Lunch Pakistan 229 for 7 (Faheem 54*, Yasir 0*, Nortje 3-48, Maharaj 3-75) vs South Africa

South Africa took two wickets in the first six overs, a third with the second new ball and a fourth within ten minutes of lunch to keep Pakistan in check on a lively extended morning in Rawalpindi. In contrast to the opening day, where the ball turned significantly, there was some assistance for the quicks, but only for those willing to run in hard and bend the back.

In the South African attack, that was Anrich Nortje, who made the breakthrough when he had Babar Azam caught at second slip with the second ball of the day. Azam looked to cut a length ball but got a thick outside edge and Faf du Plessis took the chance at head height. This was the second time Azam had been dismissed without adding to his overnight score in Rawalpindi - he was on 143 against Bangladesh last February when the same thing had happened, and it was also the first time in three Test innings at this venue that the Pakistan captain had not scored a century.

But Azam was not the victim of the most spectacular piece of fielding in the morning session. That was the fate of Fawad Alam, who added three to his first-day 42 before being run-out at the non-striker's end by a direct hit from Temba Bavuma. Fawad nudged a Kagiso Rabada delivery to the off side, where Bavuma swooped in from point, picked up and threw in one motion and beat Alam's dive in a scene reminiscent of his run-out of David Warner in 2016. Alam could only nod his head in appreciation of Bavuma's efforts and walk off.

With two new batsmen, Mohammad Rizwan and Faheem Ashraf, at the crease, South Africa looked to apply pressure with their frontline seamers, but Ashraf was confident on the drive and pull and with the second new ball looming, Quinton de Kock turned to Wiaan Mulder and Keshav Maharaj. Mulder struggled to make anything happen, suggesting that unless a bowler has express pace or the ability to exploit reverse swing, this surface could be hard work for them - he may be used mainly as a stopgap especially if South Africa's other specialist spinner, George Linde's participation is limited.

Linde left the field in the 23rd over of the first day with a laceration to his left little finger and returned with strapping in the 77th over. He bowled two overs, then left again.

By the time Linde needed more treatment, South Africa were able to take the second new ball, two deliveries into the 81st over. Rizwan promptly used it to steer Nortje past gully for four but his fun didn't last. Nortje sent down a short ball in his next over and Rizwan top-edged a pull to Rabada at fine leg.

South Africa would have been happy with that but were left even more pleased when Maharaj, who was given the second new ball when it was less than five overs old, prised out one more. He had Hasan Ali caught at slip with a delivery that turned, bounced and took the shoulder of the bat on its way to Dean Elgar.

Ashraf has since brought up a half-century - he got there with a stunning drive off Rabada, who appeared down on pace throughout the morning. Ashraf's aggressive approach, and memories of how Pakistan defied South Africa in Karachi, where their last four partnerships put on 202 runs, mean the hosts are still in it and the Test is interestingly poised ahead of a longer lunch for Friday prayers.

LOS ANGELES -- The NBA's most high-profile star, LeBron James, ripped the league's plans to hold an All-Star Game in Atlanta in March while COVID-19 restrictions continue to have a grip on the regular season.

"I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star Game this year," James said after the Los Angeles Lakers' 114-93 win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. "I don't even understand why we're having an All-Star Game."

James, 36, has played in the league's showcase event in 16 of his previous 17 seasons in the league and, as a top vote-getter, was named a captain for the past three seasons as the NBA went away from East vs. West and adopted a draft format to spice up the competition.

"Short offseason for myself and my teammates, 71 days," James said, referring to the time the Lakers had from Game 6 of the NBA Finals in October to opening night against the LA Clippers in December. "And then coming into this season, we were told that we were not having an All-Star Game, so we'd have a nice little break. Five days [in March] from the fifth through the 10th, an opportunity for me to kind of recalibrate for the second half of the season. My teammates as well. Some of the guys in the league.

"And then they throw an All-Star Game on us like this and just breaks that all the way up. So, um, pretty much kind of a slap in the face."

