CHICO, Calif. — Daryn Pittman’s hope of winning a second Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway Saturday night manifested into reality every 12 seconds.

Even with Friday night’s winner Brad Sweet breathing down his neck, the Oklahoma driver continued to be the first to cross the start/finish line lap after lap.

However, with two laps to go, that manifestation was put on halt. A caution flag came out, putting Sweet on his bumper. Flashbacks of a previous Gold up loss projected in his head.

“I was having flashbacks of, I don’t know, [2014] or something and we led the whole race,” Pittman said. “It laid rubber on the bottom of (turns) one and two and I found that. It didn’t lay rubber in (turns) three and four until the last couple of laps and Johnathon Allard snuck by me coming to the checkered. That one still stings.”

Uninterested in repeating that pain, Pittman closed the deal this time. Leading every lap, he won his second Gold Cup and fourth World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory of the year.

“Hats off to this whole Roth Motorsports team to get a win here in California, the Gold Cup, the biggest race in California,” Pittman said about giving his California-based team a home state win. “To win it for Dennis and Teresa (Roth) is just awesome.”

After a 17th-place finish Friday night, Pittman and his Roth Motorsports crew needed a new approach. And a little bit of luck.

They showed speed at the start of the night by qualifying fourth. That placed Pittman on the outside pole for his Drydene Heat race where he took the lead from Sweet at the start and went on to win.

Then luck helped out. He drew the pole of the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash and went on to win that, too.

He pulled away to about a straightaway lead in the first six laps of the Feature, with David Gravel in second and Sweet fighting his way past Brent Marks for third. Pittman found himself in lap traffic by that point, too, until a caution on lap 10 for Kraig Kinser going off track in turn four.

On the restart, Gravel stayed close to Pittman and launched in front of him for the lead in turn one. However, before the field could complete another lap, the yellow lights around the speedway turned back on for Ian Madsen in the turn four wall. The lap was not complete and Pittman remained the leader.

Sweet, looking for his first Gold Cup victory in his home state, had fallen back to fourth-place. However, on a restart with 26 laps to go, after a red flag for Jacob Allen flipping, Sweet powered his way by Marks for third down the front stretch and then rode the high side to take second away from Gravel before completing the lap.

While the “Big Cat” tried to track Pittman down, Gravel, Marks, Logan Schuchart and Tim Kaeding traded slide jobs and crossover maneuvers for countless laps, arguing over who would be third. Schuchart silenced the argument by taking third with six laps to go and the leaders in his sight.

“I love working out, I love being in shape for this deal and I’ve tried doing that in the past and sometimes I don’t feel like it makes a difference, but tonight it did,” Schuchart said. “The guys in front were starting to slow down a little bit and I was able to still race it hard and jump across the spots I needed to and make a lot of ground up.”

Pittman found himself caught in traffic, unable to always make a quick pass. Sweet and Schuchart fed off that, inching closer to the Roth Enterprises No. 83 car. Sweet even got close enough in the closing laps to dive underneath Pittman – slowed by lap cars – and take the lead.

Pushing the handling of his car to its limits, Pittman charged back around Sweet for the led the next corner, never allowing the Kasey Kahne Racing driver to officially lead a lap.

Then with a late caution, he had to hold on to that mentality for two more laps. He was not going to allow a repeat of 2014’s race. Mastering his restarts all night, Pittman put about a three-car length lead on Sweet into the first corner and kept it that way to the finish. The hope of winning was now a reality.

“My thought process was run as hard as you can on the top, because that’s what I thought it was going to take to win,” Pittman said. “I feel like at the green-white-checkered I went has hard as I had. The hard part about that is when you run hard against that tricky of a cushion, you’re putting yourself at risk to make a mistake and take yourself out. But I was more OK with trying too hard and losing than going too slow and trying to be safe.”

Sweet’s thought process was “attack, attack, attack,” he said.

“He had a good enough of a lead there, no matter how good, he would’ve had to mess up,” Sweet said. “He drove a great last two laps. We gave it all we had with the NAPA Auto Parts car. I was trying to move around and got my wing back a little too far I think at one point and got myself tight. I was a great race. We gave it all we had.”

While Sweet missed out on winning another Gold Cup, his runner-up finish was his third podium finish in-a-row. In those three races he’s also cut 10-time series champion Donny Schatz’s point lead over him down from 36 points to six.

Schatz was on track to potentially lose the points lead after taking the final transfer spot in the Last Chance Showdown to start last in the feature. He came close to getting lapped in the first half of the race, but was able to fight his way to an eighth-place finish.

