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Pakistan named Shaheen Afridi as captain for next monthâ€s three-match ODI series against South Africa, marking the third leadership change in the format over the past 12 months. (Image credit: X) NEW DELHI: Pakistan on Monday named fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as captain for next monthâ€s three-match ODI series against South Africa, marking the third leadership change in the format over the past 12 months.The 25-year-old takes over from Mohammad Rizwan, who assumed the ODI captaincy last October following Babar Azamâ€s resignation.

Inside details of how PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi ran away with the Asia Cup trophy!

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Shaheenâ€s appointment was made after a meeting in Islamabad.”A meeting of the selection committee, also attended by Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, decided that Shaheen will lead Pakistan’s ODI side against South Africa,” the PCB said in a release.The three-match ODI series is scheduled for November 4, 6, and 8, with all games to be played in Faisalabad.Rizwan began his tenure as ODI skipper strongly, leading Pakistan to a 2-1 series win in Australia in November 2024, the countryâ€s first in Australia in 22 years. Pakistan then whitewashed South Africa 3-0 at home and secured a 2-1 series win in Zimbabwe.However, 2025 proved challenging for Rizwan. Pakistan lost the home tri-series final to New Zealand and exited the Champions Trophy in the first round in February.The most significant setback came in the West Indies, where Pakistan lost 2-1 — their first series defeat in the Caribbean in 34 years.Shaheen previously led Pakistan in five Twenty20 internationals in New Zealand in January last year but was relieved of the role after a 4-1 series loss.

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Pakistan named Shaheen Afridi as captain for next monthâ€s three-match ODI series against South Africa, marking the third leadership change in the format over the past 12 months. (Image credit: X) NEW DELHI: Pakistan on Monday named fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi as captain for next monthâ€s three-match ODI series against South Africa, marking the third leadership change in the format over the past 12 months.The 25-year-old takes over from Mohammad Rizwan, who assumed the ODI captaincy last October following Babar Azamâ€s resignation.

Inside details of how PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi ran away with the Asia Cup trophy!

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Shaheenâ€s appointment was made after a meeting in Islamabad.”A meeting of the selection committee, also attended by Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, decided that Shaheen will lead Pakistan’s ODI side against South Africa,” the PCB said in a release.The three-match ODI series is scheduled for November 4, 6, and 8, with all games to be played in Faisalabad.Rizwan began his tenure as ODI skipper strongly, leading Pakistan to a 2-1 series win in Australia in November 2024, the countryâ€s first in Australia in 22 years. Pakistan then whitewashed South Africa 3-0 at home and secured a 2-1 series win in Zimbabwe.However, 2025 proved challenging for Rizwan. Pakistan lost the home tri-series final to New Zealand and exited the Champions Trophy in the first round in February.The most significant setback came in the West Indies, where Pakistan lost 2-1 — their first series defeat in the Caribbean in 34 years.Shaheen previously led Pakistan in five Twenty20 internationals in New Zealand in January last year but was relieved of the role after a 4-1 series loss.

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The Chicago Blackhawks centre is facing Vancouver for the first time since he dangerously hit Filip Chytil into the boards from behind last March 15 at Rogers Arena, concussing the Canuck with less than five minutes remaining in what was a blowout 6-2 win for the home team.

Chytil missed the rest of the season and the Canucks, without their top two centres, fell out of a playoff spot in the final month.

“I don’t know if anything has to happen tonight,†Dickinson said after the Blackhawks†morning skate at the United Center. “If it has to, it has to. I wasn’t trying to hide from (the hit). I saw some comments after the game that I was trying to hide from it. I got skipped over (on a line change) and then I look up at the clock and there’s two minutes left. It’s like, ‘Well, I guess my night’s over.†I get it, they’re not happy. You don’t want to see your teammate get hurt, so I respect that because I play the same way. I expect guys to play with integrity. And you know, I appreciate whatever has to come, has to come.â€

Co-leading the Canucks with three goals in four games, Chytil will face Dickinson tonight as Vancouver plays 24 hours after beating the Dallas Stars 5-3 to open a difficult five-game National Hockey League trip.

