WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Washington Nationals reliever Will Harris has a blood clot in his right arm and is leaving spring training camp to be examined by a specialist, manager Dave Martinez said Friday.

"I don't know much about what's going to happen here. But for me, when somebody mentions something like that, it's kind of a scary deal," Martinez said. "Until we know more about it, then I got to assume that he's going to not start with us this season."

Opening Day is April 1.

"He felt weird his last outing," Martinez said. "So we kind of backed off a little bit, got an MRI, and in the arm was a little small blood clot."

The 36-year-old Harris last pitched in an exhibition game on March 9, throwing one scoreless inning against the Houston Astros. The right-hander appeared in a B game Saturday.

"Medically, I don't know the extent of what that is. But I know it's something that is serious," Martinez said. "We need to take care of it. Take care of it as soon as possible. And I feel for Will, 'cause I know he was just working his tail off to help us this year."

Harris, then with Houston, gave up a tiebreaking two-run homer to Washington's Howie Kendrick in the seventh inning of World Series Game 7 two years ago, a game the Nationals won 6-2 for their first title.

He has been expected to be a part of a formidable back end of the bullpen along with Brad Hand and Daniel Hudson for Washington, which finished last season tied for last in the NL East.

"He's pretty upbeat considering what's going on," Martinez said. "Hopefully we'll know more sooner than later, and then we can determine what's going to happen."

In February 2019 England came to Dublin, grabbed Ireland by the ankles and hauled them off cloud nine.

The last four meetings between the sides have yielded four English wins, each one following the same pattern of physical mismatches and reflecting a food chain in northern hemisphere rugby on which Ireland have appeared to be getting only further away from the top.

On Saturday at the Aviva Stadium, there is no title up for grabs. But it remains a hugely significant encounter with implications far beyond the Six Nations standings.

Irish fans are looking for a sign of improvement, and a win over England to break the cycle of limp defeats would have the potential to wash away huge swathes of uncertainty that still linger over Andy Farrell's team.

Breakdown battleground

The hopes of any cautiously optimistic Irish fan rest on the team's considerable improvement at the breakdown.

It is on this battleground that England have overwhelmed Ireland in recent encounters. Slowing them down, turning them over, knocking them back.

It is where Maro Itoje, a relentless presence in each of the last four meetings, has shown himself to be unmatched by any Irish adversary.

By his own towering standards Itoje has had a quiet tournament, perhaps down to a lack of competitive action at Saracens. Although he came to the party with the match-winning try last week at Twickenham, so Ireland will not be banking on their tormenter-in-chief having an off day.

Not that England are a one-man band in this department, as someone like Tom Curry would be quick to remind you.

But under the tandem coaching of Simon Easterby and Paul O'Connell Ireland have massively upped their game at the breakdown. Tadhg Beirne has led the charge and his move back to the second row will not, you suspect, see his influence wane too much.

Going forward Ireland's best spells, against Italy and in the opening exchanges at Murrayfield, have come from accurate work at the ruck leading to quick ball and constant forward momentum.

England's dominance has stemmed from their control of the gainline, and if Ireland stand any chance, it is an area in which we must see substantial improvement.

A final Lions audition

In this most curious of seasons, Ireland arrived into the tournament with whispers that they could be looking at their smallest British and Irish Lions representation for some time unless they upped their game.

The patchy form has continued, yet Ireland are looking at more Lions selections than they were at the start of the tournament. Saturday's final international audition could be the deciding display before Warren Gatland picks his party.

Assuming fitness, Tadhg Furlong and James Ryan were nailed on before the tournament and remain safe bets.

Johnny Sexton's triumph over Finn Russell last week will have likely removed any remaining doubt Gatland may (although more likely may not) have had about the Dubliner's ability to contribute match-defining interventions at the top level.

Then there is Robbie Henshaw, who has returned to top gear having been beset by a raft of injuries since being forced to leave the 2017 Lions tour in New Zealand. A fully-fit Henshaw at his energetic and busy best is a hard man to leave off the plane.

Beirne and fellow forward Iain Henderson have enjoyed excellent tournaments, with Munster's Beirne a genuine contender for man of the match in all of Ireland's games to date while Henderson, long viewed as an outstanding player who sometimes allows his level to drop, has put together a string of high-quality performances with huge carrying figures and a mountain of breakdown work aiding his cause.

