Sergio Ramos has hit out at the "noise" surrounding Real Madrid's title bid, saying talk of referees helping out the La Liga leaders is "imagining things."

Ramos, 34, scored a free kick as Madrid beat Mallorca 2-0 on Wednesday to maintain their advantage over rivals Barcelona -- level on 68 points, with a superior head-to-head record.

What did you miss? The latest from Europe's top leagues

Last week, Barca's Gerard Pique hinted officials were favouring Real Madrid in the title race before the team benefited from key decisions going their way in a win at Real Sociedad on Sunday.

"All the noise that's being made is because we're leaders now," Ramos told Movistar. "When we weren't, people didn't talk so much. Referees and VAR are here to help... I don't think they take any predetermined decisions. The noise needs to stop. It's as if we should be thanking the referees for being leaders. People shouldn't be imagining things."

The Real Madrid defender is enjoying his best-ever goal scoring season, having found the net eight times in this La Liga campaign.

"Football is a team sport," he said. "But on a personal level, statistics and personal challenges motivate me and make me proud. It's a reward for consistency, for a lot of years of hard work."

Coach Zinedine Zidane also praised Ramos' contribution.

"I'm happy with his goal," he said. "He's our captain and our leader. He always shows us the way. He practices taking free kicks, so to score one is satisfying for him and for us... I always tell him he has to retire here."

Real Madrid have played four games in eleven days, winning all of them, since the return of La Liga. They have seven more to play in a hectic schedule before the domestic season ends on July 19.

"You could see the tiredness in the team today, with games every three days," Ramos said. "The recovery time is what it is. There will only be one 'coronavirus league' and we want to win it, as a reward for all the effort we've put in to keep playing during these months.

"We aren't able to train too much," Zidane added. "We can't do exactly what we want. We're playing every three days. The attitude today was impressive. Now we have seven finals left. It's true that we're noticing tiredness after so many games. But it's the same for every team, it's a special situation, with the heat as well. We have to face it."

Chris Tremain has followed Adam Zampa by returning to where his cricket career began after switching from Victoria to Sheffield Shield holders New South Wales.

Tremain, who played four ODIs in 2016, took 209 Shield wickets at 23.79 in six seasons with Victoria and will add further depth to the New South Wales attack.

"I hope that if I can continue providing that service then I'll contribute to the squad's success," Tremain said. "The wheel doesn't need to be reinvented. Work hard, play well, lead from the front and win games of cricket for NSW.

ALSO READ: Adam Zampa returns to New South Wales after seven years with South Australia

"Sydney is where my cricket career was forged, but it's fantastic being so close to family back at Yeoval [in Central West NSW] where it really all started. We were happy in Melbourne but with a young son and a nine-hour drive between him and his grandparents, we limited their interaction. Now we have the opportunity to grow a better relationship between Noah and his grandparents."

Tremain and Zampa are among four new full contracts handed out by New South Wales for the 2020-21 season which also include batsman Daniel Solway who scored a century on his first-class debut against South Australia and averaged 55.33 for the season. Allrounder Nathan McAndrew also gets on the list.

Australian Under-19 legspinner Tanveer Sangha and batsman Lachlan Hearne have been given rookie contracts while offspinner Arjun Nair returns to the New South Wales set-up with a rookie deal.

There will be renewed competition in the spin department this season following the release of Steve O'Keefe. Nathan Lyon is likely to be available for the first part of the season before the Test matches begin while the key motivation behind Zampa's move was to play more first-class cricket.

When Australia aren't in action New South Wales can field a team that resembles an international outfit with seven CA contracted players in their squad while Sean Abbott and Kurtis Patterson have also recently played at the top level.

New South Wales squad Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Pat Cummins*, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Ryan Hackney, Liam Hatcher, Josh Hazlewood*, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Nathan Lyon*, Nathan McAndrew, Peter Nevill, Kurtis Patterson, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Steven Smith*, Daniel Solway, Mitchell Starc*, Chris Tremain, David Warner*, Adam Zampa*

*CA contracted

Rookies Oliver Davies, Ryan Hadley, Baxter Holt, Arjun Nair, Lachlan Hearne, Tanveer Sangha

Mominul Haque plans as Bangladesh's new Test captain have had to take a backseat due to covid-19, which has led to the postponement of eight matches across five series. The latest in the long list of series to be deferred is Bangladesh's three-Test tour of Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh has been badly affected by the pandemic, which means it could be among the last nations to resume cricketing activity. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) headquarters remains shut as it is in one of the worst-affected areas in the capital. These circumstances are bound to make it difficult for a Test team that has been struggling for a while.

It is now being led by Mominul, who was forced into the job in October last year after Shakib Al Hasan was handed a one-year ban for failing to report a corrupt approach. To his credit, Mominul has tried to face adversities - his first three Tests as captain have been in India and Pakistan - with a positive face, despite heavy losses. The reward came in his fourth Test as captain, when Mominul made a match-winning 132 against Zimbabwe.

