Playing late, and close to the body, is the key to counter the pink ball - that's the early learning India's Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is taking back with him after training against the pink ball for the first time over the past few days.

Rahane was part of a small bunch of players from the Indian Test squad, who practised with the pink ball at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru in the lead up to the Bangladesh Test series, which includes a day-night Test, the first for either team, in Kolkata from November 22.

Not many top-drawer Indian players have actually played competitive cricket with the pink ball, which Rahane said was a "different ball game" from the red ball. "We had two good practice sessions, actually three or four but two in pink ball, one during the day and one under lights," Rahane said at a press conference in the lead up to the first Test in Indore. "It was actually exciting. It was the first time I played with pink ball, and definitely it's a different ball game as compared to red ball."

ALSO READ: SG pink ball to be used for maiden day-night Test in India

Along with Rahane, the others who were present at NCA were Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara among the batsmen, and Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja. The training sessions took place under the stewardship of NCA director of cricket, Rahul Dravid.

"Our focus during the practice session was to look into the swing and seam, and also play close to our body," Rahane said. "What we found out after the practice session that the pink ball does a lot (more) than the red ball. We have to play slightly late and close to your body. We had word with Rahul bhai also as he was there. We had a very good practice session. Right now the focus is on the first Test match, the red SG ball."

The Kolkata Test will also be the first time SG pink balls will be used at the highest level, making it a trial for the balls as well. Incidentally, the BCCI had preferred the Kookaburra in the Duleep Trophy, which has been played under lights in the last three seasons. Irrespective of the make, it will take some adjusting for the players to do, but Rahane was confident it wouldn't be a problem.

"The lateral movement is big, actually a lot than the red ball," he said. "Adjustment-wise, I'm sure everyone will adjust very quickly. We are used to playing different formats - after T20s we play Tests. It's just the mindset, technical skills will play a role. Mentally if you can adjust to the pink ball, then it'll be good."

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in September, more than one prominent Indian domestic player had given the thumbs-down to the pink ball, with Faiz Fazal saying, "There was nothing for bowlers (with the pink ball)."

With barely any experience of playing with the pink ball, Rahane did not want to get drawn into comparing the SG and the Kookaburra. But he said the SG pink helped the spinners get more revolutions on the ball. "We played against spinners in Bangalore, and they were getting good revs on the ball. Yes, the shine is completely different to the red ball, but it's very hard to compare with SG ball and the Kookaburra ball.

"I've never played with the pink ball. And what I've heard from other people is that the Kookaburra ball is actually really easy for the batsmen. But what we saw in Bangalore and played in Bangalore is that the SG ball was doing a bit for the fast bowlers. For spinners, it is difficult but it is very hard for me to say right now about Kookaburra and SG ball."

Unlike Rahane, Pujara has encountered the pink ball in the past, at the 2016 Duleep Trophy, when he topped the scorers' chart with 453 runs from three innings, hitting two centuries including an unbeaten 256 not out.

"I have played with the pink ball, in the Duleep Trophy, and the experience was a good one. The day-night Test will be a five-day game, those were four-day games, this will be a Test-match scenario, so it will be exciting," he told bcci.tv.

He did, however, concede that some of the other batsmen did have problems picking the ball, especially in the latter stages of the days and when facing wristspinners.

"During the day, there will be no visibility issues with the pink ball. In my experience, the twilight period and the period under lights are more difficult. Those sessions will be crucial," he said. "My experience as a batsman was a good one. Even as a team we did well. But some of the other players I had spoken to said that especially when facing a wristspinner, their wrong'uns were difficult to pick. When Kuldeep (Yadav) was bowling, it was difficult to pick his wrong'un."

India and Bangladesh, as well as Afghanistan and Ireland, are the only teams to not have played a pink-ball Test yet, and their maiden foray in the new direction came about when Sourav Ganguly, soon after taking charge as the BCCI president, proposed the plan calling it a "huge step forward", and the BCB, after discussing the matter with the players, gave it the go-ahead.

Kevin Shine, the ECB's former lead fast bowling coach, has joined Nottinghamshire as an assistant coach, bringing an end to his 14-year association with the national academy at Loughborough.

In his new role at Trent Bridge, Shine, 50, will be reunited with the former England head coach, Peter Moores, where his first challenge will be to plot Nottinghamshire's route back to the top flight after their calamitous relegation in 2019.

Shine's departure from the ECB follows this week's confirmation that Peter Such, the lead spin coach, is also moving on from Loughborough as part of an overall of the coaching set-up since the appointment of Chris Silverwood as England's new head coach.