A bunch of Canucks angered by Dickinsonâ€s gratuitous hit seven months ago will also see him tonight.

“We just don’t love the hit,†Canuck Conor Garland said last March. “It’s 6-2 and the game’s pretty much over with. I understand Dickey’s got a job to do and be physical and do that kind of stuff. I just don’t love it, especially (against) one of our top guys and with where we are in the standings.â€

Winger Kiefer Sherwood said: “Heâ€s going to have to answer the bell next year. That was a dirty hit, unnecessary. And then he doesnâ€t have the (courage) to step on the ice afterwards.â€

Dickinson is one of the veteran leaders on the Blackhawks, who have started this season 2-2-1 and are desperate to take a step forward in Season 3 for generational star Connor Bedard of North Vancouver.

Dickinson spent a dismal 2021-22 campaign with the Canucks before a salary-dump trade to the Blackhawks allowed the 30-year-old to re-energize his career as a matchup centre.

“I’m glad to see he’s okay,†he said Friday of Chytil. “I don’t like that he got hurt. I don’t know about the hit; I didn’t get a call from the league, didn’t get a penalty on the play. Was it borderline? Sure, maybe. I try to play hard. I try to play with respect. I don’t want to hurt guys. Unfortunately, he did get hurt.â€

The Canucks will need to focus on beating the Blackhawks before they can worry about beating Dickinson.

Chicago is coming off an 8-3 road win Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues, who handled the Canucks 5-2 in Vancouver on Monday.

There has been a noticeable attitude change in Chicago with the arrival of new head coach Jeff Blashill.

“Winning is a funny thing,†Blashill said. “Nobody has the attitude that they want to lose. I guess a couple things we talked about was, one, when you look across the league at winning cultures, the best players do it right consistently. And so we’ve challenged our best players to play winning hockey. That’s not cheating for offence. That’s checking for your offence, checking and still being able to produce. And so that’s one area.

“And then, two, is just to create a high standard of what’s expected in terms of day-to-day work ethic, compete, attention to detail. Those things are extremely important, and I think that started in training camp.â€

And the buy-in from Bedard?

“Connor has been great,†Blashill said. “I can’t say enough good things about him as a person — his competitiveness, his want, to be a great player. He wants to win more than anything else. He wants to win more than score points. He wants to win more than anything, getting accolades. He just wants to win. And so he’s 100 per cent bought into it.â€

The 2023 first overall draft pick has two goals and six points in five games this season, including three assists in St. Louis.

And if youâ€ve watched the Blackhawks and think the projected superstar looks a step quicker, Bedard says he is.

The 20-year-old who grew up watching the Canucks said he made skating, the only component of his skillset that is not elite, the focus of his off-season training in B.C.

“I mean, that’s kind of what I tried to achieve, so I hope that it’s paid off,†Bedard told Sportsnet after the morning skate. “I feel good. I felt good coming into camp and I feel good now, so I think that’s something that’s benefited me.

“I think it just gives me more room, is the biggest thing. Maybe try to put guys on their heels. And then kind of my brain and talent can take over.

“I think I can get better in every area. (Former Canuck) Bo Horvatâ€s a guy I remember. I think even when he got drafted, it was kind of like, ‘This guy’s not a great skater.†And now maybe it’s one of his best attributes. You can always see examples of guys that have improved on everything, and I think youâ€ve always got to go into summer with a goal. And that was a big one of mine to maybe achieve, and hopefully I did.â€

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After winning the Calder Trophy in 2024, Bedard had 23 goals and 67 points in 82 games last season. Chicago went 25-46-11 and finished with 61 points, close to their horrendous average over the last four years. The Blackhawks havenâ€t made a non-pandemic playoffs since 2017.

