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Things took an unexpected turn at a recent Coldplay concert thanks to their version of the Kiss Cam and now the internet is doing what the internet does. The viral story continues to twist and turn as people gawk into other's private lives. Heck, even the social media managers from the Seattle Mariners have gotten involved, capitalizing on Cal Raleigh Awareness Week.

So perhaps it wasn't surprising to see anchors Randy Scott and Gary Striewski get in on the moment during Friday's show.

Talk about an awkward way to start the Kiss It Goodbye segment. Or really the perfect way.

Maybe you got a big laugh out of this. Maybe there was absolutely no reaction. But hey, they tried something. And on the slowest sports week of the year, that's just what's going to happen.

Now that it has brought in the money, the upcoming Hundred season has missed a chance to begin the healing process

Andrew Miller13-Mar-2025“Are you a Gladiator? Do you have the will and the skill?”At the age of 42, but still with the body of a Greek god, James Anderson would probably answer “yes” to both of those questions, whether he was pushing off from the sightscreen at Old Trafford or from a giant hamster-ball launcher in a Saturday night gameshow.Never mind that the Hundred might prefer to be seen in loftier company, English cricket’s chosen prime-time offering has more than a few traits in common with “Gladiators”, ITV’s eponymous hit which pitches plucky members of the public against a range of beefcakes in a series of taxing athletic pursuits.Kids love both concepts, by all accounts, even if more established sports fans tend to view them, at best, with indifference and, at worst, disdain or outright loathing. And the strides towards gender parity have been a key aspect of the appeal, with the men’s and women’s competitions in both cases having equal and interchangeable merit (if not, in the Hundred’s case, equal pay just yet).Dare one say it, however, grumpy has-beens have long been a central plank of Gladiators’ success. Fans of the original series in the 1990s had “Wolf” as the original pantomime baddie, while the modern-day villain is the taciturn, tantrum-prone “Viper” (alongside the engagingly egomanicial “Legend”). At least London Spirit have got David Warner lined up for 2025, but you can see where this one’s going, can’t you?Yes, Anderson’s enduring heart to be a winner made not the blindest bit of difference in Wednesday night’s Hundred draft. For the fifth time (and, given what’s at stake from next year onwards, let’s fervently hope the final time), the tournament’s organisers again failed to work out whether it is sport or entertainment that they will be overseeing in the prime weeks of the English summer.Should we care that an England legend, who hasn’t played a professional T20 fixture in more than a decade, has just been snubbed by a tournament that was last month valued at approximately £2 billion? Your answer depends on what you think the ECB ought to be getting out of the Hundred this summer, seeing as it has already got exactly what the tournament was created for.Wolf (left) and Cobra pose ahead of the original series of Gladiators in 1992•Getty ImagesAs England’s stake in a fragmenting international market, the Hundred has fulfilled its purpose admirably. At an operational level, however, the ECB has consistently struggled to pitch it in a manner appropriate to the sport that they already serve. The tournament, they have long said, is not aimed at cricket’s established fans, which would be fine in principle, were it not for the contempt with which that insistence had been burnished, and the collateral damage it has caused along the way, particularly in hastening the decline of the very international game that, by design, it is there to replace.As such, every new season has been a bundle of contradictions, at one level or another, but this year’s competition doesn’t even seem to be aimed at future fans either. Who knows what the Hundred will look like from 2026 onwards, when IPL team-names begin to oust the competition’s existing brands, and the kits start to get a makeover – including, it is proposed, a garish MCC egg-and-bacon strip to replace London Spirit’s existing Tyrells’ blue. Vikram Banjeree, the Hundred’s MD, recently admitted the competition needed more “tribalism” to gain proper traction with its fans, but in the rapacious world of financially focused sports leagues, the only constant is change.The draft itself rather confirmed the impression that this year’s tournament will be an unusually listless exercise. Where once the player selection process had been envisioned as an appointment-to-view Sunday evening event on Sky Sports, this year’s version wasn’t even deemed worthy of a fixed YouTube camera. Instead, contracts worth up to £200,000 a pop were drip-fed through a tournament-run live blog on a half-hour delay, without so much as a peep behind the curtain to whet any wider media interest. No doubt the Silicon Valley tech bros were especially entranced by the spectacle.Beyond the immediate confusion, however, there are still wider issues that the Hundred still isn’t making any attempt to address. In the build-up to the draft, a preview piece on BBC Sport (a tournament partner, remember) was inundated with the usual vitriol: “Couldn’t care less” … “pantomime time” … “a joke competition” … “just ever-changing teams of random individuals, picked like in a school playground …” and so it went on.Of course, the ECB is entitled to show off its swag-bag as a pointed rejoinder, but there’s no way that anyone who cares for cricket in this country can just close their ears to the hatred, and pretend it will all just go away now that the money is rolling in. The bad blood is real and lasting, and a rapprochement seems no closer to fruition.Related

