’s the whole point, you want to try and contribute; you want to add to the team and find ways of affecting the game, if you’re out there in the field. I might bowl the odd over here and there, but there’s only limited ways that you can get yourself in the game. In order to drop catches, you’ve got to put yourself in those positions in the first place. That’s one thing I’ll always keep trying to do, [think] how can I make an impact? How can I help the lads? Standing at first slip is one of them.”

It takes a special set of circumstances for Major League Baseball to get better head-to-head ratings against the NFL but that's exactly what surrounded Monday night as Game 3 of the World Series went against Front Office Sports crunched the numbers and declared a rare win for baseball, the former national pastime, over the current one.

Dodgers-Yankees is the dream scenario for Major League Baseball and the ratings have reflected it. The Giants haven't exactly set the world on fire and many of their fans are Yankees fans so there are a ton of caveats to the bottom line. Still, it's yet another positive headline for the sport that has taken centerstage this October and really delivered.

Major League Baseball has yet to release Game 3 viewership for Japan, which has been outpacing American numbers to this point. They were able to proudly tout that the World Series is reaching the 18 to 34 demographic to an astounding degree. And yes, there will always be disagreements about how much any of all these metrics matter. But baseball has needed some wins in this department—big, splashy and easy to understand wins—for some time. Touting the cumulative success of a regional sport and codifying regional ratings does not land with the same impact of the World Series. Being bigger than the NFL is nearly impossible at this point so it's worth celebrating, even if it likely won't be replicated for a while.

Former Southampton manager Russell Martin is “still in contention” for what would be a stunning return to St Mary’s.

Though Southampton endured a dismal 2024/25 Premier League campaign, they were still expected to be strong contenders for an immediate promotion from the Championship. Having established himself with Reims and Lens in Ligue 1, Will Still was appointed as Saints manager in the summer.

Despite his obvious potential as a coach, Still was unable to make things click during what was his first job in English football. After winning just two matches out of 13 in the second tier, Still was sacked by the club who, at the time, were 21st in the league following three successive defeats.

Working as interim boss of the Saints, Tonda Eckert won his first game in charge against Queens Park Rangers. Having been called up temporarily from the Under-21s, Eckert has made a good start to his time in charge as Southampton pursue a permanent successor to Still.

Now, reports have indicated that Southampton, who are eight points adrift of the top six, could look to bring a former manager back to the club.

Martin to return to Southampton?

According to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Martin is “still held in high regard at Southampton and has admirers in the boardroom”.

Taking over the Saints in 2023 after managing MK Dons and Swansea City, Martin guided Southampton to the Premier League via the Championship play-offs.

Wedded to his patient, possession-based brand of football, Martin was sacked by the club in December 2024, in a season that saw the club become the first Premier League side to be condemned to relegation with as many as seven games remaining.

Martin was, in turn, hired by Rangers in the summer of 2025, going onto endure a terrible tenure in charge that lasted for just 123 days. Amongst other reported options, including Frank Lampard and Mark Robins, Martin’s current status as a free agent may mean he is more inclined to take the job.

Football Insider have reported that, whilst Martin being hired by Southampton would be “a surprise, his return has not been ruled out,” as the club do not blame him for the season that they endured in the top flight.

Having been called “unbelievable” by Flynn Downes, who Martin brought to Southampton, the 39-year-old has certainly proven himself at Southampton in the past. Given their current predicament and how badly Martin’s tenure at Rangers went, though, it remains to be seen whether Southampton push further for a reunion.

"Very intelligent" coach interested in Southampton job

CEO Todd Greenberg stressed Australia’s traditional Boxing Day Test and New Year’s Test would remain untouched

Alex Malcolm06-Aug-2025Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg says an investigation into allowing private investment into the BBL is “unashamedly” with a view to making it the second best T20 league in the world behind the IPL, but stressed it would not go ahead if it came at the cost of Australia’s traditional New Year’s Test at the SCG.CA released a statement last week regarding the next evolution of the BBL after Boston Consulting Group (BCG) had been commissioned by the CA Board earlier this year to assess the current model and future structure of the BBL, with a series of recommendations presented to the board earlier last week.A “recommendation of alternative forms of investment and ownership to realise the potential for growth, including consideration of private investment” was one of the key points presented by BCG.Related

