Former Wales full-back Dyddgu Hywel believes women's international rugby is being treated unequally compared to the men's game amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The women's Six Nations was delayed until spring while the men's event has gone ahead as scheduled.

"It is really hard to get your head around it," said Hywel.

The World Cup is currently scheduled to be held in New Zealand between 18 September and 16 October with World Rugby saying the "challenging Covid landscape" has influenced its recommendation.

A final decision is expected after the Rugby World Cup board and World Rugby's executive committee consider the recommendation on 8 and 9 March.

The women's Six Nations, which is usually held on the same weekends as the men's Six Nations, takes place in April with a reduced format.

Men's international rugby went ahead in late 2020 with the Autumn Nations Cup replacing the traditional tours by major southern hemisphere nations to Europe while women's Test rugby has been put on hold.

Meanwhile World Rugby's 2021 Sevens series will include five men's and four women's tournaments in 2021.

Hywel told BBC Radio Wales: "What's really disappointing in my opinion is how do the men get an autumn series last year?

"They've got a normal Six Nations this year, which is also great news, but why is the women's game different or treated differently?

"We're still talking about equality in sports and it's 2021. We shouldn't be having this conversation any more and I truly understand the Covid situation.

"But that's the same for everyone. How can the men's game carry on and the women's had delays or cancellations or even a shortened Six Nations, which is happening next month.

"It's just a little bit disappointing."

She added: "Is it money? Is it budget, finance - who knows? But in my opinion it should be treated equally.

"The women's Six Nations should have carried on because the men's had carried on so it's a tricky one and I would like to hear more answers to be honest."

The men's Six Nations teams are operating in bubbles for much of their tournament, while there are few women's full-time professionals apart from England, making it more difficult to take the same medical precautions.

Hywel fears the delay to the World Cup will lead to some leading senior players missing out after planning for the tournament to go ahead as originally planned.

"It is a huge blow and if you think about the World Cup it's the main stage of women's rugby and something you have to wait four years and prep four years for," she said.

"Unfortunately for the women's game we don't have the Lions tour to look forward to between those four years.

"But it's a massive hit and I feel for the players, the coaching staff and maybe those top, experienced players - do they have another year in them for the training, keeping the fitness and obviously women's players are not professional full-time, they've got their career on their hands.

"Maybe you're in a great place at the moment with a World Cup that should have been in six months, your fitness is great and you're injury free.

"Who knows what will happen this time next year?"

However, Hywel also believes while the World Cup delay would be "disappointing" there could be an upside for Wales, who have a new coaching regime under new boss Warren Abrahams.

"If you do want to look at the positive looking at the Welsh side, they do have new coaches and that maybe gives them more time to settle in and get their plays and maybe have some warm-up games in between."

After World Rugby announced its recommendation, Charlotte Wathan, the Welsh Rugby Union's general manager, women's rugby said: "We're obviously very disappointed for the players and staff who have supported the development of the programme towards RWC 2021.

"Ultimately, player welfare and public health must come first at this time."

We're seven weeks into the 2021 NHL season, and less than six weeks away from the trade deadline. It's about that time that trends start to solidify. For this week's ESPN Power Rankings, we identified an encouraging or worrying trend for every team.

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

Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to our Week 6 edition, published on Feb. 24. Points percentages are through the games of March 2.

1. Toronto Maple Leafs

Previous ranking: 1
Points percentage: .783
This week: @ EDM (March 3); @ VAN (March 4, 6); vs. WPG (March 9)

After Jack Campbell and Michael Hutchinson recorded back-to-back shutouts, it's clear that an encouraging trend for Toronto is improved team defense (yes, you heard that right). The Leafs average the sixth-fewest shots per game, and fourth-fewest goals per game.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning

Previous ranking: 2
Points percentage: .775
This week: @ CHI (March 4, 5, 7); @ DET (March 9)

Andrei Vasilevskiy as a perennial Vezina Trophy finalist is starting to become a trend. Back-to-back shutouts last week bolster his case yet again. "It feels like he's locked in all the time to be honest with you," captain Steven Stamkos said. "That's how amazing he is."

3. Vegas Golden Knights

Previous ranking: 5
Points percentage: .750
This week: vs. MIN (March 3); @ SJ (March 5, 6); @ MIN (March 8)

The Golden Knights have been stingy of late. Entering this week's series against the Wild, Vegas had allowed only 10 goals combined in its past seven games. The Golden Knights also had a perfect 15-for-15 penalty kill in that span.

4. Boston Bruins

Previous ranking: 3
Points percentage: .684
This week: vs. WSH (March 3, 5); vs. NJ (March 7); @ NYI (March 9)

Norris Trophy voters tend to skew toward defensemen with big point production. So while Charlie McAvoy's all-around game has been fantastic, the fact he's averaging a career-high 0.79 points per game (up from 0.48 last season) portends well for potential hardware.

