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BCB forms independent inquiry body to help probe BPL corruption allegations

The BCB has formed an independent inquiry body to support its Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) in ongoing investigations into the BPL. The announcement follows a swirl of corruption allegations in the BPL over the last couple of weeks.
"As part of its ongoing efforts, the BCB is in the process of establishing an Independent Inquiry Body to further support the ACU in its investigations," a BCB press release said. "The BCB remains dedicated to ensuring a fair and transparent cricketing environment, and will continue to take all necessary actions to safeguard the integrity of the sport in Bangladesh."
The press release said that there have been media reports on potential corruption incidents during the tournament. The reports have named players and matches, although the allegations have not been corroborated by the BCB's ACU.
"The BCB has also come across media coverage regarding potential anti-corruption concerns about the BPL. The Board reiterates its firm commitment to upholding the integrity and spirit of the game," the release said. "The BCB strictly adheres to the ICC Anti-Corruption Code for Participants and maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption in any form. The BCB anti-corruption unit is continuously monitoring all matters relating to integrity within Bangladesh cricket, addressing them with due confidentiality and discretion."
This is the first time since 2013 that the BCB has announced an investigation into corruption allegations at the BPL. It comes as another hit to the league in a season when there has already been issues over player payments and ticketing.
Tendulkar receives BCCI's lifetime achievement award

Tendulkar became the 31st recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was instituted in 1994 in honour of India's first Test captain CK Nayudu. Tendulkar retired from international cricket having played for more than two decades after debuting as a 16-year-old against Pakistan in 1989. His 200 Test and 463 ODI appearances are the highest for any player in the game's history, as are his runs tally in both formats: 15,921 in Tests and 18,426 in ODIs. He also played one T20I, India's first ever, against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2006.
Bumrah, who was also named the ICC Cricketer of the Year earlier this month, was India's standout bowler in the awards period. He played a pivotal role in the team lifting the T20 World Cup in June, taking 15 wickets in eight games at an economy of 4.17. Apart from that, he was also instrumental in India's Test series win against England at home.
Mandhana, who was named the ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2024, was India's best woman batter across formats. Apart from scoring 149 against South Africa in the one-off Test in Chennai, she notched up 117, 136 and 90 in successive ODIs against the same opponents.
Ashwin receives special award
Length, more than pace, key to Australia spinners' success, says Smith

"I just think he bowls nice balls consistently," Smith said of Kuhnemann. "Left-arm spinners to right-hand batters - it just works in the subcontinent.
"He did a wonderful job when he bowled in India [where he took nine wickets across five innings in early 2023], and he bowled beautifully again in this game. It's a pretty good effort."
Australia, unusually, played only one frontline seam bowler. Mitchell Starc has an outstanding record in Sri Lanka, but spin nevertheless claimed a bulk of the Sri Lanka wickets to fall in this Test, leaving just three for Starc.
"I thought all the spinners worked really well together, and that's the beauty of having three frontline spin bowlers," Smith said. "You can sort of chop and change them, and as soon as one's not looking quite as effective, and the batter gets a bit of a read on them or they get a little bit tired, you put the next one on and wait to see what's happening."
"If you can consistently hit a good length, then regardless of what's going on, you're going to be in play"
Steven Smith
But, while Australia's spinners took 17 wickets in the Test, Sri Lanka's spinners managed only the six.
"For me, for [the] spinners it's more length than pace," Smith said. "If you can consistently hit a good length, then regardless of what's going on, you're going to be in play. If you can get the ball to skid or one to rag - the length where they're lunging forward and can't get back to it or they can't drive at that length. If you're hitting that consistently, your pace is kind of irrelevant, I think."
Australia scored 654 for 6 declared in the first innings. This is generally a position from which teams tend not to lose, and Australia felt especially confident, considering how quickly the pitch was deteriorating.
"I think they lost 7 for 17 [7 for 15] across the day today at one point. It was one of those where it was really tough to start on, and as soon as we got a breakthrough, we always felt we could get another one quickly."

