Australia's star allrounder Ellyse Perry suffered a right hamstring injury while fielding during the winner-takes-all clash with New Zealand at the Junction Oval.

Perry fielded a ball at mid-off and threw in one motion, off balance, trying to run out New Zealand captain Sophie Devine. She immediately crumpled to the ground clutching her right hamstring. She hobbled off with a significant limp and a concerned look on her face.

Perry came into the game in doubt due to a hip complaint that restricted her training in the build-up. She had to pass a fitness on the morning of the game to be cleared to play.

Perry made 21 from 15 with the bat but was not running with her usual fluency during the innings and was kept away from outfield duties in the field. She is normally posted at deep midwicket as one of Australia's best fielders but spent the first 11 overs fielding in the ring, predominantly at mid-off.

More to follow

Australia 155 for 5 (Mooney 60) beat New Zealand 151 for 7 (Devine 31, Green 28, Wareham 3-17, Schutt 3-28)

Australia suffered a grievous blow to their chances of lifting the T20 World Cup even as they survived a virtual elimination final against New Zealand, as Ellyse Perry limped from the Junction Oval with what appeared to be a serious hamstring injury.

With the semi-finals slated for Thursday in Sydney and the final at the MCG on Sunday, Perry has next to no time to recover, after already battling shoulder and hip complaints during the early part of the tournament. The worries around Perry detracted from what was otherwise a sturdy display to squeeze out New Zealand, as the hosts put together a sensible innings after being sent in by Sophie Devine, and then defended the target stoutly either side of Perry's injury.

The pivotal spell was delivered by the wrist spinner Georgia Wareham, who defeated both Devine and Suzie Bates while also plucking out Maddy Green in a performance that suggested she may have been given a bowling berth earlier in the tournament. Wareham's success also left the Australian selectors pondering whether, should Perry be replaced, they opt for more wrist spin in the squad, having already called in Molly Strano to replace Tayla Vlaeminck on tournament eve.

Lanning's early dash

Australia's captain Meg Lanning had indicated on match eve that her team enjoyed the chance to take stock after a hectic early schedule, and was endeavouring to bring a greater air of calmness to proceedings after they flirted with summary elimination in their first two matches. To that end, it was Lanning walking out as a traditional No. 3 at the fall of Alyssa Healy's wicket - the first time it has been Lanning coming in at the fall of Healy instead of Ash Gardner in nearly two years of the pair rotating Nos. 3 and 4.

With Beth Mooney playing serenely at the other end, balancing power and poise, Lanning did not make a big score. But her positive and clear-headed 21 enabled the Australians to build steadily from the start and avoid the loss of early wickets, easing the task for the middle order to maintain and then increase the rate. If Lanning looked disgusted with herself to be out top edging a sweep at Anna Peterson, she had played a useful part in helping set the hosts on her way.

Mooney the spine, Perry the finish

The contrast between Lanning and Gardner was underlined when the No. 4 was tied in knots by Amelia Kerr and then bowled by Leigh Kasperek, having nevertheless played her part in a fruitful stand worth 52 in 43 balls with Mooney. As a top-order platform innings in a high pressure game with the occasional big hit, Mooney's effort could scarcely be faulted, and it took a sublime catch by Bates, running around in front of the sight screen, to dismiss her.

In doubt before the match, Perry arrived at No. 5, her highest post for the tournament so far, and with Haynes belted the late innings runs that ensured Australia would pass 150 for the second fixture in a row. Together they ensured 41 runs were piled up from the final four overs of the innings, as both found the boundary and Haynes cleared it with one deft paddle over the head of fine leg. Kerr flighted the ball past Perry from the penultimate ball of the innings, but New Zealand's target would require them to break a national chasing record.

New Zealand pressured before Perry falls

On the slowing Junction Oval pitch, New Zealand could expect some of the biggest questions to be asked by spin bowlers, and Jess Jonassen did not disappoint by finding a way past Rachael Priest. However, at 39 for 1 after the Powerplay, New Zealand were actually a run better placed than Australia at the same stage, with their star duo Devine and Bates plotting a way forward on a sunny St Kilda afternoon.

