The pitches in Chattogram came as a blessing to the 2019-20 BPL as high-scoring games brought a welcome change to the tournament. Only three teams won after batting first in Chattogram, with few of the successful chasing sides not even needing to reach the last over to win games. Here are the highlights from the second week.

Rajshahi, Dhaka closing in on Chattogram

The Chattogram Challengers still lead with five wins from seven games but the Rajshahi Royals and Dhaka Platoon are just two points below them having played fewer matches.

Rajshahi won both their games in Dhaka and started their Chattogram leg poorly when they lost to the Khulna Tigers, but they bounced back in the next two games. Captain Andre Russell's four-wicket haul helped them to a seven-wicket win over Khulna in the return encounter, which were strangely back-to-back games. Liton Das and Afif Hossain struck a fifty each in these two wins, before Ravi Bopara and Russell muscled seven fours and two sixes between them in their successful chase of 171 against the Camilla Warriors.

Dhaka, meanwhile, are just below Rajshahi in net run rate, but are picking up pace. Tamim Iqbal has been their lynchpin with important runs and Mominul Haque and Mahedi Hasan have already played match-winning hands. Mahedi's batting at No. 3 has been a revelation, hitting fifties with 200-plus strike rates and smashing 10 sixes in those two innings.

ZACS comes to BPL's rescue

Like in previous seasons, the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram helped out the BPL's dull start by producing excellent pitches. Three 200-plus totals and an average of 178 per innings for sides batting first at the ground raised the playing quality of the tournament quite impressively.

The Chattogram ground provided one of the bare necessities of a T20 tournament - pitches that offered pace and bounce for both batsmen and bowlers - as well as some close contests. It ensured bigger crowds than Dhaka, and rammed home the point that the BCB must think a little wider when planning the BPL.

Batsman of the week

Dawid Malan ended the Chattogram phase with a superb century against Rajshahi, but ended up becoming only the third batsman in BPL history to score a hundred in a losing cause. He has so far scored 300 runs in six matches, striking at 156.25, which should be noticed by the England selectors as part of Malan's progress in T20s, particularly in the subcontinent. But for all that he has done, Malan alone hasn't been able to force the issue as Cumilla have picked up only two wins out of six games and are placed third from bottom.

Bowler of the week

Mehedi Hasan Rana continues to be the best bowler of the competition, having picked up a second four-for to not only help Chattogram stay atop the points table, but also keep himself ahead of everyone in the wicket-takers' list. Rana's impressive showing has also cast a bit of light among the younger lot of Bangladeshi pace bowlers as the likes of Hasan Mahmud (Dhaka), Shahidul Islam (Khulna) and Sumon Khan (Comilla) have been picked by their sides.

Usually, Bangladeshi domestic sides have been more interested in employing left-arm spinners than pace bowlers but it has opened up a whole new side to Bangladesh's pace bowling stocks. The likes of Ebadat Hossain and Taskin Ahmed, therefore, must improve themselves quickly if they are to stay in the reckoning for a longer period.

All the live updates, records and chatter from the latest round of the Ranji Trophy. Please refresh the page if it doesn't load immediately for you.

RENTON, Wash. -- Moments after Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. spoke with reporters at Seahawks headquarters Tuesday, Marshawn Lynch made an unscheduled visit to the podium and waited for the first question.

Asked what brought him back to Seattle, Lynch shared a brief message, smiled and walked away.

"Happy holidays," he said. "Merry New Year. Y'all have a great day. It's a great feeling to be back. Thank you."

Lynch is still a man of few words. The Seahawks hope he's still a productive runner at 33 years old and more than a year removed from his most recent NFL game. They need him to be after losing starter Chris Carson and backup C.J. Prosise to season-ending injuries last weekend, a massive blow as they head into their regular-season finale Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers that will decide the NFC West champion.

The Seahawks on Tuesday announced the returns of Lynch and another one of their former running backs, Robert Turbin.

