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Cristiano Ronaldo, Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, rumour, Manchester United, transfer, Erik ten Hag

Cristiano Ronaldo, Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, rumour, Manchester United, transfer, Erik ten Hag

Premier League legends Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have slammed disgruntled star Cristiano Ronaldo, amid the uncertainty and speculation about his future at Manchester United.

Ronaldo returned to United’s match day squad for a game against La Liga side Rayo Vallecano earlier this week, after missing the clubs pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia.

But after being subbed off at halftime by manager Erik ten Hag, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner reportedly walked out of Old Trafford with 10 minutes to run on the game clock.

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Gunners get the job done at Palace | 02:07

The infamous walkout was described as “unacceptable” by ten Hag, and only fueled rumors that Ronaldo is desperate for a transfer away from the Red Devils.

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville believes the club needs to sell the Portuguese international, as he suggested how Ronaldo’s actions may be hurting the club.

“Ronaldo’s achievements in football go beyond, to be fair, anyone could ever wish for and imagine. He’ll go down in the top players of all-time and he always will be, ”Neville said on The Overlap.

“What happens this summer at Manchester United will be forgotten about in 20 years.

“The star player in the dressing room is playing up. It happened at times over the last few years where you had Pogba’s agent, not necessarily (Paul) Pogba all the time but his agent always playing up with the club.

“You can’t have your star player in a club running the shop. You cannot have it. When Sir Alex Ferguson potentially in the past moved players on, it was because that player was needed to be moved on.

“I know Manchester United fans want Ronaldo to stay, but if Ronaldo wants to leave, Manchester United in my mind should facilitate that.”

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Ronaldo, who has won the Champions League five times, was reportedly set to be benched for United’s Premier League season opener against Brighton after missing most of the pre-season.

But a thigh injury to French attacker Anthony Martial could see the star named as a surprise starter for Sunday night’s match (AEST).

Asked if Ronaldo will start, coach Erik Ten Hag said: “We will see on Sunday.”

Pep confident Haaland will bag goals | 00:45

Liverpool great Carragher always expected to follow Ronaldo after he signed his contract, as the 37-year-old never would’ve wanted to “play second fiddle” to a teammate.

“I always felt this situation would come. Even if Ronaldo did great for a year, he signed a two-year deal plus another year which I couldn’t believe. He’s never going to play second fiddle to anyone,” Carragher said.

“As players, at a certain stage in your career we all know that you’re not the same player and his (career) has gone on longer because he’s such a great professional.

“He’s not the same player, he’s still a great goal scorer but he’s not the same player. No other club in Europe at this moment wants him.

“I think if you ask (Erik) ten Hag, I don’t think he wants him and I’m not quite sure the dressing room at Manchester United would want Cristiano Ronaldo right now.”

What to expect in the opening PL round | 03:20

While it’s been said that Ronaldo missed the pre-season tour due to personal reasons, the rumor mill was in full swing as fans and pundits alike speculated about his future.

It’s believed that he’d handed in a transfer request after United failed to qualify for the Champions League last season – finishing sixth, 35-points behind rivals and champions Manchester City.

While in Australia, new manager ten Hag was bombarded with a number of questions about his key player.

Ten Hag insisted that Ronaldo wasn’t for sale, but Ronaldo continued to dominate headlines over rumors of a potential transfer to Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, ​​and even Lionel Messi’s Paris Saint-Germain.

“Ten Hag literally has had every single press conference that he does just obliterated by the Ronaldo issue,” Neville added.

“If a player becomes the dominating factor and a distraction in a press conference for a manager, there’s only one thing that needs to happen. We all know it.

“You might have to go back to go forwards and this season Manchester United, they may have to go back without Ronaldo.”

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Sports

Nick Kyrgios Washington Open, ATP results, scores, def Frances Tiafoe, Kyrgios vs Mikael Ymer, ranking

Nick Kyrgios Washington Open, ATP results, scores, def Frances Tiafoe, Kyrgios vs Mikael Ymer, ranking

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios and top seed Andrey Rublev each won twice on Friday (US time) to reach the semi-finals of the ATP and WTA Washington Open.

