A desire not to spend another day in the field helped drive BJ Watling to the Bay Oval's first Test century.

In warm weather and on a surface tough for both bowlers and run-scoring, Watling batted throughout the day to take New Zealand into the lead an hour or so before stumps. With the surface showing increasing signs of uneven bounce and two days left to play, it may prove a match-defining innings.

It was Watling's second successive Test century - he made an unbeaten 105 against Sri Lanka in Colombo - and his eighth in all. Only three men (Adam Gilchrist, Les Ames and Andy Flower) have scored more than his seven Test centuries as keeper (he made one as a specialist batsman) and only four men (the previous three mentioned plus AB de Villiers) have higher batting averages among those with a minimum of 1,000 Test runs.

But despite putting together a record that places him among the very best to have performed the arduous role of keeper-batsman, Watling spoke mainly of his limitations as a batsman and his desire not to find himself keeping after the best part of five sessions in the gloves over the first two days.

"I know I didn't want to field today so that was driving me," he said. "It was a warm day and you could tell they were tough conditions [for the fielding side].

"I just think I'm a very limited player. I try to play how I know works best for me. There are shots that the big boys can play and I definitely can't, so I take those away from my game. I try to stick to a game-plan and hopefully it pays off. I waited for balls to hit and I wouldn't be drawn into anything the bowlers wanted."

Watling does himself a bit of a disservice here. While he does not have the repertoire of de Villiers, for example, he does have a decent array of weapons at his disposal. He cuts, he sweeps and he drives. And he does all three elegantly. Most of all, though, he trusts his defence. And because of that, he was able to withstand some admirably disciplined bowling from Stuart Broad, in particular, and a couple of hostile spells from Jofra Archer.

ALSO READ:Watling whittles away at England's resolve

"It was hard work," he said. "England kept coming at us. They bowled extremely well. There were moments where they put us under a lot of pressure and the pleasing thing is we managed to soak it up. England executed their bouncer plan really well and the surface was slow and the bounce variable. It was tough to score freely."

As well as the personal satisfaction of scoring the century, Watling knows he has given his side a chance to secure victory. But with the lead currently a slender 41, he knows there is some work ahead to ensure New Zealand can drive home their advantage. Batting fourth could be tough on such a surface.

"We're expecting the surface to keep playing a few more tricks over the next couple of days," he said. "So it is important for us to try and build this lead a bit and put them under some pressure when they bat. The least amount of runs we can chase is better.

"I definitely think we can win. If we can get some partnerships going tomorrow there's every chance of a result going our way."

Chris Silverwood conceded England - and their strike bowler, Jofra Archer - were "on a learning curve" in overseas conditions after a tough day in Mount Maunganui.

Silverwood, England's new head coach, saw his team take just two wickets in an entire day's cricket and concede what may prove to be a crucial first-innings deficit with power for New Zealand to build on their 41-run lead on the fourth day. Archer, despite much pre-series expectation, finished wicketless.

But while he acknowledged his team had endured "a tough day", Silverwood insisted they "can take pride" in the efforts they had put in and that such experiences were all part of the learning experience. And he reminded supporters that Archer was playing just his fifth Test and his first overseas and that both he and his captain, Joe Root, were learning how to use his skills in such circumstances.

"The spirit is good and one thing we can take pride in is we worked really hard," Silverwood said. "The wicket is fairly flat and slowed down during the day We know we have done a shift in the dirt. It's been hard work and we can be proud of it. I thought we showed a great attitude and put a lot of effort into it today.

"It's a learning curve for us. How do we take 20 wickets abroad? This is part of the process and we're building from it. We'll be talking about using new methods going forward. It's a constant build.

ALSO READ: Watling whittles away at England's resolve

"Jofra is still very young in his Test career. Jofra's learning about himself and the game of Test cricket and equally Joe is learning to captain him as well. From a holistic point of view we're growing together, really.

"Jofra is learning ways to operate when he's out there and the one thing we know he has is a ferocious bouncer."

It may be, Silverwood suggested, that England can learn from New Zealand's tactics. Certainly their bowlers seemed more adept at tempting the batsmen into errors, though whether that is a reflection on England's batting as much as New Zealand's bowling is debatable.

"I was watching how the New Zealand boys bowled on that wicket," he said. "I was watching the tactics used and what we can learn from them. We can take them and try to implement some of them.

