Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Zach Bogosian sat in the penalty box in Ottawa on Sunday, after being given a misconduct penalty. Directly behind him were a section of sickos wearing Senators gear, laughing heartily and reveling in his frustration.

"We may not be the best team all the time, but our fans are engaged like few others," said Brad Weir, senior director with the Senators Community Foundation.

Even when those "fans" are cardboard cutouts, purchased by actual Senators backers because they reference a popular Internet meme -- but also because they're helping the fight against cancer.

The "Sickos" behind Bogosian were illustrations of a leering man with two-day-old stubble, populating seats at Canadian Tire Centre as COVID restrictions keep the flesh-and-blood fans away.

"I love it. I love the passion of the fans," said Ottawa coach D.J. Smith after his team defeated the Leafs, 4-3, in front of the Sickos, "and I gotta say to them: 'Yes ... HA HA HA ... Yes!'"

(This was, in fact, an actual quote from an actual NHL coach.)

Yes ... ha ha ha ... YES! pic.twitter.com/dpRgwjPE3H

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 14, 2021

Understanding the Senators' "Sicko" movement begins with Ward Sutton, a freelance cartoonist who worked with The Onion. In 2006, Sutton created a character named Stan Kelly who was the publication's editorial cartoonist. Just as The Onion was a satire of print journalism, Kelly was a parody, too.

"The whole concept is that Kelly is a crackpot and all of his ideas are off-base," said Sutton. "A motif that re-occurs throughout his work is people peering through windows. In this particular cartoon, the subject was what would happen if drugs were legalized. And Kelly's doomsday scenario is that TV crime dramas wouldn't have any material anymore, and the family watching TV is all sad. But the Sicko in the window is looking in through the window and saying, 'Yes ... HA HA HA ... yes.' This is what he wanted all along, to make people sad because their TV shows are canceled."

Sutton isn't sure how "the Sicko" became a meme, calling its growth "a complicated and weird thing." He's seen it referenced everywhere from political commentary to financial reports. He hadn't seen it referenced in the context of pro sports until Ottawa Senators fans began using it last season, in essence to troll their own team.

Ottawa last made the playoffs in 2017 and has been in a gut-renovation rebuild for the last four seasons. They were headed to the draft lottery again last season when a Twitter user and Ottawa fan named @brochenski published an edited version of the Sicko leering through the window wearing Senators gear.

"The whole idea was basically that we must have been a sick and depraved fanbase because we were cheering for the Sens to lose to increase our lottery odds, along with being fueled by the Schadenfreude of bad things happening to other teams," explained James Mellish, a Senators fan who participated in the movement with a parody of the Ying-Yang Twins' "Say I Yi Yi:"

The Sens Sicko Anthem is here! Let's put a quarter in the Pukebox and get hyped for tonight's game#SensSickos #Sens #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/IilmJRSsi1

— James Mellish (@SilverSeekerMTG) February 23, 2021

Over time, the "Sickos" movement morphed into something different for Senators fans. Yes, their hockey team was bad, as evidenced by their 10-20-2 record this season. But the real losers? Those Canadian rivals that allow Ottawa to get a rare victory against them.

"It was originally used as a reaction pic whenever something happened that improved the Sens' draft odds. But it's changed now. It kinda represents the fact that Sens fans are realistic about the state the team is in, both on and off the ice, but are just cheering for them regardless. We're enjoying any small victories we can find, whether it's a rookie having a big week or the Sens upsetting an opponent," said Chris, a.k.a. @brochenski.

The Senators couldn't help but notice the growing number of "Sickos" in their fan base. The played Mellish's parody song in the arena during a game. Last week, when the team began selling cardboard cutouts to fans that would populate the stands, someone asked via social media if "Sickos" would be one of the templates.

So Weir called Sutton to find out if the team was allowed to use them, with an added enticement: Proceeds from sales of "Sicko" cutouts would go to charity.

The Senators are donating proceeds of Sickos sales to the Senators Community Foundation in support of mental health initiatives and Canadian Blood Services to pay homage to Brian Fraser, a 26-year-old Senators fan who died of leukemia on Feb. 26. Fraser was a radio producer at CFRA in Ottawa, and a prominent voice in the Senators' fan community.

