Brisbane Heat v Adelaide Strikers

Our XI: Jake Weatherald, Phil Salt, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, AB de Villiers, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Rashid Khan, Ben Cutting, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about a late injury (or other relevant) updates.

Captain: Rashid Khan

With 14 wickets from eight games - six of those in the last two outings - and a couple of breezy knocks, Rashid should be the first name on your team sheet. No questions, no arguments.

Vice-captain: AB de Villiers

There is no Tom Banton to give you your guaranteed fantasy points but wait, he has been replaced by an even better player. Even in his second year of international retirement, de Villiers remains one of the most dangerous batsmen in the franchise cricket and has four 50-plus scores in his last six T20 innings.

Hot picks

Jake Weatherald: Weatherald might have slipped down the batting charts, but he has been among the runs nonetheless. He has made 47 off 31 and 27 off 12 in his last two matches and if he manages to stay at the crease a bit longer, it could result in a lot of points.

Chris Lynn: Not long ago, Lynn had struck 94 off 35 and an unbeaten 88 off 55, and while he might not have done much in the last two games, leave him out at your own peril. That too when he is playing at his home ground.

Peter Siddle: The old war horse hasn't forgotten how to take wickets. With ten scalps from seven games, he is behind only Rashid for the Strikers. In his last game against Melbourne Renegades, he was the most successful bowler for his team, picking up 3 for 14.

Value buys

Travis Head: After a successful summer with the Test side, Head has rejoined the Strikers as their captain. Playing his first game of the season, Head struck 22 with the bat before picking up 2 for 26 with his offspin. As an allrounder, he has the potential to change your fortunes.

Ben Cutting: Last time Heat played in Brisbane, Cutting picked up 1 for 12 and scored an unbeaten 43 off 29 balls. In his side's opening game of the tournament, at this very ground, Cutting had chipped in with 1 for 19 and 28 off 18. Able to make an impact with both bat and ball, he could be a valuable inclusion to your side.

Points to note

• Banton and Zahir Khan have been replaced by de Villiers and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the Heat roster.

Sri Lanka Cricket has decided to terminate Chandika Hathurusingha's contract as head coach, while Hathurusingha has moved for compensation through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), following months of deadlock.

Although SLC had suspended Hathurusingha as far back as August last year, they had continued to pay him for several months, while lawyers traded letters and the board sent Hathurusingha a list of alleged failings as head coach. The charges levelled by SLC include failure to adequately prepare the Sri Lanka side for various assignments, and failure to maintain good relationships with players.

The board has finally resolved to terminate Hathurusingha's contract, but the possibility that they will have to pay Hathurusingha a substantial amount for early termination remains. His contract was due to run until December this year.

"At the last executive committee meeting, on Friday, it was decided that the contract would be terminated," board CEO Ashley de Silva told ESPNcricinfo. "I can't say by memory when we stopped the payments to [Hathurusingha], but I believe it was somewhere around October last year."

The board's decision came after CAS, a global sporting body that aims to settle disputes related to sports via arbitration, sent them a letter listing Hathurusingha's demands. De Silva confirmed that SLC is bound to the CAS process, and the board is now understood to be required to respond. This is likely because Hathurusingha's contract with the board had stipulated that CAS could become involved if something like an early termination did eventuate. CAS will facilitate arbitration, and will effectively function as the intermediary between the parties for as long as this process lasts.

Hathurusingha's demands, conveyed to SLC by CAS, are understood to include not only loss of income from the early termination, but also compensation for damages to his reputation. He had remained in Sri Lanka through the early months of his legal tussle with SLC, but had returned home to Australia after the board's payments ceased.

Hathurusingha is the third head coach in the last five years whose tenure with Sri Lanka was ended before the contracted term was served. Marvan Atapattu and Graham Ford were both elbowed out of the position in 2015 and 2017 respectively.

In 2013, SLC had also had to pay Geoff Marsh a substantial settlement after the board had terminated his contract early in 2012.

Before Monday, the only thing that was missing from Mohammad Amir's glittering CV was a five-wicket haul in T20 cricket. In the first qualifier of BPL 2019-20, Amir went one better with 6 for 17 to put Khulna Tigers in the final.

After being asked to bat, Khulna managed only 158 for 3 and were up against a Rajshahi Royals batting line-up that included T20 stars like Andre Russell and Shoaib Malik. Rajshahi also sprang a surprise by having a new opening pair of Liton Das and Afif Hossain.