Of all the mini-battles with Lions implications scattered along the Aviva Stadium pitch - Sexton versus George Ford, Ben Youngs against Conor Murray, even Furlong against Kyle Sinckler - the most interesting one might just be in the second row.

With Itoje a dead cert for the tour, Henderson and Beirne will be looking to cap off their stellar individual campaigns by out-duelling the man who, by all calculations, is in possession of one of the hypothetical starting Lions jerseys.

CJ's last stand

When a player retires it can sometimes be hard to decipher which of the eulogies from team-mates and coaches are generic and which are heartfelt.

In the case of CJ Stander, every testament to his character and influence within the Irish set-up is a genuine reaction to the announcement that has shocked the entire team.

Stander has been one of this side's emotional leaders for some time. Routinely namechecked by team-mates as someone who sets the tone and drives people on in training and on gameday, his departure will be felt as keenly off the pitch as it will on it.

As Rory Best touched on in his column, Stander is the single most persuasive argument in favour of the residency rule.

A world-class player who understood before ever wearing the green jersey that he needed to bring more than a rambunctious style of play if he wanted to make a lasting impact.

Like or loathe the residency rule, you cannot deny that Stander has brought plenty to the Irish rugby table.

In any normal season, the response of 55,000 people inside the Aviva Stadium would attest to how fondly the man from the Western Cape is thought of on Irish shores.

Legacy aside, Stander's departure will leave a very practical hole that Ireland must fill. He currently leads the Six Nations in carries, and appeared set to act as the continuity presence within the back row as Ireland usher in the new talents of Caelan Doris, Will Connors and more.

That is an issue for Farrell to concern himself with from Sunday onwards. On Saturday Stander will line up for one last time, at blind-side flanker as opposed to his more familiar number eight, in the hope of leaving one last positive memory in green.

England coach John Mitchell says to expect a very different game from last weekend's win over France when his side face a "tenacious" Ireland in Dublin.

"This game will be somewhat different," said Mitchell.

"This game is going to be highly unstructured, a lot of kicking in the air and very physical. It is going to be a war at the breakdown."

England have won their last four matches against Ireland, by an average of more than 19 points.

But Mitchell rejected any suggestion England had worked out Andy Farrell's team, particularly with the hosts motivated by number eight CJ Stander making his final appearance in a green shirt before retirement.

"You never have Ireland's number, they are a tenacious side, a tenacious country, they fight bloody hard for each other, they will rip in, there is no doubt, but we are ready for all that," Mitchell added.

Although their Six Nations title defence has been scuppered by earlier defeats by Scotland and Wales, England can claim a consolatory second place in the table with a victory and other results going their way.

Ireland, who took a narrow victory away to Scotland last time out, currently occupy second with two wins from the their four games.

Leaders Wales can clinch the title and a Grand Slam with victory over France. However France, who still have an extra game to play after their meeting with Scotland was postponed because of a Covid outbreak, could snatch the title with two wins.

Malins braced for aerial battle

Full-back Max Malins made his first England start in the win over France, and is expecting Ireland to pose a very different challenge.

Ireland's kicking game has proved a telling weapon in the fixture's history with Robbie Henshaw memorably claiming a Connor Murray box-kick over the head of Alex Goode in Ireland's 19-9 win in Dublin in 2015.

Henshaw and Murray are both in Ireland's starting XV on Saturday with 6ft 3in wing Jacob Stockdale recalled.

"This week is probably going to be more of a kicking battle, a battle in the air. Ireland like to get territory through their kicking game and getting the ball back through contestables, we are expecting a big battle on that front," said Malins.

"They have obviously got some great wings who get after the ball, get in the air and try to make it a fight in the air.

"There is definitely a threat there and it is up to us to defuse it."

Malins also revealed he has been briefed about stepping in at fly-half for England. The 24-year-old has played at 10 throughout his career, most recently for Bristol at the end of last season.

"There have been discussions," he told BBC Sport.

"If George [Ford] and Owen [Farrell] both go down then I would happily slot in there. I know my roles. Let's hope it doesn't come to that!

"I want to keep it as a position of mine, I enjoy playing 10 every now and then, I think it is good to have both 10 and 15 as an option."

