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England cannot "blind" themselves to their weaknesses despite winning their first two Six Nations games, says defence coach Felix Jones.
Jones has implemented a 'blitz' defence since joining England from a similar role with world champions South Africa.
England, who have conceded more tries than they have scored in narrow victories over Italy and Wales, face Scotland at Murrayfield on 24 February.
"I wouldn't say I'm overly happy," Jones told BBC Sport.
"I don't think anyone is when you're conceding points, so it's a work in progress. There are loads of things still to work on, but also some good bits that we want to retain.
"We are at a level where you can't blind yourself to things that need attention, but you want to draw positives from a tournament where winning counts."
Italy exploited England's defence in the first half in Rome and carved them open twice to score tries through Alessandro Garbisi and Tommaso Allan.
England recovered to avoid a first defeat by Italy before showing signs of greater defensive cohesion in the victory against Wales at Twickenham.
Asked why he prefers his sides to use a blitz defence, which involves players rushing up to limit the space in which the opposition can attack, Jones said: "There are number of teams that are trying to implement higher line speed.
"Attacks are becoming so sophisticated that if you aren't trying to exert pressure, the best teams in the world will hurt you. But there is always a balance and you can go too far sometimes.
"It's never one thing or one player's fault and usually it's a chain reaction earlier down the line. It could be a loss of momentum or [poor] decision-making and often the guys on the outside channels are left to pick up the pieces.
"You treat each situation in itself and try and figure out the solutions, but you also have to approach it that for every one that goes wrong there could be one or two that go right.
"Like any defensive system, there are guidelines you want in place, but ultimately it's down to the individuals within that in how well they tackle and make decisions. You have to push yourself to where the margins are so small and you're right on the limit of execution."
'Our ambition is to win the Six Nations'
Former full-back Jones won 13 caps for Ireland as well as representing Leinster and Munster before being forced to retire at the age of 28 because of a neck injury.
The Dubliner, 36, went straight into coaching after hanging up his boots and worked under current South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus at Munster before following him into the Springboks set-up.
England were clear in their intent to recruit his meticulous skills, which helped South Africa claim back-to-back World Cup titles either side of a series win over the British and Irish Lions.
Jones says he is adapting well to life back in the northern hemisphere and working under England head coach Steve Borthwick.
"It has been great so far," said Jones.
"The approach has been very collaborative among all the coaches. Everyone is working as hard as they can and we're trying to find any improvement we can from a game or in training.
"The players have been awesome in terms of buying in and sharing their knowledge with what works at their clubs. There is not a session that goes by where the players are not asking questions.
"There are always differences when you cross over teams and particularly countries and cultures. There will always be changes, so it's tough to compare.
"Our ambition is to win each game with the end goal of trying to win the Six Nations this year. But there is still a long way to go.
"Ireland and France are two of the best teams in the world consistently and Scotland too have shown they can compete at the highest level."
Hellebuyck, then who? Players, execs vote for the NHL's top 10 goalies
It's said that goaltending is unpredictable. It's the great equalizer, and the thing that can undermine a championship effort. One year's rising star in the crease is the next season's sieve.
The top 10 goaltenders on our 2024 ESPN NHL Positional Rankings are, for the most part, the names you'd expect. It's just that some have clearly played their way up the rankings, while others are hanging on to spots based more on their reputation than their recent accomplishments.
"It's a great list," one NHL goaltending analyst said. "I mean, I'd shuffle a few of the rankings, but it's everybody that you'd want on there. With one exception."
Don't worry, we'll get there.
Welcome to the next set of results from the 2024 NHL Positional Rankings, a unique way to determine the best of the best. Some surveys ask players for their rankings. Others poll executives. The NHL Positional Rankings combine both opinions into one definitive ranking that blends on-ice savvy with boardroom thinking.
Here's how it worked: Surveys were conducted over the past month. Respondents were asked to rank their current top 10 players at center, winger, defenseman and goaltender based on a predetermined list of the top 30-40 players at each position. Players ranked on each ballot were given a numerical score -- No. 1 earned 10 points, No. 2 got 9 points and so on.
