Tamil Nadu 123 for 3 (Hari Nishanth 35, Aparajith 29*, Sheth 1-20) beat Baroda 120 for 9 (Solanki 49, Siddharth 4-20, Aparajith 1-16) by seven wickets

No R Ashwin (India duty). No M Vijay (personal reasons). No Washington Sundar (India duty). No T Natarajan (on a break after Australia tour). No Varun Chakravarthy (rehab at NCA). No Vijay Shankar (injured during the league phase and opted to skip the knockouts for his wedding). No Sandeep Warrier (India nets). No K Vignesh (Covid-positive). No problem for Dinesh Karthik's Tamil Nadu as they still had so much depth and experience that their unbeaten run in the 2020-21 Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament culminated in their second domestic T20 title.

It was the ageless Karthik who had led them to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali crown way back in 2006-07, in the pre-IPL era, as well. R Prasanna, the current side's batting coach, had returned the best figures for TN in the 2006-07 final.

On Sunday, Karthik unleashed M Siddharth on a Baroda side that had six right-handers in their top seven on an Ahmedabad turner and the left-arm fingerspinner responded with 4 for 20. This was Siddharth's first match of the tournament, having been picked ahead of seamer Aswin Crist, and his first T20 since the 2019-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament. R Sai Kishore, TN's premier left-arm fingerspinner, went wicketless, but gave up a mere 11 runs in his four overs.

After TN's spin quartet limited Baroda to 120 for 9, their batsmen aced the chase, with Shahrukh Khan making a charming cameo to finish it off.

Spin, spin, and spin
With the Ahmedabad pitches in the semi-finals and the quarter-finals aiding swing, TN initially picked an extra seamer ahead of Siddharth and the conditions were probably the reason why medium-pacer R Sonu Yadav was selected ahead of TNPL death-bowling specialist G Periyaswamy, T Natarajan's protege from Chinnappampatti.

In the final, Yadav and M Mohammed, who had bagged a four-wicket haul in the semi-finals, weren't needed at all until the slog overs. The first 13 overs were all bowled by spinners and Baroda were 59 for 6 at that point.

The first ball from Sai Kishore turned and bounced. The first ball from B Aparajith also turned and bounced, having Ninad Rathva carving a low catch to KB Arun Karthik at backward point. It was a portent of what was to follow in the first half of the innings.

Siddharth began with a front-foot no-ball and was hit for back-to-back fours by Baroda's stand-in captain Kedar Devdhar, but he immediately dragged his length back to remove Devdhar. After conceding 11 runs in his first over, Siddharth gave up just nine in his next three and took three more wickets. The most eye-catching dismissal was that of wicketkeeper-batsman - pinned in front by a fizzing arm ball from wide of the crease.

Siddharth was released by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the auction next month, but his latest performance might make them rethink their decision and attract the attention of other franchises.

At the other end, Sai Kishore tactfully varied his angles and pace to handcuff the Baroda batsmen. Sai Kishore finished the the tournament with an economy rate of 4.82 - the second best among bowlers who have delivered at least 20 overs this season. Last season, Sai Kishore had the best economy among bowlers who had sent down at least 20 overs.

Baroda's brief recovery
Vishnu Solanki, who had watched the top and the middle orders collapse around him, saw off the spinners and went after the seamers along with allrounder Atit Sheth. Solanki and Sheth lined up Yadav, taking him for a combined 27 off 17 balls. Solanki's helicopter, which carried Baroda into the semi-finals, made an reappearance on Sunday as they scrambled 54 off their last five overs to add a semblance of respectability to the total.

Aparajith, Shahrukh seal victory
Left-arm seamer Lukman Meriwala, who had bounced out Punjab's Prabhsimran Singh on Friday, dismissed N Jagadeesan too in similar fashion for 14. Jagadeesan's opening partner and childhood friend C Hari Nishanth then hit over the top before Babashafi Pathan had him holing out to long leg for 35. By then, TN had already knocked off 67 from the target.

Karthik came in at No.4 and hit 22 off 16 before Aparajith and Shakrukh guided TN home. Shahrukh displayed his power-hitting once again, strengthening his case for an IPL contract. Like Sharukh, Aparajith too found no takers in the last auction, but has played his part in TN's success with his quickish offspin and steady batting.

Lionel Messi and Barcelona will take legal action against Spanish newspaper El Mundo after it released the leaked details of the forward's record-breaking contract on Sunday.