Prior to his move to the national set-up, which encompassed four Ashes wins, the World T20 victory in 2010 and England's rise to No.1 in the ICC world rankings in 2011, Shine served as Head Coach and Academy Director at Somerset.

"When the opportunity came up it was a no-brainer for me," said Shine. "I'm really looking forward to working with Pete [Moores] again. He is one of the best coaches in the game and a person I have huge respect for.

"I love coaching, so to be able to support and work with coaches of the calibre of Mooresy, Franksie [Paul Franks], Ant Botha, Andy Pick and Matt Wood, who I know from working at Somerset, is amazing.

"I have spent the last 14 years trying to develop international cricketers and to put a bit of what I have learnt back into county cricket is really exciting."

Shine's arrival means that Andy Pick, Nottinghamshire's long-term assistant, will take up a new role in the identification of emerging talent for the first team, alongside Elite Pathway Manager Matt Wood and Second XI Coach Ant Botha.

"On the back of last season, we know we've got to get better," said Nottinghamshire Head Coach Peter Moores.

"Our coaching is part of that and - with Kevin becoming available - we saw an opportunity to shake things up in a way we believe will help us improve.

"He's coming from 14 years in an elite environment with England, where he's worked within various coaching regimes and with a whole host of different players.

"His track record is there for all to see in the current crop of international bowlers available to England, and it's fantastic that we can now tap into that experience at Notts.

"Equally exciting is the opportunity for our young cricketers to work with a coach of the calibre of Andy Pick.

"Andy will have a specific focus on developing our bowling talent, whilst also being perfectly placed to help inform our recruitment.

"The depth of his experience across senior and youth levels is second to none, so it feels like a real step forward for us."

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The Munich Olympic Park is set to be the heart of the second edition of the multi-sport championships

Munich is to host the 2022 European Championships following unanimous approval of their bid by the participating European Federations.

The event will mark the 50th anniversary of the Olympic Games being held in the German city, with the Munich Olympic Park set to be the heart of the second edition of the multi-sport championships.

Taking place from August 11 to 21, the championships will feature six sports that were part of the 2018 edition – athletics, cycling, golf, gymnastics, rowing and triathlon.

The inaugural multi-sport European Championships in 2018 took place in Berlin, where the athletics action was held, and Glasgow.

“I speak for all the participating sports in saying how delighted we are to be going to the wonderful city of Munich in 2022, and for athletics we are especially happy to be heading back to Germany, after the success of Berlin 2018, where we know there are so many passionate sports fans,” said European Championships 2022 Board chair and European Athletics president Svein Arne Hansen.

“It is testament to the fantastic legacy of the Munich Olympic Park that we will bring our individual European Championships together again there, on the 50th anniversary of the Olympic Games, and use many of its iconic venues.

“We are very pleased to partner again with Eurovision Sport, meaning that millions of sports fans will be able to experience the unique excitement of the European Championships 2022, via free-to-air broadcasters.”

The EC2022 Board also confirmed the dates of the 2026 edition of the European Championships as being July 30 to August 9.

Victoria 0 for 5 trail Queensland 183 (Hemphrey 64, Holland 3-29, Siddle 3-30) by 178 runs

Victoria bowled themselves into a strong position on the opening day at the MCG by dismantling Queensland for 183.

The wickets were shared around as Peter Siddle, still hoping to keep his name in the Test frame, and Jon Holland claimed three apiece while James Pattinson and debutant Will Sutherland claimed a brace each. Charlie Hemphrey's half-century kept Queensland in the contest.

It was Sutherland, with his third delivery on first-class debut, who made the opening incision in the 19th over, after sustained pressure from the Victoria quicks, when Bryce Street drove to point where fellow debutant Jake Fraser-McGurk took the catch - combined age for the wicket: 37.

Sutherland's second came when he found Matt Renshaw's edge from around the wicket and Victoria's morning became even better with the last ball of the session as Siddle had Marnus Labuschagne well caught at first slip for a 28-ball duck to leave Queensland 3 for 32 from 28 overs.

Siddle struck again after the break when Nathan McSweeney was caught behind and the innings slipped to the depths of 7 for 99 as Pattinson and Holland claimed their first wickets.

The ship was steadied somewhat by a 55-run stand between Hemphrey and Mark Steketee with Hemphrey compiling 64 from 130 deliveries before he was Pattinson's second wicket.

