The Auty Cup featuring USA and Canada, the oldest rivalry in cricket dating back to the first international match played in New York in September 1844, is set to resume later this year after a four-year hiatus. The tournament will be contested as a three-match 50-over series between July 26 and 30 in Canada, with a venue to be determined pending clearance from Canadian health authorities.

Under current Covid-19 government regulations, all professional sports teams in North American pro-sports leagues have been barred from crossing the USA-Canada border during the regular season due to Canada's strict quarantine guidelines. It has meant the NBA's Toronto Raptors have used Tampa, Florida as a temporary site for all their home games during the 2020-21 season.

Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays played all of their 2020 home games in Buffalo, New York due to the border restrictions and are expected to start the 2021 season playing home games at their spring training complex in Dunedin, Florida before continuing to play home games in New York during the summer months until they receive clearance to play in Toronto. The NHL has also realigned their divisions for the 2020-21 season so that all seven Canadian franchises are in the same division, meaning they would not need to travel across the US border until the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Canada was due to host the opening round of the T20 World Cup Regional Qualifying in the summer of 2020 before the tournament was postponed due to the pandemic. That qualifying event for the 2022 T20 World Cup has since been rescheduled for July 17-23 in Toronto, followed by the Auty Cup starting three days later.

However, the ability to stage the events in Canada is up in the air due to the ongoing government regulations, which include a mandatory 14-day quarantine upon entry including the first three days at a government-approved hotel facility at a minimum cost of $1000, going up as high as $2000 for those three days depending on the hotel.

In February, the city of Toronto also announced a ban on all outdoor live events through July. According to Reuters, the announcement does not include professional sporting events, which need permission from provincial and federal governments in addition to Toronto Public Health.

Canada has not hosted men's international cricket outside of the greater Toronto area - Canada's main home ground in recent years is at King City located 50 kilometers north of downtown Toronto - for the last 30 years. The previous men's fixture held outside Ontario was the Auty Cup contest between USA and Canada in 1991, which was played at Riley Park, a ground with an artificial wicket in Calgary.

USA are the current holders of the Auty Cup, having claimed a three-match 50-over series by a 2-1 margin when it was last played at King City, Ontario in 2017. Prior to that, USA had not defeated Canada in the cross-border rivalry bilateral series since 1991, though the series had been played intermittently during that stretch as it was beset by various time gaps - including a 16-year absence from 1995 to 2011 - and changes in format shifting between multi-day matches and limited-overs contests.

Kansas athletic director Jeff Long said he and the university were unaware of any wrongdoing in Les Miles' past before hiring him as head coach of the football team in 2018.

Miles was placed on administrative leave Friday amid accusations of inappropriate behavior toward female students during his head-coaching tenure at LSU. Kansas announced Monday that he was out as head coach.

"When Les Miles was identified as the lead candidate to be the head coach in 2018, the University of Kansas and Kansas Athletics does, with all hirings, we ran multiple background checks on Coach Miles," Long said at a virtual news conference Tuesday.

"I also asked Coach Miles directly during the interview process whether there was anything in his past that could potentially embarrass the university or himself or our program, and he said no. We also did our due diligence by talking to individuals within the LSU athletics department to see if there was anything we should be aware of regarding Coach Miles' tenure at LSU and received no indications of any issues."

Long said that in early February, Miles' camp made Kansas aware of a legal dispute in Louisiana but couldn't share information on it. Long said that he asked Miles if there was anything they should be concerned about from the reports, and Miles told him no.

"At that point we requested copies of all reports related to Les Miles while he was at LSU," Long said. "We were given a variety of reasons from Miles' legal counsel why they would not be provided to us. On Feb. 24 we learned some details of the allegations when The Advocate published its initial article followed by the USA Today article later that same day, that there had been a secret settlement and a sexual harassment investigation in 2013."

Miles had three years and about $8 million left on a five-year contract he signed with Kansas in November 2018. The two sides settled for $1.99 million, according to the school.

