The West Indies squad has been barred from training for the rest of their managed isolation period in Christchurch after breaking protocols including by sharing food and socialising in hallways of their government-approved hotel.

There is no indication the bubble has been breached by any of the squad leaving or anyone from outside entering the facility, but the Ministry of Health has said that the players will have to spend the remainder of their 14 days - which is due to expire on Friday - in the facility.

At this stage there is no suggestion the tour is under threat but the Ministry has the power to extend the isolation period. All the Covid-19 tests from the squad during their time in New Zealand have so far come back negative with the final round due on Wednesday.

"As with other sports teams that have come to New Zealand, the West Indies cricket team were given certain exemptions from the managed isolation rules which apply to everyone else. This included being able to be in larger bubbles and train in preparation for their international games," Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said at a daily briefing

"It is a privilege to come here but in return they have to stick to the rules. Keeping Covid-19 out of our communities and keeping our staff safe depends on it. They didn't do that, despite agreeing to abide by the parameters of the exemption.

"Consequently, we have revoked the team's exemption from those requirements of the Managed Isolation and Quarantine Order. This means members of the team will spend the remainder of their time in managed isolation and they are unable to train."

Dr Bloomfield added there was no risk to the public. "It's important to note that all incidents occurred within the hotel facility."

The players had been able to train in increasing sized groups during their managed isolation. They had the last of three Covid-19 tests on Wednesday and if they all come back negative the squad are scheduled to leave isolation and travel to Queenstown on Friday ahead of two matches against New Zealand A.

"NZC was yesterday made aware that some members of the West Indies team had contravened protocols within the Managed Isolation Facility in Christchurch," an NZC statement said.

"These incidents included some players compromising bubble integrity by sharing food, and socialising in hallways.

"There is no evidence, or suggestion, that any members of the touring party left the facility, or that any unauthorised persons accessed it.

"NZC is supportive of the Ministry of Health and Government position. Public health and safety has always been our primary focus in hosting overseas teams and this remains our No.1 priority.

"NZC will continue working with the West Indies team and management, and relevant Government agencies, to ensure there is no repeat of these violations."

The members of the West Indies squad who have been taking part in the IPL - plus the New Zealand players at the tournament - are due to arrive in the country on Thursday when they will begin a period of 14 days of managed isolation which will end the day before the opening T20I in Auckland on November 27.

West Indies were the first team to tour when international cricket resumed amid the Covid-19 when they travelled to England for a Test series. That involved being in a biosecure bubble from start to finish as they moved between Old Trafford and the Ageas Bowl.

The NHL is considering a temporary realignment of its teams for the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, according to commissioner Gary Bettman.

Bettman said that restrictions on travel through the Canadian border, as well as "limitations in terms of quarantining when you go from certain states to other states" within the United States, could mean the NHL creates a more regionalized alignment for its upcoming season.

"As it relates to the travel issue, which is obviously the great unknown, we may have to temporarily realign to deal with geography, because having some of our teams travel from Florida to California may not make sense. It may be that we're better off -- particularly if we're playing a reduced schedule, which we're contemplating -- keeping it geographically centric and more divisional based; and realigning, again on a temporary basis, to deal with the travel issues," Bettman said with a 2020 Paley International Council Summit panel with fellow commissioners Adam Silver of the NBA and Rob Manfred of MLB.

The NHL Board of Governors have a meeting scheduled for Thursday which will provide a progress report and possible recommendations for a season format, based on talks between the League and the NHL Players Association. The target starting date for starting next season remains Jan. 1.

Bettman said the League is considering a few scheduling options for the 2020-21 season. Something that's off the table: Playing the entire season in the kind of bubbles the NHL had in Toronto and Edmonton to complete last season. But Bettman said teams opening in their own arenas is a possibility, along with a modified bubble.

"We are exploring the possibility of playing in our own buildings without fans [or] fans where you can, which is going to be an arena-by-arena issue. But we're also exploring the possibility of a hub. You'll come in. You'll play for 10 to 12 days. You'll play a bunch of games without traveling. You'll go back, go home for a week, be with your family. We'll have our testing protocols and all the other things you need," he said.

