Kings XI Punjab have overhauled their support staff for IPL 2020, with the most high-profile appointment being that of Andy Flower as assistant coach. The former Zimbabwe captain brings a wealth of coaching experience, having helped England to their first-ever ICC trophy with the T20 World Cup victory in the Caribbean in 2010. During his stint with England, Flower had also coached them to No.1 on the ICC Test rankings, and more recently he had coached Maratha Arabians to the T10 title last November.

Flower replaces former India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi, who was appointed chairman of India's selection committee on Thursday. This will be Flower's first assignment in the IPL.

"I am truly excited to come on board as the assistant coach for Kings XI Punjab and look forward to working with Anil Kumble this edition of the IPL," Flower told the Kings XI website. "The team looks great and we have a fantastic line up and top-notch support staff and we can't wait to show the world what the Shers are capable of."

Trainer Adrian Le Roux and physio Andrew Leipus, who had worked closely with Kumble when he was playing for India, will reunite at Kings XI. Le Roux and Leipus have IPL experience as well, having been part of the Kolkata Knight Riders set-up in the past. They will be assisted by masseur Naresh Kumar. Meanwhile, Charl Langeveldt was appointed the franchise's bowling coach. The 45-year old is currently working with South Africa in a similar capacity. Jonty Rhodes was named the fielding coach and Wasim Jaffer, who had retired on Saturday, the batting coach

Kings XI will also have a new captain in KL Rahul, after they had traded R Ashwin to Delhi Capitals. They will open their campaign in Delhi against Delhi Capitals on March 30.

March 8: Lahore Qalanders v Karachi Kings, Lahore

Our XI: Ben Dunk, Chris Lynn, Babar Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Alex Hales, Imad Wasim, Samit Patel, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Irshad/Dilbar Hussain, Umer Khan, Mohammad Amir

Captain: Alex Hales

Hales has scored 101 runs at a strike rate of 177.19 in his last two innings. He has scored the most number of runs (1678) as an opener in the T20 format since 2019 at a strike rate of 145.40.

Vice-captain: Chris Lynn

Lynn has scored 107 runs in five innings at a strike-rate of 162.12 in the tournament so far. Probably not the best of tournaments for him yet, but the big hitter can never be written off. Since 2019, in all T20s, Lynn has faced 864 balls and has scored a four or a six once every five balls. Do keep in mind though, that Lynn missed Lahore Qalandars' last game, against Quetta Gladiators, with sickness.

Hot picks

Babar Azam: Azam has scored two fifties in the tournament so far and Karachi have won on both those occasions. Karachi will be looking for another big score from him in this game. He has scored 187 runs at a strike rate of 124.67 in PSL 2020.

Sharjeel Khan: Sharjeel had gotten off to a few starts in the tournament but failed to convert those starts into significant scores. His 20-ball 38 against Islamabad is proof that he can score quickly and score big. His strike rate in the powerplay in this edition of the PSL is 158.

Ben Dunk: Dunk has scored at a strike rate of 205.40 in the middle overs this PSL, the best in the tournament. His strike rate against spin in T20s is 141.93 while his strike rate against pace is 126.09.

Value picks

Imad Wasim: Imad has an economy of 7.16 in the powerplay in the PSL since 2018. That is the third highest amongst all spinners who have bowled 100 or more balls. He picked up 2 for 14 in the abandoned game against Multan Sultans on Friday.

Umer Khan: The 20-year-old left-arm spinner has picked up a wicket in each of the three games he has bowled in so far in the tournament. He has a good economy of 7.30 as well in the format.

Points to note

• The pitch at the Gadaffi Stadium has been much better to bat on than expected this year so consider having an extra batsman or an all-rounder in place of a bowler.

• Chris Lynn's availability is uncertain. If he is fit, he's a shoo-in, but if not, consider picking another top order batsman.

Marnus Labuschagne was proud to have put on a show for his extended South African family, even though he was unable to cap his day with victory for his adopted nation, as his maiden limited-overs century fell short of securing a consolation victory for Australia in the third ODI at Potchefstroom.

Labuschagne made a run-a-ball 108 out of Australia's 254 for 7, as he first helped his side recover from a ropey 55 for 3 after 15 overs, before kicking on to help add 61 in the final six overs. But despite his best efforts, South Africa sauntered to a 3-0 series sweep, winning with six wickets and 27 balls to spare thanks to Jon-Jon Smuts' 84 and Heinrich Klaasen's 68 not out from 63 balls.