“I think with Blash coming in, he’s instilled a sense of urgency in everybody,†Dickinson said. “Heâ€s kind of lit a fire under everybody to create a little bit of discomfort (because) we’ve been a little bit cushy with our mistakes the past couple of years. You could make these mistakes and you’d still get your ice time … and nobody really had to worry about their jobs all that much. So I think Blash has put a little bit of a fire there to say, ‘I don’t care who you are, what you’ve done.†There’s still respect, but it’s also earned.Â

“We want to be competitive. Winning now doesn’t necessarily mean winning the Cup now, but win games and make them matter now. If you go through five years of Bedsy (Bedard) just spinning his tires and losing games and playing meaningless hockey, how is he ever going to grow? Is he ever going to learn to play in those big moments?â€

The Canucks, who arrived at their Chicago hotel a little before 2 a.m., did not skate this morning.

Kevin Lankinen is expected to start in goal for Vancouver.

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By Ella Jay

Oct. 16, 2025 9:51 pm EST

Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

While he remains absent from AEW television, “Switchblade” Jay White has also been silent on social media, especially X. The latter changed when White returned to his timeline with a new one-word post.

“Ready?” he wrote on Thursday afternoon, with over 600 comments coming in the hours following. Most of the replies expressed excitement for what White’s post could mean, whether that be a comeback to in-ring action or something else.

White’s last post on X came in July, when he replied to a fan calling for him to win a singles championship in AEW with a winking gif. Before that, he hadn’t been active on the platform since March.

Ready?

— Switchblade Jay White (@JayWhiteNZ) October 16, 2025

White has also been sidelined from action since March 2025, when he last wrestled Kevin Knight on “AEW Collision.” Sometime after, White reportedly sustained a hand injury that would require surgery. Months later, reports indicated that White was also battling a shoulder injury, though it was unclear as to whether he’d undergo surgery for that as well.

Prior to hurting his hand, White was slated to compete in the 2025 Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. After a storyline attack at the hands of the Death Riders signaled White’s exit from television, however, Knight took his place and faced Will Ospreay in the opening round.Â

Under the AEW-ROH banner, Knight is a former AEW World Trios and ROH Six-Man Tag Team Champion. His tag partner Juice Robinson returned to the ring in July 2025 after being sidelined with an injury of his own.

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Oct 16, 2025, 10:27 AM ET

The Charlotte Hornets have waived veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie, the team announced Thursday.

Dinwiddie signed a one-year, $3.6 million deal with the Hornets in early July amid free agency, but Charlotte had to release a guaranteed salary ahead of next week’s regular-season opener and chose his in an effort to get to the maximum of 15 standard contracts on the current roster.

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Dinwiddie, who appeared in just two preseason games with Charlotte, averaged 14.3 points and 6.2 assists in 30 games as a starter for the Dallas Mavericks last season. He averaged 11 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 27 minutes overall in 79 appearances for the Mavericks in 2024-25.

Now entering his 12th NBA season, Dinwiddie played a key role as the sixth man on the Mavs’ 2022 Western Conference finals team after arriving as part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal at the trade deadline and was sent to the Brooklyn Nets a year later as part of the Kyrie Irving trade.

Dinwiddie has also played for the Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers during his career, averaging 13.0 points and 5.1 assists in 27.7 minutes in 621 games (345 starts).

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon contributed to this report.

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(Content warning: This story contains descriptions of alleged sexual assault.)

Carter Hart, one of the five hockey players who in July were acquitted of sexual assault stemming from a 2018 incident, is joining the Vegas Golden Knights organization, the team announced Thursday.

“Following the reinstatement decision agreed on by the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players†Association, goaltender Carter Hart will be joining the Vegas Golden Knights organization,” the team said in a statement. “The Golden Knights are aligned with the process and assessment the NHL and NHLPA made in their decision. We remain committed to the core values that have defined our organization from its inception and expect that our players will continue to meet these standards moving forward.”

After initially ruling in July that the five players were ineligible from returning to the NHL, the league announced in September that the players would be able to sign contracts as of Oct. 15 and be fully reinstated to play on Dec. 1.