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James Anderson undrafted for 2025 men's Hundred

Maybe it’s easy to cling too tightly to the past, and miss the bigger picture. Elsewhere in this week’s sporting news, the Manchester United Supporters Trust couldn’t help but sound like stick-in-the-muds when failing to get giddily excited about Old Trafford’s extraordinary expansion plans. No doubt their concerns about ticket prices and in-stadium atmosphere have merit, but lads … can’t you just look at that £2 billion’s worth of real-estate investment and be happy for once?But, while snubbing Anderson’s advances could be seen as a statement of sporting seriousness as the Hundred prepares for its loaded new future, it does seem odd – in these remarkable circumstances – to pass over the appeal of one man who could, at the very least, have given cricket’s disenfranchised masses a reason to tune in and pass judgement on their own terms.Anderson played his first T20 match way back in July 2004, in the format’s second season, and a full year before its first international fixture. But it’s not as though he’s been a stranger to the Hundred’s new demographics, with his guest slots as a BBC summariser and numerous matchday masterclasses. His Tailenders’ podcast sidekicks, Felix White and Greg James, were even co-opted onto Oval Invincibles’ board in the lead-up to the equity sale.Yes, Anderson will still be toiling away on the county circuit for another season yet, but that fact in itself merely exacerbates the sense of a heritage spurned – a fair few fans may pop into Lord’s from April 4 to watch him open the county season with Lancashire, and he may even feature in his first 50-over game in six years when the One-Day Cup takes place in the Hundred’s immense shadow in August.But surely there would have been merit in a one-season deal for a grand old man who just wants to be able to flame out on his own terms, and provide a last bit of entertainment along the way. It would have been a vehicle, if nothing else, to lure a few of the unconverted through the gates – maybe even with their kids in tow, flushed with memories of what it was like to be young and starry-eyed – and begin some sort of a healing process before the true upheaval begins next year.After all, as Gladiators has shown over the course of its 33-year span, good clean family fun doesn’t have to be so goddamn divisive.

Manchester City have now reportedly offered Real Madrid a shock swap deal in an attempt to sign a young player that Pep Guardiola loves.

Man City targeting Real Madrid star

The big concern that Man City had in the opening weeks of the Premier League campaign was their list of goalscorers. When it wasn’t Erling Haaland, it was difficult to pinpoint just who would step up for Guardiola’s side. As we approach Christmas, however, to say that is no longer an issue would be an understatement.

Phil Foden has particularly stepped up as of late and even defenders such as Josko Gvardiol are getting in on the act, scoring twice in City’s last three Premier League games.

Full of praise for Foden after yet another excellent display on Saturday, Guardiola told reporters: “Phil is incredible.

“He is scoring a lot of goals. He came to me after the game and said he didn’t feel well today and look what happened how he runs, in behind, regain the ball. When he is in this momentum and this mood, he is a gift and a diamond. He is top.”

City have now cut Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League to just two points as they look to make up for last season and get back on top in English football.

Man City now most interested in signing "pacy" £40m+ Arsenal target club chiefs love

The Citizens could get one over on their title rivals.

ByTom Cunningham Dec 6, 2025

With 2026 around the corner too, several rumours are beginning to surround the potential business that the Citizens could complete and that includes a shock Real Madrid star.

Reports have claimed that Man City are targeting a move to sign Arda Guler from the Spanish giants, despite Foden’s recent resurgence. The Turkish midfielder has been one of few players to benefit from Xabi Alonso’s arrival in Spain and those at the Etihad are now reportedly ready to sacrifice one of their own stars to secure his signature.

Man City offer Real Madrid shock swap deal

According to reports in Spain, Man City have now offered Rodri in a swap deal to sign Guler from Real Madrid in 2026. Guardiola is reportedly a huge fan of the 20-year-old and could bid farewell to one of his most important players to get the deal over the line.