"It's very special to come back to where I grew up and put runs on the board," Labuschagne said, "but it's disappointing to lose the game. It makes you second-guess yourself. Should I have tried to go earlier, try to get 280 or 300, but that's part of the game. You need to make sure you learn."

Nevertheless, having grown up in the town of Klerksdorp, some 50km across the Highveld, this was a homecoming to savour for Labuschagne, who had some 50 friends and family packing the stands at Senwes Park and who for the most part went home extremely satisfied - with runs for their boy, but a victory for their home team.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Labuschagne said. "It was amazing, the excitement. There was 50 of my family here and for them to see that moment, my first one-day hundred, was very special for me and for them as well.

"Both my grandparents were here today," he added. "It's so special. The love and support I have gotten from them for a long time now, since I started playing cricket, they're always interested and they always care and it's really nice to be able to perform in front of them, especially after I got a duck last game. Both my grandparents are amazing and it's a privilege to have them both here. I think my grandma would have shed some tears today."

However, it's just as well for the extended Labuschagne tribe that Klerksdorp isn't closer to Bloemfontein than Potchefstroom. For that was the venue of Marnus's first-ball duck in Wednesday's series-deciding loss, even if the highs and lows of cricket are something that all professionals need to take in their stride.

"It's part of the game," Labuschagne said. "I was disappointed not because I didn't score runs for them but because we lost. If I got a duck and we won the game, it's alright, we've won the game.

ALSO READ: Marnus Labuschagne's South African origins and the pronunciation conundrum

"It was disappointing to lose, [we were looking] to turn it around today, [but] 250 is probably not enough on that wicket and there's probably a few different things that I could have done. It's nice to score a hundred but to lose a game is still very disappointing."

Australia's defeat capped a poor ODI leg of their tour, having won the T20Is 2-1 with two comprehensive victories either side of a tight 12-run defeat in Port Elizabeth, and gives them plenty to ponder as they look to regroup for the series against New Zealand that gets underway in Sydney next week.

Nevertheless, when the dust settles on this result, Labuschagne knows that his home-town performance is one for the family annals, especially given how much of his cricket identity is invested in the region.

"I was playing cricket 24/7," he said of his childhood in Klerksdorp. "When we were here, my uncle used to throw me balls, when we were in Australia my sister used to feed me balls on the bowling machine. Everyone has played a part in some way or another.

"My mom or my dad used to sit on the chair for hours and hours, and I'd be taking diving catches," he added. "That's just the way it is. Family is such a big part in my life and it was a nice experience to play in front of them today.

"I wasn't nervous at all. I was kind of excited, coming back to the place that I grew up in. It was nice to hear the cheering when you reach those milestones. You never how that's going to end up, if the crowd love you or hate you. Maybe it's a bit of both, a bit of love-hate. It's exciting to be able to play in front of them, and maybe next year be back here."

A number of NFL owners hope the proposed collective bargaining agreement doesn't pass with the players because they believe they can negotiate a better deal with eyes on an 18-game season in the future, a league source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Saturday.

"They think they can get a better deal next year," the source said. "They feel they gave up too much on the economics."

The owners told commissioner Roger Goodell of their belief at an owners meeting in New York in February, citing frustration with the players' monetary increases and the increase in the size of active rosters.

The owners approved the proposed CBA last month, though ESPN reported at the time that the vote was not unanimous. Three-fourths of the owners had to approve the CBA for it to be ratified.

Players have until 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday to cast their votes on the proposed CBA via DocuSign. The CBA will pass if it receives a simple majority (50% plus one vote) of ballots sent in. The agreement would be in effect for the 2020 league year, but the possible 17th regular-season game would not be added until the 2021 season at the earliest.

If the CBA is approved, the NFL regular season could not be expanded past 17 games through the life of the deal, which would run through the 2030 season.

But a handful of owners want an 18-game season eventually, and that could come up in future negotiations if the players don't approve the CBA next week.

In July, NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith acknowledged that the NFL had raised the idea of an 18-game schedule in early labor negotiations, but he said he didn't see it happening.

