Nepal women 17 for 0 (Shrestha 13*) beat Maldives women 16 (Niyaz 9, Abdhulla 4, Chand 6-0) by ten wickets

Nepal's Anjali Chand set a new record for the best bowling figures in women's T20Is, claiming 6 for 0 - yes, you read that right - to skittle Maldives out for 16 at the South Asian Games in Pokhara.

Maldives, incidentally, were playing their first-ever international game. Chand was making her debut too.

This was also the first time that a bowler had picked up six wickets for no run in any international match. The previous record for best figures in an innings in women's T20Is was held by Malaysia's Mas Elysa, who returned 6 for 3 against China in January.

After Maldives opted to bat, they slipped to 15 for 4 at the end of the Powerplay. Chand then made it 15 for 5 in the very next over when she dismissed captain Zoona Mariyam for a duck. That began her wicket-taking spree, and Maldives added just one run to their tally by the time they were wiped out at the start of the 11th over. Karuna Bhandari took 2 for 4 in her two overs to back up Chand, who needed only 13 balls to complete her six-wicket haul.

Barring opener Hamza Niyaz (9) and wicketkeeper Hafsaa Abdhulla (4), no other Maldives batter opened her account. Twelve of Maldives' 16 runs came via fours.

Nepal needed a mere five balls to knock off the target and seal victory with 10 wickets and 115 balls to spare.

A lot of air went out of a lot of NFL balloons in Week 13. If you're a fan of the Browns, Chargers, Colts, Raiders, Panthers, Jaguars or even Eagles, Sunday was a tough day for whatever remaining hope this season held for you.

Not that all of those teams are cooked, mind you. But Sunday was some level of gut punch for all of those teams if they were still dreaming big postseason dreams. In some cases, it might be an overreaction to say the season's over. In others, it's not, and it's time to look ahead to a too-early offseason filled with questions and regret.

On that note, we begin our Week 13 Overreaction Monday column in the city of football regret.

For more, check out NFL Live at 2:30 p.m. ET Monday on ESPN and in the ESPN App.

Freddie Kitchens will be a one-and-done coach in Cleveland

The Browns had everything working in their favor Sunday. The Steelers were down to their third-string quarterback, playing without their No. 1 wide receiver, their starting running back and their center. Both sides had bad blood from their brawl-marred meeting two weeks earlier, but Cleveland -- as has been the case for much of this season -- had a roster that appeared to be in far better shape.

And by the middle of the second quarter, the Browns also had a 10-0 lead. Then the banged-up Steelers scored 20 points in a row to win the game and improve to 7-5, while the Browns, in their season of so much promise, fell to 5-7.

The Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION. It's not over, as Yogi Berra told us, until it's over, and the Browns are only two games out of a playoff spot. But they were supposed to be on that late-season run that propelled them into the playoffs in spite of everything that went wrong in the season's first half, and instead their season slid into a muddy ditch alongside the Ohio, the Allegheny and the Monongahela.

Unless the Browns somehow win their final four games and sneak into the playoffs, this is going to be an ugly end to an ugly season that was supposed to be the season that stopped all the ugly. And while pointing the finger at the coach is too often the easy way out, there's plenty of evidence that Kitchens wasn't the right choice. He has made the wrong moves in-game. He has made the wrong moves wardrobe-wise. He has failed to establish a culture or set a tone that would put the Browns on the path out of their decades of misery. This was his task, and if the team wanted to admit a mistake and move on when the season ended, it wouldn't surprise anyone.

The Jaguars made a mistake with the Nick Foles signing

Recall, please, that the Jaguars signed Foles this offseason to a four-year, $88 million contract with $45.125 million guaranteed to be paid over the first two years. He got hurt in Week 1, sat on injured reserve while Gardner Minshew and his mustache captivated a nation, then came off injured reserve to start in Week 11.

The Jaguars have gone 0-3 since then, losing to the Colts, Titans and Buccaneers by the combined score of 103-44, and Foles was benched for Minshew at halftime of Sunday's home loss to Tampa Bay.

The Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION. The point of signing Foles lay in the theory that quarterback was the missing piece for a Jacksonville team that was otherwise ready to compete for the Super Bowl berth that barely eluded it two seasons ago.

This season has gone off the rails for the 4-8 Jaguars, however, and although Foles can't be blamed for getting injured, his injury history was a concern before they signed him. The fact that he missed half the year and they didn't contend for the postseason leaves the team in a real bind.

The Jaguars have major cap concerns, and he's one of them. They'd eat almost $34 million in 2020 dead money if they cut him and almost $19 million if they traded him. (And let's be honest, they'd have to pay some of the contract if they wanted to trade him at this point.) The offseason could bring about major changes on the coaching staff and in the front office in Jacksonville, and if that's the case, the new administration there will have major decisions to make while dancing around a monster quarterback cap number.

