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Stumps Pakistan 143 for 4 (Shakeel 56*, Rizwan 51*, Seales 3-21) vs West Indies
After the start was delayed by four hours owing to heavy fog that enveloped the ground, Pakistan won the toss and batted first in hazy conditions with the floodlights on throughout the course of the day. Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie bowled the first ball, an indication of how both sides perceived the pitch upon which each played three specialist spinners. Motie got rid of Pakistan captain Shan Masood early on, squeezing him down to the debutant wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach on the on side, but for the rest of the hour, it was Seales' show.
He had been sniffing right from the outset, and got his reward when Hurraira hung his bat out and edged to the keeper. It was followed up by a beauty to remove Kamran Ghulam, who had just dispatched an outswinger to the boundary. The next ball, he attempted to shoulder arms but it seamed back into him wickedly, rapping the thigh, with Hawk-Eye showing it would have clipped the top of off.
The big fish came soon after, another glorious use of the seam. Seales hit a hard length which Babar looked to parry into the off side, but it shaped away just enough to kiss the outside edge through to Imlach. Babar would review, but, like Ghulam, he would not be reprieved.
The innings threatened to fall apart at that point, but Saud Shakeel, seasoned on surfaces like these, restored some order to proceedings for Pakistan. The sting was taken out of the quicks and the spinners negotiated deftly, while Mohammad Rizwan at the other end kept his concentration levels up as West Indies continued to prowl.
There was a notable acceleration from the pair after tea, right from when Shakeel got to his knees and swept Kevin Sinclair for four. It was a shot that brought the pair bounty through the session, giving them a release shot as the ball began to rip. The next six overs produced seven boundaries with Rizwan the chief aggressor, brave enough to use his feet to spin and ensuring the strike kept ticking over.
There remained plenty for the visitors to get excited about. A number of balls beat the outside edge by a whisker, and Shakeel popped one up dangerously close to short midwicket just shy of a half-century. But when he got there, and Rizwan followed up soon after, the milestones were both well-deserved. By now, the light had been deteriorating consistently, and midway through Kraigg Brathwaite's first over, the light-metre came out, and the players went off. By then, Pakistan were arguably the happier side, having been dragged by Rizwan and Shakeel towards a rather less perilous position than they found themselves in after the first hour.
Rohit Sharma keeps his spot as captain for England ODIs and Champions Trophy
England quicks make quick work of South Africa in Youth ODI
England Under-19 91 for 5 (Mayes 51) beat South Africa Under-19 87 (Minto 3-15) by five wickets
A dominant bowling performance from England Men U19s paved the way for a comfortable five-wicket win over South Africa Men U19s in the opening Youth ODI at Cape Town.
Moore and Minto immediately got to work after the hosts opted to bat and subsided to 33 for six.
The tone was set for an impressive Lions display in the field when Joe Moores held a sharp catch at backward point when Adnaan Lagadien arrowed a backfoot drive off Derbyshire right-armer Moore.
Durham left-armer Minto had already had opener Shaylen Pillay caught by wicketkeeper Thomas Rew on his way to figures of innings-best three for 15.
Spinners Taz Ali and Farhan Ali ensured the wickets continued to tumble before Worcestershire's Jack Home - one of three debutants alongside Vaughan and Aaryan Sawant - ended the innings.
Home first had Enathi Kitshini caught at backward point by Moores before pulling off a direct hit at the non-striker's end to run out Nqobani Mokoena.
Mayes and Vaughan then combined in a 64-run stand for the second wicket to ensure there were no jitters for the Young Lions. Mayes took the lead role, reaching his half-century from 45 balls, and despite some late wickets the tourists were always on course for a comfortable win.
The Lions can secure the three-match Youth ODI series on Sunday when the second match is also played at Western Province CC in Cape Town.
BCB set to launch three-team Women's Bangladesh Premier League
The BCB will be launching a maiden Women's Bangladesh Premier League (WBPL); it is likely to be held soon after the ongoing men's competition ends on February 7. According to Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, the BCB director, it will be a three-team competition, with each team playing the others twice for a total of six league games followed by the final.
