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Aaqib Javed laments lack of experience after Pakistan's early exit
Pakistan have one more match to play, of course, against Bangladesh, who are also already out of contention for the semi-finals in the Champions Trophy. That match in Rawalpindi on Thursday is also under serious threat from rain, and perhaps a sodden outfield, with this having been a wet week in the city.
Javed spoke at length about the various permutations and combinations in selection that could have improved the team's output this tournament. But clearly still hurting from the loss to India on Sunday, he also made the point that India's XI had a far greater body of work on their resume than Pakistan's.
"When Pakistan and India is playing, it's not only cricket - it's more than that. You need a lot of experience," Javed said. "This Indian team was the most experienced - they have almost 1500 games together. And Pakistan is on the bottom, with less than 400 games together. If you look at players like Babar Azam is the only one who has played more than 100 games. Then there's Mohammad Rizwan (88 ODIs) and then Shaheen Afridi (64 ODIs).
"The rest of them have less than 30 matches. Tayyab Tahir has played like eight games. Imam-ul-Haq (73 games) was coming back in the team. The main thing is, when nothing works, and when you are talking about more than a game, then the experience counts. There is no doubt."
"Similarly, we had to bring in Khushdil Shah because Saim was unfit. The reason is that in one-day cricket, you cannot go with 5 bowlers. You have to make a combination of seven batsmen and four bowlers.
"When Saim was there, he used to bat at the top and he used to bowl five to seven overs. When he was not there - we saw that if you do a little research - even with the terrific performances that Khushdil Shah has given in one-and-a-half years of cricket, his wicketsthere's no comparison. It was not even a close case or anything. But our job in the selection committee was to give him the best replacement option."
In the absence of these players, it was down to the big five: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen to step up, Javed said. But match-winning performances from these players never came.
These players have come under particular fire in Pakistan since the team's exit.
"A common person who doesn't play and is not part of the team management wants reasons and the names of people because of whom this team is losing," Javed said. "As far as Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris are concerned, our plan was to make the best possible 11 or 15. There is no doubt that Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris are excellent bowlers. If you compare them with the bowling attack of any team, they are one of the best fast-bowling options.
"And if you look at Babar - apart from him what other options do you have? We always say that if the team loses, change the team. This is the most inexperienced team already."
Andrew Fidel Fernando is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo. @afidelf
Mumbai Indians bring in Kalita for Sisodia and opt to bowl
Toss Mumbai Indians chose to bowl vs UP Warriorz
Mumbai Indians captain Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and decided to chase against UP Warriorz in Bengaluru.
Mumbai Indians: 1 Hayley Matthews, 2 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 3 Nat Sciver-Brunt, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Amelia Kerr, 6 Amanjot Kaur, 7 S Sajana, 8 G Kamalini, 9 Sanskriti Gupta, 10 Shabnim Ismail, 11 Jintimani Kalita
UP Warriorz: 1 Kiran Navgire, 2 Vrinda Dinesh, 3 Deepti Sharma (capt), 4 Tahlia McGrath, 5 Shweta Sehrawat, 6 Grace Harris, 7 Uma Chetry (wk), 8 Chinelle Henry, 9 Sophie Ecclestone, 10 Saima Thakor, 11 Kranti Goud
Malewar 138*, Nair 86 stabilise Vidarbha after early wickets
Stumps Vidarbha 254 for 4 (Malewar 138*, Nair 86, Nidheesh 2-33) vs Kerala
On Wednesday, Malewar and Nair were at the forefront of an incredible Vidarbha fightback on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy final against first-timers Kerala in Nagpur. The pair added 215 for the fourth wicket as Kerala's bowling reserves were severely tested. Vidarbha recovered from 24 for 3 in the first hour and looked primed to take the opening-day honours when Nair's run out late in the day for 86, after being sent back by Malewar as they tried to steal a bye, gave Kerala a late lift. Vidarbha went into stumps on 254 for 4 on a VCA Stadium surface that flattened out as the day progressed, with Kerala at the receiving end of a slow-burn kind of treatment they meted out to Gujarat in the semi-final.
