Hardik Pandya underwent a back surgery on Friday in the United Kingdom*, and announced the news initially through an Instagram post on Saturday, calling it a "successful" one.

Later on Saturday, the BCCI provided rough details of the surgery through a media statement, saying the surgery was carried out after Hardik "complained" of back issues in the final T20I against South Africa in Bengaluru on September 22. The BCCI also said the surgery was carried out keeping in mind "long-term" benefits.

"The BCCI Medical Team consulted a panel of spine specialists in England and they recommended surgery for a long-term solution of this issue," the statement said. "On Friday, a successful surgery was conducted. Hardik will soon commence his rehabilitation process."

Hardik has been hampered by lower back issues since the Test series in England in 2018. The problem surfaced during the Asia Cup in September 2018. After that, he missed the home Test series against West Indies, the T20I series in Australia, and wasn't initially part of the Test squad on that tour.

Hardik had a successful IPL earlier this summer, but was rested once again for the West Indies tour immediately after the World Cup. It is believed the team management was happy for him to rest and focus on his strength training before he returned for the T20I series against South Africa in September.

The break, Hardik had told IANS "has helped me a lot and my fitness has gone to the next level". After that, though, Hardik wasn't considered for the ongoing Test series after the back injury resurfaced during the T20Is against South Africa. The seriousness of the injury can be ascertained by the fact that Yogesh Parmar, one of physios who is part of the BCCI medical staff, accompanied Hardik to ensure the injury is managed properly going forward.

Hardik's injury follows that of strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who the BCCI said had a stress fracture in the lower back. Bumrah, too, is expected to be in the UK soon to consult specialists before determining the next step.

Bumrah will be accompanied by Ashish Kaushik, the head physio at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. It is understood that the BCCI wanted Hardik and Bumrah to be accompanied by the physios since they weren't entirely happy with the players managing the rehab on their own.

* 10.20 GMT: The story has been updated to reflect the details of Hardik Pandya's surgery

The Portland Trail Blazers aren't planning to follow the NBA trend of load management this season, with guard CJ McCollum saying the team can't afford to take nights off in pursuit of the postseason.

"The race in the Western Conference is extremely tight. I don't know if we can afford to Kawhi it, so to speak," McCollum said, according to an Oregonian story published Friday. "You'll Kawhi your way out of the playoffs."

McCollum was referring to new LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, who was limited to 60 regular-season games for his only season with the defending champion Toronto Raptors.

Leonard has said his health and playing time will be managed differently this season, as he is not coming off a quad injury that kept him out most of the 2017-18 season.

But limiting a star's number of games or minutes has been an ongoing topic throughout the NBA. A number of teams have addressed how they'll use their top players once the regular season begins at the end of the month.

Even so, All-Star guard Damian Lillard echoed his teammate in regard to the Trail Blazers' mindset.

"We're not some big superteam," Lillard said. "So I don't think we have the luxury to sit out, especially with how competitive the West is going to be."

Lillard, who played in 80 regular-season games in 2018-19, acknowledged feeling fatigued last season as the Trail Blazers reached the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2000.

"We hadn't been that far and my body was tired," Lillard said. "I was fatigued to the point where it was a real challenge. How I manage myself leading up to that point is going to mean everything."

Coach Terry Stotts said he will do more to help his players recover on off-days rather than holding them out of games.

"I don't necessarily want to have a herd mentality," Stotts said. "You do what's in the best interest of your team and the player. And you don't want to overuse them, but you also have to appreciate the fact that if a guy is able to play 35 minutes a game and play 82 games, that's fine too."

Shell-shocked Spurs sample the cool seaside air at Brighton on Saturday but it'll be far from an enjoyable trip given that they're feeling the heat from all sides.

The game has taken on enormous significance for a club who have failed to register a Premier League away win since January. The 7-2 mauling from Bayern Munich on Tuesday night will have left gaping wounds. I'm told the players sat in stunned silence in the dressing room after the match for an hour until, eventually, Jan Vertonghen agreed to front up and try to explain to TV interviewers how his team could collapse so dramatically.

Brighton, a more adventurous side under new manager Graham Potter, will look to exploit Tottenham's current fragility. Has it been long enough for the Spurs players and manager to regroup? You can be sure there have been crisis meetings behind the scenes and another defeat escalates things into a full-blown crisis. But in any case, there's a feeling that things are not quite right at the club and that the dam might be about to burst.

