The Atlanta Braves have extended the contract of manager Brian Snitker through the 2023 season with a club option for 2024, it was announced Friday.

"I am thrilled that Brian will continue to lead our club on the field and in the clubhouse," Braves president and general manager Alex Anthopoulos said in a statement. "Three consecutive division titles speak to the impact of Brian and his staff, and we are pleased that he will continue to guide our club through 2023."

Snitker, 65, who is in his 45th season with the organization, has a 353-317 record as a manager, a position he took over full time in October 2016. He guided the Braves to a 35-25 record during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, winning the National League East for the third consecutive season.

He is the only manager in franchise history to take the Braves to the postseason in three of his first four seasons.

Olympic bronze medallist Marilyn Okoro announces her retirement with a message to athletics

Dear Track and Field,

Thank you for all the memories and lessons and even more so, the very many blessings! I started this year sure of one thing and one thing only and that was: it was time to let go, in order for me to continue to GROW!

Hindsight is both a blessing and a curse. The former because it helps give you the processing and coping skills to accept the closure needed to move on to what’s next, yet still a curse because you start to think of all the things you shoulda, woulda, coulda done differently! But hey, that is life, and I endeavour every day to channel those feeling into a positive outlet by giving back as much as possible to the next generation, in the hope that they will go on to ‘Dream Bigger’ and ‘Achieve Greater’.

Surprisingly, my decision to retire was rather uneventful. The final run of the final week of the year 2020, and what a year that was! Most say a year to forget but for me it will be the year to remember because by the end of it, it positioned me to find the greatest gift there is in life, MY PEACE. I took off my trainers that day and I just knew I would not be putting them on again any time soon… and it felt absolutely brilliant!

READ MORE: Marilyn Okoro moves on to her next gold medal hunt

I can tell you it has been seven whole years for me to free myself from this entanglement with Track and Field, this dynamic, fast-paced, diverse and all-encompassing chasm of fun and euphoria, hard work and discipline and not forgetting the inevitable heartbreak.

And so, my ‘thank yous’. The words alone will never be enough nor can I possibly begin to mention everyone to whom I owe so much and who has played a part no matter how big or small to my incredible journey. If you are not directly mentioned please take this entire letter as a warm and sincere ‘thank you’ (and send a WhatsApp to cuss me later!).

Good old George! The stalwart of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, legendary track and field coach. The catalyst and coach to so many stellar careers. I am humbled I got to call you coach, but so much more than that, you were the father figure and mentor I needed in those early years to ensure I stayed in the sport and made it to where I am today. They say you never forget your first, and I will never forget the life you paved the way for me, George Harrison. Thank you will never suffice!

In the same breath I would like to say a huge thank you to my club since day one, Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers. #Upthestripes. Thank you for the experiences, the sessions, the competitions and the bonds. What a family. I am blessed to have met and trained with so many incredible people who from the beginning took me in as one of their own. A special mention to Stef and Nadeem who nurtured and continue to mentor me to this day. Also our club president Geoff Morphitis, thank you for always having my back! ‘A club is for life, not just the competition’ and I will treasure my vest with great pride always.

Ayo Falola. I can hear your bellowing laugh now saying ‘what took you so long, girl?’! I pray you are looking down and proud because as you said to me many a time after a beasty session or race, ‘go shock ’em, Maz’ and I believe we did just that, quite a fair few times! Thank you for your crazy faith. Rest in easy, Coach Ayo.

UK Athletics and British Athletics. A governing body like no other, charged with the most difficult of tasks, to lead and steer a sport with so many moving parts and disciplines, personalities and characters. There is so much I did not understand about the world I was entering as a young 18-year-old just running a foot race as fast as she could. As much as I delivered for our team, I know I have not been the easiest soldier at times, but that’s the beauty of our sport – we all come in different shapes and sizes, colours, creeds and frames of references. There will never be one size to fit all, that is the spice of track and field. Still, you continue to steer the ship and ensure British track and field remains vibrant and inviting and I know you will continue to do everything in your power to ensure British track stars are among the most celebrated and admired across the globe. For that, I will forever be a proud British athlete and do all I can to continue the legacy of British track and field. Cherry Alexander and Karen Forbes – my ‘Girls’ – thank you for always fighting my corner!

