Zimbabwe will host their first Test in over two years when they play Sri Lanka in a two-match series starting January 19. This will also be their first assignment since the ICC reinstated their membership following a three-month suspension last July.

Sean Williams will lead the new squad that will be picked based on performances in the Logan Cup, Zimbabwe's first-class competition that is currently underway, and assemble together on Thursday to start training.

ALSO READ: Ryan Burl, a man 'addicted to all sports'

"For us, it's a new beginning, a new chapter," head coach Lalchand Rajput said. "And it's good that we are starting off with the long version which always brings the best out of players."

Although Zimbabwe continued to play through the time they were penalised by the ICC, they haven't gone through the rigours of a Test match since November 2018, when they went to Bangladesh and secured their first win away from home in 18 years.

Given that, Rajput put a premium on his players' form in domestic cricket and hoped they would hit the ground running against Sri Lanka. "It's important to have players performing well in first-class cricket," he said. "And I am happy that in the Logan Cup we have players who have scored centuries and taken five wickets and more. This bodes well for our preparations and it's always good to have players who are match-fit and in good nick.

"During our 10-day camp, we will attend to a few issues, including the processes, as we fine-tune our team ahead of the series."

The Harare Sports Club will host both matches, the second one starting on January 27.

"We know our home conditions better, our players are getting match-fit and enjoying some game time. So all we have to do is to get in the middle and perform," Rajput said.

"We have not had much game time, so the players will be very keen and eager to seize this opportunity and do well."

Offspinner Chris Green has been suspended from bowling due to an illegal action, Cricket Australia announced on Wednesday.

Green was withdrawn from the Sydney Thunder squad for their Big Bash League match against Melbourne Stars, scheduled for later in the day. Thunder are fourth on the points table, while the Stars are at the top.

He was reported by umpires Nathan Johnstone, Mike Graham-Smith and third umpire Paul Wilson, after the match between the Thunder and Stars at the Sydney Showground Stadium on January 2.

Green will be unable to for a minimum of 90 days in CA-run competitions, effective immediately. After the 90-day suspension has elapsed, Green will be eligible to undergo testing once again with a view to returning to bowling. He will be permitted to play as a batter should the Thunder or Cricket NSW desire and can also play premier cricket (including bowl) under the supervision and with the consent of Cricket NSW during his suspension.

So far, Green had played in each of the Thunder's seven matches in BBL 2019-20, and had the second best economy rate among Thunder's bowlers, with 7.55. He picked up only three wickets, but his miserly economy rate has been among his chief strengths.

In December, he had the best economy rate of any bowler in T20 cricket in the past year, giving up runs at just 6.57 per over.

Green had been picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders at his base price of INR 20 lakh in the IPL auction on December 19, and in November last year, he had signed the longest deal in BBL history, with Thunder snapping him up for six seasons.

Once he was reported, Green underwent testing at the Bupa National Cricket Centre on January 5 under the guidance of Dr Luke Kelly in accordance with the Suspected Illegal Bowling Action Procedures. Results from the test were made available to Cricket Australia on Wednesday, which showed Green to have an illegal bowling action. Both Green and the Thunder were informed of the decision.

Peter Roach, CA's Head of Cricket Operations, praised the bowler and the franchise for their cooperation in the matter, and how they had handled it.

"We'd like to commend Chris and the Thunder for the way they have approached this process with complete cooperation and respect," Roach said. "Chris undertook testing at the earliest possible time and satisfactorily replicated his bowling action in the controlled environment. We look forward to working with Chris in the coming months and conducting further testing once the suspension period has elapsed."

Miguel Castro, a 25-year-old reliever for the Baltimore Orioles, says he was robbed at gunpoint in his native Dominican Republic and is lucky to be alive.

In a post in Spanish to Instagram on Tuesday, Castro wrote that he was attacked by two people who robbed him of his chain.

"Thank God that their gun got jammed," a translation of the post read. "I'm alive by the mercy of God.

"This has to stop. They took my chain and they wanted to kill me. It's unbelievable, I was at a training field trying to help those who want to make it to the big leagues and these two guys jumped on me to take my chain with also the intention of putting a bullet in me. This has to stop."

In a statement, Orioles general manager Mike Elias said the team has been in contact with Castro and is "very thankful that he is safe."