"Look at how Tim Southee bowled. He held his length very well. At times he hung the ball wide of the stumps and made us go to him. We tried that. We almost tempted some shots out of their guys but on a flat wicket you have to go through ideas and you have to give those ideas time to work."

Silverwood also accepted that England's catching had to improve. Here Ben Stokes' dropping of BJ Wating at slip on 31 off the bowling of Root proved particularly damaging.

"We've got to face into this," he said. "You've probably seen on the morning before play that we are doing a lot of catching. We know that we've got to try to get better and we're trying very hard to do that. I think the more we practice, the better we'll get."

Despite England's struggles, Silverwood had no criticism of the pitch.

"I think it is a good wicket for Test cricket," he said. "It's been a good, hard-fought day. And we don't know what the next two days are going to be like. It could end up a very good Test wicket but we'll see in the next two days, won't we?"

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

‘Best match we have ever played against each other’ says Mo
By ELLIE MAWSON – Squash Mad Correspondent

Egypt’s former World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy survived a scare against India’s World No.11 Saurav Ghosal to reach the semi-finals of the Channel VAS Championships at St. George’s Hill in a breathtaking five-game battle in Weybridge, England.

Heading into today’s match, ElShorbagy had claimed the last seven victories in a row with the last three all being 3-0 wins. However, Ghosal gave the ‘Beast from Alexandria’ a run for his money throughout the entire 85-minute match with ElShorbagy saving match ball from the clutches of defeat to book a last four place.

“Saurav is a quality player and I think this is the best match we have ever played against each other,” said ElShorbagy afterwards. “We have played so many times on tour and we both go way back. We train together, we’re really good friends and today was the best we have played against each other in the last 12 years. I’m really happy that I was a part of something special.”

ElShorbagy will face World No.8 Mohamed Abouelghar for a place in the final after he overcame compatriot and World No.19 Mazen Hesham in another five-game encounter at the St. George’s Hill Lawn Tennis Club.

Abouelghar played solid squash to open up a 2-0 lead, however, Hesham’s natural flair and unpredictability served him well to get back on level terms. 26-year-old Abouelghar got back to basics in the fifth though to straighten up his play and attack well to claim an 11-8, 11-7, 3-11, 9-11, 11-7 victory in 78 minutes.

“It doesn’t matter how many times we play,” said Abouelghar. “Every time is different, and you never know what he is up to. You still can’t read him even if you play him 100 times.

“I had a good start going 2-0 up and then I think I lost my length a little bit and he took advantage of it with his unbelievable skills and he made it really hard for me to get that momentum back.”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The other semi-final at the PSA World Tour Gold event will see New Zealand’s World No.5 Paul Coll come up against Egypt’s World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad.

Coll, the only non-Egyptian left in the tournament, had to be at his best to overcome a resilient Joel Makin of Wales in the longest match of the tournament so far.

The last time the two players met was at the start of the season in the final of the Open de France – Nantes, where Coll came away with a 3-0 victory to take his first title of the season. However, Makin showed just how much he had improved throughout the course of the first half of the season as he was in clinical form to take an 11-3 first game.

Coll, the 2016 champion, battled back well in the second and third to take a 2-1 lead before being pushed to a fifth by the Welshman which he managed to close out by a 3-11, 11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 11-2 margin in 87 minutes.

“I was really struggling mentally today, I was just in and out of concentration and focus which is disappointing from my end,” said Coll afterwards.

“He stepped up today, but I felt like I wasn’t as clinical as I was against him in the final in Nantes. Especially on that court, he picks up a lot and played really well today. I’m just happy that I put in a good fifth set to close it out.

“I really wanted to test myself this week. My goal is to be World No.1 and you have to be consistent all year round, there are no excuses. This week is me testing myself mentally and backing up from a tough week last week.”

Meanwhile, former World No.1 Gawad was in formidable form to comfortably despatch compatriot and World No.10 Marwan ElShorbagy in straight-games in the last match of the evening.

Gawad dominated from the outset to comfortably put ElShorbagy to the sword by an 11-7, 11-6, 11-4 margin in 32 minutes.

“Marwan is a very tough opponent and he has the ability to come back any time, so even though I was leading four or five points in each game I knew he had the ability to come back.

“I had to focus and be on my toes for every single shot to try and not give him a chance of a comeback.”

The semi finals of the Channel VAS Championships take place today (Saturday November 23) at 14:30 local time (GMT) with the action shown live on SquashTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (Indian Subcontinent only). 