5. Florida Panthers

Previous ranking: 7
Points percentage: .714
This week: @ NSH (March 4, 6); @ CAR (March 7); @ CBJ (March 9)

Newcomers Anthony Duclair, Patric Hornqvist, Alex Wennberg and Carter Verhaeghe have combined for 52 points. But the legacy Panthers have made major contributions as well, including high-end play from veterans Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle.

6. Philadelphia Flyers

Previous ranking: 8
Points percentage: .658
This week: @ PIT (March 4, 6); vs. WSH (March 7); vs. BUF (March 9)

The vintage Ghost Bear is back! That's the trend for the Flyers, who have seen much better play from Shayne Gostisbehere. He's thriving through tough assignments on the top pairing with Ivan Provorov, and the offensive production (which we expect of him) is starting to follow. (We'll admit Tuesday's loss to the Penguins was a rough one for this pairing.)

7. Minnesota Wild

Previous ranking: 17
Points percentage: .658
This week: @ VGS (March 3); @ ARI (March 5, 6); vs. VGS (March 8)

The Wild outscored opponents 27-10 during a recent six-game winning streak, but the best trend lately is the even contribution throughout the lineup. Six players scored three goals during the streak, and even the fourth line of Nico Sturm, Nick Bonino and Nick Bjugstad was producing.

8. Carolina Hurricanes

Previous ranking: 4
Points percentage: .705
This week: vs. DET (March 4); vs. FLA (March 7); vs. NSH (March 9)

When we talk about the Canes, we often gush about their dynamic youngsters. But in his age-32 season, Jordan Staal has been surprisingly productive, tracking for the best points-per-game and goals-per-game rate of his 15-year career.

9. Colorado Avalanche

Previous ranking: 6
Points percentage: .605
This week: @ SJ (March 3); vs. ANA (March 5, 6); vs. ARI (March 8)

Thanks to some blueliner injuries, Samuel Girard and Devon Toews both played 25 minutes against the Wild last week. Their increased role is a trend coach Jared Bednar sees continuing. "I think it's going to go up," Bednar said Monday.

10. Washington Capitals

Previous ranking: 11
Points percentage: .667
This week: @ BOS (March 3, 5); @ PHI (March 7); vs. NJ (March 9)

A positive turnaround trend for the Caps here. They began the season 0-3-2 in matinee games. After taking three straight afternoon games from New Jersey, an early start time is no longer a liability. (Next matinee: March 28 vs. the Rangers).

11. Winnipeg Jets

Previous ranking: 10
Points percentage: .659
This week: @ MTL (March 4, 6); @ TOR (March 9)

If the Jets are losing late, do not count them out. Winnipeg has trailed following the second period in eight games this season, but they've won four of them; that's tied with the Pens for the league lead in such comebacks.

12. New York Islanders

Previous ranking: 14
Points percentage: .636
This week: vs. BUF (March 4, 6, 7); vs. BOS (March 9)

The Isles had 22 overtime or shootout wins during the past two seasons. This season, the magic just isn't there. New York is 0-3 in overtime in 2021, and 0-1 in the shootout. All of those losses came to Pennsylvania-based teams.

13. Chicago Blackhawks

Previous ranking: 16
Points percentage: .609
This week: vs. TB (March 4, 5, 7); @ DAL (March 9)

In his age-32 season, Patrick Kane is tracking for his best points-per-game rate (1.48) of his career, and he just scored goal No. 400; interestingly, he became the first player in NHL history to reach the milestone with an even 200 at home, 200 away.

14. Edmonton Oilers

Previous ranking: 9
Points percentage: .583
This week: vs. TOR (March 3); vs. CGY (March 6); vs. OTT (March 8)

Maybe it's a fluke, maybe it's a positive trend. The Oilers have played four games with zero days rest. They have gone 4-0 in those second halves of the back-to-backs, averaging 5.75 goals in those games.

15. Pittsburgh Penguins

Previous ranking: 13
Points percentage: .595
This week: vs. PHI (March 4, 6); vs. NYR (March 7, 9)

The Penguins know that their deficiency on special teams is starting to become problematic. Pittsburgh is No. 24 in the league in both the penalty kill and power play. "It's just not good enough," coach Mike Sullivan said of the PK recently. "We've got to be better."

16. St. Louis Blues

Previous ranking: 15
Points percentage: .591
This week: @ ANA (March 3); @ LA (March 5, 6); @ SJ (March 8)

The Blues are used to getting offensive production from their blue line. They had a league-high 45 goals by defensemen last season, and it's encouraging that despite bad injury luck, it's still a trend. The Blues have 12 goals from defensemen so far.

