Australia's T20I captain Aaron Finch freely admits that the squad currently in New Zealand will be enormously different for the World Cup meant to be played in India later this year, meaning the tour lengthened considerably by a two-week quarantine period will be largely about fact-finding on fringe players and his own recovery from a dreadful Big Bash League.

Finch did his best to completely avoid cricket during a 10-day sabbatical following the Melbourne Renegades' second underwhelming BBL campaign in succession, the difference this time being that his own returns also dropped away alarmingly, tallying just 179 runs at 13.76 across 13 increasingly harried innings.

Having crossed the Tasman on Sunday, the squad helmed by Australia's senior assistant coach Andrew McDonald will provide an opportunity for Finch and the touring selector George Bailey to get a closer look at their options while the likes of David Warner, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are still at home.

"The top three will be [Matt] Wade, [Josh] Philippe and myself," Finch said. "Maxi [Maxwell] and Stoin [Stoinis], four and five, around that area. It's pretty simple I'd imagine. When you look at the squad list, Josh Philippe has been in great nick and it's great to see him playing well. Matty Wade, we know how dynamic he is along with Maxi. We're going to be flexible with that top order as well. If that means Wadey or myself or Josh, whoever bats at three, it'll be a great opportunity.

"We'll use this as a way to gather a lot of info leading up to that T20 World Cup, which means there might be a little bit of shuffling. But we'll try to stick closely to the guys playing their roles that they're accustomed to or where we'll see them in the future playing. The result is not the be all and end all. I think building up and finding information, finding different ways our team can structure up is almost more important."

That sort of attitude will undoubtedly help Finch emerge from his BBL fog also. "Literally didn't touch a bat during the 10 days I think I had off," he said. "I'm feeling a lot better about my game - the one thing about when you're out of nick or not getting any runs, you're not quite sure where to turn, so putting the bat down for a while, just looking at some footage and assessing where you think your game was at and being realistic about it was as much as I needed to do.

"I know I can still play, so it's just about making sure when I turn up for these isolations training sessions I'm working on specific things and not just training for the sake of it. I feel pretty good to be honest, and that might sound pretty stupid coming off the back of not many runs. But it's international cricket and I'm ready to go."

Philippe and the prodigiously talented young wristspinner Tanveer Sangha are two players Finch is particularly eager to get a closer look at. Assessing Philippe, Finch reckoned he was witnessing a future staple of the Australian top order at a key time in which he was learning how to balance good days and bad.

"He's someone who has obviously got all the shots but he's starting to get to that point of his career, and I think a lot of that was on the back of having a couple of months of IPL where he spent a lot of time with AB [de Villers] and Virat [Kohli], talking about batting with myself," Finch said. "He's taken his game to a new level because he's just getting past that period when he's not hitting them well. When he's playing well, it's lights out, it's brilliant.

"But just those days when he's not feeling 100%, he's getting through that little danger period and still having a big impact on the game which I think is so important in T20. It's such an up-and-down game, you're not going to be consistent all the time but you can still contribute and he's doing a brilliant job, he played fantastically well. When his head is still, he's playing beautifully, and his wicketkeeping has been really good as well. That's a great position for him to be in, coming here with a huge amount of confidence off the back of another Big Bash title."

As for the vacant Renegades coaching role, likely to be bid for by a wide array of candidates including Trevor Bayliss, David Saker and Simon Helmot, Finch did not hide his wish that there was more than one McDonald available, the better to play a key role for both club and country.

"I would love Andrew back coaching the Renegades but I also think there's a job for him to do with the Australian team and that's the most important," Finch said. "He's doing a brilliant job around the group and with the bowlers as well, so yes and no is the answer. I'd love him back but what he's doing at the moment is outstanding, he's head coach of this tour, he's as good as you get. I can understand if he's not coach of the Renegades, but yeah."

The five-match T20I series will start on February 22 in Christchurch.

Things didn't go Kansas City's way Sunday night, but oddsmakers have already installed the Chiefs as Super Bowl favorites for next season.

