Twice now in international cricket, he has taken four wickets in four balls. Of the 100 hat-tricks in international cricket, he has a 5% share. And if Lasith Malinga had not produced his searing spell on Friday, which in addition to the four-in-four reaped him a match analysis of five wickets for six runs, Sri Lanka stood little chance of defending their modest 125 for 8. They would have been whitewashed.

"I always come to every match thinking I can turn the game around," Malinga, who moved up 20 spots to No. 21 in the T20I bowlers' rankings after the performance, said. "The skill that I have in taking wickets, considering the experience, is more than any other player on the field. I don't care who believes that or not, but I believe that. So I want to control the game as soon as I get the ball in hand."

The hat-trick, though, was not the only milestone Malinga ticked during his spell. His first wicket had been his 100th in T20Is - a tally no other bowler has achieved. In moving into triple figures in the shortest format, Malinga also became the first bowler in history to have 100 wickets in all three international formats.

TAKE THE QUIZ: Has Malinga dismissed him in a hat-trick sequence?

"It's just another achievement for me. It happened today and it's history now, but if I was hit badly tomorrow, these four wickets and the other achievements are all forgotten," he said. "But then, I am really happy that I could take four wickets in four balls in T20s as well, because I am playing in the latter part of my career.

"All the younger players who played with me, could see it with their own eyes. I think that could have been an inspiration to them and maybe they also think that they can something like this. That's what an up-and-coming player needs - to see something happen, and train towards that."

ALSO READ: Malinga's fifth hat-trick and 100 T20I wickets

Malinga also spoke in detail about his thinking during the four-wicket sequence, during which he dismissed Colin Munro, Hamish Rutherford, Colin de Grandhomme and Ross Taylor.

"After taking the first wicket [of Munro], the newcomer [Rutherford] was an inexperienced left hander. I thought of getting him out in the first ball. My best weapon is the inswinging yorker, so I thought of using that and he got out," he explained.

"Then came de Grandhome and Taylor. These two guys have been a real headache for us throughout the series. The other bowlers failed to get them in the other match. I was thinking how to get these two guys, and I knew we could win the game if we get them. I thought that if I could bowl two yorkers, then why not the third? So I got back to my mental preparation that I do before I bowl a yorker, and walked back to my run-up.

"The timing and accuracy was there and I got the third wicket. When I got the third, I was thinking again: 'Why not try it a fourth time?' It was all the same preparation again and I did it."

Kagiso Rabada hasn't had a quiet 2019 by any measure, being the fourth-highest wicket-taker among fast bowlers - 44 at an average of 28.65 - across the three formats. But with Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer the toast of the season, Rabada is no longer at the forefront of public memory.

Part of it is also down to South Africa's underwhelming showing at the World Cup, where they were knocked out in the group stage. But while the 24-year-old fast bowler is not fussed about not being the talk of the town as far as the chatter around young fast bowlers goes, the collective underperformance of the South African side has left him "disappointed", if not "angry".

"It's never easy maintaining a career; I've learned that there are a lot of ups and downs. I want to be the best in the world, everybody does," Rabada told iol.co.za. "You are naturally going to compete in that fashion, I'm not too worried, I'm feeling nice and easy.

"I'm disappointed, not angry [about the World Cup]. What do I do with anger? When a setback comes you want to be determined, you don't want to change a lot of things. It's about seeing where you went wrong and then putting in extra work."

"Archer is such a natural talent; Bumrah is doing wonders and that can force you to lift your game."

Two months shy of completing five years in international cricket, Rabada has collected 176 Test wickets at an average of 21.77 and strike rate of 38.8. The corresponding numbers in the limited-overs formats are as impressive: 117 ODI wickets at 27.34, and 25 wickets in 19 T20Is.

However, Rabada's average and strike rate in Tests this year have been squarely overshadowed by those of Bumrah and Archer. While the South African has picked 19 wickets at an average of 23.57, striking every 36.8 balls in Tests, Bumrah and Archer have collected 14 and 13 Tests wickets respectively, at averages of 13.14 and 21, and strike rates of 30.9 and 47.1 respectively.

"I admire those bowlers, they are good bowlers," Rabada, who will have an opportunity to better his figures in the upcoming T20I and Test series in India, said when asked about Bumrah and Archer. "However, the media hypes certain players, and that's OK; I know I have been playing very well. Archer is such a natural talent; Bumrah is doing wonders and that can force you to lift your game. You are not always at the top, that's one thing I can tell you."

Currently part of a pre-tour camp in Pretoria, Rabada will be spearheading a pace attack in Tests that will be without the recently-retired Dale Steyn on the tour of India. Given South Africa lost their last Test series in India 3-0, in 2015, having won both the limited-overs legs of the tour, Rabada hopes for an improved performance from the Test side with the knowledge of "terrible" tracks holding them in good stead.

"You need to figure out what you need to do to give the team a better chance to win that is what I try to focus on," Rabada, who made his Test debut on that tour in 2015, told PTI. "When you have played there before you will have an idea of what to do in certain tough situations.

"The previous tour we were successful because we won the T20 and ODI series but the Test series was a bit of a shambles because those wickets were just terrible. If I could give an example the first Test match it was 200 v 200 in first innings. If we batted first it was going to be a different ball game because we ended up having to chase the game. We lost 3-0 and we were truly hammered."

