Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia chief executive, is hopeful that India's strong position in the World Test Championship will help persuade them to play at least one pink-ball Test on their tour next year. Cricket Australia has made no secret of their desire to keep pushing the expansion of the day-night format, with a suggestion that they would attempt to make two out of the four India Tests as floodlit contests.

India did not play under lights on their previous tour but have recently staged their first day-night Test, against Bangladesh in Kolkata, which was pushed through by Sourav Ganguly after he became the BCCI president

India comfortably lead the WTC with seven wins from seven Tests and are primed to secure their spot in the 2021 final at Lord's.

"I absolutely believe we should be playing one pink-ball Test in the Indian series next year," Roberts said in Perth ahead of the day-night Test between Australia and New Zealand. "India to their credit are doing very well in this World Test Championship, and it's highly likely that they will make the final in 2021. I suspect that will make it easier to schedule a day-night Test next season if India have relative certainty of making the WTC final, then there is less reason not to play a day-night Test and more reason to play one.

"Also with Sourav Ganguly coming into the presidency of the BCCI, he's been very proactive in scheduling the first day-night Test in India, and we saw that was a sellout in three days, which is very different to what the previous day series have looked at in terms of ticket sales. There is an openness from India and an understanding that it is good for cricket."

Which of Australia's main venues miss out hosting India remains another big question. Melbourne, despite the ongoing issues around the pitch, remains highly unlikely to lose Boxing Day and the SCG is the traditional New Year venue, which leaves Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth to fight it out for two matches. The one that misses out will likely host Afghanistan, although Tasmania has also put its hat in the ring for a Test in Hobart.

ALSO READ: Two pink-ball Tests in a series 'a bit too much' - Ganguly

The Australian team has made it clear that it wants to play the first Test of major series at the Gabba, where they haven't lost since 1988. The 2018-19 series against India began in Adelaide.

"It's a challenging process," Roberts said. "I think the great thing is there is genuine interest in all capital cities across Australia hosting Test cricket. The challenging thing we've got to work through is when there's not as many Test matches as there are capital cities. We will work through that.

"There will be different criteria. There is an art and a science to it. We look at historical attendances, we look at the playing side of things, it's really important thing, especially for the first Test where the players have a very strong preference for the first Test of any major series to be played at the Gabba."

Roberts also did not foresee a roadblock for getting India to Gabba: "I don't see India being opposed to that, there is a lot to work through. But I don't see India being opposed to any venue."

A more immediate issue is the state of the MCG pitches following the abandonment of the Sheffield Shield match last week. Roberts admitted that Cricket Australia had been among the voices pushing for more life to be brought back into the surface and sympthised with the position of head groundsman Matt Page. The first Sheffield Shield match of the season at the ground earned a "very good" rating while the second, which was impacted by cold and wet weather, was given a "good" grading.

"It was unfortunate that a little too much moisture was put into the wicket for the last Shield game," Roberts said. "In fairness to Matt and his groundstaff, they were urged to make the pitch more sporting by a number of parties, be it players, Cricket Victoria, ourselves, and credit to them for having the courage to test that. Fortunately, no players were injured in the process and ironically I think it places the MCC better to prepare the best possible deck for Boxing Day with the learnings from these last three Shield games."

While the staging agreement between CA and the MCC only goes as far as guaranteeing a Test at the MCG - rather than Boxing Day specifically - Roberts suggested its future for the iconic fixture was safe. "There are commitments to have a Test at the MCG and the SCG, that's the depth of it," he said. "What we do know is that there is a rich history around Boxing Day, we love that and respect that and we would really like to see Boxing Day Test continue at the MCG."

England 327 for 4 (Sciver 100*, Knight 86, Wilson 85*) beat Pakistan 200 (Maharoof 64) by 127 runs

Nat Sciver cracked an 85-ball century, and Fran Wilson added a quickfire 85 not out from 49 balls, as England eased to a series-sealing 127-run victory over Pakistan in the second women's ODI in Kuala Lumpur.

After winning the toss and batting first on a sweltering day, England suffered an early setback when Danni Wyatt fell to Nida Dar for 6 in the second over of the match.

Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont regrouped with a 61-run stand for the second wicket, before Beaumont was the second to go, caught by Diana Baig off Nashra Sandhu for 21.

