Versatile Ospreys and Wales forward James King has been forced to retire because of a shoulder injury at the age of 30.

He sustained the career-ending injury against Ulster in September 2019.

"My shoulder has not healed enough to continue playing rugby. I'm therefore announcing my retirement from professional rugby with immediate effect," said King.

"Rugby has given so much to me and I'm truly grateful for all of it. I've travelled all over the world, met some incredible people along the way and had experiences that will stay with me for a lifetime.

"I've been at the Ospreys for my whole professional career and the fans have been nothing but supportive even through tougher times.

"I would've liked to have thanked everybody who has helped me on this journey individually, but I'd probably run out of pages and that's just the rugby community."

In the statement announcing his retirement, King was described as "the epitome" of an Ospreys player by managing director Andrew Millward.

King is the current Welsh Rugby Players Association (WRPA) chairman.

Let's get one thing straight: this transfer window has been unlike any before as the spread of COVID-19 has limited travel and the economic impact of the pandemic has hit football clubs hard.

In January 2020, according to transfer tracking website Transfermarkt, Premier League clubs spent just over €242 million on 88 arrivals; in January 2021, the difference is clear, with spending of just €85m on 46 arrivals.

Europe sees a similar story with German Bundesliga clubs (€196m in 2020 vs. €48m in 2021), Spanish La Liga clubs (€152m vs. €36m), Italian Serie A (€215m vs. €77m) and French Ligue 1 clubs (€124m vs. €29m) all doing the same.

It may seem harsh to judge anyone in these times, but by now clubs are fully aware of the parameters in which they need to operate. So this assessment is less about who spent the most money, or brought in the biggest names, rather who was able to do the best in the circumstances.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access

Winners

Liverpool

Bringing in a centre-back was the one clear objective for injury-hit Liverpool and instead of going for one big marquee signing -- which would have been difficult anyway -- they went for two players that will prove good options for Jurgen Klopp.

Preston defender Ben Davies' arrival came as something of a shock but the 25-year-old's strong positional skills, ability to play with a high degree of focus and fine left-foot should prove a valuable addition, while Sepp van den Berg will get valuable loan experience as his replacement. Also out of the blue came a loan deal for Schalke's Ozan Kabak, with a possible €30m option in the summer. Liverpool have been monitoring the 20-year-old for some time, but it's a low risk move with Joel Matip out for the season. If Kabak can overcome the challenge of resetting mentally from a losing environment at Schalke, then the aggressive defender has the potential to become a fine Premier League centre-back. Allowing Takumi Minamino to get some much needed game time on loan at Southampton was also a decent decision. -- TKK

Arsenal

The club did well to move on a host of players who weren't contributing and were draining resources with hefty wages. Mesut Ozil has given a lot to Arsenal over the years and it was sad to see his career decline in the way it did, but his £350,000-a-week salary was too much to handle and a free transfer to Fenerbahce was good for everyone. Likewise, Shkodran Mustafi's move to Schalke and Sokratis' exit for Olympiakos allowed a clean break for all. However, the trio were released from their contracts for nothing, which isn't the best business.

The Gunners were more frugal this time and added the creativity they needed with a loan move for Real Madrid midfielder Martin Odegaard, while also landing an experienced backup goalkeeper in Brighton's Mat Ryan. They also shipped out Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Joe Willock and William Saliba on loan to gain more experience. By letting Sead Kolasinac move to Schalke and failing to land a backup left-back before the deadline, the club are only one Kieran Tierney or Cedric Soares injury away from a possible defensive crisis but manager Mikel Arteta is building something and he now has players to call on who will be central to his "culture." -- JMC

Amad Diallo

When you only have 24 minutes of first team football behind you, it's hard to imagine that you'll land a move to one of the world's biggest clubs. But Manchester United clearly liked what they saw in Atalanta winger Diallo and they agreed a potential €41m move for the 18-year-old in October.