O'Rourke, 23, has played all formats for his country with impressive returns since first being capped in 2023. In all T20 cricket, he has taken 35 wickets at an average of 24.94 and an economy 7.82.
His stint with Yorkshire will be his first in domestic cricket outside of New Zealand, and he spoke to Kane Williamson, who played for Yorkshire between 2013 and 2018, about the move.
"I spoke with Kane [Williamson] about the prospect of signing for Yorkshire and he was effusive in his praise for the club and the Yorkshire supporters," he said. "Everyone around the world knows of Yorkshire CCC and I'll be proud to wear the white rose when I arrive."
Anthony McGrath, Yorkshire's head coach, said that O'Rourke, at 6ft 4in, would provide a "point of difference" to the team's attack in T20.
McGrath said: "As soon as we were aware that there was potential to bring Will into the club, we knew we wanted to confirm it as soon as possible.
"With his frame and height, he has a release point which will provide a key point of difference for our attack. He's young, hungry to succeed and able to extract both pace and bounce from all types of pitches."
Gavin Hamilton, Yorkshire's general manager of cricket, said: "Signing a player of Will's calibre is signal of our intent for this season. He was one of the standout stars of the last year and he showed his ability against England over the winter.
"A bowler like Will who can hit the deck hard complements the rest of our squad well. This is a signing that should really excite all our members and supporters, and I'm delighted he will be joining us this year."
Sources: Retooling Sun send Carrington to Wings

The Connecticut Sun are trading guard DiJonai Carrington, the WNBA's Most Improved Player in 2024, to the Dallas Wings, sources confirmed to ESPN on Saturday.
Dallas also receives the No. 12 pick in April's draft and the rights to swap picks with Connecticut in the second round of the 2026 draft.
The Sun receive guard Jacy Sheldon, who was the No. 5 pick in the 2024 draft, and the No. 8 pick in the 2025 draft.
Carrington was the No. 20 pick in 2021, but she has turned out to be one of the best players of that draft class. She had a career season in 2024, averaging 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. She is considered one of the top on-ball defenders in the WNBA and was on the league's all-defensive first team last season.
Carrington will be reunited with Dallas general manager Curt Miller, who drafted her to Connecticut, and Wings coach Chris Koclanes, who was an assistant in Connecticut when Miller was the head coach and GM there.
Carrington spent her first three seasons at Stanford then finished her college career at Baylor.
Sheldon, a former Ohio State standout, appeared in all 40 games last season, starting 26 and averaging 5.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists.
Connecticut, under new coach Rachid Meziane, now has had four of last season's starters -- Carrington, Alyssa Thomas, Brionna Jones and Tyasha Harris -- depart this year either via trade or free agency. Thomas is now with Phoenix, Jones with Atlanta and Harris with Dallas, where she and Carrington will team up again.
DeWanna Bonner, Connecticut's other starter from 2024, is an unrestricted free agent.
News of Carrington's trade was first reported by Winsidr.
ESPN's Alexa Philippou contributed to this report.
More accusations against Ravens' Tucker emerge

OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Ravens kicker Justin Tucker faces more allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior, as three additional massage therapists have accused him of misconduct, The Baltimore Banner reported Saturday.
In total, nine massage therapists in the Baltimore area have accused Tucker of inappropriate behavior. All the incidents reportedly occurred from 2012 to 2016, which were Tucker's first five seasons in the NFL.
In the latest accusations, one woman produced what she said was an internal report from 2015 about her experiences with Tucker. She told the Banner that Tucker stroked her inner thigh during a massage, would expose himself, and left what she believed to be ejaculate on the table.
She had reached out to a reporter about her allegations in 2015 but didn't continue over fears of retaliation.
The latest allegations come from three massage therapists who worked at the same downtown Baltimore men's spa. Through an attorney, the owner of the spa told the Banner that he was unaware of any complaints against Tucker.
In response to the new accusations, Tucker's lawyers told the Banner to refer to the kicker's social media post Thursday, when Tucker called the allegations "unequivocally false."
Tucker wrote that the Banner article "takes innocuous or ambiguous interactions and skews them so out of proportion that they are no longer recognizable. ... This is desperate tabloid fodder."
The Banner first reported allegations of misconduct against Tucker on Thursday after it spoke to six massage therapists about Tucker's behavior. Tucker's conduct, according to the article, caused some therapists to refuse to work with him again and resulted in two spas banning him from returning.
Tucker could be subject to discipline under the NFL's personal conduct policy.
"We first became aware of the allegations from the reporter investigating this story as they were not previously shared with the NFL," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Thursday. "We take any allegation seriously and will look into the matter."
On Thursday, the Ravens issued a statement saying, "We take any allegations of this nature seriously and will continue to monitor the situation." Three years ago, Ravens coach John Harbaugh referred to the team's zero tolerance policy for domestic violence when asked about Deshaun Watson's six-game suspension following accusations of sexual misconduct with massage therapists.
Tucker, 35, is a seven-time Pro Bowler who is the most accurate kicker in NFL history. He is the longest-tenured player on the Ravens and the last remaining player from their Super Bowl championship team in 2012.
Could Albert Pujols be an MLB manager someday? After winning a Dominican Winter League title, 'Why not?'

