Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that he and his family have been threatened on social media and repeated his call for companies to take lasting action in tackling abuse.

The Gunners declined to add any detail when asked by ESPN to provide further information -- citing a desire to respect his privacy -- but Arteta confirmed at a news conference to preview Sunday's Premier League game against Leeds United that the club had attempted to deal with an incident.

- Premier League, FA demand more action against online abuse

"I'd prefer not to [speak about it] but I think we're all exposed to that in this industry," Arteta said.

"That's why I'd prefer not to read [social media] because it would affect me personally much more the moment that somebody wants to touch my family. Because it happened, the club was aware of it and we tried to do something about it. That's it. We have to live with it. It's not going to stop tomorrow, we know that, but medium or long-term, can we do something about it? That's what I am pushing for.

"We are lucky enough as well that the club is very supportive. We do what we have to do when those things happen. My only purpose is just, it's not going to happen tomorrow, but can we do something about it in the medium to long term to protect the people that are involved in the game, and maybe in other industries it happens in the same way."

Sources have told ESPN that Premier League clubs are growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of meaningful action taken by the relevant authorities amid mounting cases of online discrimination and abuse.

Newcastle manager Steve Bruce this week said he had received death threats as a letter signed by several football governing bodies including the Premier League, English Football League, the women's professional game and the Professional Game Match Officials' Board urged Twitter and Facebook to "accept responsibility" and "go further than you have promised."

"I think if we would be reading everything that is written about us, probably we'd have to stay in bed a lot of days," Arteta said. "It is part of it. I think it is great that people have the ability and so many platforms and ways to communicate and give their opinions.

"The only thing I'm asking is to be respectful, you know? Do it in a respectful way, you don't have to batter anybody or try to hurt anybody.

"Yeah, just give your opinion with the best intentions and when it's constructive I think everybody can take criticism. It's part of our job to look at it and think and reflect on it but when people just have the intention of hurting, that's when it becomes a little bit silly in my opinion. It's just finding that balance. There are a lot of positives, but I think there are things we can do better as well."

Referee Mike Dean will not officiate a Premier League game this weekend after requesting a break following death threats while several players including Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Axel Tuanzebe and Chelsea defender Reece James have been targeted this season.

"We've spoken internally to the players and tried to give them some advice and tried to protect them as much as possible," added Arteta.

"The incident that occurred a few days ago with Mike Dean is completely unacceptable and I think we should all stand for him and support Mike and the referring community as well.

"They have a tremendously difficult role in the league at the moment with a lot of key decisions that affect teams and leagues one way or the other, but at the same time they try to do their best. They prepare in the best possible way and we all make mistakes and I think we have to support them."

Meanwhile, UEFA has confirmed the Europa League round of 32 second-leg match between Arsenal and Benfica will take place at the Stadio Georgios Karaiskakis in Piraeus, Greece. The date and kickoff time remain the same.

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has challenged FIFA Club World Cup winners Bayern Munich to take on his old Barcelona team from 2008-09 to determine which side is better.

Bayern beat Liga MX's Tigres 1-0 on Thursday to become world champions and cement themselves in history alongside Barca as the only club to hold all six major available trophies on offer at the same time.

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Hansi Flick's side won the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League at the end of last season, adding the German Super Cup, European Super Cup and the Club World Cup in this campaign.

Guardiola's Barca recorded the same feat in 2009, albeit with the Spanish equivalents, becoming the only team at the time to ever hold all six trophies and still -- due to the coronavirus-affected schedule -- the only side to win all six in the same calendar year.

"Congratulations to all the Bayern family for their incredible success of winning six titles," Guardiola, who managed the German club before joining City in 2016, said in a message on social media.

"I am very proud. But I would like to say to Hansi that you are the second team to win six titles in a row. Before it was another team, it was Barcelona, so maybe I can call [Lionel] Messi and company and we can play for the seventh title. Tell me when and where and we will be there!"

Messi scored the winner in the 2009 Club World Cup final as Barca made history with a team that also included Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Dani Alves.

Three members of that team are still at Camp Nou -- Messi, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets -- although many others have since retired.

City maintain hope of signing Messi and reuniting him with Guardiola when his contract expires in the summer.

Sources have told ESPN that they will wait until March or April before making their move after coming close to signing him last August, only for Barca to refuse his request to leave.

City could go one better than Bayern and Barca in theory, due to the extra trophy on offer in England. They remain in the League Cup and the FA Cup this season and are top of the league.

In addition, they are still in the Champions League, so could potentially win a quadruple, with three more trophies on offer next season if that came to pass.

Manchester United are targeting Real Madrid's Raphael Varane, among others, to sort their leaky defence -- ESPN's Insider Notebook has the latest. PLUS: Barcelona search for the next Christian Pulisic.

Jump to: Barca step up attempts to find next Pulisic, Hoppe | Man Utd starlet Shoretire wanted by Barca | Font's election setback after Cruyff endorsement | Colour blindness a problem for Premier League | Arsenal legend eyes Premier League | Whoops! Player left at petrol station

Solskjaer's plan to fix Man United's shaky defence

Manchester United will prioritise signing a new centre-back in the summer as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to solve his team's defensive frailties, sources told ESPN.