The Fans. Where would we be without our fans? Our biggest and best supporters, always there come rain or shine. Whether live of virtual you are there cheering us on to push ourselves. I know I speak on behalf of many athletes when I say we often owe our final push in the closing stages of competition to the ROAR and spirit of our fans – there is simply nothing that can replicate that feeling! Special mentions to the British Athletes Supporters Club for all you do to support our team!

To my friends and family, my TRIBE, for supporting and championing me, for loving and being proud of Marilyn Okoro the athlete, but always putting first ‘Maz’ the human, mood swings and all (sorry guys!). You accept me win or lose, medal or no medal. You are there in the highs and most significantly, in the lows, always there to pick me up, dust me off and simply love me – thank you! You all have front row seats to the reality of an elite athlete journey. Thank you for grounding me and keeping me humble and, on many an occasion, going!

My ‘SISTAS in Track’ Gemma (Bennett), Montell (Douglas), Zainab (Ceesay), Nusrat (Ceesay), Sandra (Aleneme) Laura (Walton nee Langowski), Tasha (Danvers), Christine (Ohurougu), Anyika (Onoura), Donna (Fraser), Jenny (Meadows), Hazel (Clark), Tamsyn (Manou), Kenia (Sinclair). You know what your friendship and support means to me. Our sisterhood weighs more than gold. Respect to my ‘Bros in track’, Abs (Bahari), Samson (Oni,) Andy (Turner), Dwain (Chambers), Christian (Malcolm) and Marlon (Devonish). I couldn’t ask for better examples of strong, successful and nurturing male role models – I appreciate you! To all I have had the immense privilege to be on a national team with and especially my relay girls, thank you for the memories (and medals) that will last a life time.

Thank you Joy and Daniel, my brother and sister. My cheerleaders, always there. It’s not easy having a sporting sibling but you guys are always ‘my why’, so thank you for putting up with me and the many disruptions to our lives, although it did come with some perks too, right?! As family isn’t always blood, I must extend mentions to Benjamin McGuinness – a best friend like no other, no matter where I am in the globe, you are there! The Mintridge Foundation led by my amazing friend and inspiration Alex Wallace (founder), incredible to see how are far we have come to harness the power of sporting role models and unlock the potential of so many young minds and budding sports stars of the future! Forever your deputy! This brings me on to the fan favourite, Mamma Okoro. My mummy, my biggest fan. The beginning was tough, you were my very first ‘NO’, but what a fuel you were. I only ever meant to make you proud. It’s funny now because you are taking this retirement harder than me! From you I learned what strength really looked like, like a true Nigerian Mother, thank you for teaching and equipping me for the fight!

Last but by no means least, thank you ATHLETES, British and worldwide. You share my crazy passion for a sport that comes with zero guarantees, I am in awe of all of you. Sportsmen and women who dedicate their lives to chasing their dreams. I can only say this – it won’t be easy, in fact that word doesn’t exist in sport. Learn to love the bits you hate and accept that  in the process you will gain the biggest learnings about your craft but more importantly, yourself. Know that you are never alone, there is always someone who cares, is willing to listen and if you are reading this and feel this is not your reality then I am here to say I personally nominate myself because I know all too well how lonely it can get, but the reality is no one achieves greatness alone. It takes a village, a community and peer-to-peer support and compassion. So, find your tribe and hold them close, savour the wins big and small, stay present and learn from the losses, never stop being a student of your craft and never be afraid to use your voice! I see you, I hear you and I champion you! Remember track is only a fraction of the life you have waiting beyond your sport, so don’t be afraid to start with the end in mind and prepare for the moment when you can ‘sport’ no more.

‘It won’t be easy but in the end it was oh so worth it’. No regrets, just lessons. Thank you, Track and Field!

Yours in Sport,

Marilyn Okoro
Olympic bronze medallist

Announcing her retirement from competitive athletics, the former British 800m No.1 says helping others has given her a new goal to chase

Not for the first time, Marilyn Okoro has a gold medal in mind. But this one is different. It’s not an Olympic title or a world honour, but something metaphorical. Reaching the top of this imaginary podium will come through helping others as she hangs up her racing spikes to focus on another side of sport.

“I’ve known for a little while because I’m very all or nothing and I just felt like I wasn’t doing what I wanted to be doing in order to compete,” the former British 800m champion tells AW when reflecting on her retirement. “Things have moved on, we have been seeing some phenomenal performances. I just thought, ‘I can’t keep up’.

“I respect everyone, I just knew I wasn’t doing what I needed to do, to be where I want to be.”

