Bangladesh Emerging Team 264 for 8 (Joy 66, Shamim 53*, White 2-45) beat Ireland Wolves 263 for 7 (Pretorius 90, Rakibul 2-39, Sumon 2-51) by two wickets

Shamim Hossain played a match-winning hand in the Bangladesh Emerging Team's four-wicket win over Ireland Wolves in Chattogram. Shamim, who was part of Bangladesh's title-winning team at the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, struck an unbeaten 53 off 39 balls, with three fours and two sixes, to seal the 264-run chase with two balls remaining.

Shamim arrived at the crease in the 36th over, at the fall of Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who top-scored with 66, and added 42 runs for the fifth wicket with Towhid Hridoy. Akbar Ali, the World Cup-winning captain, was run out for a duck with 44 left to win off 28 balls. Shamim and Sumon Khan took them home, the latter scoring a nine-ball 11.

Earlier, Ruhan Pretorius was Ireland Wolves' top-scorer with 90 as they made 263 for 7 in 50 overs. Pretorius struck nine fours and a six off 125 balls as he anchored the innings. He added 88 runs for the first wicket with James McCollum, who made a 62-ball 41.

Pretorius tested negative for Covid-19 yesterday after returning a positive test ahead of the first match, resulting in the game being abandoned.

For the home side, Rakibul Hasan and Sumon took two wickets each.

Jofra Archer has emerged as an injury doubt for the T20I series in India - and perhaps beyond - after suffering a recurrence of an elbow problem.

Archer missed the final Test in Ahmedabad due to an elbow issue which first became apparent ahead of the Cape Town Test at the start of 2020. The injury was subsequently diagnosed as a stress fracture and ruled Archer out of England's originally scheduled tour of Sri Lanka and the IPL; both events were subsequently rescheduled due to Covid-19 restrictions.

While Chris Silverwood, the England head coach, dismissed talk of surgery at this stage, he did admit the ECB's medical team "are talking about how we deal with this [issue in the] long-term".

He also said they will be "monitoring" Archer's fitness before any decision is made on whether he is fit to participate in the T20I series which begins on Friday and promised he will benefit from "every resource" in England's attempt to ensure he enjoys a long Test career.

"Jofra's elbow did flare up a little bit and the medical staff are managing that at the moment," Silverwood said. "Obviously we'll monitor his progress. The medical staff are talking about how we deal with this long term.

"He's trained today with the white-ball squad. We'll be monitoring his situation."

Archer also missed the second Test in India due to the issue although the England management said at the time the injury was not linked to any previous condition.

The timing of the injury might be of particular concern. Archer bowled only five overs in the third Test and only 35.1 in the entire series. To suffer a recurrence of the problem having been lightly used is sure to increase concerns over Archer's future at Test level, in particular. As one of the world's most valuable T20 players, he could make a fine living without risking further damage to his elbow from the strains of the red-ball game.

"I'll be guided by the medics," Silverwood replied to questions about workload management for Archer. "We'll see where we end up with him. I want Jofra to be fit for all forms of cricket. I want him to have a long, successful Test career.

"Could we limit the number of overs he bowls? It's not something I would go out and predict but we'll find out in the course of time. The important thing for me at the moment is that Jofra gets every resource we can provide to make sure he does have a long and successful Test career.

"I'm not sure surgery has come up yet. I'll be guided by the medics on that. I wouldn't say I'm concerned, no."

While England are sure to want Archer fit for the home Test series in England, which starts in August, their real aim is likely to be the T20 World Cup and the Ashes towards the end of the year. With that in mind, if they feel he needs prolonged rest or even surgery, it is likely to take place sooner rather than later. That could raise questions about his availability for this year's IPL, which starts in April and runs until the end of May.

Silverwood confirmed on Sunday that England players involved in the knock-stages of the IPL would not be required back before the end of the tournament. With the final due to be played May 30 and the first Test against New Zealand starting on June 2, that could rule out several first choice Test players. The Rajasthan Royals squad, for example, contains Jos Butter, Ben Stokes and Archer.