Ten NHL players were surveyed -- four from the Eastern Conference, six from the Western Conference. They range from NHL award nominees to veteran role players. To balance that perspective, we surveyed 10 people from the hockey operations departments of NHL teams -- six from the East, four from the West -- including two coaches and three general managers.
Combined, their insights led to rankings that go behind fan conjecture and media narratives to reveal the best of the best according to those inside the NHL.
Stats are collected from sites such as Natural Stat Trick, Hockey Reference and Evolving Hockey.
Sources: Chelsea eye Lyon boss to replace Hayes
Chelsea have identified Lyon's Sonia Bompastor as the preferred candidate to replace the outgoing Emma Hayes, sources have told ESPN.
Bompastor is under contract with the French champions until 2025 so Chelsea would have to pay a sizeable compensation fee to release her from her contract if terms are agreed.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
But she is top of Chelsea's wanted list as they look to life after Hayes, who will leave her post in charge of the club at the end of the season to take up the U.S. Women's National Team head coach position.
Hayes leaves big shoes to fill at Chelsea. She has transformed the side, steering them to six Women Super League titles since she took charge in 2012, alongside winning five FA Cups.
Bompastor won 156 caps for France and the the 2011 and 2012 Champions League titles as a player at Lyon. She joined the team's backroom staff in 2013 and took charge of the first team in 2021 after Jean-Luc Vasseur's departure.
In the 2021-22 campaign, she led Lyon to the league title and Champions League and then backed that up by steering Lyon to their second league in as many seasons last term.
But securing Bompastor's services won't be straightforward for Chelsea. She is still under contract for another 16 months, while Lyon were taken over earlier this month by American businesswoman Michele Kang who has already pledged to help Lyon become dominant in Europe again.
Sources: Ashworth to rebuild Utd scouting dept.
Dan Ashworth will be given the responsibility of rebuilding Manchester United's scouting department when he becomes the club's director of football, with Brighton's head of recruitment, Sam Jewell, identified as the leading candidate to head up the new structure, sources have told ESPN.
United are in talks with Newcastle United in an effort to release Ashworth from his contract as sporting director at St James' Park and sources have said that a swift resolution could see the 52-year-old granted permission to move to Old Trafford in the coming days, subject to a period of gardening leave being served before beginning a new role in Manchester.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS group, who will take charge of football operations at United once their 25% investment is finally confirmed by the NYSE next week, want Ashworth to transform the recruitment system at Old Trafford after undertaking an audit of the club's recent transfer dealings.
Only Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have spent more than United on new players since 2018, but United have won just one trophy -- the 2023 Carabao Cup -- in that period.
Ashworth is credited with making Brighton one of the most successful clubs in the transfer market following his four-year period at the club between 2018-2022 and he was also a central figure in implementing changes at the English Football Association that preceded the nation's significant improvement in results in recent years.
While Ashworth's appointment is a significant move by United, the club are also determined to strengthen all levels of the recruitment team and Jewell's success at Brighton has led to him being favoured by Ashworth as a potential appointment at Old Trafford.
Jewell, the son of former Wigan and Bradford manager Paul Jewell, was hired by Ashworth at Brighton in 2016 and his since been elevated to the head of recruitment role after starting out as the club's head of U21 recruitment.
Jewell was a key figure in Brighton's moves for Alexis Mac Allister, Moisés Caicedo and Julio Enciso, identifying emerging talent in South America and signing them for low fees before, in the case of Mac Allister and Caicedo, offloading for significant profit.
Sources have told ESPN that United have yet to make a formal move for Jewell, but he is highly rated by Ashworth and his success at Brighton has been noted by the INEOS team at the club.
Newcastle, according to a source, are aware of Ashworth's desire to move to United but believe his contract situation leaves them well protected.
Once they receive an official approach, they will demand compensation before sanctioning a move.
Newcastle would also expect Ashworth to spend a significant period on gardening leave -- possibly up to 12 months -- unless United make an additional payment to reduce it.
Sources have told ESPN that United are keen for Ashworth to start as soon as possible in order to have influence over the summer transfer window.
Newcastle, according to a source, believe they could be in line for a payment of anything up to 10m.