James also stated the obvious health concerns of staging the festivities in Atlanta, Georgia, where there are fewer state-mandated coronavirus restrictions compared to other NBA locales around the country. The Atlanta Hawks, for instance, are one of only nine teams allowing fans at their home games this season.

"We're also still dealing with a pandemic," James said. "We're still dealing with everything that's been going on, and we're going to bring the whole league into one city that's open? Obviously, the pandemic has absolutely nothing to do with it at this point when it comes to that weekend.

"Obviously, you guys can see that I'm not very happy about it."

While voicing his displeasure in no uncertain terms, James said he would report for the game if he were to be named an All-Star for the 17th straight season. James led the West with 2,288,676 votes in the league's first voting returns announced earlier Thursday. Brooklyn's Kevin Durant led the East with 2,302,705 votes as the only player in the league to appear on more ballots than James.

"It's the agreement that the players' association and the league came about. ... It's out of my hands," James said. "I'll be there if I'm selected. But I'll be there physically, but not mentally."

OCALA, Fla. – Jason McDougal bested all drivers in Thursday night’s Winter Dirt Games XII USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series practice Bubba Raceway Park.

It marked the lone tune-up prior to the series’ season openers, Feb. 5-6 at the three-eighths-mile, D-shaped dirt track.

McDougal, from Broken Arrow, Okla., turned a lap of 14.080 seconds in the second session of the night to earn the top time.

He was one of five different drivers to lead a practice session during the night.

Reigning series champ Chris Windom led session one, while Kevin Thomas Jr. ended atop the third round, Buddy Kofoid paced the fourth round and Justin Grant topped the fifth set.

McDougal’s fastest overall time came aboard the Robert Dalby Motorsports/RD Spring & Stamping/Walker Performance Filtration Spike-Speedway Toyota.

Windom was the second-fastest driver overall, followed by Kofoid, series rookie Chase Randall and Grant.

Also of note, Tanner Thorson – the reigning opening night winner at Ocala – was 10th overall and defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott was 16th quickest.

One incident occurred during Thursday’s practice, when Robby Spino flipped hard in session three, nose-to-tail, in turn three and heavily damaged his ride.

Spino climbed out of the car under his own power.

On Friday and Saturday, the pits open at 4 p.m. ET, the front gates open at 5 p.m. and cars get on track at 6 p.m., with qualifying and racing immediately following.

The times:

1. Jason McDougal, 4, Dalby-14.080; 2. Chris Windom, 89, CB-14.088; 3. Buddy Kofoid, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.190; 4. Chase Randall, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-14.207; 5. Justin Grant, 2J, RMS-14.295; 6. Logan Seavey, 25, Malloy-14.301; 7. Tanner Carrick, 98K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.316; 8. Kevin Thomas Jr., 5, Petry-14.344; 9. Emerson Axsom, 15, Petry-14.353; 10. Tanner Thorson, 88, Dave Mac-14.382; 11. Kaylee Bryson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.382; 12. Daison Pursley, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.412; 13. Noah Gass, 20G, Gass-14.441; 14. Cannon McIntosh, 08, Dave Mac-14.472; 15. Bryant Wiedeman, 01, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.481; 16. Chase Elliott, 84, CB-14.581; 17. Max McLaughlin, z8, Bundy Built-14.616; 18. Ethan Mitchell, 19m, Bundy Built-14.640; 19. Thomas Meseraull, 7x, RMS-14.692; 20. Hayden Reinbold, 19A, Reinbold/Underwood-14.724; 21. Trey Gropp, 21KS, Ripper-14.833; 22. Emilio Hoover, 21K, Ripper-15.009; 23. Kade Morton, 8m, Morton-15.015; 24. Andrew Felker, 57A, RAB-15.099; 25. Taylor Reimer, 25K, Dave Mac-15.133; 26. Sam Johnson, 72J, SJR-15.159; 27. Brenham Crouch, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-15.193; 28. Jake Neuman, 3N, Neuman-15.252; 29. Robby Spino, 3, Neuman-15.284; 30. Michael Magic, 4m, Magic-15.635; 31. Daniel Robinson, 57K, RAB-15.704; 32. Oliver Akard, 41, OMR-NT; 33. Austin Barnhill, 17B, SJR-NT.