On Thursday, a report released on behalf of LSU showed that a 2013 internal investigation at the school accused Miles of inappropriate behavior toward female students, including allegations he contacted some via Facebook and text, met them off campus alone and kissed at least one of them. Long said that was when they received the full report, because it was publicly available.

Miles denied kissing the student, saying he didn't do anything wrong and that he was mentoring young women at the university.

Long was asked why Miles wasn't fired for cause if Miles lied to him.

"That's really a legal question as to how he could or couldn't respond at that time. But that was his response," Long said.

When pressed again, Long said, "That is debatable whether that is a lie, and I'll leave that to our legal people to dice that out. We felt it was important to move our program forward, that we needed to basically agree to mutually part and pay Les through the remainder of '21 is basically what it came down to."

When asked if he was concerned about the status of his own job, Long said he was focused on Kansas' student-athletes.

While Long said that there aren't currently any leading candidates to replace Miles, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported that Tulane's Willie Fritz, Buffalo's Lance Leipold, Nevada's Jay Norvell and Louisiana Tech's Skip Holtz could be potential candidates for the job in a search that will likely focus on FBS head coaches.

Mike DeBord, who was hired as Kansas' offensive coordinator on Feb. 2, will serve as the program's acting head coach until an interim head coach is determined.

Stephen Strasburg pronounced his fastball command better than it was before his carpal tunnel surgery and said his first game action in nearly seven full months essentially was the same as any other Grapefruit League debut after throwing 1 2/3 innings Tuesday night against the Houston Astros.

"It didn't really feel any different than it has in past springs, so I guess, in a way, that's a relief," said the 2019 World Series MVP, who made just two starts and pitched only five innings in 2020.

In 2019, he led the National League with 209 innings and 18 wins, then went 5-0 in the postseason -- no pitcher had ever done that -- while helping the Nationals win the franchise's first championship.

"This isn't my first rodeo when it comes to injuries and stuff," Strasburg said on a video conference with a chuckle, knowing he has made more than 10 trips to the injured list over the years and had Tommy John surgery in 2012. "So I'm kind of at a point where I'm going to go out there and give it everything I have and roll with the punches."

The 32-year-old righty hadn't faced opposing hitters since Aug. 14, when he left an appearance against the Baltimore Orioles after 16 pitches. He went on the IL the following day, was shut down a week after that and soon enough was having an operation to fix what was causing his thumb and, eventually, entire pitching hand to go numb.

On Tuesday in West Palm Beach, Florida, Strasburg said he tried all of his types of pitches; as usual in the spring, he said, the curveball will be the last to come along.

He retired five of the six Astros he faced while throwing 38 pitches. That included four strikeouts -- of Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel, Kyle Tucker and Myles Straw -- and a fielder's choice groundout from Michael Brantley.

The only Houston batter who came to the plate while Strasburg was on the mound and didn't record an out was Jose Altuve, who walked with one out in the first inning.

"You try and read the swings," Strasburg said, "and I was pretty happy with the types of swings they were taking at my pitches."

Before the game, Nationals manager Dave Martinez said he was aiming to give Strasburg a chance to reach a pitch count of about 35 in what is expected to be the first of five spring training appearances before opening day on April 1, just like the other leading members of Washington's rotation such as Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin.

"I've watched him. His mechanics are clean. Everything is good. His routine's been the same," Martinez said. "He's worked really hard -- a testament to why he could come today and get going and hopefully get him those five starts with no issues and get him ready for the season."

ADEL, Ga. – Stock and Super Stock racers will have the opportunity to score a $20,000 bonus on top of their race winnings at the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Southern Sportsman Showdown on March 19-21 at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

Jim Butner Auto Group, of Clarksville, Ind., is forking over the big-buck bonus if a racer enters the Summit Sportsman Standout points series and pulls off the large task of winning each of the $20,000 events.

