Multimedia sports and entertainment company Relevent, a promoter of international soccer matches, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation and its secretary general, Dan Flynn, after the USSF refused to sanction the playing of an Ecuadorian league match in Miami.

According to the filing, Relevent was attempting to stage a match between Ecuadorian sides Barcelona SC and Guayaquil City FC, to be held May 5 at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium. As the national governing body for soccer, the USSF is charged with sanctioning all applications for international soccer matches held in the U.S.

The suit alleges that the USSF's decision to deny permission for the match violated its stated purpose "to promote, govern, coordinate, and administer the growth and development of soccer in all its recognized forms in the United States for all persons of all ages and abilities, including national teams and international games and tournaments" and that the USSF is required to sanction a match unless "the Federation decides by clear and convincing evidence that staging the match would be detrimental to the sport of soccer."

The suit goes on to contend the reason for the USSF's decision is that it "is economically conflicted and is abusing its authority, in order to protect Major League Soccer ["MLS"], a for-profit entity with which USSF has extremely close financial and personal ties."

Relevent competes against MLS' marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing (SUM), to promote soccer matches in the U.S, and it is in this area that the suit could have a broader impact.

The lawsuit, which was filed in New York, seeks to have the USSF's decision annulled and vacated, and asks the USSF to sanction the match as well as not denying any future applications made by Relevent without lawful reasons.

The lawsuit is one of several the USSF is facing, including a gender discrimination filing by the U.S. women's national team players, as well as an antitrust lawsuit filed by the NASL.

The USSF and a Relevent spokesman declined to comment when contacted by ESPN FC.

Relevent first applied to have the match sanctioned on March 29, 2019. Documents obtained by ESPN FC showed that Relevent applied for and received approval to put on the match from LigaPro Ecuador -- the league in which both Barcelona and Guayaquil play -- the Ecuador Football Association, and CONMEBOL, the governing body for the sport in South America.

A source familiar with the suit said CONCACAF approval wasn't needed and the only required approval that remained to be obtained was from the USSF.

On April 5, 2019, Relevent submitted its application fee and performance bond totaling $9,700. The USSF initially said Relevent's application was incomplete, on the grounds that Relevent chairman Charlie Stillitano, who was referenced as the FIFA match agent for the event, wasn't listed on FIFA's website as being eligible to fulfill that role. It was alleged that Stillitano's match agent insurance was in the process of being renewed.

Relevent, with the help of FIFA, soon provided documentation that Stillitano was indeed eligible to serve as the event's match agent, but the USSF wasn't satisfied. On April 12, the USSF wrote a letter to Relevent stating that until Stillitano's name appeared on FIFA's website, the issue would remain unresolved.

The suit also alleges that the USSF, in the same letter, referenced "the absence of 'exceptional circumstances'" from Relevent's application and that the USSF "threatened to penalize Relevent if it were to advertise the Match without formal USSF sanction, with penalties including fines, withholding of approval of matches, and 'any other penalty or combination of penalties that the Federation deems appropriate in its sole discretion.'"

The suit goes on to detail how the economic interests of the USSF and MLS are intertwined, with MLS commissioner Don Garber and Atlanta United vice president Carlos Bocanegra both sitting on the USSF board. It also highlights the fact that the league's marketing arm, SUM, has a contract to control the USSF's commercial rights.

"In refusing to sanction Relevent's application, USSF has thus elevated the economic interest of a select group of its members over its statutorily mandated purpose," the suit reads. "The decision is as arbitrary [it cannot be supported by a rational factual basis] as it is capricious [it represents a willful disservice to American soccer in the name of profit]. It is also [sic] represents a failure to perform a duty enjoined on it by law. USSF's decision to ignore or deny Relevent's application must be annulled, and the Match must be allowed to proceed."

This isn't the first time that Relevent and the USSF have been at odds over the staging of international matches on U.S. soil. After fan violence forced the postponement of the second leg of the Copa Libertadores final between River Plate and Boca Juniors last year, Relevent offered to stage the game in Miami, but was rebuffed by the USSF and its president, Carlos Cordeiro. The match was eventually held in Madrid.

Relevent also tried to schedule a La Liga match involving Girona and Spanish giants Barcelona, only for the Royal Spanish Football Federation to refuse to sanction the event.

This is also not the first time that a Stillitano-led company has been involved in litigation with the USSF. Back in 2006, Stillitano's previous company, ChampionsWorld LLC, filed an antitrust lawsuit against the USSF, alleging that the Federation and MLS conspired to drive the company out of business. In 2012, the case was decided in favor of the USSF, before the ruling was appealed and the two sides eventually settled.