17. Los Angeles Kings

Previous ranking: 18
Points percentage: .550
This week: vs. ARI (March 3); vs. STL (March 5, 6); @ ANA (March 8)

The most encouraging trend for the Kings (along with their recent six-game winning streak) is the way they have blended in young faces with veterans. That said, the resurgence of Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar has been a pleasure to watch.

18. Arizona Coyotes

Previous ranking: 24
Points percentage: .500
This week: @ LA (March 3); vs. MIN (March 5, 6); @ COL (March 8)

The Yotes have had a penchant for falling into 3-0 holes lately. Sometimes they are able to get out of it -- see: two thrilling comeback wins over the Ducks -- but it's not a great habit.

19. Dallas Stars

Previous ranking: 21
Points percentage: .471
This week: vs. CBJ (March 4, 6); vs. NSH (March 7); vs. CHI (March 9)

The most troubling trend for the Stars is that while they've had a slow start, their schedule going forward is quite unforgiving. Dallas is in the middle of a 70-day stretch featuring 40 games, with no more two-day breaks.

20. Calgary Flames

Previous ranking: 25
Points percentage: .478
This week: vs. OTT (March 4); @ EDM (March 6); vs. OTT (March 7)

Calgary just can't find consistency. The Flames have strung together more than a two-game winning streak just once this season. And their six losses in the past two weeks have been by a combined score of 25-6. Not great.

21. Montreal Canadiens

Previous ranking: 12
Points percentage: .595
This week: vs. WPG (March 4, 6); @ VAN (March 8)

The Habs have crashed hard since their hot start, costing Claude Julien his job. It's concerning that Carey Price isn't in top form. The goaltender has a .893 save percentage this season, picking up only two wins in his past seven starts.

22. Nashville Predators

Previous ranking: 28
Points percentage: .455
This week: vs. FLA (March 4, 6); @ DAL (March 7); @ CAR (March 9)

GM David Poile promised a youth movement, but it never came. As the Predators struggle in their current iteration, several highly paid veterans -- Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Ellis, Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen are the most attractive -- could be traded as soon as this season.

23. New Jersey Devils

Previous ranking: 19
Points percentage: .444
This week: vs. NYR (March 4, 6); @ BOS (March 7); @ WSH (March 9)

The sophomore breakout of Jack Hughes has been fun to watch, but equally encouraging is the emergence of Pavel Zacha. The No. 6 pick of the 2015 draft finally looks worthy of that pedigree, leading the club in points (14), and second on the team in goals (6).

24. New York Rangers

Previous ranking: 22
Points percentage: .475
This week: @ NJ (March 4, 6); @ PIT (March 7, 9)

The first two months of the Rangers' season had more "wild, unorthodox things happening" than Chris Kreider said he has "experienced over the last decade or so." Unfortunately for the Rangers, it also had them posting a .200 win percentage in one-goal games, the lowest mark in the league.

25. Columbus Blue Jackets

Previous ranking: 20
Points percentage: .479
This week: @ DAL (March 4, 6); vs. FLA (March 9)

The Blue Jackets have scored first in 16 of their first 23 games this season, which represents the most in the league. However a .375 points percentage in those games (6-6-4) is second worst in the NHL.

26. San Jose Sharks

Previous ranking: 23
Points percentage: .474
This week: vs. COL (March 3); vs. VGS (March 5, 6); vs. STL (March 8)

Some offensive futility in San Jose is becoming troublesome. Patrick Marleau has not registered a shot on goal in eight-plus minutes of power-play time. Erik Karlsson has just one goal on 32 shots on net this season. And the Sharks have allowed four or more goals in half of their games.

27. Vancouver Canucks

Previous ranking: 26
Points percentage: .385
This week: vs. TOR (March 4, 6); vs. MTL (March 8)

It has become a punchline that the North Division abhors playing defense, and the Canucks -- allowing 3.46 goals per game, third most in the league -- are certainly part of that trend. Vancouver has played better of late, but it's still not getting results.

28. Buffalo Sabres

Previous ranking: 27
Points percentage: .375
This week: @ NYI (March 4, 6, 7); @ PHI (March 9)

The Sabres aren't getting enough out of their highest paid wingers. There's a lot of pressure on $9 million-per-year Jeff Skinner, who was benched for three consecutive games last week. Now folks are asking whether he has a future in Buffalo or if this is headed toward an ugly divorce.

29. Anaheim Ducks

Previous ranking: 29
Points percentage: .386
This week: vs. STL (March 3); @ COL (March 5, 6); vs. LA (March 8)

The Ducks could be an interesting team at the trade deadline. They're looking for some firepower, as they are the only team averaging under two goals per game. But they could also be big dealers, given where they are on the contention timeline.

