OCALA, Fla. – The 12th edition of Winter Dirt Games, featuring the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship and USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, will take place over two weekends at Bubba Raceway Park in early February.

Winter Dirt Games XII festivities begin on Thursday, Feb. 4, with a practice night for the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, followed by two-straight nights of complete shows for the series at the three-eighths-mile D-shaped dirt track on on Feb. 5-6, with the finale on Feb. 6 paying $5,000 to the winner.

On-track action returns a few nights later at Bubba Raceway Park with USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship practice night on Feb. 10, followed by three nights in a row of racing on Feb. 11-13, with the finale on Feb. 13 paying $10,000-to-win.

The USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets made their debut at Bubba Raceway Park in 2019 with Tyler Courtney sweeping both nights of feature events. Tanner Thorson and Chris Windom each scored midget victories there in 2020. Meanwhile, Brady Bacon swept the final two nights of the 2020 sprint car portion of Winter Dirt Games with a pair of superb performances.

Twenty-six USAC National Sprint Car events have been held at Bubba Raceway Park since 2011. Bacon and Bryan Clauson are the winningest USAC Sprint Car drivers at Bubba Raceway Park with four victories apiece. Damion Gardner has won three times while Grant, Tracy Hines, Courtney and Robert Ballou have each scored a pair of victories. Windom, Leary, Darren Hagen, Dave Darland, Thomas Meseraull, Chase Stockon and Hunter Schuerenberg have all won once.

INDIANAPOLIS – Jan Heylen and Charlie Belluardo piloted the No. 37 RS1 Porsche Cayman CS MR to victory in the penultimate round of the Pirelli GT4 America SprintX season Thursday afternoon on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

The race got off to a hectic start as the leading No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 of Matt Travis was hit by Jarret Andretti in the No. 36 Andretti Autosport Window World of Michigan McLaren 570S GT4 in turn one, spinning the Porsche to the back of the grid, allowing Nick Wittmer and the No. 28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 to inherit the overall and Silver lead. Andretti would serve a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact.

At the end of the opening lap, Chandler Hull’s No. 26 Classic BMW M4 GT4 would be struck by Joe Dalton’s No. 33 NOTLAD Racing by RS1 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 going into turn 12, forcing the BMW to pull off the side of the road and the first full course caution of the race to be called to retrieve the stranded vehicle.

The race would get back to green with 47 minutes left on the clock, with Wittmer leading ahead of his ST Racing teammate and Silver-class competitor Jon Miller in the No. 38 BMW M4 GT4.

A second safety car was called at the end of the the lap as the hood of the No. 71 Marco Polo Motorsports KTM X-bow blew off and needed to be removed from the track.

The race again went back to green with 42 minutes left on the clock with Wittmer continuing to lead overall and in Silver, Belluardo’s No. 37 RS1 Porsche Cayman CS MR leading in Pro-Am and Todd Clarke and the No. 111 Motorsport USA McLaren 570S GT4 leading in Am.

With 36 minutes remaining the No. 47 NOLASPORT entry would make an excellent recovery after being spun on the opening lap. Travis would get himself back to third in Pro-Am, just one spot behind Michael Dinan in the No. 21 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin Vantage GT4, running second in class, seventh overall just as the pit window opened for the required driver changes.

Most Pro-Am competitors would make a mad dash for the pits, handing their cars over to their Pro counterparts.

After the pit window closed, the No. 51 Panoz Racing Avezzano GT4 of Roman De Angelis led overall and in Silver, Jan Heylen and the No. 37 RS1 Porsche Cayman CS MR led Pro-Am from fifth overall, with Russell Walker and the No. 46 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 leading Am sitting sixteenth overall.

Jason Hart, now driving the No. 47 NOLASPORT entry, would get around Robby Foley in the No. 21 Flying Lizard Motorsports Aston Martin for second in class, sixth overall, as Pro-Am leader Heylen would slip past Samantha Tan’s No. 38 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 for fourth overall.

With 20 minutes remaining both Hart and Foley would sneak past Tan, with Foley keeping that momentum going to drag past Hart for second in class going into turn 11. Kenton Koch, driving the No. 15 Bsport Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4, would stalk from fourth in class.