In what will be the team's first assignment since their World Cup exit, South Africa will play three T20Is starting September 15 followed by as many Tests in Visakhapatnam, Pune and Ranchi, starting October 2. Their last Test series win in India came way back in 2000, and their most recent outings in the longest format on Asian soil, too, ended in despair, with Sri Lanka crushing them 2-0 in 2018.

With spin likely to be a key factor again, Rabada underlined that the prior experience of playing in India could help the majority of the South Africa players fashion better individual results than what the Sri Lanka Tests yielded.

"On our recent tour to Sri Lanka it was tricky conditions," Rabada said. "There is a whole lot of talk about how to approach spin but we will see how it goes. What helps is that there are guys who have played there in the past and I guess what you can do is to use what worked and what did not work during the Sri Lanka tour to have a base.

"When you go there for the first time it's weird and you don't know what to do. If you look at how Faf [du Plessis] batted in Sri Lanka, he got good starts which showed that he had played there and knew the conditions."

Banlgadesh women 130 for 5 (Sanjida 71*, Murshida 33, Boochatham 2-31) beat Thailand women 60 for 7 (Padunglerd 15*, Sharmin 2-9, Akter 2-17) by 70 runs

Asia Cup champions Bangladesh women won their second title in as many years by beating Thailand women in the final of the Women's T20 World Cup Qualifer in Dundee on Saturday. A valiant and unbeaten opening effort of 71 off 60 balls from Sanjida Islam and two wickets each from spinners Nahida Akter and Shaila Sharmin highlighted their 70-run win as they defended 130.

As both teams had already qualified for the Women's T20 World Cup to be played in Australia next year, Bangladesh's win on Saturday put them in Group A (Australia, India, New Zealand and Sri Lanka) whereas Thailand head to Group B (England, South Africa, West Indies and Pakistan).

"We are very happy to be heading to Australia for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in February. Being at the world stage helps us grow the women's game back home in Bangladesh. We hope they can watch and be inspired to play," Bangladesh captain Salma Khatun said.

The Bangladesh openers made full use of their decision to bat with a partnership of 68 in 10 overs before Murshida Khatun was bowled by legspinner Suleeporn Laomi for 33 off 34 balls. Sanjida hardly got anymore support from the rest of the line-up but her maiden T20I fifty carried Bangladesh all the way till the end as she struck six fours and three sixes in all. No other Bangladesh batsman scored in double digits as Jahanara Alam was run out for 3 and Fahima Khatun was stumped on her first ball which was a wide.

Thailand stuttered in their chase early by starting slow and losing three wickets in the first six overs. Their top four fell for single-digit scores, totalling 14 runs in all, as Nahida dismissed the openers in her first two overs. They couldn't put on any substantial partnership until Wongpaka Liengprasert and captain Sornnarin Tippoch (8) came together for 24 runs for the fifth wicket. Tippoch was soon caught on the legside off Sharmin, leaving Thailand with a tall task of scoring 90 runs in the last five overs. Leingprasert was boweld by Sharmin for 11 off 29 in the 16th over and Ratanaporn Padunglerd's unbeaten 15 off 14 with a four and a six only reduced Thailand's margin of defeat.

Seldom on a single day can it have been possible to see the two leading batsmen of their team more far apart in terms of their command. Steven Smith's lowest score of a remarkable series was also his most impudent and domineering, making a wearing pitch and desperate England bowlers look like a computer game in beginner and/or practice mode.

The flip side, though, was the seemingly inevitable departure of David Warner for his third duck in a row and his sixth dismissal out of eight by Stuart Broad in this Ashes contest.

By this stage, both Warner and Broad looked very used to their roles. When Broad skidded his sixth ball through a backtracking Warner and into his pads in front of middle and leg, he ran towards the slips in celebration without even bothering to appeal to the umpire Marais Erasmus. When Warner walked down the wicket in the direction of his partner Marcus Harris, who motioned the possibility of a referral, he simply offered the rebuke "that's salmon" trout, aka out.

Batsmen sinking to such depths in series past have taken varying approaches to their plight. In 1989 Graham Gooch, his feet and mind muddled by Terry Alderman, asked to be dropped late in the series and had his request granted. In later years his answering machine message is said to have been "I'm out, probably lbw Alderman". Daryll Cullinan, having been rendered useless by Shane Warne and his flipper across several series, sought the help of a sports psychologist, only to have Warne greet him with, "what colour was the couch, Daryll?"

Whatever the approach Warner chooses to take, it is beyond all doubt that his chosen method for this Ashes series has proven faulty. With the exception of a single innings on the first day at Headingley, where he admirably played the line of the ball as it zipped repeatedly away from him, Warner has been left looking indecisive, defensive and above all vulnerable to the new ball. It is not a sensation many of the opposing bowlers and captains to face Warner in Test matches have ever felt before.

Old Trafford, in fact, was Warner's first pair in Tests, three ducks in a row in all after the second innings at Leeds. That statistic underlines how superbly consistent he has been for Australia, as does another: as of this moment his career Test batting average stands at 46.01 - the lowest it has been since early 2014. Back then, Warner was in the midst of the best year of his Test career, being the dominant Australian performer in series in South Africa and the UAE, underlining his aggressive versatility in a range of conditions.

In England, Warner has never performed at his very best, to this day being unable to make a Test century here, but on both the 2013 and 2015 Ashes tours he looked to be on an upwards trajectory as a batsman. There were times in both series when he felt only a strong half an hour away from soaring to a match-shaping hundred. Four years later, older, wiser and refreshed by an enforced 12 months out of the game, he seemed intent on sanding down his usual English method to a point of perfection.