El Mundo published documents relating to Messi's four-year deal, signed in 2017, and gave an intricate breakdown of the €555 million he would receive if all add-ons were met. The report claimed that Messi's contract is the biggest ever signed by an athlete.

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Sources have confirmed to ESPN that Messi will take action against El Mundo and any Barca personnel involved in the leaking of the contract. There are only four copies of the contract -- Messi has one, Barca have another, La Liga has a copy and so does Cuatrecasas, the law firm used by the Argentina international.

Barca, meanwhile, responded by denying any involvement in the leaking of the contract and said they would also take "appropriate legal action" against the newspaper.

"In view of the information published today El Mundo, in relation to the professional contract signed between FC Barcelona and the player Lionel Messi, the club regrets its publication given that it is a private document governed by the principle of confidentiality between the parties," the Catalan club said in a statement.

"FC Barcelona categorically denies any responsibility for the publication of this document, and will take appropriate legal action against the newspaper El Mundo, for any damage that may be caused as a result of this publication.

"FC Barcelona expresses its absolute support for Lionel Messi, especially in the face of any attempt to discredit his image, and to damage his relationship with the entity where he has worked to become the best player in the world and in football history."

According to El Mundo, Messi would receive a maximum of €555,237,619 ($673,919,105) over four seasons, if a series of conditions were met.

Including image rights, the report explains that Messi was paid a €115m renewal bonus and a €77m loyalty bonus split into two payments -- as revealed by ESPN in November.

Messi is also said to earn around €72m annually in addition to add-ons for playing more than 60% of games throughout the course of a season, Champions League progression, winning La Liga or the Copa del Rey and winning FIFA's The Best.

A number of those performance-related add-ons have not been met and it should also be noted that Messi accepted a salary cut when the coronavirus pandemic first affected football last March.

Therefore, he will not earn the full €555m written into the contract, which expires on June 30.

Messi's future beyond then remains unknown. He tried to leave the club last summer but was shut down by then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

In a recent interview, he explained that he has not yet made a decision on his future and will decide his next step when the season ends.

Since pushing to leave, Bartomeu has left Camp Nou and a new president will be elected on March 7. All three candidates for the presidency -- Joan Laporta, Victor Font and Toni Friexa -- have expressed a desire to keep Messi at the club.

However, negotiations over a new deal will not be able to begin until March and the new terms will have to correspond with the club's new financial position.

The club's annual accounts, dated August 2020, revealed earlier this month that the Catalan club's gross debt has risen to nearly €1.2 billion.

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is expected to miss one to two weeks with a Grade 1 left calf strain, a source told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Smart underwent an MRI on Sunday after leaving in the fourth quarter of Boston's 96-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday with the injury.

Smart, who entered the game averaging 13.2 points and 6.0 assists -- both career highs -- didn't appear to land on anyone's foot when he came down in front of Boston's bench after fighting for a rebound with 10 minutes, 31 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. But after a moment, Smart grabbed the back of his left leg and collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.

After Boston called timeout, Smart stayed down for a bit before eventually being helped off the court and immediately back to Boston's locker room by two people on Boston's staff. He put no weight at all on his left leg while being helped off.

Boston, which has lost two games in a row, leaves Monday for a five-game West Coast trip beginning Tuesday in San Francisco against the Golden State Warriors.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.

With the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, Major League Baseball's 2020 season was a pro sports version of "The Great Escape," with the whole plan constantly on the verge of being destroyed. At the outset of the summer camp, the National Leaguer who would go on to win the MVP award, Freddie Freeman, caught the coronavirus and his temperature spiked to 104.5 degrees. Nationals superstar Juan Soto tested positive on Opening Day. Major outbreaks shut down the Marlins and Cardinals, with some players limited to hotel-room workouts. In the very last innings of the very last game, Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was pulled off the field because of COVID-19.

Pole vault star Mondo Duplantis clears 6.01m and attempts a world record, while world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith storms to a second 60m win in three days

The World Indoor Tour season continued in fine style on Sunday (January 31), with pole vault star Mondo Duplantis and world 200m champion Dina Asher-Smith among the winners at the silver-level ISTAF Indoor Düsseldorf meeting.

Sweden’s Duplantis opened his 2020 indoor season with a 6.00m clearance in Düsseldorf and went on to enjoy a world record-breaking month as he cleared 6.17m in Toruń and then 6.18m in Glasgow.

