DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Living up to the standard he set in winning his Bluegreen Vacations Duel on Thursday night at Daytona Int’l Speedway, Joey Logano paced final practice for the 62nd annual Daytona 500 less than 48 hours later.

Logano turned a blistering lap of 44.884 seconds (200.516 mph) in the draft, working with several of his Ford stablemates to dominate the speed charts in the final on-track session before Sunday’s Great American Race.

In all, the top eight positions in final practice were held by Blue Ovals at the end of the 50-minute round.

But it was the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion leading the way, continuing his quick chemistry with new crew chief Paul Wolfe as the duo looks to capture the Harley J. Earl Trophy on Sunday.

“I hope to see this red and yellow Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang up front tomorrow,” said Logano after the end of final practice. “We were just trying to fine-tune a little bit and find that balance of speed and grip for the race. It’s hot with the sun being out, but you don’t want to give up too much speed, either.

“It’s just working on that compromise and figuring that out,” he added. “I think we made some good adjustments there.”

Looking ahead to Sunday, the 2015 Daytona 500 champion believes the big show will be a tale of two halves, with the intensity ratcheting up late just as it normally does in The Great American Race.

“I expect the race to be somewhat like the Duels. I could be wrong, but I think the first two stages are going to be pretty calm,” he noted. “The strategy will be interesting and the teamwork between manufacturers will be intriguing, seeing how everyone does that, but at the end I could just see it being very aggressive … like every other Daytona 500.

“With this rules package, everyone is racing so hard and everyone knows what it means to win the Daytona 500 and how big a deal it is,” Logano added. “You know you’re going to see some aggressive driving, and that usually causes crashes, so hopefully we’re in the right place at the right time and in a position to win it at the end.”

Behind Logano, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer and rookie Cole Custer filled out the top five, with Aric Almirola going sixth-quick to give Stewart-Haas Racing four cars in the first half-dozen.

All six of those drivers were above the 200-mph threshold, with David Ragan and Michael McDowell completing the eight-car Ford freight train that paced the 26 cars taking time in final practice.

William Byron was ninth and the fastest Chevrolet driver, while two-time Daytona 500 champion and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series title winner Jimmie Johnson ended Happy Hour 11th fastest.

None of the five Toyota drivers in the Daytona 500 field turned a lap in final practice.

Sunday’s Daytona 500 is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. ET start, with live coverage on FOX, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson has been ruled out for the season after suffering a broken thumb, the team announced Saturday.

Karlsson suffered the injury to his left thumb during Friday's win over the Winnipeg Jets and is set to undergo surgery to repair it.

An All-Star each of the past four seasons, and six times overall, Karlsson's 2019-20 campaign ends with six goals and 34 assists.

The Sharks said Karlsson is expected to recover by 2020 training camp in September. They also announced that they had recalled defenseman Jake Middleton from AHL San Jose.

Tiger Woods has had only one other season with multiple four-putts. It was 22 years ago in 1998. 

Woods was looking to make a Moving Day charge at Riviera’s Genesis Invitational, but was derailed by a string of bad holes, including a four-putt double bogey on the par-4 13th. 

From just over 20 feet, it took Woods four whacks to find the bottom of the cup for his second four-putt in two weeks. Click below to watch the horror film.  

Barcelona went level on points with rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga on Saturday with a 2-1 win against Getafe at the Camp Nou.

Getafe thought they had taken the lead on 23 minutes when Allan Nyom found the net for the visitors, but the Cameroon defender's header was ruled out by VAR for a foul on Samuel Umtiti.

Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring for Barca 10 minutes later, stabbing the ball past goalkeeper David Soria with the outside of his boot after a deft first-time pass from Lionel Messi.

After the match, Griezmann spoke about his blossoming relationship with Messi, saying: "I have been here for seven months and we still have to learn each other's movements, but it will get better with time. We are enjoying working together and I am sure it will get better.

"I am really happy [at Barcelona], as are my family. We are enjoying ourselves a lot here."

Sergi Roberto soon doubled the hosts' lead, firing past Soria after a well-worked team move.

Getafe pulled one back through Angel on 66 minutes, but Barca were able to see out the game for all three points.

Following the match, Barca boss Quique Setien, who has overseen wins in six of his eight matches, talked about the challenge presented by Champions League chasing Getafe.