Okoro has since realised that, actually, she is right where she wants to be – off the track, but supporting others on it.

READ MORE: Tokyo dreaming no more… A letter to my sport

“Athlete welfare is a passion of mine,” says the 36-year-old, who last raced in 2019 and set her 800m best of 1:58.45 in 2008. “I have been staying involved and the ‘Unlocked’ programme with the Women’s Sport Trust has just been so invaluable to the journey and connections. I met my mentor, Claire Parnell, and she is amazing, a communications powerhouse.

“Then [fellow Olympic bronze medallist] Tasha Danvers connected with me and asked me to do a panel talk on transition and mental health. That led me to work on a platform they are building – loveathletes.com.

“What lockdown did the first time around was allow me to just be still and let the chips fall where they may. I also submerged myself more into working with The Brick – the charity I now work for full-time – and I think there is something really powerful about supporting others.”

On Love Athletes, which forms part of Global Sports Management Services (GSMS), Okoro adds: “Tasha connected me and it led me to the company’s CEO Mark Philpott, whose motivation is to positively impact and change the world, one human at a time. Tasha saw that our visions and values align and we hit it off instantly. Mark will be mentoring and training me ready in my role as chief operating officer and his vision is that one day I take over as CEO of GSMS.

“Loveathletes.com is a global crowdfunding platform for athletes and coaches and our mission is to revolutionise the world of sports, with athlete care and compassion at the core of it. Everything we are offering for athletes we are going to offer for coaches as well, because the coaches are also crying out for support. Imagine having a really well looked after coach and a really well looked after athlete – it’s success.

“I am just on this amazing wave,” she continues. “I am about to start my life coaching certification, I have finished my corporate governance course and feel like I have got to a place where I am ready to give back and can appreciate the amazing career I have had.

“I would always tease myself and say ‘you’ve got a lot of bronzes and silvers, girl. Where’s the gold?’ But this next season I am chasing my gold, metaphorically.

“It’s something I’m passionate about, it’s like I’ve got another medal to seek. I didn’t think there was going to be something that filled that feeling, but there is. You just have to let go.”

Among those medals are the 2008 Olympic 4x400m bronze Okoro belatedly received a decade later and European relay silver secured in 2010. Indoors she claimed two 4x400m silvers as well as an 800m bronze in 2011, with a world medal won outdoors in Osaka in 2007 when she formed part of the British record-breaking 4x400m quartet.

“The other day I stumbled across some races on YouTube and the 2007 4x400m came up,” she recalls. “I had never seen that race before.

“My first world championships and we did pretty well, a national record, and I thought ‘who is that girl?! She’s pretty damn good!’ I remember thinking I was so happy then and carefree.”

For all the highs, Okoro also suffered her fair share of setbacks and injury issues and during lockdown the now Wigan-based athlete – self-funded since 2012 – found herself wondering how she could try to help others in a similar situation. She launched a crisis fund ‘ATHLETE FUNDamentals’, which aims to support athletes with living and training costs.

“You can’t come from a sport like track and field and then just not be passionate about what you are doing next,” Okoro adds.

“If I can just help one person, it makes all the difference. These projects are a massive goal but I’m an athlete so, of course, it’s a no-brainer.”

Great Britain's men's and women's Olympic Sevens squads will be on the same pay structure, with two initial training squads named on Friday.

Last year England's Sevens players were told to find other jobs as their contracts came to an end.

The women's squad features England 15-a-side internationals Amy Wilson Hardy and Helena Rowland.

Along with Wilson Hardy, Wales' Jasmine Joyce and England's Abbie Brown and Heather Fisher are the only players in the 19-strong women's squad to have appeared at Rio 2016.

The international schedule for elite women players is complicated by this year's Rugby World Cup, which starts less than two months after the Olympic final in Tokyo.

The men's squad includes Dan Bibby, Dan Norton, Ollie Lindsay-Hague, Tom Mitchell and Phil Burgess, who were part of the squad who took silver in the Sevens Olympics debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Robbie Fergusson leads a six-strong Scottish contingent, while Welshmen Luke Morgan, Luke Treharne and Morgan Williams are also in the 21-man group.

"While we are extremely pleased to be able to confirm our squads, the door is not closed for any player and we will continue to monitor all players' progress over the coming months," said team leader Charlie Hayter.

The first training camps will take place in March.