As he put it in Leeds: "My theory has always been the same when I come to England ... for me it's about taking out that lbw equation but then not trying to get out nicked off from a good length ball and knowing where your off stump is there. So it's about creating ... you want them to come into your pads when you bat outside off and you can get the cheeky one inside midwicket, that's the thought process behind it."

At the same time, Warner had worked on his tempo, trying to calm himself down and ensure he was not forever batting in a state something near to rage against his opponents. To achieve this he had taken measures including the use of headphones when batting in the nets, listening to chill out music by the likes of Lewis Capaldi, and generally trying to take on a more pacific air around the Australian team.

Unfortunately for Warner, he has come up against parallel evolution from a genuinely great bowler in Broad, who had enjoyed some success against him in four previous Ashes encounters, but nothing to suggest he would b quite as dominant as this. The cornerstone of Broad's attack has been to attack both stumps and edge from around the wicket, causing Warner to be worried on both sides of his bat with a range of consequent dismissals.

Nothing has underlined the muddle quite like the fact that Warner has twice been dismissed edging balls he was never fully committed to playing and ultimately tried to leave. It's the sort of indecision that Alderman used to provoke in a host of English batsmen while taking 83 Test wickets across two tours here in 1981 and 1989. But it is more or less unheard of for Warner, who has generally taken the approach of playing shots and asking questions later.

There are, of course, mitigating factors for Warner. Collectively there have been few Test series more dicey for opening batsmen than this one, with the decision to use the older vintage specification of the Dukes ball aiding new ball bowlers on both sides. Equally, the struggles of those around him have also hurt: so often Warner has eased pressure on his partners by getting the scoreboard moving early. This time, when he perhaps needed some help in the other direction, it has not been forthcoming from Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris or Usman Khawaja.

That being said, Australia's selectors have been left with a lot of questions about their top order for the future. While Smith has been magnificent and Marnus Labuschagne has emerged, there is very little certainty to be found elsewhere, even from someone as good as Warner has been. Quality over an extended period should be recognised, and Warner has this very much in his favour. At the same time, Khawaja's dropping for Manchester provided a reminder that no-one is indispensable, as the coach Justin Langer continues his search for a deeper well of prolific Australian batsmen to choose from.

Ironically, a source of potential inspiration for Warner was provided by the fortunes of Mitchell Starc on day four. Initially left out of this series and then struggling in his first spells, Starc showed how he had learned and adapted to English requirements, while not losing the impact that has made him so striking an option for Australia down the years. In the long session after tea on day three during which he did not bowl a single ball, Starc had time to ponder how he had bowled in his first spells of the series.

Undoubtedly he had not targeted the stumps enough, dropping too short and also offering width. But with Ben Stokes and Johnny Bairstow fairly well entrenched on the fourth morning, he was granted the chance to make amends with the brand new ball. At Headingley the second new ball had been struck about firmly by the same two England batsmen, but here Starc was able to bend it to his will. Smartly mixing up scrambled seam deliveries - devised to move off the pitch - with straighter seam offerings searching for swing, he was soon discomforting both batsmen.

Stokes nicked one centimetres over his stumps, and Bairstow was little more comfortable. A couple of deliveries shaped to swing back without going the whole way, but eventually Starc got one exactly right, swerving neatly through Bairstow's expansive drive. It was his biggest swinging delivery of the match so far, and had a sequel soon after when Stokes went back and could not cover a ball with bounce and just enough seam away, resulting in a third catch of the innings for Steven Smith a second slip.

In this spell, Starc demonstrated not only his strike power, but also an evolving ability to ask different questions in English climes: exactly what the selectors had wanted from him when they left him out of the first three Tests. It was a spell that had a huge bearing on Australia's commanding position by the end of the day, but also provided something in the way of an example for Warner to look towards. For him, the only way is up.

England 301 (Burns 81, Root 71) and 18 for 2 trail Australia 497 for 8 (Smith 211, Labuschagne 67) and 186 for 6 dec (Smith 82) by 365 runs

It's been suspected all summer long, but at last we have definitive proof. Steven Smith is playing a different game to the rest of the combatants in this Ashes series. How else do you explain the events of the fourth day at Old Trafford, a day on which his ninth consecutive Ashes half-century carried Australia to the brink of what will surely be their first successful defence of the Ashes in England since 2001.

Hot on the heels of his 211 in the first innings, and into the teeth of a frenzied bowling onslaught from Stuart Broad and a reinvigorated Jofra Archer, Smith made light of Australia's pre-tea scoreline of 44 for 4 to josh and flinch, and poke and swat his way to a bafflingly indomitable 82 from 92 balls.

It was Smith's lowest score of the series maybe, but incredibly, for the fourth time in five dismissals this summer, his departure was more or less self-inflicted. With a lead of 345 already in the bag and Australia straining for a late-evening declaration having bowled England out for 301 in their first innings, Smith's inside-out carve picked out Ben Stokes at deep extra cover to complete a match aggregate of 293 runs - a tally which accounted for more than three-quarters of England's eventual target of 383.

Steadfast in adversity then cocksure once on top, Smith had to ride his luck against Broad in particular, who was magnificent, but backed his peerless judgement on an afternoon when the rest of Australia's top five managed a top score of 12 between them. That included the hapless David Warner, to whom Broad delivered the first pair of his Test career, while bagging him for the sixth time this series, and for the seventh single-figure score out of eight in a grim campaign.

