As the 2019 college football bowl season arrives, school pride will be on full display. But at many of those schools where football is king, whether it be an SEC powerhouse or a high-flying Pac-12 program, there is another group of athletes dedicated to representing their collegiate colors without nearly the notoriety and with no promise of professional careers: the club hockey team.

With only 61 men's teams in NCAA Division I hockey, most schools instead have a team in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), consisting of non-varsity and student-run clubs. Though it's a step down in talent from the Division I schools, there is a common thread between the two levels: unbelievable hockey jerseys.

The college athletics color palate and logo set is rich with opportunity to create unique jerseys with tremendous aesthetic appeal. The players themselves often lead the design process and hand over their ideas to the manufacturers. Many teams go through independent jersey manufacturers Rebirth Sports or JOG Athletics for high-end threads to call their own.

"It's kind of been like what Oregon did with football," said Doug Green, who is a former club college hockey player who now runs Rebirth Sports. "You've got these cool uniforms and players get excited about the better swag. Same thing would go on with programs we worked with. The jerseys get notoriety from around the university, more players decided to play, the team got better, they get better funding from the university and it all rolls into itself."

In the spirit of bowl season, I ranked 15 of my favorite club hockey jerseys from bowl-bound schools and gathered stories from the passionate hockey players who don them across all three divisions of the ACHA.

1. Oregon Ducks

I mean, just look at these jerseys. The color scheme is something you just don't find in hockey, and there's something about that cartoon duck head that works. Kelly green is a great look, and while the Oregon "O" has become well-known in sports, it probably wouldn't work as a primary logo on a hockey jersey. So long live the duck head.

Inside the program: Oregon is a Division II ACHA team that plays in the Pac-8 conference. Their unique jerseys have helped them gain more attention, and the fan base is growing "quickly," according to senior defenseman Warren Berg. When Golden State Warriors power forward Jordan Bell wore the team's jersey to Game 2 of the 2019 NBA Finals, the team was flooded with emails to buy the jersey, which the school allows the club team to sell through Rebirth Sports as a fundraiser.

2. Boise State Broncos

My favorite thing about the ACHA jerseys is that we get so many colors you don't normally see in hockey. Boise State reminds a little of the Edmonton Oilers' colors, but these are a bit more vivid. The team has also incorporated the state outline and the modern bronco head to great effect.

Inside the program: The Broncos are starting to develop a nice rivalry with Oregon in ACHA Division II's Pac-8. Senior forward Eric Pinsky has seen tremendous growth in the program in his three years there. "I didn't have a desire to play," said Pinsky, whose stints in high-level junior were cut short by injuries. "I knew a few guys on the team and they told me what it was about. When I started playing [at Boise State], I fell in love with hockey again."

3. Clemson Tigers

The incorporation of a Montreal Canadiens-like band around the torso is a very common theme among ACHA teams. The tiger paw lends itself well to such a setup. And once again, the pop in color that Clemson uses makes these unique within the hockey landscape.

Inside the program: Senior forward and club president Isaiah Jackson left the hockey-mad state of Massachusetts for the south and a different college experience. He landed at Clemson, where he plays for its ACHA Division III team.

"Going down south, I thought my career was over," said Jackson, who is hoping to attend medical school after graduation. "Being able to continue to play was definitely awesome. The guys have become my best friends and a second family. We do everything off the ice together, too. It's a social network and we get to play hockey."

4. Alabama Crimson Tide

It's one of the most recognizable brands in college athletics, and the hockey team wears the crimson "A" on its chest with pride. Both home and away uniforms are extremely clean.

Inside the program: Alabama is in the ACHA's Division I and has enjoyed a rapid rise in the ACHA ranks over the past few years. The team plays an hour from campus, which makes it challenging to draw students to games, but it has been getting more students involved on the team staff, putting together marketing and social media packages to raise the team's profile. Sophomore forward and club president Caelan Briere, the son of former NHL star Daniel Briere, has hockey in his blood.

"It's Alabama. You want the ultimate college experience? That's where you go," said Briere, who studies accounting. "I love my team. I definitely want to try my hardest and want to win, but I've also accepted that these might be my last years, and I'm just trying to get the best out of it. Down here, no one knows the name. I love having my dad as my dad, but it's nice to go somewhere where I can just be me."

5. Navy Midshipmen

These jerseys look as if they could have come out of any era. The classic college look is really captured here, which is why I like these so much.