Malewar and Nair superbly negated Kerala's major threat - spin - as Jalaj Saxena and hometown hero Aditya Sarwate, who made the switch from Vidarbha ahead of the 2024-25 season, proved ineffective. The spin twins had combined figures of 0 for 92 off 26 overs, although Saxena was the only bowler who induced a possible opportunity when he managed to induce the outside edge from Malewar after he was beaten in flight and drift while on 110. The resultant edge as he pushed at the delivery that didn't turn as much flew past a vacant slip that had only a few overs earlier been taken out.
That was the only genuine wicket-taking delivery all afternoon; the Nair dismissal was entirely down to Rohan Kunnummal's presence of mind and pinpoint accuracy as he ran to his right from the slips to stop the ball that deflected off the keeper's pad. Then he fired a flat throw to the stumps to catch Nair well short after he was sent back by Malewar. Yash Thakur was sent in as a nightwatcher and remained unbeaten on 5 alongside Malewar, who was 138 not out - his highest score yet.
The partnership between Malewar and Nair not only denied Kerala for large parts of the day but also covered up for a slightly unconventional move from Vidarbha that may have been scrutinised had they collapsed. Vidarbha promoted Parth Rekhade, a lower-order batter to open in place of Atharva Taide, who had been left out. And after he was out two balls into the game - courtesy an lbw decision Kerala overturned through DRS - they sent in Darshan Nalkande, a seam-bowling allrounder who bats in the lower-order, at No. 3. That move backfired too as Nalkande mistimed a pull to deep square as Nidheesh picked up a second wicket.
Kerala's boisterous energy and keenness to take the game on had them burn an lbw review off Dhruv Shorey, the only genuine top-order batter in the top three. Shorey looked assured for the brief while he was at the crease but nibbled at a short and wide delivery from 19-year-old seamer Eden Apple Tom to the wicketkeeper to leave Vidarbha in choppy waters.
Malewar and Nair joined hands at a time of crisis and slowly rebuilt the innings, not through denial but by picking runs whenever the bowlers erred. Malewar left the ball well outside off, forcing the bowlers to attack the stumps. And as they went full, Malewar brought out some incredible wrist work - at times picking length balls from middle-and-off through midwicket and mid-on. He was equally impressive off the back foot, while tucking deliveries off his hip.
Malewar got to his half-century in style as he stepped out to launch Sarwate over the long-on boundary. The first real rash stroke he played was to get into the 80s when he chased a short and wide Nidheesh delivery to slash it towards third man. Nair occasionally kept pepping Malewar every time he erred, and was the more industrious out of the two - sweeping spinners off their lengths, on a couple of occasions reverse sweeping Sarwate to prevent him from settling into a rhythm.
Nair's driving through the covers was imperious - especially off rookie Apple Tom who was playing in only his third game, three years after debuting as a 16-year-old. Nair's defence was compact, as he negated Kerala's tactic of attacking the stumps and looking to get some reverse swing with a short midwicket in place.
Like he raised his fifty, Malewar showed no sign of nerves in the 90s either, stepping out to launch Sarwate over long-on to get to 99, and then whipping him through midwicket for a boundary to raise his century. Nair, meanwhile, brought up his half-century off 125 balls and then feasted on some tired bowling to charge towards what would've been his fourth hundred of the season, and 23rd overall, in the final session. Before his run out had him uncharacteristically flinging his bat in disappointment as he walked back to a dressing room that stood up to applaud a rescue.
Shashank Kishore is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo
Sources: Titans allowing LB Landry to seek trade
The Tennessee Titans have granted former Pro Bowl linebacker Harold Landry III permission to seek a trade, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
Landry is getting the chance to look at his options after he led the Titans with nine sacks last season while starting all 17 games and playing 83.1% of the team's defensive snaps. He also had 71 tackles, nine sacks, 18 pressures and four pass deflections.
He is due a $17.5 million base salary for the 2025 season.
The Titans hold the No. 1 pick in this year's draft after going 3-14 and met with Penn State outside linebacker Abdul Carter -- the No. 2 draft prospect on ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.'s Big Board -- during this week's scouting combine.
Landry, 28, earned his only Pro Bowl honor in 2021 when he had career highs in sacks (12) and tackles (74). The Titans signed Landry to a five-year, $87.5 million extension with $52.5 million guaranteed following the 2021 season, but he then didn't play in 2022 after tearing the ACL in his right knee that September.
He has 50.5 career sacks since joining the Titans as a second-round pick in 2018.
ESPN's Turron Davenport contributed to this report.