The Chiefs, listed at +550 at Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill, are the favorite to win Super Bowl LVI. The Green Bay Packers are next at +900, followed by the champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers at +1,100.

The Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs 31-9 on Sunday, becoming the biggest preseason long shot to win the Super Bowl since the 2001 New England Patriots, who were also quarterbacked by Tom Brady.

Last February, Tampa Bay opened as high as 60-1 to win Super Bowl LV. The Buccaneers were coming off a 7-9 season, their third consecutive losing campaign. But they acquired Brady in March and caught fire late in the season and the playoffs en route to the franchise's second Super Bowl title. The 2001 Patriots also were around 60-1 in the preseason, before Brady took over and eventually led New England to a Super Bowl upset of the St. Louis Rams.

The Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills are each +1,200 to win Super Bowl LVI, which will be held Feb. 6, in Inglewood, California. The Los Angeles Rams, with newly acquired quarterback Matthew Stafford, are +1,300, followed by the San Francisco 49ers at +1,400 and New Orleans Saints at +1,600.

Oddsmakers will be watching the news in the offseason, with impact quarterbacks potentially on the move, including the Houston Texans' Deshaun Watson, who has requested a trade, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Texans are 100-1 at William Hill, tied with the New York Jets and Detroit Lions with the longest Super Bowl odds.

The Philadelphia Eagles, who are reportedly shopping quarterback Carson Wentz, are 50-1. The Jacksonville Jaguars, owners of the No. 1 overall pick and with new coach Urban Meyer, are 75-1.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke for the first time publicly about his son's auto accident that left a 5-year-old girl in critical condition, saying Sunday, "My heart bleeds for everybody involved in that.''

"My heart goes out to all those who were involved in the accident, in particular the family with the little girl who's fighting for her life,'' Reid said Sunday night after the Chiefs lost Super Bowl LV to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-9. "I can't comment on it any more than what I am here. So the questions you have, I'm going to have to turn those down; but just from a human standpoint, my heart bleeds for everybody involved in that.''

Reid's son Britt, the Chiefs' outside linebacker coach, was involved in the three-car crash on Thursday night in Kansas City. He did not travel with the Chiefs to Tampa, Florida, for the Super Bowl.

Britt Reid acknowledged to police he was driving the vehicle that collided with the two other cars, including the one with the 5-year-old inside. The police report said the driver of that vehicle suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was being investigated for possible impairment.

A Kansas City Police Department officer said Reid's eyes were bloodshot and that the officer smelled "a moderate odor of alcoholic beverages," according to a police officer statement obtained by ESPN. The statement went on to say Reid told the officer that he had two to three drinks and that he also took prescription Adderall.

Asked whether the incident was a distraction for him or the Chiefs, Reid said, "We had put the game plan in the week before. The distraction wasn't a distraction as far as the game plan goes. That was already in and how we were going to work with it and go forward.

"From a human standpoint, it's a tough one. From a football standpoint, I don't think that was a problem.''

TAMPA, Fla. -- Tom Brady isn't passing the torch yet.

Brady, the 43-year-old quarterback who went to Tampa Bay for the final chapter in a first-ballot Hall of Fame career, proved he's still the most dominant quarterback in the league by throwing for 201 yards and three touchdowns and earning his fifth Super Bowl MVP award and seventh ring as the Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 for their first Super Bowl win since 2003.

With the win, Brady has more Super Bowl titles (7) than any franchise in NFL history, topping the six each won by the Steelers and Patriots. Brady also made history with his fifth MVP award, becoming the only player with five. Joe Montana is second with three.

"This team is world champions forever, you can't take it away from us," Brady said after the game.

When asked if he would return next season, he added: "We're coming back."

Brady joked with Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill in July that he would go for his seventh ring after Hill promised a Chiefs dynasty with seven of their own. With the win, Brady is 3-2 against Patrick Mahomes. His first two wins came in games in which he built a double-digit lead by half and held off furious Chiefs comebacks.

This time, though, there would be no comeback.

