Wife Monica Wright accuses Ashleigh Gardner of cheating

Just a week after winning the Women’s T20 World Cup, Australia all-rounder and vice-captain Ashleigh Gardner, 29, has been accused by her partner Monica Wright of cheating on her with a teammate.

As per British publication The Daily Mail, the couple who tied the knot in April 2025 had been estranged since November, following the T20 World Cup in India. liveiplscore.homes

On Monday, Wright took a screenshot of the article published by the British news outlet and posted it on social media alongside a picture of Australia women’s batter Georgia Voll, with the caption: “This is who my wife cheated on me with.” According to an insider, Gardner was acting “a bit weird” during the T20 World Cup in India, prompting Wright to fly over from Australia midway through the tournament. Gardner subsequently moved out from their home in Sydney, leaving behind “just a box of their wedding rings.” The report added that the breakdown in Gardner’s marriage was known to Cricket Australia when they appointed her vice-captain earlier this year.

Dakar [Senegal], July 14 (ANI): Senegal Football Federation (FSF) president Abdoulaye Fall has claimed that the national team’s doctor was “trained as a gynaecologist", saying the revelation raised concerns among players during the FIFA World Cup 2026 and forced the federation to bring in additional medical expertise, reported Reuters.

Reviewing Senegal’s disappointing World Cup campaign at a press conference on Monday, Fall said the issue came to light late in the tournament and affected the players’ confidence in the medical support available to them.

“Based on the feedback I received, the players were not sufficiently reassured about being supported by him," Fall said, according to Reuters.

According to the federation chief, steps were taken to strengthen the team’s medical support during the tournament.

“We had to find convincing expertise so they could feel reassured, because health comes before everything," said Fall.

The claims were swiftly rejected by the Senegalese Association of Sports Medicine, which described the allegations as “unfounded and defamatory" in a statement issued later on Monday.

The association said team doctor Abderahmane Fediore holds a specialist diploma in sports medicine and sports biology from the Faculty of Medicine at Cheikh Anta Diop University.

It also noted that he previously headed the physiotherapy department at Fann Hospital and has served as Senegal’s national team doctor since 2017, working at three FIFA World Cups and five Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.

The controversy comes just days after the FSF dismissed head coach Pape Bouna Thiaw following Senegal’s disappointing World Cup campaign.

Under Thiaw, Senegal had emerged as one of Africa’s strongest national teams, completing their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign unbeaten before lifting the Africa Cup of Nations title by defeating Morocco in the final.

However, the Lions of Teranga failed to live up to expectations at the FIFA World Cup 2026. They lost their opening two group-stage matches to France and Norway, but defeated Iraq 5-0 to enter the Round of 32 where they lost to Belgium 2-3 in extra time.

Thiaw, who represented Senegal as a player during the country’s historic run to the 2002 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, was relieved of his duties on Saturday last week. The FSF is yet to announce his replacement, with preparations now set to shift towards the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup 2030. (ANI)

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There was a time when Spain and France were regarded as international football’s great underachievers. Today, they are among the sport’s superpowers, but their journeys to the summit could scarcely have been more different. Their World Cup semi-final is not just a clash of styles but also the latest chapter in the transformation of two nations that spent decades struggling to fulfil their potential.

Spain’s early World Cup history was one of frustration. After finishing fourth in 1950, they missed four World Cups across the 1950s and 1970s. Even hosting the tournament in 1982 did little to change the narrative. More often than not, Spain would produce flashes of brilliance before falling in the Round of 16 or the quarter-finals. It was a curious contrast to the success enjoyed by Real Madrid and Barcelona, whose dominance in European club football rarely translated to the national team.

France’s story was not much happier. It was Jules Rimet, the French football administrator, who gave the world the World Cup, yet France struggled to leave a lasting mark on it. After Just Fontaine’s remarkable exploits helped them finish third in 1958, they faded from the global stage until the unforgettable semi-final against West Germany in 1982. Michel Platini’s magnificent side won Euro 1984 on home soil, but World Cup glory continued to elude them. It took Zinedine Zidane’s generation to rewrite history, lifting the trophy for the first time on home soil in 1998.

Spain had to wait even longer. Their golden generation had dazzled Europe by winning Euro 2008, but it was in South Africa two years later that they finally conquered the world. It was hardly a triumph built on attacking fireworks — Spain scored only eight goals in seven matches — but their mastery of possession and control changed the way international football was played.