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Albert Pujols grew up not 30 minutes from Estadio Quisqueya, a quaint, shaded stadium that has housed Santo Domingo's two baseball teams, the Tigres del Licey and the Leones del Escogido, for 70 years. When he was 10, and the right-field corner was composed of benches instead of seats, he roamed the aisles selling sandwiches with his mother to earn extra money. His cousins rooted for Licey, by far the nation's most popular team, and so Pujols took on Escogido, at least in part to spite them.
That was the team he cheered for every winter -- the team he promised to play with before his major league playing career ended, the team that gave him his first chance to manage last February, and the team with which he won the most improbable, most thrilling of championships earlier this week, knocking off the Licey team that split his and so many other Dominican families for decades.
"Wow," he said from an interview room late Monday night, his left arm wrapped around the massive Copa Banreservas trophy after Escogido's nail-biting 6-5 victory over Licey in Game 7. "It still hasn't hit me."
Pujols, now 45 years old, and 28 months removed from his last major league game, aspires to someday manage in the big leagues and decided to cut his teeth in the hotbed that is the Dominican Professional Baseball League, commonly known as LIDOM. The championship round against Licey -- the team with a record 24 LIDOM titles, including each of the last two -- was regarded as one of the best this island had ever seen.
Two of the games lasted at least 13 innings, and another was undecided until the eighth. In Game 4, Pujols' best player, promising Tampa Bay Rays prospect Junior Caminero, charged at the opposing dugout. In Game 6, Pujols inserted himself into the middle of controversy by asking umpires to ensure the bat that produced Gustavo Núñez's two-out, ninth-inning, game-tying home run was not corked. It wasn't, LIDOM officials determined the following morning, setting the stage for a grand finale.
In a winner-take-all Game 7, Escogido pulled ahead with a 454-foot moon shot by Caminero in the top of the ninth. But Licey threatened in the bottom half, placing runners on second and third with two outs against reeling closer Rafael Montero. Francisco Mejía then sent a sinking liner to shallow right field that seemed primed for a championship-clinching walk-off, but Socrates Brito secured it with a diving catch, sending half of Estadio Quisqueya into a frenzy.
Tying run on 3B. Winning run at 2B. Escogido wins the LIDOM championship, its first in nine years, on a sliding catch. Licey is denied a three-peat. Half of Estadio Quisqueya is going bonkers. The other half, dejected. pic.twitter.com/hAfCEOy5s0
Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) January 28, 2025
"It's been a long journey," said Pujols, whose team will now represent the nation in the Caribbean Series in Mexico. "It wasn't easy to get here."
Pujols' Escogido team got off to a 16-5 start, then won just two games over the first 22 days of December, dropping from first place to fourth in a six-team league. Within weeks, fans went from considering Pujols the logical choice for manager of the year to angrily second-guessing his every move. They criticized his lineup choices, clamored for him to be more animated in the dugout, poked fun at his defensiveness with the media and claimed that if his name didn't carry so much weight on the island, he would have been fired.
"The fans here, they're brutal," Pujols said. "When things are going well, they love you. When things are going bad, they want to hang you."
But Pujols found himself too busy to worry. His roster was in constant flux, as is often the case in this league. His starting catchers went from Martin Maldonado to Reese McGuire to Gary Sanchez to Pedro Severino. For six weeks, from the middle of November to the end of December, not a single Escogido starting pitcher lasted more than four innings. When the regular season ended, his team led the league in errors. But too many of those errors, Pujols said, were mental ones -- ill-timed baserunning mistakes, errant throws and so many missed signs.
In this job, as much as anything else, Pujols has learned patience.
"That's been the biggest challenge," he said. "I've seen some things here you wouldn't believe."