"In a period where so many of us feel -- and often are -- miles apart, Brian's passion brought a sense of togetherness. That unity in the fanbase has been admirably carried forward by the organization and their donations," said Mellish.

Sutton grew up around hockey in Minnesota. While he didn't play, he was a devout fan of the state high-school hockey tournament. "My head is spinning. My mind is blown by the whole thing. It's been a totally bizarre thing," said Sutton, about an NHL team asking to use the "Sicko" in their stands. "If it brings joy to people and it's a way to have fun with following the team, that's all good. And the charity part of it, I'm humbled it could serve a purpose in that way."

Fans ordered a bunch of "Sickos" for the Senators' game last weekend against the Leafs. At first, Weir wanted to scatter them around the building, but due to the tarps over the stands he felt it would be better to cluster them. So he placed the Sickos behind the opponents' penalty box. "Because then it's like all of these guys are looking down at the person in the box," he said, "and it'll get on TV as well."

The team is due to add more "Sickos" to the crowd in upcoming games, with Weir hoping to have them on the glass along with behind the penalty box. "It's kind of a delicate thing when the fans are running with something. When the team gets involved, it can go bad quickly, if it's viewed as trying to commercialize something. So we wanted to just give people the outlet to do it if they want to," he said.

Sutton has enjoyed the next iteration of his unexpected meme. The more he's learned about the Ottawa Senators, the more the relationship between his creation and the NHL team makes sense.

"As I understand about the Senators, they're sort of an underdog team," said the cartoonist. "If they're underdogs and the other team loses to them, you'd figure the Sicko would be loving it."

Time is a warp these days, but believe it or not, we're at the halfway mark of the NHL's abridged 56-game 2021 season. For this week's ESPN Power Rankings, we identified the MVP on every team at the midseason point.

How we rank: The ESPN hockey editorial staff submits selections ranking teams 1 to 31 -- taking into account game results, injuries and upcoming schedule -- and those results are tabulated in the list featured here.

Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to our Week 7 edition, published on March 10. Points percentages are through the games of March 16.

1. Florida Panthers

Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: .750
Next seven days: vs. NSH (March 18, 20); @ TB (March 21); @ CHI (March 23)

The Panthers had a handful of terrific performances in the first half, but their MVP is captain Aleksander Barkov, who does everything, and does it well. Honorable mention to Jonathan Huberdeau, who has been nearly as impressive.

2. Carolina Hurricanes

Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: .732
Next seven days: vs. CBJ (March 18, 20); @ CBJ (March 22)

Vincent Trocheck has been a rock star through the first half (13 goals and a point-per-game pace through 24), though he's injured right now. Keep an eye on Sebastian Aho, who is about to turn up to next-level mode.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning

Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: .750
Next seven days: vs. CHI (March 18, 20); vs. FLA (March 21); @ DAL (March 23)

Andrei Vasilevskiy has been head and shoulders above his peers this season. According to Natural Stat Trick data, Vasilevskiy leads the league in goals saved above average at 5-on-5 with 13.35. The next-closest goalie? Kevin Lankinen (8.66).

4. Vegas Golden Knights

Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: .750
Next seven days: vs. SJ (March 17); @ LA (March 19, 21); vs. STL (March 22)

For the first half of the season, Marc-Andre Fleury was the team's MVP -- which is ironic, considering there was trade speculation this summer after the Golden Knights inked Robin Lehner to a long-term deal. This is the best goaltending tandem in the league.

5. New York Islanders

Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: .700
Next seven days: vs. PHI (March 18, 20); @ PHI (March 22); @ BOS (March 23)

Captain Anders Lee had been the first-half MVP. Besides a team-high 12 goals, teammate Matt Martin lauds Lee for having the "best net-front presence in the league." Lee, unfortunately, is sidelined indefinitely with a lower-body injury. Next man up.

6. Washington Capitals

Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: .724
Next seven days: vs. NYR (March 19, 20)

The perennially underrated Nicklas Backstrom is having an on-brand season. The 33-year-old is quietly leading the team in points, and he is tracking for his best goals- and points-per-game averages in a decade.

7. Minnesota Wild

Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: .685
Next seven days: @ COL (March 18, 20); vs. ANA (March 22)

Kirill Kaprizov has been the star of the Wild's season so far, in part because he helps make their games appointment viewing. Of forwards to debut over the past 10 seasons, only four players put up more points through 25 games than Kaprizov's 23 (which is also a Minnesota franchise record).

