The final league game of the three-team Women's T20 Challenge in Jaipur set off a debate over whether Mithali Raj's Velocity should have squandered the opportunity to play a compelling brand of cricket and compete for a win, instead of securing qualification into the final via a botched chase based largely on a "calculative", net-run-rate-centric approach.

The purpose of the four-match tournament, carrying official T20 status, is to build up to a full-fledged IPL-style league for women, by drawing in more audience with high-quality cricket. On Thursday though, Velocity's innings - following No. 3 batsman Danielle Wyatt's dismissal - exemplified anything but, before a 7000-strong crowd.

Chasing 143 against Harmanpreet Kaur's Supernovas, and with both spots in the final up for grabs, the qualification scenario upon Wyatt's departure was that Velocity needed 66 off 51 balls to win. But in the larger scheme of things, they needed at least 40 runs in those 51 balls to qualify for the final even if it came in a loss on the night. Getting to 117 would've allowed Velocity to finish the league on second and pip third-placed Trailblazers on NRR for a final showdown with Supernovas. The target of 117 was the fail-safe for Velocity should they lose the game.

After scoring 77 for 3 from the first 69 balls of the innings on Thursday, Velocity made 53 off the remaining 51 without losing a wicket. They hit only two fours, off 43 balls, until reaching the 117-run mark, their qualification cut-off. By then, the equation for a Velocity win had ballooned to 25 runs off eight balls, and they eventually managed to take only two singles and two more fours.

Steering the chase since Wyatt's dismissal had been Raj and Veda Krishnamurthy, who remained unbeaten on 40 off 42 and 30 off 29 respectively. Krishnamurthy, herself an attacking batsman, shed light on Velocity's conservative approach to the chase in the post-match press conference.

"In the previous game, we made a lapse by losing heap of wickets because we were in a rush to close out the chase," said Krishnamurthy of Velocity's 5-for-0 collapse in pursuit of two runs that nearly cost them the game against Trailblazers on Wednesday.

"So our initial aim [on Thursday] was to qualify for the final because we had a certain target [117] to get. So, we were asked to play accordingly. And when we got close to that target is actually when we tried to go for our shots."

The experienced pair's cautious approach stuck out as a sore thumb in their defeat, for only two days ago, the fearless strokeplay of their 15-year-old uncapped team-mate Shafali Verma became an early highlight of their three-wicket win, and the tournament.

ALSO READ: Shafali, Harleen, Sushree - inspiring hope for India women

Krishnamurthy, however, reasoned that any other approach on their part would have exposed the "inexperienced" Velocity middle-order to a "pressure situation" and put their chances of qualification in jeopardy.

"If you look at it, we did get good runs in the Powerplay," said Krishnamurthy, "with Danni going about playing her natural game. It put us on the front-foot. It was just that we were being very calculative in how to get the game done.

"We wanted to get as close as possible, considering after me, it's a bit of an inexperienced middle order coming in, so we didn't want to put them under a pressure situation. We just wanted to get as close as we can so we have another game to come back and think about it."

South Africa seamer Masabata Klaas revelled in a maiden ODI hat-trick that helped her team draw level in their series against Pakistan, crediting "hard work" for both her and the team's success.

"It's all because of my team-mates and the hard work we've put in," Klaas said. "It's nice. It's a mixture of emotions. It's the first hat-trick of my career, so it feels nice."

Having been bowled out for 63 in the first ODI, South Africa bounced back with an eight-wicket win that was set up by a remarkable burst of seam bowling from Klaas. On a track that hadn't offered much to the quicks, her earlier spells gave no indication of the carnage that was to come, but Klaas' introduction in the 39th over brought an implosion in Pakistan's lower middle order.

After Aliya Riaz sliced a slog to mid on, Klaas found lift and shape outside the off stump to dismiss Umaima Sohail and Sidra Nawaz off the next two deliveries, both caught behind. When wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta tumbled forward to cling on to a low, dipping chance that secured the hat-trick, Klaas charged down the wicket in celebration before she was mobbed by her team-mates. She became just the second South African to take a hat-trick in a women's ODIs, and Pakistan quickly collapsed from 146 for 5 to 147 all out.

