British athletes have continued their European Indoor Championships success in recent years between 2000 and 2019

In the last of our series we look at British successes in the last 10 Championships.

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In our member-only Clubhouse there are articles on the most successful women at the European Indoor Championships and the greatest male athletes at the events.

2000 Ghent, February 25-27 (GB: 2 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze)

Gold: Jason Gardener 60m 6.49
The Bath Bullet, who had been second in the previous championships, showed greatly improved form to run his fastest time but he still only won by a small margin as he was chased home by the Greeks Georgios Theodoris (6.51) and defending champion Angelos Pavlakakis (6.54).

He achieved his PB despite a slight stumble at the start but his pick up mid-race was too good for his opponents.

Gold: Christian Malcolm 200m 20.54
The 20-year-old world junior champion who is now Britain’s head coach, had his best senior victory with a fast start and clear win over Belgium’s Patrick Stevens (20.70) and his team-mate and Commonwealth champion Julian Golding.

This event only began in 1982 and was finally run in 2005 due to concerns that the lane draw effectively was deciding the medals rather than the athletes ability. Malcolm won in lane six from Stevens in lane five while the long-legged Golding was in the much tighter lane three.

Other medallists:
Julian Golding 200m bronze 21.05 (Malcolm)
John Mayock 3000m bronze 7:49.97 (M Carroll 7:49.24)
Tony Jarrett 60mH silver 7.53 (S Olijars 7.50)

2002 Vienna, March 1-3 (GB: 2, 3, 2)

Gold: Jason Gardener 60m 6.49
He defended his title in style matching Jackson’s and his own championships record time from 2000 exactly and he won by a clear margin from teenager Mark Lewis-Francis with the rest of Europe led by Anatoliy Dovgal (6.62) outside 6.60.

Gardener, who had suffered from major back problems since his last victory, might have gone even quicker but he raised his hands prematurely to celebrate and lost a little momentum.

Gold: Colin Jackson 60m hurdles 7.40
Unusually the Briton was not fastest in the semi finals as his occasional training partner Elmar Lichtenegger impressed with a 7.45 to Jackson’s 7.55 and the Austrian had the knowledge that he had beaten Jackson in Erfurt earlier in the season.

In the final though the Austrian was barely faster than in his semi (7.44) and Jackson, who was behind until well into the second half, won by few feet in a time slightly faster than his 1994 championship record winning time and this time is still the fastest final 19 years later but the championships record is his 7.39 heat in 1994.

The winner had predicted that exact time would suffice for gold when he won the AAA title.

Other medallists
Mark Lewis-Francis 60m silver 6.55 (Gardener)
Christian Malcolm 200m silver 20.65 (M Urbas 20.64)
Mike East 1500m bronze 3:50.52 (R Silva 3:49.93)
John Mayock 3000m bronze 7:48.08 (A Garcia 7:43.89)
Ashia Hansen Triple jump silver 14.71m (T Marinova 14.81m)

2005 Madrid, March 4-6 (GB: 1, 4, 1)

Gold: Jason Gardener 60m 6.55
The Briton, who had led off Britain’s gold medal winning 4x100m team in Athens, was not as sharp as he was in the previous two championships and Andrey Yepishin beat him in his semi final as both ran 6.58.

The pre-event favourite though was Frenchman Ronald Pognon who had reduced Gardener’s European record to 6.46 earlier in the season.

In the final though Gardener’s great experience told as the Russian was only fifth across the line in 6.65 as the Briton won comfortably thanks to his great start.

Second across the line was his Athens team-mate Mark Lewis-Francis, who had been injured at the AAA and only gained a very late qualifying time, but finished strongly here to be timed in 6.59.

Unfortunately Lewis-Francis later lost his silver medal due to a drug test showing cannabis.
Pognon, who seemingly crumbled under the pressure, was upgraded to second in 6.62.

Other medallists:
Chris Lambert 200m slver 20.69 (I T Unger 20.53)
John Mayock 3000m silver 7:51.46 (A Cragg 7:46.32)
Men’s 4x400m silver 3:09.53 (France 3:07.90)
Kelly Sotherton Pentathlon silver 4733 (C Kluft 4948)
Women’s 4x400m bronze 3:29.81 (Russia 3:28.00)

2007 Birmingham, March 2-4 (GB: 4, 3, 3)

Gold: Jason Gardener 60m 6.51
Gardener made it four consecutive golds as he enjoyed a clear win and in a faster time than two years earlier where he had said would probably be his last. His team-mate Craig Pickering was almost a metre down in second in 6.59 with Pognon (6.60) again the best of the rest.

Gold: Phillips Idowu Triple jump 17.56m
Britain also gained a one-two here as the winner added two centimetres to the Championships record jointly held by Olympic champion Christian Olsson.

Nathan Douglas, still one of Britain’s top jumpers, had one of his best days to finish a clear second with 17.47m and well clear of the next best Alexsandr Sergeyev’s 17.15m.

Gold: Men’s 4x400m 3:07.04
The team was led off by individual bronze medallist Rob Tobin who took the lead at the break and held on for a clear lead. Dale Garland handed over third but within touch before Phil Taylor moved up to second with a well-judged second lap.

On the anchor leg, Russia were ahead but on the final bend Germany’s huge individual silver medallist Bastian Swilliams caught the Russian as he went to go by and the Russian badly stumbled and lost all momentum and as Germany and a clear lead, Britain’s Steve Green was able to pass the staggering Russian.

The German was disqualified and Britain were fortunately advanced to first and Russia (3:08.10) who would have beaten Britain but for the German collision were promoted to second.

Gold: Nicola Sanders 400m 50.02
The fast improving athlete, who would later in the year go close to winning the world outdoor title, shocked with one of the greatest ever runs by a Briton indoors at any distance.

The former hurdler massacred the opposition from lane six passing 200m in a brilliant 23.31 with a three metre lead and the gap grew throughout the second lap as she passed 300m in around 36 seconds and though slowing she held on well to smash the British record.

Runner-up Ilona Usovich (51.00) was almost a second back. Fourteen years on, the performance still stands fifth all-time indoors.

Other medallists:
Craig Pickering 60m silver 6.59 (Gardener)
Robert Tobin 400m bronze 46.15 (D Gillick 45.52)
Martyn Bernard High jump bronze 2.29m (S Holm 2.34m)
Nathan Douglas Triple jump silver 17.47m (Idowu)
Kelly Sotherton Pentathlon silver 4927 (C Kluft 4944)
Women’s 4x400m bronze 3:28.691 (Belarus 3:27.83)

2009 Turin, March 6-8 (GB: 2, 2, 0)

Gold: Dwain Chambers 60m 6.46 (6.42 semi *European record)
A two-metre win in a still standing European record 6.42 in his semi final underlined who was going to win and though he was not quite as fast in the final he still won by a clear metre from home athletes Fabio Cerruti and Emanuele Di Gregorio (both 6.56) with Simeon Williamson (6.57) just missing out.on a medal in fourth. Because of his earlier drugs suspension, Chambers was subject to boos during the medal ceremony.

