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India Under-19 176 for 0 (Jaiswal 105*, Saxena 59*) beat Pakistan Under-19 172 (Nazir 62, Haider 56, Mishra 3-28, Tyagi 2-32, Bishnoi 2-46) by 10 wickets

Having been deflated with a collapse of 6 for 26, Pakistan Under-19 could pose no challenge to the India Under-19 opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Divyaansh Saxena, who shared an unbeaten stand of 176 to lead the defending champions to a thumping ten-wicket win in the first semi-final of the Under-19 World Cup in Potchefstroom. India's victory took them to their third straight final and closer to a fifth Under-19 World Cup title; they will play the winner of New Zealand and Bangladesh in the final on February 9. Jaiswal reached his first hundred in the tournament with a six to seal India's win while Saxena remained unbeaten on 59.

Pakistan, who opted to bat, seemed on course for a respectable total as their opener Haider Ali and captain Rohail Nazir put on a half-century stand for the third wicket. The duo helped Pakistan recover from 34 for 2 in the ninth over, but Haider fell soon after reaching his fifty while trying to cut part-timer Jaiswal. At 96 for 3 in the 26th over, Haider's wicket pegged Pakistan's progress significantly, as Nazir saw four more wickets fall in front of him. India's two quicks Sushant Mishra and Kartik Tyagi did most of the damage - sharing five wickets between them - while legspinner Ravi Bishnoi finished with two from his 10 overs.

Pakistan's collapse began in the 35th over, with the score at 146 for 4, and it took a spectacular effort from Saxena at deep square leg to trigger the slide. Mohammad Haris' sweep off left-arm spinner Atharva Ankolekar seemed destined for a one-bounce four, but Saxena ran across and dived full length to complete the catch just inches from the ground. That effort pushed the other India players to raise their game, and Tyagi delivered a yorker three overs later to bowl Irfan Khan. Only five balls later, Bishnoi trapped Abbas Afridi lbw with a contentious decision as Pakistan slumped to 163 for 7. Nazir was dismissed for 62 three overs later and by the 44th over, they were bowled out for 172.

India's chase started with caution, with Saxena and Jaiswal scoring at under four per over for the first 15 overs. They played out the new ball under overcast conditions with a strong crosswind blowing across the ground, offering no chance for Pakistan to come back into the game via an early wicket.

After Jaiswal got his fifty off 66 balls in the 22nd over, he started using his feet against the spinners to hit over long-on or pull the pacers behind square. Saxena stroked the ball along the ground for the most of his innings, letting Jaiswal be the aggressor. Saxena reached his fifty in the 30th over by driving to deep cover off 83 balls and the asking rate had now come down to two runs per over. Saxena hit six fours while Jaiswal struck eight fours and four sixes, including one that brought up his hundred and India's victory. After sealing the chase, Jaiswal raised both arms in the air, looked upwards and kissed the chain around his neck.

Nazir praised India's bowlers for their effort but said that Pakistan's batsmen failed to live up to their potential.

"It's hard, but cricket is all about the game. One team wins, and we didn't play good cricket today. India were better in the field and with their bowling. They outclassed us," Nazir said in the post-match press conference. "When me and Haider were batting, we were going really nice. But after Haider's wicket, we didn't build partnerships.

"That's the reason why our batting line-up could not get the big runs. With the batting, our shot selection was poor in the crucial time. Three middle-order wickets fell cheaply in crunch situations. Because there weren't enough runs on the board, our bowlers could not penetrate either."

The game had the best attendance of all the matches in the tournament thus far, with Pakistan supporters twice as many as India's. Chants, both of the friendly and not-so-friendly kind, rang through the JB Marks Oval from both sides, the Pakistani voices diminishing as the game progressed. India have now pulled level with Pakistan as far as the sides' Under-19 World Cup head-to-head record goes. Jaiswal is leading this edition's run-scoring charts, having earned his fourth 50-plus score in five games. India's victory was also the first ten-wicket win in the history of Under-19 World Cup (non-Plate) knockouts.