It is the telling statistic that demonstrates the longevity and success of Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones.

So having been part of the unbeaten sides of 2008, 2012 and 2019, Jones could join the greats of the Five/Six Nations.

England trio Ronald Cove-Smith, Dave Davies and Cyril Lowe set the standards with triumphs in 1913, 1914, 1921 and 1923.

England prop Jason Leonard was part of the 1991, 1992, 1995, 2003 sides before France duo Olivier Magne and Fabien Pelous celebrated clean sweep success in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2004.

That Anglo-French trio straddled Five and Six Nations tournaments while Jones would become the first player to secure a quartet of Grand Slams since 2000, when the competition was expanded with Italy's introduction.

Jones is also deeply respected outside his homeland. Magne was a rampaging and fearsome openside flanker in the typical French style during his 89-cap career.

Magne won four Grand Slams over seven years, whereas Jones' achievement would be between 2008 and 2021.

"For us in France he is like Superman," said Magne.

"He has played so many times for his country and is still one of the best. He is not here because he is a legend. He is here because he is a great player and Wales need him.

"You recognise a real champion can stay at this level for a long time and have the humility to do it again every season."

Magne hopes Jones will land a fourth Grand Slam but doubts it will come this year.

"I would love to see Jones make the four Grand Slams - it would be fantastic," added Magne.

"I am not against Wales, I am just saying I think France are better than Wales at the moment. It will be very difficult for Wales to beat France in Stade de France."

If Wales do not win, Jones will remain in Wales' three Grand Slams club with the likes of Ryan Jones, Adam Jones, Gethin Jenkins, JPR Williams, Gerald Davies and Gareth Edwards.

Johnnie Williams, Billy Trew, Dickie Owen, George Travers, Jim Webb and Tom Evans were the trailblazers with success in 1908, 1909 and 1911.

Former Wales captain Ryan Jones says a fourth triumph would be a "wonderful accolade" for his long-time team-mate.

"Part of me might not want him to do it because I quite like the unique club I am in now with him," he says.

"Joking aside, if anybody deserves it, it is Alun Wyn Jones. He is going to finish his career as the most decorated Welsh rugby player of all time and rightfully so."

Alun Wyn Jones is revered in Wales, outlined by former team-mate James Hook.

"He reminds me of when you are in school when a headmaster walks into the room and you are just aware he is there," Hook told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

"He just has that influence on the players. He is a great athlete and the way he manages his body, it's ridiculous that his first cap was in 2006 and he is still going strong in 2021."

Jones is already the world Test record holder with 156 international caps, including nine British and Irish Lions appearances, and will make his 148th Wales appearance on Saturday.

His Wales caps alone put him level with the second-most capped player of all time, Richie McCaw. He has little time for personal accolades and a fourth Grand Slam would be no exception.

"There is potential for it to be the first one with Wayne and I think that's the focus," said Jones.

"I refuse to turn the game into a numbers game. Any records don't belong to the individual but to the game itself."

It remains uncertain whether the Wales skipper will carry on after his current contract expires this summer.

One thing Jones has not achieved is being named a British and Irish Lions tour captain although he led tourists in the final series winning match against Australia in 2013.

Former England wing Ugo Monye believes success in Paris would cement his position against South Africa this summer.

"He is my captain at the moment, he has got to be," Monye told the Rugby Union Weekly Podcast.

"A rite of passage, if you win the Grand Slam you are the captain, and he has already played nine Lions Tests on the bounce."

One accolade at a time though this weekend.

INDIANAPOLIS — After winning the pro late model championship at the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing at New Smyrna Speedway last month, Team Platinum has signed Kody Swanson to drive in additional super and pro late model races this year.

Included in those events are select ARCA/CRA Super Series and JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour events, as well as other premier late model races.

The Dayton, Ohio-based team and the Indianapolis-based driver will finalize their schedule soon, working races in between Swanson’s previous commitment with another Ohio-based team, Doran Racing, to compete in the pavement USAC Silver Crown events and select asphalt sprint car races. The latter includes the Little 500 at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway and the Hoosier Classic and other events at Lucas Oil Raceway.