Foles could well rebound and have a nice career in Jacksonville, but one of the main reasons they signed him was to put them over the top this season. He didn't, and the long-range negative effects of the contract will be tough to overcome.

The Patriots won't get one of the top two seeds in the AFC

Sunday night's loss in Houston dropped New England from the 1-seed to the 2-seed by virtue of a tiebreaker, since Baltimore beat them. At 10-2, the Patriots are still two games ahead of the 8-4 Chiefs and the 8-4 Texans. But they play Kansas City next week. And if they lose that one, that lead will shrink to one game over Kansas City and possibly one over Houston. And in that hypothetical situation, they'd lose head-to-head tiebreakers to the Chiefs, Texans and Ravens.

Perhaps even more alarmingly, their lead over Buffalo in the AFC East is only one game, and they have to play the Bills again in Week 16. New England is still in the driver's seat for a first-round bye, but things got a little more precarious Sunday night.

The Verdict: OVERREACTION. That's a whole bunch of "if"s right there, and even if they all come in, New England would still have to lose to either the Bengals, the Dolphins or both in order for the nightmare scenario to come true.

The Patriots looked straight-up terrible on both sides of the ball in Houston, and there is real reason to worry that this won't turn out to be the kind of dominant January team we're used to seeing in New England. But they have shown an ability to beat the bad teams this season, so it's not wrong to think they win the Cincinnati and Miami games. And they have spent the past two decades earning the benefit of the doubt as a team that can overcome adversity -- especially late in the season.

No NFC East team will finish with a winning record

Hey, no NFC East team has one now, so this is obviously possible. After an inexcusable home loss to Buffalo on Thanksgiving, the 6-6 Cowboys still lead the division by a full game because the Eagles suffered an even more inexcusable loss Sunday in Miami.

For goodness' sake, Washington is 3-9, eliminated from contention for the wild card and any of the top three NFC seeds, but is still, somehow, alive in the division race. This is ugly, folks, and the possibility of an 8-8 or 7-9 NFC East champion has to be taken seriously, if for no other reason than the calendar and the math.

The Verdict: OVERREACTION. I just think either Dallas, Philadelphia or both have better football inside of them than they've shown so far. I don't know why I think this, other than that I thought it before the season and feel like there's still time for them to prove me right.

It's easy right now, in light of a brutal Week 13 for both of them, to believe neither will win another game other than the one they play against each other in Week 16. But things could look a lot different Thursday night if the Dallas defense gets its act together against Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears and the team recommits to Ezekiel Elliott on offense.

The NFC East champ will almost certainly be the No. 4 seed in the NFC at this point, but that doesn't mean it will have limped into the playoffs.

Philip Rivers is playing his final month as a Charger

Rivers turns 38 next Sunday and does not have a contract beyond this season. Say what you will about the Browns, Eagles, Jaguars and anyone else, but it's hard not to pick the Chargers as the most disappointing team in the NFL this season.

They were 12-4 last season and seemed primed to make a Super Bowl run in the final year of Rivers' contract. Sunday's loss in Denver wasn't all on Rivers, nor is the dismal season. But with 17 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions through 12 games, it's shaping up as his worst season at maybe the worst possible time.

The Verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION. I mean, if the Chargers were sure they wanted him back for 2020 and he was sure he wanted to be back in 2020... why isn't he signed yet?

This is shaping up as a historically weird quarterback offseason, with question marks about longtime starters in places like New England, New Orleans, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Tennessee and Cincinnati. And the Chargers are a part of that. Rivers could decide he wants to go somewhere else, or retire. The Chargers could have another option in mind, whether they're still in go-for-it mode or whether they decide to retool the roster.

At 4-8 and going nowhere in a season that started with high hopes, there have to be options on the table that were once inconceivable.

Thanks to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, we have a new No. 1 team as we enter the final month of the calendar year.

The Milwaukee Bucks, winners of 11 straight, leapfrog the Los Angeles Lakers this week after Doncic worked his magic Sunday afternoon in an impressive win on the Lakers' home court. The Mavs are rolling too, victorious in seven of their past eight games.

