(Editor's note: This first-person account by Geoff Ogilvy, who is competing in this week's mixed-gender Vic Open in Australia, first appeared on LPGA.com.)

I’ve always been a fan of the women’s game but not to the degree I am now. I couldn’t watch the LPGA tour, LET or ALPG that much throughout my career because I was playing at the same times as the women. I would always catch the ANA Inspiration, the old Dinah Shore, out in the California desert because it felt like The Masters for the LPGA tour. It was fun to settle in and watch because it always aired later in the day on the East Coast. And I’ve always enjoyed the U.S. Women’s Open because I like seeing how the women battle USGA setups.  

But the event that changed a lot of thinking was the 2014 U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open played back-to-back at Pinehurst No.2. A lot of people didn’t think back-to-back championships would work, but it turned out to be a revelation. Not only could the men and women compete on the same course, they could do it under virtually identical conditions.   

Now, here at the ISPS Handa Vic Open, they’re doing it simultaneously.  

When I’m at a golf tournament now, I'm watching other people play just as much as I'm playing myself. Last year at the Vic Open and again this week, I found that all I wanted to do was watch the women and how they went about it. Some of them are just machines. They don't hit bad shots. I watched one after another hit hybrids onto greens to 10 feet. Men don’t play that way. When I hit a hybrid, I'm happy to hit it anywhere on the green. So, for those who haven’t watched the best women in the game, there is something to be learnt from both men and women, and there's enjoyment in watching both styles of play.   

The Vic Open should open people’s eyes to the fact that our game is full of amazing golf talent. It also proves that women and men playing together can work. Tennis has been doing it for years and has clearly benefitted from it. There are certain major tennis championships where the women’s final draw more eyes than the men. I know some people think it's not complete equity – the women play best of three sets and the men play best of five, that sort of thing - but at least they play at the same place at the same time. And, they play for the same prize money.   

There have been mixed events in golf over the years. The J.C. Penney in the U.S. was an unofficial tournament where women and men played together as partners, but it was late in the year and the sponsors went away.  

I’ve had the opportunity to play with So Yeon Ryu and Su Oh, and I’m envious of their ball striking. Men could learn a lot by watching the consistency and efficiency of the game’s best women. Other men pros have said the same thing. They didn’t realize until they played with professional women just how good their games are.  

The point is, golf shouldn’t be so stuck in conservative traditions. Look at the rest of the world. The Japanese Ladies Professional tour is a much bigger and successful than the Japanese men's tour. Women’s golf in Korea turns out record crowds and record ratings. Whenever the women’s game is presented properly, it's just as popular as the men’s game. We just have to give it the same opportunity.  

Certainly, concurrent Australian Opens, men’s and women’s, at a Royal Melbourne East and Royal Melbourne West or Peninsula Kingswood North and Peninsula Kingswood South would work. Or, you could have neighboring courses and combine the common areas. There are logistical ways to pull this off. But the sum will almost always be greater than its parts.   

The Vic Open has proven that men and women together is not only possible, it’s fun to watch. The Pinehurst U.S. Opens proved that back-to-back events work. When Martin Kaymer won and then Michelle Wie the next week, we all loved it. I watched more of that U.S. Women’s Open than any other because I was interested to see how the women played the course that I had just played. 

It just requires a bit of creative thinking. And it requires a change in mindset. Guys need to open their eyes and their minds and realize that there is good golf being played in the women’s game. Once the mindset changes, the money will certainly follow. 

Premier League clubs have voted to change the closing date of the summer transfer window from next season.

The deadline will fall in line with the other major European leagues again and close on Sept. 1.

- Premier League winter break: All you need to know

A statement read: "At a Shareholders' Meeting today, Premier League clubs voted to adopt a change to the Summer Transfer Window closing date for season 2020/21.

"This will move the closing date back to the traditional point at the end of August/early September. The 2020 closing date will therefore be 17:00 BST on 1 September [31 August 2020 being a UK Bank Holiday].