Enter Wareham, who had not bowled a full four-over spell for the Australians since the tour of the West Indies in September last year and spent more time out of the team than in it. Her wrist spin is not always big on side spin but it is most certainly accurate, and by getting one on line to Bates and then reviewing the lbw decision, she claimed a vital break for her team. Unhappier tidings were to follow when Perry, fielding at mid-off and throwing off-balance, appeared to hurt her right hamstring, leaving the field in emotional turmoil as well as physical discomfort.

Wareham cleans up

There was a brief moment's shock for the Australians after Perry hobbled off and New Zealand looked to be loading up for a final charge to the semi-finals. But Lanning had the good sense not to persist with Gardner after her offspin went for 11 from one over, recalling Wareham to the attack and immediately reaping the rewards. Generating good dip and just enough turn, Wareham deceived Devine as she ran down the track, giving Healy plenty of time to complete the stumping.

In Wareham's final over, Green flicked a full toss through square leg for the only boundary the leg spinner would concede, but then fell in similar fashion to Devine, stumped as she charged down to find the boundary but failed to reach the pitch of a leg break. Figures of 3 for 17 from four overs were a handsome reward for Wareham, and opened the question of whether Australia, as they closed things out with some aplomb, might need to consider more wrist spin into the team to replace Perry. They will also have to ponder the overs bowled by Gardner, who conceded 26 from two overs - these could easily have been far more damaging figures on another day.

George Linde, the left-arm spinner who made his Test debut in India last October, is in line for his first ODI appearance in the same country after being named in South Africa's 15-man squad for a three-match series from March 12. Linde replaced Tabraiz Shamsi, who will not make the trip as he awaits the birth of his first child. South Africa have two other spin options in Keshav Maharaj and allrounder Jon-Jon Smuts and have recalled rested players Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen to the playing group.

The pair are sitting out the ongoing ODI series against Australia, along with Dwaine Pretorius, who will not travel to India. Instead, Andile Phehlukwayo will operate as the first-choice pace-bowling allrounder. South Africa have four other seamers in their squad: Lungi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks and Anrich Nortje, with Kagiso Rabada unavailable because of a groin strain.

That means South Africa will make the trip with an experienced attack, but they have countered that by including their most experienced batsman. Du Plessis returns to the ODI squad for the first time since the 2019 World Cup, and since the captaincy was handed over to Quinton de Kock, though he has played under de Kock in T20Is since. South Africa also appear to have settled on Temba Bavuma as de Kock's opening partner, with Janneman Malan, who is currently in the position, left out. Malan made his debut alongside de Kock on Saturday night in Paarl but made a first-ball duck and left the field with cramp. He remains available for the next two matches against Australia.

There is still no room in the squad for Zubayr Hamza, who is the leading run-scorer in the domestic one-day cup, or Reeza Hendricks, who made his return to domestic cricket with a century for the Lions on Sunday. However, with the next World Cup three years away, there is expected to be an opportunity for them in the future.

"It is exciting to see the amount of competition for spots that we have within the team and in the franchises, it's a good headache for us as selectors to have," Linda Zondi, CSA's independent selector, said. "We are satisfied with our picks for what will certainly be a challenging tour of India. We saw some promising performances last year from the T20 squad that travelled there and we wanted to give a player like George Linde another crack at the conditions which seemed to really suit him. We are also particularly pleased with the balance of youth and experience that we have achieved while our young leadership group continues to establish itself. We are looking forward to some good performances in this relatively short tour."

The India tour is South Africa's final series of the 2019-20 summer, which has been a tough one for the new coaching regime under Mark Boucher. South Africa have yet to win a series having lost the Test and T20I rubbers against England, and squared the ODI series and lost the T20I series to Australia. They are currently 1-0 up against Australia in the ODI series.