Gold: Mo Farah 3000m 7:40.17
This was the start of his many senior gold medal performances on the track and was more clear-cut than his global wins over the following decade.

Helped by the pace-making of fellow Brit Mark Draper over the opening kilometre he run even halfs around the 3:50 mark and won by just two seconds as he was pursued throughout by Bouabdellah Tahri (7:42.14) and his 2006 European 5000m conqueror Jesus Espana (7:43.29).

Other medallists:
Men’s 4x400m silver 3:07.04 (Italy 3:06.68)
Women’s 4x400m silver 3:30.42 (Russia 3:29.12)

2011 Paris, March 4-6 (GB: 3, 4, 2)

Gold: Mo Farah 3000m 7:53.00
He defended his title with another fast finish but was pushed hard all the way especially on the final bend by Hayle Ibrahimov (7:53.32) as he tried to control the closing laps.

The 1500m runner Andy Baddeley just missed out on a medal (7:54.49) to Turk Halil Akkas (7:54.19) having been third coming into the straight. Farah’s last five laps while ahead were 29.86, 30.06, 29.81, 29.35 and 27.00.

Gold: Jenny Meadows 800m 2:00.50
The Briton, who had led by five metres at the bell, was not first across the line but won the title retrospectively after Yevgeniya Zinurova (2:00.19) who caught her as she tired on the last lap, was disqualified for a failed drugs test.

Yuliya Stepanova, renowned for her drug whistle-blowing was next in 2:00.80 but was also removed for a failed test and it was Linda Marguet who was awarded the silver in 2:01.61.

Marilyn Okoro, who has just announced her retirement was upgraded to third in 2:02.46.

Gold: Helen Clitheroe 3000m 8:56.66
The Briton coming towards the end of her career at the age of 37, pulled off her greatest and most exciting win as she made a bold move over the closing laps to narrowly edge Russian Oleysa Syreva (8:56.69) and defeat former champion Lidia Chojecka (8:58.30, who has since been upgraded to second.

Clitheroe, the team captain, had three runners behind her as they entered the last 400m and looked vulnerable having been fourth in four previous major finals.

She lost the lead to Chojecka at the bell but fought back past down the back straight and stronger than ever she accelerated on the bend and then gritted out a deserved victory as she just about held off the Russian though her winning margin became bigger when the Russian was removed from the results.

Other medallists:
Dwain Chambers 60m silver 6.53 (F Obikwelu 6.53)
Richard Buck 400m bronze 46.62 (L Djhone 45.54)
Men’s 4x400m silver 3:06.46 (France 3:06.17)
Marilyn Okoro 800m bronze 2:02.46 (Meadows)
Tiffany Porter 60mH silver 7.80 (C Dietrich 7.80)
Women’s 4x400m silver 3:31.36 (Russia 3:29.34)

2013 Gothenburg, Feb 28-Mar 3 (GB: 4, 3, 1)

Gold: Men’s 4x400m 3:05.78
Britain’s team of Michael Bingham (47.19), Richard Buck (46.40), Nigel Levine (the second quickest split of the whole race – 45.74) and Richard Strachan (46.45) ran out easy winners over Russia (3:06.96) and the Czech Republic (3:07.64). Kevin Borlee of fourth team Belgium had the fastest split of 45.68.

Gold Perri Shakes-Drayton 400m 50.85
This proved to be a battle of the 400m hurdlers as the promising hurdler held off the challenge of her team-mate and hurdles rival Eilidh Doyle (51.45) in a world leading time as she led all the way to gold.

European outdoor champion Moa Hjelmer was the best of the rest in 52.04 just ahead of future world 400m hurdles champion Zuzana Hejnova (52.12).

Gold: Holly Bradshaw Pole vault 4.67m
This proved to be her best win to date as she beat Anna Rogowska as future champion Anzhelika Sidorova (4.62m) won the bronze. This was Britain’s first gold in a horizontal jump.

When she failed her third attempt at 4.72m, she thought he had finished second to the Pole but a closer look at the results revealed it was a tie.

She could have settled for joint gold but decided she would rather have a jump-off. Both jumpers failed at 4.72m again but Bleasdale made 4.67m which was beyond the Pole who would have been happy to have avoid a jump-off and settle for a shared title.

Gold: Women’s 4x400m 3:27.56
Britain were favourites after taking the first two individual spots backed up by 400m finalist Shana Cox and world and Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu.

The win was not as overwhelming as it should have been on paper with Russia (3:28.18) with four fresh athletes chasing them hard all the way.

Child (52.21) came in a close second before Cox (52.25) went ahead by a small margin over the Czech Republic. Ohuruogu, in her first 400m of the year, lost a little ground to Russia despite a 51.88 split before the individual champion’s 51.22, the quickest of the race, reopened the gap ahead.

Other medallists:
James Dasaolu 60m silver 6.48 (J Vicaut 6.48)
Nigel Levine 400m silver 46.21 (P Maslak 45.66)
Mukhtar Mohammed 800m bronze 1:49.60 (A Kszczot 1:48.69)
Eilidh Doyle 400m silver 51.45 (Shakes-Drayton)

2015 Prague, March 5-8 (GB: 2, 4, 3)

Gold: Richard Kilty 60m 6.51
The surprise world champion followed up his success with another title easily winning from Germans Christian Blum (6.58) anmd Julian Reus (6.60) despite having missed the two main British meets prior to the Championships.

He had looked sharp in qualifying winning his heat in 6.57 and his semi final in 6.53.

CJ Ujah, who was expected to be Kilty’s biggest rival, false started in the final having won both his heat and semi final in 6.57.

Gold: Katarina Johnson-Thompson Pentathlon 5000 (UK record)
The Briton moved up a level with this storming victory which easily beat future Olympic and world champion Nafissatou Thiam (4696) by over 300 points and missed Nataliya Dobrynska’s world record by just 13 points.

The Briton led from the start with a 8.18 hurdles PB before a 1.95 high jump stretched the gap significantly. Her shot though was 12.32m, the worst of the 13 competitors and Thiam briefly borrowed the lead.

However, the Briton finished in style over the last two events with a huge 6.89m long jump which was just short of her British record, before gaining her fourth win out of five with a 2:12.78 800m.

The last event though ultimately proved a disappointment as she needed 2:11.86 to break the world record and 2:20 for the British mark but out on her own she paced it badly and struggled on the last lap and a fell a second short of the world best.

Her high jump- would have placed her third in the individual event and her long jump was only bettered by Ivana Spanovic.

Britain’s current top high jumper Morgan Lake finished ninth.