"They will be staying for the whole IPL as it stands at the moment," Silverwood said. "We'll be looking at the New Zealand Test series, working our way back and seeing what preparation time we need. We haven't done that at this time, but it's something we will be doing."

The investigation into the doomed handling of bio-secure procedures at the postponed Pakistan Super League will be headed by infectious disease experts Dr Syed Faisal Mahmood and Dr Salma Mohammad Abbas. The two-person fact-finding committee will investigate the protocols that had been in place for the league, look into what went wrong and submit their findings to PCB chairman Ehsan Mani by the end of this month.

The day PCB CEO Wasim Khan announced the league had been indefinitely postponed, he promised an independent investigation into what went wrong when an outbreak within the bubble began to spread, with more cases turning up with each round of testing. There have been well-documented instances of Standard Operating Procedures(SOP) not being adhered to, and the experts are expected to assess if those SOPs were fit for purpose in the first place.

Dr Syed Faisal Mahmood is an Associate Professor in the Section of Infectious Diseases, at the Aga Khan University, while Dr Salma Muhammad Abbas is an infectious diseases consultant with the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore.

"The PCB takes the health and safety of its players, player support personnel and match officials seriously," Mani said. "We have demonstrated our duty of care in the international series against Zimbabwe and South Africa, as well as during the nine domestic events in which we successfully staged 220 matches. This included the 34-match National T20 Cup in Multan and Rawalpindi as well as the first and second elevens Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and the Pakistan Cup in Karachi."

The PCB has been keen to point out, in the wake of the PSL suspension fiasco, that the home season had been, up until that point, conducted with relatively few incidents. Towards the end of last year, the board highlighted that it had conducted nearly 3000 tests across the domestic season. But the fragility of the measures alongside it - such as bio-secure bubbles and protocols - was evident in, for example, the number of players turning up with positive Covid-19 tests in New Zealand; more relevantly, it was evident in the number of cases that emerged from the playoffs of the PSL's fifth season, played last November.

Either way, what has happened over the past week or so at the PSL has undone any progress Pakistan had made in this regard, and Mani said he wanted the experts to provide an "honest, constructive and objective review. The independent panel will speak with all the relevant stakeholders, including the event and hotel staff, medical and compliance officers, team players and managements, so that we can get a better understanding how the cases occurred. The independent panel will make such recommendations as it considers appropriate."

Before the investigation has even begun, the debacle looks set to have claimed one scalp - the board's doctor and man in charge of setting protocols at the league, Dr Sohail Saleem. But it's unlikely he will be the last, especially as more damaging facts continue to emerge in the fallout. The report the experts are expected to submit is set to shed further light on precisely what went wrong.

Since Fawad Ahmed tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, organisers scrambled to try and get a potential outbreak under control, but it was already too late. Further cases were discovered at several different franchises, meaning the league wasn't just dealing with one outbreak, but any number of them. On Thursday morning, when further cases at various franchises turned up, PSL 2021 was officially suspended.

Chris Silverwood has warned England may extend their controversial rest and rotation policy into the Ashes if Covid restrictions are still in place.

Each of England's all-format players has been given a break at some point during the tour of Sri Lanka and India. While the arrangement provoked criticism in some quarters, Silverwood, the England head coach, insists the team management will continue to ensure they are "proactive" in "looking after the players".

In particular, it seems the policy will be utilised if players are obliged to remain within bio-bubbles while on international duty. With England having previously experienced several cases of burn out and anxiety exacerbated by prolonged exposure to high-pressure environments, they are keen to ensure the dangers are mitigated by opportunities to spend time out of the bubble and with family.

England's winter schedule includes limited-overs tours of Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as the T20 World Cup and the Ashes. Although the dates of the Ashes are likely to be pushed back a couple of weeks - it seems they may start sometime around December 8 - it still presents an impossibly busy schedule. Two tours of the Caribbean, a T20I one starting in late January, and a Test one, in March, will also be confirmed in the coming days.