Bettman also indicated that the NHL is exploring "a hybrid, where some teams are in a bubble, some teams play at home and you move in and out."

The NBA's Board of Governors unanimously approved a deal with the players association that sets the stage for a season that will open on Dec. 22 and with a reduced schedule of 72 games. Silver said that the commissioners are in communication on COVID-19-related issues, especially the NBA and the NHL, since the two leagues' teams share arenas and, in some cases, team owners.

Silver said he senses that the NBA will have fans in many of its buildings this season.

"We're probably going to start one way, where we're maybe a little bit more conservative than many of the jurisdictions allow," he said. "What we've said to our teams is that we'll continue to work with public health authorities. Arena issues are different than outdoor stadium issues. There will be certain standards for air filtration and air circulation. There may be a different standard for a suite than there will be for fans spaces in seats."

Silver said there will be standardized protocols that are consistent from arena to arena, such as proximity from players to fans: "In certain cases, for seats near the floor, we're going to be putting in testing programs, where fans will certify that they've been tested - some within 48 hours, some within day of game." While Silver supported a continued expansion of the NBA postseason through its play-in tournament, Bettman said that he's not in favor of an expanded playoffs or "playing with the fundamentals of the game." The NHL had 24 teams in its postseason last summer.

The NBA's board of governors was unanimous in voting to approve an amended agreement to the collective bargaining agreement, clearing the way for a number of financial and competitive rule changes to the structure of the 2020-2021 season.

The league's deal, negotiated with the National Basketball Players Association, sets the stage for a season that will open on Dec. 22 and play a reduced schedule of 72 games.

The NBA and its players' union reached the agreement in principle late Monday night, prior to Tuesday's vote. The deal, officially announced by the league Tuesday night, calls for free agency to begin at 6 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 20, two days after next week's NBA draft.

The salary cap is going to be set at $109.1 million, and the luxury tax will be $132.6 million -- the same numbers they were during the 2019-20 season, before the league's finances took a drastic hit as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Teams had been expecting both numbers to remain the same next season for some time now, as it was better for both the teams and the players to avoid a massive drop in the salary cap for next season because of the unplanned drop in revenue.

The salary cap is going to be guaranteed to go up by a minimum of 3% per year -- and a maximum of 10% -- through the remainder of the collective bargaining agreement.

The two sides also came up with a compromise on the escrow system to spread the losses out across multiple seasons. The typical escrow withholding of 10% will remain in place. If there is a need to reduce player salaries by more than that 10%, that loss will be spread out over that season, as well as the following two -- and players can never have more than 20% of their salary withheld in a single season. The hope on both sides is that future seasons will see the league be able to return to normal financial footing as the pandemic subsides.

Sources also said that, in an attempt to ease the tax burdens of teams that had been planning on the salary cap and luxury tax continuing to steadily rise, the NBA will reduce the luxury tax bill for teams at the end of the 2021 season by the percentage amount that the league's basketball-related income (BRI) declines from initial projections.

For example, if it drops from a projected $8.45 billion to $5.9 billion -- a 30% decline -- the Golden State Warriors' projected luxury tax bill would be reduced from $60 million to $42 million.

Another way the luxury tax relief could benefit Golden State is with regard to potentially using its $17.2 million trade exception generated by trading away Andre Iguodala last summer. If the Warriors were to acquire a player for that full amount in a trade, their tax bill would increase to $149 million. A reduction to leaguewide revenue, however, could slice up to $45 million off that total number.

As of now, there are four teams -- the Warriors, Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers -- that are in the luxury tax, though that number is likely to increase because the cap and tax will now remain flat.

Teams aren't likely to receive formal numbers from the league until near the end of the week, after a final agreement is officially reached. The league's current moratorium on transactions is also expected to be lifted early next week -- shortly before the NBA draft is scheduled to take place on Nov. 18.

That will kick off a frenetic and compacted offseason, with free agency expected to begin soon after the draft -- with it all coming less than two weeks before the start of training camp on Dec. 1.