World number eight Rublev defeated 32nd-ranked Maxime Cressy 6-4, 7-6 (10/8) in one hour and 42 minutes then eliminated 99th-ranked wildcard JJ Wolf 6-2, 6-3 in 78 minutes.

“I didn’t spend much time in court,” Rublev said of his three-hour total. “That was the main key today.”

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Rain Thursday night forced double duty upon Rublev and several others but Friday storms provided everyone a timely rest break between matches.

Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios fired 35 aces on his way to beating hometown hero Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (14/12), 6-2 and reaching the other semi-final against Sweden’s 115th- ranked Mikael Ymer.

Australia’s 63rd-ranked Kyrgios, who won the most recent of his six ATP titles at Washington in 2019, needed only 14 minutes to complete an early win over US fourth seed Reilly Opelka 7-6 (7/1), 6-2.

Kyrgios then outlasted 27th-ranked Tiafoe after two and a half hours, yelling, “I want to go to bed,” in the third set of a match that ended at 1 in the morning.

Tiafoe won the last five points of the first-set tiebreaker, the last on his sixth ace, and had four match points in the second-set tiebreaker.

But Kyrgios answered with an ace, backhand winner, forehand volley winner and service return winner and forced a third set when Tiafoe sent a forehand long.

Tiafoe, who won a third set earlier to defeat Dutch eighth seed Botic van de Zandschulp, hit a crosscourt forehand wide to hand Kyrgios a break to open the third set and missed a backhand to drop a break in the seventh before Kyrgios held to advance.

The Aussie hit 60 winners and saved five match points in all.

The Washington Post’s Ella Brockway tweeted: “This Kyrgios-Tiafoe match is absolutely bonkers.

“There are few things in sports quite like The Nick Kyrgios Experience.”

Kyrgios wins hearts with gift for fan | 00:37

Ymer, who lost his only ATP final last August at Winston-Salem, beat 54th-ranked American Sebastian Korda 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 after two hours and 27 minutes.

Rublev, whose only other two-win day was at Washington in 2018, rolled through the first set against Wolf in 28 minutes, then broke to lead 2-1 and cruised from there.

Next in Rublev’s path is Japan’s 96th-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka, who outlasted British 16th seed Daniel Evans 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-5 after three hours and 35 minutes.

“Rather than to spend two matches like me than one match like him,” Rublev said.

Nishioka improved to 5-0 all-time against the 40th-ranked Englishman in the rain-interrupted affair to reach his first ATP semi-final since 2020 at Delray Beach. His only ATP title came at Shenzhen in 2018.

“I never gave up and that’s the way I think I won,” Nishioka said. “I just focused on making a lot of balls and to play long rallies. I knew he didn’t want to because he was getting tired.”

Rublev seeks his 12th career crown and fourth title of the season after Marseilles, Dubai and Belgrade to match Spaniards Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz for the most ATP trophies this year.

Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi defeated Anna Kalinskaya 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-3 to reach a semi-final against Aussie Daria Saville, who beat Canadian qualifier Rebecca Marino 6-1, 7-5.

It’s Saville’s first semi-final since 2018 at Acapulco while Kanepi, her age and world rank at 37, seeks her fifth career WTA title but first since the 2013 Brussels Open.

World number 20 Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion, won her first match over Czech Tereza Martincova 7-6 (9/7), 6-2, but her double bid was spoiled by 21-year-old Chinese lucky loser Wang Xiyu.

Wang, seeking her first WTA title, rolled over 33-year-old Azarenka 6-1, 6-3. The 95th-ranked left-hander reached her first WTA semi-final in June at Valencia.

Wang next plays 60th-ranked Liudmila Samsonova, who upset 10th-ranked reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu 7-6 (8/6), 6-1. The 19-year-old British second seed was seeking her first semi-final since her Grand Slam triumph,

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Entertainment

Bullet Train review: A largely entertaining but messy action comedy

Bullet Train review: A largely entertaining but messy action comedy

If 2022 is the year of the movie star thanks to Tom Cruise’s resurgent form, then Brad Pitt makes for a convincing rival.

Because the largely entertaining action flick Bullet Train rolls along on the power of Pitt’s megawatt charisma – and sometimes on that alone.

The David Leitch-directed action comedy has a lot going for it, an unapologetically rambunctious tone, slick stunts and combat sequences and a colourful, pizzazzy visual aesthetic that pops.