30. Detroit Red Wings

Previous ranking: 30
Points percentage: .340
This week: @ CAR (March 4); vs. TB (March 9)

The Red Wings' power play has been extremely concerning, having gone nearly a month without a power-play goal (going 0-for-40 in that span) before breaking the streak last week. It's clicking at under a 10% rate for the season; the Senators had the NHL's worst unit in 2019-20, at 14.2%.

31. Ottawa Senators

Previous ranking: 31
Points percentage: .340
This week: @ CGY (March 4, 7); @ EDM (March 8)

Ottawa might have the worst goal differential in the league, but they do have exciting young players to build around. One forward trending up is 22-year-old Drake Batherson, who has eight goals in his past eight games.

Premier League clubs Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Wolves have removed the animals from their badges to raise awareness for World Wildlife Day, it was announced on Wednesday.

Working in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), a number of football clubs including Serie A giants Roma and Championship sides Watford, Brentford and Middlesbrough have tweaked their crests to highlight the increasing loss of wildlife around the world.

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Villa's lion, Wolves' wolf and West Brom's throstle have all been removed for the day while Roma will be without their Capitoline Wolf. The WWF has also removed its iconic panda from their own logo for the first time in its 60-year history.

Wolves, Aston Villa and West Brom have removed the animals from their club badges to highlight the increasing loss of wildlife around the world ??? #WorldWildlifeDay pic.twitter.com/4Z23bCtZ4P

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) March 3, 2021

The WWF has encouraged companies and sports teams to do away with their animal logos in order to "highlight the dramatic loss of biodiversity globally and the social and economical risks that it poses."

"We want to show what a world without nature would look like, because in less than 50 years, human activity has resulted in wildlife populations plummeting by an average of 68% -- and with every part of nature that we extinguish, we lose another important link to human and planetary health," said Felicity Glennie Holmes, executive director of communications and marketing at WWF International.

"Today we're joining forces with some of the world's best-loved brands to remove nature-related images from our logos to show how empty a #WorldWithoutNature would be.

"Globally, we need to reverse our direction and start restoring nature. And we need governments around the world to seize the opportunities this year to take action, so that we avert the risk of nature disappearing for good and our natural world thrives."

Joan Laporta has said Lionel Messi will leave Barcelona this summer if anyone other than him is elected as the club's new president on Sunday.

Messi, 33, could walk away for nothing in June when his contract expires. He has not yet decided on his future beyond the end of the season, though, and will listen to the incoming president's proposal.

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However, Laporta, who was previously the president at Camp Nou between 2003 and 2010, warned Barca risk losing their star player if Victor Font or Toni Freixa, the other two candidates for the presidency, are voted in this weekend.

"I am sure that if someone else wins the election [other than me], Messi won't stay at the club," Laporta said in the latest debate between the three candidates. "I have a good relationship with him, there's a lot of respect.

"We'll make him an offer based on the club's situation. Maybe we can't compete financially, but Messi is not ruled by money. He wants to end his career at the highest level possible."

Laporta was the president when Messi first broke into the Barca team and he told ESPN earlier this year that his personal relationship with the forward gives him the edge over Font and Freixa.

His latest comments go one step further than that, although both Font and Freixa also remain optimistic they can convince Messi to sign a new deal despite interest from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.

"Messi has to continue at the club whatever," Font responded. "Messi is three-dimensional. For our sporting project, which will be led by Xavi [Hernandez], he's part of the solution financially. We will offer him a contract for life."

Freixa said Messi would also stay at the club if he's elected, prompting Laporta to interrupt and say that Messi "wasn't very satisfied" with Freixa's role as a director under the previous board.

"My relationship with the Messi family has always been excellent," Freixa replied.

The other big talking point was the role Xavi will have at the club. Font has said he will return under him as general manager before, in the future, replacing Ronald Koeman as the first-team coach.

Laporta pointed out that Xavi hasn't publicly supported Font's campaign and accused Font of "putting pressure" on the former midfielder, who is the coach of Al-Sadd in Qatar.

Freixa said Xavi sees himself "in the dugout, not in a general manager role" and in an interview with Catalunya Radio later said Xavi would be Barca B coach under him.

"The same as [Pep] Guardiola was the B team coach before being brilliant with the first team, Barca B is a good path for Xavi to start on at Barca," Freixa remarked.

Mikel Arteta has said he is "fully focused" on managing Arsenal amid speculation linking him with Barcelona -- but admitted talks are yet to begin over a new contract to stay at the Emirates.

Barcelona's presidential elections are due to take place on March 7 and Joan Laporta -- one of three candidates -- is reportedly interested in replacing existing boss Ronald Koeman with Arteta should he win the vote.

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Arteta, who joined Barca as a player aged 15 before leaving to join Rangers in 2002, told a news conference: "There is always going to be speculation when there are elections in Barcelona, it's a huge team.