United are the Premier League's top scorers with 49 but have conceded 30 in 23 games. Leeds United are the only team in the top half of the table to have conceded more, with 38.

Solskjaer is keen to bring in a partner for captain Harry Maguire, who cost £80 million from Leicester in 2019, with Sevilla's Jules Kounde, Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings, Raphael Varane at Real Madrid and Braga's David Carmo the names on his shortlist. RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano is also a target but there are fears among United's recruitment team that Bayern Munich are a step ahead in the race for his signature.

Solskjaer will keep Victor Lindelof and while he is a fan of Eric Bailly, he has concerns about the Ivory Coast international's injury record. Bailly has impressed alongside Maguire but hasn't played since the 2-1 win over Fulham on Jan. 20. He has only surpassed 20 appearances in all competitions in one of his four full seasons at the club.

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- Dawson: Slack defending is costing Man United in title race

Varane's future at Real Madrid is in question with the French defender out of contract in 2022. Sevilla's Kounde, 22, is rated as one of the best young defenders in Europe and was on Manchester City's shortlist before they signed Benfica's Ruben Dias. Liverpool were keen to sign Portugal youth international Carmo, 21, on deadline day but could not reach an agreement with his club, SC Braga.

Solskjaer has been promised money to spend to strengthen the squad in the summer but the United boss has also been told the club will continue to be cautious with their finances while the coronavirus pandemic is ongoing.

Sources told ESPN that United have also not given up on signing Jadon Sancho, although they remain firm in their stance that Borussia Dortmund would need to drop their £120m asking price. -- Rob Dawson

Barca step up hunt for next Pulisic, Hoppe

Barcelona have upped the surveillance of their flagship academy in the United States in a bid to find the next U.S. star to break into their first team.

Matthew Hoppe became the latest graduate from Barca's Residency Academy in Arizona to make his mark in the professional game when he scored a Bundesliga hat trick in January. The Californian, 19, signed his first professional deal with Schalke this month.

He's not the only player from the academy, which launched in 2017, to step into the professional game. Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy), who has already been capped by the United States, is another player to come through the ranks, along with Caden Clark (New York Red Bulls), Bryce Duke (Los Angeles FC) and Amadeo Chapru Tate (Leganes).

- Meet Matthew Hoppe: The Bundesliga's next U.S. striking sensation

Given the rate at which players are progressing, Barca have decided to work closer with the academy in the hope of finding the next Sergino Dest or Christian Pulisic. USMNT's Dest signed for Barca for €21m plus €5m in potential add-ons last summer while international teammate Pulisic has impressed in the Premier League after joining Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund.

In partnership with Grande Sports World, Barcelona have also increased their investment in the Arizona school and want to ensure no one slips through the net.

Barca have 49 soccer schools around the world as part of their Academy project but the Arizona Residency's reputation is second only to La Masia and the club hope the relationship with Grande Sports World can further their development of talent in the U.S.

As part of the changes to the way the academy is overseen, players that aren't picked up by professional teams will be given scholarships for colleges in the U.S to enable them to carry on their pursuit of a career in football alongside their education. -- Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens

Man United academy star Shoretire was a Barca target

Manchester United fended off competition from Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich to agree a first professional contract with promising youngster Shola Shoretire, sources told ESPN.

The 17-year-old forward's representatives fielded enquiries from some of Europe's biggest clubs before the player agreed professional terms with United on Monday.

Shoretire was convinced to commit his long-term future after conversations with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and head of first team development Nicky Butt, who highlighted the progress of fellow academy graduate Mason Greenwood under his watch.

- Big spenders: How Man United have lost money in transfer market

Shoretire, who has scored five goals for the Under-23s this season, has started training with the first-team and has been earmarked for a senior debut in the next 18 months.

Plans to hand youngsters experience in the Europa League this season have been complicated by strict coronavirus protocols that prevent players from different bubbles mixing easily, with United's first-leg clash against Real Sociedad in the Europa League round of 32 moved from Spain to Juventus' Allianz Arena. -- Rob Dawson

Font's election setback as Cruyff endorses Laporta

Victor Font's chances of becoming president of Barcelona have been dented after Jordi Cruyff -- the man he will appoint as the club's sporting director if he's elected -- said his father Johan would vote for rival Joan Laporta.

Font's campaign has been built around the return of Xavi Hernandez and to a lesser extent, the hiring of Cruyff. He is the head coach of Chinese Super League club Shenzhen FC.

Along with Carles Puyol, Xavi and Cruyff are two figures capable of tipping the election one way or the other, but sources confirmed to ESPN none of them will side with any of the candidates. They all expect to return to Barca one day and don't want to limit themselves by explicitly linking themselves to one campaign.

Despite that, Cruyff tipped the balance in Laporta's favour by offering him his late father's support ahead of the election on March 7.