"The board has been thinking about the various ways that we can take women's cricket forward," Fahim said. "Whether we can do a T20 competition for women was in our thoughts. We have decided today that we will do the Women's BPL."
Fahim said the BCB is in talks with some of the men's BPL franchises regarding ownership of the women's teams, and that a couple of owners have shown interest.
"We have already spoken to a few BPL franchises, who have shown interest [in owning women's teams]," he said. "We want to see how a women's tournament has an effect on our T20 cricket. We are hopeful that it will help our women's game progress."
Fahim said that only allow one overseas player will be allowed in the playing XI, with the squads having a maximum of 15 players each.
"We won't take many overseas players due to the financial constraints," he said. "Four overseas players puts financial pressure on the teams; perhaps they don't want to take that pressure. We want to give more opportunities to our domestic cricketers. We want to add competitiveness."
It will be the first women's T20 tournament to be held in Bangladesh. Women cricketers in the country play the one-day league in Dhaka, and the BCB recently launched a women's three-day competition.
Vitale to call 1st game after beating cancer again
Dick Vitale, the legendary voice of college basketball, is returning to the air for the first time since 2023.
The Hall of Fame broadcaster will call the Duke-Wake Forest men's college basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 25 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston Salem, North Carolina.
Vitale, 85, has battled four different types of cancer in the past three and a half years. Most recently, he underwent surgery in the summer of 2024 after a biopsy of a lymph node in his neck showed cancer. Vitale announced on Jan. 8 that he was cancer-free.
"I am absolutely ecstatic and I can't believe this is happening after going through five major vocal cord surgeries, 65 radiation treatments and chemotherapy for six months," Vitale said. "It's been a very tough journey, but all of the prayers and messages from the beautiful fans have inspired me."
"I just hope that I can offer the people some basketball insights that can bring even more excitement to the game."
In 2021, Vitale was diagnosed with lymphoma, months after he had multiple surgeries to remove melanoma. In 2022, he announced he was cancer-free. Then in 2023, he was diagnosed with vocal cord cancer and underwent radiation.
Vitale's last game assignment was nearly two years ago -- on April 3, 2023, calling the international broadcast of the San Diego State vs. UConn national championship for ESPN. He announced he was cancer-free for the third time in November 2023.
Vitale joined ESPN during the 1979-80 season, just after ESPN's launch, and called the network's first major NCAA basketball game on Dec. 5, 1979. He has gone on to call well over 1,000 games and in September 2024, he was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.
NFL to Europe: Ex-coach Del Rio hired in France
Former Jacksonville Jaguars and Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio has been named the head coach of the Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football.
Del Rio, 61, went 93-94 in 12 seasons as an NFL head coach and made two postseason appearances with the Jags and one with the Raiders.
His last NFL job was as defensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders from 2020 to '23. He previously held coordinator roles with the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos.
Del Rio's move to Paris comes after a brief tenure as a senior assistant for the Wisconsin Badgers. Hired in August 2024, he resigned from the position in November after he was arrested following a car crash in Madison, Wisconsin, and cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
The Paris Musketeers are part of the 17-team European League of Football, which played its inaugural season in 2021. The league runs from May until September and features teams from Austria, Czechia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain and Switzerland.
Paris went 10-2 last season before losing in the playoff semifinals. The Musketeers' former head coach, American Marc Mattioli, stepped down and is now the defensive coordinator at Kennesaw State.
Titans assistant will get early look at QB Sanders
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Titans offensive assistant Payton McCollum was selected to be a quarterbacks coach at the East-West Shrine Bowl later this month. McCollum will coach the West team quarterbacks, which include Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.
Tennessee holds the No.1 pick in this year's draft. Sanders is among the top quarterbacks in the 2025 class.
McCollum was veteran wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert's assistant last season with the Titans. According to a team source, Titans head coach Brian Callahan will also be in attendance at the Shrine Bowl to get a closer look at Sanders.
Sanders is the second-ranked quarterback and No. 12 overall prospect on ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid's top 50 list. In addition to Sanders, the West team quarterbacks include Max Brosmer from Minnesota and Brady Cook from Missouri.