Pittman earned his 85th career World of Outlaws victory, moving him past his hero, Stevie Smith, to be the ninth winningest driver on the all-time series wins list. He also earned himself $15,000 and another glistening golden cup trophy – his first Gold Cup was earned 13 years ago.

“There’s not many drivers that can say they were here 13 years ago,” Pittman said with a smile. “Part of that dates me. It makes me feel old. But I feel like I’ve got a lot of good years left in me. I’m having a lot of fun, especially when you get good cars like this to drive.”

To see full results, turn to the next page.

ROSSBURG, Ohio — Jonathan Davenport won the famed World 100 dirt late model race at Eldora Speedway for the third time in five years on Saturday night.

Driving Lance Landers’ No. 49 with a “Brewster Baker” paint scheme, Davenport raced from seventh on the grid before a capacity crowd at the half-mile track.

But as then-leader Bobby Pierce approached lap 30, Davenport noticed something in his car starting to fade. Davenport raced the final 70 laps without power steering.

“It was definitely tough. It might have made me better to where I didn’t have to move the wheel much, but I was turning left into the corner with the brake pedal, just trying to hold the wheel straight and exiting the corner using just my foot to accelerate,” Davenport said.

From lap 30 onward, Davenport continued to move forward without the aid of power steering, catching and passing polesitter John Blankenship for second on lap 27. A restart on lap 31 marked the beginning of Davenport’s battle with Pierce over the next 40 laps, buying time and track position for Ricky Weiss and his efforts to catch the leaders.

As Weiss closed in, the battle between the “Smooth Operator” and “Superman” began to heat up, Pierce on the high side and Davenport chomping at the bit down low. The two had battled this way in lapped traffic 20 laps earlier, but Davenport was only able to get a dive deep enough into the corner to clear Pierce on one occasion – lap 48, where he just barely nosed Pierce at the line on lap 48. Come lap 62, Davenport got enough momentum on the low side to nip Pierce at the line again before Pierce took it back one circuit later.

The two sparred for a few more laps before encountering Weiss, who found something on the topside to make the move on Davenport for second. But that didn’t last long, as “JD” got a great run in the low groove on lap 67, going underneath Weiss and Pierce to take the lead for the final time

“It was awesome racing between us,” Davenport said. “Ricky got up there racing with us in lapped traffic, and I just moved around and found a couple more lines – just got into a rhythm of what I needed to do to rive my racecar the way it was.”

Davenport turned on the jets and opened up an advantage of almost two full seconds over Weiss by the time a caution came out with 17 laps remaining for Pierce, who had slapped the turn one wall, ending his chances for glory.

Davenport opened up another 2.6-second advantage after the lap-84 restart before another caution waived, placing Weiss and Jimmy Owens right on his rear bumper. His arms were giving out and he was feeling the pressure, but Davenport prevailed, hanging on to lead the final circuits and collect his third World 100 trophy under three different car owners.

“Ricky got a really good jump on that second restart,” Davenport said. “He jumped me just a little bit, and I didn’t spin the tires, but I was trying to be really patient. I pulled back by him just a little bit at the flag stand, had to slide him down here, I’m sure it was very close. But it’s the World 100, you’ve got to do what you can.”

His 2015 win came aboard the Kevin & Leeroy Rumley-owned Longhorn Chassis No. 6, the same year he became the third driver in Eldora Speedway history to win the Dirt Late Model Dream and World 100 in the same year. 2017 saw a red and white No. 49 pull into Eldora Victory Lane, owned by North Carolinian G.R. Smith.

It’s been a terrific season for Davenport, who has 15 overall victories and leads the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series standings.

“We’ve put ourselves in position to win so many crown jewels this year,” Davenport said. “Either bad racing luck has happened to us or we’ve dolled ourselves out in the 100-lappers… I thought it was going to happen again whenever the power steering started acting up and went out.”

Owens also hung onto his runner-up spot from the lap 92 restart, battling with Weiss, Chris Madden and Stormy Scott in the final stages to bag a solid second-place in the World 100 finale.

“I was really worried about restarts the first time, but we took off in front of Madden, who’s had a great car all weekend,” Owens said. “I was happy with third and thought ‘man, we’re pretty good right here.’ But the longer we run, the further out those guys would get.”

Weiss wrapped up a podium finish in his very first World 100 start after running up front all weekend.