LONDON -- Several individuals on the Burnley bench riled Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri by repeatedly calling him "s--- Italian" prior to the touchline brawl that marred Monday's 2-2 draw between the clubs at Stamford Bridge, sources have told ESPN FC.

Sarri was sent down the tunnel in the closing minutes of the match by referee Kevin Friend and fourth official Roger East after losing his cool with members of Sean Dyche's backroom team, though the Burnley manager himself was not involved.

Sources have told ESPN FC that Sarri's anger boiled over when he was branded a "s--- Italian" by multiple members of the visiting club, and Chelsea's head coach was so offended by what he had heard that postmatch media duties were delegated to his assistant Gianfranco Zola.

Details of the words exchanged between the two benches are expected to be included in the referee's report given that East was in position to hear everything, and after the game Zola suggested that Chelsea could ask the Football Association to take action against Burnley for what was said.

"He's very frustrated, so he'd prefer not to come over here," Zola said of Sarri. "He's been sent off. I think he's been offended as well, so he didn't feel it was the right thing to do, to speak to you.

"I think he's been told something from their bench, but don't ask me exactly what. I don't want to go down that line, but we'll see what we can do about that.

"I think there will be a follow [up] on that. Maurizio felt very unhappy. We understand it's a football game. You say words because of the adrenalin, but he wasn't particularly happy."

Emotions between the benches flared early in the game, with Dyche's assistant Ian Woan pointing out that Sarri was encroaching on the visiting technical area while Chelsea took issue with what they perceived as cynical Burnley time-wasting from midway through the first half onwards.

Tensions escalated as Burnley stubbornly repelled waves of Chelsea pressure and acted to slow the game down in the closing minutes, and at the final whistle a mass of angry bodies from both clubs converged at the entrance to the Stamford Bridge tunnel.

Burnley goalkeeping coach Billy Mercer had to be restrained after becoming incensed with Chelsea goalkeeper coach Massimo Nenci and fitness coach Paolo Bertelli, while defender Antonio Rudiger also waded into the melee despite currently nursing an injured knee.

Both clubs are likely to face punishment from the FA for failing to control their players and staff, but individuals on the Burnley side could be punished further if they are shown in the referee's report to have provoked Sarri.

After the game Dyche made a light-hearted effort to play down the ugly scenes as "handbags, bumbags, manbags," but did confirm he had sought out Zola at half-time to raise the issue of Sarri encroaching on the Burnley technical area.

"He said at half-time [Sarri] is not quite getting it," Dyche said of his conversation with Zola. "I said he was going over into my box. He just said he didn't quite get the reality of it -- they're bigger in Italy. OK. He's been here a while, mind. I said fine and accepted it."

When it was put to him that Sarri had exchanged angry words with members of his backroom team including Woan, Dyche joked: "I don't think the coaches' language skills are that good. It wouldn't have been a deep conversation. Woany's from the Wirral [near Liverpool in England]."

LONDON -- Callum Hudson-Odoi's season is over after the Chelsea winger confirmed he ruptured his Achilles during Monday's feisty 2-2 draw with Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

The 18-year-old appeared to land awkwardly while attempting to control a dropping ball shortly before the 41st minute and limped from the field with the help of two Chelsea physios and was replaced by Pedro Rodriguez.

Chelsea were ultimately held to a frustrating draw by Burnley as goals by N'Golo Kante and Gonzalo Higuain were cancelled out by strikes from Jeff Hendrick and Ashley Barnes, but Hudson-Odoi's injury could have much bigger implications.

"Really gutted to end my season with an Ruptured Achilles, gotta work hard and try and come back stronger for next season!!!" Hudson-Odoi posted on Twitter.

Really gutted to end my season with an Ruptured Achilles, gotta work hard and try and come back stronger for next season!!!???❤️ pic.twitter.com/PXC53WszdH

— Callum Hudson-Odoi (@Calteck10) April 22, 2019

Assuming postmatch media duties in place of Maurizio Sarri, Chelsea assistant Gianfranco Zola confirmed that the 18-year-old is set for a long absence.

"It's not an easy one," he said. "I think it's a serious injury. It's his Achilles tendon. I cannot tell you the extent of it. I don't know -- he'll have to have an examination, but it's not looking good."

Hudson-Odoi's injury adds a further layer of uncertainty to what was set to be a summer of intense speculation about his future.