After landing a work permit, which is no easy task under the current Brexit regulations in the UK, Diallo made his debut for the U23 team at the weekend and promptly scored twice in a 6-3 win over Liverpool. Much more is expected of the exciting forward and it won't be long before he is worrying Premier League defenders, but if he really hits the ground running then maybe United might rethink their €120m pursuit of Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho. -- JMC

- Karlsen: What does the scouting world make of Diallo?

Sevilla FC

Usually known for bringing through emerging talent, Sevilla broke that pattern by signing the 32-year-old Alejandro "Papu" Gomez for around €5m from Atalanta as his contract was entering the final six months. The Argentine midfielder, who famously fell out with manager Giampiero Gasperini at half-time during a Champions League game two months ago and was frozen out of the side afterward, could prove valuable for Julian Lopetegui's team. With his creativity, intelligence and ability to score goals from distance, Gomez has been one of the most effective playmakers in Serie A over the past few season and adding such a quality player in mid-season is a real boost for Sevilla. Pound-for-pound, Gomes is the best player to move in this January transfer window.

Another plus for the 2020 Europa League winners was their ability to hold on to mercurial, yet prolific striker, Youssef El-Nesyri. The 23-year-old had long been linked with a move away from Sevilla but will now have the added benefit of being supplied by one of the top attacking midfielders in the game. -- TKK

AC Milan

In a time of prudence, AC Milan have added to their strength in depth. The Serie A frontrunners adopted a slightly different transfer strategy this month: whereas in the summer youngsters with sell-on value were the main focus, it's been all about consolidation and (relative) experience in January. Defender Fikayo Tomori joined from Chelsea in a loan move, while Soualiho Meite -- initially on a loan from Torino -- has already shown signs of adding graft and power to the centre of their midfield and should provide cover for an area where team has looked thin.

Mario Mandzukic may not have played much competitive football since he left Juventus in May 2019 (he only registered five appearances for Al-Duhail in Qatar before terminating his contract) and the 34-year-old is still is some way off peak fitness -- as witnessed from his first two substitute appearances -- but his arrival, both in terms of playing style and on-pitch persona, could have a similar impact to that of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. -- TKK

USMNT players

The rise of young American players like Weston McKennie and Giovanni Reyna has been a real theme over the past year and January's business showed how important the country is in the market now. There are now 54 U.S. stars operating in Europe's top leagues and FC Dallas right-back Bryan Reynolds, 19, became the second most expensive MLS academy player to leave the league (behind Bayern's Alphonso Davies) when he moved to Roma for €6.75m plus another €5.65m in add-ons.

Swansea snapped up D.C. United's Paul Arriola, having also signed Jordan Morris from the Seattle Sounders on loan. There was a loan move for Bayern's Chris Richards, who will get increased opportunities at Hoffenheim, while Orlando forward Daryl Dike celebrated his debut for USMNT on Sunday by sealing a late loan to Barnsley. The Turkish league also saw two moves as DeAndre Yedlin went from Newcastle to Galatasaray and Tyler Boyd swapped Besiktas for Sivasspor in search of more playing time.

Even 19-year-old Schalke striker Matthew Hoppe can't stay out of the news as he was rewarded for his breakthrough into the first team by winning his first professional contract. And watch for New York Red Bulls' 17-year-old Caden Clark heading to RB Leipzig in 2021 to become the next big Bundesliga star. -- JMC

Losers

Barcelona and Eric Garcia

The Manchester City defender couldn't have done much more to show that he wanted to leave the club. Refusing to extend the terms on his contract that expires in the summer, Garcia made it quite clear that he wanted to rejoin former club Barcelona. The problem? Barca are in turmoil, with €1.7 billion debt, no president or board to make decisions and a complete inability to get anything done this month.

Garcia reportedly even offered to play for free in order to get his move, but that didn't work either. He will get his move to Camp Nou in the summer on a free transfer, assuming that Barca's new president signs off on the deal, but it's going to be an awkward few months at the Etihad for the 20-year-old.