But it’s also messy, swerving from euphoric highs to sloppy lows with its uneven pacing sometimes speeding at the breakneck pace of a, well, bullet train, while other times it feels as if it’s moving about as fast as a sloth on land.

Pitt stars as Ladybug, a relatively mild-mannered assassin who’s only just getting back into the game. Armed with his bucket hat, his winning smile and a heavy dose of skepticism, Ladybug boards a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto for his assignments from him, a supposedly simple snatch and grab job.

His target is a briefcase containing lots and lots of money.

But nothing is simple in the guns-for-hire business, especially when Ladybug is convinced he’s the unluckiest person on Earth.

As bad luck – or a vast, overly complicated scheme – would have it, Ladybug isn’t the only assassin on the train. Far from it. This particular train is a convergence point for several killers, all with equally adorable codenames.

There’s The Prince (Joey King), a ruthless killer who uses her appearance of British schoolgirl-in-distress to great effect, Tangerine (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry), two assassin brothers with matching checked coats, The Wolf (Benito A. Martinez Ocasio), an assassin with vengeance on his mind and The Hornet (Zazie Beetz), a poison specialist.

And they all want either the case or someone connected to it, which makes Ladybug’s simple task rather complicated.

That’s Bullet Train‘s main failing – just how convoluted the plot is. It labors to contrive all these complications involving myriad killers, hidden agendas and a boss-level target (Michael Shannon), and it struggles to keep its flow.

Just as you’re pulled into the visceral joys of a stylish, high-octane action sequence, you’re being asked to simultaneously keep track of the increasingly knotty plot. Wait, what’s that guy’s beef with this dude again?

There are some genuinely great “phwaor” moments, including a scene-stealing turn from legendary Japanese actor and martial artist Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays The Elder, another – you guessed it – assassin.

Or the legitimately endearing, continued references to Thomas the Tank Enginewith which Lemon is obsessed, and becomes something of a fun touchpoint in various scenes.

And the fight sequences are creative, imaginative and well-staged – and they punch. But that’s what you would expect from Leitch, who spent many years as Pitt’s stunt double before moving into directing with John Wick, Atomic Blonde and Dead Pool 2.

Given the caliber of Leitch’s history, plus an exciting cast and a riotous vibe, Bullet Train should’ve been a fantastic movie if it had been tighter, or even more brazen with its bloodshed.

It’s certainly not John Wick on a train. If it had been, it would’ve been a less shambolic experience.

Rating: 3/5

Bullet Train is in cinemas now

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Sports

Luke Keary World Cup, Ireland, Mal Meninga Kangaroos selections, Tonga, Samoa, Brian To’o, Josh Papalii, Joseph Suaalii, news

Luke Keary World Cup, Ireland, Mal Meninga Kangaroos selections, Tonga, Samoa, Brian To'o, Josh Papalii, Joseph Suaalii, news

Roosters star Luke Keary has put his hand up to play for Ireland in this year’s World Cup — throwing his support behind a raft of NRL stars opting to represent their heritage.

Reports surfaced that Maroons gun Josh Papalii will ply his trade for Samoa, joining Jarome Luai and Brian To’o, while Felise Kaufusi, Siosifa Talakai, Daniel Tupou and Kotoni Staggs are set to represent Tonga.

While Keary may not have been in Meninga’s Kangaroos plans, the 30-year-old has expressed his desire to represent Ireland after being ruled out of the 2017 World Cup with a hip injury.

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“I stuck my hand up to play for Ireland in 2017,” Keary said to the SMH.

“It didn’t eventuate, I had a few [injuries] at the back end of the year. We’ll just see how the next few weeks go but I’ve told the [Irish officials] that I need to tell.

“I’ve always had a connection there since I was a kid. Dad’s family is still over there. I haven’t been over there but you just feel proud whenever I’ve talked about it. It makes me feel good thinking about it.”

Keary welcomed players who wanted to represent their heritage, explaining “it’s great for our game”.

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“It’s going to be a great World Cup with so many great players putting their hands up for their nations of birth or their heritage. I think it’s great for our game,” he said.

Ireland have been drawn in group C, alongside Jamaica, Lebanon and one of the competition’s heavyweights — New Zealand.