So his winning 6.01m mark this time around certainly bodes well and he even had the bar raised to 6.19m but ran through his first attempt before calling it a day.

The world silver medallist and European champion opened with 5.52m before a further first-time clearance at 5.72m. He needed two tries at 5.86m but then soared over 5.91m on his first go and had the bar raised to his eventual world leading and meeting record height, which he managed on his second attempt.

Germany’s Torben Blech had the performance of his career so far to secure second place, with the former decathlete sinking to his knees in reaction to his outright PB of 5.86m. His previous best had been 5.80m, while he cleared an indoor PB of 5.72m a couple of days earlier in Karlsruhe.

The USA’s two-time world champion Sam Kendricks was third with 5.81m, the same height managed by Menno Vloon for a Dutch indoor record.

“Me in Düsseldorf, me in Germany, I don’t know – there is just something special when I am here and I feel like I always seem to jump high and get over six metres,” said Duplantis after his strong season debut.

“It felt really good to be back competing. Of course, I felt a little rusty and the run needed a little bit more work on the consistency but I am really happy with the 6.01m, the world lead, and it seems like things are going in the right direction.”

On attempting 6.19m, he added: “There’s such a difference between six metres and when you start getting to like 6.19m, the world record, and I just felt inconsistent on my run. I knew what I needed to do and what kind of bigger poles I need to get on to make 6.19m and I just didn’t have that in me today so I said ‘I’ll live to see another day’.”

Like Blech, Britain’s Asher-Smith was another athlete back in action after opening her season at the Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe and she secured a second 60m final win in three days.

After equalling her PB with 7.08m – a mark just 0.02 off the British record – during her first indoor competition since 2018 in Karlsruhe, the 25-year-old clocked 7.12 to win the final in Düsseldorf after a 7.15 heat victory.

READ MORE: Dina Asher-Smith storms to fast 60m win in Karlsruhe

Switzerland’s Ajla del Ponte, who matched her own PB of 7.17 in third in Karlsruhe, finished second this time as she improved her personal best to 7.16.

“It was good, it was okay,” said Asher-Smith. “I am happy to be back running again. It has been quite a long time since my last race, in 2019. I am looking forward to the next ones.

“I was very surprised how well I started the day before yesterday, in Karlsruhe. That was a shock because I knew I was in good shape but sometimes you take a bit of time to get warmed up. I was very happy to come out and run a 7.08 and I was happy to do some good performances here as well.”

@dinaashersmith won the 60m final in 7.12 secs at the ISTAF Indoor meeting in Düsseldorf pic.twitter.com/3Ho0x2YQSk

— PACE (@PACESportsMgmt) January 31, 2021

The men’s 60m final was won by Ivory Coast’s Arthur Cissé who was just 0.01 off his PB with 6.54. Germany’s Kevin Kranz was second with 6.61.

The women’s long jump competition saw Germany’s world and European champion Malaika Mihambo secure victory on countback as she and Sweden’s Khaddi Sagnia both leapt 6.74m.

Mihambo achieved her winning mark in the second round while Sagnia matched the distance with her last leap of the competition but the German backed her performance up with a 6.73m jump in round five to claim the win.

Serbia’s world indoor champion Ivana Španović was third with 6.61m.

Back on the track, Netherlands’ Nadine Visser won the women’s 60m hurdles in 8.00 from Alina Talay of Belarus with 8.01, while Poland’s Damian Czykier and the USA’s Aaron Mallett both ran 7.64 in the men’s final, with Czykier getting the win.

Full results can be found here.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has warned that Manchester City could "run away" with the Premier League title this season.

Pep Guardiola's side sit at the top of the table after winning 10 out of their previous 12 league matches.

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City are the ninth different side to lead the league this season but Klopp believes that they have hit form at the right time.

When asked in a news conference whether this season could produce the most exciting title race, Klopp replied: "[It] could be but City could run away now as they are in a good position, playing good football again but I don't know.

"What we've seen is that it's a difficult season for all teams maybe apart from West Ham and Leicester who look pretty good as well.

"There are a lot of teams who look good but we've all had our ups and downs during the season for different reasons.

"It's for sure a year where you need to be lucky with injuries to be really on top of the things, more so than in other years because of the intensity and the amount of games in a specific period. But I can imagine that watching from outside is really exciting especially for neutrals."

Liverpool have suffered a number of injuries defensively this season with Klopp confirming that Joe Gomez is unlikely to feature again this season while Fabinho could return for the clash against City at Anfield on Feb. 7.

