I Dig Sports
No clarity yet on Rohit travelling to Pakistan for Champions Trophy captains event
"It [Rohit travelling to Pakistan] has not yet been discussed. It is not on the agenda yet," Devjit Saikia, the BCCI's newly-appointed secretary, told ESPNcricinfo.
It could not be confirmed whether the BCCI would need the Indian government's permission for Rohit to travel to Pakistan.
Due to the climate of political tension between the two countries, India and Pakistan have played no bilateral series since 2012, but continue to meet at ICC tournaments. While Pakistan have travelled to India for ICC tournaments in this period, India have not played any international cricket in Pakistan since 2008.
It is understood that the PCB has requested the ICC to ensure that, as per standard practice, all teams and captains are available for the Champions Trophy photoshoot, opening ceremony and other pre-tournament engagements. The ICC, it is understood, is still finalising logistics and travel dates for teams.
Incidentally, the ICC did not organise a captains event ahead of the 2024 Men's T20 World Cup which was co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA. With teams playing warm-up matches in several countries, the ICC instead opted to do the official launch via a lighting projection show that featured all 20 captains beamed onto the Rockefeller Centre building in New York City. It is understood that like in the 2024 T20 World Cup, teams will have the option of playing up to two warm-up matches each depending on their arrival time for the Champions Trophy.
Saikia: 'BCCI will follow every uniform-related ICC rule'
Saikia, meanwhile, has clarified that India will adhere to the dress code set by the ICC for the Champions Trophy, responding to media speculation that the BCCI had objected to the host nation's name on their jersey. Player jerseys during ICC events usually include the tournament logo with the name of the tournament, host country and year below it.
"BCCI will follow every uniform-related ICC rule during Champions Trophy," Saikia told PTI. "Whatever the other teams will do regarding the logo and dress code, we are going to follow in true letter and spirit."
With additional reporting by Osman Samiuddin
Ireland knock Pakistan out; Australia, Scotland, Bangladesh, England, USA, SA, Nigeria, New Zealand through to Super Six
After being sent in, Bangladesh found themselves on 50 for 5 after ten overs. Afia Ashima and captain Sumaiya Akter then added 38 in 33 balls to give the innings some stability. Ashima fell for 21 but Sumaiya stayed unbeaten till the end, scoring 28 off 36 balls to take the side to 120 for 9.
In response, Scotland were 19 for no loss in four overs before Soba bowled Emma Walsingham for 11. In the same over, Pippa Kelly was run-out. Wicketkeeper Pippa Sproul and captain Niamh Muir put the chase back on track by adding 50 in 60 balls, but after Muir fell for 22, none of the incoming batters could cross even 5.
Sproul tried to keep Scotland in the contest with her 43 off 41. But Soba ended her resistance and then went on to take two more wickets as Scotland could manage only 103 for 8.
In a rain-affected 17-over game, New Zealand were in trouble with the bat at 12 for 3. But Eve Wolland and Anika Todd added 55 for the fourth wicket to steady the ship.
After Todd fell for a 19-ball 27, it was on Wolland to hold New Zealand's innings together. She hit two fours and two sixes before she fell for 48 off 43 in the final over, helping New Zealand get to 107 for 9. For Samoa, seamer Olive Lefaga took three wickets and Verra Farane took two.
The total proved to be more than enough, as New Zealand skittled Samoa out for just 40, with no batter reaching the double digits. Rishika Jaswal and Tash Wakelin claimed three wickets each while Sophie Court picked up two.
England didn't get off to the best of starts, with opener Erin Thomas out for a golden duck off the second ball of the chase. But, it was one-way traffic thereon with Perrin and Johnson putting on a 117-run stand that took them two runs short of the target. England captain Abi Norgrove had to just hit the winning run off the first ball she faced, with Johnson finishing unbeaten on 44.
Both England and USA have qualified for the Super Six stage.
Bosman's priceless spell clinches series win for South Africa Under-19s
South Africa Under-19s 158 for 6 (Hansen 57, Ali 3-51) beat England Under-19s 156 (Vaughan 60, Bosman 3-4) by four wickets
It was spinner Bosman who turned the game with his three wickets in the 37th over immediately after Vaughan, who had struck six boundaries, was caught off a miscue to the final ball of the previous over from Bandile Mbatha.
Bosman's key over saw Joe Moores bowled attempting a lap sweep before Harry Moore was stumped thanks to sharp hands from Hansen. Bosman then parried a return catch from Eddie Jack and saw it fall to him as he stumbled to the ground.