"He's an extraordinary person," coach Pete Carroll said of Lynch, who spent parts of six seasons (2010-15) with the Seahawks before the first of his two retirements. "He's just been through so much and we know him as well as I think you could know a guy, and what he brings and what he offers and all. He brings a lot to the table. He's as physical of a player as I've ever been around, as great of a competitor as I've ever been around. So when you get to add somebody like that to your team, it only helps and enhances kind of the mentality that we already cherish."

The Seahawks had been keeping tabs on Lynch for months, as teams do in order to prepare for emergency situations. The possibility of a Lynch-Seahawks reunion began heating up when Seattle lost Carson's backup, Rashaad Penny, to an ACL tear in Week 14. It became a reality after Carson suffered a hip fracture and Prosise a broken arm in last weekend's loss to Arizona.

Lynch went through a workout and took a physical before signing his deal Monday. The Seahawks practiced Tuesday so they can take Christmas Day off and thus weren't required to release a practice report detailing player participation, but Lynch was on the field during the period open to media, wearing his usual No. 24 with the hood of his sweatshirt pulled over his head.

The team's online roster lists him at 215 pounds, which was his listed weight during his final season in Seattle.

"We'll find out how he can play and how he does," Carroll said. "It's been a little while off. He looks great in [our] first couple of looks at him as far as his conditioning and all that. His weight's down and he's in a really good spot for coming and going for it. He was very serious about getting ready for this opportunity. The stroke of misfortune in some regards really opens up the door, which happens at times. He's ready to take the full opportunity at hand and see what he can do to help us."

Asked what's realistic to expect from Lynch and Turbin, Carroll gave a strong hint that neither will be asked to carry the load. He said the Seahawks will "lean on" rookie sixth-round pick Travis Homer, who was their No. 4 option before Penny went down and their only healthy tailback by the end of last weekend's game. He gained 16 yards on five attempts against Arizona.

"I hope that they can contribute," Carroll said. "Travis is ready to go. He's knows everything. He's been through all of our system for the whole year. He showed that he was ready to play football and he did a good job in the game. We lean on him because of his background with us and his toughness and his speed and his playmaking. We're pleased to have that opportunity. That's good fortune to have him ready to go. And then we'll just fit the guys in. Give me a couple days here. This is like the first day."

Lynch won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks then lost Super Bowl XLIX the following year. He retired after the 2015 season and sat out all of 2016 before signing with his hometown Oakland Raiders. His second season there ended after six games because of a groin injury that required surgery.

In a video posted to YouTube by Beast Mode Productions on Monday night -- the caption says the interview took place "a few days ago" -- Lynch was asked about a new opportunity and why he'd consider returning to Seattle. He responded: "We got history there. We got unfinished business."

Asked about that remark, Carroll said: "He's highly motivated to do everything you can do in this game. He really is. He wants to do everything you can possibly do. He knew he wasn't done. He got in a situation where he was injured, and he had to rehab and all that. It just didn't fit together right away. He's not done playing and he wants to go. This is his entrée and he's going to go for it. He won't hold back. He won't hold back one bit. We look forward to seeing what happens."

Only six players on the Seahawks' 53-man roster were teammates with Lynch during his first stint with the team: quarterback Russell Wilson, linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright, wide receiver Tyler Lockett, tight end Luke Willson and Turbin.

Wagner was asked if Lynch can still be the Lynch of old.

"I definitely feel like anything this dude puts his mind to, get can get done," he said. "I'm excited to have him back, excited to see him run the ball. ... Whenever he puts his jersey and pads on, he's a guy that no one wants to tackle no matter how long he's taken off."

The Seahawks could finish as any among the NFC's Nos. 1, 2, 3 or 5 seeds depending on the outcomes of their Sunday night game against San Francisco as well as Green Bay at Detroit and New Orleans at Carolina.

They typically alternate which side of the ball gets to be introduced during pregame introductions at CenturyLink Field. It's the defense's turn this weekend, but Wright said they might have to make an exception. He wants an introduction for Lynch, knowing how loud the stadium will get.