2019 Channel VAS Championships at St George’s Hill, Weybridge, England.

Quarter Finals:
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt [7] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 3-2: 5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 10-12, 12-10 (85m)
[5] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) bt Mazen Hesham (EGY) 3-2: 11-8, 11-7, 3-11, 9-11, 11-7 (78m)
[3] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [8] Joel Makin (WAL) 3-2: 3-11, 11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 11-2 (87m)
[2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [6] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-4 (32m)

Semi-Finals:
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v [5] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY)
[3] Paul Coll (NZL) v [2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 

Report by ELLIE MAWSON (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PATRICK LAUSON (www.patricklausonphotography.co.uk)

Ambati Rayudu has opted out of representing Hyderabad in the upcoming Ranji Trophy season. Rayudu had come out of retirement only in August, a few months after he had 'retired from all formats' following his non-selection in India's squad at the 2019 World Cup. According to an interview with Telangana Today, Rayudu said "a lot of politics" in the team made it "uncomfortable" for him to represent Hyderabad.

Rayudu, who was Hyderabad captain in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, said: "In all honesty, I was looking forward to play for Hyderabad in Ranji Trophy this season. But unfortunately, the script did not go on the expected lines. There is a lot of politics in the team and the atmosphere was not conducive for good cricket. I felt very uncomfortable."

Rayudu even tweeted to Telangana's Municipal Administration and Urban Development minister KT Rama Rao on Saturday, asking him to look into the "rampant corruption prevailing at HCA."

Hello sir @KTRTRS, I request u to plz look into nd address the rampant corruption prevailing in hca. Hw can hyderabad be great when it's cricket team is influenced by money nd corrupt ppl who hav numerous acb cases against them which are being swept under the carpet.

— Ambati Rayudu (@RayuduAmbati) November 23, 2019

In the Telengana Today interview, Rayudu said that he had informed Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) president Mohammad Azharuddin, who took over the role in September, about his decision, and felt "election promises" got in the way of the team's progress. He even alleged that "rich, influential and politicians' children" get preferential treatment for selection into the Hyderabad team.

"I did have a talk with the president. He always said he was trying his best. But it never happened," Rayudu said. "I feel he should have initiated stronger measures but he did not do that. I feel there were more election promises and as a result, the game suffered.

"It hurt me a lot. A few players, who did not deserve to be in the team, were included in the team because of the election promises. If this happens, how can a team improve? My hands were tight (sic) for the playing eleven when it came to few players and they were untouchable during the T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament.

"If you look at the team, some of the players are selected because of the influence of some club secretaries. Sometimes, merit takes a back seat. This is unfortunate. Rich, influential and politicians' children get preferences in Hyderabad teams. This is a true fact. We have to stop this buck. Since someone had to speak out, I thought I should do this. This is how bad the system has become in HCA.''

Rayudu was also displeased at the choice of Arjun Yadav, the former Hyderabad allrounder, as coach. Rayudu claimed Arjun became coach due to the influence of his father, the former BCCI interim president Shivlal Yadav.

This is not the first time Rayudu and Arjun have made news together. During the 2005-06 season, Arjun, who was then the Hyderabad captain, and Rayudu, then playing for Andhra, had been involved in a physical altercation during a Ranji Trophy match.

"He is not a qualified coach and has conflict of interest which has not been addressed yet," Rayudu said. "He is not fit to be the Ranji coach. It is because of his father's influence he has been able to become the coach. I feel it was an election promise to make him (Arjun) as the coach."

In Rayudu's absence, left-hand batsman BP Sandeep, who was Hyderabad's highest run-scorer in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, will take over as captain.

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia coach Brett Brown met Gregg Popovich at midcourt, gave him a handshake, hug and pat on the back.

Brown knows all about long losing streaks, and Popovich helped him get through them. Now it's Brown's turn to help.

Tobias Harris scored 26 points, Joel Embiid had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat San Antonio 115-104 on Friday night to hand the Spurs their eighth consecutive defeat.

The skid is the Spurs' worst under longtime coach Popovich.

"Figured it was something like that," Popovich said.

A former Spurs assistant under Popovich, Brown endured an NBA-record 28-game losing streak during Philadelphia's rebuilding project early in his tenure.

Usually loquacious, Brown didn't have much to say about sending his mentor to the longest skid of his career.