And then, as to confirm just how other-worldly Smith's efforts really had been, in steamed Pat Cummins with the shadows looming at the start of a nervy mini-session for England's top order. Four balls into his evening's work, he had torn out the spine of England's intended rearguard, inducing a third-ball leading edge to have Rory Burns caught in the covers for a duck, before serving up an absolute snorter that pinged the top of Joe Root's off stump for a golden duck - the perfect line, the perfect pace, and - unlike the one that zagged into Root's pads in the first innings - the perfect jag off the seam to beat the outside edge of his crestfallen bat.

The rocks of England's first-innings reply had been shattered, and though Jason Roy in his current form would have been Cummins' dream pick for a hat-trick target, he endured to the close alongside Joe Denly to carry what remains of England's fight into the fifth day. For let's be realistic - for all that England hunted down 359 to complete the miracle of Headingley, this Old Trafford pitch is a different beast entirely, offering stump-threatening skid and late movement to those who pitch it up, not least the lesser-spotted Mitchell Starc, whose three wickets in the morning session had been a harbinger of the dramas to come.

Starc had been Australia's weak link at the start of England's innings, bowling just 11 expensive overs on the third day as Cummins and Josh Hazlewood showed the way for their side with their devotion to sharp pace on a good length. But with England resuming 98 runs shy of saving the follow-on, and charged with extending their innings as deep into the day as possible, it was Starc's swing that tore the stuffing out of their morning's efforts, as Jonny Bairstow was bowled on the drive by a hooping inswinger (for the 32nd time in his career) before that man Stokes succumbed for the first time since the Headingley first innings, expertly extracted by a curler on off stump that he couldn't help but nudge to slip.

For the remainder of England's innings, it was hard to know whether to stick or twist - to reduce the deficit quickly before the wickets ran out, or to stick to the original gameplan of eating as much time out of the game as possible. In the event, it turned into a curious tribute to that Headingley run-chase, as the tail rallied around Jos Buttler to tick off the runs required for a small psychological win - the avoidance of a follow-on that Australia almost certainly would not have enforced anyway. They duly managed it, with Jack Leach once again resolute at No.11, but when Buttler missed a slog to be bowled for 41, the remaining deficit of 196 was still pretty daunting.

When England emerged for Australia's second innings, however, with Ben Stokes - tellingly - giving the team-talk as they huddled before the first ball, it was clear that the spirit of Headingley was still infusing their self-belief. Six balls later, there could be no doubt at all. In spite of his flatlining form, Warner remains one of the most deadly second-innings batsmen in the game, especially when presenting with the chance to build on a lead. Half an hour of his devil-may-care thumping could have cooked England's goose by the tea-break. Instead he was thumped on the knee-roll by a pumped-up Broad, and sent on his way for his third duck in a row, a massively motivating scalp for the team and a partisan crowd.

Six overs later, Broad repeated the dose to extract Marcus Harris in identical fashion - round the wicket, swinging in, pinned in front of middle and leg, and when Broad scuttled his second ball to Smith, who jammed his bat down late to dig it off his stumps, battle had been well and truly joined. Not least by Archer, who might well have been piqued by the reaction to his first-innings display, but was undoubtedly riled by the sledging he had received during a brief innings in which he had almost run himself out first ball.

Suddenly his pace leapt back up by that missing 5mph, and the crowd revved up in response, as Marnus Labuschagne became the third lbw of the innings - again round the wicket, again clipping leg, and cheekily waved goodbye by Broad as he turned to offer some chat to the England huddle after unsuccessfully reviewing. Travis Head then had his middle stump dynamited on the same angle, as he too paid the price for engaging in the verbals in the course of an over that peaked at 93mph.

But throughout it all, Smith batted with the abandon of a man who had already been batting for 319 balls on this surface. At times, he seemed so carefree he seemed liable to pop his own bubble, but such is Smith's talent, that even when he seems not to be fully focused, he retains the wherewithal to avoid errors against the genuinely threatening deliveries, and to keep the score ticking ever upwards.

Even so, Broad continued to hound him like few bowlers have managed since that Archer duel at Lord's, and on 28, he came excruciatingly close to playing on as he dug out a yorker - the first ball of a new spell - and watched it trundle millimetres past his leg stump. And then, on 48, came the moment of near-genius that all but dislodged a genius. As he stooped to reverse-sweep the leaky spin of Leach, Stokes at slip saw him inverting his stance and sprinted to gully, where he dived to his right and all but clung onto a stunning catch in both hands. But the ball wriggled out and the moment was lost. So too, the last chance for England to dictate any remaining terms in the innings.

By the close, the die was cast. England limped to 18 for 2 at stumps - an outstanding deficit of 365 that Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy and Jos Buttler would find a challenging ask in white-ball cricket, let alone red. Consecutive miracles is asking too much of any Ashes campaign. Especially when it's the opposition's star player who is batting like a God.

The Atlanta Falcons and Julio Jones have agreed to a landmark three-year extension that ties the star wide receiver with the team through 2023, the team announced Saturday.

The $66 million extension includes $66 million in guaranteed money, with $64 million due at signing, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen.

"I love this city, and I'm committed to being a Falcon for life," Jones said in a statement.

Jones had two years and almost $21 million remaining on his contract.

