Dawid Malan's sublime knock inspired England to a three-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first ODI at Shere Bangla National Stadium on Wednesday.
The hosts struggled after electing to bat first, setting a target of just 210, but England's response for a while looked in danger of falling short.
Malan picked up the pace following a considered start, however, eventually finishing on 114 not out to reach 212-7 and brilliantly drag England over the line.
Tamim Iqbal (23) began purposefully but Bangladesh soon had their momentum disrupted by Mark Wood (2-34) and Chris Woakes (1-28), the former dismissing the hosts' captain with an emphatic delivery.
The spinners then took care of Bangladesh's middle order, with each England bowler claiming at least one wicket.
Najmul Hossain Shanto (58) proved the biggest nuisance, his maiden half-century crucial in helping the hosts surpass 200.
But a tremendous catch from Jason Roy sent him back to the pavilion at 159-5 in what proved a turning point – Bangladesh added only another 50 runs.
England's chase received an early blow when Roy (4) fell to a simple Iqbal catch in the first over, while Phil Salt (12), James Vince (6) and Jos Buttler (9) were not much better.
Taijul Islam (3-54) took two of the first four wickets as England found themselves on 65-4, but amid all the floundering, Malan was calmly plugging away.
A close escape from an lbw appeal in the 22nd over proved vital, with Malan first playing it steady as he reached 50 off 92, before then getting his century off 134.
He secured the ton with a clip through midwicket that brought up his 10th boundary, and another four – whacked through wide mid-on – fittingly ensured Malan clinched victory.
Malan's the man of the moment
England's bowlers did some sterling work early on, with Jofra Archer, Wood, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid all taking two wickets each, but the generally disappointing nature of the visitors' chase meant Malan had to take on the role of firefighter.
After looking all at sea at 65-4, Malan took charge. In claiming his 100, he becomes the second-fastest player to four ODI centuries.
Taijul gave Bangladesh a chance
Bangladesh were also largely better with the ball than the bat. Taijul was the pick of the bunch for the hosts, taking three wickets – more than anyone else in the match.
His efforts were central to England getting off to a stuttering start. In the end, one man's class was the difference, and to be fair to Bangladesh, Malan looked like he could bat another 50 overs and still not get removed.
Xavi says Barcelona enter their Copa del Rey semi-final with Real Madrid in a strong position, but considers Carlo Ancelotti's side the favourites to reach the final.
The fierce rivals meet at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday in the first of three Clasicos in a month, with a crucial LaLiga fixture sandwiched between their two-legged cup tie.
Barca have won two of their four meetings with Madrid since Xavi took charge, which includes a 4-0 league win last season and 3-1 Supercopa de Espana final victory in January.
The Catalan giants are also seven points better off at the top of the league, but Xavi believes Madrid's status as reigning Spanish and European champions makes them favourites.
"Madrid will continue to be the favourites because they are champions of LaLiga and the Champions League," he said at Wednesday's pre-match press conference.
"That is regardless of what happened in the Super Cup, where we did well, or any other factors.
"We may have beaten them in the Super Cup, but this is Madrid. I have to be honest. But I also think we can hurt them and I expect a very even tie overall."
Barcelona have enjoyed an impressive first full season under Xavi, but back-to-back losses have halted their momentum.
Despite being eliminated from the Europa League by Manchester United and dropping three points against Almeria, Xavi is happy with the position his side find themselves in.
"The loss to Almeria made me very angry, but we start again with a clean slate," Xavi said. "It's a competition we're doing well in, and we're three games from another title.
"This will provide us with another chance to react. We know we have to be more of a team than ever, with the small details making the difference.
"The message to the fans is that we remain in an ideal, privileged situation to win two more trophies. We are in the Copa semi-final and are leaders in the league.
"We know things can go wrong, but we are here to try to avoid that from happening."
Barcelona are without Robert Lewandowski for the first leg, while Pedri and Ousmane Dembele remain sidelined, but Ansu Fati has returned from injury and is part of the squad.
"He's had a bruised knee but is training with the group and feels good," Xavi said. "I see a happy and motivated player who is important for the team."
Darren Till has confirmed UFC granted his release but vowed he is "not going anywhere".
Till last fought in December, losing via third-round submission to Dricus du Plessis.
He was removed from the middleweight rankings on Wednesday.
Posting on Twitter, the 30-year-old confirmed he had the release from UFC, in which he has fought since 2015.
"What's happening everyone," Till posted.