Barca's only business was to move on two players -- Jean-Clair Todibo to Nice and Carles Alena to Getafe -- while the leak of Lionel Messi's four-year contract, signed in 2017, which gave an intricate breakdown of the €555m he would receive if all add-ons were met, only added to the PR nightmare engulfing the club and could damage the relationship with their greatest-ever player beyond repair. -- JMC

Real Madrid

The transfer of Bayern defender David Alaba would have changed this assessment, but Real Madrid will have to wait until the summer for a new arrival and even then there are plenty of other clubs who will be trying to land the Austria international once his contract expires.

For a club of Madrid's size, it seems incredible they haven't made a move -- especially as they are trailing city rivals Atletico by 10 points in La Liga and were recently booted out of the Copa del Rey in an embarrassing manner by third-tier side Alcoyano -- if only to freshen up the squad. Of course, nobody would advocate a desperate last-minute signing just for the sake of it and their financial situation is almost as bad as Barcelona's, but Madrid could have improved their squad without breaking the bank.

While loaning Odegaard to Arsenal made sense (provided that he'll eventually pick up minutes for his new club), letting Luka Jovic return to Eintracht Frankfurt without any adequate back-up for Karim Benzema seems a big gamble. Big spending was never on the cards in this transfer window as they plot moves for Kylian Mbappe, Eduardo Camavinga and Erling Haaland in the summer, but it seems that Madrid have decided to forfeit this season and are already planning for their summer rebuild. They also failed to get captain and club legend Sergio Ramos to sign a new contract and could lose him for nothing in six months. -- TKK

Dele Alli

The out-of-favour Tottenham midfielder faces a long way back into Jose Mourinho's good books after missing out on a loan move to PSG. Alli, who has started just one league game this season and had a meagre half an hour against minnows Marine in the FA Cup, was heavily linked with a January move to Paris after former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino took over at the French giants.

The financial crisis in French football, which has forced even perennial free spenders PSG into thinking about austerity first, as well as their inability to move their unwanted midfielders out to free up space, stopped the move from materialising. Sources also told ESPN that Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was reluctant to let him go without a replacement. The 24-year-old has three years to run on his contract and now has no option but to fully focus on getting back into Mourinho's plans to resuscitate his faltering career. -- TKK

Thomas Tuchel

Starting a new job as a football manager is never easy, but starting one when your predecessor has spent over £220m on six players makes it even harder. Spare a thought for Tuchel who, after arriving on Jan. 26 with a week left in the window, must have been watching the January transfer window pass by without a second thought as Chelsea were never going to give him any money to operate in such a small space of time.

The German coach has to work with what he's inherited, and while that's not terrible given the quality of players at his disposal, he must have been longing to make his own impact on the team. On the plus side, Chelsea moved on flops Danny Drinkwater and Lucas Piazon but they also left him one defender short by allowing Tomori to move to Milan on loan. -- JMC

The window itself

As explained above, clubs across Europe haven't been able to spend as they usually would due to the COVID-19. In these times, a more careful approach to money is required (even inside the financial bubble that is football) and there have been precious few deals to get fans excited about. Obviously there are far more important things in the world to deal with currently, but football transfer gossip and the intrigue of "Deadline Day" offers a mental escape route for many throughout the year. The trends from 2020 weren't promising and after January it appears that 2021 isn't going to get much better on the transfer front. -- JMC

England are unlikely to need any reminders about the physical challenge that their four-Test series in India will pose this month after four tough weeks in the Sri Lankan heat, but a picture Nick Compton posted on Instagram recently might serve as one all the same.

Compton captured Matt Prior collapsed in a chair in the Nagpur dressing room during the drawn fourth Test of England's 2012 tour, which sealed a 2-1 series win - England's first in India since 1984-85. With his head on the armrest, Prior appears overcome by the exhaustion of his efforts in the series.

"I remember coming in, taking my kit off, and before I knew it, I was asleep. I was just so drained from the whole experience," Prior recalled. "That's why you do it, and that's what made it such a good victory. It is so mentally and physically draining to get a result out there. To go there and be successful is a real privilege [so] it was a very proud moment in all of our careers.