"There are a handful of elite receivers and Julio is certainly a part of that group, not only because of his production on the field but his leadership off the field and in the locker room," general manager Thomas Dimitroff said in a statement. "Julio has been a cornerstone of our organization for several years and we have always intended for that to continue for years to come."

The deal makes Jones the NFL's highest-paid wide receiver in terms of guaranteed money. Jones will collect 97% of the contract at signing, surpassing the previous record for a non-quarterback (Trey Flowers, 74%).

It also means Jones, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, will be in the lineup for the Falcons' season opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Both team owner Arthur Blank and Dimitroff vowed to prioritize an extension for Jones after the team adjusted his contract last year, giving him an additional $2.9 million for 2018.

"He's been such a huge part of my career up until this point," Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said in a statement. "Just so consistent. His production is through the roof. Obviously, he's an unbelievable teammate. He's a great friend.

"I'd love to play with him my entire career. He's one of the absolute best to ever do it. [I'm] certainly lucky to have played with him for as long as I have, and I hope there's a lot more in the tank for both of us."

The latest deal for Jones could not be reached until after July 27 -- 12 months following his last renegotiation -- per collective bargaining agreement rules.

Jones expressed trust for the organization throughout the process. His decision not to participate in the voluntary offseason program was not believed to be contract-related. Jones showed up for mandatory minicamp but did not participate while rehabilitating from having a bunion removed from his foot.

He also reported to training camp on time, although he has spent most of camp rehabbing on a side field.

Blank promised to reward Jones, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and linebacker Deion Jones leading into the 2019 season. Jarrett received a four-year, $68 million contract ($38 million guaranteed), and Deion Jones received a four-year, $57 million extension ($34 million guaranteed).

Julio Jones downplayed how other top receivers could affect his negotiations, although it is believed to have played a role.

Jones, the fastest in NFL history to 10,000 receiving yards (103 games), holds eight franchise records. He enters the 2019 season with five straight seasons with at least 80 catches and 1,400 receiving yards. His 10,731 receiving yards are 133 shy of surpassing Roddy White for the franchise record.

The Falcons selected Jones with the sixth overall pick in the 2011 draft out of Alabama. His 96.7 receiving yards per game ranks as the highest average in NFL history.

Jones' extension follows a five-year, $150 million extension signed by Ryan last year. The next offensive player to receive an extension is likely to be tight end Austin Hooper, who was named to his first Pro Bowl last season.

The Oakland Raiders have announced they've released Antonio Brown, making the wide receiver eligible to sign with any team at 4:01 p.m. ET Saturday.

The Raiders have released WR Antonio Brown from the team today.

— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) September 7, 2019

"We just have exhausted everything. We tried every way possible to make it work," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. "And all I'm going to say, is that it is disappointing. I'm really proud of our players, our coaches, our owner, our front office. We did everything we could to make this work. I'm sorry it didn't. I apologize, but I will tell you that I am very proud of what we did as an organization to try. And I wish Antonio nothing but the best. And I'm sorry we never got a chance to see Antonio in the Silver & Black."

Brown's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is trying to find the wide receiver's next home.

"Now that Antonio is a free agent, we are focused on the future and I will immediately work on signing him to a new team," Rosenhaus said in a statement. "Antonio is looking forward to a new beginning."

The move comes after Brown asked to be released by the team in an Instagram post earlier Saturday.

View this post on Instagram

And that's fine ! I have worked my whole life to prove that the system is blind to see talent like mines.Now that everyone sees it, they want me to conform to that same system that has failed me all those years. "I'm not mad at anyone. I'm just asking for the freedom to prove them all wrong." Release me @raiders #NOMore #theyputblindersonahorseforareason #NoMoreFake

A post shared by Boomin (@ab) on Sep 7, 2019 at 6:02am PDT

Brown told ESPN's Jeff Darlington in an email Saturday that there is "no way" he plays for the Raiders.

The Pro Bowl wide receiver said that was his stance after the team "took away my [contract] guarantees." He added: "no way I play after they took that and made my contract week to week."

The Raiders fined Brown $215,073.53 for conduct detrimental to the team, league sources told Schefter on Saturday.

By fining Brown, the Raiders voided the $29.125 million worth of guaranteed money in his deal, sources told Schefter.

In addition, the Raiders sent Brown a letter stating that he no longer will be entitled to termination pay, sources told Schefter. As a result, Brown would have been playing on a week-to-week basis with both his guaranteed money voided and lack of termination pay.

Though Brown is cleared to sign with any team after 4 p.m. Saturday, he's not eligible to play until Week 2 at the earliest.

"I tell you, he's a good guy," Gruden said. "He's misunderstood by a lot of people. He's a good guy. He's a great player and I hope he gets what he's looking for."

Brown never played a game for Oakland, but was the center of the Raiders' offseason story.

He spent time away from the team as he attempted to resolve an issue with his helmet, was fined for missing that time, got into a verbal altercation with general manager Mike Mayock over those fines, and was fined for the altercation.

Additionally, Brown on Friday night posted a video on YouTube of a private phone call he had with Gruden.

In the video, which lasted 1 minute, 57 seconds, Brown is heard taking a call from Gruden, who asks the receiver: "What the hell is going on, man?"

Brown answered, "Just a villain all over the news, man."

Gruden then called Brown "the most misunderstood" person he has met, before asking him: "Do you want to be a Raider or not?"

Brown answered: "Man, I've been trying to be a Raider since day one. I've been f---ing working my ass off harder than anyone. I don't know why it's a question of me being a Raider. It's like do you guys want me to be a Raider?"