"Clubs agreed after discussing the topic at length at previous Shareholders' Meetings."

At the start of the 2018-19 campaign, clubs voted to bring the deadline to the day before the start of the season but were targeted by European clubs who could continue to sign players.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp voiced his displeasure at the early closure of the window last season while former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino also said teams were "vulnerable."

The league also announced that the 2020-21 campaign will begin on Aug. 8.

Major League Soccer and the MLS Players Association have reached an agreement in principle on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the league and the union announced on Thursday.

The new deal will last five years and commence during the 2020 season, and is also subject to approval by the MLS Board of Governors and the MLSPA.

The deal was reached with considerably more time before the start of the season than in past negotiations. In 2015, a deal was reached just days before the start of the campaign. It helped that talks have been taking place over the past two years, allowing more time to hash out issues and come to an agreement. It also helped that there was no single sticking point to hamper negotiations.

Marshall: Why more Liga MX players are moving to MLS
- Sources: NYCFC moving Champions League game to Red Bull Arena

"As we prepare to celebrate our 25th season, we are very pleased to finalize a new five-year Collective Bargaining Agreement with our players," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "This agreement addresses key strategic priorities for the league and our players while also retaining the basic player compensation structure that has been the foundation for the growth and stability of Major League Soccer."

A quick scan of some of the terms indicates that the players achieved much of what they were seeking in terms of changes to the CBA, including increased spending -- which includes a share of the league's new media rights deals in 2023 and 2024 -- a reduction in the amount of Targeted Allocation Money, relaxed free agency rules and charter flights. In return, the league retained much of the salary structure that it credits with creating stability during the life of MLS.

MLS will increase investment in the salary budget, General Allocation Money and performance bonuses for players, raising the spending power per club every year, from $8,490,000 in 2019 to $11,643,000 in 2024. In addition, the minimum annual salary for senior roster players will go up each season from $70,250 in 2019 to $109,200 in 2024, and 401(k) contributions and other benefits are also increasing with the new CBA. The reserve minimum salary, which was $56,250 in 2019, will increase over time to $85,502 in 2024.

For the first time, players will receive a share of increased revenue from the league's next broadcast deal.

In 2023 and 2024, 25% of the net increase in media revenue that exceeds $100 million above 2022 levels (aka before the new deal) will flow into Salary Budget and GAM on a per-team basis. The current rights deal expires in 2022.

Other changes in the new CBA

A significant agreement revolves around Targeted Allocation Money (TAM). Simply put, it's money that teams can use to sign players with salaries between $540,000 and $1.5 million -- and one that the MLSPA had chafed against given that it could only be spent on a handful of players -- and has been reduced to a large degree. All TAM ($1.2 million per season) has now been converted to General Allocation Money (GAM) and can be used across the entire roster, but discretionary TAM will remain as a mechanism to sign eligible players.

Clubs will also be required to use charter flights for eight legs of travel during the 2020 regular season, growing to 16 legs for the 2024 season. In the previous CBA, clubs had the discretion, but not the requirement, to charter up to four legs per season. This became a sore point with the players given that the league is spread out over four time zones. In addition, clubs will be required to use charter air travel for all Audi MLS Cup Playoff matches and Concacaf Champions League games involving international travel.

Free agency, which the MLSPA spent considerable capital on during the last CBA negotiations in 2015, has seen its rules relaxed. Previously, only players who were 28 years of age and had eight years of service in the year could qualify for free agency when their contracts expired. Now the requirements are 24 years and five years of service. This is expected to more than double the number of eligible players from 11.5 percent under the old deal to 26.1 percent, and there is no cap on the number of free agents a team can sign, though there are still considerable constraints on salary increases for free agents.

Meanwhile Designated Players, who in the past could not become free agents, are now able to take part in this mechanism, though there remain considerable restraints on what they can earn from a free agent deal.