Carroll was asked if he's gotten a sense of how much Lynch's return has energized the Seahawks' fan base.

"Honestly, I'm not surprised," Carroll said. "He's impacted a lot of people around here and people love the Seahawks. He's been something very special. I'm thrilled for the fans that they're having fun with it and all that. I'll be really thrilled if he knocks out 110 in the ballgame."

Edward Aschoff, a beloved college football reporter for ESPN, died Tuesday after a brief illness. He was 34.

"We are very sorry to have to share the devastating news of the tragic passing of friend and ESPN colleague Edward Aschoff," ESPN said in a statement. "He died earlier today, his 34th birthday. Our thoughts are with his loved ones, including his fiancée, Katy."

A talented storyteller, whether he was on camera or crafting a written piece, Aschoff joined ESPN in 2011 as part of the SEC blog network after covering recruiting and Florida football for The Gainesville Sun. A graduate of the University of Florida, Aschoff had a keen sense of humor and connected with many he crossed paths with, be it professionally or personally.

USC coach Clay Helton opened his news conference on Tuesday by offering his thoughts on Aschoff.

"Very, very sad," Helton said. "Very surprising. Wish nothing but the best for his family. Our condolences go out. He was nothing but first class to this organization and always to me. Ed, you'll be missed."

Aschoff was easy to spot in press boxes. Not only was he almost always the most dapperly dressed person there -- with a collection of quirky socks that made him the envy of those around him -- but his bright smile and radiant disposition always drew a crowd.

His witty picks columns in the SEC blog were must-reads, and he oftentimes poked fun at himself about everything from his cat, Meeko, to his love of soccer. He was an inaugural season-ticket holder for Atlanta United FC and was there to watch the team win its first MLS Cup in 2018.

Aschoff had a knack for gaining the trust of people to tell the most delicate of stories, including his final feature, on LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire and his unique relationship with his father and stepfather.

Aschoff was equally tenacious when it came to tracking down news and taking an evenhanded look at some of the more polarizing subjects in college football. In 2016, Aschoff and fellow ESPN reporter Adam Rittenberg won first place in the Football Writers Association of America writing contest in the enterprise category for their look at how race plays a role in college football, after several African American players confided in them about their experiences with race and racism on campus. Michael Weinreb, who served as a contest judge, called the reporting "eye-opening" and "surprisingly frank."

"Ed was one of the smartest, brightest reporters I've ever had the pleasure of working with," ESPN executive editor Lauren Reynolds said. "Watching him grow from our co-SEC reporter with Chris Low to a multiplatform national reporter was a treat. For as good of a reporter Ed was, he was an even better person. He always put people first -- those whose stories he told, and those who had the honor of working alongside him.

"The outpouring of love and support from those whose lives he touched has been overwhelming and is a testament to the light he brought to this world."

Universally loved by his ESPN colleagues, Aschoff was the life of the party on road trips and became a connoisseur of all the top restaurants and nightspots in college football locales. But his favorite lunch spot was Ajax Diner on the historic Square in Oxford, Mississippi.

In a tweet posted Tuesday night, ESPN senior vice president Rob King described Aschoff as "a ray of light."

"He smiled with his entire being, loved his fiancée and family, and brought joy to the job," King said in his tweet. "I hope you knew him, too."

Several of Aschoff's fellow college football reporters also took to social media to remember him.

Edward Aschoff was one of my closest friends. He was was one the most genuine, enthusiastic, personable people I've ever and he made the world a better place.

Today is unspeakably sad and I'm devastated for Katy and his family.

— Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) December 25, 2019

Ed Aschoff is one of the best people I know. Talented, kind, fun, gracious and always positive. A great colleague and an even better friend. All of us are devastated and heartbroken. Just isn't fair. I love you, Ed, and will miss you. Prayers to Katy and Ed's family. https://t.co/jJQBE441Fv

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) December 25, 2019

Devastated about Ed Aschoff's passing. One of the kindest, warm-hearted people I've ever met. And, if you were lucky enough to have gotten to know him, there's no question you feel that way too.. God, he will be missed.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 25, 2019

Can't fathom the idea I won't get to see Ed Aschoff again. Can't fathom how this even happened. He was so damn young and so damn talented. This is a brutal loss.

— Max Olson (@max_olson) December 25, 2019

Aschoff cut his teeth on SEC football while growing up in Oxford, where his father, the late Peter Aschoff, was a professor at Ole Miss. His mother, the late Patricia Aschoff, was a well-respected special education teacher in the Oxford School District. Aschoff always called her fried chicken and mac and cheese second to none.

Aschoff attended the University of Florida from 2004 to 2008, and he got an up-close view of some of those powerhouse national championship Gators teams under Urban Meyer, helping cover the 2008 national title team for The Gainesville Sun.

Upon joining the ESPN staff, Aschoff moved to Atlanta and quickly became known as the ATL Kid. As Aschoff progressed in the media world, he took pride in helping younger journalists break into the business and was always there to counsel and guide them any way he could.

He moved to Los Angeles in 2017 to begin a more expanded national role that included television coverage. Over the past three seasons, Aschoff reported from campuses across the country for ESPN.com, SportsCenter, SEC Network and ESPN Radio, and he worked as a television and radio sideline reporter during college football games.

But Aschoff was more than just a college football fan. He loved sports, rooting for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL, the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL, the Colorado Rockies in MLB and the Toronto Raptors in the NBA. He was able to watch the Raptors beat the Golden State Warriors in June at Oracle Arena, writing on his Instagram page, "I remember being a little nerd in the backseat of my parents' car when my dad told me that the new NBA team would be named after a dinosaur. I immediately disowned the Bulls (sorry mom) and have been rooting for the Toronto Raptors ever since."

Nothing got Aschoff more giddy than Godzilla, whom he grew up idolizing. He could hardly contain his excitement when he was cast as an extra in "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," released in May, and then was able to attend the premiere in Los Angeles, where he got to meet a childhood hero, Kyle Chandler.

Aschoff and his fiancée, Katy, were set to be married in New Orleans in April. When Katy proposed to Edward last December, she gave him a Godzilla ring as she got on one knee.

RENTON, Wash. -- Hushed voices told the story inside a glum Seattle Seahawks locker room Sunday. In the interview room next door, even Russell Wilson seemed to come up a bit short of his usual win-or-lose enthusiasm.

The Seahawks had just suffered their worst loss of the season to cap one of their worst weeks in recent memory. It included a pair of suspensions to Josh Gordon and Al Woods, plus news that Duane Brown needs surgery that will sideline him into the postseason. And that was before the Seahawks, with playoff seeding on the line, got hammered at home by a last-place Cardinals team that went to CenturyLink Field with a 4-9-1 record and played a backup quarterback for the game's final 25 minutes.

Before it was over, the Seahawks took perhaps their biggest personnel hit yet when Chris Carson suffered a season-ending hip fracture. C.J. Prosise, Carson's backup, broke his arm on Seattle's next possession.

The Seahawks needed running backs -- plural -- after losing Carson and Prosise two weeks after putting Rashaad Penny on IR with a torn ACL. And if the postgame scene Sunday was any indication, their locker room could use a shot in the arm heading into a rematch with the San Francisco 49ers that will determine the NFC West champion.

Enter Marshawn Lynch.

You can't help but wonder how much of Seattle's decision to bring back Lynch as is much about his personality -- as beloved as it once was among his Seahawks teammates -- as whatever production he might be able to give them.

He's 33, after all. That's old for an NFL player and ancient for a running back. He was running well with the Oakland Raiders last season before a groin injury landed him on IR, averaging 4.2 yards per carry with three touchdowns in six games. But it's been over a year since he has played. You might have last seen him using the Al Davis Torch to light what he later confirmed to be a blunt before the Raiders' Christmas Eve game last season, or more recently handing out tequila shots to tailgating Raiders fans before the team's last game at the Oakland Coliseum.