'We were way off the mark, and we were hurt' - Eoin Morgan

Published in Cricket
Tuesday, 04 February 2020 12:01

Eoin Morgan admitted that England's 50-over players were "way off the mark" in their first ODI outing since the World Cup final in July, but said that he expected the new members of the team to learn a huge amount from their failure at Newlands, after Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma capitalised on a sub-par batting performance to secure a comprehensive seven-wicket win.

South Africa's win was eventually sealed with 14 balls to spare after de Kock's and Bavuma's 173-run stand for the second wicket had broken the back of a 259-run chase. But their victory had been set up by an impressive performance in the first half of England's innings, as they reduced the visitors to 131 for 6 before Joe Denly's 87 helped post a serviceable total.

"We were way off the mark, and we were hurt," Morgan admitted at the post-match presentations. "South Africa completely outplayed us today in all departments. We've got no excuses. We didn't adapt to the conditions today that were set in front of us, [because] we knew it wasn't going to be an absolute run-fest.

"But every batsman, apart from suppose Joe Denly and Chris Woakes really struggled to get going, which probably emphasises that we are a little bit rusty. But South Africa bowled well and accurately, they used the conditions really well with slower balls, and then we couldn't penetrate the partnership between de Kock and Bavuma, so it made things very difficult for us. But full credit to them, they've started the series very well."

Asked whether England had misjudged a Newlands pitch that proved to be slow and awkward for fluent strokeplay, Morgan felt their failings had been more subtle than that, after a typically forthright fifty stand between Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow had given way to a mid-innings collapse of 6 for 80 in 18.3 overs.

ALSO READ: De Kock 107, Bavuma 98 power South Africa to big victory

"I think we lacked adaptation to the skill level that was needed," Morgan said. "The guys up front came hard like they normally do, as we always try and do, but when that didn't come off we had to try and rein in in a little bit.

"I think we lost wickets in clusters, and when myself and Joe [Root] went at the same time, we continue to lose wickets until the Woakes and Denly partnership. But I suppose that total would only get us in the game if we if we bowled well and managed to take early wickets. but having let those guys get themselves in, it was a struggle to drag things back."

Nevertheless, having blooded two new ODI debutants in Tom Banton and Matt Parkinson, as well as handing a 50-over recall to Chris Jordan after a three-and-a-half year absence, Morgan conceded that his side was never likely to be the well-honed outfit that held its nerve in adversity to win the World Cup last summer.

"I think they learned a huge amount," said Morgan. "Failure is a huge platform to try and catapult yourself forward, and learn from your mistakes. As soon as you can, [you have to] implement them into this series.

"I think the two guys making their debuts. Tom Banton and Matt Parkinson, have come in today and seen what international cricket is like," he added. "They've had a little glimpse of T20 international cricket but it's not all crash, bang, wallop, like we've seen today. So they learn a lot from tonight and hopefully take that into the rest of the series."

Despite the relative lack of jeopardy in this contest, Morgan insisted that the pain of losing was every bit as relevant to him and his team, given they are still the No.1-ranked ODI side in the world, with a proud recent record in their 50-over campaigns.

"I think we need to continue to learn like we have done in the past," he said. "You know you need to learn and identify exactly where you've got wrong, and I think ultimately today, we were outplayed because we were off the mark."

Jags to play two London games to boost revenue

Published in Breaking News
Tuesday, 04 February 2020 08:48

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jaguars are moving a second home game in 2020 overseas to London's Wembley Stadium in an attempt to increase their local revenue and escape the bottom quartile of the league in that category.

With the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders moving into new stadiums for the 2020 season, the Jaguars felt an additional home game in London -- which generates twice the money of a home game at TIAA Bank Field -- was the best way to offset the boost those teams will be receiving from those relocations and stabilize the long-term future of the franchise.

The Jaguars are spearheading a proposed $700 million entertainment district development around the stadium that would result in additional revenue, but until that happens Jaguars president Mark Lamping said adding another home game in London is the right action for the team to take.