Throughout the regular season, our panel (ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Andre' Snellings, Royce Young and Bobby Marks, and The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

Previous: Week 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Camp | Free agency | Post-Finals

1. Milwaukee Bucks
Record: 17-3
Week 6 ranking: 2

The Bucks just completed a November in which they won 15 of 16 games, and they currently have the longest active win streak in the NBA at 11 games. They are accomplishing this by winning the battle in the paint at both ends of the floor. The Bucks are second in the NBA in free throws attempted per game, but their opponents have shot the sixth-fewest free throws per game. The Bucks also lead the league in defense rebounds by more than three full boards per game, while allowing the ninth-fewest offensive rebounds per game. -- Snellings

This week: NY, @DET, LAC

2. Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 17-3
Week 6 ranking: 1

The Lakers just had one of the greatest months in franchise history, going 14-1 in November. December started in the opposite direction with a 114-100 home loss to Dallas on Sunday, but the Lakers still are tied with Milwaukee for the league's best record at 17-3. The loss to the Mavericks was the first for the Lakers since Nov. 10. -- Spears

This week: @DEN, @UTAH, @POR, MIN

3. LA Clippers
Record: 15-6
Week 6 ranking: 3

It was kind of a weird hiccup to lose to the Spurs, which ended a seven-game winning streak for the Clippers that featured victories over the Celtics, Rockets and Mavericks. But since Paul George made his debut, the Clippers are 8-2 with a positive net rating approaching double digits. They're 5-1 when George and Kawhi Leonard both play, which means they're really just getting started. -- Young

This week: POR, @MIL, @WSH

4. Denver Nuggets
Record: 13-4
Week 6 ranking: 4

After a six-game win streak, the Nuggets finally had a letdown against the Kings. It's the kind of game that falls firmly under the "it happens" category, in which you blow a 17-point lead to lose in overtime and you move on. There were symptoms in that contest of some potentially larger issues that might need attention (late-game execution, namely), but for now, it's an ugly loss for a team that is rolling along near the top of the West. -- Young

This week: LAL, @NY, @BOS, @BKN

5. Boston Celtics
Record: 14-5
Week 6 ranking: 5

We saw the toughness of Kemba Walker on display last week. After thankfully suffering only a concussion in Denver, Walker would only miss one game (his first since 2017-18) and return to score 39 points in a win over Brooklyn. From a team standpoint, there are two areas of concern for the Celtics: the inability to guard the 3-point line and inconsistent bench production from their rookies. In the two-game miniseries this week, Brooklyn shot 39.2% from 3 and averaged 48.5 attempts. The Celtics' bench ranks second to last in points per game, and it saw Grant Williams and Carsen Edwards shoot a combined 5-of-25 from the field last week. -- Marks

This week: MIA, DEN

6. Houston Rockets
Record: 13-6
Week 6 ranking: 6

James Harden continues to raise the standard for high efficiency with a heavy workload. He is the only player in NBA history to have a full season to post a true shooting percentage higher than 60 with a usage rate above 35%. He did it in each of the past two seasons -- 61.9% true shooting on 36.1% usage rate in 2017-18 and 61.6% true shooting on 40.5% usage rate last season. Harden's numbers so far this season: 64.0% true shooting on 39.2% usage rate. -- MacMahon

This week: @SA, @TOR, PHX

7. Toronto Raptors
Record: 15-4
Week 6 ranking: 11

The Raptors, riding a seven-game win streak, continue to prevail with defense. Toronto has held five of its past seven opponents under 100 points, and the signature win of the week over the 76ers came with the Raptors holding All-NBA center Joel Embiid scoreless for the first time in his career. The Raptors' stifling defense gives them a legitimate chance to defend their Eastern Conference title despite the departure of Kawhi Leonard.. -- Snellings

This week: MIA, HOU, @PHI

8. Dallas Mavericks
Record: 13-6
Week 6 ranking: 9

Since a 1-3 rut that somehow included two losses to the Knicks, the Mavs have won seven of their past eight games, a stretch that includes road routs of the Rockets and Lakers. Luka Doncic, of course, has put up ridiculous numbers (33.1 points, 9.4 rebounds and 10.1 assists per game) during Dallas' 7-1 run. Tim Hardaway Jr. has averaged 18.2 points on 55.4% shooting in six games since joining the starting lineup. -- MacMahon

This week: @NO, MIN, NO, SAC

9. Philadelphia 76ers
Record: 14-6
Week 6 ranking: 8

We can certainly pick apart the shooting, but what cannot be discarded is the defensive impact that Ben Simmons is having. One of the early candidates for NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Simmons is third in the league in steals (2.3 per game), including four (three in the last 14 seconds!) in a win over Indiana. And he is third overall in deflections at 4.0 per game (against the Pacers, Simmons had five). -- Marks

This week: UTAH, @WSH, CLE, TOR

10. Miami Heat
Record: 14-5
Week 6 ranking: 10

You play the schedule you have, and it's not the Heat's fault that theirs has been a tad soft on the front end. And to their credit, they've handled business and padded their record before things turn in December. This week, they play at Boston and Toronto in a measuring stick back-to-back. -- Young

This week: @TOR, @BOS, WSH, CHI

11. Indiana Pacers
Record: 12-7
Week 6 ranking: 12

The Pacers might have had their five-game winning streak snapped in a close road loss to the 76ers, but their strong 11-5 record in November has catapulted them right into the mix near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. They have returned to near full strength with Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis back in the starting lineup and producing. More help is also on the way, as All-Star Victor Oladipo has been cleared for full-contact scrimmages and is currently practicing in the G League to work himself into shape. -- Snellings