The agency that represents Castro issued a statement, saying: "Miguel is safe. He is shaken. He feels extremely blessed and fortunate to still be alive and thanks everyone for their support. He will continue to use his platform to be a role model."

Castro broke into the majors in 2015 with the Toronto Blue Jays. The right-hander spent the past three seasons with Baltimore, and he went 1-3 with a 4.66 ERA in 65 appearances in 2019.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Several of the standalone races for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series got a hefty shakeup on Tuesday afternoon.

NASCAR competition officials revealed that seven races – four in the Xfinity Series and three in the Truck Series – will feature new pit stop rules and procedures this season, designed with cost-cutting and competition measures in mind.

The races in question are the Xfinity Series stops at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on May 30, Iowa Speedway on June 13 and Aug. 1, and Road America on Aug. 8, while the affected Truck Series races are Iowa on June 12, World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Aug. 21 and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sept. 6.

Notable about all seven dates is that they are all standalone races where the NASCAR Cup Series does not compete.

The new procedures are as follows:

– The field will be immediately frozen when the caution flag is displayed, whether via the end of a stage or natural means. Stage breaks will feature a full pit cycle, giving two opportunities to come down pit road for service. Many non-stage breaks will also feature two chances to pit, but in those cases, there is also the option of a “quickie yellow.”

– In a quickie-yellow scenario, only one opportunity will be given for pit service, with the whole field given the option to come down pit road together at that time.

– Team rosters for the seven events with the new procedures will be comprised of eight total crew members, with the pit crew – four service members, one fueler and one driver assistant – required to come from the eight-man at-track total.

– Pit stops under the new regulations must be completed within a designated time period, the length of which will vary by track and is still being discussed by NASCAR and the teams.

– On oval tracks, teams will be permitted to add fuel and change two tires per pit stop, while on road courses teams can add fuel or change four tires on a pit stop, but not both on the same round of service.

– However, cars involved in an accident will be allowed to change four tires at once to avoid potential damage to the vehicle.

– A driver will restart at the tail of the field if the pit road time limit is exceeded, or if he or she pits on a lap other than the designated lap(s) set aside for pit service.

– A two-lap penalty will be enforced if a team changes four tires and adds fuel on any one pit stop, changes tires under green without approval from NASCAR for damage or other issues, or changes four tires on any pit stop at an oval-track event.

– Restarts following these pit-stop periods will see cars that did not pit for service at the head of the pack, followed by cars that pitted once and then cars that pitted twice, lined up relative to their group in the order that they were running when the yellow was displayed.

– The free-pass recipient, wave around cars and penalized cars will make up the remainder of the field behind those on the lead lap.

NASCAR competition officials hope that the new rules for the seven standalone events will smooth out logistics for Xfinity and Truck Series teams that normally use NASCAR Cup Series pit crews by not requiring a specialized pit squadron for those events.

“We really feel like this new pit stop procedure for the standalone Gander Truck Series and Xfinity Series races is kind of a unique opportunity to try something new that we hope will provide some increased incentive for teams to make differing strategy calls,” said Xfinity Series technical manager Eric Peterson. “It will help mix up the event, provide more comers and goers and on-track passing during the race.

“The only way to really get a view of this is to do it,” Peterson continued, “and we felt like taking a deliberate approach and doing it at the standalone events would be an excellent way to test it out, analyze the results when we get done and see where we go.”

The June 5 Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway will not feature the procedural adjustments due to fuel mileage scenarios, while the July 30 dirt-track race at Eldora Speedway in Ohio has its own separate pit stop procedure already in place.

Justin Williams' return to the Carolina Hurricanes is official, the team announced Tuesday night.

Williams, 38, had said in September he was taking a break from the game, but will now be suiting up for his 19th season.

The Hurricanes said Williams will earn a base salary of $700,000 for the rest of the season, with the chance to earn an additional $1.3 million in bonuses.

"We've been in frequent contact with Justin over the last few months regarding his status," said team president and general manager Don Waddell. "We're thrilled that he has decided to return to playing, and we're confident that adding him to our group will help us both on and off the ice."

The right winger is a three-time Stanley Cup champion, once with the Hurricanes and twice with the Los Angeles Kings. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP with the Kings in 2014, when he had nine goals and 16 assists in 26 postseason games.

Williams had 23 goals and 30 assists last season for Carolina, with whom he has had two stints -- 2003-2009 and 2017-2019.