Staley's $25M deal richest in women's hoops
South Carolina announced Friday that Dawn Staley has received a contract extension through the 2029-30 season that will make her the highest-paid coach in women's basketball.
The contract, approved by the university's board of trustees, starts with an annual salary of $4 million, includes a $500,00 signing bonus and has an annual $250,000 escalator, bringing the total value to approximately $25.25 million.
"Dawn Staley is a once-in-a-generation coach who has made a tremendous impact on the University of South Carolina," athletic director Jeremiah Donati said. "She has elevated the sport of women's basketball on the national level and here on campus, and I am excited that she will be representing our University for many years to come."
Staley has won three national championships since taking over the program in 2008, including last season's 38-0 title team. Going back to the 2013-14 season, the Gamecocks are 165-15 in SEC regular-season play. They have won or tied for the league regular-season title eight times in that stretch, and won eight SEC tournament titles.
Staley was making $3.2 million this season before the extension went into effect. UConn's Geno Auriemma, who has won 11 NCAA titles with the Huskies, is making $3.34 million this season. LSU's Kim Mulkey, who won three NCAA titles at Baylor and then led LSU to its first in 2023, is making $3.25 million this season.
Staley, Auriemma and Mulkey and Maryland's Brenda Frese, who led the Terrapins to the NCAA title in 2006, are the only active head coaches who have won the national championship in women's basketball.
Staley also guided to the United States women's basketball team to the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
South Carolina's only loss this season came in November to UCLA. The No. 2 Gamecocks are 17-1 overall and 5-0 in the SEC, and they host No. 13 Oklahoma on Sunday (ESPN, 3 p.m. ET).
"I'm proud to represent the University of South Carolina and of its investment in women's basketball," Staley said. "What we've been able to accomplish on the court is a testament to what can happen when you bring together the right people from a team perspective but also have the right commitment from the university, the athletics department and the community to providing that team with everything it needs to be successful."
According to the Charleston Post and Courier, if Staley terminates the contract before its end, she would owe the school the full amount of the remaining contract, with one exception: if she takes a head coaching or assistant job in the WNBA or NBA.
UFC 311: Tsarukyan out, Moicano gets title shot
LOS ANGELES -- The UFC's first pay-per-view event of 2025 underwent a major change Friday, as lightweight title challenger Arman Tsarukyan was forced out of Saturday's UFC 311 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood with a back issue.
UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (26-1) will now defend his title against Renato Moicano (22-3), who was scheduled to fight Beneil Dariush on the card. UFC CEO Dana White announced the change on Friday morning, during the official weigh-ins. According to sources, Tsarukyan, 28, was on pace to make weight but suffered from back spasms.
"[Tsarukyan] informed us that he was experiencing significant back pain," White said. "Due to the injury, he feels like he is not healthy enough to compete. Stepping in to face him is Renato Moicano."
Makhachev, who is seeking the fourth defense of his 155-pound championship, told ESPN in a statement he didn't mind the last minute change.
"Champions do not choose opponents," Makhachev said. "As long as there's someone who can make 155, I'll fight anyone."
Moicano (20-5-1) is on a four-fight win streak and ranked No. 10 in the division. He is coming off a second-round stoppage of Benoit Saint-Denis in September.
Embiid to miss road trip as knee swelling returns
PHILADELPHIA -- Joel Embiid again has swelling in his left knee and will miss the 76ers' upcoming road trip, the latest injury setback for the All-Star center who has played in only 13 games this season.
Embiid had been sidelined for the past six games with a sprained left foot. The 76ers said Friday that Embiid had recovered from the foot injury but experienced knee swelling after a workout on Thursday. After consulting with team medical staff and outside doctors, Embiid will receive additional treatment and will be reevaluated in seven to 10 days.
Embiid will miss Saturday's game at Indiana, Sunday at Milwaukee and Tuesday at Denver.
Embiid has missed 26 games this season. The Sixers are 7-6 with Embiid and 8-18 without him. They are 15-24 this season and in 11th place in the Eastern Conference.
The Sixers have been ravaged by injuries this season, and the All-Star trio of Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey has played only 10 games together this season (7-3).
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