I Dig Sports
TULARE, Calif. The late summer swing across the west coast will start one day later for Kubota High Limit Racing with the Thunderbowl Raceway date being pushed back to Aug. 15.
Originally scheduled on Thursday with a TBA on Friday, Tulare will simply run one night later allowing teams more travel time coming west from the Knoxville Nationals in Iowa. It will be the series second trip of the year to the Thunderbowl with an early-season stop also scheduled for March 19.
Tulares Aug. 15 show is the kick-off to the original west coast swing for Kubota High Limit Racing with nine races taking the series through California, Oregon and Washington. The three-week trip west is highlighted by Crown Jewel events like the $100,000-to-win Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway on Aug. 21-23 and the $102,626.26-to-win Skagit Nationals at Skagit Speedway on Aug. 28-30.
High Limits season will begin at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a two-day event on March 13 and 15. The 60-race tour will conclude with All-In Championship Weekend at The Dirt Track at Texas Motor Speedway on Oct. 17-18.
The Ottawa Senators will spend part of their training camp in Quebec City and also play two preseason games there next season, the team announced Monday.
The Senators will face the New Jersey Devils on Sept. 28 and the Montreal Canadiens on Sept. 30, with both games held at the Videotron Centre.
"In addition to playing two games in front of passionate fans, this short trip will allow our players to spend a few days in a beautiful city as they put the finishing touches on their preparations for a new season," team owner Michael Andlauer said.
Quebec City was home to the NHL's Quebec Nordiques from 1979 to 1995, following their time in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1979. The franchise relocated to Denver in 1995 and was renamed the Colorado Avalanche.
ST. LOUIS -- The New York Islanders made another addition to their blue line Monday, acquiring defenseman Scott Perunovich from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2026 draft.
The trade announced by the teams comes on the heels of the Islanders signing Tony DeAngelo to a contract for the rest of the NHL season. DeAngelo made his debut Saturday after signing for a prorated $775,000 on Friday and clearing waivers.
New York has won four in a row after losing 27 of its first 44 games, and is in seventh place in the eight-team Metropolitan Division.
The 26-year-old Perunovich has been in and out of the lineup in his second full season in the league, and has six points in the 24 games he has played. He has 33 points and skated an average of just under 15 minutes over 104 regular-season and playoff games with the Blues, who are just outside a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Hibbing, Minnesota, native is making $1.15 million and is set to be a restricted free agent this summer.
The NHL will not require players to miss regular-season games for opting out of the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off.
That tournament, scheduled from Feb. 12-20, is replacing the NHL All-Star Game this season.
Normally, players who are named to NHL All-Star rosters but opt not to participate in the event -- either because of injury or personal reasons -- are required to miss one game immediately preceding or following the NHL All-Star break, per NHL policy. However, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN on Monday that the policy will not apply to players who opt not to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The break for the 4 Nations Face-Off starts Feb. 10, with regular-season games resuming Feb. 22.
The Vegas Golden Knights announced Sunday that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo had withdrawn from the 4 Nations Face-Off because of an undisclosed injury and to prepare for the rest of the NHL season. He had been named to Team Canada when rosters were finalized in December.
Pietrangelo, 35, is the first player to opt out of the event while still actively playing for his NHL team. He played 24:22 and was a plus-2 in the Golden Knights' 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
The 4 Nations Face-Off is first of its kind, featuring NHL stars from Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland representing their countries in a round-robin tournament. A co-presentation from the NHL and the NHL Players' Association, the event is intended to hype up the NHL's return to the Winter Olympics in 2026 after opting not to participate in the past two men's ice hockey tournaments.
Manchester City signed another young defender in the January transfer window after 18-year-old left-back Christian McFarlane joined Monday from sister club New York City FC.
McFarlane has been with New York City since the age of 11 and played for the team at every age group, eventually making his first-team debut last year.
Born in England, he has represented the country's Under-16 and Under-17 teams and was part of the England squad for the European Under-17 Championship last year.