South Africa made a solid start as Adnaan Lagadien and Chad Mason added 49 for the first wicket before Hansen took up the attack with a 46-ball half-century.
The Young Lions battled back through Warwickshire spinner Ali, who returned 3 for 51, but the hosts needed only seven more when Hansen edged Alex Green to wicketkeeper Thomas Rew on 57.
The two-Youth Test series begins at Coertzenburg Cricket Club in Stellenbosch on 27 January.
Abhishek, Varun lead India's demolition of England
India 133 for 3 (Abhishek 79, Samson 26, Archer 2-21) beat England 132 (Buttler 68, Varun 3-23, Arshdeep 2-17) by seven wickets
By the time Buttler departed in the 17th over, he had provided 68 out of the 109 on the board, with Harry Brook the only batter to reach double figures before Jofra Archer pitched in with 12 from No.9.
Brook's 17 was part of a stand of 48 with Buttler, the vice-captain and captain setting about a rebuild that was ended by Varun's googlies. The 33-year-old bowled Brook and Liam Livingstone in the space of three deliveries to turn that back to rubble. His third was Buttler, holing out to deep square leg.
Whatever little jeopardy there was in the chase, it was restricted to just the fifth over, when Archer removed both. Sanju Samson - who had done the early running - and Surayakumar for a duck in four deliveries. Archer, who bowled his four overs on the bounce having opened the innings, was comfortably the pick of England's bowlers with 2 for 21. By contrast, Gus Atkinson was taken apart for 38 runs across his two overs, with his first blitzed for 22 by Samson.
The onus was then on Abhishek, who was put down by Adil Rashid on 29 off 16. The left-hander would bring up his half-century just four balls later.
Though Rashid would eventually get his man, India had all but established a 1-0 lead in this five-match series. A top-edged four from Tilak Varma off Mark Wood's bouncer off the penultimate ball of the 13th over confirmed it.
Arshdeep Singh sets the tone
Before England were choked through the middle by a three-pronged spin attack, they were clipped up top by the lone full-time quick. Since debuting in 2022, Arshdeep Singh has been a new-ball banker for India's shortest format. Consistently devastating and devastatingly consistent.
It was fitting that on the night he became India's leading T20I wicket-taker, he reinforced his credentials as one of the format's leading seamers in an opening three-over spell of 2 for 10. Movement away and up off a good length did for Salt, who could only sky a leading edge, was followed by nip the other way that left the left-handed Duckett for a similar demise.
Of those initial 18 deliveries, a remarkable 12 were dots which saw him get the better of Buttler and Brook without reward. On another day, their feelers outside off stump may have resulted in edges, bringing more joy Arshdeep's way. But rather than bemoan missing out on those extra notches in the wicket column, he seemed happy enough with his work, having opened the door for his spinners.
Familiar failings
It is easy to say the likes of Brook, Livingstone and Jacob Bethell should have taken cues from Buttler, particularly his ability to pick length. But Buttler's vast IPL experience and superior ability makes that hard to replicate. Credit belongs to the bowlers, particularly Varun. Despite the grass on the surface, the wristspinner was unperturbed. His IPL nous came to the fore at a ground where he has taken 24 wickets at 22.20 from 16 appearances.
A holding pattern of deliveries just short of a length kept the ball out of hitting arcs, and he was not pre-occupied with spinning the ball past the edge - even though he beat the insides of Brook's and Livingstone's. "Bowling side spin, I cannot beat batsmen with sidespin. The only way I can beat batsmen with bounce," said Varun while nursing a deserved Player-of-the-Match award. Perhaps most galling for England is he rated his display a humble "seven out of 10".
India's cleaner hands
Bethell's drop of Abhishek did not matter, charging in from deep midwicket, tracking the ball all the way only to see it spill through his hands as he dived forwards.
A ball later, Abhishek was caught at long off. An over later, India had confirmed their win. But the sight of one of England's best fielders fall short in that moment highlighted the gap between the two fielding efforts on Wednesday evening.
It would have been one hell of a take, but still not the best of the night. That honour belonged to Nitish Kumar Reddy, who pulled off a tougher version of Bethell's effort, sprinting in at a greater rate of knots and intercepting the ball so close to the ground that the umpires asked for a second look. Buttler, whose charge was halted by that brilliance, had already made it back to the dugout when the television umpire finally gave it the all-clear.
Despite playing no part with bat or ball, Reddy got plenty of airtime, taking a simpler catch to remove Jamie Overton and scurrying about the deep on a one-man mission to restrict England's boundary count. That endeavour was matched by those in the ring, with Rinku Singh setting the tone when he claimed a leading edge off Duckett that required him to sprint back from cover with one eye over his shoulder.