8. Pittsburgh Penguins

Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: .638
Next seven days: @ NJ (March 18, 20); vs. NJ (March 21)

The Penguins are in win-now mode because Sidney Crosby is still around. At 33, Crosby is still the team's best player -- and had seven points in the team's recent five-game winning streak -- but is tracking for his lowest points-per-game average of his career.

9. Toronto Maple Leafs

Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: .667
Next seven days: vs. CGY (March 19, 20)

Auston Matthews leads the NHL in goals by a decent margin, entered the week on pace for 64 goals in a full season and already posted a 16-game point streak (including an eight-game goal streak). All of this while managing a wrist injury.

10. Colorado Avalanche

Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: .667
Next seven days: vs. MIN (March 18, 20); @ ARI (March 22, 23)

Philipp Grubauer is playing the best hockey of his career. The 29-year-old trails only Andrei Vasilevskiy in wins, save percentage and goals-against average. Plus, Grubauer has one more shutout (four) than the Lightning netminder.

11. Boston Bruins

Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: .630
Next seven days: @ BUF (March 18, 20); vs. NYI (March 23)

There's a legitimate case to be made that Charlie McAvoy is the Bruins' first-half MVP, shouldering the No. 1 defenseman role while adding more offense. But Brad Marchand's overall impact -- and 31 points through 25 games -- is hard to ignore.

12. Winnipeg Jets

Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: .643
Next seven days: vs. MTL (March 17); @ EDM (March 18, 20); @ VAN (March 22)

Winnipeg's MVP so far has been its No. 1 center, Mark Scheifele, who has 36 points through his first 27 games. That said, here's an official nomination for Nikolaj Ehlers to inherit Aleksander Barkov's old title of the NHL's most underrated player.

13. St. Louis Blues

Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: .589
Next seven days: @ LA (March 17); @ SJ (March 19, 20); @ VGS (March 22)

The team's first-half MVP is also their bounce-back of the year candidate: Justin Faulk. The defenseman inherited Alex Pietrangelo's No. 1 minutes, and he is playing like the player St. Louis believes it traded for (and immediately extended) in 2019.

14. Edmonton Oilers

Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: .581
Next seven days: @ CGY (March 17); vs. WPG (March 18, 20); @ MTL (March 22)

This might be the best hockey we've ever seen Connor McDavid play. He tallied his 50th point of the season before the 30th game, the second straight season he's achieved the feat. The last player to do it in back-to-back seasons? Wayne Gretzky.

15. Montreal Canadiens

Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: .589
Next seven days: @ WPG (March 17); vs. VAN (March 19, 20); vs. EDM (March 22)

It's been a renaissance season for 33-year-old Jeff Petry, who was the first defenseman this season to hit 10 goals. At the halfway point, Petry led the Habs in points (25) and Montreal had a plus-20 goal differential with him on the ice.

16. Philadelphia Flyers

Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: .596
Next seven days: @ NYR (March 17); @ NYI (March 18, 20); vs. NYI (March 22); vs. NJ (March 23)

Sean Couturier has played only 15 games (missing 10 with a rib injury), but an argument can be made for him to still be the team's MVP thus far. His Corsi for percentage at even strength (61.22) is more than 10 percentage points higher than the team average.

17. Calgary Flames

Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: .534
Next seven days: vs. EDM (March 17); @ TOR (March 19, 20); @ OTT (March 22)

Andrew Mangiapane has been a delight this season, but Calgary's MVP is its big offseason investment: Jacob Markstrom. The Flames have lacked a reliable No. 1 goaltender since Miikka Kiprusoff left, and they sure are using Markstrom (19 starts, .911 save percentage, two shutouts) as a workhorse.

18. Chicago Blackhawks

Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: .550
Next seven days: @ TB (March 18, 20); vs. FLA (March 23)

Patrick Kane reached his 1,000-game milestone this season, and he's not showing any signs of slowing down. If Chicago remains in the playoff race, Kane will be in the MVP discussion. Kane trails only Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in points, and he has 12 more than any other Blackhawk.