Carter makes case for going No. 1: 'I'm the best'
INDIANAPOLIS -- Former Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter made a case for a defensive player, specifically himself, to be the first player selected in the draft.
"Defensive players impact the game just as much as the quarterback," Carter said. "All the teams that have won Super Bowls, they have that one standout player. I feel like I'm that."
Carter is No. 1 on ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s most recent mock draft and is the No. 2 prospect in ESPN's consensus rankings.
Carter is competing with quarterbacks Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders along with reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter to be the No. 1 pick. Carter said he met with the Tennessee Titans, who hold the top pick, at the combine.
"I feel like it's very realistic," Carter said of his chances to go No. 1. "I feel like I'm the best player in the country and the best player should be picked first. It's the work I put in with my dad, who trained me, and all the sacrifices I made, I know I'm the best."
Teams will have to wait to see Carter work out because a shoulder/arm injury is preventing him from taking part in the testing portion of the combine. That injury didn't prevent him from playing in Penn State's loss to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Carter said he's about 90% and will ramp up his workouts with Brent Calloway at Exos training facility in Plano, Texas, over the next month to get ready for his pro day at Penn State.
According to Carter, he's at his target weight of 248 pounds. He added that he is willing to put on whatever weight a team wants him to. Carter finished with 12 sacks last season.
Carter said he plans to attend the draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
McVay: 'First goal' is for Stafford to remain a Ram
The Los Angeles Rams' "first goal" is to have Matthew Stafford remain the team's starting quarterback, but the franchise is trying to balance short-term and long-term roster decisions by letting their quarterback gauge his value, coach Sean McVay said on the "Fitz & Whit" podcast.
"There's no discrepancy on us wanting him to continue to lead the way and be our quarterback," McVay said on the podcast, hosted by former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth (the latter of whom played for McVay on the Rams), that was released Tuesday. "The interesting and the challenging dilemma and dynamics within this are, 'Hey, how do you continuously as a head coach look at the short term and the long term and be able to figure out what does that really look like?'
"There is no dispute -- and let's not get it twisted in regarding to anybody wanting him to be our quarterback. Now, there's layers to it. You have to be able to say, 'Hey, how do we continuously build? How do we support him? How do we make sure that he's getting what is his worth relative to those things?'"
The Rams have given Stafford's agent, Jimmy Sexton, permission to speak to other teams about his market value, McVay confirmed on the podcast. Stafford has two years left on his contract agreed to in 2022, with $4 million guaranteed in 2025 and none in 2026. He is set to earn $27 million this season, far below that of many other starting quarterbacks.
"Don't have to do anything in secret, want to make sure that we're all abreast of the situation, even though the first goal in mind is to have you come back here as the quarterback." Sean McVay, on letting Matthew Stafford's agent talk to teams
"And so, at the end of the day, we had something in mind, he had something in mind, and nobody was right or wrong," McVay said. "And then, ultimately, you're saying there's a ton of interest, because this guy's an incredible player."
McVay said on the podcast that the Rams, by letting Stafford's agent talk to other teams, are trying to make an educated decision on the direction they want to go.
"There does have to be an element of understanding, well, what does that future look like without this freakin' G that's been our quarterback for the last four years? And there's no wrong or right way to go about it, but I do think for us to be able to make the most educated decision in terms of the cash budget that we operate on, the draft comp that you would get in return, you just need to be able to have all the parameters to at least explore it," McVay said. "Don't have to do anything in secret, want to make sure that we're all abreast of the situation, even though the first goal in mind is to have you come back here as the quarterback."
After spending his first 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, the Rams traded for Stafford before the 2021 season then won the Super Bowl in their first season together.
In 16 games last season, Stafford, 37, completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,762 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
McVay also addressed the "honest conversations" he had to have with wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who was informed earlier this month that the team will try to trade him after eight seasons with the franchise. McVay said that although he loves Kupp, he has a "responsibility to the collective" as the Rams put their roster puzzle together for the 2025 season.
"This guy's changed my life," McVay said of Kupp. "It's uniquely special because my first year as a head coach coincided with his rookie year. I'm a better human, I'm a better coach and I'm a better person because of the influence Cooper Kupp's had on me. His legacy in my life and as a Ram is cemented forever."