The team have a lengthy winter break and will return to action in May for a white-ball series against Sri Lanka before a two-Test and five-T20I tour of the Caribbean while there is also the option of a three-match T20I series in Pakistan ahead of the T20 World Cup.

NEW ORLEANS -- The Los Angeles Lakers needed every bit of LeBron James' 34-point, 13-assist, 12-rebound triple-double Sunday to stave off Zion Williamson's career-best 35 points in L.A.'s 122-114 win to sweep the season series against the New Orleans Pelicans.

After it was all over, James and Williamson met for an embrace at half court, with the 35-year-old in his 17th season passing on some words of encouragement for the 19-year-old taking the NBA by storm in his rookie season.

After sharing his message with Williamson, James had another message for anyone who would choose to critique his decision to embrace an up-and-coming competitor that he could very well see again in the first round of the playoffs.

"Anybody that says that, 'LeBron, why would he do that while he's playing? It's a sign of weakness. ... He's buddy-buddy with the guys he's going against.' Tell them to kiss my ass," James said to wrap up his postgame locker room session. "All right? With a smile, too. Appreciate it."

James and Williamson gave fans tuning in plenty of moments to appreciate in an encore that managed to top what already was a strong debut matchup between the two stars earlier in the week, when James scored a season-high 40 points to get the best of a 29-point effort from Williamson at Staples Center.

The two went back and forth late in the first half, with James tossing in a 35-foot 3-pointer to tie the score at 61 with 33.4 seconds left in the second quarter immediately following a powerful dunk by Williamson that shook the rim and shook up the Smoothie King Center.

"Zion had a hell of a move right before that got the crowd into it," James said. "I looked up at the clock and seen that we had a great opportunity for a 2-for-1. And nine times out of 10, maybe 10 times out of 10, a lot of guys are not going to contest that shot because they think I'm shooting it from too far. So I knew I would have some space. I worked on it before the game and I was able to knock it down."

A 2-for-1 opportunity occurs at the end of a quarter with typically fewer than 40 seconds remaining when a team will look for a quick shot early in the shot clock, knowing that they'll get another possession before the quarter is up even if the other team uses all 24 seconds of their possession.

"He just has a knack for hitting those kind of shots," said Kyle Kuzma, who was L.A.'s second-leading scorer with 20 points as former Pelican Anthony Davis sat out because of tightness in his right knee. "Especially deep shots. Big bucket before the half."

Lakers coach Frank Vogel said James' shot felt as if it were from 40 feet out and should have counted as a 4-pointer.

"He's earned some freedom to take those types of shots from time to time," Vogel said. "We know he can hit them."

James has also earned his team's trust in late-game situations. He scored 13 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, to go with three assists, as he picked apart New Orleans' schemes in a final frame that L.A. won 29-19.

He put the game on ice with a 3-pointer on the right wing with 2:27 remaining over Williamson that put the Lakers up by five, and marched down the court with his tongue out relishing the moment.

"I mean, he is who he is," Williamson said. "He's an incredible player. I give respect when it's due. He hit a big shot that helped them seal the game."

Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry went even further with his praise.

"I'm just amazed that they talk about anybody other than him for MVP," Gentry said. "That's what he does. Every team that he's been to, every team that he's gone have a chance to win the championship. To me, I'm not sure what the definition of MVP is, but he makes everyone on his team better, makes it difficult for everybody playing him."

Williamson became the first teenager in league history with two 25-plus-point efforts against the Lakers franchise, and James improved L.A.'s record to 19-0 this season when he scores 30-plus points.

The No. 1 pick out of Duke did not want to reveal everything the former No. 1 pick out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School said to him.

"It definitely means something, 'cause he's been doing this for 17 years and his résumé speaks for itself. So for him to say that, holds something," Williamson said. "That's all I can say about that."

James, however, just as he did the night before after playing against Memphis Grizzlies' phenom Ja Morant, uncoiled compliment after compliment about Williamson.