"Obviously I was raised there as a player and there is always going to be links. But I am fully focused to the job that I have to do here, which we have a lot to do, and I am really enjoying it.

"Today and tomorrow I am the manager of Arsenal Football Club and I am really enjoying it. And I want to do much better than what we have done."

Arteta was promoted from head coach to manager last year after guiding Arsenal to a record 14th FA Cup success in August, beating Chelsea 2-1 in the final at Wembley.

He will have two years left to run on his existing agreement and when asked whether negotiations over an extension had begun, Arteta said: "No. We are in the middle of the season, we have a lot to play for and at the moment it is not a priority. I think that's OK. I still have a contract here. I am happy here and I don't think it is something urgent."

Arteta, 38, has been under pressure at times this season with Arsenal in 10th place in the Premier League table but the Spaniard has always retained the support of the club hierarchy.

He also revealed the club have begun plans for their summer transfer activity but admitted the extent of their business will be dictated by how the season plays out, with a Europa League round-of-16 tie against Olympiakos to come later this month and an eight-point game to the top four to recover.

"We will see, we are planning what's going to happen in the summer," Arteta added, who prioritised outgoings in January with Mesut Ozil, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Sead Kolasinac and Shkodran Mustafi among those to leave the club.

"It will depend on where we finish, how we finish. I think what we had to do in December is unprecedented for a club of this stature. To do the amount of transactions that we have to make it tells you as well where we are.

"I think it was very much needed and you want to improve, you want to do that. It's where you have things in the house and you believe that you can improve on it.

"Externally acquiring players to go to the next level. Everything is planned and let's see what the market can bring and what the last few months can bring to the club."

New Zealand's Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner have moved up to No. 6 and No. 7 in the T20I bowling rankings after their performances in the first two T20Is against Australia.

Southee produced impressive figures of 3-0-10-2 in the first T20I to help New Zealand restrict Australia to 131 in a chase of 185, and Santner claimed 4 for 31 in the second match - a game in which Australia almost scripted a heist, going from 113 for 6 in 13 overs to 215 for 8, ending five runs short of their target.

There were no other changes in the top ten in the latest rankings, but a number of others made gains outside the elite group of performers. Devon Conway was the biggest gainer, climbing 46 spots to No. 17 in the batting rankings after his unbeaten 99 in the first T20I. Martin Guptill, who made 97 off 50 in the second game, moved up three spots to No. 11.

Australia's big-hitting allrounder Marcus Stoinis also made a big leap on the table after smacking 78 off 37 in the second game to almost snatch it from New Zealand's grasp, but remained outside the top 100 - he moved up 77 places to 110.

The rankings were released before Australia's big win in the third T20I on Wednesday, which kept the five-match series alive. The final two matches will be played in Wellington over the weekend.

Click here for the full ICC rankings.

Virat Kohli remains adamant in his view that there was little wrong with the pitch for the pink-ball Test in Ahmedabad, and that the game ended in two days because of poor batting. On the eve of the fourth Test - which will be played at the same venue but with the red ball in daytime - Kohli suggested, in fact, that having to switch constantly between limited-overs cricket and Test cricket has caused defensive techniques to deteriorate.

"Defence is very important," Kohli said in his pre-match press conference. "From the pattern I've seen in Test cricket - take any match, if two batsmen are facing a 45-minute period of difficult bowling, are they able to score 10 runs and survive without offering any chances? I think because of the influence of white-ball cricket, we're getting results in Test cricket, but we also have this byproduct that defence, which is also a part of the game, is getting compromised.

"This is why people say score 300-350 quickly. I don't think they focus on that grind of four or five sessions these days, probably because they don't focus on defence so much, because they're needing to switch formats, and the game is very fast-paced.

"I think there is a requirement for skill in playing on spinning tracks, and not necessarily just playing the sweep. You find your own method, and from my point of view, my best solution is a defensive shot, where I know I can defend and the ball won't go to silly point or short leg, and that's an aspect of the game that's fallen behind."

Pitches remained the major theme of his press conference, but Kohli addressed a number of other issues too, including questions relating to a couple of members of India's squad.

On whether turning tracks are subject to unfair criticism

"There's always too much noise and too much conversation about spinning tracks. I'm sure that if our media is in a space to contradict those views or present views that say that it is unfair to criticise only spinning tracks, then I think it'll be a balanced conversation. But the unfortunate bit is that everyone sort of plays along with that narrative and just keeps making it news till the time it is relevant.