Paul Pogba is approaching the end of his second spell at Manchester United, but it has reached the stage where nobody is even noticing that the clock is ticking down to his inevitable departure in the summer.

There will be recriminations and accusations from all sides when he heads through the exit door, but United will be fooling themselves if they believe that the blame for Pogba's failure to live up to the hype at Old Trafford is solely down to the 26-year-old.

Pogba's time at United since returning to the club from Juventus in August 2016 has been a tale of underachievement and mismanagement, and each party has been badly let down by the other. But after a season that has seen him make just eight first-team appearances due to injury, Pogba's United career is fizzling out into nothingness.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will take his United squad to Marbella on Friday for a short training camp during the Premier League's first midseason break, but Pogba won't be on the trip. Six weeks after saying that Pogba would be out for "three or four weeks" due to a minor ankle operation, Solskjaer has chosen not to include the midfielder in his squad in Spain because he has been deemed not ready to train with the rest of the team. It has almost reached the stage where questions are no longer asked about Pogba's fitness because the vague responses have proved to offer nothing in terms of clarifying exactly when he will be ready to pull on a United shirt again.

- VAR in the Premier League: Ultimate guide
- Premier League winter break: All you need to know

Sources have told ESPN that nobody of any consequence at United expects the France international to be at Old Trafford next season. Pogba's teammates believe he will leave the club, while senior figures no longer go through the motions of insisting that the player will still be part of the squad for the 2020-21 campaign. The fact that he is missing the trip to Spain is another indication that we are now in the endgame of Pogba's second spell at United. Had he been regarded as a key figure in Solskjaer's plans, he would have been taken to Spain to work on his fitness with the rest of the squad rather than being left to his own devices elsewhere.

As recently as Wednesday, Pogba -- ranked No. 6 among the world's top midfielders in ESPN's FC 100 -- was posting videos on his Instagram story of Adidas billboards bearing his image on the side of a road in the Middle East. During his lengthy spells on the sidelines this season, we have grown accustomed to Pogba being anywhere but Manchester, sharing video from Dubai, Miami or France.

All of this has been done with United's blessing, with sources telling ESPN that Pogba has been allowed to travel the globe during his rehabilitation. He has, United insist, been sticking to his fitness programme, but it's just a shame that he never seems to be close enough to a return to action to be able to show himself putting in the hard yards at the club's Carrington training centre.

United have indulged Pogba by allowing him to embark on his globe-trotting fitness programme, but perhaps that is because they have let him down so much since re-signing him four years ago that it is a vain attempt to repay him for the failure to deliver on the vision which was sold to him by the club. Back then, Pogba followed Jose Mourinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Old Trafford because United wanted to reclaim their place at the summit of English and European football. Pogba was the man who would lead that drive on the pitch, at the same time as giving the club a huge commercial lift thanks to his status as a social media phenomenon.

The first season worked out well, with United winning the EFL Cup and Europa League, which ensured Champions League qualification and money was again spent that summer to bolster the squad. But since the disastrous acquisition of Alexis Sanchez in January 2018, United have retreated from the big signings and allowed the squad to wither. The big ambition that was sold to Pogba has not been reflected by the player recruitment and the 2018 World Cup winner will now look around the squad and wonder how United can ever achieve their ambitions with a group of players who simply aren't good enough to take them to the next level.

Despite his infuriating shortcomings, Pogba is still a world-class attacking midfielder and a player capable of shining for a club such as Real Madrid, Juventus or Barcelona. He could, and should, have done more on the pitch to haul United to a better place than they currently are, but it is no surprise to see him now virtually checking out of the club before this season has come to a close.

Sources have told ESPN that some players and coaches at United have grown tired of Pogba and his contribution this season that few tears will be shed when -- rather than if -- he moves on. But big players don't seek to move elsewhere if their ambitions can be achieved where they already are; something United executive chairman Ed Woodward and Solskjaer will come to realise. Nobody has come out of this saga with their reputations enhanced, but the only losers will be United.