Sources told ESPN FC as recently as last month that Hudson-Odoi remained intent on leaving Chelsea this summer, despite failing in his attempt to force through a January move to Bayern Munich with a formal transfer request.

Hudson-Odoi and his representatives have so far rebuffed Chelsea's attempts to re-open talks over an extension to his current contract, which expires in June 2020, but the prospect of months on the sidelines could force him to re-evaluate his options.

Chelsea also lost N'Golo Kante to injury at half-time against Burnley, but Zola does not expect the France international's problem to prove serious.

"N'Golo was taken down on the counter and, as he fell, he fell on the foot of a player, so he had a contusion in his ribs," Zola explained. "He couldn't breathe totally. He'll be alright [to face Manchester United on Sunday]."

Chelsea went into Monday's game knowing a win would greatly boost their chances of a top-four finish, following defeats for Tottenham, Manchester United and Arsenal over the weekend.

But instead Sarri's men were picked apart at set pieces by Burnley and frustrated by the visitors' deep defending and time-wasting.

"We tried everything to win the game," Chelsea defender David Luiz told Sky Sports. "It's difficult when you play against a team who have two chances and score two goals and didn't want to play the game.

"It's anti-football. Losing time [time wasting] all the time, especially when you have the ball. Their players went to the floor and stopped the game.

"They were playing 11 inside the box. It's difficult to score against a team like that."

Zola added: "There was too much time-wasting. We thought five minutes [added time] wasn't enough to compensate for the time-wasting. But we did everything we could. That's the reason we're frustrated."

Burnley coach Sean Dyche, whose team are near locks to avoid relegation after the hard-fought point, bristled at the "anti-football" suggestion and praised his players for withstanding Chelsea's pressure.

"There are nights like tonight when you just have to give everything, every inch," he said. "You know, it used to be a really good thing when fans see their team give everything. They used to love it and maybe it's still got a place."

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The vow almost comes too easily from Jorge Mas. He's discussing the fact that the team he co-owns, Inter Miami CF, will be spending its first two seasons not in the Magic City but 35 miles up the coast in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

This has been tried before in MLS with the now-defunct Miami Fusion, but will people make the trek from Miami-Dade County to Broward? Can Inter Miami capture the hearts of a fickle and fragmented sporting public in South Florida? Mas and the ownership group, which includes soccer legend David Beckham, Simon Fuller -- who created the "American Idol" franchise -- Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son and former Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure, are hoping so.

"You win, people go," Mas says following last week's MLS Board of Governors meeting near Los Angeles. "We'll win."

When it's pointed out that the Fusion won too, he says, "I know, but it's a little different." Such is Mas' charisma that the impulse is to believe him, but where do things stand with Inter Miami CF on some key points ahead of their 2020 debut?

Wait, why are they playing in Fort Lauderdale?

"They've got an office in Coral Gables. That's all they've got," now retired Sun-Sentinel soccer columnist Jeff Rusnak said of Inter Miami. "They don't have a training facility. They don't have a stadium. They're now under a massive time crunch. This is nuts."

A referendum to build Miami Freedom Park, which will include a 25,000-seat soccer stadium on the site of the Melreese Country Club near Miami International airport, prevailed in November by a comfortable 60-40 margin. In a city that still feels burned from the Marlins Stadium fiasco, one in which the city ended up paying $536 million of the $640 million cost and then had to sell bonds to pay what was owed, that's no small feat.

Despite the star power of Beckham, the club has encountered more obstacles than a competitor on "American Ninja Warrior" in its quest for a home. The Melreese Country Club is its fifth attempt to find a suitable site for a stadium. The deal isn't done, either: Mas and his group still need to negotiate a 99-year lease with the Miami City Commission and obtain approval from four of the five commissioners. Two commissioners, Manolo Reyes and Willy Gort (in whose district the site is located), are already on record as being against the project.

The venue won't be completed until the 2022 campaign, and Mas struck a deal in Fort Lauderdale to demolish the old Lockhart Stadium, replacing it with a training facility and an 18,000-seat stadium. Playing in Fort Lauderdale and basing some operations there would have its advantages in terms of location and would provide leverage in any kind of negotiation with the city of Miami over the stadium site, but that also runs the risk of sending mixed messages.

"You branded your team from day one as Miami. I think you need to play your MLS games in the city you're named after," said Piet Brown, who is a founding member of the fan group the Southern Legion and runs a YouTube channel called Futbol Miami TV. "I went to all the Miami Fusion games, and it feels like there's a few similarities. Lockhart's not the reason that the Fusion failed, but being named 'Miami' and playing in Fort Lauderdale sure didn't help."