Holland wrapped up the innings as Steketee chopped on and Blake Edwards was caught at slip, but the final three wickets added 84 useful runs.

On a day that was interrupted by showers, Victoria's openers got through 6.4 overs before play was ended for the final time.

LOS ANGELES -- Before facing his old team for the first time since winning the championship, Kawhi Leonard ran into some of his former Toronto Raptors teammates and team staff members.

"Hey, hey, hey," Leonard said with a smile to one Raptor, echoing the phrase that went viral on opening night, when he started to deliver a message to fans before that game.

Once they were on the court, the Raptors reminded Leonard just how pesky they can be, trapping him often at half court and harassing the Finals MVP into his worst game of the season so far.

Leonard missed nine of 11 shots but still got the best of his old team, narrowly missing a triple-double with 12 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to help the Clippers take a 98-88 win over the Raptors at Staples Center.

Afterward, Leonard hugged and greeted several of his former teammates, but he made it clear that he has moved on from his one special year with Toronto.

"It's over now," Leonard said when asked if he had any feelings from last season's championship run going through his head during the game. "We won. Like I said before, I had a great time there. But it's the next chapter now.

"I can't live in the past or just be so excited that I still won [a championship]. I'm with a different team and a different unit, and they want to have that same feeling, and I do as well. I'm a Clipper right now."

The Raptors did all they could to take the ball out of Leonard's hands. In fact, they nearly forced Leonard into a quadruple-double, as he had a career-high nine turnovers.

The Raptors led 79-75 early in the fourth, as their traps and ball-hawking length bothered Leonard into missing nine of his first 10 shots. Despite leading the league in fourth-quarter scoring, Leonard made only one basket in the final quarter.

Still, Leonard has found a way to make game-winning plays in the fourth for the Clippers (7-3), and he added two free throws right after that to help the Clippers complete a 15-5 run that pushed them up by six. When Toronto got within four late, Leonard found Montrezl Harrell for a dunk before sealing the game with two free throws.

"They [made] me better tonight," Leonard said. "As soon as I walked across half court, they were trying to get the ball out of my hands, sending an extra defender. It's going to [make] my teammates better. [Opponents are] going to do it at times in the playoffs and regular season, and they are going to knock down the open shot. That's what wins games: open shots.

"We came out with the win, and they did a great job on me tonight. ... But I'm glad they did. It [made] me better, and it's going to [make] my teammates better as well."

Despite spending just one season together, Toronto head coach Nick Nurse has kept in touch with his former star by FaceTiming with Leonard over the past few months and checking on his family.

"We had a son at a similar time," Nurse said. " ... Just watching from afar. ... He looks happy, and his family is happy, and that's all you can ask for."

"We talked about the kids and things like that," Nurse added when asked about any conversation with Leonard during the game. "That was it. I don't talk much out there. He damn sure doesn't talk."

Leonard was happy to let the final score do the talking. "It was fun," he said. "It's even better coming out with a win. My teammates made shots. It wasn't one of those nights for me."

"It's just fun being able to compete against guys you were with last year. We grew a relationship," he added. "From that aspect, it's a little bit more competitive because you do talk to them. So can tell them that we won the game tonight. But I can't get out of the team character. We have a goal for ourselves to come out and win as a whole."

Information from ESPN's Baxter Holmes was used in this report.

Former world half-marathon record-holder suspended following an athlete biological passport violation

Kenya’s former world half-marathon record-holder Abraham Kiptum has been banned for four years, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has said.

The AIU had announced a provisional suspension against the 30-year-old in April, just before he had been due to race at the Virgin Money London Marathon.

Following the athlete biological passport (ABP) violation, Kiptum is banned for four years and has also had his results from October 13, 2018, to April 26, 2019, disqualified.

That includes his 58:18 run at the Medio Maratón de Valencia Trinidad Alfonso in October 2018 which saw him break the world half-marathon record, set by Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese in 2010, by five seconds.

Geoffrey Kamworor has since gone quicker with his 58:01 run in Copenhagen in September.

According to the disciplinary tribunal decision document, published on Monday, Kiptum “denies having used any prohibited substances or methods that could have caused the abnormalities detected in his ABP” and gave some alternative explanations including that he had trained and competed at altitude.

The full decision document can be found here.

Kiptum can appeal the decision.

When Johnny Williams scored a try for England as they beat the Barbarians 51-43 at Twickenham in June, he was on top of the world.

He was in prime fitness and ready to kick on in the new season. The Newcastle Falcons centre may even have had a dream of making a late push into Eddie Jones' plans for the World Cup squad.