The Kiwis boast one of Keary’s Roosters teammates, who plays at fullback for his national team, Joseph Manu.

Walker perfection sets up Butcher | 01:20

Meanwhile, young gun Joseph Suaalii will be attending the World Cup — whether it be for the Kangaroos or Samoa.

The 19-year-old could be set for a potential starting berth with Samoa should he choose to go down that path, but the young gun outlined his preference.

“I honestly haven’t thought about it too much but I want to be there playing at the World Cup,” Suaalii said.

“I’m trying to make that Australian team and if I’m lucky enough I’ll make that Samoan team as well.

“If I get picked for either of them it would be an honour. If I’m playing at the World Cup I’ll be happy.”

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Sports

A-League: Danny Vukovic signs with Central Coast Mariners

A-League: Danny Vukovic signs with Central Coast Mariners

Veteran goalkeeper Danny Vukovic’s bid for regular first-team football to secure a spot in the Socceroos’ World Cup squad has brought him back to the A-League.

The 37-year-old gloveman has returned to the Central Coast Mariners, where he has spent five seasons from 2005 to 2010.

Vukovic has since spent time at four other A-League clubs – Wellington Phoenix, Perth Glory, Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC – and had spells in Turkey (Konyaspor), Japan (Vegalta Sendai), Belgium (Genk) and the Netherlands (NEC Nijmegen). ).

However, a lack of first-team football last season with NEC forced him to look elsewhere to help his chances of maintaining his spot in Australia’s World Cup squad.

Central Coast coach Nick Montgomery said Vukovic was a “massive signing” for the Mariners, who recently lost keeper Mark Birighitti to Scottish Premiership club Dundee United.

“He is a top class goalkeeper and a great person who will add so much value and experience to this young squad,” Montgomery said.

“He has played at the highest level in Europe, is a real family man and is well known in our community.

“To bring him home to play in Australia and hopefully help him make selection for the World Cup at the end of the year would be a special thing.”

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Sports

Medal tally, schedule, day eight, Australia gold medals, times, Michelle Jenneke, athletics, Australians in action

Medal tally, schedule, day eight, Australia gold medals, times, Michelle Jenneke, athletics, Australians in action

LIVE — Australians will compete for gold medals in at least seven events on day eight of the Commonwealth Games as the nation aims to hold off hosts England in Birmingham.

Australia heads into Friday’s competition sitting on top of the medal tally with 51 golds — nine more than England — as well as 42 silver and 39 bronze.

And it could be plenty more by the close of the day with at least three medals on offer in athletics, two in diving, and one each in lawn bowls and artistic gymnastics.

Follow all the action in Birmingham in our live blog below!

FULL MEDAL TALLY LIVE >

DAY 7 WRAP: Gold medal Aussie’s all-time interview gatecrashed; star ‘gutted’ after costly error

Australians are also in the hunt for wrestling medals in the women’s 57kg (Irene Symeonidis), men’s 65kg (Mustafa Rezaeifar), and men’s 86kg (Jayden Lawrence), starting with the quarterfinals stages from 7.30pm.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Cedric Dubler headed into the final day of the decathlon sitting in second.

Dubler then won the first decathlon event for the night, the 110m hurdles, with a time of 14.20 — good enough for another 949 points. That has moved him one point into the lead over Lindon Victor.

Also in athletics, Jess Hull will compete in the 1500m heats, while Brooke Buschkuehl will be in action in qualifying for long jump.

Celeste Mucci ran a strong 100m hurdles heat, matching her personal best time of 12.96, which saw her finish third.

Comeback star Michelle Jenneke was up next and comfortably finished second with a time of 12.63 to go through to the end on Sunday night. The time is the fastest she’s ever run the event, although it does not count as an official PB due to big tailwinds.

In the 1500m women’s heats, Abbey Caldwell and Linden Hall have progressed to the final after finishing inside the top four of their race with times of 4:13.59 and 4:14.08 respectively.

Away from the track, Australia’s Hockeyroos will have the chance to win a guaranteed medal when they take on India in the semi-final.

Dennis SCORCHES field to take TT gold | 00:28

You can track the live medal tally for every country here, with key Aussie wins and updates as they happen.