"For clubs like the Jaguars, we are entering an uncertain time," Lamping said. "That uncertain time is related to three teams that in the past were teams that were with us in the bottom of the league in terms of revenue. They have taken steps, steps that we would not consider, but they've taken steps to fix their revenue by leaving Oakland, by leaving St. Louis, and by leaving San Diego. That has had an impact in terms of all the other teams that are where we are in terms of the league.

"We know that Lot J [the name for the proposed entertainment district], in conjunction with all the things that [owner] Shad [Khan] has already invested in, those will continue to pay dividends for us but we can't snap our fingers and get Lot J open tomorrow. So we're waiting to go from where we are now, which is Lot J just a vision, to it actually being open. We need to be looking for those opportunities to supplement our revenue situation and we believe that London fits that bill."

The games will be held on back-to-back Sundays; dates and opponents will be announced in April when the league reveals the schedule. However, the Jaguars did protect home games against Pittsburgh and Chicago, so the opponents will come from this list: Houston, Indianapolis, Tennessee, Cleveland, Detroit and Miami.

It's likely to be between mid-October and mid-November because the annual Florida-Georgia game is being played at TIAA Bank Field on Oct. 31 and the Jaguars have either played their London game that week or had a bye week at that time.

The Jaguars' contract with the NFL to play one home game annually at Wembley Stadium began in 2013 and expires after the 2020 season. Khan said previously he wanted to extend the deal beyond 2020 but the league declined to do so because the collective bargaining agreement with players expires after this season. Khan said on a conference call that he would not rule out possibly playing more than one home game in London beyond 2020, though.

Khan said he doesn't expect fans to react negatively to a second London home game.

"I think if you go back when the first game was announced and really historically what that's done for the city and done for the Jaguars, so my expectation is that it should be very positive," he said. "Everything we're doing helps the city, helps us, and that's what you need a small-market team to do to get on a competitive footing with all the resources you need to compete with the other big-market teams."

The Jaguars have repeatedly stressed how critical playing in London is for their long-term stability in Jacksonville. The deal Khan struck with the NFL for those annual games granted the team extended territorial rights in the United Kingdom as well as receiving the ticket revenue from the game at the 90,000-seat stadium. Lamping has said the monies the Jaguars receive from that game account for 11% of the franchise's local revenue (down from 12% in 2016 and 15 percent in 2014).

Dantonio steps down as coach at Michigan State

Published in Breaking News
Tuesday, 04 February 2020 11:51

Michigan State's Mark Dantonio announced Tuesday that he's stepping down from his role as the Spartans' head coach.

Dantonio coached Michigan State for 13 seasons, leading the program to three Big Ten championships, a Rose Bowl victory and a College Football Playoff berth. He won more games than any coach in program history. His past few years have been marred by controversy.

"After much reflection and discussion with my family, I feel that it is now time for a change as we enter into a new decade of Michigan State Football," Dantonio said in a statement. "...I will miss it all but feel the sacrifices that I have made away from my family must now become my priority at this time in my life."

Dantonio -- along with Michigan State's athletic director and university president -- said he expected to stay with the team at the conclusion of the 2019 football season. He collected a $4.3 million retention bonus in the middle of January.

Defensive coordinator Mike Tressel has been named the Spartans' acting head coach as the school searches for a permanent replacement.

Dantonio's retirement announcement came one day after his former recruiting director, Curtis Blackwell, filed claims that Dantonio committed NCAA recruiting violations as part of an ongoing lawsuit. The new filing alleges that Dantonio helped arrange employment for the parents of two high-profile recruits. Blackwell also says that Dantonio took him on recruiting trips to a high-profile recruit's home, which is an NCAA violation.

Blackwell claimed in earlier filings for the same lawsuit that Dantonio ignored warning signs from his assistants in order to bring another recruit with a history of sexual violence to campus. That player, former defensive end Auston Robertson, was charged with sexually assaulting a teammate's girlfriend less than a year after he arrived on campus and is serving time in state prison.

Robertson was one of four members from Dantonio's 2016 recruiting class who was kicked off the team following charges of sexual assault. Three others -- Donnie Corley, Josh King and Demetric Vance -- pleaded to lesser charges after prosecutors said they assaulted a woman at a party in January 2017.