GB Sevens Men

Dan Bibby

Tom Bowen

Phil Burgess

Richard de Carpentier

Alec Coombes (Edinburgh)

Alex Davis

Tom Emery (Coventry)

Jamie Farndale (Edinburgh)

Robbie Fergusson (Glasgow Warriors)

Ben Harris (Saracens)

Paddy Kelly (Glasgow Warriors)

Ollie Lindsay-Hague

Ross McCann

Max McFarland

Tom Mitchell

Luke Morgan (Ospreys)

Will Muir (Bath)

Dan Norton

Luke Treharne

Ethan Waddleton

Morgan Williams

GB Sevens Women

Holly Aitchison (Saracens Women)

Abbie Brown (Loughborough Lightning)

Abi Burton (Wasps FC Ladies)

Heather Fisher (Worcester Warriors Women)

Deborah Fleming (Saracens Women)

Megan Gaffney (Scotland Women's Performance Programme)

Hannah Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury)

Megan Jones (Wasps FC Ladies)

Jasmine Joyce (Bristol Bears Women)

Rhona Lloyd (Loughborough Lightning)

Alex Matthews (Worcester Warriors Women)

Helen Nelson (Loughborough Lightning)

Celia Quansah (Wasps FC Ladies)

Chloe Rollie (Harlequins Women)

Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning)

Hannah Smith (Scotland Women's Performance Programme)

Lisa Thomson (Scotland Women's Performance Programme)

Emma Uren (Saracens Women)

Amy Wilson Hardy (Wasps FC Ladies)

Scotland will play defending champions South Africa in their first match of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

Wales take on Fiji, against whom they suffered a pool-stage shock in 2007, on the same weekend.

The match schedule begins with hosts France taking on three-time champions New Zealand at Paris' Stade de France on Friday, 8 September.

"Everyone who likes rugby dreams of seeing this game," France captain Charles Ollivon said of the clash with the All Blacks.

"Kicking off our World Cup against the All Blacks, there's no equivalent."

Ireland's first opposition will be confirmed when the final two European teams are confirmed, with Georgia, Russia and Spain among the possibilities.

Ireland's potentially crucial Pool B meeting with Scotland will take place at the 80,000-seater Stade de France on Saturday, 7 October.

England's and Scotland's opening games will take place in Marseille's Stade Velodrome on successive days as part of organisers' plan of bringing fans together for 'double-header weekends' in host cities.

Wales and Ireland will both begin their campaigns in Bordeaux on the same weekend.

The tournament has been extended by a week to allow all teams at least five days' rest between pool matches, while squads have been expanded from 31 to 33 players.

The top two teams in each of the four pools progress to the quarter-finals, which are shared between Marseille and Paris.

Both semi-finals, the third-place match and 28 October's final all take place at the Stade de France.

