England Women 181 for 2 (Beaumont 71, Knight 67*) beat New Zealand Women 178 (Jensen 53, Halliday 50) by eight wickets

Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight produced a pair of fluent half-centuries at Hagley Oval, as England Women marked their first ODI in 437 days with a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over New Zealand.

Had it not been for the Covid outbreak, England's defence of their 2017 World Cup title would have been well underway by now, but instead Knight's team showed they have learned the lessons of a somewhat rusty loss in their final warm-up in Queenstown last week to reassert their credentials, and inflict on New Zealand a tenth consecutive ODI defeat - the worst losing streak in their history.

In a one-sided contest, New Zealand chose to bat first but were rolled aside for 178 in 45.1 overs, with Hayley Jensen's 53 from 58 balls at the top of the order being matched by an eye-catching 50 from 54 from the debutant Brooke Halliday at No. 7.

Besides those contributions, however, there was very little substance to New Zealand's innings, which was perhaps most notable for the return of Tash Farrant to England's ODI line-up for her second 50-over appearance, almost seven-and-a-half years after her debut against West Indies in November 2013.

Sharing the new ball with Katherine Brunt, Farrant impressed with figures of 2 for 31 in seven overs, with her early dismissal of Amy Satterthwaite for 3 undermining New Zealand's hopes of a competitive total. Farrant then returned to extract Lea Tahuhu for 8 late in New Zealand's innings.

England's wickets were shared around among their seven bowlers - a testament to how insubstantial New Zealand's partnerships proved to be. Sophie Ecclestone was the only bowler to complete her full allocation, as she reached 100 international wickets with her haul of 2 for 31 in ten overs of left-arm spin.

New Zealand's reliance on the likes of Satterthwaite, Sophie Devine and Amelia Kerr meant that their cheap dismissals, inside the first 27 overs of the innings, left the rest of the order caught in two mindsets as they attempted to chisel a decent score.

Katey Martin dug in for 14 from 35 balls before falling victim to Knight, as no player besides the two half-centurions mustered more than Devine's 16.

England's reply was brisk and to the point. Danni Wyatt fell in the eighth over, but not before 42 runs were on the board, while Beaumont had struck 11 fours in her innings of 71 before succumbing to Tahuhu, who appeared to compound New Zealand's concerns when she limped off with a hamstring injury late in the game.

Knight and Natalie Sciver then swept England to victory with few further alarms. New Zealand's one saving grace was a competitive debut for their 16-year-old left-arm spinner Fran Jonas, who was not flattered by her maiden figures of 0 for 31 in five overs.

"We probably had a bit of a wake-up call against New Zealand XI last week," Beaumont said. "We needed to tighten up in some areas and certainly the bowlers came out and showed that today. Every single one of them bowled exceptionally well to keep New Zealand to 180, so they really impressed today."

A delay in processing his transit visa to the United States of America has meant that Sri Lanka's new T20I captain Dasun Shanaka was unable to leave for the Caribbean with the remainder of the squad on Monday.

Shanaka did have a proper US transit visa - valid for five years - on a previous passport. But as he had lost the passport containing that visa two years ago, visa officers for the US have told him they must do additional checks, meaning they were not able to greenlight the visa for this tour in time for him to make the flight.

"I'd lost that passport two years ago, so I think they need to check whether anyone has used that lost passport and visa to travel in the time since," Shanaka told ESPNcricinfo. "And there was also a delay in my submitting my visa application this time, because the team had to isolate after Thiri aiya (Lahiru Thirimanne) tested positive for Covid-19. I missed my initial appointment and had to take a later appointment."

Although the wording of a Sri Lanka Cricket release suggests Shanaka did not make the flight because he had lost his passport recently, Shanaka himself suggested the delay was largely unavoidable. In any case, it is hoped that he receives his US visa over the next few days, and could potentially fly out to the West Indies as early as Friday.

However, even if he arrives in Antigua - where Sri Lanka play their T20I series - ahead of March 3, when the first game is scheduled, it is not clear if he will be available to play, as he will need to undergo quarantine.