Gruden then asked the receiver to stop the off-the-field stuff and "just play football."

"How hard is that?" Gruden could be heard saying. "You're a great football player. Just play football."

Brown then told his coach it's not that simple.

"I'm more than just a football player, man," he said. "I'm a real person. I'm a real person. It ain't about the football, I know I can do that. I show you guys that on the daily. This is my life. Ain't no more games."

It wasn't immediately clear when the call between Brown and Gruden took place. A Raiders source told ESPN's Chris Mortensen on Friday night that Gruden was truly amused by the video and even thought it was "awesome."

Now Gruden has to go forward without the man figured to be the Raiders' top playmaker.

"Unfortunately this has overshadowed a lot of great performances by young people who put themselves in position to start their career on Monday Night Football."

It's otherwise an all-lightweight main card today, but right now the heavyweights are taking over the Octagon. Curtis Blaydes (11-2), No. 4 in the ESPN divisional rankings, is taking on Shamil Abdurakhimov (20-4). Blaydes has won four of his last five, and Abdurakhimov has won three in a row. Big stakes, you might say.

Coming into 2019, the idea of seeing Khabib Nurmagomedov, the UFC's undefeated Muslim champion, headline a major event in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, would not have seemed far-fetched. Picturing Dustin Poirier as the man standing across from him, however, would have been much harder to envision.

It's not that Poirier (25-5) wasn't one of the top lightweights in the world coming into this year. Quite the contrary. In 2018, Poirier stopped Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez, extending his unbeaten streak to five. His record at 155 pounds in the UFC, coming into 2019, was 7-1 with one no contest.

But Poirier wasn't really on many people's radar when it came to the Nurmagomedov sweepstakes. And if he was on someone's list, there were plenty of names ahead of him. Former interim champ Tony Ferguson, for one. Reigning featherweight champion Max Holloway, for another. And, of course, the 1,000-pound gorilla in any MMA conversation, Conor McGregor.

But in April, with McGregor missing in action and Ferguson dealing with personal issues, Poirier got his shot at a vacant interim title against Holloway, who agreed to move up in weight. Poirier defeated Holloway via unanimous decision in a masterful five-round performance to earn his shot at arguably the most coveted belt in MMA today: the UFC lightweight title.

Saturday's UFC 242 main event represents several things. It represents the beginning of the UFC's five-year commitment to Abu Dhabi. It represents a return to normalcy in the 155-pound division, where a champion will actually defend his belt against the No. 1 contender, something McGregor never did in his 511-day reign as champ.

And for Poirier, the bout represents something that he has put into words perfectly: "25 minutes to make life fair." It took Poirier 22 fights in the UFC to become an interim champion. In the history of the UFC, only Michael Bisping (26) had to make more appearances before earning his first title shot.

Honestly, when the year began, the sport probably didn't expect Poirier to be here this weekend. But he has erased any alternative, while earning his shot the hard way.

By the numbers

11: UFC wins for Nurmagomedov, the most without a loss by any fighter in UFC history. With a win on Saturday, Nurmagomedov would become the seventh fighter with a 12-fight UFC win streak, joining Anderson Silva (16), Jon Jones (13), Demetrious Johnson (13), Georges St-Pierre (13), Max Holloway (13) and Tony Ferguson (12).

+2.26: Strike differential per minute for Nurmagomedov, the highest in UFC lightweight history. Next on the list are TJ Grant (+2.19), Sage Northcutt (+2.08) and Saturday's opponent, Poirier (+2.06).

7.11: Strikes landed per minute by Poirier, second most in UFC lightweight history.

50: Takedowns for Nurmagomedov in his UFC lightweight career, third most in division history behind Gleison Tibau's 84 and Clay Guida's 51.

6: Knockouts at lightweight for Poirier, leaving him one behind Edson Barboza and Melvin Guillard for most in the history of that UFC weight class. Barboza also fights Saturday.

Source: ESPN Stats & Information

A look back ... and downward

Five vs. five

Khabib Nurmagomedov's most recent results
Win: Conor McGregor (SUB4, Oct. 6, 2018)
Win: Al Iaquinta (UD, April 7, 2018)
Win: Edson Barboza (UD, Dec. 30, 2017)
Win: Michael Johnson (SUB3, Nov. 12, 2016)
Win: Darrell Horcher (TKO2, April 16, 2016)

Dustin Poirier's most recent results
Win: Max Holloway (UD, April 13, 2019)
Win: Eddie Alvarez (TKO2, July 28, 2018)
Win: Justin Gaethje (TKO4, April 14, 2018)
Win: Anthony Pettis (TKO3, Nov. 11, 2017)
NC: Eddie Alvarez (illegal knees, May 13, 2017)

Abu Dhabi déjà vu?

Fighting words

"I have a chance to do something great. Not too many times in your life do certain events happen to set you up to do something like this on Saturday night. Champion vs. champion in an arena they're building in the desert in a foreign land [where] I've never been. It's a very special point in my career and a special point in combat sports. It's gonna be an historic night." -- Poirier, speaking to ESPN

"The difference between all of his opponents and me -- Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Pettis, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, Jim Miller, all of these guys -- nobody can wrestle like me. Nobody. And I'm going to put pressure [on him], very good pressure. And he has to wrestle with me all 25 minutes. With these guys, he can box with them. But with me, he have to wrestle. He have to be ready for this one. And I don't think he's ready for this." -- Nurmagomedov, speaking to ESPN

Gil & Joe's film study

Brett Okamoto's pick

Poirier's performance against Holloway, who is a bona fide pound-for-pound great, was eye-opening to say the least. Poirier is tough and resilient, but he's also much more than that. For him to not only match but outperform Holloway in areas such as cardio and striking accuracy was sublime to watch. This 30-year-old interim champ is brimming with confidence coming into this fight, and he's arguably one of the best-conditioned athletes Nurmagomedov has ever fought. But Nurmagomedov is just too hard to pick against. Nurmagomedov via decision.