Jofra Archer will miss England's tour of Sri Lanka and this year's Indian Premier League after scans revealed a stress fracture in his elbow.

Archer was troubled by problems with his right elbow during the recent Test tour of South Africa, which England won 3-1. He missed the second and third Tests as a result and was then ruled out of the fourth on match-day morning when he suffered a recurrence of pain in the area while bowling during the warm-up.

He was withdrawn from the T20 squad due to play three fixtures in South Africa next week and returned to England for scans, which the ECB said on Thursday had "confirmed that Archer has suffered a low-grade stress fracture".

"As a result of the injury, he has been ruled out of England's Test tour of Sri Lanka and the Indian Premier League 2020 season," the ECB added in a statement. "He will now commence an injury rehabilitation programme with the ECB medical team with a view to be ready for the international summer campaign starting in June against West Indies in a three-match Test series."

In an upbeat post on Twitter, Archer vowed to return to action "soon".

Be back soon pic.twitter.com/hmzDLY3l9A

— Jofra Archer (@JofraArcher) February 6, 2020

England travel to Sri Lanka to play two Tests next month and it is not just his national team who are set to feel the impact of Archer's absence. Rajasthan Royals, with whom Archer was due to be reunited for the IPL beginning in late March, made a brief statement on Twitter, saying they were still optimistic about Archer returning this season.

"We're working with the ECB to help @JofraArcher secure a speedy recovery, and still hope to see him in a Royals jersey this season," the club said.

Archer was bought by the Royals in the 2018 auction for INR 7.6 crore (US $1.125 million) and proved he was worth every penny as he became their go-to bowler.

Despite never having played in Indian conditions before his IPL debut, Archer made use of his height and his variations to dominate batsmen during the Powerplay and at the death. Last IPL, his economy rate of 4.75 in the Powerplay was the second-best in the tournament among bowlers to send down at least 30 deliveries in the Powerplay.

Archer's economy rate in the Powerplay for the two seasons he has played for the Royals was 6.52. Bowling at the death, Archer's overall economy rate was 8.73 and he bagged 14 wickets.

In 2019, Archer had to leave the tournament after 11 matches to report for the England duty ahead of the World Cup. He signed off in style, hitting a four and six with the Royals needing nine runs in the final over to win at Kolkata Knight Riders.

The Royals have Andrew Tye, Tom Curran and Oshane Thomas in their squad along with an Indian contingent lead by Jaydev Unadkat, Ankit Rajpoot and Kartik Tyagi, who is currently performing well at the Under 19 World Cup.

To cover for Archer, they would need to look for a replacement from the final registered pool of players that the IPL shortlisted during the auction. Among the quicks who went unsold were: Sean Abott (Australia), Alzarri Joseph and Kesrick Williams (West Indies), Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh), Mark Wood (England), Adam Milne (New Zealand).

Melbourne Stars 2 for 194 (Stoinis 83, Larkin 83, Morris 2-30) beat Sydney Thunder 8 for 166 (Ross 58, Haris 3-17) by 28 runs

A change in approach and finals pressure worked beautifully in concert for the Melbourne Stars, allowing them to squeeze the Sydney Thunder into defeat after a rousing post-season campaign and delivering the hosts a place in the Big Bash League decider against the Sydney Sixers at the SCG, on what is likely to be a very soggy Saturday night at the SCG.

Batting first at their captain Glenn Maxwell's request, Marcus Stoinis and Nick Larkin provided the spine of the innings with a pair of identical scores that had contrasting constructions and also expectations. Stoinis, as the tournament's leading run-maker, did what has been expected of him at the top of the order in the style of an experienced professional, while Larkin showed why the Stars had kept faith with him over the past two seasons, coming to the boil beautifully with one of the best and certainly most high profile innings of his career in front of 13,067 spectators.