The timeline to get a redeveloped Lockhart Stadium and training facility up and running by the start of the 2020 season is hugely aggressive. Yet there is a sense that if anyone can pull this off, Mas and his group can.

"Mas is sort of like the big brother saying everything is going to be OK," said Dr. Jim Riordan, the director of the MBA in sport management program at Florida Atlantic University.

Inter Miami has certainly been laying the groundwork to get the lease for the Melreese site negotiated. Mas said Inter Miami had held 10 meetings in the past month and has "touched and spoken to around 1,000 people" in those gatherings. Mas anticipates being able to bring the lease before the City Commission in the next month. As for the votes, Mas is confident that he'll prevail on that front as well.

"It's too compelling," he said of the Melreese project. "The community is clamoring for it, and the community has said yes."

Does Inter Miami CF have a staff yet?

Skeptical observers such as Rusnak, who have heard every promise and every lie about the viability of professional soccer in South Florida over the years, feel cautiously optimistic about Mas' ability to deliver.

"Mas is a force of nature. If he's wrong and he's a forceful personality, it will go down the drain like all the others," Rusnak said. "But he's proven to be open and savvy."

That is especially the case in terms of the organization currently being built by Mas and Beckham. Jurgen Mainka was hired as the chief business officer after a stint with CONCACAF. Paul McDonough was spirited away from reigning MLS champions Atlanta United to be the sporting director; he brought in former Orlando City GM Niki Budalic and former LA Galaxy player personnel director Kurt Schmid to help put the roster together.

Jason Kreis has been hired to be part of the coaching staff, though his commitment to the U.S. U-23 team will limit his availability over the next year. Juan Carlos Michia, Victor Pastora and former Real Salt Lake midfielder Javier Morales were brought on as academy coaches.

The search for the first manager is ongoing, with McDonough expecting the hire to be made in September or October. Mas and Beckham have been involved in the process, and candidates from inside and outside MLS have been interviewed.

"I'm going to patient with it. I'm not in a rush," McDonough said of the timeframe for hiring a manager. "I think it's more about signing the right guy. I think the hard part was you saw what Tata [Martino] was and what he did in Atlanta and how it worked out. There have been similar guys who were big names and haven't done well.

"I think it's really more important for us that we find the right person that I can work with and build the club as we move forward."

Who's going to play for this team?

This is the third time McDonough has been charged with building a technical organization and roster ahead of an expansion season. In Orlando, he had the advantage of an entrenched USL side as a springboard for an MLS team. In Atlanta, he was starting from scratch. What's different about Miami is the extent of the diversity in the fan base.

"What I tell them all the time is, 'Look, the Colombians, the Salvadorans, the Haitians, they'll all cheer for a really good player, no matter where he's from because they're all smart soccer fans, and they want good soccer,'" McDonough said.

McDonough will be hoping to replicate in Miami what he did in Atlanta, and given that the academy season starts in August, that is where he has focused his initial efforts.

"I either had to start [the academy] six months early or six months later than the first team," he said. "And I just think to get the homegrowns and get it all going, it made sense to get the jump start because, look, it doesn't really affect me in year one, but it's going to affect me in year three, so the sooner I can get it going, I can get to year three faster."

How involved is David Beckham?

Beckham's title is director of soccer operations, but as the face of the organization, his remit is broader than that. He is involved not only on the technical side but also with partnerships and anything related to merchandise. He has been making periodic visits to South Florida as well, including twice in the past six weeks.

McDonough confirmed that he and Beckham are setting the direction of the club in terms of style and that the hiring of a coach and the signing of players will be determined based on that style. Like he did in Atlanta, signing players will happen before a manager is hired, with the first announced before the summer. Those players will likely be loaned out until the 2020 season.

As for the rumored links with Mexican defender Hector Moreno, McDonough said, "We have not had discussions with Moreno or his representatives."

McDonough was vague as to what the club's style would be, trotting out the standard line of "We'll play attacking soccer." But given that Miami is often viewed as a gateway to Latin America and McDonough's history with Atlanta, it's not a reach to think the team will have a heavy influence of South American players, though he will also cast a wide net. Beckham's magnetism doesn't hurt, either.

"I think South American players really translate well here," he said. "I think the one thing about Miami -- and it's similar to New York and L.A. -- is that it's a global city. So European players, you pick the phone up, and you call a European player, and you say, 'Hey, you've been playing in England or Germany, and I want to bring you to Miami,' they're going to listen.