Other medallists:
Chris O’Hare 1500m bronze 3:38.96 (I Holusa 3:37.68)
Lee Emanuel 3000m silver 7:44.48 (A Kaya 7:38.42)
Dina Asher-Smith 60m silver 7.08 (D Schippers 7.05)
Seren Bundy-Davies 400m bronze 52.64 (N Pyhyda 51.96)
Lucy Hatton 60mH silver 7.90 (A Talay 7.85)
Serita Solomon 60mH bronze (Talay)

Women’s 4x400m silver 3:31.79 (France 3:31.61)

2017 Belgrade, March 3-5 (5, 4, 1)

Gold: Richard Kilty 60m 6.54
He again proved what a superb competitor he was over the short sprint distance by easily defending his title from future champion Jan Volko (6.58) as Andy Robertson suffered a disqualification in the final.

Gold: Andrew Pozzi 60m hurdles 7.51
It was an exciting race with just 0.03 of a second covering the top four as Pozzi just got the measure of Pascal Martinot-Lagarde (7.52) and Petr Svobada (7.53).

The Briton who was fastest in the heats (7.52), had twice finished fourth in the world indoor championships and he got a poor start here.

However, he came through strongly with a driving last few hurdles and a Colin Jackson-esque dip to pip the Frenchman who medalled for the sixth successive year at a world or European indoor event.

Gold: Asha Philip 60m 7.06 (UK record)
She only won the semi final in 7.20 and went into the competition with a 7.18 season’s best but in the final she blasted to her most impressive run to date.

There were a few scares as she seemingly got a great start at the first running but there was a recall and a wait before her reaction time was revealed as a barely legal 0.102 and it was Ewa Swoboda who was credited with the false start but not penalised.

At the second attempt Philip got a 0.113 reaction and was quickly into her pick up but only went clear in the last 20 metres to win clearly from Oleysa Povh and Ewa Swoboda (both 7.10).

Gold: Laura Muir 1500m 4:02.39 (UK record)
Muir was chased hard all the way by Konstanze Klosterhalfen (4:04.45) who had no answer to her last lap speed.

The race started slowly with a 35 second opening 200m before Muir pushed on to pass 400m in 67.76 and 800m in 2:12.42. There was no let-up in the pace in the third quarter as she reached 1200m in 3:17.13. her last two laps of 30.74 and 30.73 finally broke the German and Sofia Ennaoui.

Her last 1200m of 3:09.52 (3:57 pace) ensured she set both a British record and Championships best despite the slow start.

Muir’s other victory of the day came afterwards as an official tried to prevent her doing a lap of honour but the Brit sidestepped the official and did one anyway.

Gold: Laura Muir 3000m 8:35.67
European outdoor 5000m and 10,000m champion Yasemin Can set a quick pace but was blown away by the Briton’s fast finish that gave her victory by almost seven seconds from Kenyan-born Turk (8:43.46) with Eilish McColgan sprinting home in third.

Muir had finished fourth in this event in 2015 just missing a medal but was a greatly improved athlete in 2017 and 20 hours after her 1500m record, followed Can through a modest 2:59.98 opening kilometre before the Turk upped the pace to 2:51.00 for the second and only Muir could follow.

Under no pressure despite the fast pace, Muir cut loose 300m out and completed the penultimate lap in 30.89 and ran the last lap in a superb 29.51 for a 2:44.39 final kilometre to give her another championships record.

Other medallists:
Robbie Grabarz High jump silver 2.30m (S Bednarek 2.32m)
Eilish McColgan 3000m bronze 8:47.43 (Muir)
Shelayna Oskan-Clarke 800m silver 2:00.39 (S Buchel 2:00.38)
Lorraine Ugen Long jump silver 6.97m (I Spanovic 7.24m)
Women’s 4x400m silver 3:31.05 (Poland 3:29.94)

2019: Glasgow, March 1-2 (GB: 4 6 2)

Gold: Laura Muir 3000m 8:30.61
Klosterhalfen, second to Muir in the 1500m two years earlier, had improved and led the world rankings and after a slow first 1500m, really dug in over the second half and the home crowd were worried that she might be weakening the Scottish athlete.

They need not have worried as at the bell, Muir produced one of the greatest sprints ever seen in a fast 3000m as she blasted the last 200m in a staggering 28.32.

That opened up a three seconds gap on the German (8:34.06) and meant she had covered the second half in 4:05 and set a world lead.

Melissa Courtney ensured a double British medal haul at this event for the second Championships running.

Gold: Laura Muir 1500m 4:05.92
With no Klosterhalfen, Muir set her own pace and gradually began to wind up the speed after a steady start.

Sonia Ennaoui, who had been second to Muir in the 2018 European outdoor championships, tried to hang on but Muir covered the last 800m in 2:03.89 but it is the last 400m of 57.58 from the front though that showed on her day she can beat any runner in the world.

The Pole ran 4:09.30 losing over three seconds with Ireland’s Ciara Mageean a close third (4:09.43).

Gold: Katarina Johnson-Thompson Pentathlon 4983
Later in the year she would beat Thiam to the world outdoor title but here she settled on winning by a massive 252 points from promising young Briton Niamh Emerson (4731).

The gold medallist’s marks here were 8.27, 1.96, 13.15, 6.53 and 2:09.13, the highlights being another great high jump and her PB shot.

Gold: Shelayna Oskan-Clarke 800m 2:02.58
She made up for her narrow loss in 2017 with a controlled front run.

She led through 400m in 60.42 and comfortably held off the challenge of double European silver medallist Renelle Lamote (2:03.00) to win by over three metres.

Other medallists:
Jamie Webb 800m silver 1:47.13 (A de Arriba 1:46.83)
Chris O’Hare 3000m silver 7:57.19 (J Ingebrigtsen 7:56.15)
Timothy Duckworth Heptathlon silver 6156 (J Urena 6218)
Asha Philip 60m bronze 7.15 (E Swobada 7.09)
Melissa Courtney-Bryant 3000m bronze (Muir)
Holly Bradshaw Pole vault silver 4.75m (A Sidorova 4.85m)
Niamh Emerson Pentathlon silver 4731 (Johnson-Thompson)
Women’s 4x400m silver 3:29:55 (Poland 3:28.77)

Reigning 60m champion is poised for title defence, as hurdlers Andy Pozzi and Nadine Visser plus heptathletes Simon Ehammer and Kevin Mayer impress on Saturday morning at the European Indoors

Jan Volko defends his title in the men’s 60m final on Saturday night in Toruń and it promises to be a thrilling race with Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy, Andy Robertson of Britain and Kevin Kranz of Germany among the contenders.

They all breezed through their semi-finals with Jacobs the quickest with 6.56 while Volko, of the Slovak Republic, just one hundredth of a second slower.

Robertson, meanwhile, won his semi in 6.59 and will be trying to follow in the footsteps of former British winners such as Jason Gardener, Richard Kilty, Linford Christie and Colin Jackson.

Robertson, 30, is the only Brit in the final, though, as Harry Aikines-Aryeetey was sixth in his semi despite running a season’s best of 6.67 and Oliver Bromby was third in Jacob’s semi in 6.64.