19. Los Angeles Kings

Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: .519
Next seven days: vs. STL (March 17); vs. VGS (March 19, 21); @ SJ (March 22)

If you've watched a Kings game this season, you've probably noticed Anze Kopitar is still dominating. "It's pretty amazing to watch, especially for a guy of his size," teammate Jeff Carter said. "Literally every night you know what you're getting with Kopy, controlling the game. He's always on."

20. Arizona Coyotes

Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: .483
Next seven days: @ ANA (March 18, 20); vs. COL (March 22, 23)

Conor Garland leads the Coyotes in points at the halfway point, but he also might be the most entertaining Arizona player to watch. Undersized but full of effort, he keeps carving a bigger role.

21. New York Rangers

Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: .481
Next seven days: vs. PHI (March 17); @ WSH (March 19, 20); vs. BUF (March 22)

With Artemi Panarin out for a decent chunk of the season, Chris Kreider -- the team's longest-tenured veteran -- has been the MVP. Kreider leads the team in goals (14 through 26 games) and trails only Panarin in expected goals for percentage (65.2%).

22. Dallas Stars

Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: .500
Next seven days: @ DET (March 18, 20); vs. NSH (March 21); vs. TB (March 23)

This isn't the start anyone in Dallas expected. Alexander Radulov returned after a month out, and Tyler Seguin is still sidelined. In their absence, it has been Joe Pavelski carrying the load with double the number of goals (14) than his next-closest teammate.

23. Columbus Blue Jackets

Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: .483
Next seven days: @ CAR (March 18, 20); vs. CAR (March 22)

Oliver Bjorkstrand probably should be the team's MVP so far, but his usage remains questionable. Cam Atkinson has proved he still has the goal-scoring touch, and he has been the most consistent offensive producer, so it's probably him.

24. San Jose Sharks

Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: .481
Next seven days: @ VGS (March 17); vs. STL (March 19, 20); vs. LA (March 22)

It has been a dismal season in San Jose, but Logan Couture has been producing. He leads the team with 13 goals (11 at even strength) while still playing a hard brand defensively. The captain is leading the way with effort.

25. Vancouver Canucks

Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: .469
Next seven days: @ OTT (March 17); @ MTL (March 19, 20); vs. WPG (March 22)

Thatcher Demko is putting up a good late case, but Brock Boeser has been consistent the entire season, leading the team in points and goals. He's looking more and more like a lock for next year's U.S. Olympic roster.

26. Nashville Predators

Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: .431
Next seven days: @ FLA (March 18, 20); @ DAL (March 21); vs. DET (March 23)

The Predators continue to disappoint. Filip Forsberg (10 goals, 27 points through his first 28 games) has put up the best individual performance. It's why he would generate the biggest return package of any Nashville trade options.

27. New Jersey Devils

Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: .423
Next seven days: vs. PIT (March 18, 20); @ PIT (March 21); @ PHI (March 23)

New Jersey may be off to its worst start in a decade, but there have been some silver linings. A year ago, most Devils fans would be fine with the team trading Pavel Zacha. Now, the 23-year-old is leading the team in points, looking like he might not be a bust after all.

28. Ottawa Senators

Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: .344
Next seven days: vs. VAN (March 17); vs. CGY (March 22)

The Senators aren't on most people's must-watch list, but they have a few players who are legitimately exciting to watch. Brady Tkachuk (11 goals, 21 points through 31 games) is the best player to me. He leads the league in shots taken -- by a wide margin.

29. Anaheim Ducks

Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: .367
Next seven days: vs. ARI (March 18, 20); @ MIN (March 22)

Max Comtois had a hot start, but suddenly Rickard Rakell is performing up to expectations. The better he plays, the more trade value he has -- but also the unlikelier a trade is, as the asking price might be too rich for most teams.

30. Detroit Red Wings

Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: .367
Next seven days: vs. DAL (March 18, 20); @ NSH (March 23)

Dylan Larkin plays hard every time he's on the ice, but the player who has bailed the Red Wings out the most thus far this season is Jonathan Bernier. He ranks 11th in the league in goals saved above average at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick data.

31. Buffalo Sabres

Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: .286
Next seven days: vs. BOS (March 18, 20); @ NYR (March 22)

There aren't many Sabres having good seasons. Linus Ullmark is sidelined at least a month with injury right now. But through 12 starts, his 5-4-2 record and .919 save percentage are hard to ignore -- especially while he plays on a team that's so bad.