But thereafter, England took total control of the contest, as Sciver joined Knight in an 84-run stand for the third wicket, bringing up the 150 in the 29th over before Knight was run out for 86 from 100 balls.

Amy Jones chipped in with 17 from 22 balls, but it was the arrival of Wilson that kicked the innings into another gear, as she and Sciver climbed into the final 14.1 overs of the innings with an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 146.

Wilson struck eight fours and three sixes in a career-best innings, while Sciver reached her third ODI hundred from the penultimate ball of the innings, as England closed on 327 for 4.

That was never going to be a realistic prospect for Pakistan, who lost wickets at regular intervals before being bowled out for 200 in the 45th over.

The captain Bismah Maharoof made a brisk 64 from 65 balls, and Nahida Khan made 40 from 43. But England's wickets were shared around, with Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Glenn, Sophie Ecclestone and Knight all claiming two apiece.

"I was really happy to reach three figures, from a selfish point of view, but it was just nice to take the team to a big total," said Sciver.

"Fran batted so well when she came in and she really helped us accelerate towards 300 and beyond - it was a lot of fun batting with her and she played excellently.

"It was a shame Heather didn't get to her landmark because she batted so well and it would have been a lovely way for her to celebrate getting to 100 caps.

"Pakistan have been quite testing, they were hard to get away at points today and they were solid with the bat so we're happy to have gone 2-0 up and won the series."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

I wrote Tuesday night that the Angels should take the pile of cash they'd set aside for Gerrit Cole and give it to Anthony Rendon instead. They did so Wednesday and arguably got a better deal for their money, though it doesn't solve their most glaring deficiency: starting pitching. Rendon makes the Angels a lot better, though, just as their direct rivals in the AL West, the Astros, are facing the loss of a 7-win starter in Cole.

As expected, Patrick Reed was not greeted kindly by the home crowd Thursday at the Presidents Cup.

Australian fans booed and heckled Reed, fresh off a controversial penalty last Friday at the Hero World Challenge, as he prepared to his opening tee shot in a fourball match alongside Webb Simpson and opposite Hideki Matsuyama and C.T. Pan.

One person could be heard shouting: "You're really going to make your caddie carry 14 clubs and a shovel?"

Reed was docked two shots in the Bahamas for twice brushing away sand behind his ball with his club. Reed accepted the penalty and denied purposely improving his lie, but many on social media – and beyond – disagreed. International players Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith also commented on the matter, with Smith going as far as to say, "I don't have any sympathy for anyone that cheats. I hope the crowd absolutely gives it to not only him, but everyone (on the American team) next week."

Well, they did. After Reed's drive found a bunker, the boos turned into cheers.

After the session, which the Internationals won 4-1, Reed was asked about the reception.

"It's exactly what I expected," said Reed, who drained a big birdie putt at the 17th hole before he and Simpson ultimately lost, 1 down.

Simpson then chimed in, supporting his teammate: "Undeserved. Undeserved."

MELBOURNE, Australia – The Internationals hold a 4-1 advantage after the opening fourball session Thursday at the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.

But now we’re onto Friday foursomes, a format in which the Americans hold a 45-17 lead over the Internationals over the last six Presidents Cups.

International captain Ernie Els pitted his most-experienced duo, Louis Oosthuizen and Adam Scott, in the first match against Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar. Els also did not put Haotong Li in the rotation, meaning he won’t play in either of the first two sessions.

U.S. captain Tiger Woods put himself out with Justin Thomas in the day’s fourth match against Ben An and Hideki Matsuyama. Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau will sit for the Americans.

Here is the breakdown of how Rex Hoggard and Jay Coffin see the day unfolding:

MATCH 6: Louis Oosthuizen-Adam Scott (INT) vs. Dustin Johnson-Matt Kuchar (US), 7:02PM ET

HOGGARD: International captain Ernie Els appears to be looking to make a statement with his Day 2 starters. Scott and Oosthuizen are his team’s veteran leaders and both played solid on Day 1. The goal here is another early point and Scott and Oosthuizen don’t disappoint on their way to an easy victory.

COFFIN: Kuchar didn’t play the first day and DJ didn’t play well. Els sent a message by putting out his veteran studs first because he knows that they’re going to take down two strong American horses to earn the first point of the day. The International team is too strong and too motivated. They will not lose this match.