Their efforts gave the Stars 194 to defend, and with Nathan Coulter-Nile providing an impactful contribution to see off Alex Hales and Usman Khawaja before Haris Rauf accounted for the Thunder captain Callum Ferguson, Maxwell and his bowlers were able to steadily ramp up the squeeze on the visitors. Rearguards from Alex Ross and Arjun Nair were not enough, meaning the Stars will travel north for a final they would have hosted had they not been beaten badly by the Sixers in the battle between first and second last week.

Role reversal suits Stars

Not since 2014 had the Stars last chosen to bat first in a BBL final when given the option, and only Maxwell, Stoinis and Dan Worrall were still playing for them back then. So it was a major change in approach when the coin came down on the right side for Maxwell, but a shrewd one given the Stars had lost four in a row batting second, while the Thunder's rise from fifth on the ladder to the cusp of the tournament decider has been characterised by their staunch defence in the field and with the ball as Callum Ferguson swung his bowlers around with supple captaincy.

And as the Stars crunched 26 from the first two overs and the Thunder reprieved both Stoinis and Larkin with early dropped catches - Jay Lenton's off a Stoinis leg glance from Chris Morris one of the worst of the entire season - the role reversal appeared to create a dominant theme for the evening. Stoinis certainly enjoyed the chance to reprise the role he took up when coshing 147 against the Sydney Sixers at the MCG after the Stars had been sent in, while Larkin grew into his innings with a calmness that allowed the rate to slow to 7.76 after 13 overs before acceleration.

Cook attacked, Maxwell not needed

One of the Thunder's strongest suits against the Hurricanes and the Strikers was the whippy wrist spin of Jono Cook, who had returned figures of 5 for 37 from the two finals and revelled in bowling second to put opponents under pressure. He seemed destined for a more difficult night from his second ball this night, as he drifted full to Stoinis and was punched back down the ground. For a bowler with a style that lends itself to targeting the stumps, Cook strayed wide too often, giving Stoinis room to free his arms, and only bowled for three overs costing 36 for 0.

As a result of that analysis and the keeping of wickets in hand, Stoinis and Larkin were able to free their arms with terrifying effect for the visitors in the final overs. Tallies of 18, 14 and 12 came from overs 14, 15 and 16, and after Stoinis was bowled behind his pads by a relieved Morris - having reached the highest ever aggregate for a single BBL - it was Larkin who was able to take control as Maxwell arrived for the closing overs. Forty-nine were clumped from the final four overs, of which Maxwell was required to score only four: there's a ratio no-one expected before the start of the game.

Coulter-Nile has one of those nights

For the Thunder to be a chance, they needed Alex Hales to maintain his run of five consecutive scores over 40 and Usman Khawaja to support him in the manner seen when they helped usurp the Hurricanes at Bellerive Oval. But the Stars had in their line-ups one of the more mercurial players in recent Australian cricket history: Coulter-Nile. Team-mates and opponents alike have spoken of days and sessions in which Coulter-Nile "clicks" and turns a game, and here he did it in the field with the ball.

Unable to find the boundary early, Hales chanced a quick single to Coulter-Nile's right arm at mid on and paid for it with a direct hit that saw him run out by about a centimetre. When Maxwell called Coulter Nile into the attack he scythed through Khawaja's attempted slog to splay the stumps, celebrating raucously with Adam Zampa after he did so. By way of a follow-up, Haris maintained his domination of Ferguson, a bouncer down the leg side snaffling the Thunder skipper for the third time in 10 balls faced this tournament, and placing the game all but in the Stars' keeping.

Ross rearguard can't save Thunder

One quality batsman remained in the path of the Stars. Ross' ability to combine improvisation and power has made him a valuable commodity in Australian domestic cricket for some years, and in the company of Nair, among the league's most unconventional hitters, he was still capable of wresting the match from the hosts' strong grasp. After a period of slowing down and taking stock as Nair sliced boundaries where he could, Ross looked to take on the task of wrenching the runs he needed.