For whatever this is worth, coach Pete Carroll said Lynch has "been working really hard."

"He's had plenty of time to be working and get ready in case something came up, and I'm anxious to see him when we get him here," Carroll told 710 ESPN Seattle on Monday, when Lynch was en route to the Seahawks' facility to take a physical and discuss a potential Seahawks reunion. "There's a lot of history here that's great history."

Carroll might have meant "exemplified" when he said there was "nobody that ever amplified the kind of mentality and toughness that we like to play with" more than Lynch. Either word works. Lynch's hard-charging style set the tone for the Seahawks' offense and helped define the greatest stretch in franchise history.

But let's not forget how strained the relationship between Lynch and Seahawks management had become by the end of his Seattle tenure. There was a middle finger toward Seattle's coaches during a 2013 game at Arizona, an eight-day holdout in training camp the next year and, perhaps most tellingly, Lynch's stunning team officials by informing them at the last minute -- right before buses were being boarded for the airport -- that he wouldn't make the trip to Minneapolis for a 2016 wild-card game. Those were just the incidents that became public.

It seemed it would take a special set of circumstances for the Seahawks to ever take another ride down Beast Mode road. These would qualify.

Before bringing back Lynch and another ex-Seahawk in Robert Turbin, Seattle was down to a single healthy tailback. It was fourth-stringer Travis Homer, a rookie sixth-round pick who entered Sunday with two career carries from scrimmage and gained 16 yards on five attempts against Arizona. That would be a challenge for any offense. It could be an insurmountable one for an offense such as Seattle's that wants to run the ball to control the game and to set up its play-action attack.

"Let's just call it a big role," Carroll said with a laugh when asked what kind of a role Lynch could have, given how long he's been out of football. "We've got to run the football, and we've got to do what we've got to do so that we can fit our game together, and so somebody's going to be toting it. I thought Homer did a great job yesterday. Trav really came on and looked explosive and tough as he is and did a good job. He's certainly ready to play football and can make some big plays. So he's available to us, but the other two guys aren't going to be there, so we've got to get ready to go."

Whether it's intentional or not, bringing back Lynch is a diversion the Seahawks will surely welcome. It shifts the conversation away from a dispiriting loss to a feel-good reunion with one of the best and most adored players in franchise history.

If nothing else, Lynch could give the Seahawks an emotional lift as they head into their most important game of the season and then the playoffs.

And maybe he does have enough left to make a significant impact on the field. If his career and his return to the Seahawks have shown anything, it's that you just never know what Beast Mode will do next.

PLAYA VISTA, Calif. -- It will be 65 days since the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers last faced each other.

And when the two teams take to the Staples Center floor again on Christmas, Kawhi Leonard expects both to look very different than they did on opening night.

"It was just the first game of the season, everybody was just trying to get in their rhythm," Leonard said of the first meeting that the Clippers took 112-102 on Oct. 22. "I think they got [Kyle] Kuzma back playing and now we got Paul [George], so it's gonna be two different teams.

"We've been through a journey 'til Christmas. It's a different matchup."

The last time the Clippers and Lakers saw each other, George was in a tuxedo-like jacket on the bench. He missed all of training camp and the first 11 games as he made his way back from surgeries on his shoulders. After also not having Leonard play in a complete back-to-back all season due to his knee, and having to deal with other injuries to role players like Landry Shamet, the Clippers (22-10) are finally whole entering Christmas.

Head coach Doc Rivers said Tuesday's Christmas Eve practice was the first one the team has had all season with a full roster available and healthy. Rivers seemed more excited about that than the highly anticipated Christmas game that all of the city of Los Angeles and much of the NBA has waited to see.