"I'm sure my dad would vote for Laporta," Cruyff said. "Ex-players and players all speak well of him and that is not easy. Xavi himself even said that Laporta was the best president he ever had."

Johan Cruyff, who passed away in 2016, earned legendary status at Barca as a player and then as the manager of the "Dream Team," leading the club to their first European Cup in 1992. The club have adhered to his philosophy ever since.

Laporta has chosen not to use any names to boost his campaign, while Font has spoken regularly about Xavi and Cruyff's involvement in his project. He has earmarked a general manager role for Xavi with him eventually taking over as coach and said he will resign on the spot if he's elected and Xavi doesn't return to Barca from his coaching role in Qatar. -- Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens

Colour blindness a problem in Premier League

The Premier League has been warned it risks colour blind fans turning away from the game unless sweeping changes are made to avoid confusion that has caused hundreds of complaints this season.

Kathryn Albany-Ward, the Colour Blind Awareness CEO, told ESPN in January the organisation was inundated with complaints from fans who could not tell Liverpool and Manchester United apart in their 0-0 draw at Anfield. United wore a green change strip while Liverpool wore their traditional red. Last week, Chelsea wore their light-coloured blue away shirt for their win at Sheffield United, despite the fact their home shirt would have been a more logical choice against Sheffield United's red and white stripes.

Sources told ESPN that the Premier League uses computer software to ensure that all fixtures are played with clubs wearing identifiably different colours. The software has recently been updated to include a "colour blind friendly flag" to ascertain the best kit combinations for individuals who are colour-blind.

But Albany-Ward says more should be done to accommodate those who struggle to tell teams apart when their kits clash.

"If fans can't tell the teams apart this affects revenue, switching off TV coverage or deciding not to pay-per-view in case of a clash," Albany-Ward told ESPN.

"Regulations already state kit clashes should be avoided but because people enforcing them don't understand colour blindness, the regulations are not being enforced properly. With regulations tweaked and properly enforced, sponsors and suppliers would also need to ensure they aim to avoid kit clashes in future.

"I think there is a lot of apprehension of raising this topic. The people at the coalface I talk to understand the problem. But they don't want to upset the higher echelons of sport in case it might put sponsors or broadcasters off. They are frightened of addressing the issue because of the potential impact on them and how they might be perceived. Fear is stopping change happening.

"The more elite players who speak out, the faster changes will be made. Colour blind elite players [should] speak up because they are affected, or other players their behalf."

Colour blindness (also known as colour vision deficiency) is a genetic condition which affects approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women in the world. While there is an extremely rare version where people can't see colour at all, most sufferers will still be able to see colours but will confuse different shades. The most common type is "red/green colour blindness" which affects the spectrum containing those colours. -- Lewis Holman

Vieira eyes Premier League but first, Bournemouth

Arsenal legend and former New York City FC boss Patrick Vieira is on a three-man shortlist to take over as manager of Championship side Bournemouth, sources told ESPN.

Vieira won the World Cup with France in 1998 as well as three league titles at Arsenal, and most recently managed Nice in Ligue 1. The 44-year-old also enjoyed a productive spell in Major League Soccer, steering New York City to their first ever playoff appearance after finishing second in the Eastern Conference in 2016.

Sources told ESPN that Vieira's dream is to manage in England, ideally in the Premier League, but he would be prepared to step down a level to the Championship to begin with. Bournemouth are without a manager following the sacking of Jason Tindall, with the club sixth in the Championship.

Sources added that the Bournemouth job appeals to Vieira as he believes the squad is good enough for an instant return to the Premier League, and that the club is the right fit as he continues developing his coaching career. -- Julien Laurens

Whoops! Player left at petrol station in France

Thierry Njoh-Eboa hoped to play from the start in Louhans-Cuiseaux's French Cup match at Belfort last Sunday ... before his club accidentally left him at a motorway service station.

The French fourth division side made the three-hour coach trip from Louhans to Belfort and two hours into the journey, stopped for a break. Njoh-Eboa joined his teammates as they went for a walk, a toilet break and to get some refreshments for the remainder of the journey. But when Njoh-Eboa returned, to his horror the coach had left for Belfort without him.

To compound matters, the left-back had left his mobile phone on the coach, so could not call his teammates. He had to stay at the service station and hope that sooner rather than later, they would realise he was missing.

Alas, the team only realised their starting defender was not there when they arrived in Belfort for the match, before sending a car to rescue him at Besancon-Marchaux services where he had waited for over an hour.

Njoh-Eboa arrived at the match and sat on the bench, before coming on for the final 30 minutes. The story has a happy ending, though, as his side won to reach the last 16 of the cup. And after the game, he was the first player to get back on the coach... -- Julien Laurens

Victoria and New South Wales are planning to push ahead with Monday's Marsh Cup opener at North Sydney Oval despite difficulties in getting the Victoria side to Sydney following their state government's decision to impose a strict five-day Covid lockdown starting at midnight on Friday.