This week: @MEM, @OKC, @DET, @NY

12. Utah Jazz
Record: 12-8
Week 6 ranking: 7

This has been a brutal road trip for the Jazz, who gave up a 50-point game to Giannis Antetokounmpo and were blown out by the Pacers and Raptors. The lone win so far on the five-game trip, which wraps up Monday night in Philadelphia, required a comeback from a 15-point halftime deficit in Memphis. -- MacMahon

This week: @PHI, LAL, MEM

13. Minnesota Timberwolves
Record: 10-9
Week 6 ranking: 14

While the improved play of Andrew Wiggins has drawn significant attention this season, Karl-Anthony Towns has quietly been having an MVP-caliber season. Towns' current averages of 25.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists would all constitute career highs, and he has also turned himself into a marksman from downtown. His 3.8 made 3s per game are second only to James Harden, and Towns is making a whopping 42.1% from behind the arc at heavy volume to stake his claim as the best shooting big man in the NBA. -- Snellings

This week: @DAL, @OKC, @LAL

14. Brooklyn Nets
Record: 10-10
Week 6 ranking: 15

The injury to Kyrie Irving likely will cost Spencer Dinwiddie some Sixth Man of the Year votes. However, the play of Dinwiddie in Irving's absence should generate attention when it comes to the All-Star Game in February. In the nine games without Irving, Dinwiddie has kept Brooklyn afloat, leading it to six wins on 25.0 points and 7.3 assists per game. The logical move when Irving does return is to move him back to his previous role and help stabilize a Brooklyn bench that has ranked second to last in points with Dinwiddie in the starting lineup. -- Marks

This week: @ATL, @CHA, DEN

15. Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 8-12
Week 6 ranking: 21

The Blazers have stabilized a bit, winning three of their past four. He did it! Carmelo Anthony saved their season! (Well ... also, Damian Lillard returned from injury exactly four games ago.) And the three wins have been against the Bulls, Thunder and Bulls again. But that's not to dismiss Melo's positive impact. He has been excellent in his role thus far, and that's kind of the point: With Lillard back, Melo can fit how he is supposed to and complement Portland's dynamic backcourt as a spacer and sometime-iso scorer. This week will tell us a lot more about the fit, though, with games against the Clippers and Lakers looming. -- Young

This week: @LAC, SAC, LAL, OKC

16. Phoenix Suns
Record: 8-10
Week 6 ranking: 13

The Suns have lost six of their past seven games, and issues in the paint have something to do with it. Over the past 10 games, the Suns rank 29th in the NBA in paint points allowed per game, according to NBA.com/stats. The Suns recently went 1-4 without center Aron Baynes due to a hip injury. And keep in mind that center Deandre Ayton, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, still is serving a 25-game suspension for taking a banned diuretic. -- Spears

This week: @CHA, @ORL, @NO, @HOU

17. Sacramento Kings
Record: 8-10
Week 6 ranking: 16

Success for Harrison Barnes has led to success for the Kings. Barnes is averaging 18.5 points, shooting 52.2% from the field, nailing 45.5% of his 3-pointers and nabbing 1.3 steals per game in eight wins. The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 15.3 points, shooting 48.3% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range and nabbing 0.8 steals per game in 10 losses. -- Spears

This week: CHI, @POR, @SA, @DAL

18. Orlando Magic
Record: 8-11
Week 6 ranking: 17

The Magic dropped four of their past six games, including two losses to the defending champion Raptors, before getting a schedule reprieve against the last-place Warriors on Sunday. All four of those losses were to teams that made the playoffs last season, a group against whom the Magic has struggled to two wins in their first 13 such games. They have a chance at strong results this week, with three games against teams that finished in the lottery last season. -- Snellings

This week: @WSH, PHX, @CLE

19. Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 8-11
Week 6 ranking: 20

There was some curiosity within the Thunder that, in spite of the tumultuous offseason, this roster might still be good enough to flirt with a playoff spot. Many saw it as a long shot, and it's not like the Thunder are exceeding expectations at 8-11. It's just the back end of the West is doing the opposite, leaving an apparent door open to be in the early conversation. The longer they stay in it, the better, with it creating a little more value and leverage in trade conversations. -- Young

This week: IND, MIN, @POR

20. San Antonio Spurs
Record: 7-14
Week 6 ranking: 19

DeMar DeRozan is averaging an efficient 21.6 points per game, but he is a big part of the defensive problems that are sinking the Spurs. San Antonio allows 115.0 points per 100 possessions with DeRozan on the floor, which would rank dead last in team defensive rating. When DeRozan rests, the Spurs allow 104.2 points per 100 possessions, which would rank 12th in the league. -- MacMahon