Earlier in the morning on this third day of the European Indoor Championships, Jacobs led the qualifiers in the first round heats with 6.59 as Robertson ran 6.60, Bromby 6.70) and Aikines-Aryeety 6.68.

“I don’t think of defending my title,” said Volko, “but I am ready for the final and will try to show the best of me.”

Simon Ehammer has enjoyed a flying start in the heptathlon and leads world decathlon record-holder Kevin Mayer after three of the seven events.

Ehammer, the 2019 European under-20 champion from Switzerland, was quickest of all the first event – the 60m – with 6.75 as Mayer clocked 6.86. Ehammer then extended his lead with a 7.89m long jump compared to Mayer’s 7.47.

Mayer enjoyed a terrific shot put, though, as the Frenchman threw 16.32m while Ehammer managed 14.75m. This means Mayer sits 49 points behind Ehammer going into the high jump, sprint hurdles, pole vault and 1000m.

Andy Pozzi, the 2018 world indoor champion, looked in supreme shape in the 60m hurdles as he breezed through his heat in 7.52. The Briton will face tough opposition in Sunday’s semi-final and final, though, as Wilhelm Belocian of France also ran 7.52 to win his heat.

“The competitors are really fast but I will try to go for a gold,” said Pozzi. “I trained in Italy so it’s been easier for me than for other British athletes.”

Nadine Visser (below) led the qualifiers in the women’s 60m hurdles with 7.92. The Dutch sprint hurdler looked in great form as five athletes broke the eight-second barrier.

One of them was Cindy Sember of Britain, who clocked her best time since 2017 when running 7.99 in Visser’s heat. However, Britain’s Emma Nwofor exited after finishing fifth in her heat in 8.24.

Sember’s sister, Tiffany Porter, also progressed as she won her heat in 8.04 but the former European outdoor champion was not happy with her poor start in the race. Unusually, the 33-year-old chooses to race wearing a mask too. However she says it is no big deal as she wears one in training the whole time.

Mondo Duplantis comfortably qualified for the men’s pole vault final by taking just one attempt where he easily cleared 5.60m. That final will not include Renaud Lavillenie, though, as the Frenchman withdrew on the eve of the championships due to a slight injury. Neither will it include Charlie Myers, the sole British competitor clearing 5.35m but failing at 5.50m to finish 13^th equal.

“It’s been a long time since we had a championships – I think summer 2019 – and it feels good to be back in that championship feeling,” said Duplantis.

Andy Butchart was quickest of the 3000m qualifiers with 7:46.46 as he finished in front of Adel Mechaal in his heat. For Butchart, it was the second quickest heat time in European Indoor Championships history. His GB team-mate Jack Rowe, meanwhile, also qualified when third in 7:55.67 in a heat won by Mohammed Katir of Spain.

However all eyes were on Jakob Ingebrigtsen after the controversy surrounding his 1500m victory the previous night. And this time the Norwegian stayed out of trouble to clock 7:49.52 (surprisingly a PB) in third behind Jimmy Gressier’s 7:48.93 heat win. Such was the high standard of the event, Mike Foppen of the Netherlands became the first athlete ever to break 7:50 – with 7:49.99 – and not qualify.

Ingebrigtsen said it was “a long night” after the 1500m final, adding: “I’m really happy with how it turned out and I’m hungry for more, although the 1500m was my main goal.”

Marcin Lewandowski, the Polish runner who finished runner-up to Ingebrigtsen in the 1500m, chose not to race in the 3000m.

LAS VEGAS – John Hunter Nemechek knew when he returned to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to drive for Kyle Busch Motorsports he would be expected to win.

On Friday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Nemechek did just that and he beat his boss, Kyle Busch, to do it.

Nemechek dominated the Bucked Up 250 on Friday night for his seventh Truck Series victory, his first with the Kyle Busch Motorsports team. It was vindication for Nemechek, who departed the NASCAR Cup Series after his rookie season to return to the Truck Series because he wanted to win races again.

“Coming back to the Truck Series, that was the plan, that was the goal (to win races). We came into this year with the hashtag #HereForWins, so we’re here for wins,” Nemechek said. “Overall it’s an awesome victory.”

Nemechek may have led the most laps, but he wasn’t on cruise control as he had to fend off Busch throughout the race. Busch started 29th in the 40-truck field but raced his way to the front and took the lead for the first time on lap 48 when he drove by Nemechek.

However, Busch found himself playing catchup with 46 laps left when the left-rear tire on his No. 51 Toyota Tundra went flat and he spun to bring out the caution flag in turn two. Busch went a lap down, but was able to get back on the lead lap when the caution waved again for a multi-truck crash with 38 laps left.

Busch restarted 25th with 31 laps left and quickly went to work slicing his way through the field while Nemechek led the race. When the caution flag waved again with 20 laps left, Busch had worked his way up to ninth while Nemechek was the race leader.

The ensuing restart saw Busch quickly work his way up to third, but another caution for two trucks crashing down the backstretch set up one final restart with Nemechek leading Austin Hill and Busch.

Using the choose rule, Busch opted to line up behind Nemechek for the restart and gave him a big push to help him clear Hill before the field got to turn one. Busch moved into second as a result, but despite his best efforts he had nothing for Nemechek who held on to earn his first victory of the season.

“All of my guys, everyone at KBM, they gave us one heck of a truck tonight,” Nemechek said. “Kyle’s truck was really fast as well, luckily we were able to execute on that restart there at the end and put ourselves in position to be leading and win this thing.”

Busch, making the first of his five Truck Series starts this year, said it was gratifying to see the performance the Kyle Busch Motorsports team put together on Friday evening after the organization swept the top-two spots.

“It’s perfect, it’s all you can ask for, it’s everything,” Busch said. “It’s cool to see the 4 truck in victory lane. It’s cool to see John Hunter have a shot to get back in victory lane and having Erik Phillips (Nemechek’s crew chief) back and all the guys that have come on board this year and doing all the stuff that we’re accustom to doing and getting back to running up front.

“That 4 truck was fast. Even on the short runs I couldn’t run with him, but after about eight or 10 (laps) I felt like I had a better shot of running with him. We just didn’t have laps there at the end.”

Hill finished third Friday evening, followed by Stewart Friesen and three-time series champion Matt Crafton.

Of note, there were 10 trucks in the race sponsored by series entitlement partner Camping World after a social media blitz by Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis in the days leading up to the race.

Two of those trucks – the No. 9 of Grant Enfinger and the No. 75 of Parker Kligerman – finished inside the top-10. Enfinger finished seventh, with Kligerman coming across the finish line in eighth.

For complete results, advance to the next page.

Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy ripped Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson for what he called "a predatory hit" on defenseman Brandon Carlo in Friday night's game at TD Garden.

Carlo went down after Wilson went hands-high to his head in the corner behind the Boston net, smashing the defenseman's head into the glass with 90 seconds left in the first period. Carlo absorbed a cross-check from Jakub Vrana on his way to the ice and remained there for several minutes.