His first target, having reached his second 50 of this tournament, was the Australian limited-overs spin bowler Zampa, and he got a hold of one leg break with sufficient force to send it flying well into the seats in between the two team dug outs, and next ball shouldered arms to a wide. Zampa, though, was able to respond with something tighter to Ross' legs and thus harder to get under, resulting in a catching chance in the deep. Nic Maddinson, for all his batting struggles over the competition, took a tremendous running catch, and that was to be more or less that.

Jason Gillespie, Sussex's head coach, is set to link up with the England Lions squad for a 12-day spell on the red-ball leg of their tour of Australia.

Gillespie, who claimed 259 wickets for Australia in a 71-Test career, will be on hand to offer the Lions' fast bowlers advice on how to thrive in Australian conditions, as he works with the squad alongside Somerset's coach, Jason Kerr.

The Lions' fast-bowling contingent features a couple of players with prior experience of playing in Australia. Craig Overton made his Test debut during the the 2017-18 Ashes tour, while Richard Gleeson took part in the Big Bash with Melbourne Renegades.

"I'm excited by the opportunity to work with Richard Dawson [Lions coach], his support staff and all the players," said Gillespie. "It's a great chance to listen and learn from different people and I hope that I can add some value to the team from my own cricket experiences.

"Richard is a great friend of mine as someone I played and coached with at Yorkshire and played against for Australia, so I know what an excellent person and leader he is. It's going to be great fun and a really rewarding experience." ECB Performance Director Mo Bobat said: "This will be a great opportunity for our young pace bowlers to learn from one of the best in the business.

"Jason was not only a quality bowler but is also an excellent coach with vast experience who will no doubt leave a lasting impression on the squad."

The ECB have targeted the 2021-22 Ashes tour as one of English cricket's key objectives for the next four years, which means that this Lions tour will be a significant opportunity for several candidates to put down a marker for two years' time. Last month it was confirmed that three members of the victorious Test squad in South Africa - Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and Dom Bess - will all be taking part in the red-ball leg of the tour.

"Learning how to impact games with the ball in Australian conditions is a great challenge," Bobat added. "Having Jason on hand to help our players with this is of huge value. It will no doubt stand them in good stead for future Ashes success.

"I'm encouraging the whole squad and management team to make the most of Jason's time with us, to tap into his experience and local knowledge to improve themselves as players and coaches over the coming weeks.

"It will be great to see him working closely with Jason Kerr who is leading our pace bowling support during the tour and sharing expertise in this way can only be good for our game as a whole."

The Lions play three four-day games on their tour of Australia, starting with a match against a Cricket Australia XI in Hobart from February 15. They then take on Australia A in a pink-ball day/night match at the MCG before finishing the tour with a four-dayer against a New South Wales XI.

Tabraiz Shamsi can't wait to start doing a few things wrong when he bowls for the South African ODI team, because he knows he won't have to wait too long for the opportunity to fix any errors.

"I am excited to make mistakes along the way because now I have time to implement on them," Shamsi said, ahead of South Africa's second ODI against England in Durban. "Previously I was playing the odd game here and there and the mistakes I've made, it's only three months later that I can try and implement (lessons learnt). There wasn't that consistency. I'm excited and on the way there will be mistakes as well but for me, this feels like the beginning."

Though Shamsi debuted more than three and a half years ago, he has only played in 18 of South Africa's 67 ODIs since June 2016, and has never played in every match of a series. His bit-part role was a direct result of Imran Tahir's excellence and South Africa's strategy of using only one front-line spinner. Since Tahir's retirement, after the 2019 World Cup, that baton has passed to Shamsi and he grabbed it with both hands on Tuesday night.