This week: HOU, SAC

21. Charlotte Hornets
Record: 8-13
Week 6 ranking: 22

The good news is that Charlotte is 5-2 on the year in one-possession games. The downside is that in the 13 losses, the Hornets have a point differential of minus-15.7, including 17- and 41-point losses last week to Miami and Milwaukee, respectively. If there was a positive in the two wins against Detroit, it's that PJ Washington snapped out of a mini rookie slump. Before averaging 21.5 points in the home-and-home sweep of Detroit, Washington scored a combined 29 points in five games. -- Marks

This week: PHX, GS, BKN, ATL

22. New Orleans Pelicans
Record: 6-14
Week 6 ranking: 18

The Pelicans have the league's worst clutch offense, scoring only 79.1 points per 100 possessions during clutch situations, when the score is within five points in the final five minutes of regulation or overtime. Brandon Ingram and Jrue Holiday, the two players the Pelicans count on to create offense, are a combined 12-of-40 on clutch shots. -- MacMahon

This week: DAL, PHX, @DAL

23. Washington Wizards
Record: 6-12
Week 6 ranking: 23

It has been a journey to get there, but the seemingly inevitable has happened: The Wizards are now officially last in the league in defensive rating. There are a lot of ways to dissect how bad their defense has been; they've allowed teams to score 150 or more twice, which is the same number of times they've held someone to under 100. The irony of it all is that the Wizards actually are pretty good on offense: They rank fourth in the league, and when Bradley Beal is on the floor, they have the second-best offense in the NBA. If they could do something -- anything -- to just moderately improve defensively, they might actually be kind of OK. -- Young

This week: ORL, PHI, @MIA, LAC

24. Detroit Pistons
Record: 7-13
Week 6 ranking: 26

The Pistons lost a home-and-home set to the Hornets this week, making Detroit 0-5 against the Hornets and Bulls this season. Those five losses, against two teams that are a combined 9-27 against every non-Pistons team in the NBA, have been enough to drop the Pistons out of early-season playoff contention despite an otherwise solid start. On the bright side, the team is getting healthier with Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose having played together in five straight games after injuries derailed them earlier in the season. -- Snellings

This week: @CLE, MIL, IND

25. Memphis Grizzlies
Record: 6-13
Week 6 ranking: 24

Point guard Ja Morant has established himself as the Rookie of the Year front-runner, averaging 18.6 points and 6.4 assists per game before being sidelined by back spasms that will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis. But power forward Jaren Jackson Jr., the Grizzlies' other high-lottery foundation piece, is dealing with somewhat of a sophomore slump. His scoring (14.9 points per game) and rebounding (4.8) are up slightly from his rookie season, but Jackson hasn't been the defensive presence he is expected to be. -- MacMahon

This week: IND, @CHI, @UTAH

26. Chicago Bulls
Record: 6-14
Week 6 ranking: 25

It's hard to guess what rookie guard Coby White will do from game to game as a scorer. The former North Carolina star has put up more than 25 points three times this season. White also has registered 10 or less points seven times for the struggling Bulls. -- Spears

This week: @SAC, MEM, GS, @MIA

27. Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 5-14
Week 6 ranking: 28

Since going on a mini two-game winning streak in early November, Cleveland has gone 1-9, including an 0-3 week that saw home losses to Brooklyn, Orlando and Milwaukee. Against the Magic, the Cavaliers turned the ball over a season-high 25 times, including 13 from Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. -- Marks

This week: DET, ORL, @PHI

28. Atlanta Hawks
Record: 4-16
Week 6 ranking: 27

It has to be hard for Trae Young to enjoy his success in November with the Hawks mired in a 10-game losing streak. Young averaged 28.9 points, 8.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.4 3-pointers made per game in November. Meanwhile, Atlanta has not won a game since Nov. 12. -- Spears

This week: GS, BKN, @CHA

29. New York Knicks
Record: 4-16
Week 6 ranking: 29

There was a red flag right away this summer when the Knicks signed four forwards in free agency and how it would impact Kevin Knox. That concern was warranted when Knox received his first DNP-CD in Friday's loss to Philadelphia. (Knox would start, however, in Sunday's loss to Boston.) The former top-10 pick has seen his minutes decrease from 28.8 last year to 19.9 -- including 14.8 in the previous four games. -- Marks

This week: @MIL, DEN, IND

30. Golden State Warriors
Record: 4-17
Week 6 ranking: 30

Forward Draymond Green played only 19 minutes in a 122-105 loss at Miami on Friday. Why? Head coach Steve Kerr said that Green will have a minutes restriction moving forward in hopes of "not wearing him down." The Warriors have just four wins and don't expect much improvement with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and D'Angelo Russell out too. -- Spears

This week: @ATL, @CHA, @CHI

Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale has been cleared to begin throwing.