Cassidy said Carlo left the arena in an ambulance and went to a hospital but could not confirm that he suffered a concussion.

"Clearly looked to me like he got him right in the head. A defenseless player, a predatory hit from a player that's done that before," Cassidy said of Wilson. "I don't understand why there wasn't a penalty called on the ice. They huddled up, but I did not get an explanation why."

During his eight-year career with the Capitals, Wilson has been one of the most penalized -- and most suspended -- players in the NHL. He is 10th among active players for penalty minutes, trailing only those who have been in the league five or more years longer than him.

He was not made available for comment after the game.

The music went silent in the empty arena after Carlo was hurt, and the Bruins' bench could be heard cussing out Wilson. When Carlo finally got to his skates, the only noise was his teammates banging their sticks against the boards.

No penalty was called.

When the teams came out for the second period, Bruins center Patrice Bergeron skated over to Wilson and spoke to him as he stretched out. Capitals star Alex Ovechkin skated by to monitor the situation, as did an official.

Players began shoving each other after the next whistle, and Capitals defenseman Brenden Dillon was sent off for roughing in a transparent makeup call. With about six minutes gone in the period, Boston's Jarred Tinordi and Wilson dropped their gloves.

"Sometimes when that stuff happens and there's no call, the players kind of settle it on the ice in their own way, and we felt that we pushed back and did what we could do and won the hockey game, and tried to let that particular player know that that was unnecessary," Cassidy said.

He added: "I assume it will get looked at by the National Hockey League."

The Bruins responded to Wilson's hit with a three-goal second period and tacked on another in the third to win 5-1.

"Put the fight aside, the guys came out with four goals [in a row] there,'' said Tinordi, who was playing just his second game with the Bruins since they claimed him off waivers from Nashville.

"How close this group is, I'm not surprised to see the boys respond in a big way after one of our guys goes down. You can't have guys taking liberties with our players out there.''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

FLINT, Mich. -- Claressa Shields wanted to make history on Friday night on multiple levels. The first part, she handled before she even stepped in the ring, headlining an all-women's pay-per-view card.

The second, she took care of in the ring in a way similar to all of her fights before. Shields defeated Marie-Eve Dicaire by unanimous decision to become the first boxer in the four-belt era (since 2004), male or female, to be an undisputed champion in two divisions. Shields retained her WBC and WBO junior middleweight titles while claiming Dicaire's IBF crown and the vacant WBA world title.

"I did it," Shields said in the ring after the fight, which marked the first time in 20 years a women's boxing match was the main event of a pay-per-view.

All three judges scored the fight 100-90, a clean sweep for the fighter who calls herself the greatest of all time. Shields landed 116 of 409 punches, and Dicaire landed 31 of 263. Shields landed double-digit punches in seven of the 10 rounds.

After the fight, Shields (11-0, 2 KO) was asked if she would drop to 147 pounds to fight against Katie Taylor. Shields laughed and complimented Taylor as a fighter.

"They got to pay me a lot of money to lose my butt to go down to 147," Shields said, adding that she'd do it for a million dollars. Shields then called out Savannah Marshall, the one fighter who beat her as an amateur, and said Marshall is "scared of me."

Fighting in her hometown, Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was dominant throughout against Dicaire (17-1). When she entered the ring, most of the 300-plus fans in the Dort Financial Center Arena stood with their camera phones out to register the event.

They stood for most of the bout, getting louder in the sixth and seventh rounds when Shields started to land more power punches. One of the punches staggered Dicaire early in the sixth, drawing cheers. After the fight, Shields said she was elbowed and head-butted a few times.

After the fight was over, Shields held all the belts in her arms and on her waist. She thanked the people in Flint after the fight and said that when she was a kid, "never in a million years" did she think she would be fighting a pay-per-view card in her hometown.

Shields said she will take a week to celebrate her birthday and then start training in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for her MMA debut in June.

The NCAA has charged Arizona with five Level I rules violation allegations, including two alleged instances of academic misconduct within the men's basketball program, according to a notice of allegations the university released to ESPN on Friday through an open records request.

Arizona released the notice of allegations in response to a Maricopa County judge's order issued Monday. The school had denied requests from ESPN and other media outlets last fall to release the record, and the network sued in January.

Among the charges, former Wildcats assistant coaches Emanuel "Book" Richardson and Mark Phelps are charged with violating the principles of ethical conduct, engaging in pre-enrollment academic misconduct and/or providing an impermissible recruiting inducement "when they knowingly arranged for false academic transcripts for two then men's basketball prospective student-athletes."

Among the Level I allegations, the NCAA charged men's basketball coach Sean Miller for not demonstrating "that he promoted an atmosphere for compliance and monitored his staff."

"Miller failed to demonstrate he promoted compliance by not establishing that compliance was a shared responsibility within the men's basketball program, not setting clear expectations that his coaching staff comply with NCAA legislation and not require the immediate reporting of actual and potential violations to the compliance staff for an independent inquiry," the NCAA notice of allegations said.

The report said "two of Miller's three assistant coaches committed intentional violations involving fraudulent academic transcripts, receipt of cash bribes, facilitating a meeting with an aspiring agent, impermissible inducements and recruiting violations all within an 18-month period. The ultimate responsibility for the integrity of the men's basketball program rested with Miller and his staff's actions reflect on Miller as the head coach."

NCAA enforcement staff alleged that Miller "failed to demonstrate" that he monitored Phelps and Richardson regarding their involvement with the prospects.

"Specifically, while Miller knew both prospects had significant academic deficiencies to overcome in order to be academically eligible, Miller failed to ask his staff pointed questions and did not actively look for red flags regarding the circumstances and timing of the prospective student-athletes' academic eligibility," the notice said.

Miller is also accused of failing to demonstrate that he monitored Richardson and the men's basketball program's relationship with Christian Dawkins.

Dawkins, an aspiring business manager, was one of three men who were found guilty for their roles in pay-for-play schemes to influence high-profile basketball recruits to attend Kansas, Louisville and NC State. Dawkins and former Adidas consultant Merl Code were convicted in a separate trial for bribing assistant coaches at Arizona, Oklahoma State, South Carolina and USC.

The NCAA enforcement staff alleged that Miller knew an unidentified Arizona player utilized Dawkins to decide whether to enter the NBA draft, but Miller did not ask pointed questions of the player or his coaching staff regarding "the origin and nature of the relationship."

After the player decided to return to Arizona, the NCAA alleges, Miller knew that the player and Dawkins maintained a relationship, but Miller "failed to conduct any additional inquiry regarding the nature of the [player's] relationship with Dawkins or Richardson's knowledge of and involvement in the relationship between [the player] and Dawkins."

Among aggravating factors in the case, NCAA enforcement staff noted that Miller "negligently disregarded" violations.

Arizona's athletic department is also charged with lack of institutional control for "failure to establish a culture of compliance within the men's basketball program."