McVay added that Kupp is "an all-time Ram from this time on whether he played another snap for the Rams."
After a record-breaking 2021 season that saw him lead the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, Kupp signed a three-year contract extension worth $80.1 million. He just completed the first season of that contract and is scheduled to have a cap hit of $29.8 million next season and $27.3 million in 2026.
Kupp's guaranteed salary next season is only $5 million, and he has no guaranteed money on the final year of the contract in 2026. If the Rams trade Kupp, 31, in a deal designated post-June 1, they will save $20 million toward their 2025 salary cap.
ESPN's Sarah Barshop contributed to this report.
Heat's Jovic out at least 4 weeks with hand injury
MIAMI -- Nikola Jovic will miss at least the next four weeks with a broken bone in his right hand, the Miami Heat announced Tuesday.
Jovic broke the second metacarpal in his hand during Sunday's game at Milwaukee and was diagnosed with the fracture at halftime. He didn't play on Monday at Atlanta and was evaluated by Heat chief of hand surgery Elizabeth Ann Ouellette and team physician Harlan Selesnick on Tuesday, after which the four-week timetable was determined.
Jovic will wear a splint until he's re-evaluated, the team said.
"I feel for Niko," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when the injury happened. "I know how much he's put into this."
The Heat, who are chasing a guaranteed playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, host Atlanta on Wednesday.
The four-week timetable suggests that Jovic -- who is averaging 10.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this season -- will miss at least 15 more games, with the earliest possible return being March 25 when the Heat host former Miami forward Jimmy Butler and the Golden State Warriors.
The Heat are 11-5 this season when Jovic scores at least 14 points. Miami entered Tuesday ninth in the East, five games behind Detroit in the race for sixth and the last guaranteed playoff spot.
Giannis: 'No hard feelings' over Thompson flagrant
HOUSTON -- Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said he has "no hard feelings" toward Amen Thompson after the Houston Rockets forward was ejected for pulling him down from behind by his head and neck Tuesday night.
The Bucks were down by two with about 4 minutes left when Thompson committed the foul as Antetokounmpo went up for a shot in the lane. The play was reviewed and determined to be a flagrant foul 2, and Thompson was ejected.
Houston went on to a 100-97 victory, ending Milwaukee's four-game winning streak.
"At the end of the day like you don't want to have a league that's soft," Antetokounmpo said when asked about the play. "I love guys that play hard. I love guys that they're great competitors."
"I'm one of those guys. Sometimes your competitive nature gets in the way [of] making the best decision, the best judgment at the time. And I feel like he wanted to make it a hard foul, but he grabbed my neck. But there's no hard feelings."
Thompson didn't speak to reporters after the game.
Both Houston coach Ime Udoka and Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers agreed that Thompson should have been ejected for the foul.
Crew chief Tony Brothers explained the decision to eject Thompson to a pool reporter after the game.
"Because the contact to the head was both unnecessary and excessive and by rule that's a flagrant foul penalty two," he said.
It's the second ejection this season for Thompson, who was also tossed in a December game against the Miami Heat after throwing guard Tyler Herro to the court. That incident triggered an altercation between the teams that led to the ejections of six players and staff members.
Thompson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, was suspended two games for his actions in that skirmish.
Ja closes out Suns after teams combine for 299
Ja Morant had 29 points and eight assists, his final one a feed to Jaylen Wells for a dunk with 9.1 seconds left in overtime, and the Memphis Grizzlies closed the extra period with a 7-0 run to beat the Phoenix Suns 151-148 on Tuesday night.
The 299 combined points were the most in an NBA game this season, according to ESPN Research. The game was close throughout, with 22 ties and 22 lead changes. Phoenix had the biggest lead (10 points) in the third quarter.
Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 28 points for the Grizzlies before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Desmond Bane had 25 points and nine assists as Memphis moved into a tie for second place in the Western Conference with idle Denver.
Phoenix had five players score at least 20 points for the first time since Nov. 10, 1990. Devin Booker had 28 points and 10 assists before fouling out, Kevin Durant scored 26, Bradley Beal had 24 points and a season-high 11 assists, Bol Bol had a season-high 23 points and Grayson Allen scored 21.
Morant had shot 2-of-14 from the field through three quarters before scoring 15 in the fourth, including Memphis' final 11 points. The Grizzlies star finished a career-worst 1-for-12 from distance, but his lone 3-point make cut the Suns' lead to one with 9.2 seconds to go. He followed that up with a floater with 1.4 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 137-137.