"You have to actually be out on the floor to actually feel the strength and the speed that he plays at," James said. "It's a hell of a rookie class, I'll tell you that. These kids are special."

It's a practice that James does not plan to stop any time soon.

"It's my obligation and it's my job to continue to pass on the game to the guys that's coming in after me," James said. "That's just my responsibility. No one told me to do that. I just feel like it's my responsibility to leave the game in a better place than when I had it.

"And when you see the class of guys that's in our league right now -- like I've mentioned Ja last night, you mention Zion tonight, you see Trae Young, you see Luka Doncic, you see Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell -- you see all these guys, these young guys. The league is in a very good place, and if I'm able to give my wisdom and game and pass it down, no matter while I'm playing or after I'm playing, I feel like it's my job. Because the game has just given me so much since I started playing when I was 8 years old. So it's my responsibility."

NEW ORLEANS -- On Sunday morning prior to the New Orleans Pelicans' final regular-season matchup of the year with the Los Angeles Lakers, Pelicans guard Josh Hart was asked about the potential of playing his former team in the playoffs.

"That's gonna be us being here and he stays there, that'll be the talk just about every year whenever we play them," Hart said. "If we play them in the playoffs, it'll be who won the trade, this, that and the other."

The "us" is Hart and teammates Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram.

The "he" is Anthony Davis.

And the trade is the one that brought the Pelicans and Lakers together this summer.

In January 2019, Davis made it clear to Pelicans' management that he didn't want to be a part of the organization going forward. After a deal wasn't found before the trade deadline, Davis stayed with New Orleans for the rest of the season.

At the end of the year, the Pelicans hired David Griffin to run the basketball operations. His first major task was figuring out what to do with -- and where to send -- Davis. Before he could do that, the Pelicans struck gold in May when they won the NBA lottery and the right to draft Zion Williamson.

Davis still made it clear he wanted to be dealt, and Griffin landed on a deal sending Davis to Los Angeles for Hart, Ball, Ingram, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, a first-round pick in either 2021 or 2022 (if it's top eight in 2021, it will go to New Orleans, if not, it will be unprotected in 2022), an unprotected pick swap in 2023 as well as an unprotected pick swap in 2024 that the Pelicans could opt to defer to 2025.

Now, Davis is in a starring role alongside LeBron James as the Lakers hold the top seed in the Western Conference. The Pelicans' rebuild has been accelerated, and New Orleans is in the thick of a playoff push thanks to Williamson, Ingram, Ball and Hart's play.

So when Hart says the discussion surrounding the two teams will be about who won the trade, the answer may already be known: Both teams.

All Davis wanted was a chance to compete for a championship, something he has been able to do this season. The Pelicans wanted the best possible return for Davis, even if trade partners seemed to be shrinking by the minute last spring.

Griffin and the Pelicans got everything they could from the Lakers and also flipped the No. 4 pick in the draft to the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 8, 17 and 35 overall picks -- which turned into center Jaxson Hayes, guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker and international prospect Didi Louzada, who is playing this season in Australia. New Orleans also picked up a heavily protected 2020 first-round pick from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the deal while sending Solomon Hill, the No. 57 pick and a future second to Atlanta.

Davis is averaging a team-best 26.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks for the Lakers while helping to lead the team to a conference-best 46-13 record -- 5½ games better than the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans are 26-34 after Sunday's loss to the Lakers and are three games back of the Memphis Grizzlies for the eighth and final spot in the playoffs -- and a likely Round 1 playoff series against Los Angeles in mid-April.

With Williamson hurt early in the year, the Pelicans stumbled to a 6-22 start that included a 13-game losing streak. But they have found their way since Christmas, going 18-11 for a top-10 win percentage of .621 since the holiday. While Williamson was out, Ingram turned into an All-Star, earning his first selection to the NBA's midseason exhibition.

Ingram is averaging career highs in points (24.6 per game), rebounds (6.3), assists (4.3) and steals (1.0). Ingram has made more 3-pointers this season with New Orleans (129) than he made in three seasons with the Lakers (127), and he's making those 3-pointers while shooting a career-best 39.2% from deep.