2023 Rugby World Cup schedule

Pool A

September 8: Stade de France - France v New Zealand

September 9: Saint-Etienne - Italy v Africa 1

September 14: Lille - France v America 1

September 15: Toulouse - New Zealand v Africa 1

September 20: Nice - Italy v America 1

September 21: Marseille - France v Africa 1

September 27: Lyon - America 1 v Africa 1

September 29: Lyon - New Zealand v Italy

October 5: Lyon - New Zealand v America 1

October 6: Lyon - France v Italy

Pool B

September 9: Bordeaux - Ireland v Europe 2

September 10: Marseille - South Africa v Scotland

September 16: Nantes - Ireland v Asia/Pacific 1

September 17: Bordeaux - South Africa v Europe 2

September 23: Stade de France - South Africa v Ireland

September 24: Nice - Scotland v Asia/Pacific 1

September 30: Lille - Scotland v Europe 2

October 1: Marseille - South Africa v Asia/Pacific 1

October 7: Stade de France - Ireland v Scotland

October 8: Lille - Asia/Pacific 1 v Europe 2

Pool C

September 9: Saint-Denis - Australia - Europe 1

September 10: Bordeaux - Wales v Fiji

September 16: Nice - Wales v Winner final qualifying round

September 17: Saint-Etienne - Australia v Fiji

September 23: Toulouse - Europe 1 v Winner final qualifying round

September 24: Lyon - Wales v Australia

September 30: Bordeaux - Fiji v Europe 1

October 1: Saint-Etienne - Australia v - Winner final qualifying round

October 7: Nantes - Wales v Europe 1

October 8: Toulouse - Fiji v Winner final qualifying round

Pool D

September 9: Marseille - England v Argentina

September 10: Toulouse - Japan v America 2

September 16: Bordeaux - Oceania 1 v America 2

September 17: Nice - England v Japan

September 22: Saint-Etienne - Argentina v Oceania 1

September 23: Lille - England v America 2

September 28: Toulouse - Japan v Oceania 1

September 30: Nantes - Argentina v America 2

October 7: Lille - England v Oceania 1

October 8: Nantes - Japan v Argentina

Quarter-finals

October 14: Marseille - Pool C winner v Pool D runner-up

October 14: Stade de France - Pool B winner v Pool A runner-up

October 15: Marseille - Pool D v Pool C runner-up

October 15: Stade de France - Pool A winner v Pool B runner-up

Semi-finals

October 20: Stade de France - Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 2

October 21: Stade de France - Winner QF 3 v Winner QF 4

Third place play-off

October 27: Stade de France

Final

October 28: Stade de France

England forward Courtney Lawes will be unavailable for the rest of the Six Nations because of a pectoral injury.

The 32-year-old missed England's autumn schedule because of an ankle injury but returned to the starting XV for the side's Six Nations win against Italy.

"It is very disappointing, but these things happen," said England attack coach Simon Amor.

Amor added that there were "no clear time-scales" for Lawes' recovery, and that a replacement would be called up after the Wales game.

Mark Wilson will start at blind-side flanker on Saturday, as he did in England's opening loss to Scotland, with uncapped 19-year-old George Martin among the replacements.

"He [Lawes] is an experienced player," Amor continued.

"He brings a line-out threat and great defensive energy. But we have some fantastic players, particularly with Mark Wilson.

"He is one of our work-rate players and brings strength around the breakdown."

Defending champions England are third in the Six Nations table, while Wales are second and chasing a Triple Crown after victories against Ireland and Scotland.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson will be sidelined for at least five weeks after undergoing groin surgery, the club announced on Friday.

The England international sustained the injury during Saturday's 2-0 home defeat against Everton in the Merseyside derby.

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"Henderson has successfully had a corrective procedure carried out on the adductor injury. He will begin a rehabilitation programme immediately," Liverpool said in a statement.

The statement added: "No specific timescale is being placed upon his return; however, he is ruled out initially until after the March international break."

Henderson will miss Premier League games against Sheffield United, Chelsea, Fulham and Wolves, as well as the Champions League round of 16 second leg against RB Leipzig.

The 30-year-old becomes the latest Liverpool player to suffer a long-term injury with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip already ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.

Liverpool are sixth in the table with 40 points from 25 games, five points adrift of fourth-placed West Ham United.

Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has revealed that he fined himself after arriving late to a team meeting, but put the blame on teammate Paul Pogba.

Matic, 32, joined United from Premier League rivals Chelsea in 2017 and is in charge of handling club fines around the training ground alongside captain Harry Maguire.

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However, Matic said that he was recently forced to pay up himself but joked that he would also charge Pogba for the incident.

"I have to say, just before the Newcastle game, I fined myself," he told the club's website. "I was late for a meeting by two seconds, and the rules are the same for everyone.

"I had to fine myself, because they catch me! I was late to the meeting. In front of the room [where the meeting was taking place] I was talking to Paul [Pogba], so I will ask him to pay 50% of my fine. I don't know if he will accept!"

Matic also said that he fined Maguire after the defender was caught breaking the rule of handling his phone during a gym session.

"I've been fined once which is still debatable," Maguire said. "It's crazy, but I let Nemanja do it. I took the hit and put the money in the pot.

"When you meet in the gym before training for pre-activation, you are not allowed your phone. We did pre-activation; I didn't have my phone.

"But then you go outside to put your boots on and you aren't allowed to go on your phone in that period. I had my phone and carried it out with me. "[But] I wasn't on my phone.

"Straight after training, I was going to put my trainers back on and go up for a massage instead of coming all the way back [to the changing room]. I could have gone straight to a massage, and Nemanja fined me for that. But he's strict with everyone so I'm happy. I can set the standard."

Matic played the full 90 minutes as United drew 0-0 against Real Sociedad on Thursday to progress to the Europa League round-of-16.

United face an away league trip to Matic's former side Chelsea on Sunday as they look to keep pace at the top with runaway leaders Manchester City.

Manchester United were drawn against AC Milan in the most high-profile tie in Friday's Europa League round-of-16 draw.