The Victorian government announced on Friday afternoon that the state would head into its third strict lockdown in 10 months following an outbreak of the new variant of Covid-19 from a quarantine hotel near Melbourne Airport.

In response, the NSW government announced that any travellers arriving from Melbourne into NSW would be forced to undergo a five-day stay-at-home order in line with the Victoria lockdown.

The decision by the Victorian state government forced a flurry of meetings at Cricket Australia and amongst the state cricket associations as the men's 50-over Marsh Cup and Sheffield Shield were due to recommence next week while the women's 50-over competition, the WNCL, was already in progress with Victoria and New South Wales playing the second of back-to-back matches at the Junction Oval in Melbourne on Friday.

The NSW women were able to secure a flight out of Melbourne on Friday night prior to the lockdown being imposed at midnight. But Victoria's men's team was unable to get on an early flight to Sydney ahead of Monday's Marsh Cup match.

On Friday evening, Cricket Victoria was still working with Cricket New South Wales and the Victoria and NSW state governments on the team's travel plan to Sydney with the aim for the match to still go ahead. The team first needs government clearance to fly to Sydney and also needs to secure enough seats on a plane as the number of flights available between the two states changed due to the Victorian government's lockdown. There is an expectation that the Victorian team will get clearance and be able to fly to Sydney on Sunday.

The game is due to be Pat Cummins' captaincy debut for NSW after he was named as the Blues' Marsh Cup captain for the remainder of the season.

Victoria and Australia batsman Will Pucovski is set to miss the Marsh Cup and Shield match that follows as he continues to struggle with his shoulder injury.

Earlier this week, Cricket Australia announced a restructured Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup fixture for the remainder of the season despite some state border concerns already existing prior to the Melbourne outbreak.

Only Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, and Queensland were fixtured to play on resumption next week because the majority of Western Australia's playing squad and coaching staff are stuck in mandatory 14-day home quarantine in Perth. The WA government has imposed a 14-day quarantine on travellers from states that have not been Covid-free for 28 days, meaning that the players and coaches involved with the Perth Scorchers in the BBL final in Sydney had to quarantine on return home.

The WA team is due to travel to NSW for a Marsh Cup match on March 14 although the WA government's quarantine requirements for travellers from NSW will be dropped between now and then should NSW remain Covid-free.

Victoria's women are due to head to WA for a WNCL match on March 18 while the men are due to travel to WA for a Shield match on March 23. The WA government has reinstated a hard border with Victoria meaning no travellers can enter without police clearance, and any exempt travellers with clearance would be required to do 14-days hotel quarantine.

Victoria coach Chris Rogers spoke early on Friday morning prior to the announcement of Victoria's five-day lockdown and expressed concern about whether the season could be completed in full.

"We're worried about the fact that we might not get games in," Rogers said. "There's probably an expectation or at least some wriggle room around the fact that we might have some games cancelled.

"It's probably up to me and the coaches to prepare players to play and what will be will be. We just have to roll with the punches as a lot of sports have done and take what comes.

"You'd love for every game to go ahead but one of our last games is against Western Australia in Perth so that's going to be touch and go. We'll have to see how that plays out."

Big picture

If there's anything Test cricket has taught us in the last couple of months, it is that even the most reasonable of predictions can go horribly wrong. Many experts predicted India to crumble after Virat Kohli left Australia when his team was 1-0 down, but saw the most dramatic script unfold with the last drop of thrill squeezed out till the last session of the hard-fought series. Hardly anyone gave a highly depleted West Indies any chance in Bangladesh, only to see a debutant score an unbeaten double-century to chase down a mammoth 395 in the last hour in Chattogram. And England - despite a 2-0 win in Sri Lanka - were not favourites in the four-match series against an India side with many of its frontline players back. But Joe Root and James Anderson led the way as England handed the hosts their first Test loss in Chennai in 22 years.

So, if you have any predictions for the second Test, or for the series, it might be a good idea to take them down a notch or two.

High on the back of their sixth straight away win and as many on the trot in Asia, England's biggest challenge would be similar to the one Australia faced in India in early 2017 after they took a 1-0 lead with a win in Pune: sustain the pressure on the home side. India will be near-unstoppable especially if they win the toss on Saturday. What must England do that Australia couldn't after they lost the toss in Bengaluru and then went on to lose the series?

The first would be to tackle the pitch, which, unlike the first couple of days in the first Test, could turn sharper from the first day itself and may crumble and deteriorate more easily because of the nature of the soil being used for it. This time, they are also without Jofra Archer, whose new-ball burst rattled India in the first innings, and Anderson, whose reverse swing with the old ball on the fifth day broke India's back. Stuart Broad's experience will fill Anderson's hole but an attack without both Anderson and Archer all of a sudden looks a bit careworn.

Root named England's XII on the eve of the Test, confirming Dom Bess would be replaced by Moeen Ali, who brings with him the experience of having played five Tests in India, but with an unimpressive record. England's biggest task would be to figure out how to pick 20 wickets again.