The English Football Association (FA) did not do enough to protect children from pedophile coaches in an "institutional failure" by the game's governing body, an inquiry into sexual abuse from 1970 to 2005 has found.

The FA-commissioned independent review said there were at least 692 abuse survivors and 240 suspects in a 710-page report that catalogued failings by eight clubs, including Chelsea and Manchester City, to act on concerns about eight of the most prolific perpetrators of male sexual abuse in the sport.

The inquiry led by attorney Clive Sheldon was sparked by a wave of media testimonies of survivors of abuse in 2016, including victims of Barry Bennell, a former youth talent scout for Manchester City.

The inquiry found City's leadership in the 1980s did not investigate rumours of Bennell's conduct when he was known around the club as a "Kiddy Fiddler" who had boys stay at his home. Crewe, a club where Bennell coached, also likely did not act on warnings from police.

Bennell was first arrested in Florida in 1994 and convicted the following year of raping a British boy on a football tour in the United States.

The inquiry uncovered a letter from Sepp Blatter, who was then FIFA's general secretary, with a newspaper clipping on Bennell's case and asking the FA whether it had any information on the case given that Florida's state attorney expressed a desire for Bennell to be banned from football worldwide.

The FA told Blatter it had no information on a case and Sheldon's report condemns the governing body for not acting urgently on the concerns sparks by Bennell's jailing, even after they were highlighted in a TV documentary in 1997.

"The FA acted far too slowly to introduce appropriate and sufficient child protection measures, and to ensure that safeguarding was taken sufficiently seriously by those involved in the game," Sheldon wrote in his report released Wednesday.

"These are significant institutional failings for which there is no excuse. During this period (October 1995 to May 2000, when the FA launched its comprehensive child protection program), the FA did not do enough to keep children safe."

Sheldon said "other matters took higher priority" at the FA. It was not a small organisation given England staged the European Championship in 1996 and worked for years on an ultimately unsuccessful bid for the 2006 World Cup, with the FIFA vote in 2000.

It took until 2004 -- a decade after Bennell's arrest in Florida -- for the FA to introduce rules for tours and tournaments addressing child protection, which Sheldon concluded "ought to have been agreed far earlier."

Bennell is serving time in jail in England. He was first jailed in Britain in 1998 after returning from the U.S. but was not suspended from football after his release in 2003. Bennell was also jailed in 2015, with further convictions in 2018 and last year.

"The failure to take any action with respect to Bennell following his release from prison in 2003 is troubling," Sheldon added. "Although there is no evidence that Bennell did seek to involve himself further with football, the FA had taken no steps to prevent this from happening.

"As a result, the FA allowed children to be put at potential risk of abuse by Bennell had he attempted to involve himself in football."

Sheldon said that although child protection in sport has improved since 2005 he was making 13 recommendations particularly for the FA to now act on. They include assigning one board member the role of children's safeguarding champion, to develop a five-year strategy and for annual spot checks of grassroots clubs safeguarding policies.

Borussia Monchengladbach's under-23 coach Heiko Vogel was ordered to train the women's team as punishment for "unsporting behaviour" towards a referee during a match, the West German FA (WDFV) confirmed to ESPN.

Vogel, a former Champions League coach at Swiss club FC Basel, was banned from the dugout for two matches, along with his assistants Vanessa Arlt and Nadine Westerhoff, for "unsporting" behaviour towards referee Marcel Benkhoff during a 2-1 win over Bergisch Gladbach in the regional fourth division in late January.

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The 44-year-old was also fined €1,500 and ordered to coach a women's or girls' team for six sessions, with the FA allowing Vogel until June 30 to fulfil that part of the verdict.

The decision was met with criticism with Nicole Selmer of the Frauen im Fussball (Women in football) network telling ESPN that it was "sending a fatal message."

"It shows that at whatever level women and girls play football they are not taken as serious as men and boys," Selmer said.

"This punishment for the Gladbach coach puts coaching a women's team on a level with social work. But it's not like that. Women's football is a sport and those who participate in it are as professional as their male counterparts.

"If you strip away everything and give it to them they have good intentions, it is still sending a fatal message as coaching a women's or girls' team is part of a punishment for a misconduct."

The WDFV did not comment on the order to coach a women's team nor on the criticism. They said that it was still a pending litigation and the order under scrutiny.