Klaas picked up the game as an 11-year-old in her home town of Botshabelo, 50km east of Bloemfontein, playing against boys until she reached provincial age-group cricket. A debut against Sri Lanka in 2010 followed, but Klaas stepped away from international cricket in 2013 to look after her daughter who was born that year. For two years, she continued to play provincial cricket for Free State, finally forcing her way back into national colours against Pakistan in Sharjah in March 2015. She then earned a national contract and became a regular starter in the playing XI.

"She was actually feeling a bit under the weather this morning. But all of a sudden, after that hat-trick, she wasn't sick anymore." Laura Wolvaardt on Klaas

"I've been training hard," Klaas said. "I've been doing a lot of fitness and target bowling. I must say, at the end of the day hard work does pay off.

"It's a nice feeling. Before I came on this tour, I sat down and did my work. I said to myself, even if I get one Woman-of-the-Match trophy, that would be my goal. So, I achieved that, but there's still a lot of work to be done. To be honest, everyone went back to the drawing board and checked what we were lacking, and then everyone worked on where they needed to be. We played good cricket today. I can't wait for the next game. Everyone's in a good space."

Laura Wolvaardt, whose unbeaten 74 sealed South Africa's chase in the afternoon, revealed that Klaas had walked into the game feeling a bit unwell.

"That was so cool," Wolvaardt said. "She was actually feeling a bit under the weather this morning. But all of a sudden, after that hat-trick she wasn't sick anymore. She was sprinting around the field. So we laughed at her a bit for that.

"It's amazing to see her [take a hat-trick]. It's very well deserved. She's been bowling well for a long time and hasn't always got the rewards. I'm really proud of her. I'm really happy she got it."

Klaas' feat was all the more remarkable given that conditions at Senwes Park were actually not helpful for the seamers, with the ball coming on to the bat and a fast outfield providing value for shots.

"Seam was easier to face on this wicket, I felt, and our bowling attack was full of seamers, so they had to really hit their lengths," Wolvaardt said. "Because as soon as they missed their lengths, it was quite easy on this wicket, with a fast outfield as well. Kudos to our seamers, they must have hit their lengths very well to restrict them like that and bowl them out."

The result marked a successful comeback for South Africa, with the series now on the line in the third and final ODI on Sunday.

Nic Maddinson's reinvention from enfant terrible in New South Wales to reliable first-class run-maker in Victoria has been rewarded with a full state contract for his adopted state, a year after he was unceremoniously dumped by the Blues and moved south to Melbourne with the promise only of a Big Bash League deal with the Melbourne Stars.

Though injury curtailed sizeable portions of his season, Maddinson still returned more runs (563) and centuries (three) from five matches for the Shield-winning Victorian side than in any of his previous eight seasons with NSW.

These performances made Maddinson, at 27, a clear choice for a state contract as part of the group chosen by Victoria for 2019-20, its confirmation arriving a day after the long-serving former captain Cameron White was publicly retired from the state.

Maddinson, who played Test cricket without success in 2016-17, will be hopeful that he can emulate the ex-West Australian Marcus Harris, another left-hander who ventured to Victoria in search of a fresh start and found fortune in the system overseen by the Victoria coach Andrew McDonald.

"Our results last season were outstanding and we saw the year as a real step forward in the evolution of the squad. We gave some younger guys opportunities, which they took, and we'll be looking to build on that this season," Victoria's cricket manager Shaun Graf said. "Nic Maddinson was one of the great stories from last season as was the performance of Andrew Fekete at key times and they both bring great experience to the list.

"We're also looking forward to watching the next stage of development in our younger players like Will Sutherland, Mackenzie Harvey and Tom O'Connell, who alongside Will Pucovski are developing strongly. Overall, we are very well placed to meet the demands of the many state and national commitments that will arise over the season."

The fast bowler Wes Agar, and spin bowler Sam Grimwade were the others not offered contracts for next season, while Andrew Fekete earned his first fully-fledged deal after moving north from Tasmania.