The worries for India are much bigger. "How badly we batted in the first innings is the main reason why we couldn't get back into the game," Kohli said after the Pune loss to Australia in 2017, but the words ring ominous a day before the second Chennai Test, where the batsmen who were guilty of soft dismissals in the first Test would be eager to take more responsibility. India must also strengthen the spin attack as the support spinners - Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Nadeem - didn't create "enough pressure" in the 70 overs they bowled together in the first innings for 265 runs and only two wickets. With or without the performances from the rest of the XI, and the luck of the toss going either way, Kohli would be eager to bring out his team with the necessary intensity and intention of levelling the series before the pink-ball Test in Ahmedabad.

What could work in India's favour is the return of spectators at 50% capacity at MA Chidambaram Stadium. Spectators are also going to have access to stands I, J and K, which had been shut for over nine years because of issues between the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and the local municipality.

Form guide

Last five completed matches, most recent first)

India LWDWL

England WWWDD

In the spotlight

Despite the MCG century and the series win in Australia, Ajinkya Rahane's home form has been under scrutiny. Dating back to when England last toured India, in 2016-17, Rahane has averaged only 31.17 at home from 30 innings, with only one century in more than eight series. The focus on him will be sharper if the Chennai pitch turns even more in the second Test because Rahane is not India's best batsman on raging turners. His overall form has taken a bit of hit too since the MCG knock, with scores of 1, 0, 37, 24, 22 and 4 this year, for an average of 14.66.

ALSO READ: Virat Kohli says don't jump the gun on India, or Rahane

England's hopes of taking control on a turner would again rest on Jack Leach, whose turn and control to dismiss Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara in the fourth innings in the first Test were some of the best deliveries in the series already. He has already taken 16 wickets this year, including his tally of 10 in Sri Lanka, and so far in this series it's only Rishabh Pant, who gave the left-arm spinner a runaround. In Leach's own words, Pant is the only one who has dominated him. All the other frontline Indian batsmen are right-handed, which will continue to work in Leach's favour as he would probably be tossed the ball early again when India bat the second time.

Team news

With Axar Patel declared fit after missing the series opener with a knee injury, India are likely to hand him a debut in place of Nadeem. But can they make space for Kuldeep Yadav? If they need a more attacking spinner to make up for the inexperience of Patel, one option is to bring in Yadav in place of Sundar, whose batting should not be missed as R Ashwin and Patel can bat at Nos. 7 and 8.

India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/Washington Sundar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

The only speculation Root has left any room is about the second seamer to partner Broad: Chris Woakes or Olly Stone? England are set to make four changes, of which one was known (Ben Foakes for Jos Buttler), one is forced (a seamer for the injured Archer), one is performance-based (Ali for Bess), and the last is in line with England's rotation policy to keep the fast bowlers' legs fresh through the series (Broad for Anderson). The like-for-like replacement for Archer's speed would be Stone, who bowls consistently over 90mph. But Woakes is more experienced and, perhaps, brings more control.

England: 1 Dom Sibley, 2 Rory Burns, 3 Dan Lawrence 4 Joe Root (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Ollie Pope, 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Moeen Ali, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Chris Woakes/Olly Stone, 11 Jack Leach

Pitch and conditions

As the temperature continues to be in the early to mid-30s in Chennai, the dry Chepauk track is expected to turn sharper in the second Test as it will be played on a different pitch, which was covered at times in the lead up to the game to protect it from the beating sun. The ball could turn from day one this time, and the pitch could disintegrate very quickly. How much the new pitch is able to maintain its bounce over the length of the Test would be of interest.

Stats and trivia

• If India win the second Test, Kohli will equal MS Dhoni's record (21) for most wins by an India captain at home.
• The last time India lost two Tests in a series at home was also to England, in 2012-13. The last time they lost the first and second Test of a series at home was against South Africa in 1999-2000 in a two-match series
• Root is just eight short of going past Ricky Ponting's tally (1889) of runs among non-Asian batsmen in Asia. Only Alastair Cook (2710) and Jacques Kallis (2058) are ahead of Ponting. Root could also become only the third visiting batsman to score 2000 runs in Asia.
• Ashwin needs just three wickets to go past Harbhajan Singh's 265 wickets in India. Should he pass Singh, Ashwin will become the second-most prolific bowler in Tests in India after Anil Kumble (350). Ashwin would also have played ten fewer Tests than Singh to pass him.

Quotes

"[The pitch] looks completely different, I am sure it will turn from day one. We will have to wait and see how it behaves in the first session and take it from there. We have to forget what happened in the first Test and focus on this. Play good cricket. And we know these conditions really well. We have to put our best foot forward tomorrow and play as a team."