Jordan Henderson has been used as a central defender for the majority of the season and Klopp praised the club captain for his contributions.

When asked whether Henderson could become a defender during the latter stages of his career, Klopp answered: "We should not forget that Hendo's actually a No. 8.

"It makes it even more special. He's a No. 8 transformed into a No. 6 into a No. 4. He can play all these positions.

"The first thing about what that says is how football smart Hendo is. So, his physical skills are obvious but how football smart he is because it's a completely different position especially to a No. 8.

"I wish him a long career as well and I wish that he has a word in which position he will finish his career but centre-half is one of the positions he can play. Thankfully for us, he can play that and it was a good game [at Tottenham].

"What makes it so exciting is that his football skills makes him very influential in our build up as well which helps as he had a big hand in the first goal."

A snap lockdown of the city of Perth due to a Covid-19 case in Western Australia's hotel-quarantine programme forced Cricket Australia into a last-minute shift of the Perth Scorchers' Big Bash League Challenger on Thursday to Canberra's Manuka Oval.

The Scorchers squad, having lost to the Sydney Sixers at Manuka on Saturday night in the Qualifier between first and second, were fortunate their scheduled flight home to Perth was not due to depart until late afternoon Canberra time, meaning the news of WA's five-day lockdown until Friday arrived in time to keep them in the eastern states.

BBL officials were called into urgent meetings on Sunday afternoon to finalise a contingency for the match between the Scorchers and the winners of Sunday's Knockout between the Brisbane Heat and Sydney Thunder in Canberra. The final has already been awarded to the SCG and the Sixers.

More to follow...

Pakistan have dropped Fakhar Zaman and Wahab Riaz for the upcoming three-match T20I series against South Africa, with Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim and Mohammad Hafeez all unavailable as well.

Hasan Ali, Asif Ali and Aamer Yamin recalled have all been recalled to the side, the chief selector Mohammad Wasim also named four uncapped players - Zafar Gohar, Danish Aziz, Zahid Mehmood and Amad Butt - in the 20-man squad.

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Hussain Talat, Danish Aziz, Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Zafar Gohar, Faheem Ashraf, Aamer Yamin, Amad Butt, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Hasan Ali, Usman Qadir, Zahid Mehmood

More to follow

Happy birthday to squash hero Linda Davie
By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor

I would like to lead the squash world today in singing a virtual “Happy Birthday” to one of the hardest working volunteers in the history of the game. I know Linda Davie will blush when she reads this, but her record of achievements in sport deserves a special mention.

I first teamed up with Linda in Aberdeen when I rescued the British Open in 1999 and took the event to Scotland for the first and only time.

At that time Linda was on the board of England Squash. She was hugely supportive and brought her business skills and people skills to the forefront at a difficult period for squash.

Behind the scenes, the game was going through a turbulent time, with federation after federation falling to the snake oil sales pitch of a sports marketing company called The Eye Group. Let’s just say they were choppy waters to navigate.

When the British Open moved to the NIA in Birmingham, Linda was again heavily involved. There was a brief promise of genuine progress as we enjoyed two years of live coverage on Sky Sports, featuring TV production of outstanding quality, before financial mismanagement brought the whole Eye Group journey grinding to a halt, with the World Open in Australia a major victim.

Linda and I stayed in touch and she was a key player in helping with the launch of World Squash Day at Lamb’s Club in London in 2002 with an eight-man professional event running alongside a 15-a-side match between London and New York.

She was also a great supporter when we organised subsequent matches in Edinburgh and New York.

When I teamed up with Tim Garner, Peter Nicol and Angus Kirkland to launch the Canary Wharf Classic, I invited Linda to become our Tournament Referee. She has remained in the role ever since through 17 successful editions of the tournament.

Linda also became a major influence in her home nation, helping Scottish Squash and supporting numerous players on their paths into the professional game.

This culminated in Linda managing the Commonwealth Games squash competition in Glasgow in 2014.

With 11 days of sellout crowds at the Scotstoun venue, the whole event was a triumph for Scotland.

I would go as far as to say it was the most successful event in the history of squash, with 2,500 enthusiastic fans packed into the stands every day, for the singles and doubles, and some excellent coverage by the BBC.

Behind the scenes, Linda was working long, punishing hours to make everything run like clockwork. It was a phenomenal effort on her part, not only masterminding the playing schedules on multiple courts and dealing with a multitude of daily issues, but doing so against a background of political intrigue.