There would be just Brady and the talented teammates he lured to Tampa Bay when he went south to prove he was more than a piece in a Bill Belichick dynasty. The win shows he's the kind of transcendent player who doesn't need one particular organization to build a dynasty. He can do it anytime, anywhere, in any uniform.

He did it Sunday with tight end Rob Gronkowski -- a longtime Patriots teammate he convinced to come out of retirement with promises of sunshine and another Super Bowl ring -- and Leonard Fournette, whom he convinced to sign in Tampa Bay after the former first-rounder was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

And he did it with Antonio Brown, the troubled wide receiver who wanted another shot in the NFL and was given refuge by a quarterback who wanted one more talent in an offense that had almost everything.

Gronkowski followed his friend to Florida and was rewarded with the first two touchdowns of the evening. His pair of scores, one on an option play 8 yards from the goal line and the other a 17-yard reception, pushed the Buccaneers so far ahead of the Chiefs that Kansas City's field goal counters weren't enough.

"Great to see big time players making big time plays," Brady said. "Just love what they did, what they added to the team. Gronk is an unbelievable player, teammate, talent, work ethic, commitment. And AB is just, since he got here, he's done everything the right way. So impressed by him. Proud of him.

"It takes a lot of people to get to this point, and we all have great support systems in place, and I think everyone should be celebrating them tonight."

In a game billed to be the changing of the guard between Brady, the original GOAT, and Mahomes, the future GOAT, the veteran quarterback was lethal as he efficiently picked apart the Chiefs' defense. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 90 yards with three touchdowns in the first half, two to Gronkowski and one to Brown with less than a minute to go until halftime.

In the third quarter, Brady completed just 4 of 6 attempts for 55 yards, but his 25-yard completion to Gronkowski in the third quarter set up a 27-yard Fournette touchdown a play later.

While Tampa Bay's young and tenacious defense battered Mahomes, the Buccaneers' offensive line kept Brady nearly unscathed in the pocket. Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark recorded the only sack of Brady, coming in the first quarter.

Though younger superstar quarterbacks are on the cusp of taking over the league, Brady defied the trend during the regular season, and he didn't stop until he captured his seventh Super Bowl ring in his new home stadium surrounded by fans who embraced the quarterback as their own.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Eleven months ago, it was inconceivable that quarterback Tom Brady would choose, of all teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to continue his football journey.

Equally implausible was that this partnership -- forged in an offseason ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, with little time to connect with new teammates or master a new playbook -- would yield Brady's 10th Super Bowl appearance and seventh Vince Lombardi Trophy.

At the age of 43. On his home turf at Raymond James Stadium.

But Sunday night, playing in front of the first hometown crowd in Super Bowl history and 7,500 health care workers, Brady and the Bucs defeated Patrick Mahomes and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs 31-9, giving the Bucs their second Lombardi trophy. Brady was 21-of-29 passing for 201 yards and three touchdowns.

It was an incredible defensive performance and game plan from defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. The Bucs' defense -- making a quantum leap this postseason after being torched by Tyreek Hill for 269 yards and three touchdowns in Week 12 of the regular season -- took Mahomes out of rhythm, pressuring him heavily, as the Chiefs were without starting offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz. Mahomes was continuously throwing off-balance and the Bucs' defensive backs were all over the ball, with Antoine Winfield Jr. notching a third-quarter interception.

Mahomes was sacked three times, intercepted twice and held out of the end zone.

You couldn't make any of this up if you tried.

The same with Brady walking into the wrong house and getting kicked out of a public park during stay-at-home orders, which resulted in a semi-awkward run-in with the mayor and a promise she'll have to try to fulfill: renaming "Tampa Bay" to "Tampa Brady."

"Tompa Bay" has a nice ring to it too. Hey, a deal's a deal.

Three players Brady personally recruited to join him in Tampa -- tight end Rob Gronkowski, wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Leonard Fournette -- all scored touchdowns, with Gronkowski catching two in the first half.

Brady called his shot early. When he first signed with the Bucs and indicated he wasn't keen on taking wide receiver Chris Godwin's No. 12, he asked general manager Jason Licht if No. 7 was available. "Why 7?" Licht asked.