The enforcement staff alleged that Arizona "refused to share the factual findings of its external investigation related to the men's basketball program despite the enforcement staff taking every possible accommodation to protect attorney-client privilege; the director of athletics and head of compliance discussed and drafted talking points related to the external and NCAA investigation that demonstrated from the outset a lack of commitment to cooperation and acceptance of responsibility; and the institution's outside counsel and head of compliance, at the direction of the president, conducted an unrecorded interview with Richardson without first notifying and/or involving the enforcement staff despite being engaged in a collaborative investigation and knowing Richardson was a key individual the enforcement staff wanted to interview."

Richardson, who was one of 10 men arrested in September 2017 for their involvement in bribery and pay-for-play schemes in a federal investigation into college basketball, is also charged with accepting $20,000 in cash bribes from representatives of LOYD, Inc., a business management company that sought to represent the players once they turned pro. Dawkins was a representative of LOYD, Inc.

Phelps is accused of providing an impermissible $500 loan to an Arizona player, instructing a then-men's basketball player to delete a text message related to an NCAA violation and knowingly providing false or misleading information to the institution and NCAA enforcement staff, and directing an Arizona player to assist in the recruiting of two potential recruits.

The school argued that releasing the notice of allegations would violate the NCAA's confidentiality rules and subject the school to harmful sanctions. In siding with ESPN, Superior Court Judge Joseph P. Mikitish wrote that Arizona "put forth no evidence" that the NCAA or other related body has ever penalized a public university for releasing a notice of allegations in response to a records request.

Mikitish wrote that while Arizona officials said they wanted to limit harm caused by "unproven allegations circulating in the media," public records exemptions to protect a government agency do not exist to "save an officer or public body from inconvenience or embarrassment."

The Wildcats received the notice of allegations in October but initially declined to release it publicly. The case will be adjudicated through the Independent Accountability Resolution Process, which is handling similar cases involving basketball programs at Kansas, Louisville and NC State.

During the federal government's investigation into bribes and other corruption in college basketball, Richardson told undercover FBI agents that he paid $40,000 to a high school coach to ensure that former Arizona guard Rawle Alkins was academically eligible to play for the Wildcats, according to a transcript of a meeting obtained by ESPN from the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York.

During a June 20, 2017, meeting with aspiring business manager Christian Dawkins, financial planner Munish Sood and two undercover FBI agents, Richardson said that Alkins needed one more class to be eligible under NCAA rules, and that an unidentified coach wanted $40,000 to add the class to his official transcript.

"It's ingenious," Richardson said, according to the transcript of the meeting. "Initially, I was mad at his high school coach, but I would say it's ingenious. He said, 'Book, I need $40,000 to get this on his transcript. If he does not get this class, he's gonna be a partial qualifier. He's not gonna have 16 credits to graduate.'

"So long story short, I said OK. You need 40 grand for that class. He said, 'Yes, Book, because it's not just me doing it. I gotta take care of some people.' I said, '[Expletive] you I'm not doing it.' Tried to play poker and one week turned into a month, and I said, 'Oh s---.'"

The interview transcript was part of the evidence from a federal criminal trial in 2019, when Dawkins and Code were convicted of paying bribes to Richardson, former Oklahoma State assistant Lamont Evans and former USC assistant Tony Bland to steer their players to Dawkins' sports management company and certain financial planners.

In late December, Arizona announced it was self-imposing a one-year postseason ban as a "proactive measure in its ongoing NCAA enforcement process," which will keep the Wildcats out of this season's Pac-12 and NCAA tournaments.

"I understand and fully support the University's decision to self-impose a one-year postseason ban on our Men's Basketball program," Miller said in a statement. "Our team will remain united and aggressively compete to win a PAC-12 championship."

Alkins, who played at Arizona for two seasons before turning pro in 2018, attended Christ the King Regional High School in Queens, New York, for three years and then Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina, for his senior year.

"I tried to get someone else to get him a summer school course," Richardson said during the meeting, according to the transcript. "Couldn't do it because what [the coach] had was a seal. He had the school seal, and the great thing about the seal that he had, the school, and Bishop Ford closed down in Brooklyn, so you can't investigate. You can't investigate. So when the NCAA says I need to see the coursework and all -- the school's closed."

Richardson told the undercover FBI agents that Alkins didn't receive any of the $40,000 he allegedly paid the high school coach. Alkins played 10 games for the Chicago Bulls during the 2018-19 season. He signed with the Pelicans on Dec. 4, 2020, and was waived at the end of training camp later that month.

"I felt that the kid was being done an injustice and a disservice because what -- the high school coach again, it was ingenious, but when you bamboozle everyone and that kid didn't get any of the 40, that's the problem I have," Richardson said.

"Because his mom still, she's gotta get places. And that was my whole point. If I do something for you guys, I wanna make sure that mom, she's at every game. So she's not [expletive] with us. 'Cause I've always said this: When you give someone something ahead of time and say, 'Hey, you book these tickets' -- now they're not calling you two days ahead to say, 'Oh, Book, you're not gonna believe it. I never booked this flight. Only thing that's left is first class and it's $1,500 one way.' What? So season's going on. I'm like, 'Just do it.' So I had 'just do it' moments for the last seven years and that's not benefited me."

Richardson, who worked as an Arizona assistant from 2009 to 2017, pleaded guilty in January 2019 to accepting $20,000 in bribes and was sentenced to three months in prison and two years of probation as part of a plea agreement.

During the meeting, Richardson also told the undercover agents that he was paying Alkins' cousin, Rodney Labossiere, $2,000 per month after he moved to Tucson, Arizona.

"I told his cousin, 'I'll give you two grand a month to make sure that he works,'" Richardson said. "But he brought him, his wife and his child. Wrong move."

In February 2019, Arizona suspended Phelps and "initiated the process" to terminate him because of an alleged NCAA violation, his attorney told ESPN at the time. The school didn't renew his contract after the 2018-19 season.

Sources told ESPN that Phelps is accused of a violation regarding former Arizona recruit Shareef O'Neal's academic transcripts. O'Neal, the son of former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal, was committed to the Wildcats in 2017 before signing with UCLA and sitting out the 2018-19 season with a heart condition. He transferred to LSU in February 2020.

Two other Level II violations included in the notice of allegations involved Arizona's swimming and diving programs.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando Speed World Dragway continues to bring out the best in Pro Stock legend Greg Anderson.

The four-time world champion rocketed to the top of provisional qualifying at Friday’s CTECH World Doorslammer Nationals presented by JEGS, impressing the crowd with a run of 6.531 seconds at 210.14 mph in his Chevrolet Camaro. Anderson is a longtime standout in the Pro Stock shootout events and advanced to the final round of the inaugural race at Orlando a year ago.

He was also the provisional No. 1 qualifier on Friday in 2020, putting him in strong position to again contend for the $75,000 prize on Sunday.