"It's certainly right up there. The Ashes gets all the publicity and everything that goes with it but India is an equally tough - if not tougher - place to go and win a series. It might even pip it for me: we won in Australia [in 2010-11] for the first time in 25 years but we won in India for the first time in 28."

While he contributed with the bat from the lower-middle-order in the series, making 258 runs at 51.60 in his five innings, Prior's main role came with the gloves. He took six catches in all and completed a stumping and a run-out, and while those figures do not catch the eye, the fact he kept wicket for more than 650 overs in gruelling conditions most certainly does.

"Playing Test cricket in India is about attrition," he said. "From a wicketkeeping perspective, in the first over of the day, with Jimmy Anderson bowling in the high-80s [mph/140kph], I was standing literally four yards back. It's obviously very hot and very humid, so there's a huge physical drain that you have to be prepared for.

"And then mentally it's very draining. For players who have grown up in England, you're used to the ball swinging and seaming, and leaving on length and in the channel, but your whole gameplan has to change, whether that's for batsmen, bowlers, wicketkeepers, or even fielders, who have to think more about what they're doing with the ball so that they can get it to reverse.

"It's about building pressure and then sustaining it for as long as you can. That's the way to get wickets. Pitches are generally so flat and good to bat on until you get into the third innings when it starts turning. You have to bat for hours and hours and hours to get a lead and that was really what we built our whole campaign around: getting more runs than India in the first innings. Cashing in is key."

Prior highlights concentration as the main challenge for wicketkeepers in India, on top of the physical demands. "Everyone says to me that keeping wicket at the WACA must have been really difficult because you're 30 yards back. Actually, it was great fun because the ball was coming through at waist height and you've got a lot of time to move your feet.

"In India, you're so close that it puts a huge amount of pressure on your technique as a wicketkeeper. You're having to stay lower for longer, hold your posture position for longer, and you have to be able to move your quads and your butt, low and fast, under pressure.

"That's stood back, but you spend 80% of the time stood up to the stumps so the number of squats you do in a day is through the roof. Your fast-twitch fibres are put under a huge amount of pressure for most of the day. It's physically draining - it's the toughest place to keep wicket, there's no doubt about it."

Prior will be part of talkSPORT's commentary team in the UK for some of the upcoming series, and said that he believes both Jos Buttler and Ben Foakes are up to the daunting challenge that lies ahead. Buttler will keep wicket in the first Test in Chennai before flying home as part of England's policy to rotate their multi-format players on this tour, with Foakes set to take over from the second Test onwards.

"The intensity and the heat is incredible in the subcontinent, particularly for a wicketkeeper - I remember I once lost 4kg of fluids in a single session in Sri Lanka - but these England guys are in outstanding physical condition. They'll absolutely be ready and prepared for that.

"England are being smart by rotating players with so much cricket coming up. India is the type of place where you've got to use your squad. It's not just 11 guys who will win you a series, so having someone as able and capable as Ben Foakes to come in is only good news.

"He's obviously an outstanding wicketkeeper, but he's proved what he can do with the bat as well. I was fortunate to be in Sri Lanka for his debut when England were five-down with not many on the board [103] before he walked in and scored that brilliant hundred. It's a great opportunity for him: you want to grab any chance you get with both hands in international cricket."

To follow the action from India, download the talkSPORT app, re-tune your DAB radio, listen at talkSPORT.com or tell your smart speaker to 'play talkSPORT 2'. Coverage starts at 3.45am with live play from 4am

Colin Munro has said the Perth Scorchers will need to "take our egos out" of their batting when they come against Brisbane Heat in the BBL Challenger final on Thursday with the prize a place in the final against the Sydney Sixers.

The two sides faced each other in their final regular-season match with the Heat coming out on top by six runs with Mitchell Swepson and Marnus Labuschagne, who have formed a dynamic legspin pairing at the tail-end of the tournament, having combined figures of 8-0-55-5.

The Scorchers were well placed in their chase of 182 with an opening stand of 53 in six overs before Liam Livingstone charged and missed at a delivery from Swepson which skidded low. The top four all fell to the legspinners with Munro top-edging a slog sweep to deep point having made 7 off 14 balls.