It would undoubtedly be the most unexpected deal of the year. Rodri may still be recovering from his ACL injury, but there is still no one better in his position when he is 100%. Would Man City really sacrifice their Ballon d’Or winner?

What’s more, the question must also be asked as to whether City even need Guler? With Foden and Rayan Cherki competing for that No.10 role, finding a place in their side for the Madrid star would arguably be fairly difficult. That said, he has been billed as “the next Kevin De Bruyne” by one journalist.

Nonetheless, it is a deal that Real Madrid are not willing to take at this time, and that should come as little shock after Alonso told reporters: “With his (Guler) quality, he’s a mix between Özil and Guti.

“Guti had that vision and finesse to link play or operate closer to goal, and with Mesut I enjoyed football so much. Arda has that something special — that natural talent you can’t teach.”

Man City willing to launch £100m+ bid to sign 18-y/o star who's been compared to Yamal

Door left ajar for Pat Cummins to return as captain with Australia still debating the make-up of their side

Alex Malcolm03-Dec-2025Pat Cummins is a chance of making a stunning comeback to Australia’s XI for the second Test against England at the Gabba with a final decision to be made by selectors on Wednesday afternoon following a further inspection of the pitch.Australia’s stand-in captain Steven Smith did not confirm the final XI on Wednesday’s press conference, with an update later in the day saying it would be named at the toss, keeping the door open for Cummins to return as captain and also leaving open the possibility of Australia excluding their sole specialist spinner Nathan Lyon for the second day-night Test in a row.Australia also need to replace injured opener Usman Khawaja, and Josh Inglis appears the favourite to come into a middle-order role ahead of Beau Webster, with Travis Head to shift up to open. But Smith could not confirm that either.Related

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“A whole heap of things I think are on the table,” Smith said. “We’ll wait and see what the wicket looks like, and from there we’ll determine a playing XI.”Cummins’ inclusion would be a surprise given he was not named in Australia’s 14-man squad for the Gabba Test when it was announced last Friday. However, he was never officially ruled out because of how well he had been bowling in the nets in Perth and Brisbane after recovering from the bone stress injury in his lower back.”He looks pretty good to me the way he’s bowled in the nets,” Smith said. “Obviously, games are a different intensity, for sure, but he’s tracking really nicely. He knows his body well, and yeah, we’ll wait and see.”There is a possibility that he could replace Brendan Doggett in the XI but that would come with risks regarding his workloads. Given he has not played any cricket since July, there would be more comfort among Australia’s medical staff if he played in an all-pace attack given his bowling loads would likely be less in such a scenario if Australia’s selectors decided Lyon was surplus to requirements in the pink-ball game.0:46

McGlashan: An unfortunate end if Khawaja’s Test career is over

Lyon was left out of Australia’s most recent day-night Test in Jamaica in July and only bowled one over in last year’s pink-ball Test in Adelaide against India. He also did not bowl a ball in Australia’s last Ashes day-night Test in Hobart in 2022. He only bowled two overs in the first Test in Perth, both of which came in the first innings, as England only batted for 67.3 overs across the two-day Test.Lyon did bowl 50 overs in the last day-night Test as the Gabba in 2024 but Smith wasn’t sure if he was assured of his place.”I’m not sure,” Smith said. “We’ll look at the surface, as I said, and we’ll sum things up from there. And I think here’s a place where Nathan’s done really well in the past. He’s a quality bowler. But we’ll weigh up the options and we’ll see how we go.”The Gabba surface has looked very green from afar in the build-up to the Test match. There is warm, dry weather expected in Brisbane for the first three days of the game.”It’s still quite grassy, a little soft,” Smith said. “It’s obviously going to bake under the sun again today, and I think [the curator] is going to take a little bit off it, so might look a little bit different in a couple hours’ time.”

The Three Lions have been drawn in Group L for the 2026 World Cup and the draw has served up some lively-looking reunions when the tournament gets underway in America, Canada and Mexico next June. Boss Thomas Tuchel has called it a "difficult" group, but fans have taken to social media to crow over how easy the ride will be for England in the opening stage of football's most coveted prize.

England discover path to World Cup glory

England will clash with Croatia in their opener, offering a chance for revenge after the painful 2018 semi-final loss. Also in the group are the Black Stars of Ghana, a talented side who promise a physical battle with lots of familiar players from the Premier League, and tournament minnows Panama, who England famously thrashed 6-1 in 2018. 