Shanaka was named Sri Lanka's T20I captain on Monday, with a view to him leading the side in the T20 World Cup later this year. But it is now possible he will miss part of his first assignment as the permanent leader [he had been stand-in captain for one previous series].

LOS ANGELES -- After logging 40-plus minutes for the fourth time this month only to see the Los Angeles Lakers lose 127-124 in overtime to the Washington Wizards on Monday night, LeBron James insisted he can handle the workload that is being asked of him.

"I think this whole narrative of 'LeBron needs more rest' or I should take more rest or I should take time here, it's become a lot bigger than what it actually is," James said. "I've never talked about it, I don't talk about it, I don't believe in it. We all need more rest, s---. This is a fast turnaround from last season, and we all wish we could have more rest. But I'm here to work, I'm here to punch my clock in and be available to my teammates.

"And if I'm hurt or if I'm not feeling well, then we can look at it then. But I have nothing but honest people [advising me], but I'm also honest with myself, as well, and me having a love for the game and me being able to be available to my teammates is more important than anything."

James played 43 minutes against the Wizards and amassed 31 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds, but he admitted he wasn't his sharpest.

He played all but one minute and six seconds of the fourth quarter and overtime and scored 13 points, but he shot 6-for-13 in doing so (0-for-4 from 3), with four of his game-high eight turnovers coming in that time span. He also went 1-for-3 from the free throw line, including a miss on an and-1 attempt that would have put L.A. up by one with 9.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

"Obviously, I take full responsibility [for] missing that free throw," he said. "I got to make the free throw up there; it's an easy point for us. But we didn't lose the game there. But I take that responsibility, for sure, and I got to be better."

For the first month and a half of the season, Lakers coach Frank Vogel was certainly better at managing the 18-year veteran's minutes. Prior to February, James averaged 33.3 minutes per game this season -- which ranked 43rd in the league and represented the least amount of playing time in his career, according to data compiled by ESPN Stats & Information.

Since the start of the month, however, James has averaged 38.2 minutes in 11 games -- the most in the NBA -- and L.A. is starting to struggle, having lost four out of its past five games since Anthony Davis aggravated his Achilles tendinosis while suffering a calf strain in his right leg against the Denver Nuggets.

"I'm not pushing myself," said the 36-year-old James, who has played in all 32 of L.A.'s games this season. "I wouldn't say that. I'm going out and playing the game. I'm doing my job, and I'm trying to do it at a high level, but that's been a narrative around the league.

"I have never asked for time off or time throughout the season. And it's growing to a point where it's not even coming from me anymore. It's just like, 'OK, LeBron should take time off' or 'Why is his workload at this.' I've been hearing it for five, six, seven years now, and I'm still going strong. So I don't need a handout, I'm not looking for a handout; my job is to go out when I'm available, when I'm healthy to go out and play, and that's what it's all about."

James has never played this condensed of a schedule, coming off just a 71-day offseason, however.

Vogel was asked if he has considered holding James out of the lineup in order to keep the Lakers' captain fresh, with a repeat title being the team's ultimate goal.

"We've considered that all season long with him. And we'll make those decisions on a game-by-game basis," Vogel said.

L.A. guard Alex Caruso likened the Lakers' current slide -- a season-long three-game losing streak while missing Davis and point guard Dennis Schroder -- to the four-game skid L.A. had about a third of the way into last season. And Lakers center Montrezl Harrell said the team's struggles will cause "a lot of soul searching."

As for James, the heart and soul of the defending champions, Vogel lauded the job he is doing, even while losses are starting to pile up.

"He's a workhorse," Vogel said. "He's doing everything he can for us."

The draft for the inaugural men's Hundred was completed behind closed doors on Monday, with the ECB releasing squad lists for each of the eight teams in a series of staggered announcements on Tuesday. You can follow the updates here, as well as read about the confirmed schedule for the tournament - which will open with a women's fixture between Oval Invincibles and Manchester Originals at the Kia Oval on July 21.