Will Inter Miami be forced to change its name?

Complicating Inter Miami's path to the pitch have been some recent issues in court.

FXE Futbol, whose competing bid to renovate Lockhart Stadium was rejected, recently filed suit in Broward County court, alleging that the City of Fort Lauderdale failed to adhere to Florida state law as it relates to unsolicited offers for the development of public land by a private entity by not getting "an architect, landscape architect, or an engineer licensed in this state" to review the proposals. State law also requires an "independent analysis" to demonstrate the public-private partnership's cost-effectiveness.

"We can no longer stand on the sidelines while our due process is being violated," FXE's managing partner, John F. Reynal, said in a statement posted by the company on Twitter.

As for the trademark dispute, last month MLS filed a notice of opposition to an application Inter Milan made back in 2014 seeking to claim exclusive rights to the term "Inter." Mas expects that the latest lawsuit won't hamper his plans in Fort Lauderdale, nor is he concerned about the trademark spat with Inter Milan.

As Mas noted dryly, "There's going to be no confusion over Inter Milan and Inter Miami."

Yet there is a haunting sense of déjà vu in terms of the move -- however temporary -- to Fort Lauderdale.

"In South Florida, you make judgments about how far will I drive to see something," Rusnak said. "I'll do anything if it takes me 15 minutes. If it's an hour, it better be really worth my while. I think there's a Balkanization a little bit down here, like this invisible line between Dade and Broward County. We do get into this mentality of it 'being up there' or 'being down there.' And the density of the traffic keeps getting thicker and thicker, and there's a general frustration down here that driving takes more time than it should."

The reality is that what happens in the courtroom and city hall will be just as important as anything the team does to get ready on the pitch. It will take every bit of Mas' business acumen and the team-building powers of McDonough & Co. to make Inter Miami a success.

LONDON -- Not only did Chelsea miss a huge opportunity to capitalise on the mistakes of their top-four rivals by being held to a 2-2 draw by a stubborn Burnley side at Stamford Bridge despite another impressive display by Eden Hazard, Callum Hudson-Odoi was lost for the season to an Achilles injury. N'Golo Kante also exited with an injury, but he's expected to be fit to face Manchester United in midweek.

Positives

There were times this season when Chelsea might have lost a game like this. As things were, they were a little unlucky not to win it, stifled both by Burnley's deep defending and commitment to time-wasting. Hazard also enjoyed a good game and Gonzalo Higuain showed signs of improvement.

Negatives

Chelsea really, really needed to win this game to take charge of the top-four race. Not doing so will only raise further doubts about Maurizio Sarri's ability to meet his objectives in the Premier League and Europa League. Injuries to Hudson-Odoi and Kante were also hugely problematic.

Manager rating out of 10

5 -- Sarri's starting XI played some exhilarating attacking football early on, but paid for their lack of attention to detail on set pieces. They also lost their attacking rhythm after half-time -- a recurring theme this season -- and there was very little attempt to change the dynamic from the sidelines.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Kepa Arrizabalaga, 6 -- Could do absolutely nothing about Jeff Hendrick's unstoppable volley and was left badly exposed for Ashley Barnes' equaliser. Commanded his area and distributed the ball well, even if Burnley weren't exactly pressing Chelsea high at any stage.

DF Cesar Azpilicueta, 7 -- A constant threat down the right as Chelsea pinned Burnley back early, and he capped one inside run with an ingenious flick to slip Higuain into scoring position. His overlapping surges were also threatening, though Dwight McNeil gave him problems at the other end.

DF Andreas Christensen, 5 -- Was one of several players who didn't get out to Hendrick quickly enough to stop his stunning volley, and also lost track of Chris Wood when Burnley gave Chelsea a big fright at the start of the second half, only to be let off by the striker's poor control.

DF David Luiz, 5 -- Could not carve Burnley open with any of his trademark raking long passes, and his positional defending for the set piece that Barnes poked in does not look good on repeat viewing. Also had trouble tracking runners on the rare occasions that the visitors attacked after the break.

DF Emerson Palmieri, 6 -- Hazard's tendency to stay wide for much of the night limited the value of his overlapping runs down Chelsea's left, and when he was given the opportunity to cross, his deliveries were poor. Burnley caused him few problems defensively but he drifted through much of the game.

MF N'Golo Kante, 8 -- Ripped through Burnley's defence at every opportunity and timed his runs into the box to perfection. Lashed in Hazard's low cross on his left foot to bring Chelsea level -- though he remains charmingly unaware of how to celebrate. Substituted with a back problem at half-time.