"Me, Dana [White] and Hunter [Campbell] are still cool as f***. I asked UFC to remove me just to sort some other s*** for the foreseeable.
"They happily agreed to release me out of contract which I appreciate. I'm not going anywhere, got big plans to execute and I'll be back."
Till was unbeaten in his first six fights before challenging Tyron Woodley for the welterweight title in September 2018. He lost via second-round submission and, following a knockout defeat to Jorge Masvidal, moved up to middleweight.
The English fighter won his first bout at the weight against Kelvin Gastelum but has since struggled, failing to win any of his last three fights, losing to Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson prior to his most recent defeat against Du Plessis.
Carlo Ancelotti has labelled Vinicius Junior as one of the world's best players ahead of Real Madrid's Copa del Rey tie against Barcelona.
The Brazil international has five goals in as many games in all competitions, most recently netting a brace as Madrid came from behind to beat Liverpool 5-2 in their Champions League last-16 first leg.
He has 18 goals in 36 games overall for Madrid this campaign – only eight players across Europe's top five leagues have scored more.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Madrid boss Ancelotti refuted suggestions of an over-reliance on Vinicius and backed the Brazilian to get the better of his opposite number Ronald Araujo in Thursday’s fixture.
He said: "It's a positive aspect. He is one of the best players in the world, who sometimes changes games in our favour. It's quite normal to be dependent on it.
"You don't have to say anything special to Vinicius. We are not going to change. It is true that Araujo is a very strong defender, but it will be a very entertaining duel. Hopefully, Vinicius can win it."
Real Madrid lost their most recent fixture against Xavi's side in the Supercopa de Espana final in January but have plenty of chances to exact revenge.
Sandwiched between both legs of the Copa del Rey tie is a third Classico in the league, with Madrid hoping to reduce the seven-point lead Barcelona currently have at the top of the table.
Ancelotti also provided an update on the fitness of Toni Kroos, who has started just one of Madrid’s last four games.
"These are games in which you need many things, including personality and energy. It may be that because of the energy, Kroos is not in the eleven," he added.
"But we also need experience so I have to think about this."
Mikel Arteta suggested there is little that can be done to combat online abuse in the wake of the death threats received by Chelsea head coach Graham Potter.
Potter was hired in September following Thomas Tuchel's dismissal but Chelsea have endured a barren run of form and sit tenth in the Premier League.
Indeed, Chelsea have won just three of their last 17 games in all competitions, losing their last three on the run.
Potter revealed that he and his family have been the target of online abuse and death threats but Arsenal manager Arteta is unsure what can be done to tackle the issue.
"It’s very difficult to control, I think," Arteta said at a press conference.
"We have had this discussion many, many times. Where do you draw the line, what is acceptable, and what is not?
"Unfortunately, it happens, it's very easy to hide behind a phone."
Arteta also endured a slow start to his tenure when he was first appointed by Arsenal but refused to comment on whether he had received similar levels of abuse as Potter has done.
Despite this, he did reveal that he often reaches out to fellow managers to provide support during challenging times.
He added: "When you have a close relationship with managers, which I had in Spain, some of them were in Italy, some of them were here of course, you get in touch – sometimes they give you support.
"We all do when someone is going through a difficult time. Maybe not on the phone but just a nice text of support."
Arsenal face Everton on Wednesday with the chance to move five points clear of second-place Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.
Carlo Ancelotti vowed Real Madrid will not endure the same mistakes as they did in the Supercopa de Espana ahead of Thursday's latest Clasico in the Copa del Rey.
Defeat in Saudi Arabia resulted in Barcelona's first trophy of the Xavi era and a treble-winning campaign for Los Blancos' fierce rivals remains on the cards.
March stands as a crucial month for Madrid, with both legs of the Copa del Rey semi-final coming as part of a trio of Clasicos that also sees the pair meet in LaLiga – where Barcelona currently hold a seven-point lead.
Mistakes proved costly in the previous meeting in Riyadh, but Ancelotti insisted those errors will not happen again.
"In the Super Cup we lacked commitment, with individual mistakes that will not be repeated," he told a press conference.
"We are close to winning an important competition and we will compete. It's not the decisive game, but we want to take advantage.
"We do not have the desire for a rematch of the Super Cup, but because we are close to a title, the boiler rises in temperature."
Ancelotti believes that slight progress has been made compared to last year, with Madrid continuing on three fronts as they also hold a first-leg advantage over Liverpool in the Champions League last 16.