Vogel, meanwhile, has sat out his two-match ban and will return to the Gladbach U23 dugout in their match against Rot-Weiss Essen in Germany's fourth tier at the weekend.

Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser will miss the early stages of the County Championship season following the extension of the Sheffield Shield season, with Glamorgan recruiting Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie as a short-term replacement for the opening weeks of the campaign.

The Shield season is set for its latest-ever finish, with the final due to be played from April 15-19, and with Queensland second in the table with two rounds of games remaining, there is every chance that Labuschagne and Neser will be involved in that fixture.

As a result, Glamorgan are looking for replacements for both of their overseas players, and announced the signing of Balbirnie on Wednesday for up to six weeks as a stand-in for Labuschagne. Balbirnie was the club's leading run-scorer in the T20 Blast last season, and described the move as a "brilliant opportunity" having previously voiced his frustrations about the scarcity of Ireland's red-ball fixtures since they were awarded Test status.

Ireland have not played a Test since July 2019, when they gave England a scare at Lord's, and reports in their local media have suggested that their fixture against Sri Lanka later this year will again been postponed. There will not be a single first-class game in the domestic season either, after Cricket Ireland opted to prioritise white-ball cricket in light of the international schedule.

The season opener against Yorkshire on April 8 will be Balbirnie's second appearance in the County Championship. He spent several years on Middlesex's books, but was limited to a solitary Championship game, against Surrey in 2012.

"The County Championship is historically one of the best first-class competitions in the world," he said. "I really enjoyed my time in Wales last season - the players and coaches were incredibly welcoming and it's a great place to play. I'm really excited to go back, get stuck in and hopefully contribute to some wins for Glamorgan."

Mark Wallace, the director of cricket, said it was "disappointing" to be without Labuschagne and Neser for the early stages of the season.

"We're very happy to get someone the calibre of Balbo in on such short notice," he added. "As he showed last year, he's a fine player and has a good track record across all formats and experience playing at the very highest level. He was fantastic for us when he joined last year and will bring plenty of skill and leadership to our side."

Balbirnie will return to Ireland in May to play in the inter-provincial season, before leading the ODI side in their World Cup Super League series in the Netherlands in June. He was one of three Irish overseas players to impress in last year's T20 Blast, alongside Paul Stirling and Gareth Delany, but this year's international schedule means their availability for the competition will be limited.

Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland's performance director, said: "We have a big year ahead of us at both international and domestic levels, with a T20 World Cup in late 2021, so for one of our key players to be able to take advantage of an opportunity to play cricket in April at this standard will be of great benefit."

One of the players selected in Pakistan's large travelling party to Africa for the games in South Africa and Zimbabwe has tested positive for Covid-19 and has not traveled to Lahore, where the rest of the players and support staffers will assemble on March 18. The cricketer in question is expected to isolate at his residence.

The PCB had ensured that all players entering Lahore from other parts of the city carry negative test reports after the first round of testing on March 16. The second round of tests would be conducted on Thursday at the team hotel. Players, and others, who return negative results can start training at the Gaddafi Stadium after that.

The player who has tested positive is also scheduled to have another test tomorrow at his residence. According to the PCB, he would be allowed to enter the team hotel only if he tests negative, but he has to complete an additional two-day isolation before taking another test, after which - if all is clear - he would be eligible to join the squad.

Pakistan named a large squad for the assignments in Africa, where they will play three ODIs and four T20Is in South Africa before moving to Zimbabwe, where they will play two Test matches and three T20Is.

The camp formally starts on March 19, with the larger pool of players expected to have a nets session, followed by two intra-squad 50-over matches on March 22 and 24.

The white-ball squad will leave for Johannesburg on a charter plane on March 26. The Rest of the players, who will only play the Tests in Zimbabwe, will join the squad later after flying across on a commercial flight to South Africa before boarding a charter flight to Zimbabwe.

This will be Pakistan's first assignment after the PSL was postponed abruptly following seven positive Covid-19 cases.

India Women's head coach WV Raman has pointed out that the team "lacked game time" and were "short" in terms of "mental stamina and cricketing fitness" that led to their 4-1 ODI series loss to South Africa Women in Lucknow. Already down 3-1 in the series, India were unable to defend a low score of 188 in the final game on Wednesday which the visitors crossed with five wickets and 10 balls remaining.