MF Jorginho, 5 -- Played an important role in getting Chelsea moving forward in the first half, finding progressive passes between Burnley's lines. Still doesn't convince defensively though, and was responsible for leaving Barnes at the back post to equalise for Burnley.

MF Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 7 -- The physicality he brought to Chelsea's midfield was particularly valuable against these opponents, and one driving run enabled Hazard to isolate Matthew Lowton and create Kante's equaliser. Curled one early shot just over, but didn't carry his usual goal threat.

FW Callum Hudson-Odoi, 6 -- Had some nice moments finding Hazard in transition early on, but wasn't able to make the most of his opportunities when the Belgian switched the ball to him before what appeared to be an Achilles injury ended his night on 41 minutes. Will we see him in a Chelsea shirt again?

FW Gonzalo Higuain, 7 -- Perhaps his best all-round performance since arriving in January. Pressed from the front, consistently moved into dangerous positions and linked up neatly with those around him. Took his first goal since March 3 brilliantly, and was unlucky not to add to his tally.

FW Eden Hazard, 8 -- It could be a while before Lowton stops having flashbacks of being sat down by Chelsea's sparkling superstar in the lead-up to Kante's equaliser. Not quite as decisive as he was against West Ham earlier this month, but still a constant threat and privilege to watch.

Substitutes

FW Pedro, 6 -- Given more than a half due to Hudson-Odoi's injury, he could not find a way to test Tom Heaton in the Burnley goal. His best attacking contribution was a low cross from the right that Higuain fired into the goalkeeper's hands.

MF Mateo Kovacic, 6 -- Offered very little in the way of attacking thrust when he replaced Kante at the interval, never looking to run into the box and shooting poorly on the couple of occasions he decided to let fly from long range.

FW Olivier Giroud, N/R -- Did give Burnley something else to think about in place of Higuain for the final 13 minutes, but was smothered whenever he tried to connect with crosses.

Two Sri Lankan cricketers, Dasun Shanaka and Hasitha Boyagoda, were among the many who narrowly survived the serial blasts that rocked the island on Easter Sunday morning, leaving almost 300 dead and more than 500 injured.

It might have unravelled very differently for Shanaka, the 27-year-old international allrounder, had he attended Sunday morning mass at St Sebastian's Church in Negombo, his hometown, that day with his mother and grandmother. He chose not to, being tired after a 170-kilometre trip home from Anuradhapura the previous evening.

"Normally I would have gone to church but the day before I had gone to Anuradhapura, so I was tired," Shanaka recounted to ESPNcricinfo, his voice cracking. "That morning, when I was at my house, I heard a sound, and then people were saying a bomb had gone off at the church. I rushed there, and I'll never forget the scene.

"The entire church was destroyed, absolutely shattered, and people were dragging lifeless bodies outside."

"If you saw the scene, you would know there was no way anyone inside could have survived, because simply the debris from the blast had injured everyone even in the vicinity" DASUN SHANAKA

He first looked for, and found, his mother, and took her to hospital, while his friends stayed behind to help others.

"My first instinct was to look for my mother. Once I spotted her, I took her away from the area. Then I began looking for my grandmother, but when I heard that she had been sitting inside, my heart sank," he recalled. "If you saw the scene, you would know there was no way anyone inside could have survived, because simply the debris from the blast had injured everyone even in the vicinity.

"She (his mother) was near the window, but had been protected from the brunt of the blast by a nearby partition, and she suffered only minor injuries. Many of those around her had died."

When he returned a short while later, he found his grandmother inside the church and, almost miraculously, alive.

"When I went looking for my grandmother, I wasn't expecting to find her alive. But, as it turned out, the blast had hit and killed those around her, but she had been protected from severe damage by the bodies of the others," Shanaka said. "In the end, she was hurt badly having been hit in the head with shrapnel, but we were able to take her to hospital for surgery."

If that was Shanaka's experience in Negombo, over in the capital city of Colombo, Hasitha Boyagoda, Sri Lanka's Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year last year, and three members of his family were equally fortunate to survive.

He was having Easter Sunday breakfast at Shangri-La Hotel when the explosion took place there. It was a wonder that they came out of it with only minor injuries, the blast having taken place in such close proximity to them.

Charith Senananayake, the team manager of the Galle provincial team Boyagoda was recently a part of, confirmed that the young player was fine but "completely shaken".