Of course, Bethell's drop was not even the worst off Abhishek. Rashid's was a far simpler caught and bowled chance. The legspinner was duly punished when the left-hander blitzed three boundaries - the last two sixes over midwicket, then straight down the ground - off the remainder of his over. England's heads dropped - a nod to the nourishing effect of taking your catches.
Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo
Hurley after berating ref: Show other coaches
UConn coach Dan Hurley owned up to berating an official during Tuesday night's 80-78 win over Butler after he was caught on camera telling them "don't turn your back on me, I'm the best coach in the f---ing sport."
Hurley was complaining about what he thought was a foul on a defensive rebound attempt late in the first half. After the game, he said he was looking for more "communication" from officials.
The two-time champion coach also lodged a complaint about how often the TV cameras focus on him.
"I just wish they put the camera on the other coach more," he said. "... I just wish they would show these other coaches losing their minds at the officials in other Big East games that I'm coaching where ... I'm not talking to officials; I see the other coaches as demonstrative as I am.
"But the camera, obviously ... I've created this for myself. I'm not the victim."
UConn led by 15 at one point in the first half and had an eight-point lead at halftime. But Butler erased a nine-point deficit in the final 6:50 of regulation and took a two-point lead before Alex Karaban's jumper with 1:43 left sent the game to overtime tied at 68. The Huskies were able to pull away in the extra frame and held on for the two-point win.
UConn got off to a slow start to the season, losing three straight at one point, but has reeled off 10 wins in its past 12 games.
Weather bumps LSU-S. Carolina showdown to Fri.
The Southeastern Conference has postponed Thursday night's women's basketball game between No. 5 LSU and No. 2 South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina, until Friday because of winter weather.
The SEC said Friday's game would tip off at 5 p.m. ET. LSU athletics officials were confident the women's basketball team would be able to fly out of Baton Rouge on Thursday.
The decision comes a day after a winter storm dropped about a foot of snow in parts of south Louisiana and made travel hazardous in subtropical communities that possess little in the way of snow-clearing equipment for roads and airports.
LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette said highways in and around Baton Rouge remained closed Wednesday, and that classes at LSU have been canceled through Thursday.
The Tigers' home game on Sunday evening against Texas A&M remains on schedule.
After breaking snow records in Texas and Louisiana on Tuesday, the storm continued to spread heavy snow, sleet and freezing rain across parts of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia and the coastal Carolinas on Wednesday.
South Carolina (18-1, 6-0 SEC) is coming off a 101-60 victory over Oklahoma on Sunday.
LSU (20-0, 5-0 SEC) is off to one of the best starts in program history and is coming off an 80-63 victory at Florida on Sunday. The 2022-23 national championship team currently owns the best start in program history at 23-0. That team's first loss came at South Carolina.
Source: Pass rusher Mack decides to play in '25
Nine-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Khalil Mack, who said after the Chargers' postseason loss to the Texans that he needed to take some time to mull his future, will indeed play in the 2025 season, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Wednesday.
Mack, 33, is set to be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his 11-year NFL career.
Mack, a Defensive Player of the Year winner (2016) and one of the most decorated outside linebackers in NFL history, had six sacks this season -- and two more in the Chargers' 32-12 wild-card loss at Houston.
He has 107.5 sacks in his career.
At their end-of-season news conference, both Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh said they hoped to re-sign Mack if he decided to return for a 12th season in 2025.
Mack had said earlier this month that if he decided to continue playing, he believed his best chance to win was with the Chargers.
"As long as Justin Herbert is your quarterback. You got [safety] Derwin James and all these guys that love the game of football. And Jim Harbaugh coaching?" Mack said on Jan. 12. "You know you always have a chance to win. Yeah, that's a no-brainer."
ESPN's Kris Rhim contributed to this report.
Popovich 'attacking' rehab, keeps Spurs contact
With the San Antonio Spurs in Paris for a pair of games against the Indiana Pacers this week, the absence of coach Gregg Popovich looms over what would otherwise be a showcase for the NBA and second-year French star Victor Wembanyama.
But Spurs CEO R.C. Buford said the Hall of Fame coach continues to get better and has been aggressive in his recovery from a November stroke.
"All I can share is he's attacking his rehab in a way that ... you know Pop, you've observed him for years," Buford, one of the people closest to Popovich, said Wednesday. "The same resilience that he's shown over the course of our career as a coach, he's approaching his return in his rehab in an incredibly unique way. The relationships that he had with our former players and the care that they're sharing with him is amazing. And his improvement continues."