“It was a good race until that last restart, we just went for it,” Weiss said. “I mean, second or third… heck, I could’ve got a DNF with the way I drove it in there. But we also could’ve maybe won it, so it was worth it.”

The finish:

Feature (100 Laps): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[7]; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens[12]; 3. 7W-Ricky Weiss[8]; 4. 2S-Stormy Scott[5]; 5. OM-Chris Madden[21]; 6. O-Scott Bloomquist[14]; 7. 1-Chad Simpson[16]; 8. 17M-Dale McDowell[3]; 9. 39-Tim McCreadie[13]; 10. 50-Shanon Buckingham[11]; 11. 71-Hudson O’Neal[6]; 12. 23B-John Blankenship[1]; 13. 40B-Kyle Bronson[9]; 14. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[22]; 15. 18-Shannon Babb[10]; 16. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[4]; 17. 25C-Shane Clanton[27]; 18. 14-Josh Richards[29]; 19. 28-Dennis Erb Jr.[19]; 20. 22F-Chris Ferguson[20]; 21. 1ST-Johnny Scott[17]; 22. 71C-R.J. Conley[28]; 23. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr.[18]; 24. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 25. 1T-Tyler Erb[26]; 26. 29-Darrell Lanigan[25]; 27. 157-Mike Marlar[15]; 28. 18J-Chase Junghans[23]; 29. 72-Michael Norris[30]; 30. 3S-Brian Shirley[24]

Diego Rossi scored his 15th goal of the campaign in the 78th minute to help visiting LAFC avoid their first consecutive losses of the season and salvage a 2-2 draw against Orlando City on Saturday night.

Adrien Perez also scored for LAFC (19-4-6, 63 points), who are now winless in their last three matches but still hold a comfortable lead in the Western Conference and Supporters' Shield standings.

The visitors were without MLS leading scorer Carlos Vela for a second straight game due to a hamstring injury, and because of additional injuries and international call-ups, only dressed 16 of the allowed 18 players for their gameday roster.

- Stream a replay of this game on ESPN+
- Major League Soccer standings
- France's Giroud open to MLS move down the road

Nani scored his team-leading 10th goal of the season for Orlando (9-13-8, 35 points), which trailed after 12 minutes before taking the lead eight minutes later.

But the Lions remain four points beneath the seventh-place New England Revolution for the final playoff spot in the East with only four matches remaining to earn their first postseason berth. The Revs, who have five games remaining, visit Orlando next Saturday.

Two minutes after Santiago Patino hit the post on a potential third goal for Orlando, Rossi tied it at 2-2 on a slick give-and-go with Adama Diomande. After finding Diomande near the top of the penalty area, Rossi cut into the left side of the box, took Diomande's incisive return pass and finished easily past Brian Rowe.

Orlando went behind early, but Nani evened the game exactly 10 seconds following the restart, when Cristian Higuita ambitious through-ball took a deflection and wrongfooted LAFC's defense. Nani raced onto it and chipped a cool finish over charging goalkeeper Tyler Miller.

It was a combined team effort that then put the hosts into the lead. Nani combined with Oriol Rosell and Higuita on the right before Higuita played Ruan into the right side of the penalty area. Ruan drove a low service across the box and past Miller at the near post, and Benji Michel beat his defender to smash it into an open net from close range in the 20th minute.

Perez opened the scoring when he was first to reach Lee Nguyen's deflected cross, smashing in an effort that deflected off an Orlando defender on its way past Rowe.

Brian Fernandez scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to give the Portland Timbers a dramatic 2-1 victory over visiting Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night.

Star forward Diego Valeri set up the goal with a left-footed baseline cross for his 16th assist of the season. Fernandez was on the doorstep waiting for the ball to arrive and put himself in position to head it into the net to give the Timbers a crucial victory.

Forward Jeremy Ebobisse scored in the 83rd minute for the Timbers (13-11-4), who raised their point total to 43, in a tie with Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas for the fifth-most points in the Western Conference.

- Stream a replay of this game on ESPN+
- Major League Soccer standings
- France's Giroud open to MLS move down the road

Portland protected the lead over the final three-plus minutes of stoppage time to hand Sporting (10-12-7, 37 points) a damaging loss. SKC is five points behind the Los Angeles Galaxy, who hold the final playoff position in the West.

Midfielder Benny Feilhaber scored in the 65th minute for Sporting Kansas City.

Timbers goalkeeper Steve Clark made four saves, while Sporting goalie Tim Melia made two.