"I love him. He knows that," Brown said. "He coaches hard, he moves on."

Ben Simmons had a triple-double with 10 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds for the 76ers, who improved to 6-0 at home.

DeMar DeRozan had 29 points and Rudy Gay scored 22 for the Spurs.

"I thought the effort was good, just a bad start again," Popovich said. "We're just trying to not make as many mistakes, mostly at the defensive end because it always puts us in a bad way. We're working at it."

DeRozan said Popovich has remained positive despite the losing streak.

"He's extremely optimistic, doesn't panic," DeRozan said. "He keeps our spirits up high, keeps our confidence up high. Got to keep our heads up."

San Antonio last dropped eight in a row in November 1996 under coach Bob Hill. Popovich was the team's general manager at the time. He fired Hill later that season and began his long run of success.

In his 24th season, Popovich has won five NBA titles and gone to the playoffs in 22 straight seasons while compiling a winning record in each of those 22 campaigns. He has spent just 74 days with a losing record over the past 22 seasons.

Prior to the recent slump, Popovich hadn't lost seven consecutive games since Feb. 23 to March 5, 1997.

"He felt sorry for me in my early years," Brown said. "He's amazing. His competitiveness is incredibly admirable. Nothing I respect more that Pop has achieved than longevity."

Popovich said the sting of losing was slightly lessened due to the opponent.

"If you lose to [Brown], for some strange reason it doesn't hurt quite as bad," he said. "You're a little bit happy for him -- just a little."

San Antonio trailed most of the way but got within one late in the third quarter before the 76ers pulled away in the fourth.

It was 101-95 with just under six minutes left when Popovich elected to intentionally foul Simmons for the second straight trip down court. A 58% free throw shooter, Simmons missed both attempts the first time but drained both shots on his subsequent trip to the line to put Philadelphia ahead 103-95 with 5:34 remaining.

Furkan Korkmaz hit a 3-pointer from the corner on Philadelphia's next possession and then Harris made a layup to put the 76ers comfortably ahead, 108-97, with 4:24 left.

BROWN BACKER

The pressure has intensified on Brown after the team's early playoff exits the last two seasons and a so-so start to 2019-20. Brown acknowledged as much before the game, saying his job "has been in question since the day I took it."

However, Popovich doesn't believe Brown should be receiving scrutiny. Brown spent 11 seasons with the Spurs.

"Fans don't know crap," Popovich said. "He's one hell of a guy and the most positive guy I've ever known. He's going to work his ass off. They are lucky to have him."

TIP-INS

Spurs: Derrick White (left foot) missed his second consecutive game.

76ers: Josh Richardson (right hip flexor) didn't play. ... Philadelphia improved to 10-5. ... Outrebounded the Spurs 51-32. ... Jimmy Butler, who starred for the 76ers last season after an in-season trade, returns with Miami to face Philadelphia on Saturday night.

UP NEXT

Spurs: At the New York Knicks on Saturday night.

76ers: Host the Miami Heat on Saturday night.

NEW YORK -- Kyrie Irving will not play in the Brooklyn Nets' first matchup against his former team, the Boston Celtics, the team announced Friday night. Irving will miss the Nets' next three games, which include road matchups against the Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers and, finally, the Celtics on Wednesday.

Irving has already missed Brooklyn's past four games with a right shoulder impingement, which he suffered against the Utah Jazz on Nov. 12. Coach Kenny Atkinson said Irving "gutted out" the Nets' game against the Nuggets two days later but was in pain.

Atkinson said this week that Irving has yet to participate in a practice since tweaking his shoulder. Irving, who is still unable to shoot comfortably, is undergoing daily treatment.

"I don't think it's something he can play through right now," Atkinson said after practice Thursday. "The shoulder is a sensitive spot, especially for a point guard -- you're like a quarterback."

Atkinson said he would like to see Irving, 27, go through practice pain free before he returns to the court. At the moment, Atkinson said that both pain tolerance and range of motion are issues for the point guard.

"He's got to get to the point where he feels like -- and we feel like -- he can play. We're just not at that point right now," Atkinson said Thursday.

Irving has a history of not playing against his former teams. Since leaving the Cavaliers after the 2016-17 season, he has played in Cleveland only once.

"It is always a show when Kyrie plays," Nets center DeAndre Jordan told ESPN. "I am pretty sure that some fans will miss him [in Boston]. Some fans have other thoughts."