Labuschagne would then remove Josh Inglis and Ashton Turner in the same over to leave them 5 for 94, and despite a late charge by Mitchell Marsh the chase came up short.

"[We need to] just try to take our egos out of it instead of trying to smash it for six every ball like we tried, just play smart cricket," Munro told reporters in Canberra ahead the rematch. "The other day we tried to go outside of our comfort zone a little bit."

"Marnus and Swepo they've added some different dynamics to their bowling group. We've just got make sure we play to our blueprint."

In the five matches Labuschagne and Swepson have played together, since returning to the BBL after the Test series against India, they have shared 18 wickets and been key to the run that has seen the Heat put together four wins on the bounce to keep their tournament alive with no second chances for a loss.

"Looking back a couple of weeks ago it was a far cry to see us in this position," Swepson said. "Really proud of the team that we've been able to get here from that position we have some nice momentum now.

"It's always nice when you come up against an opposition where you've had success, gives you a little bit of confidence, but we know their batting line there is firepower all over it. We can't just rock up and expect to be able to do the exact same thing we did, they will come better prepared.

"That was the first time this season that they were playing against both me and Marny so they'll be better prepared. We'll have to be prepared for that and make sure that we are on top of whatever they throw at us."

Labuschagne had one T20 wicket before this run in the BBL but has claimed two three-wicket hauls to give captain Chris Lynn a wealth of bowling options.

"It's been great to see Marny bowl and get some good overs," Swepson said. "Think in the past he's probably been a little frustrated that he hasn't got that opportunity to bowl in this format and you are seeing what he can do."

Australia's three-Test tour of South Africa, scheduled to start in March, has been postponed, with Cricket Australia informing Cricket South Africa that the Covid-19 situation in South Africa has left it with "no choice" but to reschedule the tour.

"Due to the public health situation in South Africa, which includes a second wave and new variant of the virus, and following extensive due diligence with medical experts, it has become clear that traveling from Australia to South Africa at this current time poses an unacceptable level of health and safety risk to our players, support staff and the community," Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia's interim CEO, said. "We acknowledge the significant amount of work by CSA in planning for the tour, during which we made it clear that CA was prepared to take on additional cost and effort to make the series happen.

"This decision has not been made lightly and we are extremely disappointed, especially given the importance of continuing international cricket at this time, our valued relationship with CSA, and our aspirations to compete in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.

"However, we have been consistent since the start of the pandemic that the health and safety of our people is always our number one priority and unfortunately despite best efforts to agree a bio-security plan, the risks are simply too great at this time. As difficult and disappointing a decision as this is, especially for Justin, Tim and the team, we have a duty of care to our people and their health and safety can't be compromised."

South Africa has just passed the peak of its second wave of infections and restrictions were eased on February 2. However, the country is still recording an average of 5000 new cases a day and is battling a variant of the virus that spreads more easily.

Joe Connellan, interim CEO of the Australian Cricketers' Association, said, "While disappointing for both playing groups and cricket lovers all over the world, this is a prudent decision considering the prevalence and virulence of the Covid-19 strain in South Africa.

"The Australian players were ready for the contest with South Africa, especially to support South African cricket at this time with the added challenge of making the final of the ICC Test Championship.

"But this is the right call given the COVID data coming out of South Africa. It's a decision based on the advice of the medical and health experts and that's why the ACA supports it. The ACA offers its assistance to CA in exploring new options with Cricket South Africa for this series to be rescheduled."

South Africa were hoping to host Australia at the Irene Country Club, where they had set up a bio-secure bubble for the festive-season Tests against Sri Lanka. Matches were set to be played at SuperSport Park and the Wanderers with the Test series scheduled to start on March 3 and finish on March 25. The country club is considered a "lifestyle" hotel, with access to a dam, driving range and various outdoor activities. ESPNcricinfo understands that Cricket Australia was also in talks to build an additional makeshift gymnasium on the property and both CSA and the country club were doing all they could to accommodate the touring party's requests.