Portland took 18 shots but put just four on target. Sporting KC had 10 shots with five on goal.

Sporting KC looked in good position when Feilhaber sent a right-footer toward goal that looked more like a cross when it left his foot. But the ball sailed over the grasp of Clark and hooked into the upper-far corner to give Sporting Kansas City a 1-0 lead.

The Timbers tied the score 18 minutes later when midfielder Diego Chara made a run up the right side and sent a cross over to Ebobisse. The ball caromed off Sporting Kansas City defender Graham Smith and the wide-open Ebobisse slammed a right-footed shot past Melia.

Portland outshot Sporting KC 10-3 in the first half but both teams put the same number of shots (one) on target.

The Timbers had the better opportunity as defender Jorge Moreira drilled a left-footed shot on goal that Melia drove to knock away.

The Premier League transfer window has closed, but the rest of Europe remains open for business until Monday. Plus, it's never too late to look forward to January! Click here to view the latest transfers and keep up to date with the newest gossip below.

All the major completed transfers | European transfer review

TOP STORY: De Gea to Juventus; Oblak to Man United?

With his contract extension talks seemingly at a standstill, David De Gea may be lured away from Manchester United by Serie A champions Juventus.

According to the Daily Express, Juventus are monitoring De Gea's status at Old Trafford, and could convince the Spain No. 1 leave on a free at the end of the season if United can't get him to commit by January.

As everyone fondly recalls, De Gea would have left Manchester for Real Madrid in 2015 -- if not for a malfunctioning fax machine that torpedoed the deal in the waning moments.

Should De Gea depart for Turin, then Manchester United have already identified his successor -- Atletico Madrid shot-stopper Jan Oblak.

A source had told ESPN FC back in June that Oblak would prefer an exit to United if he were to leave Madrid, so time will tell that interest rekindles in the coming months.

LIVE BLOG

12.50 BST: The Sunday Express reports that Chelsea will make a move to sign Slovakia centre-back Milan Skriniar when the window re-opens to bolster his defensive options. City have lost Aymeric Laporte to a long-term injury and that has left them exposed at the back. Skriniar currently plays for Inter Milan in Serie A.

12.11 BST: Chelsea are supposed to be banned from signing players until next summer, but the Daily Mirror reports that agents have been told to be ready to do business in the January window. They hope their ban will be reduced to just one window once their hearing is heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, allowing Frank Lampard to bring in some fresh faces.

11.38 BST: According to a report in Marca, senior members of the Barcelona squad told president Josep Maria Bartomeu that the club could only win the Champions League if Neymar were re-signed. And some of those players were prepared to put their own money towards the transfer fee!

10.58 BST: We heard on Saturday how Lionel Messi has a standard clause in his Barcelona contract that gives him the right to leave Camp Nou on a free transfer next summer -- 12 months before his deal actually expires. Let's be honest, though, no one is expecting the Argentine wizard to ever leave the club, and now Mundo Deportivo reports that Barca plan to renew his contract for the rest of his career.

10.14 BST: Manchester United have had a desperately poor transfer record in recent years, and have been looking for a director of football for months to sort things out in the corridors of power. According to the Daily Mirror, United have now made former goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar their No. 1 choice for that role. He is currently chief executive of Ajax, who had a superb run to the semifinals of the Champions League last season.

09.30 BST: Sunday might be a day of rest, but don't expect Transfer Talk to rest on its laurels! We're scouring the world for the latest transfer rumours all day.

PAPER ROUND (by Harry Kettle)

Real Madrid go after Mbappe

Spanish giants Real Madrid are set to go after Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe during the 2020 summer transfer window, Sport reports.

The youngster was heavily linked with a move away from the French capital throughout the recent transfer window, but in the end, he remained in Paris as his stock continues to rise.

Mbappe was at the forefront of world football last year during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, named the Best Young Player as France lifted the famous trophy. He has continued to plunder goals for PSG, and earlier this year became the youngest player to strike 50 times in Ligue 1.

But Mbappe may have to leave PSG for one of Europe's biggest clubs if he is to have a chance of winning the Ballon d'Or. With Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi heading into the twilight of their careers, the chance is there for some of the game's younger stars to come to the fore. Could Mbappe do that at Real Madrid?

Icardi's agent hints at Inter return

"It's not a divorce but a pause for reflection among engaged couple."

Those are the words of Mauro Icardi's agent and partner Wanda Nara, who has indicated that this may not be the end of the forward's time with the Italian giants, as reported by Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Argentina international has been in dispute with Inter Milan for months, after being stripped of the captaincy in February due to public comments made by his wife and agent in the press.