Ingram is set to be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, but all indications from the Pelicans' front office are that they love Ingram and want to keep him around long term -- even if it means a max deal in the offseason.

Ball has found his way since Christmas, averaging 13.0 points, 8.3 assists and 7.2 rebounds and shooting 37.6% from deep in that span. He also has formed a bond on and off the floor with Williamson.

And Hart has been a key cog for New Orleans off the bench, averaging 10.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 2.0 3s per game. There are 15 players in the league averaging those numbers, and Hart is the only one who primarily comes off the bench; and the Pelicans are the only team in the league with three players on that list, as Hart is joined by Ball and Ingram.

Hart and Ingram are restricted free agents and eligible for extensions this offseason. Both could end up as building blocks for what the Pelicans want to do in the future -- which is get to where the Lakers are now.

"They are the measuring stick in the West right now, and I don't think we're that extremely far away from being able to compete at that level," Gentry said following Sunday's loss. "We have a lot of young guys and a lot of things to learn."

Despite being on the outside looking in at the playoffs, Ingram said he can see the light at the end of the tunnel for what the young Pelicans want to become.

"I don't see it just in games, but in the work we do every single day away from these games," Ingram said Sunday night. "How we practice and the attitudes and the character that we show every single day. I think we have the same approach every single day, and having the same approach is going to make us better."

Lonzo Brees sounds about right

— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) March 2, 2020

Members of the professional team that shares an owner and a complex with the Pelicans are noticing. After a couple of long passes down the court, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas tweeted "Lonzo Brees sounds about right," referencing the Saints' quarterback Drew Brees.

Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, who owns season tickets and just finished his ninth season in New Orleans, is watching the Pelicans "push for these playoffs...":

That game tonight was Liiive!!! I know we ain win but there's hella promise in this team. Peli's pushing for these playoffs and I'm bout it!!! Let's gooo!!! @PelicansNBA pic.twitter.com/svC3kF2PZw

— cameron jordan (@camjordan94) March 2, 2020

... That is, a playoff push that'll very likely have New Orleans heading to face the same Lakers team that completed a regular-season sweep against them Sunday. And even if the Pelicans don't make it there, the Anthony Davis trade that sent both teams on different paths looks like a slam dunk for both organizations.

"India were overawed by the conditions in their 2-0 series defeat to New Zealand, a fear Virat Kohli said he has never seen in any of the times he has captained the side. And it's all in the mind, according to him. Kohli said that they lost the battle in their heads, and needed to be more positive and clear-headed when confronted with similar situations and conditions."

Kohli was asked what mistakes his side needed to rectify. "Having clarity, as batsmen," he said. "We have performed in difficult conditions in the past as well, and we understand that we were in a good frame of mind when we were playing in those conditions at that period. I think it's about trying to get into that space more often than not. And for that you need to think positively on every day of the Test match, every situation, every session that you are a part of.

"[It's] something we failed to do as a batting unit, and I truly believe that we made too much of the conditions from the first day onwards of the first Test: overcast, a bit of dampness on the pitch. We never used to speak of these things before. So yeah, it can creep in every now and then, it's about not letting it grow, not letting it become a norm, something that we as a side have not done at all. We don't go into conditions and think that we might not be able to execute what we want to. We've always gone in with a very positive outlook, and your skill follows how you think.

"If you're not clear in your head, then the feet don't move. You're not quite sure whether to play the shot or not, leave the ball or play the ball. I think these sorts of things can creep in, and which have crept in in this series. It's something we have recognised already. The good thing is that everyone's understood what's happened and is very keen to improve it. It's all mental. I don't see any problem with anyone's game as such. It's mental, and it's something that can happen at this level and we just need to accept it and iron it out and move ahead."