Dantonio has declined to answer any questions about the vetting process that let Robertson come to campus.

Dantonio said in his announcement Tuesday that he plans to continue to work with the athletic department at Michigan State in a "special projects" role that will help incoming and current players transition to their next challenges.

Warriors' Russell says trade talks par for the course

Published in Basketball
Tuesday, 04 February 2020 12:42

NEW YORK -- D'Angelo Russell is no stranger to being in the middle of trade discussions. Since Russell signed with Golden State in July, he has been seen as a potential trade chip.

The latest iteration came Tuesday, when ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves were interested in organizing a multi-team trade that would include Russell moving to Minnesota.

"I am comfortable with being uncomfortable," Russell said, less than an hour after the news of reinvigorated trade discussions broke. "A lot of teams -- they want a point guard and I am bouncing around, why not put me in those talks and try to get me? I understand the business side and what is going on. It is not nothing new."

If Russell is traded away from Golden State, he will suit up for the fourth different team in his career. He is one of the more seasoned, active players on Golden State's injury-ridden roster.

"I tell myself I'm five years (in the league), going on 10," Russell said. "I don't know what 10 years is going to look like for me, but I am enjoying it. It has been a crazy career so far."

Russell came to Golden State after spending two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets -- a team that he says helped him to mature as a basketball player. Russell said he still keeps in touch with former teammates Joe Harris and Caris LeVert.

Russell, who is in New York for the Warriors' Wednesday game against his former team, said he does see the conversations on Twitter and the articles about his possible future teams.

"I can't lie and say I don't see it," Russell said. "I got to answer questions about it. It is what it is. I am here right now. No telling where I will be in the next few. So, wherever I go, my feet will be there."

Sources: Wolves talking deals to land Russell

Published in Basketball
Tuesday, 04 February 2020 10:04

The Timberwolves are orchestrating multiteam trade discussions with Houston and Atlanta in hopes of ultimately turning discussions into a four-way deal that brings Golden State guard D'Angelo Russell to Minnesota, league sources told ESPN.

The Timberwolves, Rockets and Hawks have the assets to fulfill some of each team's goals: forward Robert Covington to Houston, center Clint Capela to the Hawks and potentially two first-round picks and an expiring contract to Minnesota, league sources said.

For Minnesota, those potential draft assets could be useful in talks with Golden State on a Russell trade or elsewhere in deals at the trade deadline or in the offseason.

The Timberwolves have been engaged in talks with Golden State in recent weeks about a package that includes Russell, league sources said.

A gulf has remained between the Warriors and Timberwolves on a possible agreement.

Golden State has an interest in shedding salary in a potential Russell trade, and Minnesota could need to give the Warriors flexibility on which year or years they'd prefer draft picks, league sources said.

Golden State is already headed toward a high lottery pick in the 2020 NBA draft, which isn't considered strong. Minnesota's Andrew Wiggins would have to be included in almost any Russell trade package.

'Disappointed' prez Mills out in Knicks shake-up

Published in Basketball
Tuesday, 04 February 2020 09:04

The New York Knicks parted ways with president Steve Mills, the team announced Tuesday.

General manager Scott Perry will oversee the basketball operations in the interim, the team said.

Knicks owner James Dolan has long coveted Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri to run the franchise's basketball operations, but complications involving Ujiri's contract status and New York's reluctance to surrender draft-pick considerations as potential compensation to Toronto are already dimming Dolan's desire to pursue Ujiri over the next several months, league sources tell ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Dolan has discussed the job with one potential candidate recently, the sources said.

Sources tell ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Wojnarowski that Dolan is already considering a front-office model that is working with the Golden State Warriors (Bob Myers) and the Los Angeles Lakers (Rob Pelinka): hiring a top basketball executive out of the player agent ranks.

"Steve and I have come to the decision that it would be best for him to leave his role as president of the New York Knicks," Dolan said in a prepared statement. "We thank Steve for his many years of service to our organization and look forward to continuing our relationship with him as part of our board."

The Knicks said it was anticipated that Mills would be nominated to the board of Madison Square Garden's stand-alone sports company.