Just before the transfer deadline it was revealed that Icardi is suing Inter for discrimination, claiming €1.5 million in damages and to be allowed back into the first-team fold.

But despite signing a deal with French champions Paris Saint-Germain, with a €70m option to buy, it seems it may not yet be over and out for Icardi at San Siro.

Man Utd to monitor Dybala

Calciomercato reports that Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could rekindle his interest in Juventus star Paulo Dybala.

United are said to be considering a number of top European names, but feel that Dybala could change his mind after a move to Old Trafford fell through over the summer.

If the Argentina international is not getting consistent game time with Juventus, given that Gonzalo Higuain seems to be ahead of him in the pecking order, he could look for a way out.

With Juve having failed to get the sale done during the summer, it'll be interesting to see how they negotiate this potential deal, especially given that he isn't the only name being discussed amongst the United faithful.

Tap-in

- Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo is set to leave the club during the January transfer window, Calciomercato reports. Rojo was once considered to be a valuable member of the starting XI for the Red Devils, but now, it appears as if he has fallen down the pecking order to the point where he is desperate to hunt out a move away from Old Trafford. The introduction of Harry Maguire into the mix certainly hasn't helped matters, as Rojo edges closer and closer towards a new life away from English football.

Like a couple who have just moved in together, Jofra Archer and the England team are still coming to terms with each other's little ways.

Both know this is a special relationship. And both know it's made to last. But, as they settle down together, they are still marvelling at their new partner's qualities, working out what makes them tick and wondering why on earth they keep leaving the top off the toothpaste.

Take Archer in this match. In the first innings, with his team still riding the crest of the drama of Leeds and the game to be defined, he went missing a bit. It wasn't just that his speed was down a little - his average first innings speed was still a respectable 85 mph; his highest was a more than respectable 91 - but that he was unable to replicate the probing lines and lengths he had managed at Headingley. He finished with 0-97 from 27 overs and Australia built a match-defining position.

In the second innings he suddenly went up a gear. His top pace was 93 mph and his average was 88. He was, once again, the high-class fast bowler England have needed for so long. He produced an invigorating spell of fast bowling that, for a moment, threatened to drag England back into the match. But Archer and the equally admirable Stuart Broad had to be rested and, honest though the rest of the attack is, they lack the bite of the opening pair.

Also read: Bayliss holding out for a hero

The catalyst for the spell seemed to be some sledging from a couple of Australian players when Archer batted. Matthew Wade and Travis Head had been particularly vocal, appearing to question Archer's commitment to Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash. It didn't seem especially serious stuff - certainly there was nothing inappropriate, though Adelaide Strikers' supporters may have been encouraged by it - but it did seem to irritate Archer. When Head came in to bat he was waiting.

Immediately, Archer's pace went up to 90 mph. His first delivery beat an airy push, his second was dug out and his third, a bouncer, saw Head jerk out of the way. Shortly afterwards, the batsman was struck on the arm by another short one and the pair exchanged words. The next ball, again well over 90 mph, was driven for four but the one after that, a searing inswinger to the left-hander, knocked out his middle stump. The spell to Wade was not quite as dramatic but again, Archer got his man.

What can we conclude from all this? Well, firstly, that it probably isn't too clever to rile Archer. Just as Dean Jones found when he complained about Curtly Ambrose's wristbands or South Africa found when they bounced Devon Malcolm, it's sometimes best not to provide any extra motivation for fast bowlers. Archer, under that calm demeanour, is a fierce competitor and thrives in the heat of the battle. Maybe the England management, and Archer himself, need to find a way to unlock that aggression on demand. You would think it may be a task for the team psychologist.

But, from an England perspective, there may also have to be some tempering of expectations. Yes, Archer can bowl fast. But it is hard and it requires many factors to fall together if it is to happen. So in Leeds, for example, Archer did not feel it was necessary and concentrated on control and movement. And on the first day here, with a fierce wind and a wet outfield, he was simply unable to replicate the same rhythm. Trevor Bayliss rated the conditions "the toughest I've ever seen cricket played in." He's not a man prone to hyperbole.

Broad seemed to concur. "The outfield was very wet," he said. "It's cut very short, so it churns up a bit and it's hard to get grip when running in. You can't charge in. Your feet were almost sinking behind you." Put simply, Wednesday's conditions would have troubled any seamer. For a young man brought up in Barbados and playing only his 31st first-class game they were hugely testing.