Kohli spoke of the importance of not thinking negatively. "If you are taking pressure, then all kinds of things can feel wrong whether it is personal skill or playing as a team, but when you are just optimistic about what you want to do... say you walk out to score runs rather than thinking of survival or thinking of conditions too much, then you will bat accordingly. Similarly as a team if you are worried about what might happen in a session, whether it will go our way or not, then invariably it does not.

"So I think the outlook as far as I am concerned, and as far as I saw things happening, was not ideal for us in this series. We were not positive enough, we were not brave enough in moments, which we have done in the past. In the crunch moments [previously], we have just gone for it; even though we have lost, still we compete. Those are things for me that need to be ironed out. Skills follow your mindset, simple as that. You can bat as well as you want, but as long as you don't think right, then you are not going to be able to do what you want to do. More about ironing those things out mentally and going ahead positively and taking challenges head on."

More to follow...

Big Picture

Riding high on confidence, Bangladesh will look to wrap up the ODI series against Zimbabwe in Sylhet. Liton Das and Mohammad Saifuddin provided the spark in the series opener , where the focus was largely on former captain Mashrafe Mortaza. But the Mortaza retirement circus didn't derail Bangladesh because they batted with a plan.

Tamim Iqbal and Das provided a decent start before Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mohammad Mithun darried on to pile on a big score. Saifuddin burst through with the bat in the end, and later with the new ball, before Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mortaza kept the visitors in check.

Zimbabwe, however, never looked like a team prepared to beat the home side. They were dealt two blows before the game when Craig Ervine was out with flu and Sean Williams didn't arrive from Harare early enough. It could have been a motivating factor for new captain Chamu Chibhabha. Instead, the bowling lacked penetration and everything went downhill from there.

Only Wesley Madhevere, the 19-year old debutant, batted with some purpose while the rest of the line-up simply caved not only to the pressure of runs, but also in their lack of belief that they could chase the score. Williams, Ervine, Sikandar Raza and Brendan Taylor must provide a better showing in the second ODI, but Chibhabha should also ensure that he has a bowling unit that can threaten the home side.

Form guide (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Bangladesh WLLLL Zimbabwe LLLLL

In the spotlight

Liton Das batted smoothly in the first ODI with admittedly limited strokeplay. He reached his second century in international cricket and although against a much weaker attack, Das will certainly be seeking consistency in the rest of the series.

Zimbabwe must be desperate for Sean Williams to return to their line-up. Williams is the new Test captain, who missed out on the one-off Test in Dhaka due to the birth of their child. Williams not only brings experience, but also a form of stability on slow pitches that he has mastered over many years of playing in Bangladesh.

Team news

Das suffered cramps during his century while Mohammad Saifuddin is being closely monitored after returning from a back injury, but both are going to play in the second game.

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Liton Das, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mohammad Mithun, 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Mohammad Saifuddin, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Taijul Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman

Tinashe Kamunhukamwe and Regis Chakabva are likely to make way for Craig Ervine and Sean Williams, which will bolster Zimbabwe's middle order greatly. Williams' ten overs will also be handy in Sylhet.

Zimbabwe (probable): 1 Chamu Chibhabha (capt), 2 Craig Ervine, 3 Wesley Madhevere, 4 Brendan Taylor (wk), 5 Sean Williams, 6 Sikandar Raza, 7 Tinotenda Mutombodzi, 8 Donald Tiripano, 9 Ainsley Ndlovu, 10 Chris Mpofu, 11 Carl Mumba

Pitch and conditions

Bangladesh's 300-plus score is typical fare on the straw-coloured Sylhet pitch, but there was also swing on offer. The weather is to remain fair, with bright skies around the tea gardens.

Stats and Trivia

With his second wicket in the first ODI, Mashrafe Mortaza became the fifth captain to take 100 ODI wickets, after Wasim Akram, Shaun Pollock, Imran Khan and Jason Holder.

Zimbabwe batting coach Stuart Matsikenyeri was named one of the substitute fielders as Craig Ervine had the flu and Sean Williams flew in late from Harare.