AUSSIES GOING FOR MEDALS ON DAY 8 (all times AEST)

Lawn Bowls

9pm — For mixed pairs B2/B3 finals

diving

8.18pm — men’s synchronized 3m springboard final

3.05am — women’s 1m springboard final (qualifying at 7.05pm)

4.23am — men’s synchronized 10m platform final

Gymnastics – rhythmic

10.30pm — Individual all-around final

Athletics

4.55am — men’s T53/54 1500m final

6.42am—women’s 3000m steeplechase final

7.15pm – 6.27am — men’s decathlon

Hockey

5am ​​— women’s semi-final vs. India

OTHER KEY EVENTS (times AEST)

Athletics

Women’s long jump qualifying — Brooke Buschkuel — 8.40pm

Men’s decathlon — Cedric Dubler, Daniel Golubovic, Alex Diamond — 7.15pm

Women’s 1500m — Jessica Hull, Linden Hall, Abbey Caldwell — 8.15pm

beach volleyball

Men’s quarterfinals — Australia vs. Sri Lanka — 9pm

Women’s quarterfinals — Australia v Scotland — 11.30pm

lawn bowls

Women’s pairs quarterfinals — Australia vs. Norfolk Island — 5.30pm

Men’s Singles — Aaron Wilson vs. Jamie Walker — 5.30pm

Mixed pairs bronze medal match — Australia vs England — 9pm

DeRozario takes out 1500, makes history | 00:26

LIVE BLOG

Click here if you cannot see the blog below

FULL LIST OF AUSSIES IN ACTION ON DAY 8 (as per AAPNews)

ATHLETICS (from 7pm AEST)

Women’s Long Jump Qualifying Rounds (Brooke Buschkuehl, Samantha Dale), Men’s Decathlon 110m Hurdles (Cedric Dubler, Daniel Golubovic, Alec Diamond), Women’s 100m Hurdles Round 1 (Michelle Jenneke, Celeste Mucci), Men’s Decathlon Discus Throw (Cedric Dubler, Daniel Golubovic, Alec Diamond), Women’s 1500m Round 1 (Abbey Caldwell, Linden Hall, Jessica Hull), Women’s 4 x 400m Relay Round 1, Men’s 4 x 400m Relay Round 1, Men’s Javelin Throw Qualifying Round, Men’s Decathlon Pole Vault (Cedric Dubler , Daniel Golubovic, Alec Diamond), Men’s Javelin Throw Qualifying Round (Cameron McEntyre), Men’s Shot Put Final, Men’s Triple Jump Qualifying Rounds (Julian Konle), Men’s 200m Semi-finals, Women’s 400m Semi-finals, Men’s Decathlon Javelin Throw ( Cedric Dubler, Daniel Golubovic, Alec Diamond), Men’s 1500m T53 / T54 Final, Women’s 200m Semi-finals, Women’s Triple Jump Final, Men’s 800m Semi-finals, Men’s 400m Semi-finals, Men’s Decathlon 1500m (Cedric Dubler. Daniel Golubovic, Alec Diamond), Wom in’s 3000m Steeplechase Final (Amy Cashin, Brielle Erbacher)

BEACH VOLLEYBALL (from 8pm)

Quarterfinals – Men’s – Australia v TBA (1100 BST 2000 AEST)

SQUASH (from 9pm)

Mixed Doubles Round of 16, Plate Classification, Quarter Finals; Men’s Doubles Round of 16 – Cameron Pilley/Rhys Dowling (AUS) v TBA, Plate Classification; Women’s Doubles Quarter Finals

DIVING (from 7pm, and 3am)

Women’s 1m Springboard Preliminary (Brittany O’Brien, Esther Qin, Georgia Sheehan), Men’s Synchronized 3m Springboard Final (Sam Fricker, Shixin Li), Women’s 1m Springboard Final, Men’s Synchronized 10m Platform Final (Domonic Bedggod, Cassiel Rousseau)

WRESTLING FREESTYLE (from 7.30pm)

Women’s 57kg (Irene Symeonidis), Women’s 62kg, Women’s 68kg, Men’s 65kg (Mustafa Rezaeifar), Men’s 86kg (Jayden Lawrence), Men’s 125kg

BADMINTON (from 8pm)