The 19-year-old Boyagoda has been earmarked as a star for the future, having hit an Under-19 ODI record 191 against Kenya in January 2018. He is also a straight A student, something that is the more impressive considering his quality as a cricketer.

How his experience on Sunday morning might affect Boyagoda is anyone's guess. As for Shanaka, he's obviously distressed by the experience and his confidence has been dented: "I'm scared to go on to the streets, or to go to the hospital."

But his faith in the strength of the Sri Lankan people is not shaken.

"There has never been a problem in Negombo in terms of inter-racial relations," he said. "It's always been a safe haven of sorts. There's never been a problem with any community. The people here are very good and kind-hearted, and they don't gossip or look into other people matters. I have no words to express how innocent and peaceful the people here are."

With Pakistan about to leave for England - well before any other World Cup side - coach Mickey Arthur believes his side can go all the way in the tournament.

Addressing the media for the final time before their departure, Arthur and captain Sarfaraz Ahmed expressed complete satisfaction in the squad selected to mount a World Cup challenge, with Sarfaraz declaring "all fifteen players" as trump cards.

"We leave very, very well prepared," Arthur said. "We leave with a team that has both the talent and attitude to be successful. Our preparation over here has been outstanding, and our preparation leading into the World Cup is brilliant with a series against the world No. 1 side in their own conditions.

"That will give us an opportunity to test ourselves and to test our combination, and to head to the World Cup with a lot of confidence. We know if we play to our potential, we have the ability to go all the way."

The warm-up against England next month, followed by the World Cup, comes against the backdrop of an alarming fall in Pakistan's ODI form since the start of 2018. In that period, Pakistan have managed just four wins in 22 matches against teams they will face at the World Cup, a run that included whitewashes by New Zealand and Australia, with a torrid Asia Cup and a 3-2 away loss in South Africa sandwiched in between.

Sarfaraz, however, believed it was time to look ahead rather than reflect on that run.

"We should leave what happened in past in the past," he said. "Seven or eight of our players were rested for the Australia series. Yes, we did make some mistakes in the past, but we won't repeat them. I can assure you that we have prepared hard and we will stretch ourselves to the limit to ensure things go our way at the World Cup."

Arthur sounded the alarm over Pakistan's fitness standards when he became coach in 2016 and set a non-negotiable benchmark that has arguably become the defining feature of his time at the helm. Now, with three years of hard work finally being put to the test at a World Cup, he said he was delighted with the attitude of the players towards fitness, saying that every player was making impressive progress.

"We've got the base in terms of our fitness," Arthur said. "All our players are at a level they need to be. For us now, the focus shifts onto skills and execution because we've done the hard work. Fitness doesn't guarantee you success, but it guarantees you a better chance of recovery. We've got 20 games in the UK. We need to recover quickly and it gives you a better chance of runs and wickets, and we're very happy that we're well prepared in that department."

For all the positive talk, the excitement has been dampened significantly by the news of Shadab Khan's unavailability for the series against England. A virus is set to keep him out of action for at least four weeks, with ESPNcricinfo understanding he is a major doubt for the World Cup. The 20-year old is arguably the one player Pakistan don't have a suitable replacement for, what with him being a world-class leg-spinner in addition to the ever-improving strides he is making as a batsman.

Yasir Shah replaces him for the ODIs against England, but a paucity of leg-spin options means he is also a front-runner to take Shadab's spot at the World Cup, should it come to that. In the recently concluded series against Australia, Yasir took four wickets at just under 71 with an economy rate of 5.66, but Arthur said he saw signs of improvement as the series went on.

"We wanted a wrist spinner [for the England series]," Arthur said. "Wrist spinners are in vogue in cricket at the moment, all teams have good wrist spinners.

"The key for Yasir is to challenge both edges. If Yasir's challenging both inside and outside edges of the bat, he becomes a different beast. If he only challenges the outside edge, players can line him up and hit him one side of the ground. That means he has to bowl his googly more often. In the UAE, the wickets were especially flat and didn't turn. If we get on a wicket that just grips a little bit, Yasir is a bowler we still feel can be a weapon for us. But time will tell on whether we decide to pick him for the final World Cup squad."

Sarfraz was candid on Pakistan's plans for the batting order in England, saying he would bat in the top five, while calling Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik the "backbone of this team", and revealing they would play together. That was a point of discussion among fans in Pakistan following the release of the World Cup squad, with concerns that a middle order comprising Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz, Hafeez and Malik would lack the necessary power hitting.