A good team has not suddenly become a bad one. Perhaps a certain staleness has set in or a feeling that without bigger investment, Mauricio Pochettino has taken the club as far as he can.

To be fair, Pochettino has performed wonders on a limited budget to make Tottenham top four regulars, qualifying for Europe's most prestigious competition every season. That is an achievement in itself. Ask Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, all of whom have had to "slum it" on Thursday nights in the Europa League in recent times. But Pochettino's team suffered a stunning 13 Premier League defeats last season as well as the current streak without an away victory.

The manager recently spoke of some players having "different agendas," taken as a reference to Christian Eriksen's foiled desire to move to Real Madrid. The Danish playmaker said it was not about money but a search for the silverware that, for all their talent, Spurs cannot seem to win.

You have to wonder if that frustrated feeling has spread to some other long-serving members of the squad. Emotionally, they have given so much and may be finding it hard to go to the well again. Even Pochettino himself admitted last week that he still felt sick and devastated by losing that Champions League Final against Liverpool. All of this stress may be just taking the edge off performances, especially in that vital area of commitment and desire to win back possession.

The squad surely needed freshening up more than just the addition of the very useful Tanguy Ndombele in midfield. Danny Rose, Toby Alderweireld and Eriksen might all have gone in the summer, but all three stayed. They have all been good servants but every club needs a few new faces to keep everyone on their toes. That simply hasn't happened on the Tottenham High Road and while the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min continue to exude menace, there are questions to answer elsewhere.

- Inside Tottenham's collapse: Players question tactics
- Ogden: Pochettino might not pull Spurs out of this tailspin
- Pochettino: Spurs must stay together after 7-2 rout

Was it right to sell Kieran Trippier to Atletico for a knock-down fee?

What has happened to Dele Alli? He's not having the impact he should and misses too many games.

Hugo Lloris' howler against Southampton was a reminder that his errors come a little more frequently than they once did.

Can Harry Winks stay fit to become a dominant midfield force for club and country?

What's going on with the erstwhile defensive rock Vertonghen, who was axed from the team at the start of the season?

And will Daniel Levy loosen the purse strings for the squad enhancement that's surely now needed?

When a team lets in seven goals at home, it's time for a long look in the mirror for all concerned, but don't be surprised to see Spurs bounce back with a win or two. These are very proud and good footballers with a fine manager. They could be a bit exhausted as a group that's been through so much together without the rewards they probably deserved, and Bayern's goal bonanza might spark the beginning of the end of this Spurs era. The smart money now says that something has to give.

Brighton is normally a fun place to visit. Tottenham need to make sure they don't hit the rocks again on the Sussex coast.

Australia Women 8 for 281 (Lanning 73, Mooney 66, Haynes 56) beat Sri Lanka Women 124 by 157 runs

An all-round team effort from Australia earned them a 157-run victory in the first ODI against Sri Lanka at Allan Border Field. Three of the top five posted half-centuries, with Meg Lanning's 73 the top score, before five bowlers shared the wickets.

Given the high standards set by the Australians they will be disappointed no one was able to convert into three figures with Rachael Haynes and Beth Mooney also falling when set to push for a century.

With the ball, Ellyse Perry set the tone with a wicket in the opening over while Tayla Vlaeminck again stood out with her pace while Ash Gardner collected 2 for 9 from nine overs.

Sri Lanka enjoyed a moment of early success when they removed the in-form Alyssa Healy for 8, three days after her world record T20I innings of 148 not out. This time, Healy got a leading edge which was well taken in her follow through by Achini Kulasuriya.

The innings was then set on course by a second-wicket stand of 126 in 21 overs between Haynes and Lanning. After both played themselves in, a standout feature was their footwork to the spinners and Lanning, who reached fifty off 47 balls, collected 12 boundaries to have a century for the taking.

Having removed Lanning, Sri Lanka then enjoyed a good period in the match as wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani took an excellent catch to remove Haynes when she advanced down the pitch. Perry, who had precious little time in the middle during the T20Is, passed 3000 ODI runs before being run out when her bat bounced in the air before crossing the crease, and Gardner was caught at square leg after confirmation from the third umpire that Shahikala Siriwardene had just got fingers under the ball.