Pro-Am leader Heylen would continue his charge up the grid and get past Cole Ciraulo in the No. 25 CCR Racing Team TFB BMW M4 GT4 for third overall with 18 minutes left. At the same time, Koch would sneak past Hart for third in Pro-Am, sixth overall.

With 16 minutes remaining the battle in Pro-Am intensified, with Andrew Davis and the No. 2 GMG Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 tussling with the No. 50 Panoz Racing Avezzano GT4 of Ian James, spinning the Panoz and forcing the Porsche to pit and the Panoz to retire.

The No. 19 Stephen Cameron Racing BMW M4 GT4 of Greg Liefooghe would also face some damage after a separate incident, breaking the car’s radiator and causing him to stop on track at turn 11. The third safety car of the day would be called.

The race got back to green with 10 minutes left on the clock, with Heylen making a bold move and jumping from third to first overall going into turn one, with De Angelis second and Harry Gottsacker in the No. 28 ST Racing BMW M4 GT4 third.

On the next lap, the No. 21 Flying Lizard Motorsports entry would face a drive-through penalty for a pit lane infraction, passing in the transition lane, ending any chances of a Pro-Am top-three for the championship contenders.

With six minutes on the clock Bill Auberlen, driving the Mo. 82 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4, would pass the No. 47 for third in Pro-Am at the turns 11-12-13 complex with an outside-inside move.

As the clock ticked past the three minute mark, the top-six overall all ran nose to tail with Heylen leading followed by De Angelis, Gottsacker, Koch, Colin Mullan, now driving the No. 36, and Auberlen.

As the checkered flag waved Heylen and the No. 37 RS1 entry would hold off De Angelis’ Panoz by a mere .138 seconds to grab the overall and Pro-Am win. De Angelis would take the Silver win, his second of the season, with Gottsacker finishing second in Silver, third overall.

“This has been a tough year, but the car really started coming back to us at COTA and here it has been awesome. This was such a fun and competitive race and I couldn’t be happier.” said Heylen.

“It doesn’t get better than this! It’s amazing! Jan made a hell of a pass at the last restart and getting past him is a tough task, so we’re excited!” said Belluardo.

Koch would come home second in Pro-Am, fourth overall with Mullan finishing second in Silver, fifth overall, and Auberlen third in class, sixth overall.

The Am class win would go to Russell Walker and the No. 46 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 with Ty Clarke and the No. 111 Motorsport USA McLaren 570S GT4 coming home second and John Teccein the No. 69 BGB Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 third.

INDIANAPOLIS – Rookie Rinus VeeKay scored his first NTT IndyCar Series pole, but Josef Newgarden may have gotten a much-needed break in the battle for his third series championship.

Newgarden admitted he’s going to need a break or two to overcome Scott Dixon’s 72-point lead with three races remaining in the NTT IndyCar Series season.

He may have gotten just what he needed in Thursday evening’s twilight qualifying session for the IndyCar Harvest GP presented by GMR on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Once again, it was Takuma Sato that played a major role at IMS. The winner of this year’s Indianapolis 500 on Aug. 23 flew off the track and was stuck in the gravel trap when he left the pit area on cold tires after he slid through the carousel. The red flag waved with 3:25 left in the 12-minute session and Dixon was still in the pit lane waiting to turn his fast lap.

He never got that chance as the clock ran out and the checkered and red flags waved. Instead of having a chance to go for the pole, Dixon’s No. 9 PNC Bank Honda was sixth in the first session and Newgarden first.

Although VeeKay was able to go faster in the second 12-minute session and claim the pole, Newgarden will start Friday’s first race of the weekend doubleheader on the front row. Dixon will start 12th.

“We got a point, right? Each group gets a point,” Newgarden said. “That’s probably the luckiest we’ve been as far as yellow flags go this year. I just wish we had gotten it in the race, but we’re not going to complain. We were quick on blacks (primary tires). The car felt awesome right out of the box. Some of the issues we were struggling with in practice were gone. You couldn’t see super well in turn 12 or turn 13, so you were guessing a little bit coming on to that front straightaway. But it made for an interesting session. I don’t know what would have happened on reds (alternate tires). I think we would have been in the fight there, without a doubt, because the car felt so good. Just unpredictable to say without having run on them.