A rank turner then? Ajinkya Rahane thinks so

"We know he's a good player. We know he's going to score runs at some point on this tour and we've just got to keep him as quiet as we can. We've got to keep delivering our best balls, time and time again, and keep trying to challenge his defence as often as possible to try and build pressure on him. We know he's one of the world's best players and he'll be desperate to prove a point this week."
Joe Root has his plans in place for Virat Kohli

With stats inputs from Shiva Jayaraman

Vishal Dikshit is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Cricket South Africa has confirmed it will host Pakistan for three ODIs and four T20Is between April 2 and 16, with all matches to be played on the Highveld. The games will be split between the Wanderers in Johannesburg and SuperSport Park in Centurion, and will mark the end of a lean South African summer. Sri Lanka and England have been the only other touring teams for short two-Test and white-ball series respectively, after Australia indefinitely postponed a three-Test series that was scheduled for March.

Pakistan, who South Africa are visiting at the moment, will arrive in South Africa on March 26 and will enter a biosecure environment, most likely to be the Irene Country Club, where Sri Lanka also stayed. They were initially only due to play three T20s but CSA asked the PCB to add a fixture in order to provide more content for the hosts. The ODIs will include a Pink Day match at the Wanderers, where funds will be raised for breast-cancer treatment.

"We are grateful to the PCB for agreeing to our request within a short period of time to increase the length of the trip by adding in a fourth T20, which will give us some much-needed additional international content," Graeme Smith, South Africa's director of cricket, said. "Pakistan has proved their status over the years as one of the most dangerous limited-overs teams and I'm sure they will give the Proteas a stern test on the Highveld. We will also have the much-anticipated Pink ODI take place during the tour and that is something further to look forward to for the players, the fans and all those associated with this iconic day."

That still leaves South Africa without international cricket from the end of the current trip to Pakistan, which finishes with two T20s at the weekend, to the end of March - a prime summer window. The national players will return home to play in a domestic T20 cup with only four-day cricket on the agenda for March.

It remains to be seen how much - if any part - of this tour clashes with the IPL, which is likely to start mid April, and how that will affect player availability for either South Africa or the IPL franchises.

Ajinkya Rahane is a man of few words. He keeps his assertions for on the field. On the eve of the second Test against England, though, he hit back at those questioning his batting, asking them to check his record. Rahane scored a resounding hundred in Melbourne, adjudged as the innings of the year by ESPNcricinfo, but either side of that knock have been 13 innings without reaching 50. More of a concern with Rahane is that his numbers are better away than at home, where he averages 37.75.

"We are playing at home after two years," Rahane pointed out. "We played last home series against South Africa. If you take that record out, you will find something over there. It is all about the team. It is not about any individual. My focus is completely on how I can contribute for my team. If you check out the last 10-15 Test matches about my individual performances, you will see some runs over there. I don't need to worry about what is happening and what happened in the first Test match. It is all about what the team wants from me in this Test match. And then go and contribute. And I am pretty much confident about that."

The South Africa series that Rahane spoke about took place in October 2019. He scored a century and a fifty, averaging 72. In the series against Bangladesh that followed, he scored 86 and 51 in the two innings he got to play. In the most recent home Test, though, Rahane managed scores of 1 and 0.

From being propped up as a full-time captaincy candidate to having his place questioned in the space of just one Test is some ride. Sanjay Manjrekar's tweet summed it up: "My issue with Rahane the captain is Rahane the batsman. After that 100 in Melbourne his scores are - 27*, 22, 4, 37, 24, 1 and 0. After a 100, class players carry their form & carry the burden of players out of form."

However, Rahane enjoys full confidence from the full-time captain, Virat Kohli. "Ajinkya, I have said this many a times in the past as well, along with Pujara, he is our most important Test batsman and he will continue to be as we believe in his abilities and he is an impact player," Kohli said after the first Test. "If you are talking about MCG Test, he stood up and scored a hundred when the team wanted it most. You can look at number of innings and what happens from thereon, the reality is we won the series in Australia.

"Here it is just one innings, and today you can put that innings aside but in the first innings he wanted to score a boundary and it was a brilliant catch by Joe [Root] that got rid of him. If that goes for a boundary and he scores runs, then we are not having this conversation, so there are absolutely no issues and everyone is playing really well. We just need to be focused a lot more and understand that Test victories are earned in any condition whether you are playing at home or away from home. Nothing is given in Test cricket, and we need to work together as a team and put in a lot of pressure on the opposition."

"England came up with their plans of playing sweeps and reverse sweeps. It is not necessary that we are going to play similar shots"

Ajinkya Rahane

If Rahane is to get the criticism off his back in Chennai in the coming week, he will have to do in conditions more difficult than in the first Test. He himself said the pitch would turn much more. "[The pitch] looks completely different, I am sure it will turn from day one," Rahane said. "We will have to wait and see how it behaves in the first session and take it from there. We have to forget what happened in the first Test and focus on this. Play good cricket. And we know these conditions really well. We have to put our best forward tomorrow and play as a team."

In the Bangalore Test that India beat Australia in, from a similar 1-0 deficit back in 2016-17, Rahane led the turnaround in partnership with Pujara. In that innings, Rahane unsettled Nathan Lyon with the sweep, a shot that England employed to good effect against India. Rahane was asked if that is a shot India are looking at.