It's important to remind ourselves about that inexperience. That number of first-class games is almost a third of the number played by Craig Overton, who is less than a year older. Archer is learning his trade. There are bound to be days when it shows.

Unlike just about everyone else who has played for England in recent years, Archer hasn't come through the ECB's pathways. As a result, there is little knowledge for the England management to draw upon: few captain or coach reports; no assessments from Loughborough; no feedback from Lions tours. England know they have something special here, but they don't know many of the details of how Archer works or how he cab best be utilised. There will be days when that shows, too.

There are some potential areas of improvement, though. Archer would appear not to be the most enthusiastic embracer of warm-ups - he often bowls spin on the morning of games and sometimes on the day before the match - and instead seems to prefer to ease his way into games through bowling. That's understandable. If he is required to bowl in match situations as often as England seem to demand, he doesn't want to waste any deliveries in training.

But, given the importance of utilising the new ball in Test cricket, that is a habit that may need to change. He needs to hit the ground running. He needs to adapt and learn. The England management, whoever that is in a few weeks, need to help him come to terms with that.

Equally, though, they have to understand that he cannot be a strike and stock bowler. Mitchell Johnson, for example, bowled only three or four-overs spells during that peak period he enjoyed in 2013 to 2015. Archer's first spell on Saturday was nine overs and, 16 overs later, he was recalled for a second spell. That workload may be sustainable for a classic English seamer - the likes of Overton - but Archer's ceiling is higher than that. He has to be looked after a bit more. Weariness - both mental and physical - may well have played a role in his declining pace since his Test debut at Lord's.

Maybe we should be aware of some alarm bells here. We now know that Archer had a pain-killing injection in his side at the end of normal play in the World Cup final and ahead of the super-over. We know, too, that he had undergone injections ahead of several other games. Is it right that four-months into his England career, he is already requiring such treatment? He has a precious talent; he needs resting and nurturing and protecting as much as he needs medical help to continue playing.

Most of all, we have to be realistic. That's the management, the media and the supporters. Even the very best in the business of fast bowling - the likes of Malcolm Marshall and Richard Hadlee - did not bowl flat out every day. Archer showed at Leeds that he could be successful by cutting his pace and concentrating on control and movement. We shouldn't just judge him by the speed gun. He's better than that.

At Sussex, they believe he is at his best pitching a full length that would hit a couple of inches below bail height on off stump. With his delivery point so close to the stumps and his ability to move the ball both ways, such a length invites the drives but offers the promise of several modes of dismissal. The bouncer is there only to ensure the batsman isn't too quick to come forward and as a shock. It shouldn't be his stock ball.

Archer has already helped England to that elusive World Cup title. He's already achieved the highest pace recorded by an England seamer. Bowlers like this come along, in England at least, very rarely. But there are going to be a few poor days on the journey and, if he's to fulfil his obvious potential, there has be deeper understanding of what is reasonable to expect and demand from him.

Guyana Amazon Warriors 159 for 2 (Hetmyer 70*, Hemraj 39) beat St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 153 for 8 (Thomas 62, Allen 33, Shadab 2-20) by eight wickets

Guyana Amazon Warriors registered their second straight win with a dominant performance against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. With a strong start with the ball courtesy of spinners Chris Green and Shadab Khan, Warriors were able to control the Patriots' batting through the middle overs in damp conditions, and restrict them to a total - 153 - that they chased down with seven balls to spare on the back of two half-century stands. Shimron Hetmyer's 70 not-out off 47 led the way after Chandrapaul Hemraj's 24-ball 39 had given them a brisk start. Patriots have now lost both their games.

Guyana keep it tight at the start

Chris Green began well for Warriors after they elected to bowl. But in the second over, having kept the first five balls to six runs, Keemo Paul overstepped as he bowled Kjorn Ottley. The free-hit that followed was a four and also a no-ball. What should have been 9 for 1 at the end of the second over, ended up being 19 for 0 as the second free-hit went for four as well.

But Ottley ran out of luck in the next over, as he took off for a run when Evin Lewis deflected the ball into the leg side and did not respond. Wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran put in the throw at the non-striker's end to run him out.

Keemo was out of the attack and spinners Green and Shadab Khan bowled five of the six Powerplay overs, giving barely anything to the batsmen. Lewis hit Green over his head off the back foot, but holed out to deep square off Shadab. Only 31 came from the Powerplay.