Since Pujols' playing career began in 2001, there have been only five men selected to the Hall of Fame as players who also managed in the big leagues. Only one, Frank Robinson, had a sustained career on the bench. None of the other four -- Paul Molitor, Ryne Sandberg, Tony Pérez and Alan Trammell -- lasted longer than four seasons, according to ESPN Research.
Every circumstance is different, but a popular notion throughout sports has been that the greatest players tend to struggle as coaches because they also struggle to relate with players who aren't as advanced in their craft. The game came relatively easy to them. Often, they can't understand how it doesn't come as easily for others, and so they find it difficult to teach at what to them are rudimentary levels.
Pujols, all but certain to be voted into the Hall of Fame when eligible in 2028, admits he, too, struggled with that initially. But he had what he described as an epiphany one morning in September, while driving to the facility for the second week of preseason workouts, thinking about what he and his coaches would need to reemphasize to players later that afternoon. He found himself getting angry. Too many of his players weren't disciplined enough, focused enough, to play at the highest level. He didn't know how to make that clear to them. He felt hopeless.
"And then I felt that God really stopped me," he said, placing his right hand over his chest. "I paused and I'm like, 'Hey, you can't expect these guys to make the play. You have to teach them. You have to be patient.' And I think that's something that has been huge, to be able to be patient. To be able to understand."
When the Leones slid in December, Pujols reminded them how good they were. When they snuck into the four-team round-robin tournament, requiring three consecutive season-ending victories, he told players their best baseball was approaching. And in the aftermath of a gut-wrenching loss late in Game 6 on Sunday night, his team an out from a championship until Núñez's home run, he walked into the clubhouse with a smile and declared they had nothing to fear.
"I learned a lot from him," said Plácido Polanco, Pujols' bench coach and beloved ex-teammate. "I learned to trust your instincts and to stay calm."
With the score tied at 5 in Monday's top of the ninth, and Escogido's first title in nine years once again hanging in the balance, Caminero launched a Jairo Asencio offering to deep center field -- over an 18-foot-high fence commonly referred to as this country's "Green Monster" and off the scoreboard stationed beyond it. Caminero flung his bat so high it took four seconds to hit the ground. He celebrated with teammates who had spilled out of the first-base dugout, pranced around the infield, stopped for a hug at third base, riled up the fans on his way to home plate and stomped on it twice for effect.
When Caminero was granted permission to play winter ball, Pujols promised Rays coaches they would witness a newer, better version of him when he arrived at spring training in mid-February. Caminero carried Escogido through the round-robin tournament, batting .448 through 15 games, then became a target of Licey fans in the final round, many of whom chanted "MVP" sarcastically when he didn't come through.
Caminero is 21 and brimming with talent, but often the emotions of LIDOM seemed to overwhelm him. Pujols spent these past seven weeks focusing his attention on Caminero. After their time together was over, he promised to keep in touch.
"He's going to be a superstar," Pujols said. "It's special."
Pujols -- he of 703 home runs, 2,218 RBIs, 3,384 hits, two World Series titles and hundreds of millions of dollars in career earnings -- certainly doesn't need to subject himself to the grind and the second-guessing of a baseball manager. But he wants to. And when many wonder why, Pujols will point to the challenge of helping someone like Caminero -- and to the type of moment his swing produced.
"I feel that I can offer so much to players and to teams," said Pujols, who has yet to interview for a managerial opening in the majors. "And it's about growing and helping. It's not about me. It's about helping others, and having that passion. I have that love and that passion for the game. This was my job, this was my life. For me, that's why I want to do it. If the opportunity comes, why not?"
Champions Ireland host England in blockbuster opener