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Hart has signed a tryout deal with the Golden Knights, which will then be converted into a standard contract reportedly worth $3.6 million over two years. He is currently able to practice and is eligible to play minor league games in the AHL beginning on Nov. 15.

The 27-year-old Hart was a second-round draft pick by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2016. He made 218 starts between 2018 and 2024, posting a 96-93-29 record and a .906 save percentage with six shutouts. His last appearance in the NHL came during a game against the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 20, 2024.

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Hart, along with Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton, were found not guilty by a London, Ontario, judge after being accused dating back to a 2018 incident when the five players were in London for a gala and golf tournament in honor of their championship win as part of Canadaâ€s world junior hockey team. A woman, known as E.M. in the trial, has alleged that the players sexually assaulted her over several hours in a hotel room after the event.

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Judge Maria Carroccia started her verdict by saying that she did not find E.M.’s testimony to be “credible or reliable,” later noting that her story had inconsistencies. She also felt that prosecutors did not prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt, giving her the need to lean towards acquittal.

“Having found that I cannot rely upon the evidence of E.M. and then considering the evidence in this trial as a whole, I conclude that the Crown cannot meet its onus on any of the counts before me,” the judge said earlier in the ruling.

The case was reopened after E.M. reached an undisclosed settlement with Hockey Canada and the Canadian Hockey League in 2022. That lawsuit had alleged that eight players, who were unnamed at the time, had been involved.

Charges were not filed until 2024, when the names of five players who were charged were revealed. Other players were involved but did not face charges, having allegedly left the hotel room before the assault took place; those players were called to the stand to testify on the night in question.

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Four of the players — McLeod, Hart, Dubé and Foote — were playing in the NHL at the time that charges were filed, while Formenton was playing in Switzerland.

McLeod recently signed with Russia’s Avangard Omsk; Formenton is in his third season with HC Ambrì-Piotta of the Swiss League; while Foote and Dubé remain free agents.

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  Ryan S. ClarkOct 15, 2025, 02:05 PM ET

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  Ryan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.

Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is the latest member of the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions to suffer a long-term injury.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Wednesday that Kulikov will be out for five months after having shoulder surgery to repair a labrum tear that he sustained in their 2-1 win over the Flyers last Thursday in just their second game of the season.

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The loss of Kulikov for five months is the latest in a long list of injuries for the Panthers in their bid to become the first team to win three straight titles since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980 to 1983. Since then, there have been six instances in which teams have won consecutive Stanley Cups but failed to win a third straight.

That list includes captain and star center Aleksander Barkov, who will be out seven to nine months with a knee injury. Then there’s star forward Matthew Tkachuk, who is out until at least December with a torn adductor muscle, while bottom-six forward Tomas Nosek is out with a long-term injury.

The earliest Kulikov could return to the Panthers lineup would be mid-March should the timeline with his prognosis hold.

Kulikov, who was drafted by the Panthers in 2009, came back to the club for a second stint at the start of the 2023-24 season. He had 20 points in 76 games while averaging more than 16 minutes per contest en route to helping the club win the first championship in its history. Last season saw him have 13 points in 70 games while averaging more than 19 minutes in a campaign that saw them win a second straight title.

Ever since he returned, Kulikov ranks third on the Panthers in short-handed minutes and is fourth in terms of total 5-on-5 minutes played going back to the 2023-24 season, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Overall, the Panthers still have their top-four defensive group in place with Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling on the top pairing with Seth Jones and Niko Mikkola are on the second pairing while Uvis Balinskis and Jeff Petry are expected to be their third-pairing option.

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Tony Dâ€Angelo is back in business. After months away from WWE NXT television, The Don of NXT is officially advertised for an upcoming live event on October 10 in Detroit, Michigan—his first public appearance since late July.