Chaim Bloom, the team's chief baseball officer, told WEEI in Boston that Sale saw Dr. James Andrews last week in Pensacola, Florida, and got permission to being throwing, with the goal of participating in spring training.

Sale last threw a pitch Aug. 13 before he was shut down with inflammation in his left pitching elbow. He later received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in the elbow.

Last month at MLB's general managers meetings, Red Sox GM Brian O'Halloran said Sale's rehab was going well, adding, "Chris is right where we want him to be."

Sale finished the 2019 season with a 6-11 record and a 4.40 ERA. He signed a five-year, $145 million extension last March; the 2020 season marks the first under that new deal.

Fiery fixtures could finish with Egypt-England final
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad International Correspondent

Defending champions Egypt are seeded to win the WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship title for the fifth time since 1999 when the 2019 championship takes place in the US capital Washington DC from 15-21 December.

The biennial World Squash Federation championship will be staged in the USA for the first time in its 52-year history.

A total of 23 nations will compete in the 26th edition of the event, hosted by US Squash, at Squash On Fire, the new state-of-the-art eight-court facility in Washington.

Egypt, led by world No.1 Ali Farag and including Karim Abdel Gawad, Tarek Momen and Mohamed Abouelghar – ranked 3, 4 and 8, respectively, in the world – reclaimed the trophy from 5-time champions England in the 2017 championship in France after title success in 1999, 2009 and 2011. Farag and Gawad were both members of the victorious 2017 team (pictured above).

Egypt’s position as favourites is underlined by the latest PSA world rankings, which features the top four (men AND women) all from the Land of the Pharaohs.

The final is predicted to be an Egypt/England battle for the fourth time in a row. Former world No.1 James Willstrop, 36, will be celebrating a record eighth successive appearance for England in the Washington championship after making his debut in 2003 and playing his part in three title-winning teams.

The second seeds’ squad will also feature Adrian Waller, Daryl Selby and Declan James – ranked 19, 21 and 29, respectively, in the world. Willstrop will be adding to his record tally of 181 England caps.

Hosts USA will be making their 23rd consecutive appearance in the championships since 1973. Seeded in 13th place, the 2019 squad will be led by world No.55 Todd Harrity, and include two fellow former US national champions Chris Hanson and Christopher Gordon, together with event debutant Andrew Douglas.

France are the third seeds and will be keen to make up for their surprise failure to make the last four in 2017 – on home soil – for the first time since 1999.

Making his much-hailed return to the squad after a 14-month injury lay-off will be former world No.1 and world champion Gregory Gaultier, who will be marking an event-record 10th successive appearance in the championships. The 36-year-old will joined by Gregoire Marche, Mathieu Castagnet and Baptiste Masotti.

Germany are seeded to make the last four for the first time in 18 appearances in the event since 1981. Led by world No.6 Simon Rösner, the squad also includes Raphael Kandra, Valentin Rapp and Rudi Rohrmuller.

Whilst 1987 runners-up New Zealand and eight-time champions Australia are two nations which have competed in all previous 25 events, Jamaica will be celebrating only their second appearance after making their debut two years ago in Marseille.

The 2019 championship will also be marking the long-awaited returns of Nigeria and Singapore, who last battled for the men’s title in 1999 and 1997, respectively!

Irishman Steve Richardson has the distinction of being the oldest competitor in the championship – and one of the few players never to have held a world ranking! The London-based 47-year-old – a full nine years older than his nearest rival in Washington – made his debut for Ireland in the 1995 event in Cairo, and will mark his sixth appearance later this month.

Since its launch in 1967 in Australia, the Men’s World Team Championships have been staged in 16 countries, but never before in the USA.

The 23 teams will compete initially in six pools from 15-17 December, before progressing to the knockout stage from 18 December, through to the final on Saturday 21st December. 

WSF Men’s World Team Squash Championship, Squash On Fire, Washington DC, USA (December 15-21).

The full pool line-ups, including team seedings in brackets, are:
POOL A: [1] Egypt, [12] Switzerland, [15] Canada
POOL B: [2] England, [11] Wales, [14] Colombia, [23] Nigeria
POOL C: [3] France, [10] Malaysia, [13] USA, [22] Republic of Korea
POOL D: [4] Germany, [9] Scotland, [18] Ireland, [20] Singapore
POOL E: [5] New Zealand, [8] Spain, [16] Argentina, [19] South Africa
POOL F: [6] Hong Kong China, [7] Australia, [17] Jamaica, [21] Kuwait 

Related articles:

Gregory Gaultier returns to action in French League

Wonderful weekend with the Willstrops

Gaultier interview: I went to hell and back 

Picture courtesy of WSF 

Exeter winger Alex Cuthbert has been ruled out for an extended period after being told he needs hamstring surgery.