"We knew it would be a tough game," Setien said. "They've won four games in a row before today. They're aggressive and intense in the way that they press. But we managed the ball well and were really good for an hour. The win was deserved.

"Getafe made 29 fouls and we end up with one more booking than them [3-2 in bookings]. We have to take risks to beat the press. When we managed it, we were fouled. It ruins the rhythm of the game. I was complaining to the fourth official because I thought the referee should have been more severe with [Getafe]."

Barca were hit with one piece of bad news as Jordi Alba was substituted on 22 minutes with a muscle injury that will require tests and will now face a fitness race to be ready for their Champions League round of 16 first leg against Napoli on Feb. 25.

Despite the loss Getafe remain in third place on 42 points, 10 behind Real Madrid and Barca and two ahead of Atletico Madrid.

Real have the chance to restore their three-point lead over Barca on Sunday when they host Celta Vigo.

Erling Haaland has won the Bundesliga's Player of the Month award for January despite having played just 60 minutes last month.

Nineteen-year-old Haaland, who joined Borussia Dortmund from Austrian side FC Salzburg in the January transfer window, played twice that month, scoring a hat trick on his debut against Augsburg and netting twice against Cologne.

In both matches, the Norway international came off the bench in the second half.

Since then, Haaland has scored four times in as many appearances.

"He's unstoppable," Dortmund coach Lucien Favre said. "It's fantastic as a coach to have a player like that."

Among the nominees Haaland beat to the award were teammate Jadon Sancho and Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski.

Dortmund beat Manchester United to Haaland's signature despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer -- who coached the player at Molde -- meeting the 19-year-old's advisers in December, according to ESPN sources.

Big picture

Two games, three runs between the teams, and one more clash to come. The T20Is have served up a buffet of belligerent boundary-hitting, as well as some nerveless death bowling and two of the closest finishes possible this side of a Super Over. Given England's recent form in white-ball deciders, you wouldn't rule out one of those being required in Centurion, either...

Having seen the tourists stutter at the last in the opening encounter, South Africa seemed set to show them how to do it in style at Kingsmead, as Rassie van der Dussen revived a flagging chase and then Dwaine Pretorius tipped the odds in Tom Curran's final over by smiting six and four from the second and third balls. A requirement of 15 off six suddenly shrank to five off three and then three off two - only for Curran to ice South Africa's hopes of claiming the series with a toe-crushing yorker to Pretorius, followed by his trademark back-of-than-hand slower ball with the pressure on.

Just as Lungi Ngidi had done a couple of nights before, Curran's chutzpah had produced a grandstand finish - and England captain Eoin Morgan described the experience as "completely invaluable", with future high-stakes encounters likely at the T20 World Cup later this year.

South Africa's disappointment was compounded by the fact van der Dussen was kept off strike for the final 10 balls of the innings, as the chase fluctuated back and forth. Quinton de Kock's 17-ball fifty had signalled they were in the mood to pull off what would have been their second-highest successful T20I chase, before wickets from Mark Wood, Ben Stokes and Chris Jordan had put England on top.

Punches were met by counter combos throughout the game. England shook off their East London failure with a fast start - despite Jos Buttler again falling cheaply in the Powerplay - but were beginning to get bogged down by the time Moeen Ali arrived at the crease in the 16th over. Moeen proceeded to hit seven of the most insouciant boundaries from his next 10 balls to pep up England's chances.

There was also some joy for Ben Stokes, despite a laboured start, as he made his highest T20I score of 47 not out, nearly nine years after his debut. The format is often played in fits and starts, leading to such anomalies, but with a World Cup on the horizon, this is the perfect time to build up a run of form. Both teams will be looking to grasp their opportunity again on Sunday.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

South Africa LWWLW
England WLTWL

In the spotlight

David Miller is now one of the senior men in South Africa's line-up and the most-experienced member of a reshaped middle order - but despite showing destructive form in the final ODI against England, he has struggled to hit his straps in T20 recently. Twice he has been part of mid-innings slowdowns, after South Africa were given good starts by de Kock and Temba Bavuma; in Durban, the stage seemed to have been set, as Miller came in at No. 3 in the eighth over, only to hole out for 21 off 16 with the asking rate beginning to rise. It seems he is still trying to shake off the effects of a poor Big Bash, having only made one score above 25 in his last 14 T20 innings.