Today I know Linda will be enjoying her 70th birthday at home with her family in Milton Keynes, with her grandchildren .

Her daughters, Gail and Sara, have been busy arranging a number of video messages from an army of friends in squash.

Gail wrote: “I’ve had so much help it has been really heartwarming. Thinking of all the things Mum has done to help people has been a real tonic in lockdown. It’s nice to think about happy times and people helping each other.

“Until now I have never really thought about everything she has done – and I’m learning lots about what she gets up when my back is turned, from helping individuals, to clubs, to county squash, to regions, and helping so many countries.

“Then we can add the refereeing, to organising, to managing, to being on the Board, to university, seniors, juniors, grand prix events, Canary Wharf, the Europeans, Pam Am Games, and American Colleges. Oh yes, and the Commonwealth Games. It’s just amazing really, and all for the true love of the game.

“When I spoke to my sister Sara it became clear we don’t even know everything she has done. I’m always meeting people who tell me they know her or what she did for them … or the other favourite: ‘I think so stayed in your room for a while!’

“We know it actually started with hockey. She played for Scotland then coached and managed the national team. Then she got involved in squash, and so much so after the move to Cheshire.

“She became involved with Prestbury, Cheshire, the North West Juniors. Then of course, came the international element. I know the junior tournaments are dear to Mum’s heart, and the British University stuff she used to do. And, of course, she loves Canary Wharf.”

Gail and Sara have worked hard to make this a special day for their mum, arranging video messages from squash friends all over the world.

I know many of those friends will be raising a glass to Linda today to wish her a happy birthday and also to say a huge thank you for her phenomenal contributions to the sports of squash and hockey.

Cheers, Linda!

The transfer window opened in early January, and speculation is heating up about potential deals. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.

Diop joins Long, Mustafi on Klopp's wanted list

Liverpool have made an enquiry over the potential signing of West Ham United defender Issa Diop, the Athletic reports.

It's no secret that Reds boss Jurgen Klopp wants to bring in an emergency centre-back this transfer window to plug a hole in his injury-laden defence, and while the New York Red Bulls' Aaron Long and Arsenal's Shkodran Mustafi are both in the running, per ESPN and the Evening Standard, Diop has also emerged as a leading contender.

Diop, 24, has made 69 appearances for the Hammers since joining them from Toulouse in 2018, but he has fallen out of favour with manager David Moyes in recent times.

The centre-back, who has been capped by France at under-21 level, is reportedly hoping a move to Anfield can reignite his career.

MLS star Long, meanwhile, had a loan bid from an unnamed Championship club rejected late on Saturday, meaning Klopp's side are still in the running for the 28-year-old United States international.

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Ramos wants to move to Old Trafford

Sergio Ramos is ready to quit Real Madrid in favour of a move to Manchester United, the Mirror reports.

In addition to contract talks between Ramos and Real falling apart, the Spaniard has now also reportedly decided that he isn't interested in a move to Paris Saint-Germain, instead preferring to test himself in the Premier League.

Possible switches to Manchester City or Liverpool have previously been described as very difficult, whereas Old Trafford is thought to be top of the Spain international's wish list.

Manchester United go after Kounde

The Mirror is also reporting that Manchester United are very keen to make a move on Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer views Kounde as his primary target during the upcoming summer transfer window as he goes in search of the perfect centre-back partner for Harry Maguire.

Kounde is considered to be worth around £60 million and is primarily viewed as one of La Liga's most promising defensive stars.

Tap-ins

- Arsenal are contemplating a late push to sign Crystal Palace defender Patrick van Aanholt, the Mirror reports. Mikel Arteta is apparently eager to bring in another left-back as cover for Kieran Tierney before the January window closes, and with Van Aanholt having only six months left on his contract, the Eagles could be tempted into getting some money for him before he potentially leaves on a free transfer.

- Calciomercato says that Torino are pursuing the signing of Juventus defender Daniele Rugani. The defender is enjoying a loan spell with Rennes with many believing he would return to the Old Lady for another run at the first team, but instead, Torino are hoping to take advantage of the situation by signing him for themselves.

- Trabzonspor have seemingly pulled the plug on a move to sign Tottenham Hotspur's Danny Rose, TalkSPORT reports. While it did seem like Rose was destined to head over to Turkey, the club's president has said it would be "very difficult" courtesy of the time it would take to complete the deal -- potentially indicating that the problem is related to COVID-19 quarantine rules.