He has scored 312 goals and added 474 assists in 1,244 career games.

"There is no adjustment because we know what he is,'' Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "He's been here. He's a Hurricane. ... It will be an adjustment for him to get back up to speed. That's the whole thing. He's been out a long time. But I've said many times that we'll welcome him back.''

His return to the Hurricanes had been speculated for a while, and seemed certain when he was spotted chatting with team owner Tom Dundon at Tuesday night's game against the Flyers, a 5-4 overtime victory.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

January 8: Adelaide Strikers v Sydney Sixers in Adelaide

Our XI: Jake Weatherald, Alex Carey, Josh Philippe, Justin Avendano, Jonathan Wells, Daniel Hughes, Moises Henriques, Tom Curran, Rashid Khan, Peter Siddle, Josh Hazlewood

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

Captain: Jake Weatherald

Two games, two fifties at Adelaide Oval this season, so Weatherald just about edges the in-from Josh Philippe for the captain's armband.

Vice-captain: Josh Philippe

A 52-ball 83 against the Strikers the first time these two teams met this season puts Philippe on the deputy's chair, but this season's standout BBL star and second-highest run-getter so far could very well be your captain too.

Hot picks

Rashid Khan

A three-for to begin his season at Adelaide Oval and a 40 with the bat in the last game at the venue makes BBL's best overseas players a must-have.

Alex Carey

A half-century already at Adelaide Oval and three 40-plus scores across the season makes Carey your best wicketkeeping option. If the Strikers bat first, Carey could be in for a big score.

Jonathan Wells

Wells was the only player who looked comfortable facing the Sixers bowling attack the last time these two teams met. He has an average of 113 this BBL (with four not-outs), but it's his consistency that should give him the edge over Phil Salt.

Value picks

Justin Avendano: Just one game old, but it was against the Strikers and, boy, did he play well! A controlled 40 chasing 176 gives Avendano just the right amount of form and confidence heading into this game.

Tom Curran: With nine wickets so far, Curran is just three behind Daniel Sams, the leading wicket-taker, but despite being the Sixers' strike bowler, he's also been smashing them out of the park with some valuable runs. A must-pick.

Point to note

The pitch is suited for big totals, so pack your team with openers, and it's best to have other top-order batsmen around. The Sixers have been the better side this season, so their players split the points [a total of only two fifties so far], so the Strikers batsmen [six fifties] have more potential for individual points.

Australia fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck feared the worst when she suffered a knee injury last month but is making good progress in her recovery ahead of the T20I tri-series with India and England and T20 World Cup.

Vlaeminck, 21, picked up an ACL strain to her left knee during training before Christmas and has sat out the resumption of the Women's National Cricket League (WNCL) but is now back running.

She has a history of bad knee injuries having been through two reconstructions and missed half of last season's WBBL after suffering a previous ACL strain.

"Tayla has been really good, happy with her progress," Australia coach Matthew Mott told ESPNcricinfo. "It was a big scare at the start, she feared the worst because of her past history. But she did a strain about a year ago that felt similar so the recovery has been pretty good."

Vlaeminck is one of the quickest bowlers in the world and has added a strong point-of-difference to the Australia attack since making her debut in October 2018. She only has four wickets from her six T20Is but her economy rate is under six an over and she has often earned wickets for team-mates by unsettling opposition with her pace.

The other major injury-watch around the Australia camp has been Ellyse Perry following the shoulder damage that curtailed her WBBL season after she landed awkwardly when attempting to take a catch against the Melbourne Renegades on November 17.

Mott was commentating for radio at the time one of his star players went down and admitted to some unease when Perry continued to field during the match. She was keen to return towards the end of the WBBL with the Sydney Sixers trying to qualify for the finals, but a cautious approach was taken and she made her comeback in the WNCL for her new state, Victoria, on Tuesday scoring 24 and taking 1 for 20 from seven overs.

"No matter who the player is you worry about the worst-case scenario," Mott said. "I know she's always tough, the fact she stayed out on the field was good and bad. It meant it wasn't too serious. I've spoken to her and would have preferred she come straight off and get some treatment. As captain she wanted to influence the Sixers, but the right decision was made [not to rush back]."