More to follow…

Britain's Katie Boulter claimed one of the biggest wins of her career with a three-set victory over Coco Gauff in the Gippsland Trophy second round.

It is the first time Boulter - who will play US Open champion Naomi Osaka next - has won consecutive WTA matches.

Earlier, British number one Johanna Konta beat Bernarda Pera in her first match of 2021.

Konta beat the American 6-2 6-3 to set up a meeting with Romania's Irina-Camelia Begu.

Boulter's third-round opponent Osaka needed just over an hour to sweep aside Alize Cornet 6-2 6-2.

In the same event, world number seven Aryna Sabalenka was stunned by Kaia Kanepi.

Sabalenka, who was on a 15-match winning streak, lost 6-1 2-6 6-1 to the Estonian.

The Gippsland Trophy is one of six events being held at Melbourne Park this week to allow players to prepare for the Australian Open.

In the Yarra Valley Classic, defending Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin advanced when her opponent Camila Giorgi retired with injury.

American Kenin had taken the first set 7-5 when Giorgi ended the match.

World number one Ashleigh Barty will play her first competitive match in just under a year later on Tuesday, before Venus Williams faces Petra Kvitova.

The Grampians Trophy, which is the third WTA event for players who underwent a "hard quarantine" on their arrival, begins on Wednesday.

Britain's Heather Watson, who was among the 72 players who were not allowed to leave their hotel rooms for 14 days after positive coronavirus cases on their charter flights to Australia, will play Russian Veronika Kudermetova in the first round.

Former world number ones Victoria Azarenka and Angelique Kerber are also in the draw.

However, Bianca Andreescu withdrew from the event to focus on the Australian Open.

The Canadian, who won the US Open in 2019, has not played in more than a year after suffering a knee injury.

Rafael Nadal pulled out of Spain's opening ATP Cup tie with a lower back problem less than a week before he launches his bid for a record 21st men's Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

"I have a stiff low back," Nadal wrote on Twitter. "Hopefully I'll be better for Thursday."

Spain play Greece on Thursday.

Spain were runners-up to Serbia in the final of last year's inaugural ATP Cup.

The men's team event, which has been reduced to 12 teams from 24, is being played at the same time as five other tournaments at Melbourne Park this week after a strict quarantine for all players who arrived in the country for the Australian Open.

Nadal played an exhibition match in Adelaide on Friday, beating Austrian world number three Dominic Thiem 7-5 6-4.

Big picture

On paper, this first Test between Bangladesh and West Indies looks a bit of a mismatch. The tourists don't have a bunch of their regulars, including their captain, and are taking on a team that dominates most at home. Bangladesh's spin-heavy attack and experienced batsmen are expected to steamroll West Indies just as they did in 2018, but this is a side that will play its first Test in close to 12 months.

That should give West Indies a bit of an advantage. Some of their players have played Test cricket since the Covid-19 pandemic started - overall, they have played five Tests since then - unlike the Bangladeshis. But, at the same time, they are bereft of a lot of experience. Not to mention that they have lost four out of those five Tests, in England and in New Zealand, while winning just one.

West Indies' batting will depend heavily on Jermaine Blackwood, captain Kraigg Brathwaite, and John Campbell. Blackwood's 95 in the Southampton Test last year was the high point in his comeback to Test cricket, and he has been West Indies' highest run-getter in the last 12 months. Brathwaite, despite some patchy form of late, has often batted long and well against Bangladesh, while Campbell has shown recent form in New Zealand and during the three-day practice game against a BCB XI.

Among the bowlers, Shannon Gabriel has been the frontman for the last three years, and their most successful bowler in these five Tests, where he has taken 17 wickets. Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph are expected to support him but it is likely that the spinners, especially offspinner Rahkeem Cornwall, will be entrusted with a lion's share of the job in Chattogram. Cornwall's 7 for 75 against Afghanistan in Lucknow was 14 months ago, but he picked up a five-for in the tour match last week, and should be high on confidence.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, won the ODI series 3-0 a week ago, but Test cricket's rhythm will be different, even for experienced cricketers. It is likely that the pitch at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium will be a batting paradise for the first couple of days, before slowing down.