Like others, Mominul too years for cricket to resume, but wants the situation in the country to improve first for everyone's benefit."Of course I miss the cricket, of course I feel bad," Mominul told ESPNcricinfo. "Like everyone else, I also had plans for the year but we have hit a barrier. But we have to remember that this is not in our control, so there's nothing we can do about it.

"We have had so many Tests postponed but the only ray of hope is that since this is the World Test Championship, we may get to play these Tests. We had targeted improvement in small steps. We were watching the pace bowling unit progress on their own after we had set them some goals. Players' focus should remain intact, and we must keep remembering what we improved on, when we get back in action."

Mominul checks up on his team-mates regularly. He talks to the younger players, in particular, many of whom are handicapped because of the absence of gym and fitness equipment at home.

"I speak to the players, especially the younger lot, quite often," he said. "I check on them, how they are coping with the lockdown. I speak to the senior players too. Tamim [Iqbal] and Mushfiqur [Rahim] have instruments at home and you know how hard they work on their own. Captaincy is about being responsible and taking the opportunity to do something for the country. Only a select few get to that level, and I feel I am lucky to be among them."

Mominul also stressed on the need to remain mentally strong in times like these, where the only option is to remain indoors. To try and take his mind off, he spends time reading autobiographies, the holy Quran and sometimes motivational videos on the internet.

"As professional players, it is in our blood to be one with bat and ball, all the time. So it is important to be mentally tuned to yourself during these days, when you are locked up at home for two to three months. I think you can hold on to your fitness by working out for five or six days, but being mentally strong is the most important factor.

"Also one must remember that although we are getting unscheduled rest, next year we might not get for a breather due to the volume of cricket. So it is best to use this time for one's benefit. Read a book of someone who has been successful, watch a motivational video or read the Quran. Use your time properly."

NEW YORK -- New York Knicks president Leon Rose said Wednesday that he intends to have the next permanent coach of the franchise in place by the end of July.

Speaking in his first interview since being hired in March, Rose told MSG Network's Mike Breen that he intends to have "two phases" of interviews: conducting short meetings with candidates to "break the ice" before having "full interviews" with possible coaches.

"We're looking at a lot of different people with a lot of different mindsets, philosophies," Rose told Breen. "And for me personally, this is educational, and I need to make sure that we go through this process and we dot every I and cross every T in order to make the right decision."

The Knicks, who will not be joining the 22-team restart of the NBA season in Orlando, Florida, have been led by interim coach Mike Miller since David Fizdale was fired in December. Rose said Miller was the first candidate the team interviewed for the full-time position.

"What I witnessed before I was here and what I saw being around Mike Miller -- first class," Rose said. "Did a great job in a very difficult situation, and we're so appreciative of that."

While Rose declined to give a list of candidates, sources told ESPN that the Knicks intend to interview Tom Thibodeau, Kenny Atkinson, Jason Kidd, Will Hardy and Ime Udoka, among others.

Rose said the team's next coach will be charged with developing New York's young squad, which includes Mitchell Robinson and RJ Barrett -- a sentiment Knicks general manager Scott Perry and former president Steve Mills echoed before hiring Fizdale.

"We want to find the right leader that can develop our young players as well as hold everyone accountable," Rose said. "And take us from development to becoming a perennial winner. We also want someone that we think will be collaborative with the front office, and someone that when you're in that huddle and when you're looking at that coach's eyes, every player who's looking at him knows that person is driving the ship and going to get the job done."

The Knicks are the only team not to hold any media availability since the league shut down on March 11 amid the coronavirus pandemic. They finished the season 21-45.

Forward Jabari Parker and center Alex Len, both members of the Sacramento Kings, said Wednesday they've tested positive for the coronavirus.

"Several days ago I tested positive for COVID-19 and immediately self-isolated in Chicago which is where I remain," Parker said in a statement released by the team. "I am progressing in my recovery and feeling well. I look forward to joining my teammates in Orlando as we return to the court for the resumption of the NBA season."

In a story post on Instagram, Len said he was tested Tuesday in Sacramento, California.

"I want to thank the Sacramento Kings for their great care and the NBA for putting the protocols in place to allow me to catch this early," Len's statement said. "I have immediately entered isolation and look forward to being cleared and rejoining my teammates for our playoff push."

The Kings (28-36) are one of the 22 NBA teams scheduled to resume games on July 30 in Orlando, Florida.

Parker, 25, has appeared in one game with the Kings. He was traded to Sacramento in February by the Hawks, after averaging 15 points in 32 games with Atlanta this season.