Australia will name their T20 World Cup squad in the middle of the month and while there won't be much change from those who have thrashed Sri Lanka and West Indies in the last six matches, Mott and the selection panel will look closely at those who performed well in the WBBL as well as the India A series. Offspinner Molly Strano, who was the leading WBBL wicket-taker, and the Hobart Hurricanes seamer Belinda Vakarewa are two pushing for call-ups.

"As a selection group we were very happy with what was thrown up and the competition for spots," he said. "Someone like Belinda Vakarewa who has been on our radar for a long time, for her to get the opportunity to open the bowling and close out innings, you can't put a price on that.

"Molly Strano who has been in the team and done well and has probably been unluckily squeezed out by some allrounders. Even younger players like Annabel Sutherland doing well in the A series, Erin Burns who probably didn't really nail it in the WBBL but had a great A series. There are players on the fringes who have given us a tough game for this final 15."

NEW YORK -- The Oklahoma City Thunder were down by six when Chris Paul took over.

Brooklyn's Joe Harris, who was defending Paul, got caught on a Steven Adams screen. Bang. Paul splashed in a jumper from the top of the key. With 50 seconds left in regulation, Paul pulled up again and dropped in another jumper. Tie game.

The Thunder would go on to beat the Nets 113-103 in overtime. Paul outscored the Nets 12-11 in clutch time (score within five points in the final five minutes of regulation/OT) on Tuesday night. After the game, reporters wondered aloud if Paul knew that he has the best 2-point shooting percentage in the league.

"Probably," said Paul, mulling over that statistic. "I am probably very low in the league on shot attempts at the rim."

That's why, Paul went on to say, when he and Dennis Schroder get to the elbow, they call it a layup -- a nearly guaranteed basket.

"That's our version of a layup," Paul said.

Paul finished with 28 points, six rebounds and three assists. Oklahoma City now has the best record in the Western Conference (15-5) since Thanksgiving.

The Thunder won their 11th game of the season in which they trailed their opponent entering the fourth quarter. No other team has won more than six such games, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Meanwhile, the Nets continue to slide. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Schroder were successful guarding Dinwiddie, holding Brooklyn's starting point guard to 3-of-13 shooting when they were defending him.

The Nets' seven-game losing streak is the longest active skid in the NBA right now.

"It's not a good feeling to drop a game we definitely could've won," Dinwiddie said after the game.

In addition to guarding Paul, Brooklyn knew that a potent game from its centers would be necessary against Oklahoma City. Bolded near the top of the Nets' scouting report on the Oklahoma City Thunder is Adams' dangerous rebounding ability. Adams' name appeared twice on the "Top Plays" pamphlet players were given before Tuesday's game.

But understanding and executing are two different things. Adams finished with 18 rebounds.

"When he does that, it is pretty impressive," coach Billy Donovan said of Adams. "He gives such effort. And for him, with his size coming off a back-to-back, he does a great job."

Jarrett Allen slammed down two bench-clearing, one-handed dunks that elicited collective oohs from the crowd. He also snatched up seven rebounds. DeAndre Jordan put up eight points and collected 10 rebounds, but their collective rebounding efforts couldn't match Adams. Paul's experience under pressure proved to be too much.

OKC outscored Brooklyn 28-13 in the final 13 minutes of regulation and overtime. In that same stretch, Brooklyn's accuracy waned. The Nets shot just 20.8% from the field, whereas Paul and the Thunder shot 52.9%.

"Even when we were losing games," Hamidou Diallo said, "we still knew that we had that extra push and we still had that fight. But to come here and battle it out and get that win in the fourth and then in overtime, that's really big."

TORONTO -- With Damian Lillard double-teamed, Carmelo Anthony stepped up to sink the game-winning basket for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Anthony made a clutch shot with four seconds remaining, and Portland rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 101-99 on Tuesday. He has hit 17 go-ahead field goals in the final five seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime, four more than any other player since 2003-04.

"A guy with his type of ability, it's just a matter of opportunity," Lillard said. "He had one guy guarding him, and he got to his spot. Once he got to his spot and I saw him raising up, I thought it was going in."

Anthony scored 28 points, Lillard had 20, and Hassan Whiteside added 14 points and 16 rebounds for his sixth straight double-double as the Trail Blazers snapped a four-game losing streak in Toronto and won for the second time in 10 meetings with the defending champion Raptors.

"This is a big confidence-booster for us, a big morale boost," Anthony said.

Blazers coach Terry Stotts agreed.