That will encourage Bangladesh to revert to their best plan of action - a four-man spin attack, after having picked two seamers in their last home Test. Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan will lead an attack that also includes Nayeem Hasan, who took nine wickets in their last Test. Bangladesh is also likely to prefer a second left-arm spinner to support the returning Shakib. Coach Russell Domingo has indicated that Mustafizur Rahman would be selected, after impressing the coaching staff with his new inswinger into the right-hander.

Their batting, as is usually the case, will depend heavily on Tamim Iqbal, Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim, but runs will be expected from opener Saif Hassan, who hasn't played his breakout Test innings yet, and Najmul Hossain Shanto.

Form guide

Last five completed matches, most recent first

Bangladesh: WLLLL

West Indies: LLLLW

In the spotlight

With scores of 44 and 68, John Campbell showed form during West Indies' warm-up match last week against the BCB XI. Campbell also scored a half-century in their last Test, so in the absence of many regulars, he will have to put a big price tag on his wicket.

Liton Das is likely to bat at No. 7, which might give Bangladesh a stroke-player around the time the second new-ball is available. He will be expected to make substantial contributions even when batting with the lower-order - not like his 36 runs in the three ODIs last month.

Team news

Bangladesh could go for a straightforward four-man spin attack with Rahman as the lone pacer. A fit Shakib will take Mohammad Mithun's place in the middle-order while Mehidy, Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan should be natural choices on a pitch that would require patient and skilful bowling.

Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Saif Hassan, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mominul Haque (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Liton Das (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan, 9 Nayeem Hasan, 10 Taijul Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

West Indies would likely have fielded a different bowling attack to the one that did duty in their last Test, in Wellington, but now their hand has been forced. Coach Phil Simmons is faced with balancing the attack with right number of spinners, while Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers seem certain for Test debuts.

West Indies (possible): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 John Campbell, 3 Nkrumah Bonner, 4 Jermaine Blackwood 5 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 6 Kyle Mayers, 7 Rahkeem Cornwall, 8 Raymon Reifer/Alzarri Joseph, 9 Jomel Warrican, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shannon Gabriel

Pitch and conditions

The average first-innings score at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium is 370, which indicates a batsman-friendly venue. There won't be much for fast bowlers, and spinners should call the shots after the first couple of days. There's good weather in store with moderate temperatures in Chattogram.

Stats and trivia

• Mominul Haque has scored six centuries in nine Tests at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. He averages 75.42 at the venue.
• West Indies lost their last two Tests by innings defeats; the last time they suffered three innings defeats in a row was in 1931.
• Brathwaite has played 15 Tests in Asia, the most in this West Indies squad.

Quotes

"I think Bangladesh will always have the edge no matter who they are playing at home, even though they haven't played (Test) cricket for a year. They are a very strong side when they play at home. You can have lack of international cricket but you will be training properly. It takes away the rust, which is only a mental thing. It will go away after the first couple of hours of the first day."

West Indies coach Phil Simmons doesn't think the gap will hurt Bangladesh

"Our performance in Tests in the last couple of years hasn't been that good but it is something that we are really trying to rectify. We spoke long and hard about it after the Pakistan Test. I feel that we are definitely moving in the right direction. It is the start of a process for us in Tests, and the results are very important."

Bangladesh coach Russell Domingo thinks the future is bright

Colin Munro will not be available for the Islamabad United in the 2021 edition of the PSL, starting later this month, because of difficulties with finding quarantine space for his return to New Zealand after the competition.

Munro was scheduled to head straight to Pakistan after the conclusion of the BBL, where he is part of the Perth Scorchers line-up, but the quarantine system put in place by the New Zealand government requires places to booked in advance and, having delayed in applying, the earliest Munro would have been able to find a slot after the PSL was in mid-May.

"I'm very disappointed to be missing out because Islamabad were really good to me," Munro said. "They retained me knowing I was going to go there straight after the Big Bash but I just couldn't get any quarantine booked in time.