Much of the talk around England's XI has centred on the ideal batting line-up - not so much as who is in it, but where they come in. Jos Buttler is a guaranteed World Cup starter, but should his extraordinary skills be deployed against the new ball, with the field up, or at the death, when a cool temperament is prerequisite? Two innings at opener against South Africa have so far yielded 17 runs from 14 balls - and England's meltdown in East London left plenty highlighting the loss of Buttler's finishing skills. Perhaps the real issue is that, after a tough Test tour, he looks to be down on confidence. But one freewheeling innings might be all it takes for things to click back into place.

Team news

Dale Steyn was rested in Durban, a precautionary move considering his injury history, but seems likely to return at seam-friendly SuperSport Park. Bjorn Fortuin, who only bowled two overs and was then the unlucky man tasked with trying to hit three to win off his first ball in international cricket, could miss out.

South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (capt, wk), 2 Temba Bavuma, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Jon-Jon Smuts, 5 David Miller, 6 Andile Phehlukwayo, 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Beuran Hendricks, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Tabraiz Shamsi, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Morgan has reiterated that England view Buttler as part of their strongest top three, so that may mean more time running drinks for Dawid Malan. Sam Curran and Saqib Mahmood are the fast-bowling options in the squad, though Tom Curran, Jordan and Wood all made good cases for keeping their spots. Protecting Wood from wear and tear could come into England's thinking.

England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Joe Denly, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Tom Curran, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood/Saqib Mahmood

Pitch and conditions

Among South Africa's regular T20 venues in recent years, SuperSport Park is second only to the Wanderers for high-scoring, with the ball liable to disappear at altitude. A warm afternoon in prospect should set things up nicely for the series decider.

Stats and trivia

• England have only played one previous T20I in Centurion, a game in which they were captained by Alastair Cook and lost by 84 runs.

• The opening stand in that match of 170 between Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman was at the time the highest in T20Is. It was ended by Joe Denly, taking a wicket with his first ball in international cricket.

• Three of the last four encounters between these two have come down to single-figure margins, with South Africa winning two and England one.

Quotes

"I wish it was a dead rubber on Sunday. But both teams have played really well. They won one or two small battles in key moments that helped them get over the line. It's great to see both teams are playing good cricket and keeping it competitive out there."
Quinton de Kock knows his team will have to go again in the final game

"Probably with two balls to go, it was South Africa's game to lose, they were in an unbelievably commanding position… I thought Tom Curran did an unbelievable job."
Eoin Morgan had praise for England's last-over hero in Durban

Gujarat, Odisha, and Andhra will host their respective quarter-final fixtures in the Ranji Trophy next week but the venue for the fourth match, between Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and Karnataka is up for deliberation after the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) wrote to BCCI and JKCA, requesting to host the match in Bengaluru.

Tournament rules stipulate that, since Karnataka hosted the last fixture between the two teams, J&K should host this one. However, the KSCA has asked for a change of venue "considering various aspects and the logistics."

A proud moment for me and the entire Jammu Kashmir cricket team as we qualify for the knockouts! This news is very special to me as it's the 3rd time in the history of Ranji trophy!Way to go boys... #JammuKashmir #ranjitrophy #cricket

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) February 15, 2020

Two out of the three matches played in Jammu this season were severely affected due to rain - the teams could only finish one innings each both times. The other game was the recently concluded last-round tie which Haryana won by two wickets. That J&K still made it to the knockouts is on the back of their excellent away form and it is for that reason the JKCA is also understood to be in favour of moving the quarter-final.

The BCCI has directed all host associations to pick grounds that can provide broadcast facilities, with all four matches set to be streamed either digitally or on TV. This could also be a factor in taking the game away from Jammu.

Gujarat topped the Elite Group cross pool and will take on Goa, who finished with 50 points to top the Plate Group and will be playing their first Ranji quarter-final ever. Odisha, who were eliminated from their only previous quarter-final appearance by Gujarat in 2016, are hosting Bengal, who made it to the semi-final round in 2017. That was also the last time they reached the knockout stages. Andhra will likely host Saurashtra in Ongole, for their first quarter-final fixture since 2015. J&K will be playing their first quarter-final since 2014.

All four matches will be five-day fixtures and will not feature the use of the Decision Review System (DRS). It is understood the DRS will only come into effect in the semi-final round and will be "limited DRS with existing technology."