Inside the program: Navy is the only of the three major service academies without an NCAA Division I hockey team. It does, however, have ACHA Division I and III teams that play in the academy's own arena just outside the guarded walls of the campus. And the top-tier team's games are some of the best-attended sporting events behind football and basketball.

Senior center Derek Golembrosky has spent the past four years finding the balance among his academy obligations and hockey while studying quantitative economics. "It's honestly awesome just to be able to step away for a second and just focus on hockey as opposed to all of the other stressors," says the Newark, Delaware native. "It's a blessing to be able to go to the rink for two hours and focus on something you love to do. It recharges you."

6. Kentucky Wildcats

I really like the jerseys, but what really stands out is how UK's hockey team incorporates the checkerboard pattern found in the school's football end zones down the sides of its pant shells.

Inside the program: Kentucky, which plays ACHA Division II, first gained more widespread notoriety two decades ago when the team's schedule poster had UK alum Ashley Judd wearing one of the jerseys. Over the years, however, Kentucky's hockey team has built a nice niche for itself in Lexington with one of the most unique traditions anywhere in college hockey: It plays all of its home games at midnight.

"We've seen anywhere from 600 to 1,200 for a game," senior goalie Eric Williams said. "Most of the opponents are pretty pumped to be there since they don't see crowds like ours."

7. Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State is my alma mater and benefits from my unabashed bias. But the Cyclones hockey team makes good use of one of the school's secondary marks, differentiating it just enough from the varsity programs on campus while still being very much Iowa State.

Inside the program: Iowa State's top team has been around for more than 50 years and is a perennial contender in the ACHA's top division. In fact, the national championship trophy is called the Murdoch Cup, named after Iowa State's founder and longtime head coach Dr. Al Murdoch. The team is under the school's recreational services department, meaning it is not a club organization like many other teams in the ACHA.

"When you get to the top level of the ACHA and you're looking at the top 15 programs, it is very serious hockey," said Jason Fairman, who played and coached at Cornell and has been head coach at Iowa State for the past seven years. "You have a full-time coaching staff, they're recruiting full time. I was just in Minneapolis, I'm going to be going to Chicago. One of my assistants went to Connecticut, then Tampa, and later Vegas for showcase tournaments."

8. Florida Gators

Florida has had to shift its jerseys to be in compliance with the school's trademark office, but this black jersey with the gator head is pretty great. The teeth in the striping is a unique touch.

Inside the program: An ACHA Division III program, Florida practices once a week in Jacksonville, which is an hour and a half from campus. And the team plays games in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa, all of which are long drives. "It's a haul, but it builds character," senior defenseman and Long Island native Jake Dima said.

The team receives money from the school through donations and the recreational sports program. "Parents love to donate. We have a team GoFundMe," Dima said.

9. Texas Longhorns

Two words: Burnt. Orange.

Inside the program: Texas plays in ACHA Division II and has built rivalries with many in-state teams through the Texas Collegiate Hockey Conference. Senior forward Nicolas Samadian remembers his freshman year when UT had just enough players try out to ice a team but not enough defensemen, forcing him to man the blue line for the first time in his hockey-playing life. Now the team is growing and drawing crowds as large as 400 inside the nearby Chaparral Ice, about 10 minutes from campus, thanks to grassroots marketing and social media efforts.

"I think the general reaction is, 'I didn't know Texas has a hockey team,'" Samadian recalled students often saying just a few years ago. "People have a pretty good understanding of us now. We have guys spread out around campus [in fraternities and other organizations] and they have pretty good Instagram followings, so we get more fans now."

10. Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia's team has some restrictions on what it can use for its hockey logo, but it has also made the most of it with a retro-style look.

Inside the program: Georgia is an ACHA Division III program and the reigning Southeastern Collegiate Hockey Conference champion. The team plays at the Classic Center, which is essentially a banquet center with a temporary ice sheet, complete with collapsible seating for up to 1,600 spectators. According to defenseman Kyle Harris, the team often gets around 1,400 fans for home games against bigger-name schools, which rivals most NCAA Division III and even some NCAA Division I programs.

"Hockey is a unique sport, especially in Georgia," Harris said. "You get them out to one game and they fall in love. It's cool to play in front of friends and classmates."

11. Virginia Tech Hokies

This is another color scheme unique to hockey but maintains a classic college hockey look.

Inside the program: The players on the Hokies' hockey team have to travel a little under an hour to practice and for home games, which doesn't make for a lot of opportunities to draw students. The team does have a dedicated locker room, which the players painted and designed themselves inside the arena. When it comes to road trips, the club rents three vans and hits the road.