"The PSL finishes on the 23rd [22nd] of March and I could only get back into the country in the middle of May then another two weeks on top of that. It's tough, but the world the way it is maybe that's a silver lining - spend some more time at home with the family and get ready for whatever is next."

Munro scored 248 runs at 35.42 and a strike rate of 147.61 in the previous edition of the PSL and would have headed to this event in strong form having scored 441 runs for the Scorchers, who finished second on the eight-team table after the league stage and, after losing to the Sydney Sixers in the Qualifier, will take on the Brisbane Heat in the Challenger on Thursday for a place in the final against the Sixers.

Four courtside fans -- at least one of whom was not covering her face with a mask -- were ejected from Monday's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks following a verbal spat with Lakers star LeBron James, the Hawks confirmed to ESPN.

Juliana Carlos, who later posted on social media, and her husband, Chris Carlos, exchanged words with James in the fourth quarter of the visiting Lakers' 107-99 win over the Hawks, prompting the ejection.

Juliana Carlos posted a video on her Instagram account showing the scene shortly after State Farm Arena security personnel and one of the referees, Mitchell Ervin, intervened.

She can be heard saying, "Shut the f--- up! Don't talk to my husband like that!" while standing on the sideline with her mask pulled down below her chin. Someone off camera can be heard asking her to put her mask on, which is required of all fans attending NBA games this season. She wrote "f---ing loser" in a text box to accompany the video, with her camera pointed at James.

After the ejection, Carlos posted a selfie-style video, offering her account of what happened.

"So, I'm minding my own business, and Chris has been a Hawks fan forever. He's been watching the games for 10 years. Whatever, he has this issue with LeBron. I don't have an issue with LeBron. I don't give a f--- about LeBron," she says in the video. "Anyway, I'm minding my own business, drinking my [beverage], having fun. All of the sudden, LeBron says something to my husband, and I see this and I stand up. And I go, 'Don't f---ing talk to my husband!' And he looks at me and he goes, 'Sit the f--- down, bitch.' And I go, 'Don't f---ing call me a bitch. You sit the f--- down. Get the f--- out of here. Don't f---ing talk to my husband like that.'"

James was not asked postgame about Carlos' name-calling allegation, but he was not fazed by the incident and said he felt like an ejection was unnecessary.

"At the end of the day, I'm happy fans are back in the building," he said after putting up 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to help L.A. to the road win. "I miss that interaction. I need that interaction; we as players need that interaction. I don't feel like it was warranted to be kicked out."

He did say that alcohol could have been a factor, however.

"They might have had a couple drinks, maybe," he said. "And they could have probably kept it going during the game, and the game wouldn't have been about the game no more, so I think the referees did what they had to do."

James also said that Chris Carlos went "out of bounds" with whatever he directed at him. "I guess [Carlos] said something that rubbed the big dawg the wrong way," added Montrezl Harrell.

While James said he was not close enough to the fans to be potentially compromised by Juliana Carlos removing her mask, other members of the Lakers found it unacceptable.

"It certainly exposed something with regard to having fans in the pandemic," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. "You obviously can't have fans taking their masks down and shouting at our players with the virus out there during these times."

"With COVID going on, we obviously can't have that," Anthony Davis said. "We want to make sure we all can be safe."

James later tweeted about Carlos, bestowing her with a derisive nickname commonly used to mock entitled white women.

The Hawks are one of nine NBA teams currently allowing fans to attend their home games. Atlanta's State Farm Arena currently allows up to 8% of its capacity for Hawks games, according to a team official. Monday's announced attendance was 1,341.

Despite the episode, several Lakers still supported fans coming to their games.

"We love having fans at the game. Whether we're home or away, it just brings back the game that we love, that joy from the fans and the support," Davis said. "Whether it's 500 people or 1,000, 1,500, whatever it is, it's always enjoyable to play in front of a crowd."

"I love our fans," James reiterated. "Laker Nation and everybody else that's against Laker Nation. It just feels better. Fans in the stands is just -- it's just better. It's better for everybody. Especially on the last game of a 14-day road trip."