The Nets face the Celtics again Nov. 29 at Barclays Center.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Minutes after the end of an NBA game, the Utah Jazz's home arena was evacuated because of a suspicious package.

Most fans had already left the building Friday night when players, coaches and reporters were instructed to leave Vivint Smart Home Arena following Utah's 113-109 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Not long after both coaches finished answering postgame questions from the media, a spokesman for the Jazz told reporters to head outside because of a suspicious package. Outside the arena, reporters were instructed by security to leave the premises.

Players immediately headed for the exits to get in their cars or the Warriors' team bus. Jazz center Rudy Gobert was still in his uniform as he left.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Anthony Davis hit a season-high four 3-pointers, including a clutch four-point play with less than 3 minutes to go, in the Los Angeles Lakers' 130-127 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. And the team is urging Davis to let it fly even more often from the outside.

"We want him to take more 3s," said LeBron James after Davis went 4-for-7 from 3-point range against the Thunder. "Teams are playing off of him, and he's too damn good of a shooter not to shoot them. And he's been doing that the last couple games."

Davis was coming off a 3-for-5 night from deep against Oklahoma City on Tuesday. Before the 7-for-12 outburst the past two games, Davis was just 8-for-32 from 3 on the season.

Entering Friday, Lakers coach Frank Vogel wanted to push Davis' limitations as a stretch big, challenging him to get 12 3-pointers up against the Thunder.

"Coach told me to stop hesitating," Davis said. "When I hesitate, I'm going to come up short or [have] a bad miss. I feel like if I'm open I'm going to shoot it. No hesitation. And seems to go in a lot more when I'm not hesitating."

Davis credited Rajon Rondo and Lakers assistant coach Mike Penberthy, who was known as a marksman in his playing days, for getting his shot back on track with extra work hoisting game-simulated shots after practice this week.

"He's already a matchup problem for anybody in the league," Rondo said. "When he's stretching the floor with the 5s, with his 3-point shot, the sky's the limit for our offense. We're going to continue to get better at putting points on the board."

Indeed, L.A. stroked a season-high 17 3-pointers against the Thunder, connecting on 54.8% of its 31 attempts.

None was bigger than Davis' four-point play with 2:36 remaining in the fourth quarter, when he received a James dish in the corner and then absorbed a foul from Steven Adams as he let the shot go.

"I was just spacing," Davis said of the play. "[James] wanted me to space and bring [Kyle Kuzma] in the pick-and-roll. ... I knew if he threw it I was going to shoot it. I was able to shoot it and get the bounce."

Davis had another four-point play in the third quarter. In 479 career games coming into Friday, he had yet to convert a four-point play, according to Second Spectrum. He now has two in 480 career games.

His shot was even more locked in from the free throw line. Davis went 11-for-11 from the line, including going 4-for-4 in the final 10 seconds to ice the win. It was the sixth time this season he was perfect from the charity stripe.

Davis, who also set a Lakers record by going 26-for-27 from the line in a game this season, said his free throw routine in practice is to make at least 24-for-25 to finish his shooting practice. If he hits 23 or fewer, it's back to the line to take 25 all over again until he gets to 24.

"There's no one like him in the NBA," Vogel said. "That's how unique it is. And the amount of the ways he impacts the game, both at the basket and shooting the 3-ball -- four 3s, two 4-point plays tonight -- and elite defense all over the place. It's something special."

The Lakers' offensive outburst came at the expense of their defense, allowing a 5-10 Thunder team to score 127 points on 52.7 percent shooting, but the disparity is something they're aware of.

"We've got to play better defense," Lakers guard Danny Green said bluntly.

But with a league-best 13-2 record and their prize offseason acquisition in Davis continuing to show off his game, there isn't much to gripe about in Laker Land.

"Our job's to go out on the floor and perform and win ballgames," Davis said. "As long as we keep doing that there's really not too much anyone can say."

Major League Baseball officials investigating whether the Houston Astros cheated over the past three seasons by electronically stealing signs have asked players associated with the organization what they know about a range of alleged sign-stealing techniques, sources familiar with the conversations told ESPN on Friday.

Players have been asked about "buzzing," via the use of Band-Aid-like wearable stickers; furtive earpieces; pitch-picking algorithms; and other potential methods of sign-stealing, the sources said. Accusations about the extent of the alleged wrongdoing have streamed into commissioner Rob Manfred's office from officials of other teams, the sources said. MLB officials are endeavoring to separate fact from fiction, the sources told ESPN, and the league has not concluded whether any such methods actually have been used.