Asked whether he viewed his side as underdogs or favourites for the World Cup, Sarfaraz decided humour would be safer than hubris. "When we go as favourites, we stray into trouble," he smiled. "We have a good team, but going with the underdog tag seems better."

Pakistan open their tour of England with a match against Kent at Beckenham on Saturday.

With just a day to go before the Tuesday deadline set by the ICC, West Indies remain the only team yet to announce their squad for the upcoming World Cup.

ESPNcricinfo understand Cricket West Indies (CWI) will submit the 15-man squad to the ICC on Tuesday, but will announce the squad only on Wednesday afternoon in Barbados (1.30 pm local time).

The squad will be picked by the freshly appointed interim selection panel chaired by Robert Haynes, along with Jimmy Adams (director of cricket) and West Indies' newly appointed coach Floyd Reifer.

Although Jason Holder will continue to be the captain and Chris Gayle will almost certainly play his fifth World Cup, questions remain over the participation of the country's other superstars, who have been successful in the last five years in domestic T20 leagues around the world.

Will Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, and even Dwayne Bravo, who opted to retire from international cricket last year, find a spot? Will Marlon Samuels, who has recovered from his knee injury, get the opportunity to play his fourth World Cup?

The hope comes from a new administration taking charge at CWI. Ricky Skerritt, the newly elected president of CWI, who was also once the manager of the West Indies team at the turn of the millennium, had said that the selectors will be looking at all available options.

The key questions for the selectors concern the two allrounders that would feature in addition to Holder. Will it be Russell and Carols Brathwaite? Who will be Gayle's opening partner, Evin Lewis or John Campbell? Who among Devendra Bishoo, Ashley Nurse and Fabian Allen will be part of the spinners' group? Who among Keemo Paul, Sheldon Cottrell and Shannon Gabriel will accompany Kemar Roach in the fast bowling group? Will Nicholas Pooran make it as the back-up wicketkeeper?

With about 24 hours left for squad to be finalised, ESPNcricinfo has listed the key names Haynes' selection panel will deliberate on.

Jaipur will host four women's T20 exhibition matches on the sidelines of the IPL playoffs. The round-robin matches will be played on May 6, 8 and 9 before the final on May 11.

Unlike last year when two teams, Supernovas and Trailblazers, had contested a one-off exhibition match, this season a third team, Velocity, will take part. Senior India players Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana will captain the three teams.

This is the second year in a row that the BCCI has decided to conduct women's matches during the IPL playoffs, and this season the format will be a single round-robin rounded off with a final.

As reported earlier, overseas players from half-a-dozen countries will be part of the exhibition matches, which are an attempt by the BCCI to test the strength and popularity of women's T20 in India where the IPL has taken deep roots since its inception in 2008.

ESPNcricinfo understands all four games are likely to be telecast live, with the BCCI set to finalise the timings in consultation with the host broadcasters. Last year, the Supernovas and Trailblazers contested a one-off match that ended up as a last-ball thriller. The match was played before Qualifier 1 of the men's IPL at the Wankhede Stadium. The match was broadcast live, but was played in the middle of the afternoon with a 2 pm start time that did not enthuse too many fans to turn up, leaving the stands mostly empty.

Cassius Stanley, a top-30 prospect, committed to Duke on Monday afternoon, likely securing the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for the Blue Devils.

Stanley chose Duke from a final list that also included UCLA, Oregon and Kansas. The Blue Devils emerged late in the process after Stanley didn't make a decision during the fall's early signing period. UCLA's coaching change impacted the Bruins' pursuit of Stanley, while he remained unconvinced by the Jayhawks or Ducks.

Duke began communicating with Stanley in February, and brought him on campus for an official visit earlier this month. The Blue Devils are losing their top three scorers from this past season's team, with freshmen Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish all departing for the NBA, and Mike Krzyzewski needed replacements on the perimeter.

Stanley's commitment likely cements Duke atop the recruiting-class rankings for 2019. This would mark the third year in a row Duke has landed the No. 1 class, and the fifth time in six years.

The 6-foot-5 guard joins a group that already included five-stars Vernon Carey Jr. (No. 5 in the ESPN 100), Matthew Hurt (No. 10), Wendell Moore (No. 21) and Rejean "Boogie" Ellis (No. 36).

Stanley has been a highly touted prospect all through his high school career, with his dunks and highlights regularly going viral. He's ranked No. 29 in the ESPN 100 for the 2019 class, slotting in as the No. 6 shooting guard. Playing for Team Why Not on the Nike EYBL circuit last spring and summer, Stanley averaged 15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.