Victorian Men's 2019-20 squad Aaron Ayre, Scott Boland, Jackson Coleman, Xavier Crone, Travis Dean, Zak Evans, Andrew Fekete, Aaron Finch, Sebastian Gotch, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Jon Holland, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Tom O'Connell, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Jake Reed, Matthew Short, Peter Siddle, Will Sutherland, Chris Tremain, Eamonn Vines. Rookies: Sam Elliott, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Jonathan Merlo, Ed Newman, Mitchell Perry, Patrick Rowe

High-profile coach Avishka Gunawardene has become the latest ex-Sri Lanka cricketer to attract corruption charges, after he was slapped with two counts of breaching the Emirates Cricket Board's (ECB) Anti-Corruption code. He has been provisionally suspended under the ECB code pending the determination of the charges.

Gunawardene's charges relate to the T10 tournament played in the United Arab Emirates in 2017, in which he was the head coach of "Team Sri Lanka". Nuwan Zoysa, who was bowling coach on that trip, has also been charged with four counts of breaching the ECB's code.

Where Zoysa had already been charged with three counts of breaching the ICC's own code in October last year, Gunawardene is now embroiled in corruption allegations for the first time. And where Zoysa had been sent on compulsory leave by Sri Lanka Cricket when those charges were laid in October, Gunawardene has continued to work as the head coach of Sri Lanka's A team, and more recently, the Emerging Team.

The charges against Gunawardene are as follows:

• Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any participant to breach [the anti-corruption] Code

• Failing to disclose to the Anti-Corruption Unit (without unnecessary delay) full details of any incident, fact, or matter that comes to the attention of a participant that may evidence corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code by another participant.

The ECB's charges on Zoysa, meanwhile, largely map on to the charges the ICC had laid in October, with one additional charge now being brought. Originally, he stood accused of accused of:

• Being involved in attempting to fix or otherwise influence improperly the result or other aspects of a match

• Soliciting fellow professionals to do the same, and

• Failing to disclose any approach by potential fixers to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit

He has been essentially charged with all of the above by the ECB, as well as with failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperate with any investigation carried out by the ACU in relation to possible corrupt conduct.

SLC's CEO Ashley de Silva said the board had not yet made a decision about how to react to the charges laid against Gunawardene, but that a decision would be made on Friday. Gunawardene was due to coach the Emerging Team on a tour of South Africa in June.

Both Gunawardene and Zoysa now have 14 days to respond to these charges.

In addition to these two men, Sanath Jayasuriya and Dilhara Lokuhettige had also been dealt with corruption-related charges as part of a broad ACU investigation in Sri Lanka. Jayasuriya is presently serving a two-year ban on all cricket-related activities for refusing to co-operate with investigations.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals signed No. 1 overall pick quarterback Kyler Murray on Thursday, a day before he is set to take the field for the first time in rookie minicamp.

Murray signed a fully guaranteed four-year deal worth about $35 million, which includes a signing bonus worth about $23.5 million. The deal includes a fifth-year team option.

Since the most recent collective bargaining agreement was signed in 2011, rookie contracts have been standard and the salaries are slotted according to the increase of the salary cap.

"This is just the beginning," Murray said. "I plan to work as hard as I can, lead this team to a lot of wins and, hopefully, a lot of rings."

Murray's decision to play professional football instead of professional baseball paid off in the short term. After he was drafted in the first round in 2018 by the Oakland Athletics, Murray was given a signing bonus of $4.66 million. When Murray was debating between playing baseball or sticking with football, Oakland offered him an additional $14 million, according to reports. In total, the $18.66 million was still less than the signing bonus he received from Arizona.

The #AZCardinals have signed 6 rookies today.

// @K1
// @byronmurphy
// @TheZALLEN44
// @calebwilson81
// @JohnsonKeesean
// Joshua Mileshttps://t.co/YwWmcCqQpc

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) May 9, 2019

"Everything I dreamed of," Murray said. "For me, being in Arizona and being a Cardinal, I can honestly say there is no place I'd rather be. It brings a smile to my face knowing I'll get the opportunity of a lifetime to quarterback this team. I just have to work toward that and earn that."