McFarlane said in a statement from New York City that it was a "dream come true" to join Man City, having previously visited the Premier League champions' facilities and met the players.
"I know this move will be pivotal for my development," McFarlane said, "and I'm ready to embrace the challenge and make the most of this opportunity."
Man City is the flagship team in the Abu Dhabi-controlled City Football Group that owns clubs around the world, including New York City. No fee was disclosed by NYCFC, while Man City hasn't confirmed the transfer yet.
City have already signed two center-backs this month: 19-year-old Vitor Reis from Palmeiras and 20-year-old Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens. Omar Marmoush, a forward from Egypt, then joined from Eintracht Frankfurt to take City's spending to about $150 million this month, before McFarlane's arrival.
Khusanov and Marmoush made their debuts in the 3-1 win over Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday. Khusanov struggled, making a mistake that led to a goal and getting a yellow card in the opening four minutes.
New York City said it will receive a percentage of any fee if McFarlane moves to another club in the future.
"We are incredibly proud to see Christian reach this incredible milestone in his career," NYCFC sporting director David Lee said. "For Christian now to have the opportunity to continue his journey at Manchester City, a club at the pinnacle of world football, is a testament to his hard work, talent, and dedication.
"I can't wait to follow his career and see how well he's going to do in Manchester knowing that he'll give everything he can to reach the highest level he possibly can in football."
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.
Farhan Ahmed shines with bat and ball for England in Under-19s Test
South Africa U19s 269 for 8 (Rowles 90, Bulbulia 88, Tazeem 3-62, Farhan 3-74) trail England U19s 299 (Farhan 90, Home 63, Mokoena 5-61, Daniels 4-49) by 30 runs
Farhan had helped the Young Lions recover on day one with a composed 90 and the 16-year-old Nottinghamshire allrounder was at it again with the ball as he first bowled Adnaan Lagadien on way to figures of 3 for 74.
Tazeem broke the Rowles and Bulbulia partnership, when the latter was bowled by the perfect legspinner's delivery that pitched on leg and took the top of off stump.
England captain Archie Vaughan removed Rowles, top-edging a slog-sweep that was easily held by wicketkeeper Thomas Rew, who then produced a sharp catch down leg to give Farhan his second wicket.
Farhan then struck from the final ball of the day, with fielders crowding the bat, when Ben Dawkins held a low catch at first slip to remove Lethabo Phahlamohlaka.
Will England have an answer to India's spinners in Rajkot?
Big Picture: Fearless India meet wobbly England
Fifteen wins and two losses in 17 T20Is since winning the T20 World Cup last June has made India almost impenetrable in the format. This despite having to mix and match their players, owing to the cramped cricket calendar. It's scary to imagine what they can achieve if Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav are back in the mix.
There's fearlessness that stems from the freedom they're reveling in under their captain. This has given Gautam Gambhir less headaches in at least one format, because India's transition has been smoth post the retirement Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.
Form guide
India WWWWL (Last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
England LLLWW
In the spotlight: Suryakumar Yadav and Liam Livingstone
Suryakumar Yadav had a mixed bag in South Africa, but when he conceded his No. 3 spot to Tilak Varma for the third and fourth T20Is, the youngster stood up with back-to-back centuries. Suryakumar managed scores of 21, 4 and 1 in the three innings there, and now has 0 and 12 in two games in this series. The return to Rajkot may elicit happy memories of him hitting his first T20I century in India - in 2023 vs Sri Lanka.
Liam Livingstone has come to India with a reputation of playing spin well, but has been out to spinners in both games. In Kolkata, he misread a Varun Chakravarthy wrong'un and was bowled through the gate. In Chennai, he didn't account for Axar Patel's lift and was caught pulling. With India likely to persist with their four-pronged spin attack, Livingstone needs to devise a method that allows him to score with the rate that has made him hot property.
Team news: Dube, Jurel or Ramandeep?
India (probable XI): 1 Sanju Samson (wk), 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.