MATCH 7: Adam Hadwin-Joaquin Niemann (INT) vs. Xander Schauffele-Patrick Cantlay (US), 7:15PM ET

HOGGARD: Although Schauffele and Cantlay lost Thursday, they both played well as evidenced by Woods’ decision to send them back out. Niemann looked shaky early in his Thursday outing, and the alternate-shot format won’t make things any easier for the rookie. The U.S. rolls in this one.

COFFIN: This match could go either way and is difficult to predict because there is not a lot of experience. If the Internationals win the first match it’s already a virtual must for the Americans to win this one. Schauffele and Cantlay may thrive in this format more than fourballs. They find a way to win a squeaker.

MATCH 8: Marc Leishman-Abraham Ancer (INT) vs. Webb Simpson-Patrick Reed (US), 7:28PM ET

HOGGARD: Thinking this is going to be the day’s best match with Ancer looking to build on his play on Day 1 and Reed keen to rebound from a rare loss. This will go the distance but Captain America will sink a putt on No. 18 for the victory.

COFFIN: Oosthuizen could not say enough great things about how well Ancer played with him Thursday. He was raving about him. He’s steady and unafraid and that will rub off on Leishman who did not drive the ball well in his first match. Ancer will be the answer and the Internationals win another point.

MATCH 9: Ben An-Hideki Matsuyama (INT) vs. Justin Thomas-Tiger Woods (US), 7:41PM ET

HOGGARD: An and Matsuyama looked solid during Thursday’s fourball session but they won’t have an answer for Woods, who made six birdies on Day 1. It’s also safe to say Thomas will have a better day and the Americans cruise to victory.

COFFIN: If Matsuyama putts like he did Thursday this team could be a problem for Tiger and JT. But Tiger found something in partnering with JT, and it’s hard to envision a scenario where JT will play poorly for a second consecutive day. Tiger was the best player on the course. They win a close match to go 2-0 on the week.

MATCH 10: Sungjae Im-Cameron Smith (INT) vs. Gary Woodland-Rickie Fowler (US), 7:54PM ET

HOGGARD: After sitting Thursday, Smith gives the home crowd something to cheer about and Im continues his stellar play. Combined with Woodland’s struggles on the greens and Fowler’s rusty game, the Internationals win handily, but the U.S. wins the session, 3-2. Internationals will lead 6-4 overall.

COFFIN: With the session tied at 2 at this point, the winner of this match will determine the overall winner of the session. It’ll be Smith’s first action and alternate shot will be difficult for him. Woodland didn’t play well on Thursday, but he and Rickie will team to be steady enough to pull out victory. Americans will win the session 3-2, and the overall score will be 6-4 in favor of the Internationals.

MELBOURNE, Australia – Ernie Els hasn’t left anything to chance at this week’s Presidents Cup, and that includes the motivational video he showed his side on the eve of the matches.

On Wednesday, Els had his team watch highlights from the 1998 matches that were played at Royal Melbourne. The ’98 matches stand as the International team’s only victory in the event, and the captain wanted this year’s team to recapture that moment.

“It was great to see the guys in '98 giving us a bit of advice and how it felt for them starting the week back then, and what it feels like winning a cup,” said Louis Oosthuizen, who added that he re-watched the highlights when he got back to his room Thursday. “We have a few boys from '98 in the team room as well and I think we are in a really good place.”

Els, who played on the 1998 International team, also invited some players from that team, which beat the United States 20 ½-11 ½, including Greg Turner, Craig Parry and Carlos Franco.

The move worked on Day 1 with Els’ team taking a 4-1 lead. It’s the first time the International team has led the event after the first day since 2005.

Defending champions Liverpool will be the team others want to avoid when the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League is held on Monday, left-back Andy Robertson has said.

Liverpool reached the knockout stages as group winners with a 2-0 victory at Salzburg on Tuesday, and could be drawn against Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta or Olympique Lyon.

Jurgen Klopp's team have made the final of Europe's elite club competition two years in a row, finishing runners-up to Real in 2017-18 and beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 to win their first trophy under the German in Madrid last season.

"We're respected in this tournament. The way we've done things in the last two years, nobody wants to play against us," Robertson said.

"That's the atmosphere we've created, a team which has been to the final twice and has lost one and won one.