Brady responded, "Going after that seventh Super Bowl."

Audacious? Perhaps. But he earned it.

Brady was already in rare company prior to Sunday, his six championship rings tying him with Michael Jordan, one of his idols. But Sunday night, he surpassed Jordan and Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. Now he's tied with Nick Saban, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth, to name a few.

The sports figures who have won more? Bill Russell won 11 NBA titles and Sam Jones won 10. In baseball, Yogi Berra won 10 World Series rings, Joe DiMaggio won nine and Phil Rizzuto, Frankie Crosetti, Bill Dickey and Lou Gehrig each won eight, as did Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones, Tom "Satch" Sanders and John Havlicek in the NBA. And don't forget about Brady's former coach Bill Belichick, who has eight Super Bowl rings -- two with the New York Giants and six with the New England Patriots.

Almost all of those players and coaches did it with the same team, year after year, building the greatest dynasties in professional sports. Brady started over, at a time when Father Time was supposed to catch up to him.

Coach Bruce Arians pointed to "the belief he gave everybody in the organization that this could be done" after the NFC Championship Game. "It only took one man."

Many argued Brady took the biggest risk of his professional career, leaving the only team he'd ever known in the Patriots, the only head coach he'd ever known in Belichick and the only way he'd ever known: winning. He traded those things for a Bucs team that hadn't been to the postseason in 13 years, hadn't won a playoff game in nearly two decades and still owns the league's worst winning percentage (.393).

In Tampa, Brady wasn't untouchable. He struggled at times. The lack of an offseason hurt him in terms of getting on the same page with Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. He admitted after the loss to the Chiefs in Week 12, where the Bucs failed to score a touchdown and fell to 7-5, that "we weren't great."

The Bucs closed out the regular season on a four-game winning streak and haven't looked back, winning three postseason games on the road -- including trips to New Orleans and Green Bay to face Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers -- before dethroning the Chiefs on Sunday night, becoming the fourth team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl as a road wild-card team. Now comes a new test for a team still adjusting to life in the spotlight: repeating as champions, something Brady did only once with the Patriots, in 2003 and 2004, and something the Chiefs fell short of in the 2020 season. Brady will be in the second year of a two-year, $50 million contract, and this week he said he would "definitely consider" playing beyond age 45, which could extend the Bucs' window to contend.

Gronkowski has already pledged his return. But the Bucs need to re-sign Godwin, who becomes an unrestricted free agent. So too does pass-rusher Shaq Barrett, with whom they couldn't get a deal done last offseason, forcing him to play under the franchise tag, and linebacker Lavonte David. The Bucs will have roughly $30 million in salary-cap space.

The coaches and front office have been thrilled with receiver Antonio Brown. Can they re-sign him, and can he continue to avoid off-field trouble without the structure of a season? His civil suit was moved to December 2021 due to the pandemic. There's also running back Leonard Fournette, whose 313 yards from scrimmage heading into Sunday were the most of any player during the playoffs. Will Tampa Bay be able to bring him back?

"We were obviously all-in for this season, but the way that we're set up right now -- there's a lot of questions and a lot of unknowns right now in terms of what the salary cap is going to be, but I think we're set up beautifully," Licht said. "A young defense, a young secondary, young receivers [and] a fairly young offensive line. I wouldn't say it changed on March 20 [when Brady signed]. We're still looking long term, and we still have a plan long term [with] the way we set things up."

Pedro Gomez, an ESPN reporter since 2003 and one of the country's foremost baseball journalists, died unexpectedly Sunday. He was 58.

Gomez, who was based in Phoenix, covered baseball for SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, and other ESPN studio shows, live events and radio. During his 35-year career, he covered more than 25 World Series and more than 20 All-Star Games.

"We are shocked and saddened to learn that our friend and colleague Pedro Gomez has passed away," said Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman, ESPN and Sports Content. "Pedro was an elite journalist at the highest level and his professional accomplishments are universally recognized. More importantly, Pedro was a kind, dear friend to us all. Our hearts are with Pedro's family and all who love him at this extraordinarily difficult time."