“It’s a great starting spot for Hitachi, and Team Chevy has been bringing it this weekend. I feel pretty confident for tomorrow and the race.”

Dixon was disappointed that he didn’t get a chance to go for the pole, but he remains confident he can still claim his sixth NTT IndyCar Series championship this season.

“It’s racing,” Dixon said. “It’s not over until you’ve won the championship. We’ll keep our head down and see how it rolls tomorrow.

“This morning, the car wasn’t as good on the blacks (primary tires), but once we got to the reds (alternate tires), it turned on, and we jumped up into the top four or five. But that’s the way it goes (with the red flag ending qualifying) sometimes, man. We didn’t do anything wrong. Maybe we should have tried to make the car a bit better balance-wise on the blacks, but you always chase what it’s going to be for the reds. Bummer for the whole 9 crew. We’ll just have to figure it out and hopefully have a good race tomorrow.”

As for VeeKay, he was the fastest man at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday night.

“Finally, finally, my first pole,” VeeKay said. “It would be amazing to win. We are going for that win now. It’s never going to be easy. We had a strong car here last time. P1, finally.

“It was tough. I was not very happy with the car this morning, but Tim (Broyles) and I sat down and we found some great stuff. Great team. A lot of work was put in here. I put in a good lap, so I’m very happy with that. Finally, finally, my first pole.” (Can you get your first win tomorrow?): “That would be amazing. Yeah, of course, we’re going for that win now. But anything can happen. This a crazy track. Everyone is super-talented here. So, we’re going to do everything we can, but it’s not going to be easy.”

VeeKay’s No. 21 Chevrolet had the fastest time of the two groups that competed in 12-minute sessions as darkness fell on Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Dtchman lapped the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course in 1:09.6903 for a speed of 125.992 mph. Newgarden’s No. 1 Hitachi Chevrolet was the fastest in the first session at 1:10.4706 (124.597 mph).

Colton Herta’s No. 88 Honda will line up third, followed by three-time IMS road course winner Will Power, and 2020 Indianapolis 500 pole winner Marco Andretti.

Friday’s race starts just before 4 p.m. E.T. and will be televised on USA Network beginning at 3:30 p.m. E.T.

Barcelona rode a goal from Ansu Fati and an inspired performance from Lionel Messi to a 3-0 win over Celta Vigo on Thursday night in La Liga.

The win makes it two from two for new Barca boss Ronald Koeman, whose team earned the result despite playing the entire second half down a man.

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"I'm so proud of the team for how they played tonight. We worked very well and played with a lot of discipline with one player less," Koeman said after the game. "We are doing very well and results like this invite us to think we are on the right path."

Barca wasted no time taking the lead through teenager Fati, who made a clever move to get behind the Celta defence before flashing his class with an even-better finish with the outside of his right foot.

The visitors took the 1-0 lead into the dressing room, but were dealt a blow right before half-time when Clement Lenglet was shown a second yellow card that forced his team to play the second half with 10 players.

The Catalans, who had failed to win their last five league games at Celta's Balaidos, maintained control even with 10 men, only once looking in danger of conceding.

Nolito skipped into the area but his shot was saved by Barca stand-in keeper Neto, Celta's Miguel Baeza pounced on the rebound but Sergi Roberto threw his body in the way and deflected the goal-bound shot on to the crossbar.

Messi's fancy footwork then led to Barcelona's second goal shortly after the restart as his right-footed effort was redirected into the goal by Celta's Lucas Olaza after the Argentine tip-toed his way into the penalty area.

A goalmouth scramble led to Barca's third goal when Roberto smashed home a volley from close range following another incisive run into the area by Messi wreaked havoc on the Celta defence.

"It was very important we continued to play with positivity when we had one player less," Roberto said after the match. "We defended as a team, everyone did their job and we played with a lot of desire, and showed we really want to achieve great things this season.

"We realised after the result against Bayern that we had to change things, we were fighting right up until the last minute today."

Barca were often over-powered by teams last season, none more so than in their aforementioned 8-2 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich, but they looked far stronger and fitter against Celta.