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – It only took two nights for Carson Macedo, crew chief Phil Dietz and the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 team to pick up right where they left off three years ago.

The 24-year-old native of Lemoore, Calif., stormed to the lead of Thursday’s 25-lap DIRTcar Nationals sprint car feature on the initial start and wired the field in a frenetic, caution-free main event sanctioned by the All Star Circuit of Champions.

In doing so, he rekindled memories of his first stint behind the wheel of the iconic JJR sprint car.

Macedo drove to a Knoxville 360 Nationals preliminary win with JJR in 2018, and nearly won the 360 Nationals finale, after briefly taking over the ride following the passing of the team’s namesake.

Some of that same magic was apparent on Thursday night, as Macedo weaved through heavy lapped traffic three times and fended off the advances of Wednesday winner Logan Schuchart the whole way.

“He (Schuchart) kept showing me a nose and I thought maybe there was rubber down (low), but I was able to keep sneaking back around him,” Macedo said in victory lane. “Late in the race there, I moved down and started to find a lot of rubber, and the bottom really came in late, probably about the last four or five laps. But I can’t even say how incredibly grateful I am to be a part of this (No.) 41 team. This Jason Johnson Racing team is a really an amazing group of people.

“I had the privilege to drive this car in 2018 and really had a lot of fun doing it, and I had a lot of fun again here the last couple of nights,” Macedo added. “I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year. Philip Dietz is, in my opinion, the best mechanic out there and I’m really happy with how our team is performing right now.”

In leading all 25 laps, Macedo banked $6,000 for his seventh career All Star victory. It was his first win with the Tony Stewart-owned sprint car tour since Sept. 14, 2018 at Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, N.Y.

“I knew I had to go early in the race; I was just trying to bide my time,” Macedo said. “I was actually, for one of the first times of my life, really trying to worry about my tires and think a little more methodically about what I was doing in the race car. I was trying to not make mistakes and not force it in lap traffic. I didn’t want to risk throwing a big slider and running into the cushion and turning over my race car.

“But there late, I just kind of threw everything at it and started really running as hard as I could, making the lapped cars move as much as I could to try and build a gap between Logan and I,” he noted. “Logan’s one of the best ones out there, him and the 49 (Brad Sweet), so to win this race and have them behind me means a lot because I respect them both. They’re very good and I think a win like this makes a statement.”

Schuchart’s final look for the lead came inside of three laps to go, but traffic stifled his run to the inside and allowed Macedo to escape to a 1.817-second margin of victory.

“I thought we were going to have a good shot at him, and I found the middle there a few times. I tried to make that move earlier in the race, and I got to his left rear, but then he’d really get a run coming off the corner. It’s just tough,” said Schuchart. “I thought I had a lapped car work in our favor and we got to him where I thought I had the pass (made) going out of the backstretch, and just got cut off by a lapped car.

“It’s just great to be back up here on the podium. To be able to have two good runs, two good nights in a row, is great and we’re feeling really good going into the World of Outlaws opener.”

Two-time defending World of Outlaws champion Sweet filled out the podium for the second night in a row, followed by David Gravel and Danny Dietrich.

Jacob Allen, Donny Schatz, Joey Saldana, Kasey Kahne and Sheldon Haudenschild filled out the top 10.

Gio Scelzi was the night’s hard charger after advancing nine positions to finish 15th.

The 50th DIRTcar Nationals continue Friday night with the opening night of the season for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. Donny Schatz is the defending race winner.