Cuthbert's time at Exeter has been hit by injuries - he has played just 21 times and scored two tries since joining the Sandy Park club in 2018.

It comes as his replacement Tom O'Flaherty may have suffered his own hamstring issue in the win over Wasps.

"His hamstring is worse than we initially thought," Exeter boss Rob Baxter said of Cuthbert.

"It's one of those operations where we're not going to know how bad it is until they're in there and exploring it a little bit, so he's going to be out for a little while."

In Cuthbert's absence O'Flaherty has impressed. The winger has scored in his last three matches but limped off in the 38-3 win over Wasps meaning he could miss the back-to-back Champions Cup games with Sale.

"He came off very late looking like he's got a slight hamstring issue," Baxter told BBC Radio Devon.

"Whether that's cramp and he's going to be OK, or there's a little tear, we're going to have to wait and see.

"Even a slight tear will rule him out for a week or two, so we've just got to cross fingers and hope it's just more of a stiffness or a cramp, but we won't know for a while."

But Exeter have been boosted by the news at Olly Woodburn is available while Ollie Devoto is back in full training having injured his neck in the Premiership Cup.

Mexico forward Javier Hernandez has refused to rule out playing in Major League Soccer later in his career.

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Hernandez -- also known as "Chicharito" -- moved to Sevilla in the summer following a spell in the Premier League with West Ham.

"Yes, definitely," he told the LA Times when asked if he had thought about continuing his career in the U.S. "Look, I am always thinking about my future. I want to be as open as I can to any opportunity.

"MLS is a league that is improving. It is an opportunity. Every league is an opportunity."

Hernandez left Mexico in 2010 when he joined Manchester United from Guadalajara and became an instant hit with 20 goals in his first season en route to a Premier League title.

He helped United win another title two years later but left to join Real Madrid on loan for the 2014-15 campaign where he won the FIFA Club World Cup before moving to Bayer Leverkusen permanently.

After two seasons in Germany, he moved back to England with West Ham. He joined Sevilla in the summer and has scored one goal in seven La Liga appearances.

Hernandez, 31, is Mexico's all-time leading scorer with 52 goals in 109 appearances.

Timing is an underestimated quality in football. Without being in the right place in the right time, a glittering career might never get off the ground, and nobody knows about the fates of timing quite like Jose Mourinho.

Just rewind the clock to March 2004. Mourinho's FC Porto are on the way out of the Champions League on away goals at the round of 16 stage against Manchester United until goalkeeper Tim Howard fails to hold on to a Benni McCarthy free kick and Costinha scores from the rebound.

The game is already in stoppage time, so it is a decisive goal; Mourinho celebrates by sprinting down the Old Trafford touchline and a legend is born. Porto go on to win that season's Champions League, Mourinho moves to Chelsea, announces himself as the "Special One" and the rest is history.

But had Costinha not been in the right place at the right time that night, the Mourinho story might have been an unremarkable one, with no Champions League titles and no journey through Europe's big leagues.

Indeed, as he prepares to return to Old Trafford on Wednesday as Tottenham manager, Mourinho might consider how the fates have worked for, and against him, over the years and how, once again, he looks like being in the right place at the right time at Spurs.

When he spoke to the media at his first news conference as Spurs manager less than two weeks ago, following the sacking of Mauricio Pochettino, Mourinho described the squad he had inherited as a "gift."

Pochettino left behind a group of players who had reached last season's Champions League final, only to lose to Liverpool, including a world-class striker in Harry Kane, dangerous wingers in Lucas Moura and Son Heung-Min, a collection of reliable centre-backs, and the mercurial midfield talent of Dele Alli.

It is a squad that has been ready to win for a while, but one which seemingly just needs an extra dose of the hard-nosed winning mentality that has typified Mourinho's career ever since those early days at Porto.

Marcus Trescothick and Jonathan Trott will form part of the England Lions' coaching staff in Australia next year as batting coaches for the white-ball and first-class legs of the tour respectively.

Both men worked with the England set-up during this summer, joining training ahead of Test matches in unofficial batting consultant roles.

Richard Dawson, the Gloucestershire coach, will lead the tour, while Somerset coach Jason Kerr (pace bowling), Carl Hopkinson (fielding) and Bruce French (wicketkeeping) form the rest of the staff.

Mo Bobat, who was appointed as David Parsons' replacement in the performance director role at the end of the summer, said that the tour will give the ECB a chance to look at the next generation of English coaches coming through.

"This tour provides us a good opportunity to recognise two coaches who have excelled in their roles in county cricket in Richard and Jason, as well as two high potential newcomers in Jonathan and Marcus," he said.

"I'm delighted to have Richard on board as head coach for the Lions' tour of Australia. He's an excellent leader and provides great technical knowledge as a spin-bowling coach.