"I don't see an 18-game schedule -- under any circumstance -- being in the best interest of our players," Smith said at the time. "If somebody wants to make an 18-game proposal, we'll look at it. I haven't seen anything that makes me think that it would be good for the players."

The Brooklyn Nets and head coach Kenny Atkinson are parting ways, the team announced Saturday morning.

"After discussions with Kenny about the progress of the season, we mutually agreed that a coaching change would be in the best interest of the team," general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. "This was an extremely difficult decision, however the organization believes it is one that is necessary at this time.

"Kenny was instrumental in developing our players and building the identity and culture we have become known for over these past four seasons. The foundation he helped put into place here is one that we will continue to build on in the coming seasons."

Assistant coach Jacque Vaughn will serve as the team's head coach for the rest of the season. Brooklyn next plays Sunday at home against the Chicago Bulls.

At 28-34, the Nets are seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, despite injuries to free-agent acquisitions Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Durant will miss the entire season while he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon. Irving, who played in 20 games, underwent arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to fix an impingement in his right shoulder and will miss the rest of the season.

According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index, the Nets have a 99.5% chance of reaching the playoffs. Atkinson would have been the first Nets coach in back-to-back postseasons since Lawrence Frank from 2005-07.

Atkinson took over the rebuilding Nets for the start of the 2016-17 season and compiled a 118-190 record in three-plus seasons. After consecutive seasons of over 50 losses to begin his tenure, Atkinson led Brooklyn to its first playoff appearance in four years last season.

Los Angeles Angels right-hander Griffin Canning is expected to miss the start of the season as he continues to undergo treatment for elbow discomfort, the team announced Friday.

The Angels said Canning will be reassessed in three to four weeks after undergoing "biological injections" on Friday to address the discomfort. An MRI last month had revealed chronic changes to the ulnar collateral ligament and acute joint irritation.

Los Angeles opens the regular season March 26 against the Houston Astros.

Canning, 23, went 5-6 with a 4.58 ERA last season before being shut down in August with elbow inflammation.

Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado remains day-to-day after an MRI showed he has a mild left wrist sprain, according to the team.

Mercado suffered the injury while making a diving catch in an exhibition game Thursday against the San Francisco Giants.

Mercado, 25, is penciled in for a starting spot in the outfield this year. His versatility will allow manager Terry Francona to play him in any of the three outfield positions, but mostly in center.

Mercado batted .269 with 15 homers and 59 RBIs in 118 games last season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Wild card Richie has a hunger for success
By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor

Richie Fallows, the rising squash star from Stratford, aims to serve up a real treat for his army of fans in the St. James’s Place Canary Wharf Classic on Sunday.

He warmed up for the event by playing doubles – and built up his pre-match energy levels with a family favourite meal of pie and mash!

Fallows faces a tough task against England number one James Willstrop, the Commonwealth Games champion who recently won a fourth National title to add to his four Canary Wharf titles.

Fallows says playing on the glass court is “a dream come true” and, making it even more special, he and Willstrop are first on court at 2pm on the opening day of this sell-out PSA World Tour Gold event.

The 24-year-old, who is ranked 54 in the world, prepared for his big occasion by spending the week training in Manchester with the England Academy squad.

Fallows said: “It was great fun training with the squad and a lot of the focus was on the doubles, with the World Championships in Australia next year ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022.

“I got home late on Thursday night and met up with my family today. It’s a long-standing family tradition that every Friday we meet up in Leytonstone and have pie and mash for lunch!

“My dad John even has a pie and mash WhatsApp group!”

Fallows follows in the famous footsteps of football legend David Beckham, who also listed pie and mash as his favourite meal.

You can’t get any more Cockney than that and Fallows is guaranteed lot of local support when he faces Willstrop on Sunday.

He was planning some light training at St Albans last night (Friday) and added: “I’ll have another quick hit on the glass court on Saturday night when it’s ready.”

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He earned his place in the main draw of London’s top tournament by winning last year’s Wild Card Challenge against Kent’s Josh Masters.

And Fallows is looking forward to another solid performance on the spectacular glass court inside Canary Wharf’s East Wintergarden venue.

“I am really looking forward to it,” said Fallows. “It’s always a great atmosphere at Canary Wharf and to play on the glass court last year was a dream come true. It’s something I’ve wanted to do ever since I began playing squash.