ALSO READ: Amir, Shanto lead Khulna into BPL final

Amir took out five of the top-six Rajshahi batsmen, including Liton, Afifi and Russell in a superb first spell that read 3-0-12-4. Liton missed a beauty that had swerved between his bat and pad to hit the top of off stump, Afif edged a wide one, while Russell had no room to swing at a throat-high short ball. Alok Kapali also fell to Amir in the Powerplay, edging one to Shamsur Rahman at slip.

"When you are bowling under lights, you have to look for swing," Amir said after his match-winning performance. "I think I was hitting the right areas. I knew their openers were in good touch, so I thought if I could get both of them, we would have a good chance. It worked out. I think there was something for the bowlers, if you hit the right areas.

"The wicket was giving you something. I wasn't trying too much, but just trying to hit the right areas. It always feels good. They give you confidence and you take momentum to the next game. It is good for me and the team. We have reached the final. I will try to keep this momentum in the final."

Malik then threatened a Rajshahi comeback with a 39-ball fifty, and they were needing 53 off 18 balls, with four wickets in hand, by the time Amir was brought back for his last over. Malik had dominated a 74-run stand with Taijul Islam, but the returning Amir closed out the game for Khulna by dismissing both Islam and Malik in a space of four balls.

"The plan was working for us. I had already bowled three overs," Amir said. "Mushy [Mushfiqur] needed me in the 17th or 18th over. It was the plan. Shoaib Malik is a dangerous player, who has a lot of experience. I kept telling Mushy to get rid of Shoaib bhai, he is so dangerous.

"We were bowling well. You have to give credit to the other bowlers. It wasn't easy to bowl in the end as there was a lot of dew. Fielders took all the catches apart from one. I think it was a complete team effort."

Amir will be playing his first BPL final on Friday, after he had missed out in the 2017 final, when Dhaka Dynamites dropped him against Rangpur Riders. Chris Gayle blasted an unbeaten 146 off 69 balls as Rangpur crushed Dhaka. Amir's form might not have been good enough three years ago, but you can't bench him now after a six-wicket haul.

Clemson came up short in Monday's college football championship game, but oddsmakers don't think the Tigers' run is over yet.

With quarterback Trevor Lawrence returning for his junior season and another stellar recruiting class on the way, Clemson has been installed as the consensus favorite to win next season's College Football Playoff.

Clemson opened as the favorite at 2-1 at Caesars Sportsbook, followed by Alabama at 4-1, LSU at 9-2 and Ohio State at 7-1.

Clemson reached the playoff in each of the past five seasons, winning two national championships. Clemson lost to LSU 42-25 on Monday, though, snapping its 29-game winning streak and handing Lawrence his first collegiate loss.

While Clemson and Ohio State each bring back star quarterbacks in Lawrence and Justin Fields, respectively, Alabama and LSU will be turning to new full-time starters. Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, whose season was cut short by injury, is headed to the NFL, along with LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, this season's Heisman Trophy winner.

Oddsmakers at FanDuel have anointed Fields as the early favorite to win next season's Heisman Trophy; Fields opened at +175, followed by Lawrence at +550. No other player has single-digit odds.

"Ohio State's schedule lends itself better to a Heisman campaign [than Clemson's]," Stephen Macken, who oversees college football odds for FanDuel, told ESPN.

Lawrence will have the opportunity for a showcase game when Clemson travels to Notre Dame on Nov. 7.

Georgia, which also will be breaking in a new quarterback, opened at 10-1 to win next season's title, followed by Florida at 15-1. Oklahoma and Auburn are each at 22-1. Notre Dame and Texas each opened at 25-1, and Michigan and Penn State are each 30-1 at Caesars Sportsbook.

Houston senior quarterback D'Eriq King said Monday night he has entered the NCAA transfer portal.

King posted on his Twitter account late Monday: "I've entered the portal I think it's best for me and my family!"

The reversal of course for King, who played four games before announcing in late September he would redshirt the rest of the 2019 season with plans to return to the Cougars in 2020, means one of the nation's most talented quarterbacks is available. King graduated from Houston on Dec. 14, meaning he will be eligible to play next season regardless of where he lands. He will have one season of eligibility remaining as a redshirt senior.

During his Houston career, King accounted for more than 7,000 yards across multiple positions, including nearly 5,000 passing yards. His best season came in 2018 -- his first as primarily a quarterback -- when he accounted for 50 touchdowns, which was third best in the FBS that season; he also threw for 2,982 yards, while rushing for 674.

His 82 career touchdowns responsible for since 2016 is ninth among active FBS quarterbacks in that span.