Fast-forward a few months and instead, the 23-year-old watched the action in Japan in a hospital bed as he had treatment for testicular cancer.

Williams had his final round of chemotherapy last month and now he hopes to return to rugby for the Falcons.

In his first interview since he went public with his illness, on the You, Me and the Big C podcast, Williams, who won the Under-20 World Cup with England in 2016, revealed how an athlete in peak physical condition came face-to-face with cancer.

'I never thought I would get it'

"It was definitely a shock," he said. "I had just finished pre-season and it was probably the fittest and strongest I had ever been.

"My last game was playing for England against the Baa-Baas in the summer, so I was on a huge high. Then I get this huge setback where I am then watching the World Cup in a hospital bed.

"Cancer was not in my mind. It has never been hereditary in my family.

"You never think it is going to be you, and especially because of my lifestyle - being an athlete, caring about my diet, caring about my health. I never thought I would get it.

"My only regret is that I let it go for three months because that might have been the difference between having chemotherapy and not. Instead of having just had surgery, I would be back playing now."

Williams had initially suspected a problem when he was in the bath and even went to see a GP. But with no "lumps or bumps" in the suspected area, everyday life got in the way and Williams carried on.

But a simple knock in training forced him to face up to his problem and take action.

"It wasn't a big, traumatic knock," he said. "This was really subtle and it was badly aching. It wasn't a direct blow, it's hard to explain.

"I was walking around the club for about an hour with this ache, thinking this is really bad. I was just thinking about this dull ache that I needed to get rid of, and that it was really serious.

"I then spoke to two of my closest mates, who passed me on our GP's number, and I rushed to his place and got it checked out. He asked me how long it had been like that for and he got me booked in for a scan straight away."

'Just get it checked out'

The Newcastle Falcons player, who used to share a house with England World Cup player Joe Cokanasiga during their days at London Irish, was told he had cancer and that he needed chemotherapy.

Williams had the last batch of that last month and he is waiting to start training again, with club physios estimating it will take him six weeks from then to get back up to speed.

As he talks about what has happened to him, his advice to other males is simple: If you suspect something is up, don't hesitate to find out what is wrong.

"You will never get laughed out of the GP surgery or the hospital or the nurse," he added. "It doesn't matter if there is something small, just get it checked out.

"I wish I had done something earlier because that may be the reason why I had chemotherapy. That could have been the difference between me back playing now and not."

But being forced to watch the World Cup in such a difficult manner is giving Williams the drive and motivation for when he is back on the rugby field.

The tournament in Japan has only just finished, but he already has eyes for France in 2023.

"While the World Cup was on, I felt like I was missing out, because that is my goal," he added.

"It was a reminder of where I want to get to as I want to get my career back on track and hopefully get there one day."

Barcelona and Real Madrid could meet in the final of the revamped Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia in January after the two sides were kept apart in Monday's draw.

Madrid will play Valencia in one semifinal on Jan. 8 with Barca facing Atletico Madrid in the other match one day later. The final will then be contested on Jan. 12.

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The Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] had earlier announced that the competition will be held in the Saudi Arabian city Jeddah. All three fixtures will be played at the 62,000-capacity King Abdullah Sports City stadium.

The RFEF have signed a deal with Saudi Arabia for the country to host the Super Cup in each of the next three years. The agreement has been criticised outside of Spain. Until 2017, women were prohibited from attending football matches in the country but that ban was lifted as part of a wider easing of social restrictions championed by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Luis Rubiales, the president of the RFEF, defended the decision to take the competition to Saudi Arabia when asked if he expected a backlash.

"We hope that our opinion will be respected, which is to back the people that are in Saudi Arabia and to collaborate with the country's federation to serve as tool for social change," he said at the draw.

"It's going to benefit men and women that live there. There are others with different opinions, some created from nothing, but we will also respect that."

The Supercoppa Italiana was also held in Jeddah last January, with Juventus beating AC Milan, and this season's edition will be held Riyadh, also in Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 22.

The Spanish Super Cup, as a one-off game, was played in Morocco last year but Rubiales stressed that La Liga or the Copa del Rey, Spain's two domestic competitions, cannot be played abroad.

La Liga is pushing for a game to be played in the United States and hope to get clearance for Villarreal to play Atletico in Miami next month.

For the first time ever, the Spanish Super Cup will feature four teams. Previously, the winners of the league would play the winners of the cup, but now the teams that finished third and fourth have also been included to make it a mini-tournament.