West Indies coach Gus Logie feels that a "fear factor" has been the reason for the team's poor showing at the T20 World Cup after they were eliminated with a game to go following a heavy defeat against England.

Chasing 144, West Indies were skittled for 97, collapsing in a heap after Stafanie Taylor was stretchered off injured, having previously struggled in a small chase against Thailand and scrapped to 124 against Pakistan, which they couldn't defend. It has been a far cry from the team that won in 2016 and reached the semi-finals in their home event in 2018.

"I think it went wrong from the start," Logie said of the performances during the tournament. "It's T20 cricket, you need show courage, you need to show composure. If you are timid you are not going produce the kind of scores you want to produce and we've seen that with our batting, it's been pretty timid the whole series starting with the first game against Thailand when you have a score of 70-odd to get and it took 16 overs to get it.

"We haven't been playing well for the last year or so, and I guess it just continued into this tournament. I think the only way is forward. I don't think we can get any lower than this" Shakera Selman

"That tells me, at the end of the day, while the players have some batting ability I think there's a fear factor in the middle to play their natural game. It's unfortunate that they wait until they get to the highest level of the game, in a World Cup, to show that lack of courage."

Logie said that players struggled to translate the freedom they were able to play with at training into the pressure of match situations.

"Batting is an individual thing, you play as well as you can, you have to back yourself. Some of the balls these ladies are patting, you bowl those balls in the nets and they go way, way out of it. It's not to say they can't play the shots, I think it's about believing in themselves under pressure.

"Over the years, we've always had good performances, but if you look at the scores they've always been about 120-130. We've had good bowling performances and defended it in the field. I don't think we have scored 160s and 170s as regularly as we want to."

Seam bowler Shakera Selman, one of a group of experienced players who overcame injury problems ahead of the tournament, conceded the World Cup had continued a dismal time for the team.

"We haven't been playing well for the last year or so, and I guess it just continued into this tournament. I think the only way is forward. I don't think we can get any lower than this," she said. "Obviously we expected to get out of the group stage, although many people didn't have us to qualify. We know what we're capable of as a team, and I think our next series is so far ahead in June, hopefully we can actually perform the way we know we can."

Logie defended the decision to bring Deandra Dottin back into the team after a serious shoulder injury, which made her consider quitting the game. Apart from a brief tournament in Trinidad before the World Cup, Dottin had not played for a year, and in three innings in the tournament has made just 12 runs while also struggling in the field and being unable to bowl.

"We tried to give her time to get it together but things happen so quickly," Logie explained. "She was thrust back in the opening position in this game, but it didn't work. The medical team cleared her to play cricket. She had a little tournament in Trinidad prior to coming here and did reasonably well, [but] the level of cricket is a bit below [this level]. We've been nursing her along and hoping, she hasn't been bowling, but we felt she's been batting pretty well."

West Indies have one game left, against Pakistan, to try and salvage something from the tournament but they are struggling to find 11 fit players after the injury to Taylor alongside concerns over Britney Cooper, who twisted her ankle late in the chase against England, while Chinelle Henry is also doubtful.

"We've had a few setbacks on this tour to key players," Logie said. "We are looking to put out an XI that will stay on the park."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Washington Wizards coach Scott Brooks couldn't help but crack a smile while discussing Bradley Beal's All-Star snub late Sunday night.

After watching Beal rack up another 34 points in a 124-110 win over the Golden State Warriors, Brooks praised Beal's latest performance while reminding the rest of the basketball world just how talented his shooting guard has been for years.

"He's been pretty good ever since I've been here, four years now he's gotten better," Brooks said when asked how much Beal's snub has motivated the Wizards' best player. "We all know [what happened]. Unfortunately he didn't get it, but the players voted him second, that says a lot. The coaches, we think we know it all, we think we see it all, but the players know it. They know -- he's impossible to guard. He's one of the elite [scorers]. Right now, there's James [Harden]. He's the only one scoring more points than him. He's really efficient. ... Can you imagine if he was an All Star what he'd be doing right now?"