Arkansas is a potential landing spot for King, sources told ESPN. New Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman recently hired offensive coordinator Kendal Briles -- who spent the 2018 season at Houston with King -- away from Florida State. A potential reunion between the two in the style of offense that led to King's career year, plus a chance to play in the SEC -- the conference that annually produces the most NFL draft picks -- is an attractive option for King.

Multiple Power 5 conference programs are interested in King and have been anticipating the day he would enter the transfer portal, sources told ESPN, so it is likely that King has several potential suitors.

The move, while not entirely unexpected from those in and around the Cougars, runs counter to what King and Houston coach Dana Holgorsen have publicly said in the past. When asked about the possibility of King transferring during a Sept. 24 news conference announcing King's decision to redshirt, Holgorsen said "all indications are that he's not going in the transfer portal."

More recently, during a national signing day news conference in mid-December, Holgorsen took umbrage at a question regarding his certainty that King and other players who chose to redshirt in order to return in 2020 -- Cougars wide receiver Keith Corbin, offensive lineman Braylon Jones and running back Mulbah Car among them -- would do so.

"I don't know why you'd even ask that question after what I just said," Holgorsen said. "I, obviously, feel pretty good about all those guys."

Holgorsen earlier that day noted he was pleased to look at a roster that would potentially have 24 seniors on it in 2020, including King and the aforementioned redshirts.

As recently as last week, Holgorsen and those close to him felt confident King would be back. Houston began spring classes on Monday, and King had submitted scholarship paperwork to attend school this semester, a source told ESPN, but such paperwork is nonbinding.

King's father, Eric, told ESPN on Sept. 23 that while returning to Houston was "absolutely" a possibility, the quarterback and his family would evaluate all their options.

On Sept. 24, D'Eriq King said: "I'm staying here. I'm here. If I wanted to leave Houston and go somewhere else, I could have. I think me being here is what I want to do and it's the best opportunity for me. I don't think anybody will reach out to me. Even if they do, they should know I'm staying here."

He went on to say that day he "never thought about transferring," at that point.

The Cougars started 1-3 this past season, losing to Oklahoma, Washington State and Tulane, before King and Corbin announced their redshirts. The team finished 4-8, marking the program's worst record since 2004 and its first time missing a bowl game since 2012.

After King redshirted, the Cougars turned to sophomore Clayton Tune, who started six of Houston's final seven games. The coach's son, freshman Logan Holgorsen, also started a game at quarterback, and he appeared in seven contests. Both are returning in 2020. And in December, the Cougars signed Sofian Massoud, a three-star QB prospect from Cypress Lakes High School just outside of Houston.

NEW ORLEANS -- LSU quarterback Joe Burrow broke the NCAA FBS single-season records for touchdown passes and touchdowns responsible for in his team's 42-25 victory over Clemson in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday.

Burrow initially tied the records of 58 touchdown passes and 63 touchdowns responsible for, set by Hawai'i's Colt Brennan in 2006, with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Thaddeus Moss with 10 seconds left in the second quarter. He hit Moss again in the third quarter for a 4-yard score to take sole possession of both marks.

In the fourth quarter, Burrow found Terrace Marshall Jr. for a 24-yard score to give him 60 touchdown passes on the season.

The senior quarterback threw five touchdown passes in total and ran for another score in leading the Tigers to their first national title since 2007 and fourth overall, breaking a few more records along the way in what was already an historic season. His five TD passes and 463 yards passing marked the most for a BCS or College Football Playoff title game, as did his six total touchdowns.

"This is what I wanted to do from the time I was 5 years old, was hoist this trophy, and bringing it back to Louisiana,'' Burrow said, then caught himself. "I guess we're in Louisiana, but staying in Louisiana, we weren't going to let someone come in here and steal this from us in our home state.

"We have a great fan base that came out and supported us. We were going to keep this thing right here.''

One of Burrow's top targets on the night was Biletnikoff Award winner Ja'Marr Chase, who dominated his matchup against Clemson's best cornerback, A.J. Terrell. Chase finished with nine catches and 221 yards receiving, the most in a national championship game since the BCS was instituted in 1998.

Chase had several explosive plays, including a 52-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. The LSU record for receiving yards in a bowl is 239, set by Josh Reed in the 2002 Sugar Bowl versus Illinois.

Burrow appeared to pay a price for the first Moss TD. Clemson junior linebacker James Skalski came across the line, unblocked, on a blitz and landed a big hit to Burrow's rib/arm area right after he released the ball.

Burrow returned to the field well before the halftime break ended, which is rare for a starting QB. He rode a stationary bike for three minutes on the sideline, then went through some throws on the field, grimacing slightly as he looked at his hand.

Burrow said after the game there was no issue.

"I was fine," he said.