"So far, I have said that, compared to last year, we have two points less in LaLiga. But we were also out of the Copa del Rey," he added.
"We're not much better off than last year; we're where we've deserved to be. But now comes the good stuff.
"We've got to March competing in all competitions. Let's see if we can win something."
Matt Kuhnemann starred on the first day of the third test at Holkar Stadium as Australia reached stumps in control of India.
Not even in the squad for the start of the series, Kuhnemann bowled a five-for on a poor pitch as India's first innings in Indore amounted to just 109 in 33.2 overs.
Marnus Labuschagne (31) and Usman Khawaja (60) then steered Australia into a comfortable position with a 96-run stand, as India's flagrant use of the DRS caused issues for the hosts.
While Ravindra Jadeja bowled Labuschagne to end that pairing, the tourists remained strong to finish the day 156-4 and hold a 47-run lead.
Australia came out of the blocks flying to take five wickets in the first hour, and seven in the first session.
Kuhnemann (5-16) and Nathan Lyon (3-35) had three wickets each, while Todd Murphy (1-23) trapped Virat Kohli lbw (22) to leave India 84-7 at lunch, before the hosts finished all out for 109 in just over a session.
India's response with the ball started well, Jadeja (4-64) taking Travis Head (9) lbw with just 12 runs on the board, and then bowled Labuschagne off a no ball – a mistake that proved costly.
Poor decision-making on DRS also contributed to the hosts' downfall, losing two reviews and opting not to challenge the umpire's call for an lbw on Labuschagne, which replays showed would have been out.
Australia welcomed those errors, Khawaja hitting a half century before being caught by Shubman Gill to put the tourists well on their way to fighting back in the series.
Kuhnemann's fine day
In just his second Test, Kuhnemann oversaw the undoing of India to finish with figures of 5-16.
Australia's charge saw six wickets tumble in just 22 overs, the most India have lost in the first innings of a match in this format since the beginning of 2007.
Jadeja's record
On a disappointing day for India, there was at least some comfort with the performance of Jadeja, who took all four of Australia's wickets.
He became just the second Indian player – and 11th cricketer overall – to take 500 wickets and score over 5,000 runs in the international game.
Andrew Cole is adamant his former team Manchester United have no chance of winning the Premier League this season.
United picked up their first piece of silverware since 2017 with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
They also remain in the hunt for the Europa League after defeating Barcelona, while Erik ten Hag's team face West Ham on Wednesday for a spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
In the league, United sit third – eight points off leaders Arsenal – but Cole is certain that, despite their fine form in 2023, they will not challenge for the title.
Speaking to Stats Perform, he said: "If you look at the teams in front of them in Manchester City and Arsenal, Manchester City would have to capitulate and so would Arsenal.
"Man City's form has been very indifferent this season and Arsenal at the present moment are scratching through and getting results.
"So for Man United to win the league, those teams would have to capitulate and Manchester United would have to win virtually every game from now until the end of the season.
"That is a tall order, especially with the games coming up.
"I'd be very happy for us to finish in the top four which we have a great chance of doing. We're still in Europa League, we are still in the FA Cup and then go from there.
"But I think if you set the priorities at the start of the season, to talk about winning the league, everyone would have said, 'Nah you're mad, actually mad, not a chance.' So what's changed?"
City hammered Bournemouth on Saturday but had previously slipped up against Nottingham Forest, with Arsenal reclaiming top spot.
Arsenal have the opportunity to move five points clear at the top of the table when they play struggling Everton on Wednesday.
Yet Cole, who won five titles with United, believes the experience of reigning champions City will help them to triumph over Mikel Arteta's side.
He added: "I'm still going for Man City – they've got the experience, they've won it numerous times before. Their form has been so indifferent this season but at some stage, they're going to catch fire.
"Arsenal at this present moment, are at this time getting results but not playing particularly well – whoever's at the top of the league will always go for a little blip.
"United have done it at the start of this season. Chelsea have actually imploded, Tottenham – exactly the same thing.
"It feels a little bit like when Leicester won the league. It wasn't down to Leicester being a good team, it's about the teams around them just for whatever reason, couldn't get themselves going to get themselves in a position to win the league, and Leicester were very consistent.
"That's why they won it, as simple as that. So we'll have to wait and see."
The Seattle Seahawks are considering drafting a new quarterback despite ongoing contract negotiations with Geno Smith.
Last year's blockbuster trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos has left the Seahawks with strong draft capital, the franchise possessing the fifth overall pick and the 20th selection for April's draft.