“I know it’s crazy, but it could happen,” said Bo Butner, CEO of Jim Butner Auto Group. “And if it does, that racer will have earned a pretty good payday.”

Avid Sportsman competitor Butner and fellow racers Jason Line and Dave Connolly are organizing the event through their newly formed entity, BOLD Promotions, and their whole mission is to ensure that the Stock and Super Stock racers attending the race have an enjoyable, memorable weekend.

The three $20,000 to win races will be held on three consecutive days, Friday-Sunday, and the $50,000 64-Car Shootout will be held on Saturday after the $20k race has concluded. The Summit Sportsman Standout is an optional points series that racers can buy into for $100 before the first race of the weekend is contested.

“Our whole deal is that we want the racers to have fun with this and know how much they’re appreciated,” Butner continued. “We’ve got all kinds of really special things planned for the weekend, but Summit Racing stepped up with this neat deal with the point series and we thought, this is awesome, but you know what, how can we make it even more interesting?”

In addition to the $20,000 bonus for a racer entered in the Summit Sportsman Standout points series who goes on to win all three of the $20,000 events, Jim Butner Auto Group has pledged a $5,000 prize for the first perfect run during eliminations. There is one $5,000 prize up for grabs, so if the perfect run is not made during eliminations of the first $20,000 race, the opportunity will carry over to the second and/or third $20,000-to-win event of the weekend. The award does not extend to Saturday’s 64-Car Shootout.

“I’m just grateful that we’re able to offer these bonuses through Jim Butner Auto Group,” Butner said. “It’s a good feeling to see how excited the racers are to get to this race already. It would be really cool to hand this bonus to one of them at the end of the weekend.”

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Ricky Weiss sat on Bristol Motor Speedway’s pit wall, debriefing with his crew while a thunderous roar echoed around the colosseum-styled facility.

He’d just finished his first few laps around the half-mile track, made famous as a fan-favorite NASCAR track, now covered in dirt again for the first time in 20 years for events like the April 8-10 World of Outlaws Bristol Bash with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models and DIRTcar UMP Modifieds.

When trying to describe what those first few laps were like during Monday’s test session for the World of Outlaws Late Models, the 2019 Rookie of the Year and two-time Series winner could only say, “Wow.”

“It sure is fast,” Weiss said. “It’s pretty cool to be here and to run these speeds.

“I don’t think anybody in their life experiences G-forces like that. Getting to drive in there wide open, I mean, it’s not even a question if it’ll stick. It just ends up turning in the corner, you come around there and do it all over again.”

Seven drivers, including Weiss, attended the five-hour test to help find what the appropriate tire should be and to tune their setups. The Canadian ran the fastest lap of the group with a 15.266-second lap at an average speed of 125 mph. In comparison, the last time the NASCAR Cup Series qualified at Bristol – on asphalt – Denny Hamlin ran a 14.848-second lap with an average speed of 129 mph.

Three-time defending champion Brandon Sheppard spent the most time on track, running 156 laps. Fellow Rocket Chassis drivers Boom Briggs and Darrell Lanigan were next in line running 93 and 38 laps, respectively. Weiss ran 30.

“Definitely has a lot of speed,” Sheppard said about the speedway. “Just trying to get this thing dialed in for the race.”

Sheppard stepped out of his No. 1 machine once throughout the five-hour session – for a bathroom break – while the Rocket1 Racing team fine-tuned the car all night long. Before Weiss showed up, Sheppard was the fastest car early on with his 15.287-second lap. From tire changes to spoiler adjustments and shock adjustments, there wasn’t a bolt left unturned on his car as the team was relentless in their search for speed.

While he didn’t end the test session on top, Sheppard still shared his excitement for the upcoming event.

“I think this stage and everything makes it really cool,” Sheppard said about racing at Bristol. “The colosseum-type deal is really awesome. It would mean the world to my team to win it.

“It’s definitely cool for [the series]. I think the fans will love it and that’s all that matters.”