The finish:

Sugarlands Shine A Feature (25 laps): 1. 41-Carson Macedo [2], 2. 1s-Logan Schuchart [4], 3. 49-Brad Sweet [1], 4. 2-David Gravel [6], 5. 48-Danny Dietrich [3], 6. 1a-Jacob Allen [8], 7. 15-Donny Schatz [5], 8. 12n-Joey Saldana [12], 9. 9-Kasey Kahne [10], 10. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [16], 11. 3z-Brock Zearfoss [17], 12. 5-Brent Marks [9], 13. 101-Kerry Madsen [14], 14. 72-Tim Shaffer [18], 15. 18-Gio Scelzi [24], 16. 83-Aaron Reutzel [11], 17. 7bc-Tyler Courtney [19], 18. 21-Brian Brown [7], 19. 11-Ian Madsen [13], 20. 26-Cory Eliason [23], 21. 19-Parker Price-Miller [21], 22. 39m-Anthony Macri [15], 23. 15h-Sam Hafertepe Jr. [22], 24. 2c-Wayne Johnson [20].

Lap Leader(s): Carson Macedo 1-25.

Hard Charger: #18 – Gio Scelzi (+9)

Perth Scorchers opener Jason Roy is in severe doubt to take his place in Saturday night's BBL final against the Sydney Sixers with him needing to pass a final-minute fitness test prior to the toss.

Roy was withdrawn from the Challenger against Brisbane Heat on Thursday night after injuring his ankle at training during the week when he went over on it during a warm-up game at training in unusual circumstances.

Cameron Bancroft replaced him at the top of the order and made an unbeaten half-century in a rollicking 114-run opening stand with Liam Livingstone which set-up the Scorchers' comfortable win.

Scorchers captain Ashton Turner said Roy has barely tested the ankle since the injury and would need to do so before being declared fit to play.

"He hasn't been put through many physical tasks," Turner said. "I think the call was made pretty early that he'd miss the last game. I know he'll do a fitness test before the game tomorrow and I think he's waiting as eagerly as I am to see how much he can move and what his restrictions are. On the back of not being able to really test it, I don't think anyone has a great idea of the chances of him playing.

"It was pretty innocuous. I wish it was on film because he would have looked like a bit of a clown. He was changing direction with no balls around him, no other people around him and he just went over on his ankle. It was one of those, sort of, freak incidents.

"At the time no one really knew what was happening. It's unfortunate for him. He's been such an important part of our team and like most superstars of international cricket they love playing in big games and they pride themselves on their performances in big games. I know he was shattered to not be able to take his place in the XI."

Turner said it was a luxury to be able to bring in Bancroft at short notice and have him perform like he did, considering he had batted just five times in the tournament prior to the Challenger and had not opened in a T20 game for more than two seasons.

"It's a nice position to be in for me where I'm not too stressed either way," Turner said. "We'd love to have [Jason] come back. He's been brilliant for us in this tournament. But should he not pull up and be able to take his place in the XI, to have Cam Bancroft, who has shown over a number of years that he's capable of playing match-winning innings as he did last night., we're very fortunate to be in that position."

The Scorchers and Sixers will meet for the fourth time in a BBL final and the fourth time this season. The two teams have developed a healthy rivalry in the 10 editions of the tournament.

The ending to the Qualifier in Canberra last Saturday, where Andrew Tye bowled a wide which denied James Vince the chance at a century, has the potential to add extra spice to the final but Turner was not convinced.

"I'll say yes so you can write about and create some more hype and gets some more eyeballs on the articles," Turner said. "I think that there are so many different factors that come into creating tension in a game. There's probably no more motivation than being able to lift a trophy to incentivise playing well.

"I said this on the night of that game that anyone who knows AJ Tye knows that he plays the game in the best spirit. That was an unfortunate end to the game and I said on that night I hope it didn't take away or detract from how well James Vince played. He was brilliant that night and that being said, to watch AJ bowl last night, he was back to his best."

It has been a remarkable turnaround for the Scorchers after starting the season without a win in their first four games. There was some pressure on coach Adam Voges after the winless start but Turner believes his calming influence has played a big part in their turnaround in form.

"We knew it was a long season, 14 games, and we knew we were too good a team to keep losing," Turner said. "Our fortunes were going to turn eventually and thankfully for our coach's sake, we were able to take some of the heat off him. He's been brilliant throughout the tournament.