It leaves Seattle in relatively unchartered territory, having only two top-10 picks since 2010 – the first being the sixth pick in 2010 after the previous regime went 5-11.
In the 2022 draft, the Seahawks had pick number 10 but traded to the Jets for Jamal Adams, leaving 2023 as the first time in 13 years that the team will be among the first names on the board.
Despite being settled with Smith, who is negotiating a new contract, head coach Pete Carroll is aware this provides a rare opportunity to select a QB.
"We don't get this opportunity [often]. When you're picking in the bottom of the first round, those guys aren't available," Carroll told reporters.
General manager John Schneider further explained why a move for a QB was on the cards, despite it being a rarity for him – having selected players in this position just twice in 13 drafts with Seattle.
"Because they don’t grow on trees. It's the hardest position to acquire a talent, a guy that everybody feels very confident in," Schneider said.
Discussions with Smith regarding a new deal are continuing and, while Schneider was positive on the situation, he did not give a timeframe on when a fresh contract with last year's NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
"All these negotiations, some go a little bit faster than others. Usually when you're talking about larger numbers, they take a little more time," he added.
"It's obviously much more complex than different sports with guaranteed contracts, so there's a lot more that goes into these contracts."
Asked whether they would consider a franchise tag for Smith, Schneider replied: "That's not something I would share with you."
The Los Angeles Kings have traded goaltender Jonathan Quick to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
According to widespread reports, the Kings moved to push through the deal late on Tuesday.
The package is said to include defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo moving the opposite way.
It comes on the back of three-time Stanley Cup winner Patrick Kane moving from the Chicago Blackhawks to the New York Rangers in another high-profile trade.
Quick had played close to 750 games for the Kings, whom he started his career with in the 2007-08 season, and has been part of two Stanley Cup title-winning squads.
Justin Burrowes and Jodi Munn-Barrow successfully defended their titles at the Caymanas Golf Classic at the Caymanas Golf Course in St. Catherine this past weekend.
Playing 54 holes in a specially approved format over the two days shot scores of 69 and 71. He then shot a 72 for an overall three-round score of 212 for a commanding win by 18 strokes ahead of runner-up William Knibbs.
Meanwhile, in the Ladies 0-6 section, Munn-Barrow played 36 holes over the same period, scoring 76 and 74 for a total of 150.
Burrowes carded 11 birdies and an eagle on the first hole of the third round but it also shot nine bogeys two of which came on the final two holes of the tournament.
"It was certainly a test of fitness. It was long. It was very long. I think yesterday it was seven hours,” Burrowes said.
“Today (Sunday) it was something up there again so it was a test of patience (and) fitness. It was very hot, very windy. The course was playing very difficult because it was so firm. I tried to play every shot to the best of my ability and it worked out in the end."
He endorsed the format which is designed help to help the local golfers to gain world raking points as more local WAGR tournaments are played locally.
Knibbs shot scores of 79, 79 and par 72 for a combined score of 230 and finished two shots ahead of Sean Morris. Zandre Roye (239) and Wayne Chai Chong 240 rounded out the top five.
Among the ladies, Diane Hudson 180 (92, 88) took the Ladies 13 and over category ahead of Susan White 203 (100, 103).
William Lee was the only golfer in the Men & Men Senior 0-6 category. He carded 79 and 80 for 15 over par 159.
Bruce Levy 167 (85, 82) topped the Men & Men Senior 7-12 section and was one shot ahead of second place Spencer Chung 168 (77, 91) while Nigel Davey 181 (88, 93) placed third.
The top three in the Men & Men Senior 13-24 were Damion Anderson 189, Aubyn Ferguson 192 and Courtney Cephas who also posted 192.
Mike Boyd 148 (77, 71) won the Men Super Senior 0-12 category by five strokes ahead of Mike Gleichman 153 (87, 75) while Robert Chin 154 (79,75) was third.
George Wright (191) copped the Men Super Senior 12-24 category while Linval Green 208 was second.
Dave Lyn 164 and Philip Wilson 168 were first and second in the Masters category.
Jerome Thomas (182) was first in the Boys 18 and Under section while Canada’s Davin Hogan won the Boys 14-15 age group. The Boys 11-13 section went to Kemari Morris 171 ahead of Cameron Coe 193.
French football icon Just Fontaine has died at the age of 89.
The forward holds the record for the most goals scored in a single edition of a World Cup, hitting a haul of 13 in just six matches of the 1958 tournament as France reached the semi-finals for the first time.