"We have to look after our players," Silverwood said. "We want to keep them fit, fresh, healthy and on the park and make sure we're trying to get it right. We're constantly talking about it and trying to make sure we're doing it to the best of our ability.

"I don't think it's acceptable to push somebody until they break and then try and pick them up. We have to make the intervention before anybody does break so we can get them back in an England shirt quicker.

"Equally, everyone misses their family. The families miss the players that are here. If we can't get the families to the players as we normally would, it's important we do our best to get the players to the families. From a well-being point of view, it's so important these players stay connected with their families.

"Will the policy continue into the English summer? It's certainly something we have to be aware of and consider because we don't know what the landscape will look like from a Covid point of view.

"Could players be flying home midway through the Ashes? We have to be proactive in looking after them, so it's certainly something that we may have to look at, yes.

"I know things are slowly opening up, but we will be guided by the medical advice and what's happening in the country. It's certainly something that we are probably going to have around."

The suggestion that England may consider resting players from the Ashes may assuage those angry that the policy was utilised during the India series. So, while Silverwood ultimately hopes he can build a squad of players strong enough to ensure that on-going rotation can take place without any noticeable weakening of the side, he insists this is no reflection of any diminishing desire for success.

"We are trying to grow a group of players where we can put a strong side all the time," he said. "Again, we have to be aware that we have to look after our players. There is a whole load of cricket coming up this summer, then we very quickly disappear abroad once our summer is finished. We've got to make sure we are proactive and look after our players.

"No-one took this series lightly, I can promise you that. Absolutely not. We came here wanting to win and we went hard in that first Test and won it. India then came back hard in the last three Tests. It's a very difficult place to come to and win. History tells you that. Don't for one minute think we took this series lightly because we didn't."

Meanwhile, Silverwood played down concerns about the quality of training facilities in Ahmedabad, insisting they were "the same for both sides". ESPNcricinfo understands the outdoor nets at the stadium have been considered inadequate since the eve of the third Test, with seamers unable to bowl to batsmen due to fear of injuring them.

That has led to fears that some players - especially those who have just joined the squad from England - could be obliged to go into the series without the preparation they might have liked. The T20I series starts on Friday. There are no official warm-up games ahead of it.

"The training facilities are the same for both sides and whatever we get, we will work around it," Silverwood said. "What we did have today was a very good indoor school so we have got facilities to make things work."

A Kobe Bryant rookie card sold for $1.795 million late Saturday on Goldin Auctions, an online auction house and repository for sports memorabilia, making it one of the most expensive basketball cards ever sold.

The "1996-97 Topps Chrome Refractors #138 Kobe Bryant Rookie Card -- BGS PRISTINE/Black Label 10" is just one of two in the world "at its level of perfection," according to Goldin Auctions.

The card's condition report had perfect 10s across the board, qualifying it for the prestigious "black label" recognition.

Final Sale Price: $1,795,800

An all-time record for any Kobe Bryant card. pic.twitter.com/dTStDwavHx

— Goldin Auctions (@GoldinAuctions) March 7, 2021

Goldin Auctions had not released the name of the buyer as of Sunday morning.

Bryant was one of the most revered athletes in the world before his death last year. The five-time NBA champion died with his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash in California on Jan. 26, 2020, at the age of 41.

Within weeks after his death, Bryant cards were everywhere online, increasing in value by 600%, according to eBay sales data.

"Kobe Bryant was one of the fiercest competitors of all time and a truly larger-than-life figure. His rookie card is one of the rarest in existence and one of only two on earth in black label pristine condition, which is the highest possible obtainable grade. The fact that it sold for the final auction price of $1.795 million, the all-time record for any Kobe Bryant card, speaks to just how beloved he was around the world," Ken Goldin, founder of Goldin Auctions, told ESPN on Sunday. "The enthusiasm for trading cards and memorabilia has never been higher and as even more people recognize the incredible investment opportunity these assets offer, we anticipate that interest will only continue to grow."