Chase Junghans was one of the drivers that benefited the most from the test. He struggled with getting his car to turn early on, having to lock his brakes on the exit of turn two each lap in order to stop himself from sliding up into the wall. A few adjustments later he went from running 17-second laps to 16-second laps and then finally breaking into the 15-second bracket. His final run of the night was his fastest with a 15.456-second lap, placing him third fastest overall.

“We were way too tight in the beginning,” Junghans said. “We’ve never been to a place like this, so just looking at notes from tracks that we might be able to compare it to and make an educated guess. We got it to steer good and I think we’re pretty good now. We’ll see here in a couple of weeks.”

After getting laps around Bristol, there wasn’t another track the drivers could compare it to. The long Williams Grove Speedway-like straightaways combined with the steep banking of a track like Volunteer Speedway makes the half-mile speedway a unique addition to the schedule.

That’s led to eye-widening laps for viewers and a new challenge for teams as they look to hit upon a perfect setup.

“We’re all trying to make guesses on where our load needs to be on our suspension and stuff like that so we can make the corners,” Junghans said. “Just making educated guesses on trying to get the feel I want and then put it all together when we come back.”

All drivers entered in the Bristol Bash will get a practice session on Thursday, April 8, before the race days on Friday and Saturday, April 9-10. They’ll run a 40-lap feature with $10,000 on the line Friday and then another 40-lap feature with $25,000 on the line Saturday.

As much of a “wow” factor the track brought to the drivers, they suspect it will do the same for current and new fans watching.

“I think it’s going to open up a lot of eyes to a lot of people I think,” Junghans said. “I think our sports is really growing and the racing is really good.”

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Nashville Predators' injury bug now has hit captain Roman Josi, who is week to week with an upper-body injury after being placed on the injured reserve list.

The Predators announced the update on their defenseman Tuesday shortly before a game at Carolina.

Josi took a high stick from Denis Gurianov Dallas 2:46 into the third period that drew blood on Josi's face. Josi stayed in the game and scored the winning goal Sunday night in a 4-3 shootout victory in Dallas.

Josi becomes the fourth Nashville player on injured reserve within the past week. Nashville put defenseman Ryan Ellis on the list for up to six weeks with an upper-body injury on March 2, the same day the Predators put forward Luke Kunin on it for two to four weeks with a lower-body injury.

Goalie Juuse Saros was put on injured reserve March 4 with an upper-body injury, then forward Matt Duchene went on it March 6 with a lower-body injury that is expected to sideline the veteran center for three to five weeks.

The Predators also recalled forwards Mathieu Olivier and Rem Pitlick and defenseman Jeremy Davies from the taxi squad.

Long before the injury run, Nashville had been struggling on the ice. The Predators enter play Tuesday night with just 22 points in 25 games, and were nine points out of the final playoff berth in the Central Division.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland credited "karma" for his successful second-half penalty in a 2-2 Champions League round-of-16 draw with Sevilla on Tuesday.

Haaland needed three chances to collect his second goal of the night just after half-time. The Norway international initially scored with a fine chip after barging over a defender in the box, but a VAR review disallowed the goal in favour of a penalty he'd suffered in the build-up. Haaland's resulting effort from the spot was well-saved by Sevilla keeper Bono but VAR rightly ruled he had come off his line before Haaland's attempt. Haaland made no mistake with his second chance, though, and gave Dortmund a commanding 2-0 lead.

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"First of all, it was a nice goal before but then it was penalty and then I missed and then cheated and I took it again and then I scored when he didn't cheat," Haaland said on Sky. "It was exact the same but then he stood on the line and first he didn't stand on the line. "

The Dortmund striker twice aimed at the lower-right corner and inched the ball past Bono in his second attempt.

"To be honest, I was nervous a little bit for the second one, but after he was screaming in my face after the first one, I was thinking it would be even better to score another goal. That's what happened, and that was nice."

After scoring, Haaland taunted Bono like the keeper had done with him after his missed attempt earlier. Sevilla players chased the celebrating Dortmund attacker down the pitch before he was taken down by his own teammate during the celebrations.