"I was really proud of the way our team competed tonight, particularly in the fourth quarter," Stotts said. "At the end of the season, you look back on different games, and this could very well be a game that we look back on that turned the tide."

Portland had lost six of seven overall. The Blazers improved to 2-12 against opponents with winning records.

Anfernee Simons scored 12 points, and CJ McCollum had 10 after sitting out Sunday's loss in Miami because of an upper-respiratory infection.

The Blazers trailed 78-69 through three quarters, then fell behind 85-73 with 8:20 to go. Lillard tied it at 99 on a 35-foot 3-pointer with 38 seconds left in the fourth, leading to a Raptors timeout.

Toronto coach Nick Nurse was adamant that Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had been the victim of an illegal screen by Whiteside on Lillard's deep 3.

"It was clearly, clearly an offensive foul on Whiteside that wiped us out to tie the game," Nurse said.

Toronto's Patrick McCaw turned it over with 13.6 seconds remaining, giving the Blazers a chance at a winning shot. With Lillard under wraps, McCollum took the inbounds pass and got the ball to Anthony, who connected from near the free throw line.

Kyle Lowry got one final chance for the Raptors, but his off-balance 3 bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

Portland connected on 12 of 19 attempts in the fourth, making six shots from long range.

Lowry had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Serge Ibaka added 17 points and 11 rebounds as the injury-ravaged Raptors lost for just the second time in 16 games against opponents with losing records. Toronto's only other loss to a sub-.500 team came against Boston in the second game of the season, when the Celtics were 0-1.

Oshae Brissett scored a career-high 12 points for Toronto, and Chris Boucher had 12, including 10 straight Raptors points in the fourth.

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet sat out because of a strained right hamstring, joining a group of injured Toronto starters that includes Norman Powell (left shoulder), Marc Gasol (left hamstring) and Pascal Siakam (groin).

VanVleet limped off late in the fourth quarter of Saturday's win at Brooklyn and did not practice Monday. Nurse said it would be "a little bit" before the team determined a timeline for VanVleet's return.

Hollis-Jefferson started for VanVleet.

EJECTED

Portland's Kent Bazemore was ejected with 3:06 left in the third after a double technical. Bazemore got tossed for arguing after complaining about several non-calls.

"Just frustrated and took it upon myself to express it," Bazemore said.

TIME TO LEAD

Besides the final score, Portland's only other lead was 4-3 in the first quarter. The Blazers led for a total of 18 seconds.

MELO MOOD

Portland is 5-3 when Anthony scores 20 or more.

TIP-INS

Trail Blazers: Portland shot 1-for-8 from 3-point range in the first quarter. ... Lillard attempted three shots in the first half. He shot 5-for-8 in the final two quarters.

Raptors: In their first home game since his death on New Year's Day, the Raptors honored late NBA Commissioner David Stern with a video tribute and a moment of silence. ... Asked about Powell's return, Nurse said, "We should see him soon." ... G Matt Thomas returned after missing 21 games because of a broken left middle finger. His first shot was an air ball.

UP NEXT

Trail Blazers: Visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.

Raptors: Visit the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LOS ANGELES -- New York Knicks big man Bobby Portis was ejected in the first half of Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers for forcefully knocking Kentavious Caldwell-Pope across the head while the Lakers' guard was airborne.

The Lakers led the Knicks 39-30 with 8:02 remaining in the second quarter when Caldwell-Pope streaked in for a transition layup off a Rajon Rondo feed when Portis, trailing from behind, swung his right arm, landing the inside of his bicep with the top of Caldwell-Pope's head.

The blow sent Caldwell-Pope's headband flying and the play ended with Caldwell-Pope on the floor wincing in pain while several of his Lakers teammates -- LeBron James and Rondo among them -- confronting Portis.

Following an official's review, Portis was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected.

Caldwell-Pope, after rubbing the sides of his head while being attended to by Lakers head athletic trainer Nina Hsieh as he stayed on the floor, subbed out of the game to receive further medical attention.

Lakers guard Danny Green was elected to shoot free throws in Caldwell-Pope's place, going 1-for-2.

The Lakers said that Caldwell-Pope underwent a concussion evaluation which was negative. He checked back in with 2:21 remaining in the third quarter.

The physical play continued in the third quarter when former Laker Reggie Bullock was called for a Flagrant 1 foul for a horse collar-like takedown of L.A. center JaVale McGee.