Elsewhere, Scotland were handed plum ties against five-times World Cup winners Brazil and 2022 semi-finalists Morocco, in a mouthwatering repeat of their 1998 draw, sparking a wave of anticipation and a challenge that manager Steve Clarke called "fantastic". The Scots have also been drawn against Haiti and face an uphill battle to progress to the knockout phase for the first time in their history, but England fans are very confident of easing into the business end of the tournament. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportEngland fans confident following draw

Three Lions fans queued up to have their say after the group was confirmed and @Rees_wba posted to X, saying: "Easy as you like, it's coming home 🏆" 

Elsewhere, @5eanOConnor added: "Relatively easy group. Croatia might be the only stumbling block, but they aren’t the force they once were. It’s the knockout phase that counts."

And @sherratt1876 said: "Nine points. The question is, who will come 2nd in the group behind England."

The votes of confidence kept on coming as @ace_man2574 observed: "Good Group, not like other years where is easy on group stage and then Knockout we are unable to cope with the top teams due to pressure."

And @billielaing1 said: "We should top that group. Excited for next June."

Tuchel: 'We will be well prepared when we arrive'

After the draw in Washington DC, Tuchel told reporters: "It’s a difficult group, a difficult opener. Croatia and Ghana are two regulars in World Cups and are two proud and strong nations. Croatia were the highest-ranked team from pot two and Ghana is always full of talent and can always surprise and have a big history in World Cup football. And Panama will try to make the most in their underdog role. No one can be underestimated, everyone deserves the fullest respect and we can show that."

He added: "For me, I’ve only experienced group football in Champions League formats and the way to approach it was to always give it the biggest respect and to put all the focus into winning the group. It always seems difficult, like our group now, but we are confident and we will be well prepared when we arrive."

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AFPEngland await match locations

The draw is complete, but the specific match dates, venues, and kick-off times are being announced by FIFA in a special program on Saturday. The opening match will be on June 11th in Mexico City, and the final will be on July 19th in New Jersey. And it will be a very different tournament this time round as it will feature a new, expanded format with 48 teams and nations have been divided into 12 groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-placed teams, will advance to a new Round of 32 knockout stage. This increases the total matches from 64 to a whopping 104, and the champions this time round will play eight matches instead of seven.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman has expressed his desire to be aggressive at this year's trade deadline in hopes of shoring up whatever roster needs the team has before the second half of the season.

One area that's expected to be addressed is the bullpen, as Yankees relievers have struggled mightily of late. A name that's come up as a potential target for New York, and one who isn't even currently pitching in MLB, is veteran reliever David Robertson, a pitcher with whom the fan base is plenty familiar. Robertson was linked to the Yankees as a possible mid-season acquisition by 's Will Sammon on Tuesday.

Robertson last pitched in 2024 for the Rangers. He made 68 relief appearances and maintained a 3.00 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 72 innings. His 2.65 FIP suggests his underlying numbers were even better than what the stats show, yet he remains unsigned through the first four months of the '25 campaign.

Robertson has already spent two separate stints with the Yankees, who drafted him in the 17th round in 2006. His first stint in New York ran from 2008 to '14, and his second was from 2017 to '18. He made a total of 501 appearances for the Yankees and had a 2.75 ERA for the team.

He surpassed Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting during his knock against India in the fourth Test

Sampath Bandarupalli25-Jul-202513,409 Runs scored by Joe Root in Test cricket. Only Sachin Tendulkar (15,921) has scored more in this format. Root moved up three places during his century against India in the fourth Test at Old Trafford. He surpassed Rahul Dravid (13,288), Jacques Kallis (13,289) and Ricky Ponting (13,378).ESPNcricinfo Ltd38 Hundreds for Root in Test cricket. Only three batters – Tendulkar (51), Kallis (45) and Ponting (41) – have more in Test cricket, while Kumar Sangakkara also has 38.Root now has 104 fifty-plus scores in Tests, surpassing Ponting and Kallis’ tally of 103. Again, only Tendulkar, with 119, have more.12 Test hundreds for Root against India, the most by any batter, going ahead of Steven Smith’s 11. Only Don Bradman (19 against England) and Sunil Gavaskar (13 against West Indies) have more Test hundreds against a particular opponent.Nine of Root’s 12 hundreds against India have come in England, the most by any batter against an opponent at home, going past Bradman’s eight against England.23 Test hundreds for Root in England, the joint-most for any batter in a country. Ponting in Australia, Kallis in South Africa and Mahela Jayawardene in Sri Lanka also have 23 each.Root has scored 7195 runs in Tests in England, the third-most by any batter in a country, behind only Ponting (7578 in Australia) and Tendulkar (7216 in India).ESPNcricinfo Ltd1128 Test runs scored by Root at Old Trafford. He is the first batter to aggregate 1000 Test runs at this venue. Old Trafford is the second venue where Root has scored 1000-plus Test runs; he has 2166 at Lord’s.588 Runs Root scored in Tests against Ravindra Jadeja so far, across 37 innings for nine dismissals. These are the most runs any batter scored in Test cricket against a bowler. He went past Steven Smith, who has 577 runs against Stuart Broad across 49 innings and was dismissed 11 times.