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Hundred's 'transition' year is relying on Test star Smith as headline act

CA said in the statement that BCG’s report “will now be subject to a thorough exploratory process before any decisions are made about the potential implementation of recommendations, and any associated timelines.”Speaking on on Wednesday in Melbourne, Greenberg said that BCG’s entire report would not be published due to it containing sensitive commercial information but reiterated that CA were merely investigating the possibility of private investment into the BBL and what it would mean for cricket as a whole in Australia.He did admit that part of the vision CA had for the league was for it to be second only to the IPL in terms of it’s global standing.”Well that’s certainly the vision of everyone in cricket here in this country is to make sure that we run a league and we run a T20 tournament that is sitting just beside or behind or adjacent to the IPL,” Greenberg said. “It’s going to be very hard to chase the IPL, given the scale of cricket in India, but unashamedly, we want to run a league that comes second. And to do that we’re going to need to make sure that player availability and player salaries are commensurate with everything else that goes on around the world, and there’s one thing you need for that, you need money, you need investment. We’d be naive if we weren’t asking ourselves these questions and making sure we’ve got an eye on what’s next.BBL clubs are currently fully owned by CA and operated by the state associations•Getty Images”Nothing has been decided at this point in time. The report does tell us that the BBL is in a very healthy position, but one thing we’re sure of is we don’t want to take that for granted. So it’s incumbent on us, as leaders of the sport, to look at what the future might hold for us.”Private investment has been a discussion point around the BBL ever since it’s creation as a rebrand of the state-based Big Bash in 2011. But CA has long resisted the idea to maintain 100 per cent control of the tournament and the clubs in order to create a summer schedule for broadcasters where it sits underneath the key Test matches in Melbourne on Boxing Day and in Sydney at the start of each New Year.Another recommendation from BCG was the the BBL started later than it’s current start date of mid-December. News Limited reported that the New Year’s Test in Sydney may be under threat as a result as private investors, if they were to hold majority stakes in BBL clubs, would demand Australia’s Test players be fully available for the tournament as is the case in the IPL and now the Hundred in England.But Greenberg was firm in his belief that the Sydney Test would not be moved to a different date in the calendar.”I hail from Sydney so I’d like to return back there at one point in time,” Greenberg said. “So, no, it’s certainly not on the agenda.”CA has kept a very close eye on how the ECB has handled the sale of the Hundred franchises in England and is continuing to watch closely as the competition enters a transition year with three teams set to be renamed and rebranded next season by the new private owners.

“We’re looking at ways to put money into cricket so that all parts of cricket can continue to flourish. So for me, this is much less about selling something. It’s more about what the future looks like and trying to ensure that we can continue to put money and resources into grassroots and performance pathways.”Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg

Greenberg rejected a notion which has been raised in some quarters in Australia that allowing private investment into the BBL would be akin to “selling the farm” to the highest bidder.”It couldn’t be anything further from the truth,” Greenberg said. “We’re looking at ways to put money into cricket so that all parts of cricket can continue to flourish. So for me, this is much less about selling something. It’s more about what the future looks like and trying to ensure that we can continue to put money and resources into grassroots and performance pathways, and so we can be secure, and we can be the sport of choice, and we can continue to be the country’s national sport. None of that will happen if we sit still on our hands and think that everything tomorrow will be like yesterday. We’re living in a world that’s moving at speed.”What this report’s looking at is certainly not looking at putting any private capital into the league. It’s rather the clubs themselves. So that’s the first point. So retaining control of Australian cricket, I think, is fundamental.”Greenberg said he had already received emails from private investors that he “hadn’t heard of” who were interested in having a conversation about either investing in or owning BBL clubs. But he reiterated that CA were a long way from reaching a point where the conversations with investors could actually take place.He admitted there was apprehension from a large number of current stakeholders in Australian cricket following last week’s release but wanted to allay any fears.”The Chairman (Mike Baird) and I are at pains to point out that this process, this project will only work if it benefits everyone, and when I say everyone, I mean the total circumference of Australian cricket,” Greenberg said. “I mean players. I mean all of our states and territories, and I mean grassroots and the future of cricket too. If there’s opportunities for everyone to thrive and grow from a project like this, then I think it will solve the problems itself. But if clearly we can’t answer that question, then I think the project fails. So we will be very collaborative, as we have been from the start.”