Brooks made it a point to say he was joking as his news conference ended, but the joke has been on the rest of the league since All-Star reserves were announced and Beal didn't make the squad.

He came into Sunday night's contest averaging 36.0 points a game since the All-Star snub on Jan. 30, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. With his performance in Sunday's win, Beal set a new franchise record for most games with at least 25 points, with 18.

The soft-spoken Beal is taking both the praise and the All-Star snub in stride as he continues one of the better offensive stretches in recent memory.

"Honestly, I could care less about how I'm playing as long as we're winning," Beal said. "Because my career highs and those good games, what is the record? We're 1-9 when I score 40 or something. That's terrible. I'm not happy about that. I'm not going to sit here and be like, 'Oh yeah, but I scored 40.' No, we got to win and that's what I'm about."

While discussing the impressive nature of Beal's new record, Brooks heaped praise on the man who has carried the Wizards offense throughout the season, along with sharpshooter Davis Bertans.

"Two words, he is a consistent winner," Brooks said. "And that's what it is about. In this league, you can have a game here and there, but in order to be special you have to play with consistent play and Brad does. ... There were some defensive strategies out there tonight, and we see that they were double-teaming him and then running a box-and-one and then it seemed like a box-and-one with a double-team. He finds a way. He finds a way to get buckets; he finds a way to get his teammates open, but the level of consistency that he plays with to me is what keeps him at that level of special."

Beal said he didn't know why the Wizards are just 1-9 in the games in which he scores 40, but he is hopeful that better days are ahead as the Wizards cling to faint hope of clinching a playoff berth. With the win, the Wizards are now four games behind the Brooklyn Nets for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They are 9-9 over the past 18 games when Beal has scored 25 points or more.

"You definitely want to leave your mark," Beal said of setting the scoring streak. "If [records] happen along the journey, those are great accolades. I'm definitely humbled and honored by them, but they don't motivate me to go out there and do what I do. I play for a higher purpose more so than accolades."

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Albin Choi’s part-time caddie gig turned into a full-time thrill Sunday at the Honda Classic.

Choi, a five-year Korn Ferry Tour veteran, was spending the winter caddying at Old Palm Golf Club, just down the road from PGA National, home to the week’s PGA Tour event, when he got a call from Sungjae Im, asking if he would like to carry his bag.

“I accepted, and I’m glad I did,” Choi said.

It was a winning proposition.

Im won his first PGA Tour title Sunday with Choi caddying for the first time in a PGA Tour event.

“We've known each other for, I'd say, the past 2 ½ to 3 years now, from playing on the Korn Ferry Tour together,” Choi said. “I met Sungjae at the final stage in Arizona and kind of exchanged a few words there, but as the year progressed we became closer and closer.”

Choi, 27, took the caddie job at Old Palm to help fill time while he mends from a wrist injury. He’s intent on resuming his playing career when he’s fully healed.

Im and Choi made a strong team.

“He was looking for a guy this week, and I know he's had some language barriers with other caddies in the past,” Choi said. “I just felt like we communicate better, and being a player myself, and having played this golf course a lot of times, he wanted somebody on the bag with a little bit of experience.”

Choi was born and raised in Canada, the son of Korean immigrants. He’s fluent in the Korean language. He was also familiar with PGA National’s Champion Course. He first earned his Korn Ferry Tour card at the final stage of qualifying school there.

“I know how hard it is to navigate your way through this golf course,” Choi said. “From a player standpoint, I kind of knew what he was feeling at certain times, and I felt like I could kind of draw upon my experiences to help him out today and to keep his head in the right place.”

Choi said he relished the experience.

“Just learning, seeing what it takes to win a PGA Tour event, being inside the ropes,” Choi said.

Sunday came with another bonus for Choi.

Mackenzie Hughes was paired with Im. Choi knew Hughes from their playing days together in Canada. In fact, they became so close, Choi served as a groomsman in Hughes’ wedding.