"We play like we train, you can tell that we are in a much better shape physically," added Koeman. "It's not my business to talk about last season, I only care about this one but from day one I've seen these players show that they are hungry and motivated about redeeming themselves."

Next up for Barcelona is an Oct. 4 home match against Sevilla FC, while Celta are away to Osasuna on the same day.

Arsenal will face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup, while Everton host Manchester United following the quarterfinal draw on Thursday night.

In the other two quarterfinal ties, Championship side Brentford were drawn against Newcastle United and Stoke City were paired with Tottenham.

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Arsenal, who beat Liverpool in the fourth round on penalties, will see their manager Mikel Arteta pitted against his former boss Pep Guardiola at Man City.

Manchester United will have their work cut out for them against Everton, the Premier League leaders at the time of the draw, in a match at Goodison Park.

The ties are scheduled to be played on the week starting Dec. 21.

Quarterfinal draw results:

- Stoke City vs. Tottenham Hotspur

- Brentford vs. Newcastle United

- Arsenal vs. Manchester City

- Everton vs. Manchester United

LIVERPOOL, England -- Eventually, both teams probably got the result their seasons needed.

It took 90 goalless minutes and a penalty shootout but Arsenal booked their place in the quarterfinals of the Carabao Cup at Liverpool's expense. Joe Willock's spot kick -- the Gunners' sixth -- only just squirmed over the line underneath Adrian to give Mikel Arteta's side another victory over the champions courtesy of penalties after the Community Shield went the same way in August.

The way Arsenal's players celebrated -- running to the corner and jumping all over Willock -- was evidence enough that they are very much interested in winning this competition for the first time since 1993. It was not that Liverpool don't, just that they have bigger fish to fry.

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Winners in 2012 and runners-up as recently as 2016, there was a time when the League Cup in its many different guises was a focal point of their campaign, but not now. Not after winning the Champions League and the Premier League in back-to-back years.

Arsenal under Arteta are at a different stage of their development, and lifting this trophy at Wembley in March will represent a significant accomplishment after winning the FA Cup in August. Title contenders often learn how to win in the cups and Arsenal have been formidable in such competitions under Arteta.

For Liverpool, however, taking home only the League Cup this season would be considered a disappointment when set against what has gone before.

"This game tonight matters like you wouldn't believe," read the banner above Klopp's programme notes. "We want to win it with all we have."

Lower down, though, came the caveat.

"It is not a case of treating certain competitions as priorities over others. It's about managing the situation, the circumstances and the squad. The situation and circumstances cannot be ignored."

Liverpool's situation is that they face a trip to in-form Aston Villa in three days' time as they try to maintain their perfect start in the Premier League, and even though Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah were handed starts, both were substituted after an hour. Van Dijk began to walk off before the board had even gone up suggesting his withdrawal had been prearranged.

Arsenal have a game on Sunday, too, against Sheffield United at the Emirates. But Arteta -- who also made changes following the 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in the league on Monday -- is trying to guide his team back into the top four and bring back Champions League football.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have only got eyes for the Premier League trophy and Klopp will know that, if the last three seasons are anything to go by, he will need close to 100 points. There is no margin for error, even just a couple of weeks into the season.

It would have been different had Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno not been in such fine form at Anfield. Beaten three times on the same ground on Monday, he looked determined to make sure the same thing did not happen again.

He made fine save from Marko Grujic twice, Diogo Jota and Van Dijk in normal time before making two saves in the shoo-out from Divock Origi and Harry Wilson. The save to deny Wilson, making his first Liverpool start since January 2017, was particularly impressive and it was understandable that he walked off the field wearing a huge grin.

The first half was about as exciting as the atmosphere inside an empty Anfield. That was until Neco Williams -- abused by some Liverpool fans online for his performance in the last round against Lincoln -- swung in a delicious ball towards the back post. It was the one bit of real quality during 45 minutes of shadow boxing and gave Jota the chance to head at goal. It was saved by a diving Leno and just as everyone inside the stadium expected Takumi Minamino to finish a simple chance from the rebound, his volley crashed off the underside of the crossbar.

Then came Leno's masterclass to keep Arsenal in the game. Arteta has inherited a goalkeeper who can not only aid the Spaniard's blueprint of passing out from the back, he's also pretty useful with his hands, too.