England XI: Phil Salt (wk), 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Jos Buttler (capt), 4 Harry Brook, 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jamie Smith, 7 Jamie Overton, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Adil Rashid.
Pitch and conditions: Highway in Rajkot?
There are only two types of surfaces largely possible in Rajkot because of the geography. A road that many liken to the highway that runs next to the Niranjan Shah Stadium, and a rank turner that Saurashtra - the home team - often tailor, like they did last week, to suit their spin strength. Given this is a T20I, there's little doubt what will be on offer. So expect a flat track full of runs, and dew that will most-likely make toss very crucial once again.
Stats and trivia
- Since the 2024 T20 World Cup ended, India and England are both neck-and-neck (England 9.35, India 9.34) as far as powerplay run-rate goes. It's in the middle overs where India have stood out with their new mantra of all-out aggression, scoring at 10.07 compares to England's 8.90. England's sample size (eight T20Is) is smaller than India's (17) though.
- England hit a boundary every 4.9 balls on an average in T20Is since 2024. This is the third-best among all Full Members in T20Is in this period, behind Australia (4.6) and India (4.8).
- India have won four of the five T20Is in Rajkot. This includes wins by 80-plus run margin in their last two outings.
- Tilak Varma has scored 318 runs across four innings since his last dismissal in T20Is and has struck at 182.75 in this period.
- England's win-loss record in India in T20Is is 9-10. South Africa and Bangladesh are the only other countries where they've lost more T20Is than they won.
Quotes
"Him playing or not playing - I'm not the one who can answer. There's definitely a plan, looking to the coming matches and one-dayers. That's something Gautam bhai and Surya will take a call, but his fitness is definitely not a problem." -- India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak on the big question surrounding Shami
"I felt a little bit hit and miss -- I've done a couple of good things, it's great that my pace has been up there and I feel it's coming out of my hand well, but the accuracy at times hasn't been quite where I wanted it. But when I haven't played since August, it's pretty much expected -- I've played two games since then. Hopefully the more I play, the better I get leading into the 50-over stuff and the Champions Trophy." -- England quick Mark Wood gives an honest appraisal of where he's at
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
Yorkshire sign Will Sutherland for Blast and Championship stint
Sutherland, who has been capped twice in ODIs, will join up with Yorkshire in May for the start of the Blast and play the entire group stage, as well as being involved for Championship fixtures against Nottinghamshire and Essex.
"Yorkshire are a Club with big ambitions, and I want to do all I can to contribute to a successful year," Sutherland said. "I know how hard the guys will have worked to get promoted last season and I'm looking forward to putting in the hard yards with the team.
"I've worked closely with Mags [McGrath] and Mick [Lewis, Yorkshire bowling coach] previously over in Australia so the opportunity to join them both again was one I couldn't turn down.
"Headingley and its atmosphere is famous in Australia, and I can't wait to experience a Roses game. I know it's the first fixture so many look out for, and I was no different."
McGrath said: "Will is someone I have admired for a long time and feel he can add something extra to our bowling attack for that middle period of the season as well as offering us an added dimension with the bat.
"I know the Australian selectors think highly of him, and they know a thing or two about allrounders, so I am confident Will can hit the ground running and deliver for us in both red and white ball games."
Gavin Hamilton, Yorkshire's general manager of cricket, added: "Will is an immense talent. His record is impressive, and I'm delighted that we have got his signing over the line.
"Having discussed this opportunity with Will over recent weeks, it quickly became clear that he was aligned to our philosophy for the year ahead and his ambitions matched ours. We look forward to welcoming Will to Yorkshire."
Investors face live auction for in-demand Hundred franchises
The Hundred's sales process is approaching completion, with the ECB inviting prospective investors in the eight franchises to submit final bids over the next two weeks, starting with two teams - Oval Invincibles and Birmingham Phoenix - as soon as Thursday (January 30).