On Thursday, a signed Tom Brady rookie card sold for a record $1.32 million on PWCC Marketplace. The $1.32 million price tag is believed to be the highest price paid for a football card, eclipsing the previous record by nearly $500,000.

Rookie cards are the most expensive cards as of late -- but neither Bryant's nor Brady's are the priciest.

In July 2020, a 2003-04 LeBron James Upper Deck rookie Patch Parallel card sold at auction for $1.845 million at Goldin Auctions to Lob.com CEO Leore Avidar. The price tag set a record for modern-day (produced in 1980 or later) basketball cards and was the most any basketball card has ever sold for.

Outside of basketball, a Mike Trout autographed rookie card went for a whopping $3.9 million on Goldin Auctions in August 2020.

Leave it to Mickey Mantle to hold the record, though. In January, a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card sold for $5.2 million on PWCC Marketplace and still stands as the most expensive sports card ever sold.

Philadelphia 76ers teammates Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons have been ruled out of Sunday's NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta, the league has announced. The two had contact with a barber who has since tested positive for the coronavirus, sources told ESPN.

The barber, located in the Philadelphia area, tested positive after undergoing additional testing Sunday because of an inconclusive positive test, sources said.

Embiid is on Team Durant, while Simmons is on Team LeBron. There are no plans to replace them in the All-Star Game at this point, a source told ESPN.

Both Embiid and Simmons traveled to Atlanta on Saturday night in private planes and have remained in quarantine, which was the protocol for every All-Star participant. The NBA has feared an outbreak involving the league's best players in Atlanta and has significant precautions in place to isolate the players on the way in and out of Atlanta for the game.

CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Indians third baseman José Ramírez and slugger Franmil Reyes have been isolated from their teammates at spring training after breaking COVID-19 protocols.

Manager Terry Francona said Sunday that the two players have been sent to their temporary homes in Arizona as the Indians await word from the league as to when they can rejoin the team.

Francona said Reyes drove to the Indians' exhibition game on Friday in Mesa and went to get a haircut following the 10-4 win.

Reyes, who had a similar misstep last year when spring training resumed after the coronavirus-caused shutdown, told the Indians that he and Ramirez then went out to dinner and were indoors, which violates COVID-19 guidelines established by Major League Baseball and the players' union.

Francona said Reyes and Ramirez came to the team's complex on Saturday and were immediately sent home. They did not have contact with any other players or team personnel.

"We're pretty fortunate here," Francona said. "We have some medical people who are right on top of things and they came right to me and they said: 'Look, this is what we're doing. We're informing the league.' The players themselves actually self-reported that they had made a mistake.

"So we told them: 'This is not our rules. These are the rules that the players' association and Major League Baseball came up with. We have to enforce them.'"

Francona said he has spoken to both players, who understand they could have put others in jeopardy.

"They were both upfront and honest with us about what happened," Francona said. "We're not trying to put guys in the penalty box. We try to talk to guys almost every day. 'Hey, this is gonna happen if -- it doesn't matter if you agree with it or not. These are the protocols that are in place and you have to live by it.'"

Last season, the Indians were forced to isolate starting pitchers Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac when they broke COVID-19 protocols by going out to eat while the team was in Chicago. Clevinger was traded to San Diego a few weeks later.

World indoor champion set for European title, while Pozzi, Sember and Porter all make hurdles progress as home nation withdraw men’s relay team due to positive tests

Kevin Mayer strengthened his grip on men’s heptathlon gold on what proved to be eventful start to the final day of competition at the European Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland.

There were almost as many talking points surrounding events away from the arena as there were when it came to the action which was taking place.

The championships will come to a climax later today, with the 4x400m relays bringing the competition to a close this evening. However, there will be no Polish men’s team involved after some of the athletes tested positive for Covid-19.

Eline Berings was also unable to compete, in the women’s 60m hurdles semi-finals, after a positive test. The Belgian tweeted: “No semi-final for me… apparently I tested positive on Covid yesterday. I don’t think I need to explain how devastated I am.”