"It depends on what they bowl," Rahane said. "What lines and lengths they bowl. Accordingly we play those shots. England came up with their plans of playing sweeps and reverse sweeps. It is not necessary that we are going to play similar shots. It is about what they bowl and how we actually attack their lines and lengths and play our game."

Leicestershire have announced the signing of Naveen-ul-Haq, the Afghanistan seamer, as an overseas player for the T20 Blast.

Naveen, 21, has quickly developed a reputation as one of the game's best young death bowlers, with an array of slower balls and an action that evokes Jasprit Bumrah. He has played in the CPL, LPL and Abu Dhabi T10 in recent months, and will become the second Afghanistan international to play for Leicestershire after Mohammad Nabi in 2018.

"I am delighted to have signed for Leicestershire in the T20 Blast," Naveen said. "It has always been an ambition of mine to play county cricket in England.

"I have heard great things about the T20 Blast. It is exciting to be joining Paul Nixon and his talented squad. I hope to help the team push for T20 silverware this year."

Nixon, Leicestershire's head coach, said: "Naveen is an extremely consistent T20 performer in all global competitions. His clever changes of pace mixed with quicker balls delivered with his unique bowling action make it very tough for opposing batsmen.

"As well as being a talented player under pressure, our young team will learn a lot from a high-class performer like Naveen."

Leicestershire were one ball away from reaching their first Finals Day since 2011 in last summer's Blast. Their quarter-final against Nottinghamshire ended in a tie thanks to a final-ball misfield in the deep, and they were eliminated having lost more wickets.

They announced the signing of Wiaan Mulder, the South Africa allrounder, as an overseas player for the County Championship and Royal London Cup last month, and confirmed this week that Callum Parkinson - the twin brother of England spinner Matt - has been installed as vice-captain following a contract extension.

Elsewhere, left-arm wristspinner Jake Lintott has signed his first professional contract at the age of 27, with Warwickshire tying him to a three-year deal. Lintott took 10 wickets in last year's Blast while conceding just 6.30 runs per over, and has signed a deal to play for the club across formats.

"Jake made a fantastic impression during our Vitality Blast campaign in 2020 and we're thrilled to secure his immediate future with the club," Paul Farbrace, Warwickshire's director of cricket, said. "Slow left-arm unorthodox bowlers are not easy to discover and Jake provides another dimension to our spin bowling attack, alongside slow left-arm orthodox Danny Briggs and offspinner Alex Thomson."

"It's been a long time coming but it's an amazing feeling to secure my first full contract in the professional game," Lintott said. "To join such a big county with the traditions of Warwickshire and to make Edgbaston my home ground for the foreseeable future is something that I have always aspired to."

TOKYO -- Yoshiro Mori resigned Friday as the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee following sexist comments implying women talk too much.

"As of today I will resign from the president's position," he said to open an executive board and council meeting. The board was expected to pick his successor later on Friday. Mori was appointed in 2014, just months after Tokyo won the bid to host the Olympics.

"My inappropriate comments have caused a lot of chaos,'' he said. He repeated several times he had regret over the remarks but also said he had "no intention of neglecting women.''

Mori's departure comes after more than a week of nonstop criticism about his remarks earlier this month. He initially apologized but refused to step away, which was followed by relentless pressure from television pundits, sponsors and an online petition that drew 150,000 signatures.

But it's not clear that his resignation will clear the air and return the focus to exactly how Tokyo can hold the Olympics in just over five months in the midst of a pandemic.

"The IOC fully respects President Mori's decision to step down and understands his reasons for doing so," IOC president Thomas Bach said.

"At the same time, we would like to thank him for his outstanding contribution to the organisation of the postponed Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 over the course of the past years.

"Among his many accomplishments, President Mori helped to make Tokyo the best-ever prepared Olympic city. The IOC will continue working hand-in-hand with his successor to deliver safe and secure Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 in 2021."

John Coates, Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission Tokyo 2020, added: "Throughout our eight years working together, President Mori was a strong and effective leader, who could always be trusted to find solutions even in the most difficult circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The cooperation with President Mori has been outstanding. I would like to thank him for all his support and dedication."

The Olympics are to open on July 23, with 11,000 athletes and 4,400 more in the Paralympics a month later. About 80% in recent polls in Japan say they want the Olympics canceled or postponed with clear support at about 15%.

Early reports said the 83-year-old Mori had picked to succeed him 84-year-old Saburo Kawabuchi, the former president of the governing body of Japanese soccer and a former player himself. He played for Japan in the 1964 Olympics.

Kawabuchi is even older than Mori and will raise the issue of why a woman was not appointed. This is the center of the entire debate that Mori triggered over gender inequality in Japan and the absence of women in boardrooms, politics and sports governance. Women are also largely absence in leadership roles at the organizing committee.

Kawabuchi indicated on Thursday he had been contacted by Mori and would accept the job if offered. But he said later he might not be the appropriate choice and seemed to be withdrawing.