Round of 16 – Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles – Kaitlyn Ea/Angela Yu (AUS) v Yujia Jin/Jia Ying Crystal Wong (SGP), Hsuan-Yu Wendy Chen/Gronya Somerville (AUS) v Elena Johnson /Chloe Le Tissier (GGY)

TABLE TENNIS (from 6.30pm)

Mixed Doubles Round 3 and Quarterfinals; Men’s Class Semi Finals; Women’s Class Semi Finals; Women’s Singles Round 2; Men’s Doubles Round 3 and Quarterfinals; Women’s Doubles Round 2 – Chunyi Feng/ Yangzi Liu (AUS) v Shanecia Delpesche/Jessica MC Carter (SVG), Minhyung Jee/Jian Fang Lay (AUS) v TBA; Men’s Singles – Dillon Chambers (AUS) v Zhe Yu Clarence Chew (SGP), Finn Luu (AUS) v Sharath Kamal Achanta (IND), Nicholas Lum (AUS) v Javen Choong (MAS)

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MMA world slams ex-UFC star for ‘soccer kicking’ knocked out opponent in the face

MMA world slams ex-UFC star for 'soccer kicking' knocked out opponent in the face

Mixed Martial Arts fans smoked at fighter Daichi Abe after he landed a brutal soccer kick on his already knocked out opponent.

The former UFC welterweight flatlined Brazilian Marcos Yoshio de Souza in the second round of their 176lb showdown at RIZIN 37 late last month, The Sun reports.

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Abe shut De Souza’s lights off with a picture-perfect one-two in the second round of their showdown at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

De Souza crumpled to the canvas after the right hand connected and lay flat on his back unconscious.

But Abe didn’t stop there, launching into and landing a brutal soccer kick straight on the fallen and defenceless De Souza.

And fight fans were far from happy with the sickening strike.

One tweeted: “Soccer kick def uncalled for. Guy should be ashamed.”

Another said: “I’m all for soccer kicks, but IDK about when the dude is already f***ing knocked out.”

And another said: “Unfortunately… this is legal.”

Soccer kicks are illegal in most MMA promotions across the world including the UFC, which has adopted the unified rules of the sport.

But the sickening strikes — as well as knees to the head of a downed opponent — are legal in Asian-based fight promotions ONE Championship and RIZIN.

Several fans, however, have called for the strikes to be allowed in all promotions.

One fan said: “Best rule set in MMA.”

Another said: “MMA needs soccer kicks and knees to a downed opponent. The Unified MMA rules is garbage.”

Victory over De Souza saw 30-year-old Abe move to 5-1 in his last six outings.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.

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Sports

Commonwealth Games 2022: Fans cruelled by semi-final scheduling, New Zealand vs Australia start time, cricket news

Commonwealth Games 2022: Fans cruelled by semi-final scheduling, New Zealand vs Australia start time, cricket news

The Australian women’s cricket team will face New Zealand in the Commonwealth Games semi-finals this weekend, but most Aussie supporters won’t be awake for the must-win contest in Birmingham.

The semi-final fixtures were unveiled on Friday morning AEST, with hosts England scheduled to take on powerhouse nation India on Saturday at 11am local time.

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Meanwhile, world champions Australia will battle their trans-Tasman rivals in the evening timeslot, meaning fans back home hoping to cheer on Meg Lanning’s side will need to set an alarm for 3am AEST on Sunday morning.

Kiwi viewers have been treated to a slightly less painful 5am start time.

Swapping the fixtures would have given three of the competing nations a prime broadcast timeslot for their respective audiences, but accommodating India’s massive fanbase has seemingly been prioritized.

Australia was undefeated in the group stage, defeating India, Barbados and Pakistan to cruise through the knockouts.

New Zealand, meanwhile, suffered a horror collapse in their final group stage match against England on Thursday, managing just 9/71 from their 20 overs after winning the toss and electing to bat first at Edgbaston.

Maddy Green top-scored for the Kiwis with 19 as veteran seamer Katherine Brunt rattled the New Zealanders with a classy spell of 2/4 from three overs in the Powerplay.

“We were well below par and it wasn’t through lack of effort or lack of planning or anything like that, I think you just get days like that,” New Zealand captain Sophie Devine said.