Fast bowler Ishant Sharma has cleared his fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and is set to join the India squad in New Zealand for the two-Test series. ESPNcricinfo understands Sharma will fly out on Sunday and join the squad in Wellington, the venue of the first Test starting February 21.

Sharma had injured his right ankle during a Ranji Trophy game against defending champions Vidarbha nearly a month ago and had been looking doubtful for the Test series in New Zealand, having been advised six weeks' rest with a grade three tear. He later went to the NCA for rehab and was named in the Test squad subject to clearing his fitness. Sharma will join Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Navdeep Saini in the pace attack. Sharma was also the leading wicket-taker the last time India toured New Zealand, in 2013-14, with 15 scalps from two Tests, and the only bowler to claim two five-fors in the series.

It was a roller coaster ride for me after the injury on my ankle on the 20th January but with the help of Ashish Kaushik I managed to pull it off! Scans were a little scary, but today I am happy that I am fit ! Thanks Ashish Kaushik! #recoverymode #recovery #postinjury pic.twitter.com/xwNpecc0Iz

— Ishant Sharma (@ImIshant) February 15, 2020

Sharma has been the leader of India's pace attack in Tests in recent years, helping the team strengthen their grip at the top of the ICC rankings, and taking all 360 points in the ongoing World Test Championship. He has been India's second-highest wicket-taker since the beginning of the 2017-18 season, only behind Shami, with 74 wickets from 19 matches at an average of 20.17 and strike rate of 43.7. He has played 96 Tests so far and could reach three digits in Australia later this year, subject to form and fitness.

The first match of the 2020 IPL will be a repeat of last year's final with defending champions the Mumbai Indians taking on the Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on March 29. The tournament will start only 11 days after India's home ODI series against South Africa ends on March 18 in Kolkata. The IPL will release the schedule for the knockouts later, but the final is scheduled for May 24.

Although the IPL is yet to make an official announcement, ESPNcricinfo has seen the schedule that was sent to the franchises, with only the league phase dates out yet. The last league game is scheduled for May 17, between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai in Bengaluru.

In a first, the IPL has decided not to have any double-headers on Saturdays. There will be three matches over the weekends with double-headers now only limited to Sundays, except on March 29 and and May 17 - the opening and closing dates of the league phase - when only one match is scheduled.

To accommodate the extra matches which originally would have been held on Saturdays at 4pm, the IPL has added an extra week to the league phase, which will now stretch to 50 days compared to last year's 44. The IPL had also decided recently to stick to evening matches commencing at 8pm IST despite reservations from host broadcaster Star Sports, which was skeptical about games stretching past midnight. The afternoon matches will start at 4pm IST, as usual.

Barring the Rajasthan Royals, all the other seven franchises have retained their original home bases. The Royals, who start the tournament last, on April 2 in Chennai, have shortlisted a second home venue in Guwahati where they want to host their second and third matches, scheduled for April 5 (against the Delhi Capitals) and April 9 (against the Kolkata Knight Riders). However, officials from the Rajasthan Cricket Association, which owns the Jaipur ground that has been the first home base of the Royals, has objected to the franchise picking Guwahati as the second home venue and has filed pleas in the court.

One of the possible reasons for the Royals starting their tournament last could be around the availability of their key overseas players, including captain Steven Smith, allrounder Ben Stokes and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler. With England's two-match Test series in Sri Lanka scheduled to be played between March 19 and 31, the ECB had told the IPL authorities that the English players would be available from April 1.

Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket, too, had also informed the IPL that their players would be available only after March 30 their last T20I is scheduled for March 29 in Christchurch. Some of the Australian players will also feature in the Sheffield Shield final which is scheduled from March 27-31.

Despite the RM Lodha Committee recommending that there be a fortnight's break between any international cricket played by India and the IPL, the 2020 edition will have only a 11 days' gap. Last year, India's last international match - an ODI against Australia on March 13 - was played only 10 days before the IPL opener, but the Committee of Administrators, that ran the BCCI then, had allowed it as an exception as it was a World Cup year.

It is not yet known when exactly the IPL will schedule the All Stars match, which is likely to be held three days before the tournament begins. The all-star fixture will comprise players from all eight franchises, likely to be formed with players from the four franchises in the north and east of India - Kings XI Punjab, the Capitals, the Royals and the Knight Riders - and the other four teams in the south and west - the Super Kings, the Royal Challengers, the Sunrisers and Mumbai.