Gomez is survived by his wife, Sandra, sons Rio and Dante, and daughter Sierra.

"Pedro was far more than a media personality," his family said in a statement. "He was a dad, loving husband, loyal friend, coach and mentor. He was our everything and his kids' biggest believer."

The son of Cuban parents who came to Miami right before he was born, Gomez was part of the network's landmark 2016 coverage when the Tampa Bay Rays faced the Cuban national team in Havana. He returned his father's and brother's ashes to the family's home on that trip. He also covered a U.S. men's national team soccer match in Havana in 2008 for ESPN, and an exhibition game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Cuban national team in 1999.

In addition, he was a vital part of the network's coverage of Barry Bonds from 2005 to 2007, including covering Bonds' chase to pass Henry Aaron's home run record in 2007.

Gomez even did play-by-play for an ESPN baseball game in 2014. He said his favorite event to cover was Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series, when Chicago fan Steve Bartman reached out and attempted to catch a foul ball over Cubs outfielder Moises Alou in a playoff game against the Miami Marlins, who went on to score eight runs in the inning and force a Game 7 in the series.

Prior to joining ESPN, Gomez wrote for the Miami News, the San Diego Union, the San Jose Mercury News, Miami Herald and the Sacramento Bee -- specializing in baseball coverage -- before becoming a columnist and national baseball writer at the Arizona Republic in 1997.

Among the teams he covered as a beat writer were the Oakland Athletics of Rickey Henderson, Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, among others. Gomez once told journalist Jeff Pearlman that it was like "we were traveling with The [Rolling] Stones."

He was an award-winning journalist, including a first-place award from the Arizona Associated Press Managing Editors' Association for "Discovering the Home I Never Knew" about his 1999 trip to Cuba.

Gomez was a native of Miami, and attended the Miami-Dade Community College, where he found his passion for journalism, and the University of Miami.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – A year to the day after earning his first World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing Super Late Model victory at New Smyrna Speedway, Sammy Smith scored his second.

Smith was the class of the field Sunday night as he wheeled the No. 22 entry fielded by Donnie Wilson to his first victory during the 55th edition of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing over Justin Mondeik.

“The last two nights we were just OK, we needed to work on a couple things,” Smith said from victory lane. “Bond Suss and the whole Donnie Wilson team got it good tonight and here we are.”

Ryan Moore, who opened the World Series with a victory on Friday, started from the pole after an invert of eight after qualifying and quickly took the lead at the start of the race.

Behind Moore, Smith was on the move. After starting third Smith quickly dispatched Justin Mondeik for second before the first caution flag of the race waved with five laps complete when Bubba Pollard spun in turn four after contact with Jett Noland.

Moore opted to restart on the outside when the race resumed, a move that ended up backfiring as Smith was able to work the bottom to perfection to take the lead by the time the field exited turn four.

Two more caution flags would follow in short succession, with the biggest of the two coming with 11 laps complete. Noland, driving a car borrowed from Justin Dutilly after the engine in Noland’s primary car went sour, slammed the turn one wall when a part failed in the car.

Noland walked away from the crash unhurt, but the car sustained significant damage.

Smith remained at the front of the field when the green flag waved again and he was never seriously challenged for the remainder of the race, driving to a comfortable victory ahead of Mondeik and Moore.

“It felt like the restarts really played to my favor,” Smith said. “The 74 (Moore), he was tight. He bottomed out when he’d get into the corner. I feel like that really came to my advantage.”

Jacob Goede finished fourth, with Stephen Nasse earning his best finish of the week so far in fifth.

Travis Eddy’s winning streak in the Florida Modified class came to an end when Eddy crashed during the initial start of the 35-lap feature. Tim Moore took advantage and earned his first victory of the week

The finish:

Sammy Smith, Justin Mondeik, Ryan Moore, Jacob Goede, Stephen Nasse, Jesse Love, Jake Garcia, Daniel Dye, Derek Griffith, Dan Fredrickson, Kelly Moore, Connor Mosack, Kris Wright, Michael Hinde, Jake Finch, Doug Elliott, Bubba Pollard, Steve Weaver, Patrick Thomas, Jett Noland, Brad May, Jaden Cretacci, R.J. Braun.