“I feel confident and things are definitely going the right way,” Anderson said. “We tested for a couple days and we got a good handle on the car, and now I’m working on the engine tuneup. I feel like we can run really well. That’s great and that’s reassuring, but there’s a lot of cars that can run really well. You feel like you’re on top of the mountain and then you see you’ve got less than a hundredth on the next car. But we’ve got a car that can compete and challenge for big money.”

Joining Anderson as the provisional No. 1 qualifier was Khalid Al-Balooshi in Pro Mod.

Anderson tested earlier in the week and made a pair of solid runs on Friday as he looks to take it one step further than he did last year and claim the largest single-race prize in Pro Stock history. It would be another monumental achievement for the 94-time race winner, but it’s not going to be easy.

Troy Coughlin Jr., racing the same car his uncle, Jeg Coughlin Jr., drove to the winner’s circle in Orlando last year, is qualified second after going 6.540 seconds at 210.41 mph in his JEGS Camaro, and Kyle Koretsky is third with a 6.543 seconds at 211.16 mph. Defending Pro Stock world champ Erica Enders sits fourth with a 6.548 seconds at 211.06 mph heading into the final day of qualifying on Saturday before Sunday’s eliminations.

Temperatures are expected to dip heading into raceday and Anderson knows he must be prepared for that as well.

“You’re going to have a weather change and a track change, so you’ll have make changes,” Anderson said. “It’s another challenge and that’s good. You’ve got to be ready because everybody here is going to have to make adjustments. That’s great and an extra challenge, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Al-Balooshi put in extensive work over the off-season adapting to the new manual shifter in his Bahrain 1 Racing ProCharger-powered ’19 Camaro.

Through two qualifying sessions in Orlando, the early results are promising.

Al-Balooshi made the quickest run in both of the sessions, with his impressive blast of 5.659 seconds at 251.25 mph during the second qualifying session leading the way.

Al-Balooshi estimated he made 30 runs with the manual shifter — which is now required in NHRA Pro Mod cars — in Bahrain in the off-season and he appears to have adjusted well.

Al-Balooshi said he was a little off during the first qualifier when he went 5.735 seconds at 235.39 mph, but he more than made up for it just a few hours later.

“Everything felt good. The first run, I missed the shifter,” Al-Balooshi said. “We’ve got some new stuff in the car and made a couple of good runs. In my opinion, we’re comfortable with the car, but I’m sure the other cars will be there (Sunday). I still don’t shift perfectly with the new (manual) shifter, but I’m more comfortable with it. Everybody will be fast (on Sunday), but we are ready. We changed some things around and I think we learned a lot over (in Bahrain).”

Jason Scruggs is currently second in qualifying after going 5.704 seconds at 252.76 mph and Brandon Snider is a spot behind with a 5.745 seconds at 250.46 mph.

Scruggs made a solid run as the sun started to go down on Friday, but he knows the potential for more is there. He went 5.67 seconds during testing on Thursday under the lights and believes it will take multiple passes in that range to win the $50,000 prize.

Scruggs ran well at the facility a year ago during the inaugural race, but with much cooler temperatures on deck for Saturday and then eliminations on Sunday, the veteran standout knows he will have to keep pushing.

“Truthfully, I felt like we can run better than we did that second run,” Scruggs said. “It was kind of in between there, but Sunday is going to be a lot different. I think we’ve got a good combination and can go in the 5.60s, and that’s what it’s going to take to be successful. The ProChargers may have a bit of an advantage, but it’s still anybody’s race, and I feel like we can run with everybody.”

In Top Sportsman, Cheyenne Stanley went to the No. 1 spot with a 6.154-second pass in his twin-turbocharged ’07 Mustang. Mike Lubniewski followed in the No. 2 spot, with Derrick Brown going 6.211 seconds in his ProCharger-boosted ’14 Camaro to round out the top 3 in the 27-car qualifying order.

The provisional low qualifier in Ray Skillman Auto Group Factory Shootout is Bill Skillman with a 7.78-second pass at 178.24 mph in the Ray Skillman Ford Mustang Cobra Jet. Former Pro Stock star Mark Pawuk drove his Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger Drag Pak to No. 2. John Cerbone ended up No. 3 in his Saw Mill Auto Sales Chevy COPO Camaro.

Record holder Jimmy Pelcarsky shot to the top of the $hameless Racing Pro 632 presented by C&C Pumping qualifying sheet in his small-block-powered ’15 Camaro with a 4.194-second pass at 170.45 mph. Wes Distefano took the No. 2 spot in his nitrous-fed $hameless Racing ’68 Camaro. Florida’s own Dillon Voss is No. 3.

The 17-car Comp Eliminator field is topped by Joseph Arrowsmith in his ’06 Pontiac GTO. In Strange Engineering Stock/Super Stock, Craig Gualtiere is the provisional No. 1 qualifier.

Sri Lanka 160 for 6 (Gunathilaka 56, Nissanka 37, Bravo 2-25) beat West Indies 117 (McCoy 23, Sandakan 3-10, Hasaranga 3-17) by 43 runs

Sri Lanka's spinners manufactured a convincing 43-run victory over the West Indies in Antigua to keep the three-match series alive and bring an end to an eight-match losing streak in T20Is.

On a sluggish surface, Akila Dananjaya, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Lakshan Sandakan proved a handful - picking up seven wickets between them, the latter two picking up three wickets apiece - as Sri Lanka defended their total of 160 with ease. Such was the control Sri Lanka's spinners exerted, even part-time offspinner Danushka Gunathilaka got in on the act, picking up the wicket of Jason Holder.

In fact, 68 of the 117 runs the hosts eventually accumulated came off Sri Lanka's two fast bowlers Dushmantha Chameera and Thisara Perera; 41 of those were taken from Perera's two overs alone.

But while the final margin of victory suggested total dominance on the part of the visitors, at the half-way point they would have felt 15-20 runs short considering the start they had.

Gunathilaka, in particular, was in great nick, continuing the form that had seen him top the run charts at the Lanka Premier League a few months back. His 56 runs came off 42 deliveries and included four fours and two sixes, but it was the control he exerted throughout that was most impressive, rarely needing to take risks to accumulate his runs.

Alongside him Pathum Nissanka - one of the few bright sparks for the visitors from the first T20I - kept the scoreboard ticking along as the pair put on 56 inside the powerplay and 94 in the first ten overs. But the middle order once more failed to produce anything of substance as the next ten overs produced only 66 runs. Indeed it was only a late 11-ball 19 not out from the Player of the Match Hasaranga that saw Sri Lanka even manage the score they did - one which eventually proved enough.

Brilliant Bravo
Dwayne Bravo continued to trouble the Sri Lanka batsmen for a second game running as his mix of slower balls proved increasingly difficult to get away with. His four overs produced figures of 2 for 25, though it was his opening over which brought his side back into the game just as the Sri Lankans would have been to tee-off.

Coming into the attack in the 11th over, with Gunathilaka and Nissanka looking well set, Bravo came up with a bit of magic in the field to break the partnership. Scuttling to his left in his follow-through, Bravo picked up the ball, swivelled and in one move threw down the stumps at the non-striker's end. Nissanka, who had been running well with Gunathilaka up until that point, was well short of his crease. Three balls later, Gunathilaka could only scythe a Bravo slower ball to the man at wide mid-off.