:The consistency from when we're losing to when we're winning, the preparation has remained the same. Vogesy has been so level-headed throughout a long tournament that we feel as players we've been able to pay him respect by winning games and hopefully we can give a trophy to lift tomorrow night."

Big Picture

The two best teams of the season. The two most successful sides in BBL history. After 56 regular-season matches and four preliminary finals the decider for this year's title has the makings of a great contest. Sydney Sixers are aiming to secure back-to-back titles, something Perth Scorchers managed in 2013-14 and 2014-15 as part of three championships in four seasons, and by the end of Saturday (or, perhaps, Sunday if the weather doesn't play ball) they will have six of the 10 BBL titles between them.

The Sixers will have had a week to prepare for this match - their first home game of the season which has had to navigate Covid-19 restrictions right up until the final moments - after booking their spot with a comprehensive victory over the Scorchers in the Qualifier. That match ended in controversial scenes when Andrew Tye's wild bouncer denied James Vince the chance to go to his hundred. It remains to be seen whether any niggle hangs over from that.

It looked as though the Scorchers' season may be coming apart when that result followed their loss to Brisbane Heat in the final regular-season game, but they rebounded magnificently with their most comprehensive performance of the campaign to crush the Heat in the Challenger yesterday. They deserve significant credit for overcoming the loss of a home final due to the Perth Covid-19 lockdown, the late withdrawal of Jason Roy from the match against the Heat and the loss of Mitchell Marsh from the bowling ranks.

The main overseas players from both sides - Roy, Liam Livingstone and Colin Munro from the Scorchers and Vince and Carlos Brathwaite from the Sixers - have had a significant impact during the tournament while both squads have good depth, as witnessed by Cameron Bancroft's successful return to the Scorchers team when Roy was injured and the Sixers leaving out overseas bowler Jake Ball.

The Sixers have also been boosted by the return from the Test hub of captain Moises Henriques - who has looked in terrific form - and Sean Abbott. They took the decision not to parachute Mitchell Starc into the side at the 11th hour, rewarding those who have done the work this season of getting them to this stage. The Scorchers have not been hugely impacted by international calls, but in a sign of their success, five of the team will be on the charter flight to New Zealand on Sunday for the T20I series.

Form guide

(last five completed matches)

Sixers WWLLW
Scorchers WLLWW

Previously this season

January 6 (Perth) - Scorchers 4 for 183 beat Sixers 97 by 86 runs
January 16 (Canberra) - Sixers 3 for 164 beat Scorchers 7 for 163 by seven wickets
January 30 (Canberra) - Sixers 1 for 168 beat Scorchers 6 for 167 by nine wickets">

In the spotlight

When Dan Christian was asked recently how many titles it would be if this one was bagged for the Sixers he suggested he couldn't quite remember. Whether that's true or not, it is inescapable that T20 success follows Christian around and his move from Melbourne Renegades to the Sixers for this season has added considerable punch to the middle order. Alongside Jordan Silk they have provided ideal players for the Power Surge and closing overs while Christian remains a canny operator with the ball. In the absence of Henriques for a large part of the season his experience can't be undervalued either.

Jason Behrendorff hasn't picked up the volume of wickets of his new-ball partner Jhye Richardson but his impact for the Scorchers has been equally important. His overall economy for the season is 6.87 and while his traditional role in the powerplay has been altered a little by it being trimmed to four overs he has made some critical inroads, not least in the Challenger when he struck twice in two balls. It has been a long road for him after back surgery but the BBL final will be followed by a chance to resume his Australia career.