“I’m thankful for everyone at Team Platinum, and for this opportunity,” said Swanson, a native of Kingsburg, Calif., who is a five-time USAC Silver Crown champion. “I really enjoyed working with the team in New Smyrna, and appreciate all of their efforts during a grueling Speedweeks schedule.  I’m encouraged by how we ran there, and grateful for the chance to continue with this team; they are a top-notch group. I’m excited about our schedule this season, and am looking forward to competing together at some tracks that I’m already familiar with.”

“We were very pleased with how things went at New Smyrna, and we hope to expand upon that success going forward,” said Marc Metz, Team Platinum’s crew chief.

Among the team’s many accomplishments are winning the championship in the JEGS/CRA All-Star Tour in 2015; the Winchester 400 at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway in 2016, and the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. in 2019.

Despite never driving at New Smyrna before and being new to the team and the cars, Swanson turned heads there last month in stock cars sponsored by Fatheadz Eyewear, Platinum Express, Brands Truck Insurance, Radio Hospital, Rosewood Machine and Tool, Wooten Automotive, Duncan Oil and other partners.

He had one feature victory and three second-place finishes enroute to the pro late model championship. Swanson also displayed solid qualifying performances. He earned two poles and never qualified outside of the top six.

HAMPTON, Ga. – Chase Elliott checked off the highest box on his NASCAR Cup Series to-do list by capturing the championship last November at Phoenix Raceway.

Now, he’s returning home to try and accomplish the second-biggest feat on that checklist: winning a Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Elliott will take aim at the 1.54-mile quad-oval during Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, seeking his first win at the track in his sixth Cup Series start there.

The good news for Elliott is that he has four top-10 finishes in his five prior Atlanta Cup races, including an eighth-place finish from the pole last summer.

Unfortunately for the Dawsonville, Ga., native, circumstances haven’t fallen his way yet at his home race track. It’s a statistic he’d desperately like to change this weekend.

“I would love to have a win at Atlanta (Motor Speedway). I feel like anybody’s home track, you want to have a win at, for sure, if you can get it. But like I’ve said in the past, I’m not super picky when it comes to wins; I’m good with wherever. They’re too hard to win,” Elliott told reporters during a media conference call this week. “Atlanta would be great. I would love to get it done one day and be able to have one there, for sure.”

Much like the Cup Series veterans who have tasted victory at Atlanta in the past, Elliott knows that one of the main challenges at the historic facility is its extremely abrasive asphalt, which leads to some of the highest tire wear of any track on the circuit.

“Atlanta (Motor Speedway) is tough. It’s an old surface, for sure, which I think makes it fun for the drivers,” Elliott explained. “I feel like a lot of people enjoy going there because of that. But overall, for us, it’s been super hit or miss and I really don’t know why. We’ve gone there and we’ve had some really good runs; a couple of days that I thought we were capable of winning. And then we’ve been there and just been way out to lunch. So, I’m not exactly sure what that is all the time.

“Obviously, car configuration, rules, different packages and all that stuff plays a role in it. Hopefully, this week we can be more on the hit side and execute a good race,” Elliott added. “You have to have things going well for you to have a shot to win anywhere, but definitely have to execute a good race to put yourself in position to win. So, hopefully, we can check both of those boxes.”

Though Atlanta is his home track, Elliott doesn’t feel any sense of home field advantage.

“It’s super tough. NASCAR is definitely unique in that way, and I don’t really have a good way of describing that for you,” explained Elliott. “But it’s definitely not like having home field; it’s not like the Brave’s having home field advantage for their playoff run or whatever. … I wish Atlanta were like that for me, but there’s a lot of people there that want to see other drivers do well, too. Granted, I think a lot of them are from around here and will want to see us do well. But I guess the reason is there are 39 other people in the event, not just the two teams.

“Logically thinking, I guess that would be why it’s different.”

With the Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway dirt weekend upcoming for the NASCAR Cup Series field at the end of the month, some pundits have said they feel the Atlanta weekend has been overshadowed by Bristol due to its positioning on this year’s schedule.

Elliott, however, doesn’t feel that way, though he does recognize there has been a lot of pre-race chatter surrounding Bristol’s dirt endeavor.

“Atlanta is always going to be a special place for me. I spent a lot of time racing Legend cars and things like that down there. So I would love to go and have a good run,” Elliott tipped. “But a lot of people are talking about Bristol, for sure. I hate that for Atlanta that people feel that way, but I anticipate the same people who are saying that it’s overshadowing the race will likely tune in on Sunday at the same time.