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1 on Tuesday night. For Philadelphia it was its first time with back-to-back wins since early in July. The prospect that they could accomplish this feat was brought up by Michael Barkmann on NBC Sports Philadelphia's .

As the show headed to a break Barkmann's co-host Ruben Amaro Jr. jumped in with one last reason he was optimistic about the Phillies chances in the game—Cristopher Sanchez was on the hill.

Unfortunately for Amaro, he did not say hill. He said another four-letter word that nearly caused Ricky Bottalico to do a spit-take.

Shield your ears if you don't want to hear the NSFW word.

In the end, Amaro was right. Sanchez, fresh off an All-Star snub, went out there and threw a complete game, striking out 12 and giving up just four hits and one run. With Sanchez on the hill Philadelphia is a formidable opponent.

The Braves have signed former Padres closer Robert Suarez to a three-year, $45 million contract, the team announced on Thursday. News of the deal was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

As part of the contract, Suarez will be donating 1% of his salary to the Atlanta Braves Foundation. Suarez will make $13 million next season and $16 million in the following two seasons.

Suarez became a free agent after the season when he opted out of the final two years of his deal with the Padres. Last season, Suarez compiled a 2.97 ERA in 70 appearances, with 40 saves in 69 and two-thirds innings pitched. He became the primary closer for the Padres in 2024, and saved 36 games that season. His 40 saves a year ago were a career-high.

With reviews infrequently used in bilaterals, poor use of the system in high-stakes events like the Women’s T20 World Cup have cost teams dearly

Raf Nicholson04-Mar-2020It’s the eighth over of Sri Lanka’s group-stage match against Australia at the T20 World Cup, and the visitors have the reigning champions well on the back foot at 30 for 3. Suddenly, Meg Lanning swipes at a wide one outside off stump and edges the ball to the keeper. As one, the Sri Lankans go up: they know they have their woman.Sadly, the umpire doesn’t agree. Even worse, Sri Lanka have already burned through their one DRS review, having made the baffling decision to try and overturn a not-out call for caught behind four overs earlier, also against Lanning, with replays showing that her bat had hit the gloves of the wicketkeeper, not the ball.Lanning goes on to score an unbeaten 41 not out; Australia win the game by five wickets, with just three balls remaining. Not for the first time, poor use of the DRS has quite possibly cost a team a memorable win.World Cup group-stage DRS stats

Successful reviews: 14
India 1, New Zealand 1, England 1, Pakistan 1, Sri Lanka 1, Thailand 1; Australia 2, Bangladesh 2, West Indies 2, South Africa 2
Unsuccessful reviews: 18
Bangladesh 4; India 3, New Zealand 3, England 3, Sri Lanka 3; Thailand 1; South Africa 1; Australia 0, Pakistan 0, West Indies 0

Within men’s cricket, DRS has been a fixture for over a decade, since it was officially introduced in Tests in November 2009. Its adoption has been much slower in the women’s game. The ICC requires both ball-tracking and a sound-based edge detection system (like UltraEdge) to be in place if DRS is to be used. That isn’t cheap, coming in at a price tag of more than US$13,000 per match. When the system was first used in women’s cricket during the 2017 World Cup in England, it was only put in place for the ten games that were broadcast: the teams contesting the 21 remaining matches went without.Only recently has the ICC been prepared to spend its cash on adopting it wholesale at standalone women’s tournaments: it was in use for every match of the 2018 Women’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, reflecting the fact that all 23 games were broadcast live; and it is once again available in every match of this current World Cup.That should be a good thing, right? DRS is, at its heart, about overturning bad umpiring decisions and thus making match results fairer. It also (in theory) levels the playing field with the men’s game: if review technology is available in men’s cricket, basic equality says it should also be available for the women’s game.