Fontaine's flurry of goals included a hat-trick in his tournament debut against Paraguay and four in the third-place play-off win against West Germany, which ensured he had scored in every game.
Despite just featuring at one World Cup, only three players have scored more in the competition – Gerd Muller (14), Brazil great Ronaldo (15) and Miroslav Klose (16). Lionel Messi tied Fontaine's tally of 13 in Qatar in his fifth participation.
Forced to retire at the age of 28 due to injury, Fontaine's international record stands at 30 goals from 21 caps.
At club level, Fontaine won the Coupe de France and Ligue 1 with Nice before joining Reims, where he won a further three league titles, the Coupe de France and was twice victorious in the Trophee des Champions.
The striker was also part of the side that reached the European Cup final in 1958-59, losing to Real Madrid.
He later moved into management and took charge of Paris Saint-Germain, Tolouse and the Morocco national side.
PSG were among the clubs to send their condolences to Fontaine following confirmation of his passing on Wednesday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo believes fans take the level of his game for granted, though it is not something he has a problem with.
The Milwaukee Bucks forward scored 33 points in a 118-104 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, which extended the team's winning streak to 15 matches.
Antetokounmpo returned for the game after missing Sunday's win over the Phoenix Suns due to a quad injury, having also dealt with a wrist injury during the All-Star break.
His return saw his highest points total since a haul of 36 against the Boston Celtics in mid-February and he feels supporters take his performances for granted.
"Yes. And it's okay. I don't think I'm the first, I don't think I'm the last," he replied when asked if felt that was the case.
"I feel like people take for granted Kevin Durant, people take for granted LeBron James, people take for granted Stephen Curry. You see all this greatness every day and they take it for granted until they're not there no more.
"And you're like, 'Oh, man. I miss those guys. I miss the show that they put on.' It's okay.
"As I said, I'm not the first. I'm not going to be the last. I just got to keep on going out there, enjoying the game of basketball.
"Because when I stop enjoying the game of basketball, the game is done. I got to keep on enjoying, keep on building, keep on trying to win games.
"I can't control what other people think. If they take it for granted, I can't control that, I don't take it for granted.
"When I go out there I try to give everything that I have – four minutes, five minutes that I played against Chicago, that's all I had.
"The All-Star Game when I played 10 seconds, that's all I had. Against Miami at home, I don't know how much I played, that's all I had.
"Today, I played 30 minutes, that's all I had. If I keep on giving everything I have, and I know I don't take it for granted, I'm okay with that. If other people take it for granted, it's their opinion, their mindset, it's okay."
Kyrie Irving accepts he needs "scale back" the pressure he is putting on himself after his shooting struggles continued in the Dallas Mavericks' loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The eight-time NBA All-Star scored 16 points in Tuesday's 124-122 defeat at American Airlines Center as the Mavs dropped to seventh in the Western Conference.
He has averaged 24.7 points in his seven games since joining in a high-profile trade from the Brooklyn Nets, taking his overall average for the season to 26.7.
Irving has made just 15 of his 40 field-goal attempts over the Mavs' past two games and missed a potential game-winning three late on against the Pacers.
Speaking after his side's fifth defeat in six outings, Irving said: "I appreciate the coaching staff and my team-mates trusting me with that shot and the comfort they gave me.
"I really want to win here. I really put a lot of pressure on myself at times. I think I need to scale it back a little bit.
"In the second half of the season, we feel we've got to be great every single possession. Usually these learning curves happen in preseason, but it's happening now.
"It definitely puts a glaring eye on what we're doing right and what we're doing wrong.
"It's easy to criticise, but for us, I've just got to focus on being the best that I can be and showing up for not only Luka [Doncic], but for my team-mates."
Partnering Irving with fellow superstar Doncic was supposed to bring instant success to the Mavs, but the former does not believe he has yet to truly arrive.
"It's the big business, baby," Irving said. "As much pressure as I put on myself, I have goals that I would love to accomplish, but all those are pushed to the side.
"I know I have 15 other guys on this team that are relying on me to do things that they've either seen me do or they're expecting me to do as one of the best players in the league.
"So sitting alongside Luka, I just have to show up to the party.
"I've been in situations in this league. Some have been failures, some have been successes, but over the last few years I've made it a goal of mine to be stronger mentally, especially dealing with the rigours of this mentally, physically, emotionally. It'll come. It'll come."
The Mavs are back in action on Thursday when taking on the Philadelphia 76ers.
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