Team news

Sixers (likely) 1 Josh Philippe, 2 James Vince, 3 Daniel Hughes, 4 Moises Henriques (capt), 5 Jordan Silk, 6 Dan Christian, 7 Carlos Brathwaite, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Steve O'Keefe, 10 Ben Dwarshius, 11 Jackson Bird

Scorchers (likely) 1 Cameron Bancroft, 2 Liam Livingstone, 3 Colin Munro, 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Mitchell Marsh, 6 Ashton Turner, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Jhye Richardson, 9 Andrew Tye, 10 Fawad Ahmed, 11 Jason Behrendroff

Pitch and conditions

The first BBL game of the season at the SCG means there are a few unknowns, but generally the surfaces are very good. The greater uncertainty is, again, being brought by the weather forecast. Although nowhere near as bad as 12 months ago, when it was extraordinary that the final got played, there is a chance of storms impacting the game. After last season a reserve day has been added to the schedule but the first aim will be to complete the match on Saturday even if it's reduced in overs - the minimum it can be is a 5/5.

Stats and trivia

• The Sixers and Scorchers have met 19 times in the BBL with the Scorchers leading the head-to-head 11-8 (one of their victories being a Super Over in 2014)
• Three of those meetings have been in the final: the Sixers won the inaugural BBL in 2011-12 with the Scorchers prevailing in 2014-15 and 2016-17
• There could be three survivors from the 2011-12 final in this year's showdown: Mitchell Marsh made 77 off 57 balls, Henriques took Player of the Match for 70 off 41 balls and Steve O'Keefe made 48 opening the batting.

Lunch West Indies 189 for 5 (Blackwood 34*, Da Silva 12*, Rahman 2-36, Miraz 1-31) trail Bangladesh 430 by 241 runs

An attacking partnership between captain Kraigg Brathwaite (76) and debutant Kyle Mayers (40) headlined the first session of the third day of the first Test between Bangladesh and West Indies. However, the Bangladesh spinners, hampered as they are by the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, struck crucial blows to keep Bangladesh ahead at lunch.

Nevertheless, West Indies will draw confidence from the fact that they added 114 runs in the two hours of play, and still have five wickets in hand, to chip away at the Bangladesh total. Jermaine Blackwood (34*) grew in confidence after a shaky start, though he did see one Mehidy Hasan Miraz delivery ahead of lunch bounce a bit extra and take an edge, but land safely on the on side. Joshua Da Silva (12*) also survived an unusual shout for a dismissal, where a Taijul Islam delivery beat his bat, and grazed just past the off stump, and Bangladesh burnt a review of theirs.

The day couldn't have begun better for the hosts, with Islam drawing Nkrumah Bonner forward with a teasing delivery on a length around off with his first ball, and drawing an edge for Najmul Hossain Shanto to take a sharp catch to his left. New man Mayers could also have been dismissed in an identical fashion off the third ball he faced, but his edge appeared to take a little deflection off Liton Das' pads, and Shanto failed to grab on after getting his fingertips to the ball, as it flew to his left.

Mayers would settle down and crunch a couple of pleasing boundaries off Mustafizur Rahman's first over of the morning, an on drive and a cover drive, to settle West Indies' nerves. Brathwaite would then bring up his 20th Test fifty with a neat flick off his hips against Islam. Brathwaite and Mayers would then press on to add 55 from a little over 11 overs, dominating the first hour of play, especially with their strokeplay square of the wicket on either side. Brathwaite used his feet cleverly against Islam and Nayeem Hasan, who replaced Rahman quite early, and his sashays down the pitch forced the spinners to drop short more often. Runs were coming at a fair tick for West Indies, though Mayers was lucky that Bangladesh chose not to review an lbw appeal when Hasan bowled one fuller, and the left-hand batsman had the ball hit pad ahead of bat with a forward press. The replays indicated that the ball would have gone on to hit the top of off.

Hasan wouldn't have to wait long for his reward, though, with Brathwaite leaving a length ball that pitched outside off and surprised him with the amount of turn back into him, clipping the top of off. Blackwood, who followed, was beaten by a similar ball into the third delivery he faced, but the fine edge carried the ball between Das' legs and ran away towards long stop.