Players who might have violated league rules have been told by MLB officials they can expect leniency in exchange for answering questions truthfully. But members of the Astros' front office and coaching staff could face significant punishment upon the investigation's conclusion if they're found to have cheated, the sources said. The league has requested to search the phones of certain members of the Astros' front office, the sources said.

Major League Baseball's biggest scandal in years began this month when former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers told The Athletic that the 2017 World Series-winning team he was a member of used video from a live camera feed to steal a catcher's signs, and that someone in the dugout would hit a trash can to communicate the pitch type to batters in real time. Stealing signs through electronic means is against MLB rules, and the story prompted an MLB investigation that Manfred said this week will be "as thorough as humanly possible" and will also encompass the 2018 and 2019 teams. The inquiry, the sources told ESPN, includes examining a wide swath of sign-stealing theories.

Skepticism about the Astros' motivations and tactics dates back years and has contributed to the accusations against the Astros -- most of which have been delivered without supporting evidence. Players nevertheless have been asked if they know about the Astros relaying signs through earpieces, decoding signs with an algorithm or even using wearable technology embedded in Band-Aid-like items or worn in shoes that could signal pitches electronically.

The league is hoping to determine both the depth of the Astros' alleged transgressions as well as how high knowledge of them went in the organization, the sources told ESPN. Kevin Goldstein, a special assistant to Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, sent an email to scouts in 2017 inquiring about them spying on opposing dugouts using video cameras.

MLB declined comment through a spokesman.

Investigators' conversations with players have followed those with Astros front-office employees as well as on-field staff, including current Astros manager AJ Hinch, former bench coach and current Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora and former designated hitter and current New York Mets manager Carlos Beltran, the sources told ESPN. A number of current Astros players have not spoken with investigators yet but are expected to talk in the near future, the sources said. Multiple players no longer in baseball have refused to cooperate with the investigation, according to sources familiar with their decision.

Sign-stealing, long considered an art in baseball, has entered a far more complicated moral and ethical space with the alleged use of technology. The illegality, Manfred said this week, is clear: After the Red Sox were disciplined for using an Apple Watch to relay signs in September 2017, MLB threatened significant penalty for teams that parlayed technology into an advantage. He reinforced that notion following the 2018 postseason, during which an Astros baseball-operations employee was removed from the camera well in two playoff series for pointing a cellphone camera toward opponents' dugouts. MLB instituted new rules that included an audit on in-stadium cameras, an eight-second delay on in-house video feeds and other restrictions meant to preclude cheating.

The outrage among opposing teams, simmering for years, boiled upon Fiers' statements, the sources said. At this week's owners meetings in Arlington, Texas, multiple team owners and presidents told ESPN they hoped Manfred would levy heavy sanctions on the Astros if they're found to have cheated -- which could include individual suspensions for executives, losses of draft picks and international bonus slots, and a fine in excess of the maximum $2 million the league has applied for past infractions -- to deter others who might see the value in cheating.

The wariness toward the Astros has manifested itself across the game in unique ways. One American League starter, according to sources familiar with his routine, asked if he could pitch a game with his catcher not giving standard, between-the-legs signs. The pitcher instead wanted to communicate what he intended to throw with a series of jersey pulls, hat tugs, head shakes and glove placements. During this year's World Series, in which Washington defeated Houston in seven games, the Nationals came armed with five unique sign sequences for pitchers, ready to change them at any time, because they feared the Astros had a new method to steal them, sources said.

Jim Brown and Walter Payton are unanimous choices at running back for the NFL's All-Time Team.

As part of its celebration of its centennial season, the league announced the first portion of the squad Friday night. A 26-member panel is selecting the team.

Also chosen were two coaches, Paul Brown and Bill Belichick. Eight more coaches will be selected over the next month.

Joining Brown and Payton in the backfield are fellow Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith, the career rushing leader; Marion Motley; Barry Sanders; Steve Van Buren; Gale Sayers; Earl Campbell; Lenny Moore; O.J. Simpson; Eric Dickerson; and Dutch Clark.

"It is cool to be with the legend himself," Smith said of joining Brown on the squad. "The man who inspired so many other players to come from behind him. He paved the way for many of us, his passing the torch to Walter and so many others. He set the standard pretty high."

One hundred players will make the team.