Ireland: Keenan; Hansen, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe; Prendergast, Gibson-Park; Porter, Kelleher, Bealham, Ryan, Beirne, Baird, Van der Flier, Doris (capt).
Replacements: Sheehan, Healy, Clarkson, Henderson, Conan, Murray, Crowley, Henshaw.
England: Steward; Freeman, Lawrence, Slade, Murley; M Smith, Mitchell; Genge, Cowan-Dickie, Stuart, Itoje (capt), Martin, T Curry, B Curry, Earl.
Replacements: Dan, Baxter, Heyes, Chessum, Cunningham-South, Willis, Randall, F Smith.
Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)
Gatland highlights Italy importance after Wales' Paris woe

Wales will travel to Nice on Saturday to spend the week preparing for the Italian test.
"The players have worked hard over the last couple of weeks and the players are aware of how important next week is," said Gatland.
"We go to Nice tomorrow for the week and that's going to be important for this group."
Wales have also suffered notable injuries, losing number eight Aaron Wainwright and centre Owen Watkin in the first half.
A bloodied Wainwright took a blow to his head, while Watkin suffered a suspected serious knee injury that will require further assessment.
"They are not looking great," said Gatland.
"Owen is in a brace with his knee, and it looks like it could be an ACL [anterior cruciate ligament] and Aaron needs another HIA [head injury assessment] and has quite a nasty gash in his face down through his lip."

The Vancouver Canucks continued reshaping their roster by acquiring defenseman Marcus Pettersson and forward Drew O'Connor from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a package that included the first-round pick the Canucks acquired in trading J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers earlier Friday night.
In addition to the Rangers' 2025 first-round pick, the Penguins received forward Danton Heinen, defenseman Vincent Desharnais and the rights to forward Melvin Fernstrom in the trade. The Rangers' pick is conditional. If New York picks within the top 13 selections in the 2025 draft, it becomes an unprotected 2026 first-round pick in what's expected to be a deeper draft pool.
Pettersson and O'Connor are unrestricted free agents after the season.
"We wish both Danton and Vinny all the best in Pittsburgh and thank them for their contributions this season," Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said. "We are really happy to add to the depth of our team with the acquisitions of Marcus and Drew. Marcus has good size, reach, and makes solid decisions with the puck while Drew is an intelligent player with versatility and a bigger frame."
Pettersson, 28, was widely expected to be moved out of Pittsburgh after seven years with the team due to his expiring contract and the Penguins' retooling. He has 18 points in 47 games this season, averaging 22:03 per game, and is a strong two-way defenseman who spent time with Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang on the Pittsburgh blue line this season. Pettersson's contract has an average annual value of $4,025,175. He had limited trade protection.
O'Connor, 26, plays both wings. He has 6 goals and 10 assists in 53 games this season, his fifth in the NHL with the Penguins. A tenacious forechecker, he didn't stick with star centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin due to a lack of goal production. He spent the majority of his time recently in their bottom six forwards. O'Connor's contract has an average annual value of $925,000.
Heinen, 29, is a known commodity in Pittsburgh, having played for the Penguins from 2021 to 2023. The journeyman forward had 6 goals and 12 assists in 51 games for Vancouver this season, averaging 13:57 per game. Heinen is signed through the 2025-26 season with a $2.25 million cap hit.
Desharnais, 28, is a 6-foot-7 defenseman who signed with Vancouver as a free agent after two seasons in Edmonton. He had three assists in 34 games with 34 penalty minutes, playing 15:58 per game. A penalty-killing defenseman, he's also signed through the 2025-26 season with a $2 million cap hit.
The trade follows an early evening blockbuster that featured the Canucks sending Miller to the Rangers for forward Filip Chytil, defenseman Victor Mancini and their 2025 first-round draft pick.
Miller is expected to play for the Rangers at the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon.
Vancouver lost its first game after the Miller trade, 5-3, to the Dallas Stars.