Jhye Richardson said Australia's bowlers will be looking to improve their execution in the death overs after missing their lengths in the heavy defeat to New Zealand at Hagley Oval in the first T20I of the five-match series.

New Zealand had slumped to 19 for 3 in the Powerplay after being sent in to bat, with Daniel Sams and Richardson bowling superbly upfront.

However, Australia's bowlers conceded 76 runs in the last six overs of the innings and 33 off the last two, as Devon Conway produced a stunning 99 not out to lift New Zealand to a winning total of 184 for 5.

Richardson was the pick of Australia's quicks claiming 2 for 31 on his return to the T20I side. He only bowled one over in the last four, picking up the wicket of James Neesham, but he did admit he didn't quite hit his lengths, conceding a six each to Conway and Glenn Phillips in his four overs.

"I think from a personal point of view I certainly missed my length," Richardson said. "I think they batted really well. The outfield was exceptionally fast. It got a little bit dewy at the end so we found the ball was probably skidding on a little bit more at the end as to the start of the innings which probably helped them a little bit, just in terms of slower balls not sticking into the wicket as much as they were earlier.

"If we missed our length we got punished. I think the planning and everything from that aspect was fine. We were all satisfied with how we went about our planning and the decisions made out there. It just comes down to an execution thing."

Australia were then surprised that the ball swung as prodigiously as it did for New Zealand under lights after the dew had settled in with Trent Boult and Tim Southee ripping through the top order to leave them 19 for 4.

"They just kept it really simple, didn't they?" Richardson said. "How often do you see three slips in a T20? We probably didn't expect the ball to swing for that long and that much, to be honest. [It] didn't really swing too much in our innings.

"It was a little bit of a surprise but knowing that now, it's something we'll keep in the back of our mind going into the next game. [Boult and Southee are] two class bowlers and we saw them keep it really simple while the ball was swinging, just bowling a really nice line and length and making us make mistakes."

Richardson was pleased to be back playing at the international level. It was just his second appearance for Australia since his shoulder injury in 2019, and his first in 12 months after missing Australia's tour to England and the ODI and T20I series against India before Christmas. He spoke in the build-up about trying to take some pressure off himself after struggling with the weight of his own expectations at the end of the BBL.

"I think I had plenty of time between the end of the Big Bash and now to think about how I was going about my last few Big Bash games, putting myself under a lot of pressure," Richardson said.

"I had a lot of time to think and reflect on that and went into the game really wanting to enjoy myself and not put myself under so much pressure because I know what I've done to get to this point. I can trust that.

"I just went out there yesterday with the sole focus of just trying to enjoy myself and certainly did."

Dasun Shanaka has been appointed the Sri Lanka men's team's new T20I captain, replacing Lasith Malinga, who is understood to be out of contention for selection, having not trained with the squad in the past few months. Shanaka has previously led the T20 side - on the 2019 tour to Pakistan, where Sri Lanka won 3-0. More recently, he has also captained the Dambulla Viiking franchise at the Lanka Premier League. He has been handed the captaincy over Thisara Perera, who has also led Sri Lanka in the format before and had also been the captain of the winning LPL franchise.

Shanaka's first assignment will be the three-match T20 series in the West Indies beginning on March 3, and on this tour, Sri Lanka have two uncapped batsmen to choose from. Opener Pathum Nissanka and middle-order batsman Ashen Bandara have both been chosen in the 20-strong squad - Nissanka's selection in particular having resulted from strong domestic performances.

Dilshan Madushanka, a 20-year-old fast bowler with only four senior matches on his record, is the other uncapped player in the squad, while allrounder Dhananjaya Lakshan, who was among the finds of the LPL, has been overlooked.

Making a return, meanwhile, is spinner Akila Dananjaya, who last played for Sri Lanka in September 2019, before serving a one-year suspension over an illegal bowling action. Dananjaya has since remodeled his action, but was not especially successful in the three LPL matches he played in since his return. He is one of three frontline spinners in the squad, alongside legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga, and left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan. Two allrounders also add spin-bowling options - the offspin of Ramesh Mendis is available, as is the ambidextrous finger spin of Kamindu Mendis.