The majority of teams only ever get the chance to use the system every two years, during World Cups; Thailand, playing in their first world tournament, have never had access to it before

The stats suggest that women’s teams have overall used DRS reasonably well during this tournament. Across 20 group-stage matches, the DRS success rate stands at 44%: of 32 reviews, 14 have been successful, while 18 have seen the original on-field decision upheld. That doesn’t compare too badly with the men’s game: in the men’s World Cup last year there were 34 successful reviews out of 93 called for – a 36.5% success rate.Unfortunately, as ever, it is the reviews that go wrong that are remembered, over and above the times when sides have correctly chosen to use the system. With the eyes of the world on the women’s game, the use of DRS so far this tournament has generated a lot of comment, much of it negative. During India’s opening match against Australia, one fan on Twitter described India’s decision to review an lbw call against Beth Mooney that had pitched well outside leg stump as the worst use of DRS he had ever seen.Noticeably, teams have often appeared to have poor decision-making processes in place. For example, South Africa captain Dane van Niekerk, given out lbw to Pakistan’s Diana Baig, chose to review instantly but then began walking off the pitch, seemingly convinced she was actually out (in fact, ball-tracking eventually granted her a reprieve). Failing to review where they should have has also cost teams big: the most infamous example came in West Indies’ group-stage match against Pakistan, when Hayley Matthews was given out lbw first ball, once again to Baig. By the time Matthews decided to query the decision, it was too late: the available 15 seconds had expired. Had she made up her mind a bit quicker, the on-field decision would have been overturned, and West Indies might have avoided an embarrassing defeat.When West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor was asked if there had been processes put in place back home for her side to practice use of DRS in world tournaments, she said: “No, none.”West Indies are not alone. England lays claim to one of the best-resourced set-ups in the women’s game, yet an ECB spokesperson confirmed that they have no facilities in place to allow them to practise the use of the DRS. Their preparation for the tournament has relied on the team watching videos of previous dismissals.Hayley Matthews’ 15 seconds of hesitation bought her a golden duck in the very first ball of the match•Getty ImagesThe pertinent fact here is that the DRS is not currently in regular use in women’s bilateral cricket. Though New Zealand have utilised it on occasion – notably in their ODI series against India in January 2019 – the majority of teams only ever get the chance to do so every two years, during World Cups. Thailand, playing in their first world tournament, have never had access to it before. And outside of real-time match situations, it is extremely difficult to “rehearse” use of DRS in the same way you can practise other aspects of your game.Within the men’s game, DRS was not introduced at a World Cup until 2015, at a point when it had already been tried and tested by the majority of participating nations in bilateral series, with (generally) much less at stake. To thrust sides into using it only when the eyes of the world are upon them, at just the point when a spot in a global semi-final or final might be at stake, seems rather topsy-turvy. (There is a similar issue for qualifying men’s Associate sides, who often enter World Cups having never used the DRS before.)The ECB says that it is hopeful that future women’s bilateral series held in England will feature the DRS, a decision made after intense criticism surrounding some of the umpiring decisions during the 2019 Women’s Ashes series – notably a horrendous lbw call that went against Fran Wilson in the first ODI. However, its use in other countries is likely to remain uneven. The ICC states that it has no plans to make the DRS compulsory in future bilateral series: “Until it’s used a little bit more widely, it will remain optional, like it is for men’s bilateral ODIs or T20Is,” says Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s general manager of cricket. “It’s up to each board. They can use it – it just comes down to the level of coverage that they mount for the women’s matches.” Host boards, meanwhile, are likely to argue that the associated costs would be prohibitive.The issues we have seen in this tournament with the use of the DRS, then, are unlikely to go away anytime soon. Can anything be done? One possible solution might be to have two DRS reviews per side per innings available in women’s tournaments, instead of one. This would give teams that have little practice at using the system outside of World Cups another chance, should things go awry early in the match.It might be argued that this would only serve to create another point of difference with men’s cricket, but in the case of DRS – with so many more opportunities to practice its use available for men than women – levelling the playing field isn’t always as straightforward as simply making the playing regulations the same. Until the DRS is available more widely to women’s teams outside of world tournaments, an extra review could provide a temporary solution to the eternal cricketing dilemma of how to ensure that as many correct umpiring decisions are made as possible.