“Hopefully it’s a good race for everybody and we can have a good run.”

Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 is set for a 3 p.m. ET start, with live coverage on FOX, the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has said he is not giving up hope that playmaker Eden Hazard will recover from injury in time to be included in the Belgium squad for the European Championship later this year.

The Real Madrid player won't undergo further surgery on his damaged right ankle, at the club's recommendation, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Those same sources said that medical staff of his national team disagreed and was in favour of surgery.

"I feel this situation can be solved a lot earlier than the Euros, but only when Eden goes from day to day will we see the final answer. Belgium is not at war with Real Madrid, Hazard will be the best player at the European Championships," Martinez said in a video news conference, adding that Belgium would follow the medical advice "to try and treat the injury in a conservative way'' instead of surgery.

After being out for nearly two months, Hazard played a few minutes in a Spanish league game last weekend.

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However, Madrid said this week Hazard has been sidelined again by a muscle injury in his right leg.

"We want Eden to recover," Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said on Friday. "The most important thing is for him to be well, totally. He won't undergo surgery, we're going to have a different plan, and we're working on it. What I want, as coach, the player too, and everyone here is that he returns totally recovered."

Hazard believes that the high number of muscular injuries he has sustained are directly related to his ankle problem. The former Chelsea star thinks that the metal plate inserted in his right ankle in the operation he had in March 2020, in Dallas, Texas, has not adapted well with his bone or his muscle.

The sources say that Hazard believes that his latest injury setback, a right muscular problem, is due to his effort to avoid putting too much pressure on his right ankle.

After consulting with several specialists, though, Real Madrid have ruled out Hazard undergoing surgery. Hazard will continue a conservative treatment and there is no prediction as to how long the player will be sidelined.

"We are very pleased with the medical advice," Martinez said ahead of World Cup qualifying matches. "We are already working on the rehab."

Since joining Madrid from Chelsea in 2019, the 30-year-old Hazard has missed more games than he has played due to various leg injuries, including a fracture in his right foot during his first season with the Spanish club.

Martinez said the Belgian federation and Real Madrid should now work together to ensure Hazard recovers as soon as possible.

"We all feel very positive about what is going to happen in the next few weeks," Martinez said. "Eden is in good spirits. He knows he is in the best moment of his career, we all see that when our captain is on the pitch he makes a difference, and now he is just looking forward to be fully fit."

Martinez said it would be a gamble to set a date for Hazard's return but said he feels "that this situation can be solved a lot earlier than the Euros" in June.

"He is a player who has never been injured in his career and this is a real shock, this is something new," Martinez said. "There is a lot of uncertainty around that but in terms of the injury I feel very positive that we can get to see the best Eden Hazard well before the Euros.

"He has a long way to go in his recovery and we must not set any time limits on him. It would be wrong and it would be gambling by anyone to try and imagine whether he is going to be fully fit or not," Martinez said.

Belgium, which tops the FIFA rankings, starts its World Cup qualifying campaign on Wednesday against Wales before taking on Czech Republic and Belarus.

Martinez included Romelu Lukaku in his squad of 33 players but the striker will likely miss the match against Wales after a coronavirus outbreak at Internazionale.

"What matters now is the safety and the health of Romelu," Martinez said, leaving the door open for Lukaku to play in other games.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Prasidh Krishna's pace and nip have earned him a spot in India's 18-member ODI squad for the series against England, and given the rest of the members of the squad, Krishna is the only relatively unknown quantity. Whether he gets a game or not, his selection indicates he is part of the larger pool of players for India as they head into a sequence of World Cups. Here's a look at the Karnataka pacer.

The beginnings
He is 25 now, and has played 48 List A games. Injuries and team dynamics in Karnataka have meant his first-class matches tally stands only at nine so far. He has also been a regular member of the playing XI for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Krishna's first brush with senior competitive cricket - when still a teenager - came when he played for Karnataka against the touring Bangladesh A side in 2015. Krishna made an impact too, as he grabbed 5 for 49, his wickets including Anamul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das and Nasir Hossain, all Bangladesh internationals.