On the fast bowling front, Sri Lanka will miss Lahiru Kumara, who tested positive for Covid-19 on the eve of the team's departure to the Caribbean. In his place, the selectors have chosen Suranga Lakmal. Nuwan Pradeep, Asitha Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera and Madushanka are the other quicks in the squad.

After Shanaka leads the team in the T20s that begin the tour, Dimuth Karunaratne will take over for the ODI and Test legs that follow. These teams last faced each other early in 2020, in Sri Lanka. On that tour, West Indies had won the T20s 2-0, and Sri Lanka swept the three-match ODI sereis.

Sri Lanka squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (ODI captain), Dasun Shanaka (T20 captain), Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Ashen Bandara, Oshada Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Thisara Perera, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Nuwan Pradeep, Asitha Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Akila Dananajaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Dilshan Madushanka, Suranga Lakmal

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nearly a week after being put on notice by the team's general manager, Tennessee Titans 2020 first-round NFL draft pick Isaiah Wilson wrote on Twitter on Monday night that he is "done with football as a Titan" before deleting the tweet soon after.

Wilson was the 29th overall selection in April's draft but played only four snaps in his rookie season, which culminated in him being placed on the non-football injury list in December. Before that, Wilson found himself on the reserve/COVID-19 list twice last year, during training camp and in October.

The rookie right tackle also had a couple of run-ins with the law. The first incident came when Tennessee State University police broke up an off-campus party that Wilson had attended during training camp. In their report, the police documented that Wilson went to the second-floor balcony, where he appeared to briefly consider jumping. He received a trespass warning.

The second incident occurred when Wilson was arrested and charged with a DUI in September when he lost control of his vehicle and struck a concrete wall.

Titans GM Jon Robinson addressed Wilson's status during a virtual news conference on Tuesday, telling reporters he had not spoken to Wilson since putting him on the NFI list and suggesting that Wilson "makes a determination on whether he wants to do what it takes to play pro football."

The Titans signed Wilson to a four-year, $11.6 million contract in August. Tennessee would have a $5.4 million salary-cap charge if it releases him.

Wilson's agency did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by ESPN on Monday night.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a $2.25 million, one-year contract with reliever Tyler Clippard, according to multiple reports.

The agreement, reached on Monday, is pending a physical. The deal includes a $1.75 million salary this year and a $3.5 million mutual option for 2022 with a $500,000 buyout.

The 36-year-old right-hander is a two-time All-Star and has 777 appearances over 14 seasons with a career 3.13 ERA. He had a 2.77 ERA in 26 appearances with the Minnesota Twins last season, when he made $1,018,519 in prorated pay from a $2.75 million base salary plus $190,021 in earned bonuses for total income of $1,208,540.

This will be Clippard's second stint with the Diamondbacks. He appeared in 40 games with the team in 2016 before being sent to the New York Yankees in a trade.

Clippard is the second veteran bullpen arm the D-backs have signed in the past few weeks. Arizona also signed right-hander Joakim Soria to a $3.5 million, one-year deal. Both pitchers could have a chance to earn the closer's role in a Diamondbacks bullpen that figures to be young and inexperienced.

The Arizona Republic first reported Clippard's deal with the D-backs.

The Diamondbacks also confirmed a $1.75 million, one-year deal with infielder Asdrubal Cabrera. The 35-year-old was in D-backs camp on Monday when the team went through its first workout of the spring with the full roster.

He can earn $1.05 million in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $100,000 each for 200, 250, 300, 350, 400 and 450, and $150,000 apiece for 500, 550 and 600. Cabrera made $925,926 in prorated pay from a $2.5 million salary last year plus $186,604 in earned bonuses for total income of $1,112,530.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This is the family that Freddie and Chelsea Freeman wanted: lots of siblings who will grow up playing together, loving each other, helping each other. But the Freemans never could've imagined how they would get to where they are now, with 4-year-old Charlie and his two baby brothers.