Despite their different histories, both nations owe much of their success to outstanding player development. France’s modern football renaissance can be traced to the establishment of the Clairefontaine academy in 1988, with a nationwide network ensuring a constant supply of elite talent.

Spain’s pathway has been less centralised, relying instead on clubs. Louis van Gaal once said he hoped Barcelona would one day win the Champions League with 11 home-grown players. They came close in 2009, when eight members of the starting XI that defeated Manchester United in Rome had graduated from La Masia. Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad have long been renowned for producing local talent, while Real Madrid’s academy has consistently developed players capable of performing at the highest level.

The similarities, however, end there.

Spain remain committed to dominating possession, although the current side attack with far greater directness than the one that conquered the world in 2010. Their wide players have added pace and penetration without sacrificing technical excellence.

France, meanwhile, are at their most dangerous when games become stretched. They are perfectly comfortable keeping the ball, but few teams transition from defence to attack as quickly or as ruthlessly. With the explosive pace of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola, allied to the creativity of Michael Olise, they can punish opponents in a matter of seconds.

History adds another layer to this rivalry. Spain’s victory over France in the Euro 2024 semi-final was widely viewed as revenge for their defeat in the final of the same tournament 40 years earlier, when Michel Platini’s free-kick slipped through the grasp of the great Luis Arconada.

Their only previous World Cup meeting came in 2006. Spain arrived in the Round of 16 as favourites after topping their group, scoring eight goals and conceding only one. France had scraped through after draws with Switzerland and South Korea before edging past Togo. David Villa’s early penalty gave Spain the perfect start, but France responded magnificently. Franck Ribéry, Patrick Vieira and Zidane turned the game around to send Les Bleus into the quarter-finals. Raymond Domenech’s side eventually reached the final, where Zidane’s unforgettable headbutt and Italy’s triumph on penalties brought the curtain down on one of football’s greatest careers.

Once the nearly men of international football, Spain and France now arrive at another World Cup semi-final as two of the tournament’s most complete teams. Spain’s patience, precision and control will be tested by France’s pace, power and devastating counter-attacks. With so much quality on both sides, this promises to be a contest worthy of the occasion.

The post Spain and France Renew a Rivalry Forged by History and Reinvention appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

Former India captains Diana Edulji and Shubhangi Kulkarni hailed Harmanpreet Kaur & Co’s 270-run win over Nat Sciver-Brunt’s England at Lord’s Test for being a complete team effort.

Young pacer Kranti Gaud (5-37 and 2-54), wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia (113), opener Smriti Mandhana (83 and 70) and offie Sneh Rana (2-41 and 4-42) emerged as the top contributors in India’s triumph in the first-ever women’s Test at the iconic venue.

Shubhangi Kulkarni and Diana Edulji

“It’s a very good win at the historic Lord’s ground. India has never lost a Test match in England [played 10, India won three and three were draws], so it’s a great feeling. I remember, when we played a Test against England in 2006, we had eight girls making their debut, and we still beat them. Charlotte Edwards, their current coach, was in their team then,” Edulji, who represented the country in 20 Tests and 34 ODIs, told mid-day on Monday.

Kulkarni, who played 19 Tests and 27 ODIs, felt India’s aggressive mindset helped. “It’s a brilliant performance to win the first-ever women’s Test at Lord’s. Everybody did well in this match. While batting first, we laid a strong foundation with a positive and aggressive approach, and then our bowlers followed it up with a disciplined effort. Our batting, bowling and fielding, everything was top class. We didn’t allow England to come back in the game at all. It’s a dominant performance,” Kulkarni told mid-day from Pune on Monday.

Edulji went on to list the heroes for Team India at Lord’s: “The way Kranti, Sayali [2-40 & 2-24] and the other bowlers performed is good. I think they have proved themselves.

Yastika’s batting was excellent. This performance will do wonders to her career and I hope she stays injury free. I’m sad that Smriti missed out on a 100 in both innings. Even she could have had her name on the Lord’s Honours Board. Sneh too [4-42 in the second innings].”

24
No. of years since ex-India skipper Sourav Ganguly’s shirt-waving celebration at Lord’s on this very day (July 13)

Brief scores
India 285 all out and 341-7 declared beat England 170 all out and 186 all out (A Jones 54, S Ecclestone 50; S Rana 4-42, S Satghare 2-24, D Sharma 2-36, K Gaud 2-54) by 270 runs