It was perhaps destiny that a fixture that ended 5-5 last season would be goalless this time around, although Klopp admitted afterwards his team should have been "a bit more clinical."

He will not be too disappointed when the Carabao Cup quarterfinals and semifinals are both crammed into the hectic Christmas schedule. His players will have their feet up when Arsenal are taking on Manchester City in the last eight in late December. Klopp is not the type to admit to being happy after a defeat and even though it was not the result Liverpool wanted, he will look back in May and accept it was what they needed.

Nottinghamshire 139 for 7 (Clarke 35, Griffiths 3-21) tied with Leicestershire 139 for 7 (Swindells 58, Christian 2-24) - Notts won higher Powerplay score

Leicestershire let a golden opportunity slip through their grasp - literally as well as figuratively - to allow Nottinghamshire to book their place in a Vitality T20 Blast semi-final against Lancashire.

With 17 runs required from the final seven balls, it seemed Leicestershire had held their nerve in a thrilling East Midlands derby. But then Arron Lilley, fielding at midwicket, made a fearsome mess of an apparently simple piece of ground fielding to concede four to Samit Patel when there should have been a single.

Worse was to follow. After Patel had struck a six in the final over, two were required from the final ball to send Nottinghamshire through. When Imad Wasim could only mistime the ball to mid-on, it looked as if he would be limited to a single. But Dieter Klein failed to pick up the ball cleanly and allowed it to pass him by.

With the scores finishing level, the winner was to be decided by the side who had lost fewer wickets. But when that, too, was equal, the qualifier was the score after the Powerplay overs. It meant Nottinghamshire qualified for Finals Day

Perhaps those fielding errors were the result of pressure, perhaps they were the result of the ball having become slippery in the dew but for a Leicestershire side who had fought back from an awful start with the bat and had held their nerve admirably with the ball it was a bitterly disappointing way to let the game slip away.

"We got away with that," Dan Christian, the Nottinghamshire captain, admitted to Sky afterwards. It was hard to disagree.

False start

By managing just 22 runs in the Powerplay, Leicestershire gave themselves a mountain to climb in the rest of the game. Perhaps surprised by a surface that offered impressive bounce and carry, they managed only one run from the first over and none at all from the third. It represented the fourth worst Powerplay performance by a team batting first in the competition this season.

It wasn't just the lack of runs, either. Leicestershire also lost two wickets in those first six overs and another from the first ball of the seventh. At 22 for 3, having only managed two boundaries, it looked as if this could be a one-sided encounter.

They did stage something of a comeback. Harry Swindells and Colin Ackermann put on 66 in eight overs, including a spell where they hit 46 off four overs, and by taking 97 off the final 10 overs of the innings, they did give themselves a chance. But, bearing in mind the manner in which the result was decided, that slow start came back to haunt them.

Hanging in there

Leicestershire's bowlers didn't deserve to be on the wrong side of this result. They were immaculate almost throughout. With seven bowlers used and only one of them - the unfortunate Lilley, who went for 14 from his only one - proving expensive, it might be harsh to pick out any of them in a performance that was characterised by its strength as a unit.

But Gavin Griffiths, who was on a hat-trick after Ben Duckett lost his leg stump missing a heave across the line and Chris Nash was brilliantly caught after chipping to mid-on, and Will Davis, who came on for the 14th over and nailed his slower-balls nervelessly, were especially impressive among the seamers.

Ackerman enjoyed a fine all-round performance, too. After contributing 43 with the bat, he claimed three wickets with his waspish offbreaks including the apparently key ones of Joe Clarke, who looked in sublime touch before mishitting one to long off, and Tom Moores, who looked as if he were taking his side to victory before he lost his off stump to one that gripped just enough to beat his stroke.

But non one bowled better than left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson. Despite bowling his first three overs in the Powerplay, the spell only cost 17 runs. He then returned for the 15th over with Nottinghamshire desperate for quick runs and conceded just four more.

More than that, though, he produced the ball of the night to account for Alex Hales. Pitching on leg stump, gripping and spinning past Hales' bat, it hit middle stump and suggested that his brother Matt may not be the only international spinner in the family. It really was a lovely piece of bowling.