"A Test match happens, and if we win on day four or five no one says anything, but if a match finishes in two days, everyone pounces on the same issue. It just becomes an issue to talk about. We lost in New Zealand on day three, in 36 overs. I'm sure none of our people as well wrote about the pitch. It was all about how India played badly in New Zealand. And none of the pitches were criticised. No one came and saw how much the pitch was doing, how much the ball was moving, and how much grass there was on the pitches. "

On whether the red ball will behave differently on the Motera pitch compared to the pink one

"I don't understand why the cricket ball, the cricket pitch, all these things are brought into focus. Why don't we just focus on the fact that the batsmen were just not skilled enough on that pitch to play properly, and it was a bizarre display of batting by both teams in a Test match, and I will continue to maintain that, because I've played this game long enough to understand what happens on the cricket field. And it's not a change in the ball colour or the change in the cricket ball, it's still round, it still weighs five and a half ounces, so I don't know what difference it makes suddenly.

"The surface in Chennai was different in the [previous] game. This track has more pace than that. You could see with the fast bowlers as well, none of the balls went through on the Chennai track like it did for Ishant in those first couple of overs or for Bumrah as well. So the track in general has a bit more pace, and that's the result of the clay that's been laid in on the pitch. So it's very important to understand these small-little details of the game."

On whether there's a need for boards to ensure pitches don't provide undue home advantage

"It would be lovely if you asked us this question on an England/New Zealand/Australia tour. Not when you've seen two turning pitches in India, so that question for me is irrelevant at this point of time."

On Cheteshwar Pujara being dismissed by left-arm spin in three out of five innings

"The fact of the matter is, till about four years ago, he was criticised for not scoring away from home. He was [spoken of as] only a home-track bully, and only scored in India. Now he's performing for you everywhere outside of India, and a few innings where every batsman has struggled, barring maybe Rohit and a couple of innings from [others] - Ash (R Ashwin) played well, Jinks (Ajinkya Rahane) got a fifty, I got a couple - it's not been easy. So if you now start criticising his game at home, then I don't think that's fair on him.

"He's a world-class performer, has been for us for a long period of time, and I will keep saying this again and again - along with Jinks, Pujara is our most important Test player, he will continue to be so. Every cricketer, every batsman, faces some sort of challenges in terms of a couple of areas where they might find a need for improvement, that happens to all of us constantly, and he's a very responsible guy who will first and foremost go into the nets, bats more than anyone else to iron out his flaws, and I'm sure that he'll keep solidifying his game moving forward, but there's absolutely no concern whatsoever when it comes to Cheteshwar Pujara. "

On Kuldeep Yadav's limited opportunities

"There's no issues with skill, there's no issues with headspace. His game is absolutely precise, bowling better than he's ever bowled before. [It's about] combinations. We need to make sure that we cover all facets of the game, and we have our strongest balanced squad on the park. See, if a [Ravindra] Jadeja is playing and you're talking about a third spinner, then a Kuldeep comes into the picture way more because of Jadeja's experience with the bat, and the number of times he's done the job for the team.

"Right now we're going in with Ash, Washy (Washington Sundar) is playing, Axar [Patel] is playing. Washy has scored a few runs, Axar is relatively new to Test cricket, so yes, they can contribute with the bat, but it's not the same experience as a Jadeja, so your combination becomes different. When a Jadeja comes in you know, you're assured that he's responsible, he's going to do the job for the team, and he knows that he's done it again and again and again, so you can play a Kuldeep who's primarily a wristspinning bowler. But yeah, it's all about combinations. If people are not good enough, they won't be part of Team India. It's as simple as that. He's a very, very skillful bowler, and he'll always be in consideration to play whatever game is in front of us, purely because of what he brings with the ball, and yeah, his game is as good as it's ever been."

"A Test match happens, and if we win on day four or five no one says anything, but if a match finishes in two days, everyone pounces on the same issue. It just becomes an issue to talk about"

Virat Kohli on criticism of turning pitches

On whether it's right for teams to rotate their players in Test cricket

"I feel any format of the game is the right place for rotation. No human being can possibly go on for that many games throughout the year. Everyone needs to find windows of having some time off, having a break, especially with the bubble format, and the kind of systems you have to follow in the bubble, it can get very monotonous, and it's very difficult to keep yourself excited about small things. I think these are things that need to be considered for as long as we play in the bubble. Outside of that, I think it depends on where you stand physically, more than mentally, but I think till the bubble exists, we need to keep the mental factor in the picture as well, because mental fatigue could be a huge, huge factor - playing within a restricted area, moving around within a restricted area.

So yeah, these are things that one needs to be aware of, and hence our bench strength becomes way more important, because if you have guys who are hungry, ready, who read the game well, who understand where the game is heading, and are brave enough to take on opportunities or situations to take the team forward, then you can rotate very easily. You know there are 11 more guys who are ready to win a Test match for India, or a one-dayer or a T20, and that's exactly what we're striving towards, and we have a clear roadmap as to where we need to go in the next 4-5 years, so that our transition is not difficult at all - guys are ready, people can take breaks accordingly, as and when it's required, and yeah, we have a clear plan that we need to move forward with. "

Blooding young talent in the national side at the expense of consistent results has not proven to be a winning strategy, West Indies captain Kieron Pollard said on the eve of the first T20I against Sri Lanka. Pollard further said it was about time the team started winning matches on a regular basis.