"That's the city," Rivers said after Tuesday's practice of the anticipation heading into this showdown. "We haven't been waiting for tomorrow. We start waiting for tomorrow today. We've had to get through the other games, so now we can focus on the Christmas game."

Rivers said Leonard and his team are not dealing with any distractions, including a story by The Athletic, which reported that Leonard's uncle, Dennis Robertson, made requests during free agency when Leonard was considering the Clippers, Lakers and Toronto Raptors that made the Lakers feel uncomfortable.

Among the reported requests were a stake in ownership and a private plane.

"I don't know. I didn't read it, so I don't know how reliable it is," Leonard said when asked about the report after practice. "I don't have no knowledge of it ... people make up stories every day."

Rivers said the NBA routinely investigated the Clippers after their free-agent signing of Leonard to a three-year, $103 million deal.

"They investigate every year," Rivers said. "... Every year, someone signs, there is going to be an investigation. That's fine. The key is once you're clear. From what I know, I don't think we were the only ones. The NBA investigated [other] teams. I don't know that [exact amount]. But I know there was more than one. We should. That's what we have to do and make sure things are done right. The NBA said it was."

Leonard signed with the Clippers, who also traded five first-round picks, two first-round pick swaps and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari to Oklahoma City for George back in July.

Now Leonard gets to see what the Clippers will look like with George against the Lakers (24-6) and LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

"We're still trying to get the hang of each other," Leonard said of the Clippers getting healthier and developing chemistry. "I mean, we're still in a good position, we still got a lot of growth, and I think everybody knows that. But not complacent and that's what's gonna make us a better team."

During an earlier era, a majority of auto racing headlines were generated by those winning the races.

Today, the race winners are often overshadowed by the business of motorsports, and that trend was never more evident than during the past 12 months when many of racing’s biggest stories originated in boardrooms instead of pit areas.

Continuing a SPEED SPORT tradition that dates back nearly 40 years, here is our annual look at 10 stories that had a significant impact on the sport during the course of the season.

Click below to see our selections for the top-10 stories of 2019.

A Ugandan official has said seven Eritrean football players have disappeared at the end of a regional tournament.

Rogers Mulindwa, a spokesman for a body that organised the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup, said Tuesday that a police search for the players continues.

A police spokesman did not immediately comment.

The players are believed to be the latest to defect from Eritrea, whose government under President Isaias Afwerki has been described by human rights groups as one of the most tightly controlled regimes in the world.

Four members of Eritrea's under-20 team sought asylum in Uganda in October.

European champions, Premier League leaders and now world champions: Liverpool are Shaka Hislop's No. 1 team in the world. Who else made his top 10?

Dropping out: Real Madrid

Agree? Disagree? Let us know, and watch Shaka defend his picks on ESPN FC TV, which airs daily on ESPN+.

Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone has signed a contract extension through the 2022-23 season, league sources told ESPN.

The Nuggets made official an agreement on Tuesday.

Malone, 48, was awarded his second extension in consecutive years, reflecting a steady climb into Western Conference contention under his watch. Denver reached the playoffs for the first time under Malone a year ago, advancing to the West semifinals before losing a seven-game series to Portland.

Denver's management -- governor Josh Kroenke, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and GM Arturas Karnisovas -- hired Malone at the start of a difficult franchise rebuild in 2015, and allowed him to develop an increasingly talented core of young players.

"His tireless work ethic and passion are clearly reflected in the continued improvement of our roster," Connelly said in a statement. "We are all extremely excited for him to continue to lead our team as we try to build a championship-level organization."

The Nuggets' victory total has increased in each of his seasons (33, 40, 46 and 54). The Nuggets are 21-8 this season, trailing only the Los Angeles Lakers in the West standings.

"None of this would be possible without the hard work, dedication and trust from our players as well as the entire coaching staff," Malone said in a news release. "I'd also like to thank the amazing fans in Denver who have helped make Pepsi Center one of the toughest places to play in the NBA once again. I look forward to continuing our ultimate goal of winning NBA championships."