Samit's up

This must have been a frustrating season for Patel. Despite having represented England in all three formats of the game, he currently finds himself struggling to maintain a place in Nottinghamshire's top seven and had faced only seven balls (and made a top score of 4 not out) in the competition before this game.

But, aged 35 and a veteran of 287 games in this format, he showed his composure and his class here. Yes, he had some fortune with the fielding, for sure. But the six he hit from the fourth ball of the final over - a glorious drive that flew over long-off - must have been partially responsible for ratcheting up the pressure that resulted in Klein's misfield.

Even before that final over, there had been three fours and a sense that Patel knew that if he could take the game deep enough, if he could put some pressure back on Leicestershire, he would be giving his team a chance. Ultimately, he held his nerve and they didn't.

Giant-scaring

With no side having won this tournament as many times as Leicestershire, it probably sounds incongruous to suggest they were on the verge of a giant killing. But the last of their three victories, in 2011, came the last time they reached Finals Day. Only once since, in 2017, had they reached a quarter-final before this. They have a young side with only three internationals including Klein, who has represented Germany twice.

Nottinghamshire, meanwhile, had six internationals in their side including two overseas players. It's only a partially unfair joke to suggest their youth system has its base at Leicestershire Grace Road; it's far from unusual for them to utilise their superior spending power to lure the best players away from Leicestershire: Stuart Broad, James Taylor and Harry Gurney among them.

But though it is Notts who progress, and although you suspect this result will sting long into the winter, Leicestershire may feel they made their point rather eloquently in this game. They might not have any money, they might not have many big names and they might not have an especially lovely recent record. But with a fine team spirit, with some clever plans put in place by their enterprising coach, Paul Nixon, they showed once again that they are a team to be respected in this format, at least.

A 37-ball 73 from Zeeshan Ashraf went in vain, as Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan ripped through the Southern Punjab line-up, setting up a 27-run victory for Northern in Multan. Rauf and Shadab shared seven wickets between them to restrict Southern Punjab to 176 for 9, paving the way for Northern's second straight win.

Batting first, Northern opener Zeeshan Malik was dismissed early, but Imran Ali (50 off 39) and Haider Ali (28 off 15) strung together a 49-run partnership to keep the score ticking. Though fast bowler Mohammad Irfan and legspinner Zahid Mahmood chipped in with wickets at regular intervals, they were unable to arrest the flow of runs, as a flurry of late hits from Shadab (28 off 14), Asif Ali (29 off 21) and Mohammad Nawaz (31 off 15) boosted Northern to 203 for 5.

Southern Punjab began their daunting chase poorly, losing in-form captain Shan Masood for a duck inside the first over. Ashraf tried to anchor the innings, putting up handy partnerships with Umar Siddiq and Sohaib Maqsood, but the game swung decisively Northern's way in the 13th over as Shadab struck twice. Rauf then returned in his second spell to take three wickets, ending any faint hopes Southern Punjab may have had.

Courtney Walsh has been named head coach of West Indies' women's team and, according to a Cricket West Indies statement "will lead the preparation and development of the women's team at least up until the end of 2022".

Walsh, who is West Indies' leading wicket-taker in Test cricket with 519 scalps, had worked with the women's team during the T20 World Cup held in Australia in February and March this year. He has also worked as assistant coach with Bangladesh's men's team. He has also served as a West Indies selector previously.

Walsh said he takes up the role with a "very good understanding of what is required".

"I've always wanted to give back in any way I can and help with the development of the game in the West Indies," he said. "The experience I have, my knowledge of the game, and my overall organisational skills will be key aspects as we try to develop a winning team culture.

"I worked with the team at the Women's T20 World Cup earlier this year in Australia and in the series against India in the Caribbean last year, so I have a very good understanding of what is required.

"The ability and the talent are there, we have some fantastic players in the West Indies, and it will be my duty and focus to help the women to develop their talents and achieve the goals we are going to be setting together."

Jimmy Adams, CWI's director of cricket, expanded on Walsh's role, saying: "He will be overseeing the programme initially until the end of the next two ICC Women's World Cups in 2022, and he will be pivotal in working with CWI's High Performance Team to move our whole women's programme forward."