ESPN Staff Writer Tim Bontemps contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- Steven Cohen promises splashes of cash Mets fans expect from his billions -- within reason.

"If I don't win a World Series in the next three to five years, '' he said Tuesday, "I would consider that slightly disappointing.''

Four days after buying the Mets from the Wilpon and Katz families in a deal that valued the team at a baseball record $2.42 billion, Cohen unveiled his philosophy to turn around the perennial underachiever, promising that the Mets will act "like a major market team.''

"Are we going to act like drunken sailors in the marketplace? No,'' he said. "I want to be thoughtful. You can spend a lot of money today and then tie up your team in bad contracts for the next five years.''

Cohen, CEO of Point72 Asset Management in Stamford, Connecticut, bought an 8% limited partnership stake in 2012 for $40 million and increased that last week to 95%, with the Wilpon and Katz families retaining 5%.

His first decision was to bring back Sandy Alderson as team president. Cohen plans to defer to Alderson and his baseball operations staff. Alderson said Luis Rojas probably will return for a second season as manager.

"I played Little League once. That's about it,'' the 64-year-old Cohen said. "So I'm going to let the professionals, Sandy and the people we bring in, let them run baseball."

Cohen's personality was as striking as a 100 mph fastball.

"I'm a stickler for detail. I'm a stickler for a strong process. I don't suffer people who give me responses that are mediocre. I see through that fairly quickly. I'm not a micromanager. I hold my people accountable, but I give them a lot of rope to run,'' he said. "I'm not going to sit there and second-guess every decision. It's not my style."

Alderson met Cohen last December through Andrew B. Cohen, who is not related to the new Mets owner but manages Cohen Private Ventures on Steven Cohen's behalf. Alderson fired general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and his top aides Friday to give the new baseball operations staff a clean slate.

Alderson was the Mets general manager from 2010-18. Now 72, he obliquely criticized the way the team had been run. "The Mets are sort of a storied franchise, if you will," he said. "Some of the stories have been good. Some have been bad. And if we want to be an iconic franchise, which I think we are capable of doing, we have to write more good stories than bad and occasionally we have to write a really epic story.''

Alderson recalled when he first joined the team, he saw an ad campaign in bus shelters "around the sort of ineptitude of the New York Mets.'' Alderson wrote a memo to Cohen several months ago laying out a vision and emphasized the need to transform interactions with the industry and the public.

"You don't change the perception without changing the reality,'' Alderson said. "I think Steve is going to go a long way toward changing that narrative.''

The Mets have made the playoffs just twice in the past 14 seasons. They lost the 2015 World Series to Kansas City and dropped the NL wild-card game the next year. Scott Boras, baseball's top agent, claimed in 2011 the Mets were a team that had shifted from eating steaks to shopping for fruits and nuts, moved on to the freezer section in 2012 and in 2015 were utilizing a microwave rather than fancy cooking.

"We're going to make sure we got enough meat and potatoes, but we're going to be shopping in the gourmet section, as well,'' Alderson said, adding with a laugh: "I got to find out where it is.'' As an example, Alderson said Mets might have claimed reliever Brad Hand and his $10 million option for 2021 off waivers had the sale been approved weeks earlier.

New York won World Series titles in 1969 under original owner Joan Payson and in 1986, about two weeks before Fred Wilpon and Nelson Doubleday bought the team for $80.75 million after Bertelsmann AG had acquired Mets owner Doubleday & Co. Fred Wilpon and his Sterling Equities partners headed by brother-in-law Saul Katz completed his buyout of Nelson Doubleday in August 2002.

Cohen had tried to buy the Dodgers and then waited until the Mets became available. Cohen cited as top memories Cleon Jones catching the final out of the 1969 World Series, Tom Seaver coming within two outs of a perfect game only for the Cubs' Jimmy Qualls to break it up, Mookie Wilson's grounder between Bill Buckner's legs that won Game 6 of the 1986 World Series.

Cohen's wife, Alexandra, will run the Mets foundation. His father-in-law, Ralph, attends almost every home game.