Murray's deal with the Cardinals contains language that protects the team in the event he chooses to play baseball. Arizona general manager Steve Keim had said last week that a deal with Murray would include such language.

Murray, who won the Heisman Trophy last season, will take part in the Cardinals' rookie minicamp Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Voluntary OTAs begin May 20.

DAVIE, Fla. -- The Miami Dolphins are making young star Xavien Howard the NFL's highest-paid cornerback with a five-year, $76.5 million deal that has $46 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Howard will make $51 million over the first three seasons of his new deal, according to a source.

This move takes care of Howard, the cornerstone of Miami's defense, and sends a strong message to a rebuilding roster that Dolphins general manager Chris Grier is willing to pay young players in their prime.

Howard, 25, is coming off his first Pro Bowl season. He was the NFL's co-interception leader with seven in just 12 games.

The man known to his teammates as "X" has 11 interceptions over his past 17 games, establishing himself as one of the NFL's best ball-hawking cornerbacks.

Negotiations between the Dolphins and Howard's agents have been ongoing over the past few months. Grier and vice president of football administration Brandon Shore satisfied Howard's wishes, caught the eye of the team's best players by taking care of one of its most respected players and retained flexibility to still make big moves in free agency and the draft in 2020.

Miami has 10 draft picks (12 including projected compensatory picks) and may have close to $100 million in cap space to start the 2020 league year.

The Dolphins can now turn their eyes to locking up their extremely talented left tackle Laremy Tunsil either this offseason or the next.

At the Pro Bowl, Howard told ESPN he wanted to be Miami's franchise player, and at the end of the 2018 season he said he wanted to be the NFL's highest-paid cornerback.

This deal accomplishes both objectives for Howard. He becomes Miami's highest-paid player and has surpassed Washington cornerback Josh Norman, who had been the NFL's highest-paid cornerback, signing a five-year, $75 million deal with $36.5 million guaranteed in 2016.

Howard was entering the final year of his rookie deal. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound cornerback certainly exceeded expectations after the Dolphins selected him in the second round of the 2016 draft out of Baylor.

The new deal sets a slightly higher standard for the top end of a cornerback market that has been stagnant since Norman's deal.

The Dolphins were quiet in free agency, but a draft weekend splash to add Josh Rosen and the Howard extension clearly show they are trying to compete in the short term and especially in the long term.

Marcus Smart was adamant Thursday that Kyrie Irving isn't to blame for the Boston Celtics' failure to meet expectations this postseason.

The Celtics were eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks, 116-91 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday night.

"Bulls---. That's bulls---," Smart said when asked Thursday if Irving's leadership skills were behind the Celtics' lack of chemistry. "Not one of us on this team knows what Kyrie has been through. Probably a few amount of people in this world know what Kyrie goes through. It was hard for him as well.

"He was forced into a situation where it was business over the friendships. He had to come into a situation knowing this is a group of guys that had something going before [he came] here. 'How will I fit in?' He didn't want to disrupt that. That says a lot. This is Kyrie Irving we're talking about it, and he's worried about coming in and disrupting us. We took him in with full arms. We tried to understand. But like I said, we never really understood because we're not in his shoes. That's just a bulls--- statement to say his leadership skills killed us."

Irving went 25-for-83 (30.1 percent) from the floor in the Celtics' four losses to the Bucks -- including 6-for-21 shooting in their final game Wednesday.

"We just couldn't find a way to do it. It's nobody's fault. It happens," Smart said Thursday. "... It's four other guys out there, 13 other guys on the team. Coaches and everything. To just blame it on one guy is bulls---."

Celtics guard Jaylen Brown is was "an up and down season from all of us" and acknowledged that it was a struggle to put all the pieces together.

"I don't think anybody was prepared for this year in terms of what the circus was going to be like," Brown said. "The media and everything. The expectations and balancing. The rotations, we didn't know what it was going to be like."

Smart said he has not talked to Irving, who can become a restricted free agent this offseason, about a possible return next season.