The key difference between Hasan and Islam had been how much the offspinner was willing to pitch the ball further up, and that recipe was replicated by Thursday's hero Mehidy to good effect in his first over. His last ball drew Mayers forward, and struck him on the pad after straightening from around the wicket, and the debutant walked away after considering a review. The replays, though, indicated that there may have been bat on the ball before it struck the pad, and a review could have kept Mayers on course for a fifty on debut.

The pitch, though it is offering more turn, still appears to be a benign one, and some application can bring runs, as the morning session suggested. It would appear to be a test of this West Indies team's mental fortitude to bat through the rest of the day, if they want to make a contest of this match.

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, who left the WNBA bubble in August last season, said Thursday that seeking treatment for mental health was very important in her return to basketball and is the reason she's now feeling much better.

"With everything that was going on, everything I was dealing with, I just needed to take that leave," Griner said. "I've never been shy [about] saying I definitely used counseling a lot when I left, and it's helped me out tremendously. I think more people should be open to talking about mental health issues. Instead of holding in so much.

"It's done wonders for me. I'm in a place now where I feel amazing. I took that time to work on my body as well. The rehab on my knee and other parts of my body. I'm feeling good and ready to go now."

Griner is taking part in a four-day USA Basketball training camp in Columbia, South Carolina, and did a videoconference with reporters. She recently returned to overseas play with UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia, and will go back there after this camp.

The camp, on South Carolina's campus, is overseen by Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley, who is also the national team coach.

"It's always good to see everybody here; it's been a joy that I've missed," Griner said. "We go against each other overseas, WNBA, in college. To be on the same team means a lot to me."

Griner was leading the Mercury in scoring (17.7) and rebounding (7.5) when she exited the bubble in Bradenton, Florida, in late August, with the team citing "personal reasons." The Mercury, 6-7 at the time, went on to finish 13-9 and make the WNBA playoffs.

Griner, who tuned 30 in October, said she thinks the concerns professional athletes, like anyone else, have with mental health can be partly helped with more transparency.

"One, just owning up to it and saying it," Griner said. "We don't talk about things, and in certain communities we really don't talk about our feelings. It's just, 'Put it in a box and forget about it, push it to the back.' That's something I think has hurt us as a society. And it's something that's going to change with more athletes speaking up about it."

Griner said she also spent more time outdoors in Arizona, where she lives, to help her mindset.

"I went into nature; that's where I feel most centered," Griner said. "I did a lot of off-roading. Did some camping. Did some mechanic work to my jeep. That type of stuff really takes me back to my childhood, and it grounds me. It gives me a lot of joy, and it's completely different than being on the court."

Griner, the No. 1 pick of the 2013 WNBA draft out of Baylor, helped the Mercury to the 2014 league championship. Griner was part of the U.S. team that won gold in the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 and '18 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.

"I'm anxious. I'm ready," Griner said of looking forward to the upcoming Olympics, which were postponed by the pandemic in 2020. "I hope that everything can go as planned, and we're able to go to Tokyo and go for gold."

Regarding the Mercury, Griner said she was encouraged by the re-signing of free-agent veteran Diana Taurasi this week.

"She's put in a lot of work on her body, a lot of work on the court," Griner said of the 38-year-old Taurasi. "The day she does decide to leave [the WNBA] is going to be a very sad day. But that day hasn't come yet, and I am very excited. Playing with Dee is amazing."

Two other players who dealt with injuries that limited their play during last WNBA season, Minnesota center Sylvia Fowles (calf) and Chicago guard Diamond DeShields (leg), also spoke to the media from USA camp Thursday. DeShields, like Griner, opted to leave the bubble early. Both Fowles and DeShields said they are feeling fine physically now.

DeShields also was asked about the biggest free-agent signing thus far in 2021, as her Sky team added forward/center Candace Parker, who spent her previous 13 WNBA seasons in Los Angeles.

"We've been very close to reaching some major goals," DeShields said of the Sky, who selected her No. 3 in the 2018 draft. "With a healthy roster and all the pieces we have coming back, you add Candace into that mix, it just increased our chances of really doing something special."