And just like that Sri Lanka, who would have been eyeing a total in the region of 180-200, had two new batsmen at the crease.

Sri Lanka's middle-order woes
While the Sri Lanka openers had worked within a clear plan to counteract the West Indies bowlers' utilisation of slower deliveries, their middle-order batsmen had clearly not received the memo. Of particular concern will be the failure of their stand-in captain Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal to score off quickly.

The pair scored 16 runs between them off 22 deliveries, and at no point looked like they would hurt the West Indies bowlers. It was not until Ashen Bandara and Hasaranga were at the crease that any sort of impetus returned to the innings.

While this soft underbelly didn't hurt them in this game, it's a gradual point of concern that Mickey Arthur and Co will need to address sooner rather than later.

Spinners come to the fore
If there was one takeaway from the first T20I, it was that most West Indies batsmen struggled against spin. So it was no surprise when Sri Lanka opted to go with an extra spinner in the second game, bringing in Sandakan for Nuwan Pradeep.

The plan could hardly have worked better, with Sri Lanka's spinners picking up eight wickets between them. While Hasaranga was the pick of the lot, picking up the wickets of Chris Gayle and Lendl Simmons in his very first over, Dananjaya and Sandakan were equally effective.

Dananjaya was exemplary in the powerplay, his three overs bring figures of 1 for 7; he would end with figures of 1 for 13. A fine return on most days, but even more impressive considering he was hit for six sixes in an over by Kieron Pollard just a couple of days ago.

Sandakan, meanwhile, took the prized scalp of Pollard before cleaning up the tail with the wickets of Kevin Sinclair and Obed McCoy, the latter threatening briefly of an unlikely fightback with a seven-ball 23.

Sri Lanka execute their plans, West Indies fail in theirs
There is a reason the West Indian strategy of dealing primarily in boundaries is considered high-risk, high-reward. When it works, you get results like that on Wednesday night, or any number of heists they've pulled off in their T20I history. But when it doesn't, even chasing a fairly gettable 161 becomes a trudge through the mud.

For Sri Lanka, they knew what the West Indies batsmen were going to throw at them, and so gambled on bowling out their best bowlers early; by the end of the 16th over, all three of Hasaranga, Dananjaya, and Chameera - who had 8 wickets between them - had completed their quotas. This meant that either Perera or the part-timer Gunathilaka would have to bowl two of the last four overs, but with the asking rate soaring beyond 20 by that point, the game was as good as done.

Big Picture

There will be more important T20 matches for these two sides to play later in the year, but a deciding contest to this series is a good opportunity for them to hone their skills in tournament-style play. Australia have been playing must-win for the last two matches, turning in impressive victories, and it feels as though while they have gathered confidence, it has ebbed away from New Zealand.

New Zealand's coach, Gary Stead, was reasonably blunt after the defeat on Friday in saying he thought his team took a backward step with the bat. There is limited scope for changes with the 13-man squad they have for this series so it would appear likely the same top order will go again, but there is pressure on Tim Seifert in what has been a disappointing series for him.

Spin can be expected to play another big role and Australia have deeper options available with the trio of Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell doing an outstanding job yesterday. Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi were also impressive, but it may be that Kane Wiliamson will have to use himself this time.

Straight after the match, Australia's squad will head to Wellington airport and board their charter flight back to Sydney. Those players from states with open borders to New Zealand (excluding Auckland) won't have to quarantine but those from places where regulations in place potentially face isolation depending on whether they go straight home.

This is the last confirmed international cricket Australia's men's team has on the schedule for some considerable time (barring an unlikely England comeback in the final Test against India) although there could be a mid-year white-ball tour of the Caribbean ahead of the final build-up to the T20 World Cup. For New Zealand, their home season will conclude later this month with ODI and T20I series against Bangladesh.

Form guide

(last five completed matches)

New Zealand LLWWL
Australia WWLLW

In the spotlight

The trickier the surface, the more a player like Kane Williamson can become important. A captain's innings could be what New Zealand need to overcome their batting struggles of the last two matches and Williamson's skill could follow the template laid by Aaron Finch in batting through an innings depending how early he gets to the crease. He could also have an important part to play with the ball - he has not bowled in a T20I since February 2018 but came close to bringing himself on in the last game and another spin option may be better suited than the pace of Kyle Jamieson.

While the spinners are likely to take centrestage, Kane Richardson's cutters also proved highly effect in the fourth match as he picked up 3 for 19. He is an often unheralded part of Australia's T20I side but before his home season was disrupted by opting out of the India series due to the restrictions of the biosecure bubble to stay with his family he had played 12 consecutive matches. He can be confident of a spot heading into the T20 World Cup even when other players return.

Team news

Having confirmed they won't draft another spin option into the squad there is a limit to what New Zealand can do. Jamieson has had a tough series and they could, at a stretch, consider replacing him with Mark Chapman and making up overs of spin from the part-timers but that is a risky option.

New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tim Seifert, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Devon Conway, 5 Glenn Phillips, 6 Jimmy Neesham, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Kyle Jamieson, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Trent Boult

D'Arcy Short, Ben McDermott, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff and Tanveer Sangha have not seen any game time on the tour (Ashton Turner has already gone home for the birth of his child) but a winning combination could be given the chance to seal the series. Short's left-arm wristspin could come into the equation as much as his batting while the uncapped legspinner Sangha would be an exciting and brave option.

Australia (probable) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Matthew Wade (wk), 3 Josh Philippe, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Jhye Richardson, 9 Kane Richardson, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Riley Meredith

Pitch and conditions

While there was an expectation that the pitch would change, both sides were surprised by how it played on Friday. It won't have had any further use before the decider now the men's and women's matches have been switched so conditions are likely to be very similar. One concern is that the forecast for the morning in Wellington isn't brilliant with the chance of showers.

Stats and trivia

• The 11 overs of spin bowled by Australia in the fourth match was their second-most in a T20I
• Kyle Jamieson has conceded 175 in the series. The record is 187 held by Tim Southee although there remain a limited number of five-match series.

Quotes

"[Australia] adjusted very well, we were probably a bit slow to. But we know how the surface will play and it will probably be very similar. Spin and cutters were quite effective."
Mitchell Santner

"We were under the pump and it's a nice feeling now that we are back in this series."
Adam Zampa

Welcome to day two of our live report of the fourth India-England Test from Ahmedabad. Join us for updates, analysis and colour. You can find our traditional ball-by-ball commentary here

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9.15am: Pant-emonium

Well, that was a lot of fun, wasn't it? Unless you're an England bowler, perhaps. Rishabh Pant turned the game on its head with an extraordinary innings on day two, and he has put India in control of the Test. It's not over yet, of course, but England have to get their heads back on if its not to be the defining contribution.