His crucial 3 for 38 ensured England's total was contained below 260 and Shamsi admitted it felt like a second coming. "I've been involved with the team for a number of years but it was always the odd game here or there so I'm excited for this new chapter. It felt like I was starting my career in Cape Town."

ALSO READ: South Africa enjoy rare serenity after stealing a march

In fact, Shamsi's career began in the place South Africa travel to next - the Caribbean - where he played in a triangular series which also included Australia. Four months later, in a home series against the same opposition, Shamsi delivered what he thinks may be his best performance: 3 for 36 in Port Elizabeth. All three wickets were lbw, the first was Steve Smith and Shamsi contributed to bowling Australia out for 167 en route to South Africa's 5-0 series sweep. He did not play against in the series and he had to wait 19 months before he could make an impact like that again. In Dambulla, in July 2018, Shamsi took 4 for 33, which remain his best figures to date.

Since then, he has to bide his time as eras changed. Included in that was the shift in leadership from Faf du Plessis, to Quinton de Kock, who has been alongside Shamsi throughout his career and understands his game well.

"Quinny and I started together. He doesn't speak much. He is a simple guy. There are very few words but you understand," Shamsi said. "With Faf being captain, we had a certain template. With a different captain, you get different information. I don't think much has changed because he was the keeper so our communication was always there. He is a man of a few words. When he speaks, he is clear on the instructions and off we go."

De Kock's willingness to let his slower bowlers shine was evident at Newlands, where South Africa changed tack swiftly on a surface that did not offer much for quicks. Jon-Jon Smuts was introduced in the eighth over and made the first breakthrough. Even though Smuts, who bowls left-arm spin, could prove a competitor to Shamsi in future, Shamsi believes there's enough to go around and had nothing but praise for his team-mate.

"It's a collective. It's nice that the guys up front take wickets. It makes my job easier coming in so it was nice to see a spinner taking a wicket," Shamsi said. "Smuts is an allrounder. Over the years people have said he is a bits-and-pieces bowler but he is not that. He doesn't get enough credit. He is a lot better than that."

Ultimately, Smuts opened England up for Shamsi to take centre stage and he owned the scene. Shamsi was confident in tossing the ball up, consistent with his lengths and found sharp turn, highlighting England's discomfort against left-arm wristspin. As one of the few bowlers on the circuit who bowls in that style, Shamsi could be thought of as something of a mystery spinner, even if he doesn't think he has too many secrets. "Now there is so much analysis," he said. "You bowl five balls and there is video footage. It is a small club and it's nice to be unique."

Individualism is a quality Shamsi knows a lot about, not least because of the way he enjoys his success. In leagues such as the IPL, CPL and the MSL, Shamsi has made a habit of eccentric celebrations, including the boot-phone and the magic-stick, but in national colours, he only wants to be pulling rabbits out of the hat with ball in hand for now. "I'll stay in my box a little bit for now," he said. "Hopefully a few more wickets and the celebrations will come out."

Bangladesh Under-19 215 for 4 (Joy 100, Shahadat 40*) beat New Zealand Under-19 211 for 8 (Wheeler-Greenall 75, Lidstone 44, Islam 3-45, Shamim 2-31) by six wickets

Mahmudul Hasan Joy ended his run of poor scores with his fourth Youth ODI century to secure Bangladesh's maiden World Cup final - across levels and genders - for the Under-19 tournament against India on February 9. Joy's hundred helped Bangladesh chase down 212 with six wickets in hand and nearly six overs to spare, after the bowlers restricted New Zealand to 211 for 8 in Potchefstroom.

Joy had a best score of 38* in his last eight innings and the early departure of Bangladesh's openers on Thursday didn't make things any easier for him. He still anchored the chase by striking 13 fours in his 127-ball innings of 100 and was assisted by No. 4 Towhid Hridoy, who made a brisk 47-ball 40, and the No. 5 Shahadat Hossain, who stayed unbeaten on 40. Captain Akbar Ali scored the winning runs with a drive past mid-on in front of a sizeable Bangladesh-supporting crowd that had come from cities near and far.