"Sometimes if we're lucky, someone will chip in for a bus, but otherwise we rent vans from the school," said junior defenseman and team captain Trevor Murphy, a finance major from Raleigh, North Carolina. "We have an equipment van, and then the guys pile into the other two. We're basically all together."

12. Iowa Hawkeyes

The Hawkeyes were smart to take on the pattern from one of the best uniforms in men's college hockey: the Michigan Tech Huskies. They're laid out almost exactly the same. And it looks great.

Inside the program: Iowa is enjoying a particularly successful year in the ACHA Division II, playing primarily teams from the Midwest as part of the MACHA conference, though the team tries to play one long-distance game each season that includes a flight. This year, the team is going to San Diego State, not a bad move in avoiding the harsh Iowa winter.

Home games are in a mall in nearby Coralville, Iowa, which has brought snickers from opponents. "Sometimes we get chirps about how we play in the mall," senior captain Spencer Lhotka said, "but what could go wrong with having the best food court in the league?"

13. Indiana Hoosiers

There are very few script jerseys that work, but Indiana's does with the crimson and cream. The state symbol and interlocking IU on the shoulders are nice add-ons.

Inside the program: Indiana has ACHA Division II and III teams on campus. As is often the case with these clubs, there are a lot of duties that fall on the players to handle, which is why many of them have officers as mandated by the university. Junior defenseman Will Patton is the Division II team's president while also juggling a pre-med academic course load.

"I've enjoyed every second of it," Patton said. "This year is a little more stressful because I'm the one who has to have practices and game scheduled. This year is different, but it's not taking away my enjoyment."

14. Washington State Cougars

I'm just a big fan of Washington State's cougar logo and enjoy seeing it on a hockey jersey. And if these look familiar, there's a good reason. The colors are almost identical to those of the Arizona Coyotes. When the NHL switched from Reebok to Adidas jerseys, the club team's coach bought as much of the expired stock as he could so the team would have plenty of jerseys for when new players come in.

Inside the program: The Cougars, who play at the ACHA Division II level in the Pac-8, have a practice arena that isn't even a full sheet of ice in nearby Moscow, Idaho. And so, the team often has to play home games over an hour away at a facility that is also home to rival Eastern Washington University.

"Our team has possibly one of the most unique atmospheres I've played on," senior defenseman Nick Torres said. "A lot of my teammates feel the same way. We're underdogs. We don't have facilities. It's on us to make ourselves successful. When I put on the jersey -- and the same goes for the other guys -- it's a symbol of all the hard work."

15. South Carolina Gamecocks

This one is cheating a bit -- the Gamecocks aren't bowl-eligible, but I still wanted to include them. The team actually had to change its jerseys recently, formerly using the "block C" that is the mark of the school's athletic teams. But they're still unmistakably Gamecocks in this color scheme.

Inside the program: The South Carolina hockey team competes in ACHA Division III as part of the SECHC. Players have formed friendships with other athletes on campus, helping raise the team's profile. South Carolina alum and current Baltimore Ravens tight end Hayden Hurst actually sent a donation last season to help the team get new jerseys. Ryan Hilinski, the current Gamecocks starting quarterback, has attended a few hockey games and was recently spotted wearing his own South Carolina hockey jersey. (The team will be playing a game on Jan. 25 to help raise money for Hilinski's Hope, the foundation in memory of Ryan's late brother Tyler.)

"This year we're really taking it to a new level, trying to be more professional and be more serious," junior defenseman and club president Evan Hoey said. "The thing I find really special about hockey, it doesn't matter when you play or when you show up, you're in this small stinky room and you have to bond together."

GOLD COAST, Australia — Adam Scott was two strokes off the lead and tied for third place after a second-round, 5-under 67 at the Australian PGA championship at Royal Pines on Friday.

The leader was China's Yuan Yechun, whose 65 left him at 9-under 135 after 36 holes. He bogeyed two of his final four holes.

Scott, attempting to win his first tournament since a World Golf Championship victory in March 2016, is playing his third week in a row after the Australian Open and last week's Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.

Australian Anthony Quayle was in second place, a stroke behind, after a 66, followed by Scott and Wade Ormsby, who shot 66.

Cameron Champ had a 71 and was at 3 under, one stroke better than fellow American Stewart Cink, who shot 70.

Scott's round included a 40-foot eagle putt and two lengthy birdies with one bogey.