That opportunity came only because R Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun were absent, but Krishna's performance ensured he remained in the reckoning after that. But even before that, he had been a net bowler for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, so he wasn't completely unknown.

The rise
Krishna's climb up the ladder in domestic cricket was moderately quick. He made his List A debut against Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2016-17, where he got 13 wickets - the most for Karnataka - at an average and economy of 16.61 and 3.82, respectively. He topped the team table again the following season with 17 wickets at 16.52 while being the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

By this time, Krishna had attracted enough attention to find himself on the radar of IPL scouts. An injury to Kamlesh Nagarkoti opened the door for Krishna. That season, he added another feather to his cap by putting in a match-winning performance of 3 for 37 in the Vijay Hazare final against Saurashtra. The future was bright.

Up and down in the IPL
Krishna was picked up by the Knight Riders in 2018 and made his IPL debut that same season. He picked up ten wickets in seven games, albeit at a high economy rate. That included 4 for 30 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in a tense five-wicket win. That was after being hit for 80 off eight overs in his first two games for the team.

Though he had a forgettable tournament in 2019 despite playing 11 games, Krishna's pace - something that he had right from his junior days - and improved control meant he remained with the Knight Riders for the next edition in the UAE.

A little more muscle…
To the pace, Krishna added muscle over the next couple of years. The year 2018 proved to be a turning point apart from his first IPL foray too. Krishna was picked in the India A squad for the tri-series against England A and West Indies A. He was also part of a quadrangular one-day series involving India A, India B, Australia A and South Africa A. Not only did his side - India B - go on to win the series, Krishna picked up eight wickets at 21.50, including 4 for 49 against South Africa A and 4 for 50 against India A. In that last match, he counted among his victims Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer, who will now be his India team-mates.

Last February, Krishna also earned praise from Virat Kohli. Looking forward to the T20 World Cup [then scheduled for late 2020 but since postponed to 2021], Kohli had described Krishna as a potential "X-factor" in India's squad. It could still happen.

Recent form
Krishna continued his good performances in the List A circuit when he collected 14 wickets in seven games for Karnataka in the just concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy. In his side's run to the semi-final, Krishna got 4 for 17 against Bihar in a match which Karnataka won by a massive 267 runs. Even in the semi-final against Mumbai, he pocketed 3 for 64 to eventually end the season with the most wickets for his team.

March 29 has been earmarked as the date for club cricket's return in England, according to the updated Covid-19 roadmap issued by the ECB.

A final decision is set to be taken on March 22, but according to Step 1 (B) of the return-to-play framework, organised outdoor cricket should be allowed to resume in ten days' time - in line with last year's maximum of 30 participants.

Organised outdoor coaching and school cricket will also be permitted to return on the same date, so long as it is in line with government guidelines and safeguarding ratios.

However, indoor cricket, including net practice, will not be allowed to return until April 12 at the earliest, with junior cricket activities (Under-18s and below) lined up to resume at that date, subject to a government decision on April 5.

Organised indoor cricket for adults will be up for review on May 10, ahead of a potential return the following week, on May 17.

Under the provisions of Step 1, grounds and facilities are also obliged to remain closed until March 29, subject to a Covid-19 risk assessment and plan. At that point they are set to be reopened, but with no spectators permitted, although changing rooms will remain off-limits at least until April 12.

Hospitality in club matches, including the use of the pavilion, will be limited to toilets and hand-washing facilities, as well as first-aid and other safeguarding aspects, including isolation for suspected Covid cases.

No food and beverage will be permitted in the pavilion bars until May 17 at the earliest, when the rule of six or two households will apply indoors. Outdoor food, such as barbecues, may be permitted from April 12, again with the rule of six applying.

All steps of the ECB's roadmap are dependent on government reviews, with further permitted activity anticipated when Step 4 is outlined on June 21.

For cricket clubs in Wales, facilities were reopened on March 13 for the purposes of local exercise with one's household or support bubble, up to a maximum of four people.

The Dolphins and Titans have qualified for South Africa's first-class final, which will be played over five days in Durban next week and marks the end of the franchise era.

That means the four other teams that have made up the top tier of the domestic structure for the past 17 summers - the Lions, Knights, Warriors and Cobras - have played their last matches. From next season, South Africa will return to a provincial set-up with 15 teams competing in two divisions.