The Knicks' front-office shake-up on Tuesday comes two days before Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

The Knicks are 15-36, the third-worst mark in the Eastern Conference.

Mills, 60, has been the Knicks' president since July 2017 and previously worked as their executive vice president since 2013. Before being promoted to president, Mills had also served as the team's GM since March 18, 2014. He originally joined the Knicks in 1999 as executive vice president of franchise operations.

"It has been a great honor to represent the Knicks," Mills said in the statement. "I will always be grateful to Jim for giving me the chance to represent this franchise and I'm disappointed we were unable to achieve success for New York. I would like to thank the staff and players for their hard work during my tenure. I will always be a Knicks fan."

Since Mills rejoined the Knicks in 2013, the franchise is 178-365, the worst record in the NBA, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The Knicks fired coach David Fizdale in December after the team started the season 4-18. Fizdale was 21-83 in less than two seasons as Knicks coach.

Mike Miller was named interim coach and the Knicks have gone 11-18 since.

They were 17-65 last season, tying the worst record in franchise history, but believed a big summer could lead to a quick improvement.

However, they couldn't sign any of the top free agents despite having enough money to afford two of them, watching as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving instead went to Brooklyn. Mills then pivoted to sign veteran players to short-term contracts, later insisting those were the players New York was targeting all along.

The Knicks are headed for a seventh consecutive season with a losing record and no playoff appearance.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

HOF voter who snubbed Jeter keeps ballot private

Published in Baseball
Tuesday, 04 February 2020 08:00

The lone baseball writer who did not vote for Derek Jeter for the Hall of Fame chose to keep the ballot private.

The Baseball Writers' Association of America released the ballots of 315 Hall voters on Tuesday, and all public ballots included the longtime New York Yankees captain.

Jeter was on 396 of 397 ballots in voting announced Jan. 21, elected along with Colorado Rockies slugger Larry Walker.

Mariano Rivera, Jeter's Yankees teammate for five World Series titles, became the first unanimous pick last year when he was on all 425 ballots.

The BBWAA decided in 2011 that Hall ballots should be made public but was overruled by the Hall's board of directors, which instead included an option for each voter to decide whether to release the ballot. Since 2012, each voter can check a box on the ballot to have it made public two weeks after the vote totals.

The percentage of public ballots was about the same this year (79.1%) as last (79.5%).

Jeter and Walker will be inducted July 26 at the Hall in Cooperstown, New York, along with catcher Ted Simmons and former players' association head Marvin Miller, who were voted in last month by the Hall's Modern Era Committee.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Phils to honor Halladay on date of perfect game

Published in Baseball
Tuesday, 04 February 2020 08:28

The Philadelphia Phillies will retire the No. 34 of Roy Halladay on the 10th anniversary of his perfect game.

The Phillies will pay tribute to Halladay on May 29, before a game against the Washington Nationals. In addition to retiring Halladay's number, the team will unveil a 6-foot-high No. 34 statue outside Citizens Bank Park.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner pitched the 20th perfect game in Major League Baseball history against the Florida Marlins in a 1-0 victory.

Halladay was 40 when he was killed while piloting his plane, which crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida in November 2017.

Halladay spent his first 12 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays and his final four with the Phillies. He won Cy Young Awards in 2003 with the Blue Jays and in 2010 with the Phillies, and was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.

Halladay joins former Phillies Richie Ashburn (1), Robin Roberts (36), Steve Carlton (32), Mike Schmidt (20), Jim Bunning (14) as having numbers retired by the team. Jackie Robinson's 42 is also retired, as it is for all MLB teams. Grover Cleveland Alexander and Chuck Klein are honored on the team's Wall of Fame.

Source: Utility man Rodriguez, Marlins agree

Published in Baseball
Tuesday, 04 February 2020 11:06

Infielder Sean Rodriguez and the Miami Marlins are in agreement on a minor league deal, a source tells ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Rodriguez, 34, played every position last season for the Phillies except catcher -- and even had 1 1/3 scoreless innings as a pitcher.

In 76 games last season, Rodriguez hit .223 with 4 home runs and 12 RBIs.

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