''I played safe, rolled a lot of nice putts, a lot went by the edge, but I made a couple as well,'' Scott said. ''I had to really dial it in to get it close. It was a patient round and eventually I kind of wore the course down.''

Scott said he knew another mediocre round like his 70 on Thursday wouldn't put him among the leaders.

''After the bogey on four I just felt I need to get moving a bit here because 2-under's not going to put me up there far enough,'' Scott said. ''It'll be good for me to focus up for two more days. I need more of the same, but feeling like I've got definitely two more days in me.''

Cameron Smith, aiming to be the first player in more than 100 years to win three straight Australian PGA titles, followed up his opening 74 with a 65 to leave the Australian at 5-under and four strokes behind.

Smith said the President Cup, where his International team lost 16-14 to the United States, had drained him both physically and mentally. But he said an afternoon nap Thursday and swim at the beach had helped him bounce back.

''I knew what I had to do today to get back into it,''Smith said. ''I saw Scotty and those guys posted a score early. I didn't play aggressive or anything, just did my stuff and walked away with seven birdies.''

DOHA -- Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has told ESPN that the Football Association (FA) has made an "incredible" decision to schedule FA Cup fourth-round replays during the Premier League's two-week mid-season shutdown in February and said that players are being compromised by a lack of communication between top clubs and football's authorities.

Premier League leaders Liverpool are due to play their 56th competitive game of 2019 when the face Brazilian side Flamengo in the FIFA Club World Cup Final in Doha, Qatar on Saturday.

Klopp chose to field the club's Under-23 team against Aston Villa in Tuesday's 5-0 Carabao Cup quarterfinal defeat due to fixture congestion preventing Liverpool from playing the game once they returned from Qatar.

But with FA Cup fourth-round replays due to be staged on Feb. 4 and 5, Klopp has told ESPN that Liverpool will have their planned Premier League break between Feb. 1 and 15 interrupted if they beat Everton in round three and then draw a potential fourth-round tie.

"The problem that we have is the Premier League have decided we have a winter break and the FA decided the re-game [replay] if you have to play, if you draw in the fourth round, you play the re-game in that week," Klopp said.

"It's incredible. It's just in the winter break. Right? That's when they set the game.

"Ok, how is that possible? Nobody speaks about these things. I really don't understand that.

"The problem we have now is nobody speaks enough. We don't speak enough to each other so the Premier League, the Football League, the FA, UEFA, FIFA, everyone is planning their own things and nobody follows that so there is no common schedule for everybody.

"Look at that. They are the games, we can't do more games."

After being informed of Klopp's concerns, the FA told ESPN that every effort will be made to be flexible and ensure that all Premier League clubs benefit from a full two-week break, with the potential of a fourth-round replay being moved to a later date in the calendar.

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"The FA has worked hard to ensure the introduction of a winter break for Premier League clubs this season," an FA spokesperson said. "Clubs will either be given a free weekend on Feb. 8 and 9 or Feb. 15 and 16.

"We will work with the Premier League and the clubs to ensure every team gets its winter break. "

Liverpool could end this season with five trophies, having already won the UEFA Super Cup, if they win the Club World Cup, FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League.

But Klopp insists the top players are now being exposed to too many games.

"Look, everybody agrees that we need a winter break," he said. "So good, done, now we have a one-week winter break.

"For the international players, it's the only week in the year where we now know that these people -- which they are first and foremost, these humans -- have the possibility to do something with their family or whatever. Three, four days here, five days there, whatever.

"It sounds like I don't like what I do, but I do. I love what I do, but I know we have two things that are very necessary. There are the players and training.

"So you can only use the players when they have enough, when they rest sometimes. I know people think that if a player plays, trains two hours a day and plays one-and-a-half hours, that cannot be a problem.

"Other people should try it, because we don't only play. We set our limits a little bit higher.

"We try to do more and do it better and do it quicker and do that. That's like Formula One. At a specific speed, you have to use the brake. That's how it is, because there's a curve you have to use and stuff like this and that's in football the same.

"We would improve this game immediately to the next level if we gave this.

"We try everything -- we give them as much rest as possible, but somebody needs to help us with the schedule and so far that didn't happen.

"The solution I really don't see at the moment. We just have to carry on."

Paul Pogba wants to stay at Manchester United, where he feels at "home," his agent Mino Raiola has told the Daily Telegraph.

The France international is a transfer target for Real Madrid with boss Zinedine Zidane a known admirer.

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However, Raiola said Pogba enjoys a strong relationship with manage Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who looked after the midfielder at youth level in his first spell at United.