"If he wants to talk about it, he will," Smart said. "That's his decision. Not for me to ask. Not really my business. I love Kyrie as a brother. I talk to Kyrie. I wish nothing but the best if he decides to stay. If he decides to go, I wish nothing but the best for Kyrie. It's my brother. But I have not talked to him and I do not plan to. It's his decision."

WASHINGTON -- NBA commissioner Adam Silver wants half of all new referees joining the league to be women -- and he would like to see teams hire female coaches, too.

In an appearance Thursday for The Economic Club of Washington, D.C., Silver said two of the past five refs added from the developmental G League were women, bringing the total number of female officials to three.

"It's an area, frankly, where I've acknowledged that I'm not sure how it was that it remained so male-dominated for so long. Because it's an area of the game where physically, certainly, there's no benefit to being a man, as opposed to a woman, when it comes to refereeing," Silver said.

"The goal is: Going forward, it should be roughly 50-50 of new officials entering in the league. Same for coaches, by the way. We have a program, too. There's no reason why women shouldn't be coaching men's basketball."

There has never been a female head coach in the NBA.

Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Spurs was the league's first full-time female assistant. Kristi Toliver worked as an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards this season; she also still plays for the WNBA's Mystics in the same city.

In December, the Indiana Pacers made Kelly Krauskopf the first woman to hold the title of assistant general manager in the NBA.

Among the other topics Silver was asked about Thursday was the NBA's one-and-done rule, and he reiterated that he has changed his stance on the issue and is willing to let 18-year-old players enter the league.

"I have changed my position. It's a tough one, because not all the teams agree with me on this," Silver said, estimating that about half of the league's clubs are in favor of the switch.

He said the NBA and the players' union are "in active discussions" about that policy and he said any change probably wouldn't happen before the 2022 season. That's because some teams already have traded away picks in upcoming drafts, and because that is the year current freshmen in high school would be eligible to head to the pros.

HOUSTON -- Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant will not play in the rest of his team's Western Conference semifinals series against the Houston Rockets because of a right calf strain, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr says he is confident Durant will be able to return in the conference finals if Golden State can close out this series.

"I think it's good news," Kerr said Thursday night after the Warriors landed in Houston. "Calf strain, he's had them before. He's responded well. Obviously, we're disappointed he won't be able to play in this series. If we're able to win the series and move on, looks good for his return in the not-too-distant future."

Durant injured his calf in the third quarter of Wednesday night's 104-99 Game 5 win over the Rockets. With 2:11 left in the quarter, Durant went up for a jumper over Rockets swingman Iman Shumpert and landed awkwardly. Initially, Warriors personnel were concerned that Durant had suffered an Achilles injury, but an MRI on Thursday confirmed the calf strain.

Durant will be reevaluated in a week. He stayed behind in the Bay Area with a member of the Warriors' training staff to get treatment on his calf.

Kerr said he hadn't spoken to Durant since late Wednesday night, but the feeling of relief from within the Warriors organization is palpable. Kerr says he is confident his team can find a way to win one more game against the Rockets and advance to the Western Conference finals, setting up Durant's potential return in that round. Game 6 of the semis is Friday night in Houston with the Warriors leading the series 3-2.

"It's the playoffs, it's the ultimate test," Kerr said. "We're in a great spot, we're up 3-2. Got championship rings on our fingers. Lot of experience and a lot of confidence that comes from that. So let's go out there and let it rip."

Kerr said he had a pretty good idea of how he wanted to set up his rotations without Durant in the fold, but he wouldn't reveal that until closer to Friday night's game time. The Warriors were expected to have a film session upon arrival in Houston, and Kerr liked the way his team was feeling.

"There's an advantage to have championship experience," Kerr said. "To have rings on your fingers. This group will never be doubted. This group has nothing to prove. There is a freedom with that. We're being hit with injuries, which is a part of it. One of the reasons it's so hard to win a championship because things like this happen. We've been with injuries in the past during this run. This is probably the hardest we've been hit with DeMarcus [Cousins] and Kevin. The challenge is here, right there in front of our guys. We just have to win one game, so let's do it."