"Maybe the first season when we went to the final ... we did not get the respect we deserved. Now we know we are respected in Europe. No one will want us."

The draw is set for 1100 GMT in Nyon, Switzerland.

"We'll wait ... and see who we get," Robertson added. "We know it'll be tough, regardless, but we look forward to the challenge as we want to go far in this tournament again.

"We know that now we're the champions everyone wants to beat us."

TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors had five months to decide how they were going to honor Kawhi Leonard.

It was time well-spent. The Raptors feted Leonard perfectly before their game Wednesday against the LA Clippers. Public address announcer Herbie Kuhn directed the sellout crowd at Scotiabank Arena to look at the video board above center court for a tribute video. Leonard received his championship ring from Kyle Lowry. Waves of cheers washed over him throughout the Clippers' 112-92 win. It was a fitting tribute to a man who, in the span of 10 months, transformed this franchise from a perennial NBA also-ran to the champion of the basketball world.

It also couldn't have been more different than Leonard's first "return" game of this calendar year. Eleven months ago in San Antonio, the Spurs were so concerned about the venom that would come Leonard's way from the crowd at AT&T Center that they made the decision to honor him alongside fellow former Spur Danny Green, hoping that would lessen the anger directed Leonard's way.

It did not.

"It's a new year, new season," Leonard said that day. "I'm just looking at what is in front of us right now."

Little did Leonard or anyone else know what lay in front of him between these two reunion games. In the intervening 11 months, Kawhi Leonard changed the NBA forever.

It's easy to forget, given how things played out, that trading for Leonard was hardly seen as a universally good move in Toronto.

Masai Ujiri traded for a superior player in Leonard in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, the centerpiece going to San Antonio. DeRozan was homegrown, with nine years' tenure logged with the Raptors, and he chose to stay in Toronto instead of testing free agency in 2017. The Raptors often feel treated like second-class citizens in the basketball world, but a kid from Compton chose to put roots down in Canada. That resonated with the fan base.

As a result, Leonard arrived in Toronto to a skeptical audience unsure of how long the pending free agent would stay or how effective he would be after he played just nine games in his final season as a Spur.

Then the games started, and wins began piling up. The mood in Toronto changed.

Yes, DeRozan still holds a special place in the hearts of the fans. The cheers he received at his return in February were even louder than the ones Leonard got Wednesday.

But even those who opposed the trade soon had to admit that it was unquestionably the right decision.

That was cemented by Toronto's magical run through the postseason. For three straight seasons, the Raptors had their season ended at the hands of LeBron James, the unstoppable juggernaut who won 10 straight playoff games against this franchise, earning it the derisive nickname "LeBronto" in the process.

Suddenly, the Raptors were the ones with a terminator on their side. Before long, they were -- finally -- the ones with a championship, too.

"Certainly this guy, Kawhi, was a huge part of this," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said, "and this is here now to honor what he did for this organization. I think Kyle said it best at the pep rally, at the parade, that 'We're all brothers for life,' and that's it. I'm going to be connected to Kawhi for life because of what we achieved last year, and all of us who were in that locker room are."

Leonard's arrival in 2018 transformed the Toronto Raptors. His spring and summer in 2019 transformed the rest of the NBA.

Had his epic, four-bounce buzzer-beater to end the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers bounced out, perhaps the Sixers would've won a title and brought back Jimmy Butler. Instead, Butler is in Miami via a sign-and-trade for Josh Richardson. Al Horford left the Boston Celtics to join Philadelphia. Had the Milwaukee Bucks found a way to hold on to the big leads they had in Games 3 and 6 in the Eastern Conference finals, perhaps they would've kept Malcolm Brogdon rather than sign-and-trading him to the Indiana Pacers.

But those remain what-ifs. The banner the Raptors hung after beating the Orlando Magic, 76ers, Bucks, and Golden State Warriors is real.

Still, the Raptors knew even after they won the title that Leonard was a long shot to stay. Los Angeles, with the Lakers and Clippers, was his most likely destination.

"Gave it big consideration," he said when asked if he thought about returning. "I took my time like I did. I didn't hurry up and make a quick decision. I talked to the front office in deep detail.

"It was a hard choice to make."