A lot of fortune, a lot of dew

Devon Thomas and Mohammad Hafeez had the task of rebuilding, and they managed to do that with a 54-run stand before Hafeez holed out to long-off against Shadab. There was little control during the partnership, despite its importance. Until the 16th over, almost all of Thomas' boundaries came off the outside edge down at third man. Hafeez was also dropped at sweeper cover on an evening where despite keeping things quiet, the Warriors fielders were circumspect because of the dew.

Keemo continued to have poor luck, edges off his bowling helping Thomas along before he clubbed Shadab for two sixes in a row,in the 16th over, to get past 50, his second in CPL. Keemo did, however, have Brathwaite caught at short midwicket for a second-ball duck - the dew going in the bowler's favour this time, imparting extra skid as Brathwaite tried to pull. He could have had Fabian Allen caught at fine leg too, but the top edge didn't quite carry and that ball also rolled into the boundary, another one of the nine fours that came behind the wicket.

Thomas made 62 and was eventually caught at the midwickwet boundary in the 18th over, brilliantly by Shadab tearing to his left. In the last 14 balls from that point, Allen hit two delightful sixes, one carved over deep cover and one smacked wide of deep midwicket. His 33 of 19 and Alzarri Joseph's unbeaten 10 off the last two balls helped Patriots to 153.

Warriors start well again

The second innings began differently. Off the first ball, Brandon King drove Sheldon Cottrell past the stumps to pick up four. Chandrapaul Hemraj was equally dominant in front of the wicket, starting with an expert cut over cover off a short ball. He chipped Mohammad Hafeez neatly over extra over soon after, and then hit short bowling from legspinner Usama Mir over and wide of long-on in the space of three balls. Where Green and Shadab had turned the screws in the Powerplay, Hafeez and Usama were dismantled - their two overs went for a combined 28. Warriors made 55 in the Powerplay without losing a wicket. Usama didn't bowl another over on the night.

Some hiccups, but Hetmyer takes them through

Allen took a stunning catch flying to his right at point to dismiss Hemraj off Brathwaite, but Patriots didn't take their other chances. As Thomas had earlier, Hetmyer, too, struggled for rhythm, missing a lot but also offering more chances than the former. He was involved in three mix-ups, two of them with King where either of them could have been dismissed at the non-striker's end with plenty of time for the fielders at midwicket to get their throws in. Both opportunities were squandered.

Shortly after he survived a third run-out chance, Hetmyer turned the tables on Joseph, who had caused him most trouble early in the innings. He lifted the fast bowler over mid-off, drove a full ball wide of long-on, and clobbered a short ball over the midwicket boundary to come close to his fifty. By the time he got it, captain Shoaib Malik was at the crease with him and the pair saw them through with an unbroken 64-run stand.

Bangladesh 136 for 6 (Shadman 41, Shakib 39*, Rashid 3-46) and 205 need another 262 runs to beat Afghanistan 342 and 260 (Ibrahim 87, Afghan 50, Zazai 48*, Shakib 3-58)

Afghanistan are four wickets away from a remarkable Test win over Bangladesh after they reduced the hosts to 136 for 6 at stumps on the fourth day. A third bout of rain, however, forced the players off an hour before the scheduled close of play. The start of the morning session was delayed by two hours while the lunch break was extended by 40 minutes, both due to spells of rain. There is more rain in the offing on the fifth day, leaving the visitors with what looks like some tight sessions to squeeze through the remaining wickets.

Afghanistan did a good job of taking the six wickets on the fourth day. Left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan made twin strikes immediately after the lunch break. Liton Das missed a delivery that spun back at his pads from over the wicket, while Mosaddek Hossain was caught at wide long-off in an attempted inside-out shot to a wide delivery.

Soon, Mushfiqur Rahim fell to Rashid Khan for the second time in the game, and the sixth time in nine innings across formats. After he had struck a few boundaries with the sweep, Mushfiqur was lbw after missing the ball on the forward press. Mominul Haque, who scored 52 in the first innings, became Rashid's second victim when he too was given lbw to a legbreak that spun back sharply from around the wicket.

Shortly before the tea interval, Rashid dropped Shakib Al Hasan's return catch, but on the other side of the interval, Bangladesh lost two more wickets in quick succession. Mohammad Nabi removed Shadman Islam, who had lasted 114 balls for his 41, before Mahmudullah completed the Test with a pair of sevens, this time getting caught at short leg off Rashid.

Shakib remained unbeaten on 39 off 46 balls, as he walked off in the rain with Soumya Sarkar, demoted all the way down to No. 8 due to a batting order shake-up, who is yet to open his account.