Nobody knows when or if Popovich will be back on the Spurs' sideline, and Buford added that no timeline is in place.
"I don't know that we have any way to judge the clock," Buford said. "Predicting what's to come is just a function of where Pop's rehab goes."
Popovich's presence is still felt, however, with behind-the-scenes communication with players and staff.
"I'm not even sure if this is public, but he calls," said guard Chris Paul, who joined the Spurs in large part because of his respect for Popovich.. "He calls after games and I talk to him, and he tells me what he sees, and I appreciate that more than anything because he doesn't have to do that. And he does."
Acting Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said: "We are in contact constantly. He is watching games, still as opinionated as he's ever been, and competitive, and what you would think -- giving praise and cussing me out, all at the same time."
Johnson took over on almost no notice in November, and the Spurs are 17-19 since Popovich had the stroke. They are in a bit of a slide right now, losing six of their past seven games.
"Pop's health has been the priority since the start of this and until dot-dot-dot," Johnson said. "That's kind of how we, and I, take the approach. We want the best for Pop and I want the best for this team and however I can help is where I'll put my energy."
Popovich, who turns 76 next week, is the NBA career wins leader who has guided the Spurs to five championships and coached USA Basketball to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. He had the stroke at the team's arena in San Antonio on Nov. 2, getting tended to by emergency personnel who were at the arena for the Spurs' game that night. The Spurs said at the time that Popovich was expected to make a full recovery.
He had addressed his recovery in a December statement, noting that he appreciated the "outpouring of support."
Coaches around the NBA have also heard that Popovich is progressing. That's about the extent of the updates, as nobody says much more than that out of respect for Popovich and his privacy.
"He's really an institution, and he's been such a constant," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "It's different not seeing him. But I've had some communication with him. He's doing better all the time. And the hope is he'll be back."
The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.
Bucks-Pels postponed due to historic winter storm
NEW ORLEANS -- The NBA has postponed Wednesday night's game in New Orleans between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Pelicans after a historic winter storm dumped about a foot of snow in the Big Easy.
Tuesday's winter storm made road travel treacherous in a subtropical city with minimal snow-clearing equipment on hand.
The Milwaukee Bucks beat the weather by arriving Monday, a day earlier than usual, in the event that road conditions became safe enough to hold the game at the 18,000-seat, downtown Smoothie King Center.
But temperatures remained in the 30s on Wednesday, many main highways in the metro areas were closed by authorities, and surface roads throughout town remained coated in ice.
Schools and businesses throughout the area also remained closed on Wednesday.
The Bucks are scheduled to play in Miami on Thursday, and it was unclear whether the team would have to wait until the day of the game to fly out of New Orleans.
Louis Armstrong International Airport canceled all commercial departures on Wednesday.
The Pelicans are scheduled to play in Memphis on Friday night.
'Sluggball': Ex-GM to launch 4-on-4 competition
PHILADELPHIA -- Sluggball, a 4-on-4 baseball competition co-founded by former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., is expected to debut in May and tour minor league stadiums this season.
Sluggball focuses entirely on situational hitting, with no fielding or running required.
Amaro, who was the Phillies' general manager for three straight NL East titles, founded Sluggball with his brother, David Amaro. Sluggball advisers include Kenny Lofton, a six-time MLB All-Star, and Evan Kaplan, managing director of MLB Players, Inc.
Sluggball teams of six to eight players bring their own pitcher and compete in the 4-on-4 situational challenges using wood bats. Events guarantee two four-round games per team, with championship teams competing for cash prizes.
Sluggball's four directional hitting rounds include pull side, up the middle, opposite field and around the horn.
The baseball competition begins May 10 at the Trenton Thunder Ballpark in Trenton, New Jersey, and includes stops at stadiums in Ohio and New York.
"Sluggball gives players a unique opportunity to return to the field and embrace the best parts of the game," Lofton said.
Former Phillies manager Larry Bowa and Phillies announcer Tom McCarthy were part of a Sluggball pilot program in September in New Jersey.
Amaro rose from Phillies batboy in 1980 to '83 to playing for the franchise for five seasons in the 1990s. He spent 10 seasons as assistant general manager and became GM once Pat Gillick retired after the Phillies won the 2008 World Series. Amaro was in charge when the Phillies won the 2009 NL pennant, three division titles and had the most wins in franchise history (102) in 2011.
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