After trying for pregnancy for a couple of years after Charlie was born, the Freemans explored fertility options, met with doctors and heard uncertainty about whether Chelsea would be able to have more children. Last spring, the Freemans arranged for a surrogate to carry their child -- and in a surprising and happy development, Chelsea also became pregnant nearly simultaneously.

Charlie now has two little brothers: Brandon John, born Dec. 30, his name in honor of Chelsea's grandfather; and Maximus Turner, born eight days ago on Valentine's Day, his middle name a reference to the ballpark where Freddie Freeman played his first home game with the Atlanta Braves. The babies and Chelsea are doing well and are healthy, although it's inevitable that father and mother will be sleep-deprived.

"We're going to be tired for 25 years," said Freddie, the longtime first baseman and 2020 National League MVP.

The Freemans said they will borrow the verbiage of another couple who had babies under similar circumstances: "Twins, with a twist."

The Freemans talked about their journey Monday evening, with aspirations of providing hope for couples struggling with fertility questions and to help destigmatize the choice of a surrogate.

"Every pregnancy and fertility journey is a little bit different for everyone, and we wanted to respect our surrogate's privacy, as well," Freddie said. "I think it's an inspirational story that we have.

"We tried for a couple of years, and it didn't happen. We were talking with doctors, and they suggested surrogacy. We jumped at that, because we wanted to be blessed with more kids."

Officially a family of five ??? pic.twitter.com/jAorRj3pFr

— Chelsea Freeman (@chelseafree5) February 21, 2021

Freddie's mother, Rosemary, died when he was 10 years old. He grew up very close with his father, Fred. After Chelsea met Freddie, she learned very quickly that he wanted to have a big family.

"As long as I've known him, he said that since he was a little boy, he always knew he wanted to be a dad," Chelsea said in an interview in November. "As important as being a baseball player to him is, I think being a dad is even more important."

When the Freemans decided to start a family, Chelsea quickly became pregnant with Charlie. At his delivery, she had an emergency cesarean section. Freddie noted Monday that some of the complications in that procedure might have affected their attempts for a second child.

"I thought, 'You know, this time it'll be the same,'" Chelsea said. "I had a couple of girlfriends and we were all trying at the same time. Slowly, they got pregnant and I didn't. That was a tough time for us.

"It was too painful to even talk about at that point. So eventually, after it'd been like a year and a half, I was like, 'We need to come up with a plan.'"

As the months passed and the home pregnancy tests came up negative, the couple began consulting with physicians.

"It was a lot of doctors' appointments, a lot of procedures, a lot of tests," Chelsea said. "A lot of them by myself, because it was during the baseball season. It's all worth it in the end, but going through that ... definitely one of the hardest things mentally that you could go through."

"The hardest part about going through infertility is the emotion. You are so drained, because you don't know why -- like, 'Why isn't it happening? How is this part of God's plan?' You think about those things."

As Freddie said, "We did all of the doctors' appointments and, you know, it wasn't happening. We didn't know if we were ever going to have another kid again. We were told by a couple of people she wasn't going to be able to carry anymore."

They quickly embraced the idea of a surrogate. Last spring, Chelsea underwent a procedure to prepare for an embryo transfer; Freddie carried a phone in the back pocket of his uniform to hear word.

The onset of COVID-19 delayed the embryo transfer, however. Nine days before the rescheduled date, Chelsea took another pregnancy test -- one of dozens and dozens after Charlie's birth -- and saw she was pregnant.

"I started crying, and then I was freaking out," she remembered. "And then it's just all of those emotions again. It really did feel like immediately I was healed, all the stress and everything lifted off my shoulders when I saw that positive."

Freddie was working out at the time. So Chelsea scrambled to arrange for a way to tell him, asking Charlie to draw a picture of her with a baby in her belly. When Freddie came through the door, he was initially confused -- until he saw the positive test.

"No way," he said. "Are you serious?"