After throwing his fifth touchdown pass of the night, Burrow celebrated by pointing to his ring finger. He later said the team had already been fitted for championship rings, and that he wears a size 10.5.

"He's one of the greatest players in LSU history," Tigers coach Ed Orgeron said of Burrow. "He's done so much for the state of Louisiana and LSU. We are so grateful to Joe Burrow.''

The Heisman Trophy winner holds school and SEC records for passing touchdowns and passing yards. He's the only player in SEC history to throw for both 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns. He far exceeded those marks with 5,671 yards and 60 scores.

On top of that, Burrow has school single-season records for completions, total offense, passing yards per game and total offense per game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW ORLEANS -- As it turned out, the game wasn't as close as their rankings.

Playing in front of what could have easily been mistaken for a home crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the No. 1 LSU Tigers capped their undefeated season with a convincing 42-25 win over No. 3 and defending national champion Clemson on Monday night. It was LSU's fourth national championship game appearance in the BCS/CFP era, and all four games were played at the Superdome, where LSU is now 3-1 in national title games.

With the win, LSU snapped Clemson's 29-game winning streak before a crowd of 76,885. The two programs are in elite company, as LSU joined Clemson in the sport's exclusive 15-win club, becoming just the second team in the past 120 seasons to win 15 games (Clemson did it last season). Here's a look at the key moments that led to LSU's national championship in coach Ed Orgeron's home state:

WAIT, WHERE'S THE OFFENSE?

In a game that featured two of the top four scoring offenses in the country and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, the defenses dominated the first quarter. Six of the first seven drives were punts -- three for Clemson and three for LSU. It was the first time since Nov. 3, 2018, against Alabama, that LSU failed to score on its first three possessions.

CLEMSON STRIKES FIRST

It was one of the toughest rushing touchdowns of the game -- and it was scored by a wide receiver. Tee Higgins took off down the left side of the field, shrugged off one tackle and then lowered his shoulder and delivered a blow to cornerback Kristian Fulton as he ran 36 yards into the end zone, well aware of how close his feet were to the boundary line. It capped a four-play, 96-yard drive and gave Clemson a short-lived 17-7 lead.

LSU FLIPS THE SWITCH

LSU's 10-point deficit, its largest of the season, lasted a whopping 81 seconds as the Tigers scored on their following possession to take a 28-17 lead. LSU had 90 yards and seven points in the first quarter. In the second? The Tigers had 269 yards and 21 points. It was an uncharacteristic stretch for the Clemson defense, which entered the game leading the nation in scoring defense at 11.5 points per game.

One of the biggest mistakes was when Derion Kendrick was flagged for a pass interference call on third-and-19, extending the scoring drive that gave LSU a 28-17 lead.

"We had pretty good position, but just dumb stuff, man," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said at the half.

The last time Clemson allowed at least 28 points in a first half was in the 2012 Orange Bowl against West Virginia (49 points). No quarterback had three touchdown passes in a game against Clemson this season, and Burrow managed the feat in the first half.

JOE vs. TREVOR

Both quarterbacks had phenomenal seasons, but in the first half, Burrow reminded everyone why he was the Heisman winner. He joined Vince Young in the category of players with 250 passing yards, 50 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in a national championship game -- and he did it all in the first half.

"We had some bad field position in the beginning, but we started clicking on offense," LSU coach Ed Orgeron said on the field at halftime. "We figured out what they were going to do."

Trevor Lawrence, meanwhile, had a career-high eight overthrows in the first half, and 12 total. He completed just 18 of 37 attempts with no touchdowns. Burrow had five passing touchdowns.

Joe Burrow just completed the gr8est college season ever by a player. Consider the records broken, Heisman and National Championship. Who had a better one?

— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) January 14, 2020

Trevor Lawrence still an outstanding QB quit the shenanigans.....

LSU IS UNBELIEVABLE POINT BLANK PERIOD

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) January 14, 2020

BURROW'S TOP TARGET

As impressive as Burrow was, he couldn't have done it without Ja'Marr Chase, who racked up 162 yards and two touchdowns on six catches -- all in the first half. Through three quarters, Burrow was 8-of-11 for 218 yards, six first downs and two touchdowns when targeting Chase.

He became the first player with 100 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the first half of a national title game (BCS or CFP) since Miami's Andre Johnson in the 2002 Rose Bowl. Chase became the first SEC player with 20 receiving touchdowns in a season.

FROM TARGETING TO TOUCHDOWN
With 5:39 left in the third quarter, Clemson middle linebacker James Skalski was disqualified for the rest of the game for targeting on LSU receiver Justin Jefferson. The penalty gave LSU first-and-goal from the 4-yard line, and Burrow found Thaddeus Moss for the touchdown.