The programme continued, however, and the day’s action had begun with Mayer aiming to cement his place at the top of the heptathlon standings. By lunchtime he had well and truly done that.

With just this evening’s 1000m event to go, the French world indoor champion sits on 5581 points, a lead of 262 over Spanish defending champion Jorge Urena (5319) and Pawel Wiesiolek (5294).

Mayer would need to go close to his 1000m PB is he is to break his European record of 6479.

The decathlon world record-holder started his day’s work by winning his heat of the 60m hurdles in 7.78, though young Swiss athlete Simon Ehammer maintained the pressure he had applied on day one with 7.82 and Urena was third with 7.87.

Going into the pole vault, Mayer’s overall lead was just 43 points, the Frenchman having accumulated 4609, with Ehammer on 4566 and Urena 4439.

The whole picture changed entirely, however, when Ehammer fell completely out of medal contention after he failed to clear his opening height of 4.50m in the pole vault.

Mayer entered the pole vault competition at 5.00m and although his opening attempt was unsuccessful, he went safely over before clearing 5.10m and 5.20m at the first time of asking. He did then make two unsuccessful attempts at 5.30m before deciding to bring his morning’s work to an end.

Pawel Wiesiolek took advantage of Ehammer’s slip and moved into bronze medal position thanks to a pole vault PB of 5.20m, while Urena was fifth-best with a season’s best of 4.90m.

Both men’s and women’s 6om hurdles finals have been set up beautifully after some impressive performances in the semis.

For the men, British world indoor champion Andrew Pozzi made sure of his progress when winning the opening heat in 7.53. Frenchman Wilhem Belocian was quickest overall, winning heat two in 7.49. Poland’s Damian Czykier was third-fastest in 7.59 after coming first in heat three.

Sisters Cindy Sember and Tiffany Porter will represent Britain in the women’s 60m hurdles final, the former equalling her PB of 7.89 in the second semi as she finished just behind the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser (7.86). Porter clocked 7.98 to finish second the opening race, behind the 7.97 run of Nooralotta Neziri of Finland. Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska clocked a PB of  7.88 to win the third semi-final.

In the women’s 60m semis, Switzerland’s Ajla Del Ponte qualified fastest for the final, clocking 7.19. Frenchwoman Carolle Zahi – fastest in the earlier heats with 7.22 – was second-fastest in 7.21, with Finland’s Lotta Kemppinen third-fastest with 7.24.

CRANDALL, Texas – Dereck Ramirez met every challenge that came his way Saturday night at RPM Speedway, and it paid off with a $10,000 prize and victory in the finale of the 11th annual USMTS Texas Spring Nationals.

Sybesma Graphics Pole Award winner Kale Westover took control at the waving green flag while Friday’s winner, Terry Phillips, quickly jumped from fifth on the starting grid to second in less than two laps around the quarter-mile bullring.

With Phillips searching for an opening around Westover around the bottom of the racing surface, Ramirez made a charge around the outside of third-running Tyler Wolff to put himself into contention when the yellow flag was displayed for the first time with seven laps in the books to thwart the four-car breakaway.

Phillips to the high side, gets by Westover and slams the door shut to lead the ninth lap. Westover followed Phillips to the top while Ramirez and Wolff occupied the short way around the track.

Meanwhile, defending USMTS national champ Rodney Sanders joined the action up front.

The next dozen or so laps were jaw-dropping, as Phillips went high with Ramirez low in one corner and then crossing-over to swap lanes in the next while Westover and Sanders sat back and enjoyed the show.

Ramirez was rewarded for his patience and shot past Phillips to lead lap 21.

Four laps later, Westover executed a bottom-to-top monster slider to put Phillips back to third place. Five laps later Phillips was all the way back to fifth, while Ramirez, Westover and Sanders battled up front with Wolff in tow.

Sanders erased the advantage Ramirez enjoyed and the leaders finally reached the back of the field on the 38th lap — 31 rotations since the last slowdown on the seventh lap — but the battle that was brewing was cooled off as the race’s third caution slowed the pace.