The Houston Rockets are concerned that star center Christian Wood could be sidelined for an extended period after injuring his right ankle for the second time in a span of less than three weeks, sources told ESPN.

Wood will have an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of the injury he suffered when he gruesomely rolled his ankle during the third quarter of Thursday's 115-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, according to a source.

"I don't know," Rockets coach Stephen Silas said, regarding the severity of the injury. "It didn't look great. It was unfortunate."

Wood, who has emerged as an All-Star candidate by averaging 22.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in his first season with the Rockets, missed three games after spraining his right ankle on Jan. 20.

Wood reinjured the ankle while driving down the lane in transition against the Grizzlies. He landed awkwardly as he split Memphis defenders Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant, immediately going down in agony.

After getting back to his feet, Wood slowly limped off the floor during the ensuing timeout. He went back on the court to attempt the free throws from a foul called on Morant, but John Wall and other teammates talked Wood into leaving the game. He limped off the floor with the assistance of teammates and was taken to the locker room in a wheelchair.

"It was difficult for me," Silas said. "I had to like sit down and collect my thoughts and gather myself. As good as he's been playing, I mean, really just like a breakout season and doing everything we needed him to do ... Yeah, it sucks."

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

*Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local.

10.10am: Ashwin on early

Bumrah's first spell last only three overs, as Kohli throws the ball to Ashwin on his home ground. As the table below illustrates, both of England's openers have had their issues against spinners in their Test careers to date, but perhaps the most concerning aspect of those figures for England fans is that they have played the vast majority of their games in conditions which do not suit spin.

Burns has had issues against offspin in particular, with Roston Chase dismissing him five times in 93 balls in Tests - and there is no doubt that Ashwin is a significantly better bowler. Sibley starts solidly enough against him, getting fully back to length balls, and steering him for four through the gully, but this will be a tough challenge.

Gaurav Sundararaman tells me that since Ashwin's debut, only four bowlers - Broad, Anderson, Boult and Philander - have taken more wickets than him with the first new ball (i.e. within the first 20 overs of an innings).

9.50am: Bumrah's first home spell

More than three years after his Test debut, Jasprit Bumrah is bowling in a Test in India for the first time, and there's a chance straightaway. His first ball at home is angled into the left-handed Burns from round the wicket, and Rishabh Pant puts down a tricky, one-handed catch, diving low to his right as Burns looks to work off his pads. That will add further scrutiny to Pant's keeping, with plenty of Indian fans suggesting in the build-up that he should play as a specialist batsman with Saha behind the stumps.

There's early evidence of India's planning for this series in the first four overs, with a leg gully briefly stationed for Dom Sibley (he has been caught strangled down the leg side regularly in his fledgling career) and the seamers opting to bowl round the wicket to Burns and hoping to shape the ball into him. A silly mid-on has come in at the start of Ishant's third over, with his left boot almost touching the strip.

9.25am: Root brings up his 100

England captain Joe Root has been presented with his 100th Test cap by vice-captain Ben Stokes ahead of play. For our extensive coverage of his milestone Test, click here, and don't forget to check out Polite Enquiries with the man himself.

9.00am: England win toss and bat

No hesitation in opting to make first use of this pitch for Joe Root, who is playing his 100th Test today. "I do enjoy playing in India. It's a big challenge and the boys will have to relish it," he says. Virat Kohli admits that he would have batted first, too, and calls it a "good cricketing wicket".

For India, the big news this morning is that Axar Patel - who looked set to partner R Ashwin as the second spinner - was ruled out 80 minutes before the toss with a knee injury suffered in yesterday's training session. They have decided to pick three spinners in Ashwin, Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Nadeem, with Jasprit Bumrah (playing his first-ever home Test) and Ishant Sharma forming a two-man pace attack.

Zak Crawley misses both Chennai Tests after suffering a freak wrist injury, so Dan Lawrence keeps his place and is carded to bat at No. 3. The other big calls: Dom Bess plays ahead of Moeen Ali, while Jimmy Anderson is preferred to Stuart Broad.