“It’s never nice to be a part of but we’ve got to flush it down the dunny pretty quickly and move on to something that’s actually really exciting for us, playing in a semi-final against Australia at a Commonwealth Games.”

England chased the 72-run target with more than eight overs to spare and seven wickets in hand.

Regardless, Australia remain firm favorites to return home with the coveted gold medal around their necks, having not lost a 20-over match since March 2021.

“I think a lot of the pressure is going to be on Australia,” Devine said.

“They’ve certainly come into this competition as favorites and hopeful of taking that gold medal whereas a lot of people didn’t think we’d maybe make the semi-finals.

“We can really take that on board and just play with a bit of freedom and take it to the Aussies. We obviously know them really well, so I think our plans are going to be pretty spot on and likewise they know us really well too. It’s always just a great battle against the Australians.”

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Sports

Candice Warner drops brutal Kyle Chalmers truth

Kyle Chalmers has been the talk of the Commonwealth Games.

The swimming is officially over at the Commonwealth Games and while Australia dominated with a towering medal tally, there was plenty of attention on the Dolphins over what was happening outside the pool.

Kyle Chalmers slammed the media for delving into a reported “love triangle” between himself, Emma McKeon and Cody Simpson, saying all the attention and “clickbait” focused on his personal life might drive him out of the sport.

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Chalmers was romantically involved with McKeon before she started dating Simpson, whose incredible comeback to swimming from his music career has been one of the biggest storylines in Birmingham.

The swimmers involved have repeatedly denied there’s any bad blood between them, while Chalmers went on the offensive and ripped into the media. His father Brett did the same, blasting the national obsession with Simpson as he complained not enough credit was being directed to other swimmers and their achievements in Birmingham.

Kyle Chalmers’ outstanding results were overshadowed by his angst with the media. Picture: Glyn KIRK / AFPSource: AFP

Candice drops truth bombs on Kyle

Ex-Aussie swimmer turned popular TV presenter Johanna Griggs said earlier in the week Chalmers was “feeding” the media frenzy by constantly engaging with it, and former Ironwoman Candice Warner is on the same page.

Warner said she was “really surprised” by how Chalmers handled the headlines, saying she expected someone who dealt with the attention thrust upon him in 2016 when he won gold in the 100m freestyle at the Rio Olympics to be better prepared for the media barrage.

“He knows how to deal with the pressure. Why is he allowing the media to make these comments?” Warner told Fox Sports program The Back Page this week.

“Why hasn’t he put a self-imposed media ban (on himself) until the Games are over? I’m just really a little bit confused by the situation and why he’s engaging with the media.

“He’s not in the wrong, but he also has the power and ability to stop it and also just to focus on his swim events.

“Should I know how to deal with this pressure? Should I know how to deal with this completely?”

Reports of possible friction between Chalmers and Simpson first emerged at this year’s national championships in Adelaide, leading Warner to question why the 24-year-old wasn’t more prepared for the questions he’d face in Birmingham.

“Would there not have been a strategy put into place before these Games? We haven’t just started talking about this now, we’ve been speaking about this love triangle before the Commonwealth Games,” Warner said.

She adding Chalmers’ team and Swimming Australia should have “put some sort of strategy into place knowing this could have been a possibility”.

Warner also said Chalmers — who she described as an “alpha male” — would understandably be affected by McKeon’s relationship with Simpson given their history, suggesting “his ego would be burnt a little bit”.

Candice Warner believes Chalmers needed to come into the Commonwealth Games with a smarter strategy. Picture: Michael Errey/AFPSource: AFP

‘He likes the attention but not the scrutiny’

Chalmers has been irked by attention being lavished on Simpson and his personal life at the expense of other swimmers whose feats also deserve praise. Courier Mail chief sports writer Robert Craddock suggested Chalmers craves positive headlines about himself but can’t handle it when coverage isn’t so rosy.

“It appears to me as if he likes the attention but not the scrutiny — and there is just a fine line between them and they often overlap,” Craddock told The Back Page.

“I think he’s one of those guys who can’t live with it and can’t live without it and finds it very awkward.

“He’s on Instagram, he’s out there, he’s happy to put himself front and center but like a lot of swimmers, when it’s big time, when it’s Games time, the force of the coverage hits them hard.”