Ramirez took to the low side on the restart while Sanders went to the top, but the two changed lanes in the next corner with Ramirez continuing to cling to a thin advantage with 10 laps to go. Meanwhile, 2018 USMTS national champ Johnny Scott was catfishing his way forward and challenged Wolff for third as they completed lap 41.

With five to go, Sanders peeked to the inside of Ramirez but was unable to pull ahead. Ramirez responded by pulling away while Wolff filled the top line when Sanders abandoned it.

Ramirez saw the checkered flag first to earn a $10,000 paycheck and his 15th career USMTS win. He’ll be sporting the bright yellow Wrisco Points Leader spoiler when the series invades the Humboldt speedway for King of America X in two weeks.

Wolff wound up one spot shy of notching his second USMTS triumph, while Sanders held on for third and Scott and Westover completed the top five.

Tanner Mullens, Jake O’Neil, Phillips, Lucas Schott and Jake Gallardo closed the top 10.

The results:

1. (4) 4r Dereck Ramirez, Woodward, Okla., Hughes/Cornett, $10,000.
2. (2) 4w Tyler Wolff, Fayetteville, Ark., MBCustoms/ECE, $5,000.
3. (6) 20 Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas, MBCustoms/Hatfield, $3,000.
4. (7) 1st Johnny Scott, Las Cruces, N.M., MBCustoms/Stoen, $2,000.
5. (1) 15 Kale Westover, Altus, Okla., WesternFlyer/Knowles, $1,700.
6. (11) 02 Tanner Mullens, Wichita, Kan., Mullens/Mullens, $1,500.
7. (17) 0 Jake O’Neil, Tucson, Ariz., LG2/Cornett, $1,200.
8. (5) 75 Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo., GRT/Durham, $1,000.
9. (13) 19s Lucas Schott, Chatfield, Minn., MBCustoms/Action, $900.
10. (15) J17 Jake Gallardo, Las Cruces, N.M., GRC/Mullins, $850.
11. (18) 60 Dan Ebert, Lake Shore, Minn., Lethal/Ebert, $800.
12. (14) 12L Lucas Lee, Paris, Tenn., Hughes/Mullins, $775.
13. (27) 12 Jason Hughes, Watts, Okla., Hughes/Mullins, $175.
14. (9) 65 Tyler Davis, Haysville, Kan., Hughes/Mullins, $740.
15. (16) K19 Will Krup, Mt. Carmel, Ill., Elite/Baldwin, $735.
16. (26) 91 Joe Duvall, Claremore, Okla., MBCustoms/Stoen, $730.
17. (12) 21 Jacob Bleess, Chatfield, Minn., VanderBuilt/KSE, $725.
18. (19) 12J Jason Ingalls, Longview, Texas, IRP/Shipley, $720.
19. (24) 33z Zack VanderBeek, New Sharon, Iowa, VanderBuilt/Stoen, $715.
20. (20) 87 Darron Fuqua, Mayetta, Kan., MBCustoms/Driskell, $710.
21. (8) 19 Dustin Sorensen, Rochester, Minn., MBCustoms/Action, $705.
22. (23) 19sb Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif., MRT/Yeoman, $700.
23. (21) 89x Jesse Glenz, Chippewa Falls, Wis., MBCustoms/KSE, $700.
24. (10) 82 Max Eddie Thomas, Wills Point, Texas, IRP/Shoulders, $700.
25. (3) 6 Casey Skyberg, Rapid City, S.D., Lethal/Mullins, $700.
26. (25) 65x Carlos Ahumada Jr., Canutillo, Texas, Hughes/BMS, $700.
27. (22) 85 Jayson Good, Watertown, S.D., MBCustoms/Tim’s, $700.

Lap Leaders: Westover 1-8, Phillips 9-20, Ramirez 21-50.
Total Laps Led: Ramirez 30, Phillips 12, Westover 8.
Margin of Victory: 1.112 seconds.