Waiting in the wings

Tony Ferguson. Or maybe the next title shot could go to ... Tony Ferguson. Here are a few more options: Tony Ferguson, Tony Ferguson, Tony Ferguson. Don't even try cutting the line and stepping in front of "El Cucuy."

What else to look for ... beyond the main event

A striking rematch in the co-main

"I think this fight takes Felder to another level."

That was UFC president Dana White singing the praises of Paul Felder in the aftermath of his 2015 fight against Edson Barboza. Felder had clearly impressed the boss, but he wasn't so impressed himself. Felder had just dropped a unanimous decision, the first loss of his career.

"I got that first L," Felder said afterward, sounding despondent but determined. "Now I'm just gonna have to get a whole lot more W's."

That did not turn out to be his immediate path -- Felder lost again barely a month later -- but now he is on a good run, having won four of his past five. And in Saturday's co-main event he gets another shot at Barboza, whose recent career has gone the other way -- three losses in his past four fights.

A few co-main appetizers, courtesy of ESPN Stats & Information:

• Barboza (20-7) has 14 UFC wins, fourth most in lightweight history, behind Jim Miller (19), Donald Cerrone (17) and Gleison Tibau (16).

• Seven of Barboza's UFC wins have come by KO/TKO, tying him with Melvin Guillard for most in lightweight history. Five of those finishes were with kicks or knees, tied for second most in UFC history.

• Barboza has 10 knockdowns in his UFC career, placing him third in lightweight history behind Guillard (13) and Cerrone (11).

• Felder (16-4) has finished 11 of his wins (10 KO/TKOs, 1 submission).

• Three of Felder's UFC finishes have come by elbows, most in promotion history.

Can she rise to the occasion at a higher level?

Andrea Lee has won seven fights in a row, but she has never faced anyone like Joanne Calderwood, whom she meets in Saturday's feature prelim. Calderwood has lost three of her past five -- but against fighters at a higher level than those Lee has been in with during her three-bout UFC stint.

Calderwood (13-4) is No. 4 in ESPN's rankings at women's flyweight, while Lee (11-2) checks in at No. 8.

Lee is coming off a June win over Montana De La Rosa in which she outlanded her opponent 73-14, according to UFC Stats research. But Calderwood connected with 112 significant strikes in her fight that same month, a loss to No. 2-ranked Katlyn Chookagian, and lands the second-most significant strikes per minute among active women's fighters, at 6.1.

Expect a whole lot of swinging.

Bits and pieces

• Zubaira Tukhugov, who faces UFC newcomer Lerone Murphy in a featherweight prelim, will be fighting for the first time since a 2016 loss to Renato Moicano, which ended a nine-fight winning streak. Tukhugov is one of the Nurmagomedov teammates who were suspended for their actions during the brawl with Conor McGregor's team at UFC 229 last October.

• Murphy is 8-0 with five wins by KO/TKO, all in the first round.

• Also making an Octagon debut is bantamweight Liana Jojua (7-2), who has won her past five fights, four by first-round submission. She faces Sarah Moras, a loser in her past three. Another loss would put Moras in a tie for fourth for most consecutive losses among UFC women.

• Ottman Azaitar (11-0) looks to extend his perfect record in his first UFC fight, a lightweight prelim. But he has a formidable obstacle in front of him: Teemu Packalen (8-2), who has finished all eight of his wins.

• Packalen has not fought since 2017, and his past two bouts have lasted a combined 54 seconds -- a 30-second KO loss to Marc Diakiese in March of that year and a 24-second submission win over Thibault Gouti in February 2016.

• Belal Muhammad (15-3), who fights Takashi Sato (15-2) in a welterweight prelim, is 5-1 in the UFC when he gets multiple takedowns, according to UFC Stats.

• Nordine Taleb (15-6) is one of two UFC welterweights all time who is in the top 10 in both significant strike accuracy (50.8%) and significant strike defense (66.3%), along with former champion Georges St-Pierre, according to UFC Stats. He faces Muslim Salikhov (14-2).

• Thirteen of Salikhov's wins have come by stoppage, including 11 by KO/TKO.

• The early prelims begin with a meeting of two lightweights on five-fight winning streaks. Don Madge (8-3-1) and Fares Ziam (10-2) also have finished 17 of their combined 18 MMA wins.

(Thanks to ESPN Stats & Information for the intel.)

SHENZHEN, China -- Kemba Walker scored 15 points, Donovan Mitchell scored 10 on his 23rd birthday and Team USA contained NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, defeating Greece 69-53 in a second-round game at the FIBA World Cup on Saturday.

Harrison Barnes and Derrick White each scored nine for the U.S. (4-0), which can clinch a quarterfinal berth Monday in multiple ways. It needs either a win over Brazil or a Greece win over the Czech Republic or through a three-way tiebreaker, if necessary.

Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks star, scored 15 points for Greece (2-2).