Len, 27, was also part of that trade involving the Hawks and Kings, and has averaged 6.6 points in nine games with Sacramento.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- Rob Manfred knows many fans were angered by the financial fight between Major League Baseball and the players' association during a pandemic.

"We need to get back on the field, and we need to in a less-charged environment start to have conversations about how we -- and the we in that sentence is the commissioner's office, my staff, the clubs and the MLBPA and the players -- can be better going forward," he said Wednesday during an interview with The Associated Press. "We owe it to our fans to be better than we've been last three months."

Spring training was cut short by the novel coronavirus on March 12. The sides reached an initial agreement on March 26, which was to have been opening day. That deal called for players to receive prorated salaries, get $170 million in advances and receive a guarantee of service time in the event no games were played this year.

When it became clear the only way to start the season was to play in empty ballparks, the sides battled publicly over what the agreement meant.

Owners said players needed to accept additional cuts and proposed an 82-game schedule starting around the Fourth of July. Players argued they shouldn't have to accept less than the original deal called for. But that agreement didn't bind Manfred to start the season with no gate revenue.

Vitriol rose in baseball's worst infighting since the 7 1/2-month strike of 1994-95 wiped out the World Series for the first time in nine decades. The union rejected the last proposal for a financial agreement, then finished protocols to play in the pandemic on Tuesday and promised players will start reporting July 1 for a 60-game season scheduled to start July 23 or 24, MLB's briefest since 1878.

"The focus here was on a day's wage for a day's worth of work," union head Tony Clark said during a separate interview with the AP. "That's what we believed was fair, and that's why we maintained the position that we did."

In the view of many, the outcome left losers on both sides. MLB already has experienced four straight seasons of declining average attendance.

"In my opinion, it's a damn shame that the ramifications of this are going to be felt for a long time," said Cincinnati catcher Tucker Barnhart, the Reds' player representative. "I grew up a baseball fan, I'm a baseball fan first, and I think it sucks that it's had to go on the way that it is. But I hope that getting out and playing will kind of mask some of the bruises that the game as a whole has taken over the last few months."

MLB intends to start without fans in ballparks, even in places where government and medical officials allow some spectators.

"I think we need to get on the ground running and get comfortable that we can play games in empty stadiums safely before we move forward fans," Manfred said. "My patience in that regard is in part based on the fact that there are so many different situations. Some places there looks like there's no prospect, other places they're more aggressive. I think we need to be patient and even where we have the option, we need to make sure that we know exactly what we're doing before we jump into it."

Owners decided to go ahead with a season despite the threat of a grievance from the union, which has claimed MLB did not adhere to provisions in the March 26 agreement requiring the longest schedule economically feasible. That deal also included additional provisions such fans being allowed into all 30 ballparks and no relevant travel restrictions.

"Every time you make a decision like this, you balance risk and reward," Manfred said. "I think the clubs felt that the most important objective was to get the game back on the field, and because that was the most important objective, they were prepared to bear whatever risk was associated with a grievance that is -- let me be really clear about this: utterly without merit."

Clark would not directly respond when asked whether lasting damage had been inflicted.

"I think there is an opportunity to move forward, move our game forward," he said. "And as it relates to the atmosphere in general, the lines of communication remain open, and we'll count that as a positive in the days ahead. "

Because there was no financial agreement, the postseason is slated to remain at 10 teams rather than expand to 16. MLB could attempt to make another proposal for a larger postseason.

"I would simply say that if there's interest to discuss something, I'll be available to discuss it," Clark said.

He maintained the decision by the executive board to reject the last plan Monday was not a choice of a grievance over a deal.

"The grievance was not the focus, never has been the focus," he said. "The goal, and that's why we sent across proposals, was to attempt to find common ground on an agreement. We simply were unable to do so."

He would not address last week's one-on-one meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona, which Manfred said produced a framework for a deal and Clark called merely a management proposal. Manfred has maintained Clark promised to try to persuade players to accept it, then said a few hours later he could not get their support.

"Rob can focus on his side and I'll focus on mine," Clark said.

Clark defended the union's decision not to accept MLB's offer to eliminate free-agent compensation, which could hurt several players' value next offseason.

"It was associated with significant salary cuts," he said.

As baseball prepares to resume, Manfred and his staff have watched European soccer leagues carry on with closed-door matches.

"We normally think about our product as two products, the live product and the broadcast product," he said. "Given our current situation, I think that the goal is to make the broadcast product, because it's the only one we have, as entertaining for fans as we possibly can. We're working closely with the RSNs and our national partners in an effort to give the game a zeal that will be satisfying to our fans without having the normal crowd noise and excitement that's created by that environment."

Broadcasts possibly may contain artificial crowd noise.

"We're still making decisions about that," he said. "I like what they've done in England and Germany because I think it's innovative and I think that the current situation calls for us to try some things that are different."