NXT is set to hit the road following its crossover with TNA, with three live shows scheduled next week:

• October 9 – Columbus, Ohio
• October 10 – Detroit, Michigan
• October 11 – Cleveland, Ohio

Tony Dâ€Angelo is listed among the names appearing at the Detroit stop. This marks his first match-related booking since the July 29 episode of NXT on The CW, where he was last seen in a restaurant vignette before being approached by a mysterious figure. The scene cut to black, and he vanished from television without explanation.

Speculation swirled about possible injury or main roster movement, but reports later clarified that Dâ€Angelo simply requested time off—putting those rumors to rest. Now, heâ€s officially back on the road with the NXT crew and preparing to reconnect with fans in person.

Tony Dâ€s Detroit return signals that his in-ring comeback could be right around the corner, and fans will be watching closely to see if he reemerges on NXT TV next.

Are you excited to see Tony Dâ€Angelo back on the road with NXT? Do you think this leads to a TV return or a main roster debut? Share your thoughts in the comments below—we want to hear from you.

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Sep 26, 2025, 11:50 AM ET

Florida captain Aleksander Barkov could miss the entire regular season because of a knee injury, a major blow to the Panthers and their quest to win a third consecutive Stanley Cup.

Barkov was injured Thursday in his first official practice of training camp and was undergoing surgery Friday, coach Paul Maurice said.

The star center is expected to miss several months, which calls the entire season into jeopardy and essentially ends any chance of Barkov representing his native Finland — as he hoped and planned — at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February. Barkov had been named as one of the first six players on Finland’s roster in June.

Barkov was in surgery Friday while Maurice was addressing reporters. Once the surgery ends, the Panthers said they would release more details — some of which, Maurice said, wouldn’t be known until the procedure is over.

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“I know the idea is next man up,” Maurice said. “There isn’t a next man to fill Barky’s skates.”

The salary cap implications for Barkov’s injury are significantly different this season than in previous ones. The new collective bargaining agreement altered the salary cap exception for long-term injuries and established a “postseason salary cap” for the first time in league history. While the full CBA doesn’t go into effect until September 2026, the NHL and the players agreed to expedite those rule changes for the 2025-26 season.

Under the revamped rules, the Panthers could get the full long-term injured reserve relief for Barkov’s $10 million cap hit, but he would then be ineligible to play in the regular season or playoffs. If Florida believed Barkov could return, the Panthers could exceed the salary cap by only up to $3.8 million, the previous season’s average league salary. And if Barkov does come back for the postseason, the Panthers would have to fit his cap hit under the new playoff salary accounting rules.

Barkov led the Panthers in assists last season with 51 and was second in points with 71 before adding six goals and 16 assists in the playoffs when Florida won its second consecutive Stanley Cup. He became the fourth player this century to repeat as the Selke Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defensive forward.

He has appeared in more than 86% of all Florida games, including playoffs, in his 12 NHL seasons. This is the first time he has dealt with something that could keep him out for an entire season.

It’s the second significant injury issue for the Panthers, who have been to the past three Stanley Cup Finals, to navigate as the season approaches.

In addition to Barkov, the Panthers also will be without forward Matthew Tkachuk while he recovers from offseason surgery to repair a torn adductor muscle. There is no formal target for Tkachuk’s return; given the typical return-to-play timelines for such procedures, it wouldn’t seem likely that he plays before December.

Since Tkachuk came to the Panthers in 2022, Florida has played only five games without either he or Barkov in the lineup — all last October, with the Panthers winning three of those five contests.

Barkov is Florida’s franchise leader in many categories, including games played (804), goals (286), assists (496), points (782), power-play goals (84), short-handed goals (13) and game-winning goals (52).

“Not a guy you want to see go down, for sure,” Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist said Thursday.

ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Alison Lee is no stranger to winning golf tournaments. A former No. 1-ranked amateur, Lee has collected two Ladies European Tour victories in her career and played on two victorious U.S. Solheim Cup teams. But she has yet to capture an LPGA Tour victory. And she certainly hasn’t done so months after giving birth.

But that’s exactly the scenario Lee finds herself in this weekend at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Just over four months after the birth of her first child, the 30-year-old is tied for the lead in her third tournament back.