India's women team was playing an ODI series after nearly 15 months, and international cricket after a year since losing the T20 World Cup final at the MCG in March 2020, whereas South Africa were coming on the back of a 2-1 T20I series win and a 3-0 blanking of Pakistan Women at home in January-February this year. It showed in India's performance in almost all aspects - batting first, they were bowled out for under 200 twice out of four times, on the other two occasions their bowling couldn't defend totals of 248 and 266, and they also dropped more catches and missed at least two stumpings.

"In terms of what transpired in this series, it's very simple: the girls lacked the game time and they are obviously short in terms of the mental stamina and cricketing fitness," Raman said at the post-match press conference. "By that, I mean it's not easy to come back after 15 months and play a one-day series and retain the focus and the intensity that is required to put the opposition under pressure.

"Yes, these things do happen; it happens to the best of players and the best of teams, and I am sure the girls would have realised what was not really happening, and they will work on it. I have seen them do it in the past and I have no doubts they will do it in the future as well."

Raman said the bowlers would find their rhythm as they got more game time.

"…The bowlers didn't get into the groove, as they play more and get more game time. The fact that Rajeshwari (Gayakwad, 10-4-3-13) has managed to do that coming into this game is a positive. That's what I meant earlier when I said the bowlers need to get into their groove as far as bowling is concerned. That'll only happen as they play more and more.

"Yes, this is definitely something the girls will work on, quite a lot of activities going forward which will also help them to achieve that. I'm sure it won't be too long before all of them get into their rhythm and perform as well as they can. The other fact is that we also wanted to play on flat tracks because that is something that might come up when we go abroad. So it's all a part of having to adapt and adjust to conditions that they may get when they go abroad."

India's spinners flattered to deceive this series until Gayakwad's stifling figures on Wednesday. Legspinner Poonam Yadav went wicketless in her 35 overs from four games, offspinner Deepti Sharma got just one scalp from her 28 overs, and left-arm spinner Radha Yadav leaked 68 runs in her 9.4 overs in the fourth ODI, the only game she played. Overall, India could take more than five South Africa wickets only once, in the second ODI when the visitors were bowled out for 157.

India's batting was also no match for South Africa's. The runs mainly came from Punam Raut (one century and two half-centuries) and Mithali Raj (two fifties) who ended the series with strike rates of 71.66 and 67.74 respectively. The visitors, meanwhile, saw consistency from Lizelle Lee (a century and two half-centuries), Mignon du Preez (two fifties) and Laura Wolvaardt (two fifties) of which Lee and du Preez struck at 86.22 and 75.11 respectively in the series.

Raman said it wasn't easy to just look at the opposition and "imitate" them even if they were doing much better in the same conditions.

"…The batting unit is getting into its groove, it's gotten into its groove - despite the fact that not all of them got big scores, we managed scores in excess of 250 or around 250," he said. "What probably didn't go in our favour was that the bowlers could not be consistent. But there is no blaming them at all, because it was expected.

"The other part is that you cannot really think of something that is done well by the other sides and try to imitate them. We need to try and get into the groove and then see how the entire unit is in terms of form, and then see what we need to do. And then we have to assess and see at what times we need to try and step on the pedal.

"It (setting targets) depends on the conditions, it depends on the kind of attacks that we bat against. It's very difficult to set a target mentally… see, it's very easy to lose a game in the first 15 overs. You may not win it. But in trying to be greedy and posting a huge score, you might suddenly lose a few early wickets and start looking down the barrel too early in the game. So you've got to take this particular thing as it unfolds out on the field, and maybe take stock of the situation after two-thirds of the 50-overs quota of the innings is finished, and then see what needs to be done."

The two teams will now play three T20Is on March 20, 21 and 23 at the same ground in Lucknow.

With their losing streak hitting 12 games, the Buffalo Sabres fired coach Ralph Krueger on Wednesday.

The Sabres have the fewest points in the NHL with 16. They sit in eighth place in the East Division, a full six points behind the Devils, who have two games in hand.

New Jersey beat Buffalo 3-2 on Tuesday night. Buffalo's winless streak matches the third worst in team history and is the longest since Buffalo lost a team-record 14 straight midway through the 2014-15 season.

Buffalo is well on its way to matching the NHL record for missing the playoffs at 10 straight seasons.