Japanese media immediately pointed out there are three qualified women -- all athletes and former Olympians and at least a generation younger -- who could fill the job.

Kaori Yamaguchi won a bronze medal in the 1988 Olympics in judo. Mikako Kotani won two bronze medals in the 1988 Olympics in synchronized swimming. And Naoko Takahashi was a gold medalist in the marathon in the 2000 Olympics.

Seiko Hashimoto, the current Olympic minister and a former Olympian, has also been mentioned as a candidate.

Mori's remarks have put the spotlight on how far Japan lags behind other prosperous countries in advancing women in politics or the boardrooms. Japan stands 121st out of 153 in the World Economic Forum's gender equality rankings.

Koichi Nakano, a political scientist at Sophia University in Tokyo, characterized Japan as a country still run "by a club of old men." But he said this could be a watershed.

"Social norms are changing,'' he wrote in an email to The Associated Press. "A clear majority of the Japanese found Mori's comments unacceptable, so the problem is more to do with the lack of representation of women in leadership positions. This sorry episode may have the effect of strengthening the call for greater gender equality and diversity in the halls of power."

Though some on the street called for Mori to resign -- several hundred Olympic volunteers say they are withdrawing -- most decision makers, including Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, stopped short of this and simply condemned his remarks.

A comment a few days ago from Toyota Motor Corp. president Akio Toyoda seemed to move the needle.

Toyota is one of 14 so-called Olympic TOP sponsors that pay about $1 billion every four-year cycle to the International Olympic Committee. The company seldom speaks out on politics, and Toyota did not call for Mori's resignation. But just speaking on the matter might have been enough.

"The [Mori] comment is different from our values, and we find it regrettable," Toyoda said.

Toyota and Coca-Cola also are major sponsors of the torch relay.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry is happy to let his game do the talking as it pertains to the MVP race this season.

Curry, 32, is in the midst of one of the best stretches of his career, averaging 35.3 points per game and shooting 53-for-101 from beyond the arc over his past eight contests.

After scoring 40 points in a 111-105 win over the Orlando Magic on Thursday night, the former two-time MVP spoke with the type of confidence that has defined the past few years of his career when asked if he'd like to be in the conversation for the award this season.

"The game speaks for itself," said Curry, who previously won the MVP award in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. "Those two [MVP] years is the exact same kind of conversation. Obviously, that's an amazing accomplishment, and being in that conversation with all that we've been through these last two years, that means something. Those narratives make themselves as you go throughout the season, and my job is obviously just be at the level that I expect to be, and usually that means you're at the top at the end of the season.

"I really try not to get distracted by that because it kind of taints the moment. And really right now, if I'm doing my job, then I'll be there at the end of the season, and that will take care of itself."

After hitting 10 3-pointers on Thursday night, Curry has hit at least 10 3s in 17 games, extending his NBA record. Warriors swingman Klay Thompson sits in second with five such games.

"It is routine, which is the crazy part of it," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Curry's latest offensive outburst. "You just come to expect it. And these 3s that he hits when there's just nothing there offensively and he just uses his dribble to free himself up, not exactly with a ton of space, just a few inches of space, and then he rises up and you expect every single one of them to go in. It's kind of crazy. He's in a really good groove."

Asked whether Curry belongs in the MVP conversation, Kerr, who has said repeatedly in the past week that he feels Curry is playing the best basketball of his career, was blunt in his assessment.

"I think so," Kerr said. "How could he not be? He's otherworldly."

The one thing that appears to be holding Curry back from garnering more momentum for the award is the Warriors' 14-12 record. When asked if a team's win-loss record should be taken into consideration, Curry offered a measured response.

"It always has and it always will," he said, "You can always make judgments based on what you value and what you see and numbers and wins and losses and the eye test and all that type of stuff. It's kind of what makes the beauty of that award in general because everybody has a different take on what it means. Sometimes the goalposts do change, though, for sure. So it's just a matter of doing my job, and if that means people want to put me in that conversation or any of the other guys, then that's amazing. If not, it's not going to change how I approach the game."

Curry's ability to hit shots from all over the floor continues to leave his teammates in awe. Even they can't seem to process what kind of tear the guard is on.

"It's literally like a video game," Warriors swingman Juan Toscano-Anderson said. "We're all on the bench chuckling and laughing like, 'Man, he's unreal.'"

Fellow Warriors swingman Andrew Wiggins echoed a similar sentiment, saying that he believes Curry has proved to be the best player in the league so far this season.

"The stuff he does even with two, three defenders on him, how he still gets his shot up and makes it," Wiggins said. "The space he creates, it doesn't matter who's guarding him. It's just a joy to watch. It's one thing to watch on TV, and it's another thing to actually be here, living it. ... He's on his own level right now."

Curry admitted this is one of the best stretches of his 12-year career.

"One-hundred percent," Curry said. "But it's all about what's happening now. I don't compare it to really anything in terms of what has happened in the past. ... I've been saying it for a while, I feel confident and strong and in rhythm, and it's a good feeling and I want to keep getting better. That's the goal."