Siriwardene, who took over the captaincy from Chamari Atapattu for the ODIs, was the most economical of the bowlers with 1 for 44 from her 10 overs. Australia could not quite produce a power-packed finish to the innings as Sri Lanka kept chipping away with Mooney stumped for 66.

Plenty of Sri Lanka's top order got themselves starts but none could go beyond Siriwardene's 30. Harshitha Madavi showed promise with 22 off 25 balls before being caught behind off Vlaeminck, whose pace kept the batters on their toes. Atapattu, with so much resting on her shoulders, picked out backward point with a reverse sweep to leave Sri Lanka 3 for 46 in the 12th over.

Australia's spinners were allowed to bowl with very little pressure on them. Gardner, Jess Jonassen and Georgia Wareham took 5 for 62 from 25 overs. At 5 for 110 in 34th over Sri Lanka would have hoped to bat out the innings, but the last five wickets fell for 14 runs including the bizarre run out of Oshadi Ranasinghe who was left stranded mid-pitch after seemingly not realising the ball remained in play when Megan Schutt misfielded near the boundary.

After bringing in Brendon McCullum as the head coach, Kolkata Knight Riders have added David Hussey and Kyle Mills as the chief mentor and as bowling coach respectively for the 2020 IPL season.

The announcement was made on Saturday, as part of an overall revamp of the Knight Riders backroom. Franchise CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement, "It's great to welcome David Hussey and Kyle Mills to the Knight Riders Family. They bring a wealth of experience as professionals, and are terrific individuals. We are confident that their contribution as part of the think tank of KKR, and to the KKR Academy, will be invaluable."

Hussey is a former Knight Riders player, having represented the franchise in 23 games between 2008 and 2010 during the course of a glittering T20 career in which he played 267 matches, scoring 6097 runs and picking up 68 wickets.

Apart from turning out for Australia 39 times, 42-year-old Hussey plied his trade in leagues in his own country for the Melbourne Stars, in the West Indies, New Zealand and Australia, apart from playing in the IPL with Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab. Earlier this year, in May, Hussey was appointed coach of the Stars for the next edition of the Big Bash League, replacing the outgoing Stephen Fleming.

Former New Zealand paceman Mills, meanwhile, remains at No. 2 behind Daniel Vettori in the list of his country's highest wicket-takers in ODI cricket - 240 from 170 games - despite retiring from international cricket in 2015.

The 40-year-old paceman also played 98 T20s - 42 of them internationally - for 105 wickets, and took up a role as bowling coach with the New Zealand men's team for a brief period in 2018.

Mills replaced Omkar Salvi, the team's bowling coach till last season.

Back in mid-July this year, following a fifth-place finish in IPL 2019, Knight Riders parted ways with head coach Jacques Kallis and assistant coach Simon Katich, and appointed McCullum as the chief coach, for the Kolkata franchise as well as the owners' team in the Caribbean Premier League, Trinbago knight Riders.

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta strongly denounced a tweet from general manager Daryl Morey on Friday night after the GM posted an image supporting protesters in Hong Kong.

Listen....@dmorey does NOT speak for the @HoustonRockets. Our presence in Tokyo is all about the promotion of the @NBA internationally and we are NOT a political organization. @espn https://t.co/yNyQFtwTTi

— Tilman Fertitta (@TilmanJFertitta) October 5, 2019

Morey later deleted his tweet, an image that read, "Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong."

Fertitta told ESPN's Tim MacMahon that he felt compelled to publicly clarify that the Rockets do not take political positions due to the reaction to Morey's tweet, but Fertitta stressed that he has no issues with Morey.

"I have the best general manager in the league," Fertitta said. "Everything is fine with Daryl and me. We got a huge backlash, and I wanted to make clear that [the organization] has no [political] position. We're here to play basketball and not to offend anybody."

Hong Kong has seen four months of protests and increasing violence between demonstrators and police, originally sparked by a proposal that would have allowed extradition from the semiautonomous territory to mainland China. The issue snowballed into a sustained outburst of anti-government and anti-China fury from protesters, and it plunged Hong Kong, which has special freedoms unique among Chinese cities, into its deepest crisis since the territory reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

Morey's tweet came as the Rockets headed to Saitama, Japan, where they will face the Toronto Raptors in a preseason game next week.

The Rockets also are among the most popular NBA teams in China, dating to the early 2000s, when Basketball Hall of Famer Yao Ming, a native of Shanghai, starred for Houston.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.