On Sunday, the ECB shared the formula for the final round of bids with the group of investors who were shortlisted by the eight host venues for 49% stakes in their franchise. A live, virtual auction process will be held for the franchises where more than two investors remain in the process. For those where only two parties remain, both will submit sealed bids.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that two-time men's Hundred winners Invincibles and Phoenix will be the first two franchises to go on sale, as part of the ECB's third and final round of the bidding process. As per the schedule, the final round of bidding will be conducted online between January 30 and February 10.
It is understood that the Invincibles and Phoenix bids will be held at separate times, but both on the same day. London Spirit and Welsh Fire will be put up for bidding on Friday (January 31). Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers and Trent Rockets are slated for Monday, February 3, while Southern Brave are listed as the last franchise up for bidding, on February 10.
How will the winning bid be decided?
In its latest communication to the shortlisted investors, the ECB is understood to have said it was "revising" the approach in the final round to pick the winning bid for franchises where there are more than two investors in the fray. In such a case, a live auction will be conducted to pick the winner.
The investors will make incremental bids online, but, importantly, the starting bid, the ECB said, will be above the "agreed" floor price or reserve price. The winning bidder will emerge once the rival investors drop out. For franchises with only two investors on the shortlist, each will need to make a sealed bid with the winner determined based on the highest entry value.
Successful bidders at this final stage will enter into a period of exclusivity with their respective host venue. Both parties will negotiate long-form agreements with the ECB, a process which is likely to take several weeks. Even if deals are completed before the Hundred starts in August, the 2025 season is expected to be a transitional year with no changes to team names or kits, for example.
The ECB added that the roster for the sale of the teams was sequenced in such a manner that both the investor and the host county were best placed to land their "preferred partner".
Manchester United co-owner eyes London Spirit
ESPNcricinfo understands that Lancer Capital, owned by Manchester United co-owner Avram Glazer, is on the shortlist for a stake in the Spirit. Glazer made his first successful foray in the T20 franchise circuit when he bought Desert Vipers in the UAE-based ILT20 in 2021, having previously missed out on an IPL franchise when the league expanded.
Glazer will be vying for a 49% stake in Spirit with Sanjiv Goenka's RPSG Group, which owns Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL, and a consortium of global tech giants including the chief executives of Google and Microsoft. Cain International, who have also been linked with a bid for a stake in the Spirit, were contacted for comment.
ESPNcricinfo has also learned that Capri Global Holdings, an India-based non-banking financial company, is on the shortlist for Welsh Fire. The company owns Sharjah Warriorz in ILT20 and the UP Warriorz in the WPL. Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings, who had originally shown interest in the process, have since opted out.
Additional reporting by Matt Roller
Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor at ESPNcricinfo
Paarl Royals hit by Miller's niggle; Ngidi's absence a concern for SA
Australia's Champions Trophy squad also took a hit when Stoinis, playing in his second match of the SA20, left the field halfway through his third over. Stoinis had earlier hit an unbeaten 55 off 40 balls to give DSG a competitive total and bowled a two-over spell with a return of 1 for 15. He returned for the 18th over, with Paarl needing 24 runs off the last three overs, and bowled three balls before calling on the physio for what appeared to be a hamstring problem. He left the field after a short conversation and Wiaan Mulder had to complete the over.
Miller, meanwhile, did not bat during the Royals innings and was seen sitting in the changing room as his side secured a six-wicket win.
"With Lungi, we know big fast bowlers like him, they sometimes needed a couple of weeks to get back into that full flow and the rhythm. It's a tough thing for fast bowlers. He was out [with a groin injury] for like eight weeks. So he's on a programme where he's almost back now. So we played him in the first few games so he could get some game time. And I'm sure when we go to the Highveld, he's going to be straight back in," Penney said.
South Africa's white-ball coach Rob Walter will be particularly concerned about Ngidi because of the number of fast bowling injuries in the country, one of which has already affected the Champions Trophy squad. Anrich Nortje was ruled out of the tournament with a back injury while the bowler most likely to replace him, Gerald Coetzee, is out of the SA20 with a hamstring injury. South Africa are yet to name a player in Nortje's place but will have to do so before the ICC's squad deadline on February 11.
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