Australian swimming legend Susie O’Neill had a different take on how the situation has affected the national team in Birmingham.

O’Neill — who was in Tokyo for last year’s Olympics — was adamant there is no rift among the Dolphins and said it’s harder for athletes these days to block out negative publicity because of social media and the insatiable news cycle.

“I think what they’re struggling with is, if you think about swimmers, they spend 30-40 hours a week trying to improve one one-hundredth of a second — such specific, objective goals,” she told The Back Page.

“So when they get asked subjective questions not even to do with their sport, you know, reality TV stuff, they’re confused and I think get offended by that.”

The sprint king wanted to silence his critics. Picture: Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Why Chalmers is kicking up a stink

Meanwhile, SEN boss Craig Hutchison believes Chalmers is struggling in adjusting to the added scrutiny because he’s been so used to positive coverage for the majority of his career.

“He has had a charmed run as a young man with the media. That rarely happens to the bulk of society and you get a disproportionate comfort that you are … a figure that gets a lot of adulation,” Hutchison said on his media podcast The Sounding Board.

“So when things go wrong, you’re not emotionally equipped to necessarily handle the negativity.

“Then it often sways the other way because you overreact, or react to a certain way.”

Journalist Damian Barrett told The Sounding Board: “What he (Chalmers) doesn’t get… you can’t control media. No matter who you are and what run you’ve got.”

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Business

Airline IndiGo claims to have halved passenger disembarkation times

Airline IndiGo claims to have halved passenger disembarkation times

A low-cost airline has come up with what could be a game-changing idea to get passengers off airplanes quicker and keep the jets in the sky for longer.

One of the frustrations of air travel is the slow process of leaving the aircraft, with passengers having to squeeze through a single left hand door at the front of the plane.

If you’re at the back of the plane that can mean long waits as sometimes hundreds of people disembark in front of you.

To speed this up some airlines, including Virgin Australia and Qantas owned Jetstar, regularly allow passengers to disembark from a set of stairs at the rear of the airplane.

But India’s largest carrier IndiGo has gone one step further and has introduced a third door for passengers to exit through.

And uniquely, the third door is on the right hand side of the plane which is rarely – if ever – used as an exit in anything other than an emergency.

The carrier reckons it could almost halve the time it takes to get passengers off the plane from up to 13 minutes to a mere seven.

“The new Three-Point Disembarkation process will be carried out from two forward and one rear exit ramp, making IndiGo the first airline to use this process,” an IndiGo spokesman told India’s Hindustan Times.

A video uploaded by Indian business journalist Sumit Chaturvedi shows the new process with passengers leaving an IndiGo Airbus A320 aircraft via the various ramps.

While the giant Airbus A380 “superjumbo” often boards and disembarks by three doors, this is the first time it’s been done for a smaller narrow-body plane typically used on domestic and short-haul routes, such as the A320.

“An A320 aircraft usually takes around 13 minutes for its passengers to de-board the aircraft. However, the new process will make the drill faster and will reduce the disembarkation time from 13 minutes to seven minutes,” the IndiGo spokesman said.

That could be good for passengers who won’t have to hang around on-board.

But it could be a boon for the airline too. The quicker passengers can leave the plane, the shorter the turnaround time to get it back in the air with more fare-paying passengers on board.

Do time savings add up?

However, some are skeptical of the airline’s claims.

Ben Schlappig of US aviation blog One Mile At A Time questioned if all the claimed time savings would occur in real-life settings.

“The process of actually getting out the door is one bottleneck, but I’d think that getting down the aisle is another thing that takes time, and that’s still an issue, even with a second door in the front.”

Why plans usually board from the left

Traditionally, jets board and deplane from the left, despite doors being on both sides of the fuselage.

This helps to keep passengers separated from ground crew in what can be a hectic and potentially dangerous environment. For instance, staff loading bags into the aircraft from the right don’t have to worry about tripping over travelers who remain on the left.

In addition, the right hand door is often used to bring supplies on board an aircraft, such as water and food, at the same time as passengers enter and exit on the left.

Initially IndiGo’s routes in and out of Delhi as well as the cities of Mumbai and Bengaluru will feature Three-Point Disembarkation. But the airline has said it could roll out the new process across the whole country and its fleet of 181 A320s in just 90 days.

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