Since their T20 World Cup triumph in 2016, West Indies have won just 16 of their subsequent 50 T20Is, losing 30 of them. According to Pollard, the team needs to "get back into the habit of winning," and bringing senior players back into the fold is one way in which they hope to achieve that.

"You look at some of the younger guys that have gotten the opportunities when we started off around 2019, and it hasn't really produced the results on a consistent basis," Pollard said.

"As a team we need to start winning cricket matches, win series. Because we can go down the line of saying 'we need to blood this talent, blood this talent', but some of you same guys will start talking about the results as well. So we have to strike that balance [between youth and experience], we have to start winning T20 matches, we're the defending champions, and we have to get back into the habit of winning. And if that means getting a couple of senior guys in to start that process, so be it."

Recalls for Chris Gayle and Fidel Edwards, 41 and 39 respectively, raised more than a few eyebrows, but head coach Phil Simmons had earlier stated both players had earned their spots in the side by virtue of their strong performances in franchise cricket. Pollard echoed this view, adding that he views a blend of youth and experience as very much the way forward ahead of the T20 World Cup in India later this year.

"These guys continue to perform despite their age. And one that thing that has been said throughout is that once you show that you can perform at the highest level, such as franchise cricket from the T20 point of view, the opportunity is still there.

"The way to go forward is having that sort of mixture in the team, youth and experience. The youthful guys can learn from the experienced guys, and these are some of the things that have been missing. From 2016 till now can we safely say we have put forward our best T20 team to go to any series or anything like that?"

With a hectic T20 schedule ahead in the coming months, Pollard also urged players in the domestic system to "stick your neck above the rest" to be selected.

"We have to start somewhere and this is a starting point for us. We have 18 games plus a whole CPL tournament before the World Cup, so guys can get opportunities and we can see where we need to be come October.

"[Fringe players must] continue to work hard and continue to churn out the numbers, and stick your neck above the rest.

"But you have to continue to do it. If you have to pick between guys scoring 150-200 runs all the time, and there's no one sticking out their head - I'm just talking in general, that figure is not relevant - scoring above that, then it just boils down to who you think is the best person at that point in time. And if the guys keep doing that then the opportunity will present itself.

"Look at young Kevin Sinclair, he's been economical in the couple of games he played in the Super 50 in the last couple of years for the emerging team, even this year as well in CPL. He gets an opportunity now. The opportunities are there, opportunities are going to come, things are being seen. You just have to be as consistent as possible, and not just walking around doing and saying things with a sense of entitlement."

In terms of the players that have missed out on the Sri Lanka tour, particularly Shimron Hetmyer - widely considered to be among the most talented batsmen in the West Indies set-up - Pollard refused to be drawn into the conversation, though he did say Hetmyer's absence left a "big void".

"He knows exactly what he needs to do, he knows the reasons why he's not here. And again we need to sometimes be open and honest and straightforward with each from different points of view, rather than just try to pamper certain situations all the way through. You're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't in certain aspects, but he has left a big, big void."

Riley Meredith had played out his first delivery in international cricket "a thousand times" in his head, so when it landed on a good length at more than 140kph to Tim Seifert during the third T20I against New Zealand in Wellington, there was relief for the fast bowler that his Australia career was underway.

"Good to finally be over, I suppose, a bit of a relief," Meredith said of his debut. "I was really nervous beforehand. Most of the day I was probably playing it out in my mind, [and] thought about that first ball about a thousand times, so just nice to get it on the pitch in a decent area and go from there. Nice to get a couple of wickets and contribute to a win [by 64 runs]."

What developed was a promising first outing, as he showed the pace that has regularly been seen in the BBL - pushing the speed gun towards 150kph - while finishing with 2 for 24 from his four overs.

There may have been a sharp intake of breath when Martin Guptill lofted a straight six in Meredith's first over, but three balls later he was off the mark as a wicket-taker when Seifert skied the ball to the off side. As is Aaron Finch's style, Meredith was taken off after one over; but when he returned in the fifth, he claimed one of the prize scalps by trapping Kane Williamson in front. He could have had a third if Marcus Stoinis had held Devon Conway in the deep, but overall it was a very tidy performance for one of the players pushing to get into Australia's final T20 World Cup squad.

On removing Williamson, he said: "That was a cherry on the top, a big wicket as well in the context of the game. Really happy with that one."