Krueger, 61, was in his second season with Buffalo. Last season, the team improved slightly with a 30-31-8 mark but still finished sixth.

This season, star Jack Eichel has missed significant time with an injury, high-priced winger Jeff Skinner has been a major disappointment, and even big free-agent acquisition Taylor Hall hasn't lived up to the hype. The team also acquired veteran center Eric Staal from Minnesota in the offseason.

The additions have barely made a dent for a team that ranks last in the NHL with 2.07 goals per game and 36 goals in 5-on-5 situations.

Since Eichel came into the league in 2015-16, he will now be skating under his fourth coach and third general manager.

Krueger's only previous NHL experience was coaching the Edmonton Oilers for 48 games in the 2012-13 season, when they went 19-22-7. Before that, he was coach of the Swiss national team. After his stint with the Oilers, he moved over to soccer and held various front-office positions with English Premier League teams.

The Sabres did not say who would take over for Krueger, except to say first-year general manager Kevyn Adams would speak later in the morning.

Krueger is the third NHL coach to be fired during this shortened 56-game season with all-divisional play. He's the first outside the North Division, which has seen Montreal let go Claude Julien and Calgary replace Geoff Ward with two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Darryl Sutter.

Adams considered taking over behind the bench, but had previously elected not to do so because it would take away from his managerial duties leading up to the NHL's trade deadline next month.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Oklahoma women's basketball coach Sherri Coale, who led the Sooners to three Women's Final Four appearances and won six Big 12 regular-season titles, announced her retirement Wednesday.

"Being the head coach at the University of Oklahoma has been the privilege of my lifetime," Coale said in a statement released by the university. "... I am grateful to my players for letting me coach them. That's a gift I've never taken lightly and a joy unlike any other I have ever known. I want them to know that they've left pieces of themselves in me and I am better for it."

Coale, 56, has been the Sooners' coach since the 1996-97 season, leading OU to four conference tournament titles. The team, primarily utilizing a seven-player rotation, finished 12-12 this season.

"It's never easy to leave no matter how great a thing you are running to, because something is always left behind. It's hard to leave these players," Coale said. "This seasoned bunch of gritty competitors who built their wings in the fiercest of winds clawed their way to the sacredness of team. This season will always be one tattooed on my heart. But that's the trick about sports and the magnificent gift of team -- it gets in you and it never goes away. Lucky, lucky, lucky me."

Overall, Coale, who led Oklahoma to 19 NCAA tournament appearances, had a 512-293 record with the Sooners. The four-time Big 12 Coach of the Year reached the Final Four in 2002, 2009 and 2010.

She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

"Sherri Coale has encouraged everyone from players to peers to 'leave your story better than you found it,'" athletic director Joe Castiglione said in a statement. "She walked her talk. Her transformational impact on women's basketball at OU which, in turn, inspired generations of young girls throughout our state to play the sport is nearly impossible to measure. There are certainly milestones, from halls of fame inductions to Final Fours to conference titles to All-Americans and beyond, but it was the elevation of the program's profile to the nation's elite that will be best remembered."

In August, Coale apologized after some former Black players wrote on social media that they felt there was an atmosphere of racial insensitivity in her program.

"Over my career, I have taken pride in the work that I have done on the court and the commitment to the personal growth of the women I've been responsible for leading," Coale, who is white, said as part of her apology in August. "While I have always had the intent of expressing care for others, it is clear that there have been moments where my intent has not been the same as my impact -- for that, I sincerely apologize."

The Sooners had a 19-year run of NCAA tournament appearances end in 2019 after they finished 8-22.

Coale also served as a head coach for USA Basketball, guiding the women's national team to the gold medal in the 2013 World University Games.

With a month of spring training in the books, people inside baseball are starting to form their opinions on players. Who's real; who's not. Who changed; who didn't. Who matters; who doesn't.

It felt like the perfect time to survey more than 30 players, managers, coaches, general managers, scouts, evaluators and other personnel to differentiate small-sample-size mirage from genuine breakout. And in doing so, it informed plenty of other areas in need of analysis.

So I decided to don a few different hats here. This is for the fantasy players, the gamblers, the prospect lovers, the casuals, the wannabe scouts and executives, and especially those who love looking back at predictions and snitch-tweeting @OldTakesExposed.