When that choice was made in the early hours of July 6, well after other free-agent superstars had made their decisions, the ripple effects were felt across the NBA. The Raptors no longer had their star. The Clippers suddenly had two: Leonard and Paul George, the latter acquired for a king's ransom from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ten days later, the Thunder sent Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets, ending his 11-year run in OKC.

Meanwhile, the Lakers, left at the altar by Leonard, moved on to sign Danny Green, Leonard's former running mate in San Antonio and Toronto.

That makes 10 teams -- one-third of the league -- were altered either by Leonard's play in the playoffs or his power play to go to Los Angeles and bring George with him.

It was against that backdrop that Leonard returned to Toronto. All that mattered to the Raptors, though, was that their lone year with him ended the way it did. On Wednesday, they honored him for it.

"It's like Maximus coming back as the gladiator," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "He was the champion and just did everything honorably and the right way."

While the Raptors had a few months to prepare for this night, they also have had a few months to move on from Leonard -- and into their future without him.

"I think that I knew before the season we had a good group of guys, good talent, good coaches and are a good franchise," Raptors guard Fred VanVleet said recently when asked how the Raptors have "surprised" people to start this season. "We're gonna be one of the better teams in the league."

Part of the reason that Wednesday was such a feel-good night is that even without Leonard, life isn't so bad. The Raptors are on pace to win 54 games and have the look of a feisty playoff team in the Eastern Conference. They were 9-0 at home before dropping their past three games in Toronto, including Wednesday.

The Clippers, meanwhile, are in a similar place to where the Raptors were a year ago: with a deep, talented roster that has them positioned as one of the favorites to win an NBA title.

"I'm just trying to win," Leonard said. "That's all I ever do is go into the season and try to win the game, help my team the best I could and just try to have fun."

If there is one thing the NBA learned in 2019, it's that Kawhi Leonard knows how to win. He won over a city, a fan base and a franchise that wasn't sure how it felt about him. He won a championship for a team that had never made the NBA Finals. He won the offseason by engineering things to play out on his terms.

And on the night he got his championship ring, he won the game.

MELBOURNE, Australia – While Tiger Woods' United States Presidents Cup team was heavily favored on paper, it was Ernie Els' International squad that took the dominating lead after Thursday fourballs at Royal Melbourne. Here's how each match unfolded.

MATCH 1: Tiger Woods-Justin Thomas (U.S.) def. Marc Leishman-Joaquin Niemann (INT), 4 and 3

This was the Woods Show as he single-handily won the match for his team, making six birdies in 15 holes. It was effortless. Thomas did not play well but it didn’t matter. After being 3 down after five holes, the Internationals won the next two. Woods then birdied Nos. 11, 14 and 15 to end it. His chip-in on the fifth hole was epic.

MATCH 2: Adam Hadwin-Sungjae Im (INT) def. Xander Schauffele-Patrick Cantlay (U.S.), 1 up

The closest match of the session as neither team ever gained more than a 1-up advantage. It was tied through 15 holes, but the Americans lost the 16th hole because of a bogey that ultimately lost them the match. The Internationals were steady and kept the pressure on all day.

MATCH 3: Adam Scott-Ben An (INT) def. Bryson DeChambeau-Tony Finau (U.S.), 2 and 1

This match was back-and-forth until Scott made birdie on the ninth hole to move to 2 up. Finau birdied No. 12 to get back to 1 down, but the Americans bogeyed the next hole and were never able to mount a charge after that. Fittingly, Scott made par on the 17th hole to clinch the match in his homeland. 

MATCH 4: Hideki Matsuyama-C.T. Pan (INT) def. Webb Simpson-Patrick Reed (U.S.), 1 up

Another close contest and the Americans battled to get back into a tie after Reed made birdie on the 16th hole. But Matsuyama bounced back on the next hole and drained a 25-footer for birdie to take the 1-up lead into the final hole. This was the final match on the course and it put the finishing touches on a 4-1 session victory for the Internationals.

MATCH 5: Abraham Ancer-Louis Oosthuizen (INT) def. Dustin Johnson-Gary Woodland (U.S.), 4 and 3

The shocker of the session, hands down. The Internationals were 4 up after five holes and cruised to the easy victory. The American duo, who everyone thought would easily prevail because of their power, was flat and underwhelming. Johnson hit a drive to 3 feet on the par-4 11th hole and missed the eagle putt and a chance to cut the lead to 2 down.