New mom Alison Lee charges into tie for LPGA lead

When Lee welcomed her son Levi Todd Kidd into the world on April 25 and announced the news days later, the 2025 LPGA season was an afterthought. Lee confirmed as much in her pre-tournament press conference on Thursday.

“Right after I gave birth, if you told me I was going to play in four, five months I probably would’ve said probably not,” Lee said. “I’m really happy that I was able to make it out here and play.”

But determined not to get “a little bit behind” in her game by taking too much time off, Lee resumed her pro golf career far sooner than she expected.

Nine years after Solheim Cup concession controversy, Alison Lee back on U.S. team

By:

Zephyr Melton

Lee first returned to action at the LET’s Aramco Houston Championship earlier this month, where she made the cut and finished T53. Her first LPGA start since becoming a mom came at last week’s Kroger Queen City Championship, where she missed the cut.

Even with all she’s gone through, Lee admitted she wasn’t happy with her results so far ahead of this week’s event.

“I feel like I’m a bit disappointed where I am coming into these two weeks,” Lee revealed. “Obviously don’t want to expect too much and give myself grace because I have taken some time off and my body has gone through a lot. At the same time I want to come out here and play well.”

In Friday’s opening round at Pinnacle Country Club, she did better than “play well.” Lee fired a seven-under 64 to tie for the lead before play was suspended due to dangerous weather.

“It feels so good,” Lee said after the opening round. “I mean, coming into these three weeks I feel like I did as much as I could to prep, and the last two weeks did feel a bit disappointing because I felt like my game was in a really good place. Obviously you just never know until you tee it up… Felt like I adjusted really well. Happy with my round.”

She added: “I know we have two days left, but it’s such a good start for me and it’s a good feeling to see my hard work pay off and see it’s all been worth it.”

As for what she’s improved upon to turn around her results on the course this week, Lee mentioned becoming better adjusted to both being back on Tour and being a mom, with an assist from baby Levi.

“Just trying to get adjusted to everything and life out here. Thankfully, too, my son is sleeping like eight hours at night in a row, so that helps me a lot just in terms of recovery and rest.”

Lee reveals she didn’t hit driver until two months ago

If you thought it was incredible that Lee took only four months to return to pro golf after the arrival of her son, then you’ll probably find this next fact dumbfounding.

It turns out Lee had far less time to get her game into shape, as she revealed in her Thursday press conference.

As her body recovered from an emergency C-section, Lee wasn’t allowed to start hitting drivers until two months after Levi’s birth. In other words, just two months before she teed it up in a pro event.

Alison Lee smashes LET scoring record en route to victory in Saudi Arabia

By:

Jessica Marksbury

“So I had to have an emergency C-section. They give you about six weeks to try and heal and you have to be really careful with that. But, gosh, I was itching to get back,” Lee revealed Thursday. “Right when the six weeks was up I started chipping, putting, hitting iron shots. Not really hitting driver until probably two months after, like eight or nine weeks. I felt really lucky and like I was able to recover pretty quickly. And I did work really hard.”

She also shared that a strong desire to be with her newborn baby made her comeback preparation even more difficult.

“Like I did my best to try and work out as much as I could, go on a ton of walks when I couldn’t work out when I was still in pain. I did practice a lot,” Lee said. “There were a lot of days where I would be hitting range balls and just crying, like the whole time I’m on the range. You have so many different emotions. You have mom guilt, you question yourself when you have a bad day of practice. What am I doing here? I could be spending time with my son.”

She continued: “And then there are moments where I want to do this so bad. The hardest thing to do is leaving the house. I mean, you’re so tired, sleep deprived, and you see a cute little baby there. The last thing I want to do is leave and go do something hard.”

Despite all of that, Lee is leading this week’s event, a development that seems to have left her satisfied, for now.

“I felt like it was quite a challenge over the last few months. To be able to sit here and play, even though I didn’t play the way I wanted to the last couple weeks, I feel like I’ve come a long way.”