Walsh takes over the role from Gus Logie, following a recruitment process that was announced in May. Andre Coley was the team's interim coach on the just-concluded tour of England, which marked the return of top-flight women's cricket after the pandemic-enforced lockdown. West Indies lost the five-match T20I series against England 5-0.

The Sheffield Shield will look different this season, at least for the first part of the competition, as it's being played entirely in an Adelaide hub for the initial four rounds. Justin Langer, the Australia head coach, has said it's unlikely there will be many changes to the Test squad when India arrive, but a larger group of players will be needed due to various Covid-19 restrictions. So who could nudge their way into contention?

Nic Maddinson (Victoria)

Last season: Matches 7; Innings 10; Runs 780; Average 86.66

The left-hander, who played three Tests against South Africa and Pakistan in 2016, has been one of the most prolific Shield batsmen across the last two seasons after his move back to Victoria. In just 12 matches, he has piled up 1343 runs at 83.93 and towards the end of last season his form was enough to earn an Australia A call-up where he made a half-century against England Lions. If he can start strongly in the Adelaide hub, he could be in the frame as a middle-order reserve. He is one of a group of Victoria batsmen - including Marcus Harris, Will Pucovski, Peter Handscomb - who could press their claims.

Cameron Green (Western Australia)

Last season: Matches 8; Innings 15; Runs 699; Average 63.54 | Wickets 3; Average 38.66

Allrounder Green is one of the most talked about talents in Australian cricket and it feels just a matter of time before he gets a call-up although coach Justin Langer has been keen to temper expectations and wants to see Green's output over a longer time frame. Still, in these unusual times, a few eye-catching weeks for Western Australia, especially if Mitchell Marsh doesn't recover from his ankle injury, could fast-track a promotion. With a first-class batting average of 43.84 and bowling return of 21.53, the talent is clear. The key for Green will be bowling at full tilt and remaining fit after battling stress fractures of the back.

Mitchell Swepson (Queensland)

Last season: Matches 6; Wickets 14; Average 31.50

There will have to be at least one reserve spinner in the squad due to the inability to quickly fly players in and legspinner Swepson probably has the spot locked down already. He was called into the Test squad for the SCG match against New Zealand in January and would surely have gone on the tour to Bangladesh in June. The shift to the Adelaide hub could work in his favour with conditions on the outgrounds being used perhaps more conducive to spin that the Gabba often is early in a Shield season.

Usman Khawaja (Queensland)

Last season: Matches 7; Innings 11; Runs 202; Average 18.36

It may be a tricky summer to blood young players, so if Australia want a batsman with a wealth of experience who could fill a number of roles at short notice, Khawaja, who has not been part of the set-up since midway through last year's Ashes, could fit the bill. He has previously opened in Test cricket with a stunning average of 96.80 and could also bat at No. 3 or 4. After being pushed out of the one-day set-up by the squeeze for top-order slots and the emergence of Marnus Labuschagne, Khawaja admitted he was angry but conversations with Langer have helped him refocus after a poor 2019-2020 season. "I still feel like there's a lot left for me on the horizon... I feel like I'm really close there," he told cricket.com.au last month.

Kurtis Patterson (New South Wales)

Last season: Matches 3; Innings 5; Runs 130; Average 32.50

Patterson's 2019-2020 was severely interrupted by a quad injured suffered in pre-season which he then exacerbated during a match against Tasmania. He would only play three matches in the campaign, although earned Australia A selection to face England Lions and made an unbeaten 94 in the second innings. Australia's top-order looks pretty settled, but a strong start to the Shield - plus the fact he has a Test century under his belt - could put Patterson among the best of the rest and he has shown good form during New South Wales' inter-squad pre-season matches.

Riley Meredith (Tasmania)

Last season: Matches 5; Wickets 20; Average 28.35

Australia's pace attack picks itself with the main three followed by James Pattinson and probably the perennial 12th-man Michael Neser. However, if more than five quicks are needed there is an opening for someone outside of the established pack to make a case. Meredith remains on the raw side, but his pace has caught the selectors' eye in white-ball cricket and he was part of the recent England tour. Before injury curtailed his last season, he had produced encouraging numbers.