“I’ve watched James Willstrop play in some amazing matches down the years and he is one of the guys I look up to, for sure.

“However, I am confident of winning every time I go on court and Sunday is no exception. It will be nice to be playing on my own doorstep and having family and friends there to cheer me on.

“All the players love Canary Wharf because it’s a sell-out crowd from day one and that really creates a magnificent atmosphere. With a big crowd looking on, you just want to play your best.

“It’s best of three, so you have to be focused from the first point and really go for it.”

Pictures courtesy of PATRICK LAUSON and RICHIE FALLOWS

Former Wales centre Matthew J Watkins has died at the age of 41 after a long illness.

Watkins retired in 2011 and revealed in 2013 he had been diagnosed with a rare form of pelvic cancer.

He leaves his wife Stacey and sons Siôr and Tal.

Two of his former teams, Dragons and Scarlets, paid tribute to Watkins. He also played for Gloucester and Wales A and fundraised for cancer charities after his playing career ended.

Watkins graduated to Dragons via the Newbridge, Pontllanfraith and Newport clubs.

Dragons said: "Everyone at Dragons Rugby is deeply saddened at the passing of our former player Matthew J Watkins."

Their statement added: "Matthew will be missed by so many and our sincere condolences go out to Matthew's wife Stacey, his sons Siôr and Tal, family and friends.

"The thoughts of everyone at Dragons Rugby are with them all at this very sad time."

Scarlets echoed Dragons' sentiments, and said: "He is fondly remembered as a silky-skilled, creative midfielder, who was a hugely popular figure among our supporters, the playing squad and staff at Stradey."

Gloucester tweeted: "Everybody at Gloucester Rugby are saddened to hear the news that our former player, Matthew J Watkins, has passed away at the age of 41. A man who battled so bravely and admirably.

"Our heartfelt sympathies go out to Matthew's family and friends."

Tributes to Watkins flooded social media with current, former players and leading figures from within rugby and other sports offering condolences.

Newport RFC tweeted: "We are all extremely saddened to learn of the passing of ex-B&A and Wales international, Matthew J Watkins.

"Matthew played 131 times for the club in 2 stints and was inducted into our Hall of Fame in 2018.

"We send all our thoughts and love to Matthew's family and friends."

More to follow.

Australia allrounder Ellyse Perry will be out of action for six months while recovering from the high-grade right hamstring injury she suffered during the T20 World Cup that ruled her out of the tournament before the semi-finals.

The injury that she picked up during Australia's must-win match against New Zealand could require a surgery sometime next week. It has now ruled her out of the tour of South Africa later this month, which includes three ODIs, which are part of the ICC Women's Championship, and three T20Is starting March 22.

Perry, who wasn't replaced after her injury, called the setback a personal "challenge." But she was glad the team management wanted her to stay with the squad as the team looked to defend their 2018 T20 World Cup title, in the final against India on Sunday.

"Closer to six months," Perry said when asked when she might be returning to play. "That's something (surgery) that has been discussed and probably in the next week or so."

"It's something you go through over the course of time but from my perspective, I've had the most incredible run, been very, very fortunate with injury over a long period of time. First and foremost tomorrow (the final) is the most important thing, what it represents for the group and the sport, but on a personal note, it's a challenge and looking forward to it in a roundabout way [even if] I wish it wasn't the case."

Perry also said it will be difficult not being nervous watching the final at the MCG from the sidelines. She wants her team-mates to stay relaxed on the big day.

"[At the final, I'll] probably be trying to keep my nerves at bay," she said. "Aside from that, I feel incredibly fortunate and really chuffed that Motty (Matthew Mott) and the group wanted to keep me around. So it is really nice to be here and take it all in.

"I'm sure everyone is nervous, but in a roundabout way the way our tournament has gone, the challenges we've had along the way with really tough matches, early loss, a few injuries, it hasn't been smooth sailing so tomorrow is a chance to just relax and make the most of it. You certainly want to be successful but in a lot of ways, the girls just deserve to enjoy it and take it all in. We are probably going to play the best cricket doing that.

"Stepping foot into the ground today, having the chats has made it really real and it's one of those opportunities for the squad to absolutely enjoy the occasion and make the most of it. It's a very special time."