He hugged Chelsea, and they broke down together.

"We went from one to three," he said, happily.

The doctors asked if they wanted to go ahead with the embryo transfer. The Freemans did not hesitate in saying yes.

Freddie is generally a private person, with no interest in social media. But last year, Chelsea took to Instagram to talk about the fertility issues that they had faced.

"When she told that story," Freddie recalled, "it was just like -- we're normal people, you know. I know you guys see me on TV a lot, playing baseball, but we go through the same things. We tried so hard."

Chelsea said, "It was always my dream to have three kids by the time I was 30. When my 29th birthday came around and I still wasn't pregnant, I never thought it would be possible. I think our story is definitely a story that God always has a bigger plan. ... Whether a family is looking towards fostering, adoption or surrogacy, children -- no matter which way they come -- are truly a blessing for any family."

Now the Freemans are a party of five -- with Charlie at the perfect age to be an older sibling, Freddie said, helping with pacifiers and blankets and, on Monday evening, wearing pajamas that matched those of his little brothers.

The San Antonio Spurs are still dealing with a coronavirus outbreak, their state is reeling from the aftereffects of a deadly icy blast that has affected millions of Texans and one of their best players is mourning the death of a parent.

Given all that, basketball seems secondary to the Spurs right now.

But they were back to work Monday, holding a full-fledged practice for the first time since it was revealed last week that at least four players tested positive for COVID-19. They will be without at least six players when they return to the court Wednesday at Oklahoma City.

"We've always had the philosophy that there are all these people, or groups of people, who have it worse than you do," coach Gregg Popovich said, wearing a cap bearing the logo of the San Antonio Food Bank. "And considering our positions in this world, we are very, very well off."

The Spurs said five players -- Rudy Gay, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Quinndary Weatherspoon and Derrick White -- are away from the team because of health and safety protocols and will not travel with the club to Oklahoma City. Popovich indicated that not all of them have been able to return to San Antonio yet because of NBA rules; the outbreak hit with the Spurs on a road trip last week.

DeMar DeRozan is also out for Wednesday's game for personal reasons; he revealed late last week that his father died.

"When you lose a parent, it's a difficult situation," Popovich said. "But I've been in touch with him and he's a very mature, kind man and he's doing what he needs to do with his family right now."

When a player is listed as out because of the protocols, that typically means he has tested positive for COVID-19, has a suspected positive test or is out for reasons related to contact tracing. And before any player who has been positive is cleared to return, he first needs to clear several medical exams -- which means it's unclear when any of the five players out for virus-related reasons may return.

There may be one encouraging piece of roster news: LaMarcus Aldridge, who hasn't played since Feb. 1 because of right hip flexor soreness, may be ready to return. The Spurs plan on making that final determination on Tuesday.

Popovich said Aldridge came through Monday's practice fine.

"I'm sure he was probably a little winded," Popovich said.

The NBA initially said last week that four Spurs players had tested positive for COVID-19, without identifying any by name. They last played Feb. 14, beating Charlotte for their fifth win in six games and improving to 16-11 -- five games over the .500 mark for the first time since April 2019.

The news of the four positive tests hit the team not long afterward. Road games against Detroit, Cleveland, New York and Indiana were all postponed, as were a pair of Hornets games in an abundance of caution while contact tracing studies could be completed.

Those postponements lifted the number of games called off for virus-related reasons this season to 29, not including a handful of other games that were rearranged to fill some gaps in the schedule.

The Spurs are the fourth team to have an unplanned break of at least a week this season because of virus-related issues. Boston went seven days between games, Memphis went 12 days and Washington went 13 days.

Then came the storm, which crippled much of Texas for days.

Popovich preaches perspective, and he tried Monday to put missing a few basketball games in its proper place.

"Complaining, or feeling sorry for oneself, that's not in the picture," Popovich said. "It's inappropriate. Not deserved. Only thank-yous for what we all have. So, you know, at this time, you just think about all the people that have gone through hell. And as we've seen from all the reports, it didn't have to be that way."