The draw saw Arsenal face the side who eliminated them from the competition last season in Olympiakos, while AS Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk -- Champions League regulars in recent seasons -- will play one another.

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Between them, United and Milan have won a total of 10 European Cup/Champions League titles. They last faced each other in the Champions League round of 16 in 2010, when United won 7-2 on aggregate.

Both sides were surprise leaders in their domestic leagues this season, but have since lost top spot to their local rivals in Manchester City and Inter Milan respectively.

Elsewhere, Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur face Dinamo Zagreb while Slavia Prague's prize for eliminating Leicester City is a clash with Scottish side Rangers.

Granada and Molde, who produced arguably the two most impressive results in the round of 32 in eliminating Napoli and Hoffenheim respectively, face each other in the round of 16.

Elsewhere, Ajax are up against Young Boys while former Champions League semifinalists Dynamo Kiev and Villarreal face off.

Should Unai Emery lead Villarreal to success in this competition, he would become the first manager in men's football to win a European competition four times, having already won three Europa League titles with Sevilla.

Tottenham's tie with Dinamo Zagreb is expected to be reversed by UEFA to avoid a clash with fellow London side Arsenal playing at home on the same night.

There are no longer pots or seeds at this stage of the competition, so all remaining teams could have been drawn against each regardless of where they finished in their group, or whether they played in the same group or are from the same domestic league. There may be regional restrictions placed on the draw for political reasons.

UEFA will draw the quarterfinal and semifinal ties on the same day this season, scheduled for March 19.

The final will take place in Poland at the Stadion Miejski in Gdansk on Wednesday, May 26.

ROUND OF 16

Ajax vs. Young Boys
Dynamo Kiev vs. Villarreal
AS Roma vs. Shakhtar Donetsk
Olympiakos vs. Arsenal
Dinamo Zagreb vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester United vs. AC Milan
Slavia Prague vs. Rangers
Granada CF vs. Molde FK

R Vinay Kumar, the former India seamer, has announced his retirement from first-class and international cricket, bringing the curtain down on a first-class career that spanned 16 years and made him a domestic giant. He played most of those years for Karnataka, before retiring after a season with new entrants Puducherry.

Vinay finished with 504 first-class wickets in 139 matches, 442 of them in the Ranji Trophy - the most among fast bowlers and fourth-highest overall, after Rajinder Goel (637), S Venkataraghavan (530) and his former Karnataka captain Sunil Joshi (479).

Known for hitting the seam and getting useful movement even on docile surfaces, Vinay earned a Test cap on the tour of Australia in 2011-12 when he was handed a debut in Perth. That, however, remained his only Test appearance. He also featured in 31 ODIs and nine T20Is, picking up 38 and ten wickets respectively.

Vinay's best years came after his brief India career came to a halt, when he captained Karnataka to an unprecedented double-treble - of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup - from 2013 to 2015. He combined with Abhimanyu Mithun, S Aravind, HS Sharath and Ronit More to form a potent bowling combination.

Thankyou all for your love and support throughout my career. Today I hang up my boots. #ProudIndian pic.twitter.com/ht0THqWTdP

— Vinay Kumar R (@Vinay_Kumar_R) February 26, 2021

"Winning Ranji Trophy back-to-back was the proudest moment in my career," Vinay had told ESPNcricinfo ahead of his 100th Ranji appearance. He finished with 115 Ranji matches in all. "When we won Ranji Trophy in 2013-14, it was after 14 years the state won. We reached the final in 2009-10 but narrowly lost, and Mumbai won by just six runs.

"After that we kept coming to the quarter-finals and semis, but unfortunately we could not win until 2013-14. So winning the trophy was the most memorable moment for me. We also won the Irani Trophy and the Vijay Hazare and repeating it next year was the icing on the cake."

In the IPL, Vinay was picked in 2008 by the Royal Challengers Bangalore and made a mark the following season when he picked up 16 wickets during the team's runners-up finish. Later, he was part of title-winning teams at the Kolkata Knight Riders (2014) and the Mumbai Indians (2015 and 2017). He also represented a fourth side - Kochi Tuskers - in 2011.

Over the last two years, Vinay has made a mark in regional cricket commentary, having been part of panels in Kannada for the 2019 World Cup and IPL 2020. He hoped to remain in touch and "give back to the game", something he signed off with in a press statement that he tweeted out.