"I know every shot I take won't go in but that don't mean, you know, once you miss one you stop taking them," Morant said after the game. "Just continuing to shoot the ball. Shot it with confidence."
Durant's jumper with 1:17 left in overtime put the Suns ahead 148-144. Santi Aldama responded with a 3-pointer for Memphis, and the Grizzlies took the lead on Brandon Clark's tip-in with 37.6 seconds left. Durant missed a pair of 3-point attempts in the final four seconds.
The Suns have lost six of their past seven games, dropping them to a season-worst four games under .500 and more than two games back of the Sacramento Kings for the last play-in spot in the Western Conference.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Luka on first game against Mavs: 'Glad it's over'
LOS ANGELES -- After Luka Doncic led the Lakers to a 107-99 win over his former team Tuesday -- becoming only the third player to record a triple-double against every NBA franchise in the process -- the star guard's tone during his postgame news conference wasn't triumphant.
No, Doncic sounded more relieved than anything.
"It was just a lot of emotions and not much sleep," he said of the game coming only 3 weeks after he was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers. "I can't even explain [it]. It was a different game. ... Sometimes I don't know what I was doing.
"And I'm just glad it's over, honestly."
Doncic, who had 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists to join teammate LeBron James and Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook as the only players to put up a triple-double against all 30 teams, didn't dominate Dallas. He shot 6-for-17 from the field (1-for-7 from 3), and it was James who scored 16 of his 27 points on 7-for-9 shooting in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
But Doncic got through a night that had been looming since Dallas traded him, an emotional hurdle as he processed being around not only his former teammates, with whom he has maintained friendships, but also the Mavericks' brass in general manager Nico Harrison and coach Jason Kidd.
"It definitely will help me," Doncic said of putting the game behind him. "It's definitely going to help in the long [run]."
Harrison stood on the sideline at midcourt during pregame warmups, although Doncic said he didn't notice him.
He certainly saw the Mavericks' bench, directing several shouts and stare-downs after making plays for his new team.
"Obviously there's a lot of emotion that goes in when you give so much to a franchise and you sacrifice for a franchise and you have that type of love and respect for a franchise -- throughout all the journeys," James said of Doncic. "They went to the Finals, all that stuff. He's grown from being an 18-, 19-year-old kid to now a 25-year-old man with a family. ... And when you move on or they move on from you, it's very emotional, obviously. It's very taxing.
"It's probably a lot of things that were going on in his head that probably didn't even involve the game itself. And with that said, I thought he handled it tremendously."
Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving, who led all scorers with 35 points, said the matchup was "awkward as s---" after facing off against the same player he teamed with to take Dallas to the Finals last season.
"But," Irving added, "at the same time, it was fun. We got a chance to feel like we were in practice all over again going at each other. That was a good reflection point. And then just seeing the crowd cheer for him and just get him going ... it was fun competing."
Doncic called Irving his "hermano" and said their relationship goes "way beyond basketball."
The teams will play again in Dallas on April 9. Returning to his former home will bring different challenges for Doncic, emotional and otherwise. The Mavericks are hoping Anthony Davis, sent from Los Angeles to Dallas in the deal, will have recovered from the left adductor strain he sustained after the trade and can play.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said there was no use avoiding the circumstances the schedule presents. As strange as Tuesday was for Doncic, the Lakers players had to deal with the conflicting emotions of seeing Davis back in the building and receiving a standing ovation in the first quarter when Los Angeles played a tribute video for him and then striving to send him away with a loss. The same went for having to match up with Max Christie, also part of the trade. He had 10 points and six assists for Dallas and played with the same effort and athleticism that used to be on the Lakers' side.
"You kind of just got to embrace it," Redick said. "It's just a little weird. It just naturally is. ... It's healthy, actually, just to acknowledge it and embrace it. And then you play the game, and then you never have to do that again."
Or at least the next time Doncic and the Lakers must play the Mavericks, they will have had more time to establish a new normal.
"The closure is going to take a while, I think," Doncic said. "It's not ideal. But like I said, I'm glad this game is over. There was a lot of emotions. But we go little by little, and every day is better."
ESPN's Tim MacMahon contributed to this report.
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