Jordan Spieth is leaving TPC Scottsdale feeling both disappointed and encouraged.

He’s disappointed because he made just two birdies and carded a 1-over 72 on Sunday at the Waste Management Phoenix Open to go from 54-hole co-lead to T-4, two shots back of winner Brooks Koepka. He’s encouraged because he gave himself a chance at winning for the first time on Tour since the 2017 Open Championship.

“I believe in what I'm doing,” Spieth said. “A result like this just helps confirm what I was already feeling, and that just moves the needle the right direction.”

Spieth began the final round by fanning his tee shot right into the desert and bogeying the first hole. He then three-putted the par-3 eighth to open in 2-over 37 to fall three shots off the pace.

Yet with four holes to play, Spieth still had a chance, just one shot off the lead. That’s when he yanked drives into the water at both the par-5 15^th and par-4 17^th holes. He parred each time, and after Koepka got to 19 under, Spieth’s closing birdie didn’t matter.

Spieth hit just five fairways on the day, but he was more upset with his putting.

“Felt like I hit good putts,” he said, “and as much as the lid was open other days, it was closed today.”

But as Spieth prepares to tee it up next week at Pebble Beach, he’s taking only positives away from Sunday’s performance.

“I was comfortable in the position I was in, and that's a very new position for me, because it's been a little while,” Spieth said. “So, I like to compare it to how I was in 2014 a number of times in the final group and just kind of the putts didn't go in on Sunday, and you got to relearn what tendencies you have and then just keep on getting there, keep on getting in position. Then they go your way sometimes.”

Brooks Koepka was texting with his buddies Saturday night when they agreed that Koepka would likely need to reach at least 20 under par to win his second Waste Management Phoenix Open title.

Turns out, 19 under was good enough.

Koepka shot 6-under 65, making three birdies and a chip-in eagle in his final six holes, to beat K.H. Lee by a shot Sunday at TPC Scottsdale. Instead of Jordan Spieth or Xander Schauffele, both 54-hole co-leaders, ending their respective win droughts, it was Koepka winning for the first time since the WGC-FedEx Invitational in July 2019.

“I always thought I had a chance,” Koepka said. “I like the way I finished that off. Hit a lot of quality golf shots down the stretch. I haven't been in contention in God knows how long, so to actually hit golf shots like I'm accustomed to seeing when the pressure is on, it's a good feeling.”

An even better feeling for Koepka is being healthy. It wasn’t long after his win in Memphis that Koepka had a stem-cell treatment on his left knee. Later that fall he re-injured the knee slipping on a wet cart path in South Korea. The next year-plus was filled with excruciating pain, more treatments and few bright spots.

Koepka said the injury was “a lot worse than I probably let on.” He couldn’t hit uphill shots. Bunker shots hurt. So, too, did marking his ball.

That four-time major champion? Koepka didn't recognize that guy.

“There was a period maybe for about two months where I just questioned whether I was ever going to be the same, whether I was even going to be somewhat remotely the same golfer that I ever was,” Koepka admitted Sunday. “My knee, no matter how much work and pain I was doing with Derek [Samuel], my trainer, it just felt like it wasn't progressing. And that's the frustrating part, when you feel like it's not going anywhere. But we stuck with it. Those dark places, a lot of tears, questioning yourself, and in dark places mentally. You've got to come out of that.

“I'll tell you what, it takes a lot of effort just do get out of those places.”

Koepka recently declared himself “100 percent,” and after snapping a streak of three missed cuts on Friday, he’s now back in the winner’s circle.

“Always felt like I was capable of winning,” he said. “My body wasn't letting me. Everything that was going on I wasn't capable of doing it. So mentally, yeah, I was always there. I'm like, ‘Okay, if I put myself in somewhat of a chance, I'll finish it.’”