"Richard, Marcus and Jonathan all have experience of touring Australia with England as players so the advice they can pass on to our players will be invaluable.

Dawson, whose Gloucestershire side won promotion from Division Two of the County Championship this season, said: "I'm excited for this opportunity to coach the England Lions, working alongside some excellent coaches.

"It will be a challenging tour and one that the coaches and players will all learn a great deal from. Australia is a testing place to tour as an England player, both on and off the field. I look forward to working with some of this country's best young cricketers as they progress on the Performance Pathway."

The tour comprises five one-day games and three four-day games, with a day/night game against Australia A at the MCG the highlight.

England Lions tour of Australia, 2020

February 2 - One-day match v Cricket Australia XI (Metricon, Gold Coast)
February 4 - One-day match v Cricket Australia XI (Metricon, Gold Coast)
February 6 - One-day match v Cricket Australia XI (Metricon, Gold Coast)
February 9 - One-day match v New South Wales XI (Drummoyne Oval, Sydney)
February 11 - One-day match v New South Wales XI (Drummoyne Oval, Sydney)
February 15-18 - Four-day match v Cricket Australia XI (Blundstone Arena, Hobart)
February 22-25 - Four-day match v Australia A (MCG, Melbourne, D/N)
March 2-5 - Four-day match v New South Wales XI (North Dalton Park, Wollongong)

Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith has resumed discussions with Cricket South Africa over the director of cricket role, which he had shown an interest in before withdrawing last month.

Smith was interviewed for the post alongside suspended interim director of cricket Corrie van Zyl and former national selector Hussein Manack, and was understood to be CSA's preferred candidate. But he then made himself unavailable for consideration, citing a lack of "the necessary confidence" in the board.

Following a report in the Sunday Times , which said Smith had had a change of heart and was on the verge of agreeing to a four-year deal, Smith confirmed he was still in communication with CSA, but acknowledged that he still had his reservations.

"Contrary to media reports I have not been appointed Director of Cricket by CSA. As previously advised I withdrew my application for the role. I am, however, in ongoing discussions with CSA, but I still have real concerns, which I have reiterated to them," Smith tweeted.

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ESPNcricinfo understands that Smith has been in conversation with CSA president Chris Nenzani and has conveyed that his main concern was about the CSA's senior management. But even if Smith does get on board, it is unlikely to be in time to have an effect on preparations for the upcoming home series against England, which starts on Boxing Day.

With just 24 days to go before the first Test, South Africa have neither a confirmed director of cricket nor a selection panel, although interviews for a selection convener have taken place. Patrick Moroney has emerged as the frontrunner for that, but there is no indication on if or when he would be appointed or when a squad would be announced.

In an interview with Afrikaans newspaper Rapport on Sunday, CSA CEO Thabang Moroe said van Zyl and Enoch Nkwe, the interim team director, make up the current selection committee.

Moroe's statement came four days after CSA spokesperson Thamie Mthembu had told Independent Newspapers that CSA had a "technical team" in place to select the squad; Mthembu, however, did not name anyone but Nkwe. Given that van Zyl remains suspended for alleged dereliction of duty following delayed commercial rights payments to the South African Cricketers Association, Nkwe could have a significant, if not unilateral, say on the make-up of the squad. Most recently, Nkwe took South Africa to India, where they drew the T20I series and were whitewashed in the Tests.

Those Tests are the only red-ball cricket some national players have featured in, which means the squad must be picked on the basis of those results, and the performances in the first four rounds of four-day franchise cricket played in October-November, and the single round of fixtures that will take place on December 19. Some players who picked up injuries in India, such as Keshav Maharaj (shoulder injury) and Dean Elgar (concussion), have made recoveries and are playing in the ongoing Mzansi Super League (MSL), which runs until December 16, ten days before the first Test against England. Others, such as Aiden Markram (wrist fracture), Dwaine Pretorius (hand injury), and promising young quick Gerald Coetzee (hamstring injury), are on the sidelines, which may make selection trickier.

Nkwe is not involved at the MSL this year after coaching the Jozi Stars to the title last summer. His position with the national team remains temporary until a director of cricket, who will name the long-term team management, is appointed. Since Smith withdrew from the race, CSA has dragged its feet on making an appointment. Sources suggested that the delay could run well into 2020, with some suggesting CSA will readvertise for the post and look for options overseas.

All that leaves South African cricket mired in uncertainty ahead of an important few months for all its national teams. The men's side play England in four Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is, before facing Australia and India in white-ball internationals to prepare for the T20 World Cup in October-November 2020. The women's team will play in the T20 World Cup in February-March and the Under-19 side will feature in the World Cup, to be played at home, in January-February. Though the coaching staff for the women's and Under-19 team is in place, the director of cricket was expected to roll out an overall national strategy for all cricket played under CSA's umbrella and ensure continuity in the structures. That will have to wait.