Asked what they two had said to each other, Haaland said: "I don't know what it means. But I said what he said after I missed the first one. Maybe it's karma in this world. I think so after this."

The 20-year-old became the youngest and fastest to reach 20 goals in the Champions League. He also became Norway's top goalscorer in the competition, eclipsing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

"That's nice," Haaland told BVB TV.

The 5-4 aggregate win takes Dortmund -- finalists in 2013 -- to their first UCL quarterfinals in four years. Haaland said he was proud of the accomplishment.

"Now, I am tired. But next round feels very good," he said.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans are releasing veteran cornerback Malcolm Butler, his agent, Derek Simpson, told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Tuesday.

The seventh-year veteran would have held a $14.2 million cap number for the upcoming season. Releasing Butler clears $10.2 million in cap space.

Butler signed a five-year, $61,250,000 contract with the Titans in 2018 after spending four seasons with the New England Patriots. He had signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of Western Alabama.

The two-time Super Bowl champion broke onto the scene when his interception of a Russell Wilson pass in the end zone sealed a Patriots win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. Butler was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015 and was named a second-team All-Pro in 2016.

Butler spent three seasons with the Titans. He finished last season with four interceptions (tied for a career high), 14 passes defended and 100 tackles in 16 games. For his career, Butler has 17 interceptions, 5 forced fumbles, 3 sacks and 83 passes defended.

The Titans now have veteran Adoree' Jackson and 2020 second-round pick Kristian Fulton as likely starters at cornerback. Chris Jackson, Breon Borders and Kareem Orr all figure to be depth options.

The Philadelphia 76ers said Tuesday that All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons would both miss Thursday's game against the Chicago Bulls -- and that Simmons will miss Friday's game against the Washington Wizards -- due to the same contact tracing that kept both of them from participating in Sunday's All-Star Game in Atlanta.

Presuming both continue to test negative for COVID-19 -- as they have so far -- Embiid will be eligible to return for Friday night's game against Washington, while Simmons will be able to return Sunday at home against the San Antonio Spurs.

Both players were pulled out of Sunday's All-Star Game after having come in contact with a barber in Philadelphia who later tested positive for COVID-19. The NBA had strict quarantines for everyone involved with the league's midseason showcase, however, and the two players were able to depart from Atlanta later in the day and return to Philadelphia. They were the only two people involved with the game who had any issues with either a positive test or contact tracing over the weekend.

The Sixers ended the first half of the season with the best record in the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of the Brooklyn Nets. They will practice Wednesday night ahead of returning to the court in Chicago on Thursday.

Embiid is in the midst of the best season of his career, averaging more than 30 points and 11 rebounds per game, and as a result is a leading contender for the NBA's MVP award.

Simmons is averaging 16.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game, and has coupled his always impressive defensive abilities with a recent burst of aggression offensively -- including scoring a career-high 42 points in Utah last month in a game Embiid sat out due to injury.

The NBA said Tuesday that it is looking into Miami Heat center Meyers Leonard's use of an anti-Semitic slur during a video game livestream.

In a video that surfaced Tuesday on social media, Leonard can be heard saying: "F---ing cowards; don't f---ing snipe me, you f---ing k--- b----."

"We just became aware of the video and are in the process of gathering more information," NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement. "The NBA unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech."

Leonard did not immediately respond to ESPN's request for comment. The Heat, who were in the final day of their All-Star break and are not formally resuming practice until Wednesday, said they would release a statement on the situation later Tuesday.

An avid gamer, Leonard has repeatedly discussed over the years how much he enjoys having a back-and-forth with fans on his Twitch feed.

Leonard, a 7-foot center in his ninth NBA season, sustained a season-ending shoulder injury in January and appeared in only three games for the Heat this year. He could become a free agent this summer; the Heat hold a team option on him for next season worth about $10 million.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.