Glenn Maxwell, whose 70 off 31 balls led an Australia batting surge, was speaking alongside Meredith and said he was "horrible to face" even in practice scenarios.

"When you have a weapon like that in your team, the way Finchy used him I thought was brilliant tonight," Maxwell said. "He was able to use him as an impact player at different stages. Think Riley's biggest strength is he's able to swing the ball at high speeds. So once he gets that new ball in his hands, he's able to shape it away - it's pretty scary."

Meredith had been presented with his cap by Australia selector George Bailey, who is a former Tasmania and Hobart Hurricanes team-mate. So while family had to be contacted by phone - as was the case for Josh Philippe earlier in the series - there were words of encouragement from someone who has played a big part in his career.

"I've played with George for the last four or so years and we are really close… so that was really nice," Meredith said.

Another key performance in Australia's thumping win was the return to form of Finch, who hit 69 off 44 balls after surviving a tight lbw appeal first ball. Maxwell, who added 64 in six overs with Finch as the innings started to take off, knew it was only a matter of time before the runs came again.

"I don't think he's been under pressure in our changing room," he said. "His record speaks for itself; he's still one of the top-five batters in the world in this format. He's done plenty enough to warrant a few tickets in the bank. That was always going to come, he was always going to get runs because he's too good of a player to keep down. When you have that confidence through your team - and I hope Finchy feels that as well - it was inevitable."

Reflecting on the first-ball lbw appeal he had against Finch, Tim Southee acknowledged the narrow margins involved. "He's had a bit of a lean trot of late but we know he's a dangerous player when he gets going and we saw that tonight," he said. "[It was] millimetres away from a different result for him, but we knew he wasn't far away from a score and it does show you how fickle sport can be - the umpire gives that out, it's him gone for another game and another low score. But that happens and he made the most of it."

Dom Bess has admitted that being dropped from the England team was "a tough pill to swallow" but said that he accepted, in retrospect, that it might have been the best thing for him.

Bess claimed five wickets in the first Test of England's series in India and said he did not see his omission from the next game coming. But while he said it has been "tough" to watch the last couple of Tests - in which spin bowling has played a prominent role - from the sidelines, he also admitted that the break has "freshened" him and was "probably the best option."

Although Bess claimed five wickets in the first Test, he also struggled with his length and delivered several full tosses. The England management subsequently concluded that, as an inexperienced 23-year-old who had played three Tests in the previous month, he was exhibiting signs of both mental and physical tiredness, and replaced him with Moeen Ali for the second Test.

But with every chance of winning a recall, Bess insisted that he is "ready" and "in a great space right now" ahead of Thursday's fourth and final Test in Ahmedabad.

"It was certainly a tough pill to swallow," Bess said about his omission ahead of the second Test. "I didn't see it round the corner. Personally, I didn't think I needed a break. But as time went on, it was probably the best option.

"I do think a lot about the game. I'm always trying to get better, whether thinking about the game or doing it physically. The hardest part for me was getting away from it.

"I guess the management sort of did it for me. It has freshened me up. I've thought about things and then had time to work on them. I look back over the period now and think it's actually been a real success heading into this last game. I was happy with that break."

Despite his disappointment in missing the last couple of matches, Bess was positive about both Moeen, who replaced him in the side, and the team's management.

"It was actually really nice to see Moeen come back into it and perform the way he did," Bess said. "He showed the qualities he has. He was quality with how he went about things. As a young spinner, learning from him was really important.

"It was a shame to miss out but it's part and parcel of sport. I had to look for opportunities to get better when I was out of the team. I had to come away from the main stage and look to improve. What was explained to me [was that the decision] was about looking ahead and things I could work on. I definitely took it in my stride in terms of opportunity.

"It's only little things I've been working on. It's making sure I'm in the groove with my timings and making sure my action is running as smoothly as possible. There's not been too much to search for. And having a bit of a break, as well. If you can, try to get away from it out here, which is hard to do. So, I could just freshen up and hopefully look forward to the last game."

While Bess said the tour, as a whole, has contained "positives and negatives", he also said that he had learned a great deal from the experience.

"It's been, at times, really exciting," he said. "It's been a massive learning curve with positives and negatives. I've certainly enjoyed bowling on spinning wickets. Potentially, at times, I need to improve and there have been tough times out here. Overall I've been pretty happy with how it has come out. But as a youngster, aged 23, I'm always trying to keep striving forward.

"Am I ready if I'm selected? I certainly am. I'm in a great space right now to come back in. We're under a bit of pressure but it's a great opportunity to perform. I know I'm ready. It's very exciting if I get the chance to head out with 10 other blokes to try to draw the series.

"To draw the series is so, so important. To come back from two heavy defeats would show a lot about our character. To potentially finish on a high and not lose a Test series out here would be a big achievement."