France and Australia reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup on Saturday. They join Serbia, Spain, Poland and Argentina, who have already reached the final eight.

The U.S. national team has won 57 consecutive games in international tournaments with NBA players, starting with the 2006 world championships bronze-medal game and continuing through every FIBA Americas, world championships, World Cup and Olympic event since.

The streak started after a 101-95 loss to Greece in 2006 -- a defeat that prompted the U.S. to change its program.

The Americans haven't lost in the biggest tournaments since.

"I thought we played well," Walker said. "Stuck to the game plan."

Antetokounmpo's eyes were closed as he mouthed along with the words of Greece's national anthem. After the U.S. anthem played and the rosters from both sides met at midcourt for the customary pregame exchange of gifts, the NBA MVP shook hands with Bucks teammate Brook Lopez and gave him a quick hug.

Other than that, there was no pregame interaction between Antetokounmpo and the Americans.

He was aggressive from the jump, spinning his way to a layup on the first possession, making a 3-pointer on Greece's second possession and getting fouled on a baseline drive on the next trip down the floor.

That was five points in the first 43 seconds for Antetokounmpo. He scored four in his next 18 minutes of playing time.

The Americans kept a steady stream of different looks coming at the MVP -- who was guarded in the first half alone by Barnes, Khris Middleton, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Myles Turner. Brown and Smart, perhaps mindful of what Antetokounmpo did against their Celtics in last season's playoffs, held him scoreless in the half and the U.S. went into the break with a 38-25 lead.

Antetokounmpo had a steal and dunk late in the third, which got plenty of fans out of their seats and Greek fans waving flags. But the outcome was never in doubt, and the MVP was on the bench for the entire fourth quarter in a somewhat puzzling move.

TIP-INS

U.S.: Mitchell's birthday came a day after Joe Harris turned 28. ... Smart, who has twice missed time with leg injuries this summer, slipped and fell as he chased a loose ball out of bounds with 1:11 left in the first. He stayed in the game. ... The U.S. shot only 36%.

Greece: The outcome came five years to the day after the Greeks were ousted by Serbia in the Round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup. ... Nick Calathes became the third Florida player to be part of a loss to the U.S. this summer; Andrew Nembhard played for Canada in the Americans' pre-World Cup win in Australia; and Scottie Wilbekin played for Turkey in its overtime loss to the U.S. in the group stage.

HOLDING LEADS

Through four games, the U.S. has trailed for all of 7 minutes, 48 seconds -- out of a possible 165 minutes. The Americans have led for 147:02, and games have been tied for 10:10.

CLAMPING DOWN

The U.S. has held Japan and Greece to a combined 98 points in the last two games. That represents the fewest points the U.S. has allowed in consecutive games of a major international tournament since the 1988 Olympics, when the Americans gave up 92 in a two-game stretch against Egypt and Puerto Rico.

UP NEXT

U.S.: Plays Brazil (3-1) in a second-round finale Monday in Shenzhen.

Greece: Plays Czech Republic (3-1) in a second-round finale Monday in Shenzhen.

FRANCE 78, LITHUANIA 75

At Nanjing, Evan Fournier led France with 24 points and Nando De Colo scored 21. France led 65-54 after three quarters and withstood a closing charge by Lithuania.

Jonas Valanciunas led Lithuania with 18 points and eight rebounds. Mantas Kalnietis scored 12.

CZECH REPUBLIC 93, BRAZIL 71

At Shenzhen, the Czech Republic kept itself in the hunt for a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals with an easy win over the previously unbeaten South Americans.

Tomas Satoransky scored 20 points, added nine assists and had seven rebounds for the Czechs (3-1), who will play Greece on Monday. Ondrej Balvin scored 15.

"It was another great victory for us,'' Satoransky said, with the team playing to its identity by "playing fast, running, sharing the ball and fighting on defense.''

Added coach Ronen Ginzburg: "It's an amazing time for us, for Czech Republic basketball. It's a great win.''

Vitor Benite scored 12 for Brazil (3-1), which will face the U.S. on Monday in the second-round finale for both teams. Leandro Barbosa and Marcelinho Huertas each scored 11 for Brazil.

AUSTRALIA 82, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 76

At Nanjing, Australia -- which had already clinched a place in next year's Olympics by being the top team in the World Cup out of Oceania -- took away the Dominican Republic's chances of reaching the quarterfinals.

Australia (4-0) was led by Patty Mills of the San Antonio Spurs with 19 points and nine assists. Chris Goulding added 15 with 13 from Jock Landale. Eloy Vargas led the Dominicans with 16 points and Victor Liz added 14.

TOKYO OLYMPICS

Australia joins Japan as the two qualified teams for Tokyo. Japan is in as the host nation. Six more teams for the 12-team Olympic field will be decided from the World Cup.

3-POINT RECORD

Canada set a FIBA World Cup (and world championship, its predecessor) single-game record for 3-pointers made, hitting 24 of them in a 55-point win over Jordan.

The previous record was 19, accomplished twice, both times by the U.S. in 1994 -- first against Puerto Rico, then again against Russia. The second-highest total at this World Cup was 18, done Saturday by New Zealand against Japan.

CLASSIFICATION ROUND

New Zealand (2-2) 111, Japan (0-4) 81

Canada (2-2) 126, Jordan (0-4) 71

Turkey (2-2) 79, Montenegro (0-4) 74

Germany (2-2) 89 vs. Senegal (0-4) 78