"I think that Paul really went home," Raiola said. "Paul could have gone elsewhere.

"But he really chose with his heart, to go home. Paul is a very, very nice person. For example, he's not able to be angry at Ole because Ole treated him so good when Ole was an older player and Paul was a younger player and the respect and the love that he received from Ole means he cannot get angry at Ole."

Raiola also said Pogba, whose season has been disrupted by injuries and illness, would like to win trophies at Old Trafford.

"Paul wants to be successful and happy and wants to win prizes and he would love to do that with Manchester United," Raiola added. "OK, there was big interest from Real Madrid and Manchester didn't let him go.

"We didn't make a fuss about it and he didn't make a fuss about it because I work in accordance with the player. You know other players can bring things to extreme but Paul doesn't like that.

"So you work differently. There was an interest from Real Madrid but they [United] didn't let him go.

"But Paul is not the guy I hear about from [Gary] Neville and all the frustrated ex-players who say: 'he should be ashamed of this, ashamed of that'. Ashamed of what? He is working every day and doing his best.

"He's not complaining there is no Champions League. Is he perfect? Nobody is. Is he also responsible for failure? He feels so. If you are in a team you are responsible for failure."

Mikel Arteta has been named the new Arsenal head coach on a three-and-a-half year deal, the club confirmed on Friday.

"This is a huge honour. Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world," Arteta said.

We need to be competing for the top trophies in the game and that's been made very clear to me in my discussions with Stan and Josh Kroenke, and the senior people from the club.

"We all know there is a lot of work to be done to achieve that but I am confident we'll do it. I'm realistic enough to know it won't happen overnight but the current squad has plenty of talent and there is a great pipeline of young players coming through from the academy."

Sources had told ESPN how Arteta was set for the job at the Emirates and he has now left his position as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City to take over from Freddie Ljungberg, who had been in charge as a caretaker following Unai Emery's sacking on Nov. 29.

Arteta's arrival brings an end to a frantic search for Emery's successor, with Carlo Ancelotti, Massimiliano Allegri, Mauricio Pochettino, Marcelino and Patrick Vieira among those considered. Allegri, though, has told ESPN he will not take on a new job until the summer following his exit from Juventus.

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Emery was appointed as Arsenal head coach in May 2018, signing a two-year deal with the option of a third. But after a promising debut season ended with a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in the Europa League final, Emery was sacked in November this year after the club's worst start to a season in 27 years.

Ljungberg was placed in temporary charge but won just once in five matches. After a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City last time out in the league, Ljungberg called on the club's hierarchy to make a definitive decision over the club's management.

Arteta will officially start work on Sunday, with Ljungberg taking charge of Arsenal's match at Everton on Saturday.

Josh Kroenke, speaking on behalf of the Arsenal board and owners Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, said: "We're delighted to be bringing Mikel back to Arsenal.

"He knows our expectations and those of our fans around the world are high and we are confident he can play a lead role in taking the club back to the levels we all demand.

"I also want to thank Freddie Ljungberg for skilfully guiding us through the last three weeks. He stepped up at short notice and has helped us through this difficult period with great professionalism."

Lancashire have signed New Zealand wicketkeeper BJ Watling as an overseas player for the first nine Championship games of next season.

Watling, 34, has been a prolific run-scorer in Test cricket in recent years. He compiled a maiden double-hundred against England last month, and has scored more runs as designated wicketkeeper than anyone else this decade.

His time at Old Trafford will be Watling's second stint in county cricket after a two-game spell at Durham last year. He was signed for the side's promotion run-in, though by the time he arrived any hopes of going up had been dashed by other results.

Paul Allott, Lancashire's director of cricket, said: "To have someone of BJ's calibre on board for the first nine County Championship games of the season is fantastic and we're looking forward to welcoming him to Emirates Old Trafford.

"We identified a top-order batsman as a priority in the overseas player market and BJ fits the bill perfectly. His first-class and Test record is exceptional and he adds valuable experience to the batting line-up."

Watling said: "I am delighted to have signed for Lancashire. I enjoyed my first taste of English domestic cricket last year with Durham and I'm looking forward to getting started at Emirates Old Trafford in the New Year.

"It's important to start quickly and I hope I can contribute towards plenty of wins in the first nine games to help the Red Rose challenge towards the top of Division One."

England 170 for 3 (Knight 43) beat Pakistan 144 for 5 (Javeria 57, Glenn 2-12) by 26 runs

Pakistan pushed England close but could not prevent defeat and a 3-0 whitewash in the T20I series in Kuala Lumpur. Javeria Khan top-scored in the match with 57, but England kept a grip on the scoring rate to close out the game.