That Bangladesh chased a total under 250 was courtesy of their all-round bowling performance that continuously pegged New Zealand's scoring rate. Asked to bat, New Zealand struggled with their tempo and if it wasn't for Beckham Wheeler-Greenall's 83-ball 75, they would have finished with a much smaller total, having been reduced to 142 for 6 at one point. Left-arm seamer Shoriful Islam took 3 for 45, right-arm quick Shamim Hossain ended with 2 for 31 and left-arm orthodox spinner Hasan Murad finished with 2 for 34 under overcast conditions in the morning.

The sun then baked the Senwes Park deck as the chase began, making batting much easier. Joy and Hridoy added 68 for the third wicket to take Bangladesh to 100. Once Hridoy was stumped off Adithya Ashok, Joy dominated a 101-run stand with Shahadat to take Bangladesh past 200. He reached his hundred by sweeping Jesse Tashkoff for four in the 43rd over but fell on the very next delivery by handing a return catch to the bowler.

Only 11 runs were left for Bangladesh then, and Ali finished the chase to send the crowd into a frenzy. Ali pumped his fist after hitting the winning runs while his team-mates from the dugout ran onto the field with the green-and-red Bangladesh flag to spark the celebrations off.

Full report to follow...

Quarterback Jett Duffey has been denied admission to Central Michigan following a second Title IX complaint against the Texas Tech graduate transfer, a source confirmed to ESPN.

According to Central Michigan Life, which first reported on the allegation, a female student at Texas Tech said Duffey sexually assaulted her while she was incapacitated. The 2019 case ended in "voluntary resolution," and Duffey was not suspended from team activities.

The source confirmed to ESPN that the accusation played a role in Central Michigan denying admission to Duffey, and a school spokesperson told ESPN on Thursday morning that Duffey was not enrolled at the school.

"Jett was not admitted and is not a student at Central Michigan University," said Ari Harris, assistant director for communications at CMU.

While at Texas Tech, Duffey was found responsible by a Title IX panel for two counts of sexual assault in 2017 against an incapacitated woman, but a grand jury determined there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the case.

Duffey's attorney, Chuck Lanehart, said Duffey never faced criminal charges or was arrested for any of the allegations.

"Jett is a talented football player, an excellent student, and he deserves a chance to continue his college playing career," Lanehart told ESPN. "He has consistently maintained his innocence of allegations of misconduct, and has been cleared by Texas Tech of any Title IX allegations."

Texas Tech had suspended Duffey for the spring and summer semesters for the 2017 Title IX charge.

"It was a situation that we are governed by a university process, and that university process is outside of the athletics department," said Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt. "It was handled with no involvement whatsoever from the athletic department and the coaches, and we followed that process accordingly."

Once he had served his suspension, Duffey returned to the team, and he started the final eight games of the season in 2019 for the Red Raiders after starting quarterback Alan Bowman went down with an injury. He threw for 2,840 yards and 18 touchdowns and had five interceptions throughout the season; he also rushed for 212 yards and one touchdown.

"When Jett returned to campus and returned to our football program, he was a great member of our student-athlete population," Hocutt said. "We had hoped he would return for his final year of eligibility and continue to be a part of our program as he has been since he committed out of high school."

This is the second time Duffey has been denied admission to another school. According to a report from Nola.com, Duffey originally planned to transfer to Tulane but was denied academic admission. He remains in the NCAA transfer portal as a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.

Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain, who capped his first season at CMU with an 8-6 record and a berth in the MAC championship game, is still in need of a quarterback with immediately eligibility. Tennessee and Houston transfer quarterback Quinten Dormady threw for 2,312 yards and 14 touchdowns with nine interceptions, but has exhausted his eligibility.

McElwain was not immediately available for comment.