The day's first two hours and ten minutes were lost to rain, after which Afghanistan added 23 runs to their overnight 237 for 8. They were bowled out for 260 in their second innings, with Afsar Zazai remaining unbeaten on 48 off 110 balls. After half-centuries from Ibrahim Zadran and Asghar Afghan on the third day, Zazai stretched Afghanistan's score by resuming on 34 before Yamin Ahmadzai was run out for 9 and Zahir handed a catch to forward short leg for a two-ball duck.

One of the debates during India's tour of the West Indies centred on R Ashwin's place in the side in overseas Tests, after the offspinner missed out on the starting XI in both the Antigua and Jamaica Tests. In both matches, India went with Ravindra Jadeja as the lone spinner, with coach Ravi Shastri explaining that the preference for Jadeja was based on his improved batting and sharp fielding skills.

Former India captain and coach Anil Kumble, however, has backed Ashwin, insisting that he remains the No. 1 spinner in the side and India have to find a way to get him in. Ashwin has not played a Test for India since the first match the tour of Australia last year in Adelaide, where he suffered an abdomen injury that eventually ruled him out for the rest of the tour. Earlier that year, he had failed to finish the England series, after aggravating a hip injury. Despite the injuries, Ashwin's figures in seven overseas Tests in 2018 were 24 wickets at 30.16.

"He is still the best spinner that you have," Kumble said in an interview with cricketnext.com. "Yes, there have been a few incidents where he has had injuries and not performed to his potential, but Ashwin is your No. 1 spinner in the team. He should be a part of the squad, he should be in the playing XI, you have to make a way of getting him in."

Citing Ashwin's batting credentials - the offspinner averages nearly 30 in Tests and has four centuries and 11 fifties - Kumble believed the team could accommodate both Ashwin and Jadeja, adding heft to their lower-order batting too.

"I strongly believe that the team certainly can have two spinners in the squad, because both Ashwin and Jadeja are wonderful batsmen," he said. "Ashwin has had four Test hundreds, Jadeja has been really consistent with the bat. He did that again in the West Indies, he's a wonderful bowler too and both of them in tandem can certainly be handful for the opposition. So yes, when India travel outside, it's not always that you get four bowlers to pick up 20 wickets.

"Ideally, if you have a combination of three fast bowlers and two spinners, wherein your two spinners can also contribute with the bat, that's the perfect scenario. And you have two front-line spinners who are equally good as batsmen, so I think it's just a matter of time, I strongly believe that Ashwin will certainly make it into the playing XI. So, the management needs to look at that and I am a bit surprised that someone with the ability and quality of Ashwin is sitting out in a Test match."

Kumble also urged the selectors to have discussions about an exit plan for MS Dhoni, for the sake of clarity within the team and to ensure Dhoni got a proper send-off. There has been considerable speculation around Dhoni's future following India's semi-final exit from the World Cup. After the World Cup, Dhoni spent two weeks with the Parachute Regiment of the Indian Army, where he has the rank of honorary Lieutenant Colonel, and had opted out of the West Indies tour. Rishabh Pant handled wicketkeeping duties for all formats on the tour.

While announcing the team for the Caribbean tour, MSK Prasad, India's chairman of selectors, had stated that a cricketer like Dhoni "knows when to retire", and went on to add that they had already started grooming youngsters. Kumble said that with the T20 World Cup a year away, roles and responsibilities, including back-ups need to be fixed, and if Dhoni is a part of plans for the T20 World Cup, he needed to be playing all games.

"I think the selectors will have a take a call as to which is the likely team that you'd want in the World Cup because the World Cup is just a year away," Kumble said. "You'd want a consistent team to be playing right throughout and that's exactly what didn't happen in the 50-over [World Cup] competition.

"So, yes, there will be some discussions about an exit plan. But having said that, MS Dhoni certainly deserves a proper send-off, whenever he decides to move on from the sport. But for the team's sake, the selectors need to sit down and have a discussion around what the plans are because it's important that things be communicated.

"If the selectors believe that Dhoni is in the scheme of things for the T20 World Cup then I think he should be playing every game. If he's not, then it's important that they have a discussion around how they need to make this happen. I think they need to do that in the next couple of months.

"Pant has also shown some inconsistency. So, that's a call the selectors need to make. Today, in spite of all of that, are you going to back him or someone else, or would you look back? I wouldn't but I think it's important that the selectors take a call on that."