NEW YORK: Serena Williams says she had a benign branchial cyst “the size of a small grapefruit” removed from her neck and “all is OK.”
The retired tennis star, who turned 43 last month, posted Wednesday on social media that she found a lump on her neck in May, had an MRI exam, and was told she didn’t need to get it removed if she didn’t want to. So she didn’t then, “but it kept growing,” Williams said.
After more tests, including a biopsy that was negative for cancer, Williams said, her doctors said she should have a procedure.

She showed video of herself in a hospital bed and wrote: “So this is me removing it. I am feeling so grateful, and fortunate everything worked out, and most of all I’m healthy.”
In a separate social media post, she said she is “still recovering, but getting better. Health always comes first.”
Williams announced her retirement — famously eschewing that term and saying instead she was “evolving” away from professional tennis — shortly before playing in the 2022 US Open, her last tournament.
She won 23 Grand Slam titles in singles, the most by a woman in the sport’s professional era, and another 14 in doubles with her older sister Venus. Serena Williams spent more than 300 weeks at No. 1 in the WTA rankings and collected four Olympic gold medals.

DUBAI: All-rounder Sam Curran, the player of the tournament in England’s ICC T20 World Cup success in Australia in 2022, will return to the Desert Vipers’ squad for the upcoming season three of the DP World ILT20.

Curran joined the Vipers for two matches at the end of last season. The signing signals the desire of the team to repeat the form showed in the first edition of the DP World ILT20 when they finished second.

The Desert Vipers’ Director of Cricket Tom Moody said Curran’s presence for a longer period would benefit the entire tournament.

“We are obviously the recipients of a high-quality player, and it is great that he feels the Desert Vipers is a home for him where he can apply his trade and hopefully help us achieve what we are looking to achieve as a franchise,” said Moody.

“One of the positive things for the Desert Vipers and the tournament itself is that Sam has decided to come to this league against the other options that are out there.

“I think that says a lot about how the competition is held in players’ eyes and the growth of the tournament moving forward.”

Curran, 26, is the third-highest wicket-taker for England in Twenty20 Internationals over the past two years.

He made his international debut in a Test match against Pakistan in 2018 and has already amassed 1,574 runs and 134 wickets for his country across formats.

Curran has also made a name for himself plying his trade in shortform tournaments across the world including India and South Africa.

His most recent outing in the Indian Premier League saw him taking over captaincy duties for the Punjab Kings after skipper Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out due to injury.

Curran ended that tournament as the franchise’s fourth-highest scorer, his 270 runs including two half-centuries and coming at a strike-rate of 123 runs per 100 balls. He also ended the contest as the third-highest wicket-taker with 16 in 13 matches.

Moody said that while no decision had yet been taken on who would assume the captaincy following the departure of Colin Munro, he expects Curran to play a key part in the Desert Vipers’ think tank for the upcoming season.

“With regards to his captaincy experience and what he has done in the IPL with the Punjab Kings and what he has done elsewhere, he will play an important leadership role within the group,” said Moody.

“He has got a huge amount of experience in this format of the game and can offer a lot. The thing that he just brings naturally is that he is an instinctive leader. So we will all lean on that experience, and he is willing to be an important voice as the tournament unfolds.”

The signing of an all-rounder may raise some eyebrows.

This is given the continuation of the impact-substitute rule for a second season in the DP World ILT20, with the expectation that sides will pack their lineups with specialist batters and bowlers at the expense of players who offer both skills.

The rule allows teams to replace a player at any point during a match, with the trend toward a bowler replacing a batter or vice versa once the incumbent’s primary role in the side has been carried out.

Moody said he knows Curran’s strengths well having worked with the lefthander at the Oval Invincibles, the team that has won back-to-back titles in England’s short-format tournament, The Hundred.

And the man who was also an ICC Cricket World Cup winner with Australia in 1999, said he was certain Curran would play an influential role in the upcoming campaign.

“I have had a lot to do with Sam over the past few years with the Oval Invincibles, so having that personal connection goes a long way in knowing exactly what he can deliver both on and off the field,” said Moody.

“And while people probably ask why an all-rounder when there is the impact-sub rule, well, Sam Curran is one of those unique all-rounders that plays a complete all-round game.

“And what I mean by that is that he can take the new ball, he can bowl effectively in the middle overs and he is well-versed when it comes to bowling at the death which is such a critical component when it comes to any team.”

The schedule for season three of the DP World ILT20 is expected to be announced soon.

And ahead of that announcement all teams, not just the Desert Vipers, are finalizing their final UAE player selections through the ongoing DP World ILT20 Development tournament in Dubai.