England, who rested Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt for the final game, produced an all-round effort with bat and ball. Captain Heather Knight made 43 from 31 balls and the rest of the top five all chipped in with solid contributions, before Anya Shrusbole, Sarah Glenn and Sophie Ecclestone shared five wickets to disrupt Pakistan's chase.

The tour also allowed England's new head coach, Lisa Keightley, who is due to take up the role in January, to have a first look at the players after she joined up with the team following the conclusion of the Women's Big Bash League.

"I think it's been a good tour for us," Knight said. "We asked batters to get big runs and that's happened across both the ODI and the IT20 series.

"I think we've found some new players, as well. Sarah Glenn has really put her hand up and that's great for us, it adds to the competition for places and makes us stronger as a group.

"I've been proud of how we've maintained our high standards, especially in the field - which is something we've been working hard on.

"It's been great to spend time with Lisa and get chatting to her about how she sees the plans moving forward. We're looking forward to the new year and the challenge of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia."

After Danni Wyatt had lashed 25 off 15 to get England going, the main plank of the innings was provided by an 81-run partnership between Knight and Amy Jones. Knight hit three sixes in her innings, and while both fell in consecutive overs, Fran Wilson and Tammy Beaumont added another fifty stand in the closing overs.

Pakistan lost both openers inside the Powerplay, and were struggling at just past the halfway way point when Bismah Maroof was stumped off Glenn to leave them 68 for 3. Javeria's measured innings kept them in the hunt but despite Sidra Nawaz cracking 19 off 7 balls at the end, Pakistan had left themselves too much to do.

Dale Steyn was lapped up right at the end of Thursday's IPL auction, after going unsold twice, but he was "always part of Royal Challengers Bangalore's plans", according to Mike Hesson, their director of cricket. Steyn was picked at his base price of INR 2 crore by the same franchise that had released him in November.

Steyn featured in just two games for RCB in 2019 before a shoulder injury cut his season short, after he had been signed midway through the competition as a replacement for the injured Nathan Coulter-Nile.

"We knew we wanted Steyn but we knew if we put a bid on him early, it might have gone up to three or four crore, which would have had flow-on effects," Hesson told the RCB's website. "It was the same with Isuru Udana as well.

"We thought Udana was going to be well sought after, so we had to slow-play that one a little bit. In the end, it worked out the way we wanted but it did require a sense of patience, which is not one of my main attributes.

"I probably exchanged a couple of hundred messages with Virat [Kohli, the RCB captain] for a couple of hours. I think he thought we went to sleep in the middle for a couple of hours as well, but he was well aware of what our planning was. He was keen at the end, as we were, to get Udana and Steyn."

Hesson also felt new signing Aaron Finch could help unburden RCB's superstar batting duo of Kohli and AB de Villiers. Finch, Australia's white-ball captain, is currently No. 2 on the ICC's rankings for T20I batsmen. "We want someone who takes the pressure off AB [de Villiers] and Virat, so we've got a world class player," Hesson said of Finch. "Looking at the rankings, we've got three of the top five players in the world in terms of the last few years of T20 cricket so that is exciting.

"Chris Morris is a really good addition, in terms of being a three-in-one cricketer; he can bowl upfront, can bowl at the death, he's got some power with the bat as well. Udana is exciting, in terms of especially on slower surfaces, we felt we wanted that. Kane Richardson is one of the best bowlers in international T20s for a while, so we've got a really good mix of players."

Hesson said he was surprised at being able to sign Australian wicketkeeper Josh Philippe, whom he termed an "excitement machine", at his base price. "We never thought we'd get him at 20 lakh," Hesson said. "We had someone else in mind if he went too high."

Pakistan 191 and 57 for 0 (Abid 32*, Masood 21*) trail Sri Lanka 271 (Chandimal 74, Dilruwan 48, Afridi 5-77. Abbas 4-55) by 23 runs

On a day that threatened to mirror the script of its predecessor in the first hour, Sri Lanka dug in and clawed their way to, and then well past, Pakistan's first innings total. The lead of 80 came courtesy lower-order contributions that will have frustrated Pakistan no end, with Dinesh Chandimal tying the innings together as Sri Lanka held off a surging Pakistan pace attack. The home side, for their part, did well enough to ensure there wasn't any bloodletting in the tricky final hour the openers had to deal with, as Shan Masood and Abid Ali reduced the deficit to 23 by stumps.