The crowd chanted "L-S-U! L-S-U! L-S-U!" as the touchdown was reviewed and then erupted again when the call was confirmed, giving the Tigers the 35-25 lead -- and the momentum.

YOU GOT MOSS'D

Moss, who caught two touchdown passes, also snagged a 13-yard pass in the fourth quarter that sustained what would be the touchdown drive that drained the life out of Clemson fans and gave LSU a 42-25 lead.

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis missed his third consecutive game with a bruised backside while guard Rajon Rondo, with a hand injury, also sat against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.

Davis suffered his injury, which the Lakers are calling a gluteus maximus contusion, taking a hard fall on his lower back after trying to block a shot by Julius Randle of the New York Knicks last week.

Rondo suffered a nondisplaced volar plate avulsion fracture to his right ring finger in Saturday's victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. X-rays at the arena came back negative, but a MRI on Monday revealed the fracture. Rondo is expected to be out four to five days, a league source told ESPN.

Davis traveled with the Lakers on their 2-0 road trip through Dallas and Oklahoma City but did not play in either contest. Following the game, Davis traveled to Wisconsin to see his beloved Green Bay Packers take on the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC playoffs at Lambeau Field on Sunday. Rondo, JaVale McGee, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Lakers assistant coach Mike Penberthy joined Davis at the game.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel said the team supported the excursion.

"They mentioned it to Rob [Pelinka], Rob mentioned it to me and it's an off day and it's something that we endorse," Vogel said, detailing the line of communication between him and the Lakers' general manager. Vogel said that Davis standing around on the field in freezing temperatures had no ill effects on his rehab.

"Medical team said it was not a factor," Vogel said.

L.A. did not hold its usual morning shootaround Monday, but Vogel said that decision had to do with the Lakers returning from a trip in the Central time zone and wanting to allow his players more time to sleep and get their body clocks back on track.

Davis worked out on the court prior to the Cavs game, but Vogel said the Lakers' star big man "still had some soreness" and was "still not ready" to return. Vogel, who said the Lakers would take the "long-term, marathon approach" with Davis' injury when asked about it last week, was asked how healthy Davis would need to be in order to return to the court.

"I don't know if it's going to be 100 percent pain free," Vogel said. "It's really just going to be day-to-day and he'll communicate with the medical team and we want him as close to pain-free as possible. But I don't know if it's 100 percent, 99 percent. They'll tell me when he's ready."

L.A. started LeBron James, Avery Bradley, Danny Green, Kyle Kuzma and McGee against the Cavaliers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers said guard/forward Dylan Windler will miss the rest of the season because of a lower left leg injury.

The No. 26 overall pick in in the 2019 draft, Windler had yet to play for Cleveland after sustaining a stress reaction in his lower left leg during workouts prior to training camp. He played for the Canton Charge in December but began experiencing symptoms and was shut down.

"After an extended period of rehabilitation and treatment over the last several months, it was determined the injury will now require surgery," the Cavaliers said in a statement on Monday. "A timetable for his return to basketball activities will be established post-surgery, which is scheduled for January 21."

MINNEAPOLIS -- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's goal was to play a better all-around game. He did that and then some.

Gilgeous-Alexander had 20 points, a career-high 20 rebounds and 10 assists in his first triple-double, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 117-104 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.

"Coach had challenged me before the game to fill up the stat sheet more and do more things,'' Gilgeous-Alexander said of Thunder coach Billy Donovan. "Because he thought, as well as myself thought, that I was more capable of what I was doing.''

Gilgeous-Alexander came in averaging 23.7 points in his previous 13 games but did much more than score in this one, also matching his career best in assists. At 21 years, 185 days old, he became the youngest player in league history to record at least 20 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists in a game.

"He's tough. He's very tough,'' Minnesota's Andrew Wiggins said. "He's a big guard that can put it on the floor and create for others, and he's a bucket. He can make a bucket when he needs to.''

Gilgeous-Alexander is the fourth second-year player in NBA history to register a 20-20 triple-double. He joins Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Oscar Robertson. The only other guard to have a 20-20 triple-double in the past 30 seasons is former Thunder star Russell Westbrook.

Gilgeous-Alexander did not record an assist in 35 minutes against the Lakers on Saturday.

"I just felt like we were on our heels a little bit in the previous game against the Lakers," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "That was one of the things that Coach mentioned to us: attacking first. I felt we did that as a group. When you attack as a group, you get more comfortable faster.''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.