Kerr reiterated that point several times during his news conference with reporters, maintaining a sense of humor in the wake of another tough injury setback in the postseason. While discussing the impact of Durant's injury, Kerr drew a few chuckles from the assembled media.

"Just find somebody on the bench who can give us 35 points," Kerr said. "Two blocks and 11 boards and 9 assists.

"He's been the best player in the NBA in the playoffs; he's been phenomenal. And so -- it's obviously a huge loss, but our team has a lot of confidence. They trust each other; they've won championships together. So we come out and we give it our best shot, and we try to mix and match the lineups and find some minutes and some contributions where we haven't had them so far in this series. Guys'll get opportunities who haven't had an opportunity yet. So it'll be a little different, but no reason why we can't go get a win."

PHILADELPHIA -- The Process continues.

Facing elimination and an offseason rife with speculation were the Philadelphia 76ers to lose, Joel Embiid bounced back to lead a 112-101 win over the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night and force a decisive Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

After slogging through Philadelphia's losses in Games 4 and 5 as the Sixers fell behind in the series 3-2, Embiid looked as if he hadn't quite shaken his upper respiratory infection in the first half of Game 6.

He was 1-for-8 from the field, and while the Sixers held a 15-point lead at the break, he hadn't put his stamp on the game.

Then the third quarter came. Embiid put up 10 points on 3-for-5 shooting, six rebounds and two blocks -- both of them coming on Kawhi Leonard -- and played 11 of the 12 minutes. The Sixers led by 20 heading into the fourth, and were well on their way to earning a series split and embracing their All-Star big man's return to form.

"Coming in -- knowing that this was a do-or-die situation," Embiid said, "I knew that I had to come in with high spirits. ... That's what I got to keep on doing -- do the little things, and everything's going to follow."

Embiid finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds in 36 minutes (the most he has played in a game this postseason), as well as a plus-minus of plus-40, the best mark by a player in this season's playoffs.

"It's the playoffs," Embiid said. "I got to play. If I got to play 45 minutes and push myself out there, that's what I got to do. If that's what it takes to win, if my presence on the court is needed, I got to be there. It doesn't matter if it takes the whole game and I'm fine with it. Going to keep on pushing myself, and in Game 7, we're going to need it. I'm going to need to be on the court and I intend to be ready for anything. If I have to play a whole game."

Acknowledging the pressure his team faced Thursday, Sixers coach Brett Brown -- who has heard his owner's expectation to advance further than the second round loud and clear -- said the collective mindset was apparent.

"The mood in the locker room as we went through sort of an early shootaround -- our version of shootaround -- before, you could sense the serious side," Brown said. "They got the moment."

And Ben Simmons seized that moment early, registering eight of his 21 points and five of his six assists in the first quarter, as the Sixers raced out to a 29-21 lead after the first quarter. The Sixers improved to 3-0 in the series when Simmons dished out five or more assists.

"What he did today was lots of the reasons he was an NBA All-Star at age 22, as an NBA point guard with the ball," Brown said. "I really loved his no turnovers and I really loved his offensive rebounds. I thought those two things, amongst all those comments I just made, are what stood out the most. It's the evolution of a 22-year-old, 6-10 point guard [who] used to be a college 4 man."

Simmons and Embiid -- Philadelphia's two tantalizing young talents who often receive as much criticism for their drawbacks (Simmons' shooting deficiency and Embiid's broken-down body) as they do praise for their skills -- heard compliments Thursday.

"He's such a force. He draws a lot of attention so for us we can make plays," Simmons said of Embiid. "He's been doing well for the circumstances he's been under."

Added Jimmy Butler about Simmons: "That's how we need him to be. Along with Jo and everybody else, you can't key in on one or two guys on this team because we have so many guys that can put the ball in the basket."

They'll play again Sunday with a chance to bring the Sixers franchise to the conference finals for the first time in 18 years.

"Basketball is fun," Embiid said. "I understand that it's Game 7, but got to come in and fight -- just like we did tonight. Our backs were on the line tonight; I feel like our backs are still on the line. So we just got to do the same thing."