From 80 for 5, partnerships of 67, 37, 51 and 36 extended Sri Lanka's innings well into the third session, Dhananjaya de Silva and Chandimal robbing Pakistan of the momentum they had generated in an opening hour of hostile fast bowling. Nightwatchman Lasith Embuldeniya was dropped early in the day but fell soon after in a bizarre attempt to slog-sweep Mohammad Abbas, while Shaheen Afridi - who picked up his first five-for in Tests - needed no such largesse from Angelo Mathews, bringing one in to tickle the batsman's inside edge through to the keeper.

Pakistan may well have felt this was their chance to come away with a lead, but swift counterattacking - and an ineffectual spell from a confidence-sapped Yasir Shah - poured water over those plans. When de Silva strode down the crease to loft Yasir over his head, following it up with a back-foot punch through cover, the shackles were broken. Yasir was unable to settle on either length, line or pace, with both batsmen taking advantage of the inconsistency as Sri Lanka neared 150.

The breakthrough came thanks to Afridi, with de Silva unable to get on top of a short-pitched delivery and sending it straight down fine leg's throat. But the wicket did little to stem the flow of runs before lunch, and by now, even Niroshan Dickwella, who had used up more than his fair share of luck in his first half hour at the crease, was emerging from his shell. Then Abbas would castle him with perhaps the ball of the day, beating him on the inside edge with an inward-seaming delivery that clipped the top of off, and at 182 for 7, with Sri Lanka nine short of Pakistan's first-innings total, it seemed this would become a second-innings shootout.

Pakistan were guilty of letting the game drift for large spells, and the eighth-wicket partnership at one point scored at nearly 4.50 runs per over. Dilruwan Perera was perfectly comfortable keeping Chandimal company as Sri Lanka brought up the 200 and then beyond, the highlight being Chandimal spanking Naseem Shah for three fours in an over.

When Chandimal fell, Dilruwan took over the mantle. Pakistan duly spread the field for him; practically begging him to take a single and turn the strike over. Despite this, Dilruwan continued to find the boundary, despite seven fielders stationed in the deep at most points during his ninth-wicket stand with Vishwa Fernando. Haris Sohail may have been successful getting rid of Chandimal, but when they tried his occasional left-arm spin against Dilruwan, he carted him down the ground for a six off the first ball of his spell.

Tea came and went, and Sri Lanka moved past 250, and continued to march on. It took the return of Afridi to finally clean Dilruwan up two runs shy of a well-deserved half-century, and the left-arm quick removed No. 11 Lahiru Kumara a couple of balls later to bring an end to what had appeared an interminable innings. It was the first time he had taken five wickets in an innings, but for Pakistan's most consistent fast bowler over the last couple of tours, you feel sure there is more to follow.

At that stage, Sri Lanka walked into the changing room, likely confident it was their day, maybe even their Test match, and the final hour represented an opportunity to ram that point further home. But Pakistan came out determined not to block their way through the fourteen overs they faced, both openers taking the attack to the quicks right from the outset. Abid Ali's confidence wasn't surprising, given his form, and Shan Masood didn't shy away from putting bat on ball either, and got off to a start evocative of the form he displayed on Pakistan's tour of South Africa at the start of the year, when he regained his place in the side.

Sri Lanka turned to Embuldeniya within five overs, and while he got the ball to turn, there were no genuine chances. The 50 partnership came up before the end of the day, and when the light finally faded, Pakistan were a mere 23 runs away from levelling the scores. The Test match may be evenly poised, but the evidence of the last half-session suggests Sri Lanka's fourth-innings chase will be anything but routine.

PHILADELPHIA -- Over the course of three years, two trades and 765 minutes together on the court, Tobias Harris and Boban Marjanovic forged the NBA's most enduring friendship.

Or did they?

"We don't have a relationship no more," Harris said. "He's replaced me with Luka Doncic."

After a moment, his face broke into a grin, followed by a laugh.

"The Bobi & Tobi Show" makes a special one-night return engagement Friday when Dallas Mavericks visit the Philadelphia 76ers (ESPN and the ESPN app, 8 p.m. ET). It will be their first game since Marjanovic signed with the Mavericks in July and the first game for Harris and Marjanovic as opponents since March 2016.

In between, they played for the Detroit Pistons together, were traded together to the LA Clippers and then were traded again to the Sixers. And while the two are separated by more than a thousand miles these days, the friendship that formed between them during their three seasons together as teammates on three different teams remains as strong as ever.