"I went to my first Mets game with my dad at the old Polo Grounds. Years later, my friends and I used to sit in the upper deck at Shea Stadium,'' Cohen said.

The Mets have been outspent by the crosstown rival Yankees most years. Cohen wouldn't assess how the Wilpons ran the team. "I'm not competing against the Yankees,'' he said. "We're going to create our own excitement.''

He intends to boost spending on analytics. "I can make millions of people happy and what an incredible opportunity that is,'' he said. "I'm not trying to make money here. I have my business at Point72 and I make money over there. So here it's really about building something great, building something for the fans, winning.'' Cohen already has engaged fans on Twitter. He hopes to reinstate Old Timers' Day, dropped after 1994.

"I'm a low-key guy and I relate to them. I know how I feel," he said. "I rather have emotional fans that are passionate than fans that don't care.''

Miami's Don Mattingly was named National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday after guiding the Marlins to their first playoff appearance since 2003, despite dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak that paused the season and ravaged the roster.

The Marlins' 31-29 record marked Mattingly's first winning season in his fifth year with the club. The former first baseman and AL MVP had a winning record in each of his five seasons as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mattingly, the first Manager of the Year for the Marlins since Joe Girardi in 2006, was the AL MVP with the New York Yankees in 1985. He is the fifth person to win both MVP and Manager of the Year.

"They're just different. The first one feels personal, and this one feels more like a team thing," Mattingly said, "and that's why I'm proud of it because we've struggled for a couple years, and for us to move forward is important, and I think this is a sign that we're heading in that direction.''

The San Diego Padres' Jayce Tingler finished second in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, followed by David Ross of the Chicago Cubs.

Tingler and Ross led their teams to the playoffs in their first seasons as big league managers.

After losing 105 games a year ago, Miami's 2020 season was nearly derailed by a coronavirus outbreak during the first weekend of play. The team had to make 174 roster moves throughout the 60-game season -- which included using 61 players overall, more than in any other season in team history -- but managed the franchise's first winning record since 2009.

The steady hand of Mattingly, 59, played a big role in the turnaround, which continued in the playoffs. Miami eliminated the NL Central champion Cubs in the first round before the team was swept by the Atlanta Braves in the NL Division Series.

After he was named a finalist for the award last week, Mattingly paid tribute to Marlins CEO Derek Jeter and the rest of the team's ownership group.

"I think it starts at the top with ownership, working its way down through Derek and right down through our staff and development, analytics,'' Mattingly said. "I think we all, Derek put us all on the same page, where we have a goal in mind, and we knew that it was going to be a little rough. We didn't want to talk about it for a couple years, but we believed in where we wanted to go.''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash was named American League Manager of the Year on Tuesday, receiving 22 of the 30 first-place votes.

Cash guided the Rays to a division title as well as the AL's best regular-season record at 40-20. The Rays' .667 win percentage was by far the best in franchise history.

Tampa Bay overcame a rash of pitching injuries to clinch the AL pennant before losing in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

Cash, who turns 43 on Dec. 6, hit .183 with 12 homers and 58 RBIs in 246 major league games as a catcher for five teams, including Tampa Bay. After his playing career, he worked as an advance scout for Texas and Toronto before joining Terry Francona's staff in Cleveland as the bullpen coach.

The Tampa, Florida, native and Florida State alum was hired as Tampa Bay manager the day before his 37th birthday. Cash is 454-416 in six seasons as manager of the Rays.

Cash became the second manager in Rays history to win the AL Manager of the Year award, joining Joe Maddon, who won the award in 2008 and 2011. Cash finished third in the balloting for AL Manager of the Year each of the past two seasons.

Cash was roundly criticized for pulling ace left-hander Blake Snell in the sixth inning of the decisive Game 6 of the World Series against the Dodgers. However, the Rays leaned heavily on their bullpen throughout the pandemic-shortened season, with 12 pitchers recording at least one save -- matching the major league record. Cash has insisted that if he were to face the same situation again, he would trust his bullpen to close it out.

Voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America concluded before the beginning of the playoffs. Rick Renteria of the White Sox finished second, and Charlie Montoyo of the Blue Jays finished third.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CONCORD, N.C. – When asked to describe plans for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series next year, David Gravel spoke with unmistakable disappointment.

“As of right now, I’ve got nothing in the Truck Series,” he said. “It’s been a real bummer with everything that’s going on.”

But as Gravel dawdled in the pits before the final World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race of the year Saturday at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, his mood perked. That is the fun nature of spring car racing, and Gravel was immediately reminded he’s still in a good place.

Next year the 28-year-old is set to race full-time on the World of Outlaws tour for Big Game Motorsports.

“I’m still fortunate to be driving a race car for a living,” Gravel said. “I can’t complain.”

Gravel had six Truck Series races lined up with GMS Racing at the beginning of the year. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic forced NASCAR to get creative with its schedule in order to survive. One-day shows became the new normal and on-track practice quickly became a thing of the past. Since he had no asphalt experience, these circumstances worked against the 58-time World of Outlaws winner, who has long wanted a crack in NASCAR.

Earlier in the year, Gravel racing full-time in NASCAR’s third-tier series in 2021 didn’t appear far-fetched. Gravel did get two Truck Series races in this year, where he finished 10th at Michigan Int’l Speedway and 35th at Kansas Speedway, but it hasn’t been enough to spur more opportunities.

“It’s one of those things that’s out of my hand,” Gravel said. “COVID ruined a lot of momentum that I had built up. We’re just going to take it one day at a time and see what happens. As of right now, I know I’m racing the sprint car a whole bunch no matter what. We’ll see what happens.”

Gravel wrapped up his final season with Jason Johnson Racing on Saturday in Concord, N.C. In two seasons with Jason Johnson Racing, he collected 23 wins and nearly guided the No. 41 to its first World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series team championship this year. Brad Sweet and the Kasey Kahne Racing with Mike Curb No. 49 edged Gravel and Jason Johnson Racing by 24 points for the title.

“It’s one of those things where we gave it our all,” Gravel said. “We’ll hang our heads high and move on to next year. I can’t thank these guys enough. I think I’ve really grown as a person.”

Now, Gravel is set to reunite with Tod Quiring, the owner of Big Game Motorsports and a former sponsor of Gravel’s when he drove for CJB Motorsports from 2016 to ’18. Gravel said this move from Jason Johnson Racing to the Killer Instinct Crossbows No. 2 for 2021 comes down to business.

“Tod has a very well-funded team,” Gravel said. “He’s trying to find a home that could fulfill my needs and hopefully I can fulfill there’s. Just trying to make a name for myself and grow my brand.”

Though Gravel didn’t obtain the number of wins hoped for this year, he bagged some of the biggest races. He won sprint car’s return to racing on May 8 at Knoxville Raceway and followed it up by winning the Summer Nationals at Williams Grove Speedway, night two of The One and Only at Knoxville, the Governors Reign at Eldora Speedway, night one of the National Open at Williams Grove and night one of the Last Call at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Next year Gravel is set to chase the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series title again, but he is still hoping a Truck Series deal materializes.

“I have to see if there’s anything on the table,” Gravel said. “If there isn’t, there isn’t. If there is, there is, and if it’s worth giving up the World of Outlaws tour for it. We just have to kind of see and cross that bridge when we get there.”

OREGON, Wis. – ARCA Midwest Tour officials have announced the Joe Shear Classic 200 will return to Madison Int’l Speedway next year on May 2.

After moving the event to Dells Raceway Park in 2020, the annual spectacle which pays tribute to Joe Shear will return to Madison Int’l Speedway and pay $10,000 to the race winner and $1,000 to start.

Last season, Johnny Sauter out gunned two-time and defending Midwest Tour champion Casey Johnson and Gabe Sommers on the final lap to record his second Shear triumph, having also won at Madison Int’l Speedway in 2015.

The 2021 edition of the race will mark the first time super late models have competed at Madison Int’l Speedway since August of 2019.