The Dolphins have reached the final in all three formats this season, sharing the one-day cup with the Lions and losing to them in the T20 tournament.

Results Summary

The Dolphins leapfrogged the Knights into top spot in Pool A with a seven-wicket win over the Warriors in Port Elizabeth to qualify for a home final. With rumours of rain around the Eastern Cape coast, the Dolphins were in a hurry to assert themselves and bowled the Warriors for 124 in the first innings. Wickets were shared between the five-man attack, with Eathan Bosch's 3 for 18 the best return.

In reply, Khaya Zondo's 111 ensured the Dolphins built a healthy 234-run lead. But the Warriors knocked that off with nine wickets standing after a 145-run opening stand between Edward Moore and Gihahn Cloete. Moore went on to score 155 before the middle and lower-order collapsed. They lost 8 for 80, with Keshav Maharaj taking 6 for 93 to set the Dolphins a target of 112. They were 34 for 2 at one stage but polished off the score on the fourth morning.

They will play the Titans, whose draw against the Lions in Johannesburg was enough to keep them at the top of Pool B. The match was studded with superstars including new Test captain Dean Elgar, new white-ball captain Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock, who made his return after a mental health break, and it lived up to the billing.

New white-ball call-up Lizaad Williams led the Titans' attack in taking 3 for 54 to dismiss the Lions for 206. Dominic Hendricks was their top-scorer and fell one short of a century, lbw to Okuhle Cele for 99. In a thrilling second innings, Rabada and Lutho Sipamla took 5 for 51 and 5 for 37, to give the Lions a four-run advantage while Markram stitched together his seventh century of the summer.

The Lions built on their lead thanks to their other Hendricks, Reeza, who scored 96 and Wiaan Mulder's unbeaten 56 and declared on the fourth day on 308 for 9. They set the Titans 313 to win. Elgar and Markram put on 125 for the first-wicket and scored half-centuries but their dismissals before tea put the brakes on the scoring. With the possibility of victory for either side appearing unlikely in the final session, the teams shook hands on the draw shortly after the break.

In Cape Town, the Cobras won their first red-ball match since January 2019 when they beat the Knights by an innings and 215 runs. Nandre Burger and Tsepho Moreki took four wickets each to dismiss the Knights for 181 before Pieter Malan's career-best 264 took the match away from the Knights. Malan and Kyle Verreynne shared a 217-run fourth-wicket stand, with Verreynne bringing up his second century of the tournament.

The Knights had spent 176.3 overs in the field when the Cobras declared on 523 for 8 and seemed in no mood to make their hosts bat again. They were bundled out for 127, with George Linde claiming his best, 7 for 29, to finish as the competition's joint-fifth wicket-taker.

On the national radar
Despite missing on leadership positions within the national structure Markram has taken ownership of the opening spot in his comeback season after several hand injuries. His century against the Lions further extended his hold over top spot on the batting charts. Markram has scored 945 runs from seven matches, at an average of 94.50, including five hundreds and two fifties. More's the pity there are no Tests scheduled in South Africa's immediate future.

Elgar's second innings half-century may not have been as much as he wanted but keeps him in the batting top 10. Verreynne, who may be eyeing a middle-order spot especially after Faf du Plessis' retirement, is in third place, one ahead of Malan who has probably been squeezed out of Test contention by Markram's good form.

In the bowling department, the hauls from Rabada, Sipamla and Linde would have been pleasing for the national selectors but enough cannot be said about Maharaj. He leads the wicket charts with 34 from five matches at an average of 20.47, has taken four five-fors in this competition and has been the stand-out performer for the Dolphins.

Top performers
Malan ended his domestic season in the most emphatic way possible, with his highest first-class score and the highest for the Cobras in their history. Although it seems unlikely he will add to his three Test caps in the foreseeable future, Malan still has plenty to offer both at home and abroad. He has been signed as an overseas player for Warwickshire for the 2021 county season. Important runs were also scored by Zondo and Senuran Muthusamy, who contributed a century and twin fifties respectively for the Dolphins.

Williams' seven wickets for the Titans makes him the leading seam-bowler in the competition with 27 wickets at 25.14, three ahead of Migael Pretorius. The combination of Williams, Cele and Thando Ntini will make for an exciting battle of pace against the Dolphins' spin in the final.