"Of course," Marjanovic said. "We may not be on the same team, but friends stay friends forever."

Both men said they still text and talk regularly, checking in on how each is doing. Harris said he tries to keep Marjanovic's spirits up as his playing time fluctuates under coach Rick Carlisle. The 7-foot-4 reserve has played in just 11 of the Mavericks' 27 games after signing a two-year, $7 million contract this summer.

Meanwhile, Marjanovic monitors how Harris is playing in Philadelphia, where the 76ers have championship aspirations, but enter Friday's game in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

It's a new dynamic for the duo, who came together in the summer of 2016 when Marjanovic joined the Pistons on a three-year, $20 million deal in free agency. Harris had been traded to Detroit five months earlier, his third stop in his first five NBA seasons.

The two were friendly during their year-plus together in Detroit, but things changed forever for them when the Pistons included them in a trade with the Clippers as part of a package to acquire Blake Griffin in January 2017.

"I had family, he had his family, [so] you'd finish practice and go home," Marjanovic said of their friendship in Detroit. "But after we got traded, we became super good friends.

"We only had each other at the time. ... We didn't have anybody else, and it worked for us."

While playing in the world's entertainment capital, Harris and Marjanovic decided to do what so many friends living in Los Angeles try to: make their own television show.

They ended up shooting three episodes of an internet series about their lives together in Los Angeles. The show was an instant hit with their fans and teammates.

"People really loved it," Harris said. "We liked it, too. We liked that [other people] liked it."

"I thought it was pretty cool," said Mike Scott, who signed with the Clippers as a free agent in the summer of 2018 and instantly saw how close Harris and Marjanovic were. "Something pretty dope to do off the court."

The show was quintessentially Los Angeles. Marjanovic and Harris first spent time at a SoulCycle studio, where Marjanovic led a class, before shifting to a dance studio, where the two of them learned choreographed dance moves together.

The time together created a bond that went beyond clowning around and running pick-and-rolls.

"Once they were in the building, [their friendship] wasn't a fake thing," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "It was a real thing."

When the two were traded to Philadelphia in February, their partnership was strengthened. After playing just 215 minutes together during their first two seasons as teammates, they shared 550 minutes of court time in 2018-19, including seeing their first playoff action with the 76ers. With Joel Embiid sidelined for Game 3 of their first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets, Harris put up 29 points and a game-high 16 rebounds; Marjanovic added 14 and eight.

Little did they know that a month later Kawhi Leonard's bouncing shot to win Game 7 of the conference semifinals -- the only 76ers game in the 2019 playoffs in which Marjanovic didn't play -- would end their time together. When Marjanovic signed with the Mavericks on July 23, it officially put the "Bobi & Tobi Show" on hiatus. But Harris insists it's not canceled just yet.

"Boban knows he's nothing without me, and I'm nothing without him," Harris said with a laugh. "But hopefully in the summer we can hopefully do something where we can do some content together. The hope is to bring it back."

Before they do, they'll meet as opponents for the first time in 1,388 days. In advance of the Mavs' trip to Philadelphia, where the 76ers are 14-1 this season, the two discussed more important things than basketball.

"He just called me, and wanted to know if we were doing dinner," Harris said with a smile. "I paused for a second, and he just starts yelling, 'No, you are doing dinner!'

"So I said, 'All right, I'm in.' "

Typically, Harris -- the foodie of the two -- will make the choice on where they eat. In this case, though, he deferred to Marjanovic, who picked his favorite spot in Philadelphia: Zahav, a trendy Israeli restaurant.

"He used to go there, like, every day," Harris said.

That preference for consistency might have stemmed from one particular outing in which Harris' dining choice unintentionally led Marjanovic astray.

"I took him somewhere and he got this octopus," Harris said, "and he starts eating it. And, like, 30 seconds later, he is like, 'I'm going to the bathroom.'

"He goes in there, throws up this octopus, comes back and goes, 'It's time for me to go.' ... He was so mad. He kept saying, 'You made me freaking eat this octopus.' "

These moments sound familiar to anyone with longtime friends. In this case, they also underscore how the two men have had to adjust to the strangeness of being apart and no longer seeing each other every day.

"Yeah, it was a little weird," Harris said. "That's my bro, so it was always good when we were together to play together, and obviously the friendship off the court."

"He's a nice guy, and he's a good friend," Marjanovic says. "Nothing [else] changes. I changed cities, he stayed in the same one, but the friendship stays. I'm so happy for him."