Eddie Kasko, who spent 29 seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization as a player, manager and executive, died Wednesday, the team announced. He was 88.

Kasko played 10 seasons in the majors, earning an All-Star selection in 1961 with the Cincinnati Reds, with whom he played from 1959 to 1963. A former infielder, he also played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1957-58), Houston Colt .45s/Astros (1964-65) and Red Sox (1966).

Kasko finished his career with a .264 batting average, with 22 home runs and 261 RBIs.

Kasko went on to manage the Red Sox for four seasons and spent the next 21 years with the front office, including as director of scouting and vice president of baseball development.

He was elected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2010.

Wheelchair events will be held at this year's US Open after a majority of players endorsed the US Tennis Association's change of heart.

But after admitting it should have consulted players, the USTA offered a choice between three options.

A majority of players have voted in favour of staging the event as usual.

It will take place in New York between 10 and 13 September.

In a statement, the USTA said their U-turn was made after "multiple virtual meetings with a group of wheelchair athletes and the ITF".

The tournament will feature men's and women's singles and doubles, as well as quad singles and doubles. Draw sizes will be "similar" to those at past US Open tournaments.

British quad player Andy Lapthorne said on Twitter: "So excited to defend my singles and doubles titles this year."

The other choices presented to players were either to take part in a delayed tournament in Orlando in October, or to accept $150,000 (£120,238) in compensation for their events not going ahead at all.

The players will be given access to the official hotels on the weekend before the wheelchair events begin, and allowed to practice at Flushing Meadows from the Monday.

The prize fund will be 95% of last year's total, with the International Tennis Federation - like all of the tours - still grappling with how best to restart rankings which have been frozen since March.

The US Open will be played behind closed doors, with no singles qualifying and reduced doubles draws, from 31 August.

It will be the first Grand Slam to be played since the professional tours were halted in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Kyle Edmund wins a physical battle with Andy Murray 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-5) 10-5 to reach the Battle of the Brits semi-finals.

Murray must now beat James Ward on Thursday to join Edmund in the semi-finals of the six-day charity event in Roehampton.

READ MORE: Edmund beats Murray to reach semis

WATCH MORE: Watch: Murray beats Broady on tennis return - best shots

Kyle Edmund won a physical battle against Andy Murray to reach the Battle of the Brits semi-finals.

The encounter was billed as good gauge of where Murray is after a pelvic injury and there were some positives.

The six-day charity event, organised by Murray's brother Jamie, is at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray has slipped to 129 in the rankings because of injury lay-offs but Edmund said he still felt under pressure against him.

"Everyone wants to win and do their best. You are still playing Andy Murray, a guy who has won so much," the British number two and world number 44 said.

"I was expecting too much from myself. I wanted to play too well, I think.

"Today was the kind of match a few years ago I wouldn't have won but today staying in the match counts for a lot and builds pressure."

Mistakes, mutterings & some classic Murray

Murray had got off to a winning start against Liam Broady on Tuesday but against a player ranked 211 in the world that was more of a morale boost than a true measure of fitness.

This encounter against the former world number 14 was billed as one that would provide more answers on that score.

The 33-year-old Scot matched Edmund throughout the first set, looking sharper and more aggressive than he had the previous day, and capitalised on his opponent's errors to take control of the first-set tie-break.

He fell a break behind in the sixth game of the second set when he sent a backhand into the net but immediately broke back as a previously high quality match became a little scrappy.

There were some reassuring glimpses of the Murray who was world number one before hip surgeries and pelvic injuries derailed his career, a classic double-handed backhand down the line sealing the opening point in the second-set tie-break.

But there were signs of fatigue too and as the mistake count rose, so did the volume of the mutterings to himself - even more audible on a court with no fans because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The match tie-break slipped away and a wayward backhand return handed Edmund victory, leaving Murray facing a winner-takes-all encounter with Ward on Thursday.

While this performance answered some of the questions over how competitive Murray can be, the next one will provide clues as to how well his body can cope with three matches in three days.

Broady out and Clarke injured

Broady was eliminated with a 6-4 6-1 defeat by Ward in the other match in the Tim Henman Group earlier in the day.

In the Greg Rusedski Group, Cameron Norrie survived a scare against world number 393 Ryan Peniston, coming from behind to win 3-6 6-1 10-4.

Peniston, 24, was a replacement in the draw for 18-year-old Jack Draper, who pulled out with an abdominal injury.

Meanwhile Jay Clarke, who was due to play Peniston on Thursday, has withdrawn from the event with a knee injury he sustained in his defeat by British number one Dan Evans on Tuesday.

In the doubles, Joe Salisbury and Jonny O'Mara beat Peniston and Dom Inglot 6-4 6-2, while Evans and Lloyd Glasspool came from behind to triumph 4-6 6-3 11-9 against Norrie and Broady.