Information from ESPN's Rob Dawson contributed to this report.
Which MLS coaches could be feeling the heat early in 2024?
The 29th season of MLS kicks off in little more than a week with a Feb. 21 meeting between Real Salt Lake and Inter Miami CF. As a new soccer season dawns, the 29 teams open the new year with a clean slate, but coaches across MLS are already facing various weights of expectation, and for some, preexisting frustration.
It's still rather early -- especially for any among the nine individuals newly installed as gaffer since the 2023 season ended in November -- but before the new campaign gets underway, it's worth taking a look at the managers sure to face some immediate pressure.
Gary Smith | Nashville SC
The only manager Nashville SC has ever had since joining the league in 2020, Smith has done a commendable job in some regards. After all, it was only the slim margin of a penalty shootout with Inter Miami that kept the boys in gold from the inaugural 2023 Concacaf Leagues Cup trophy.
Notably, Smith has also guided Nashville into the playoffs for four straight seasons. While the team's playoff consistency has been laudable, it has yet to make a deeper run than the quarterfinals and ended 2023 with a first-round exit after losing two straight matches to Orlando City SC.
With that lackluster finish fresh in the memory, the feeling that Nashville isn't delivering on its potential has the chance to overshadow this new season. Things took a dip midway through 2023, and Nashville will need to be quick to counter in the new year. Relying on nothing beyond the individual brilliance of former MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar as an attacking strategy won't get them far, and Smith will need to better strategize those goal-scoring opportunities while also setting up his squad to create them.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Thanks to Nashville's second-place finish in the 2023 Leagues Cup, Smith will guide his team into the new year straddling competitions as one of 10 MLS teams participating in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. Fortunately for the manager, his first few regular-season tests could be surmountable, beginning the campaign against teams that either missed the playoffs in 2023 or eked into them and lost early.
The back-and-forth between Champions Cup and MLS could wear Nashville down, and it faces a rough run of games from the end of March into early April: LAFC, Columbus Crew, Philadelphia Union, then Inter Miami. Failing to get momentum by then could see Smith sitting below the playoff spots and under pressure in the early season.
Greg Vanney | LA Galaxy
It's difficult to think of a more decorated team with a more disgruntled fan base than the Galaxy. The two go hand in hand, of course, as the Galaxy's loyal supporters crave the success from their heyday, when the team collected five titles from nine MLS Cup appearances -- the most in Major League Soccer for either statistic.
Their most recent MLS Cup appearance (and trophy) was in 2014, a full decade ago. After struggling with mediocre results for seasons now, they ended 2023 by failing to qualify for an expanded playoff that ushered a full 18 teams into the postseason.
In the immediate aftermath of confirming their playoff absence by losing 5-2 to Minnesota United in October, Vanney told the media: "This season felt like five seasons' worth of challenges inside of one season, and we couldn't manage all of it and get ourselves to the playoffs and the final stages." It's true that 2023 saw everything from injuries to sanctions to supporter boycotts roll his way, but time has run out for Vanney to coast on complacency should poor luck and bad results throw him off-kilter.
An MLS original, Vanney appeared for the Galaxy in their first six years of existence, guiding them to glory as among the league's best defenders. He returned briefly as a player in 2008, and again as a manager in 2021, but nostalgia won't salvage what has to be the turnaround year for LA's injured giants.
With a few new signings (Gabriel Pec, Miguel Berry) to boost their efforts in the attacking third this offseason, Vanney's early tests offer a spread in caliber that he'll need to take advantage of. David Beckham's star-studded Miami squad awaits them first. A mix of achievable results follow, with tough tests against intracity rivals LAFC and Western Conference giants Seattle Sounders FC by the end of March and early April.
Josh Wolff | Austin FC
Austin FC has enjoyed a state-of-the-art facility, incredible fan support and wide-ranging results in its first three seasons in MLS
After finishing their inaugural year near the bottom of the league and failing to qualify for the playoffs, the Verde famously thumbed their noses at preseason predictions in 2022 by finishing second in the West behind just LAFC and making a compelling playoff run to the Western Conference final. The underlying numbers brought Wolff's side back to reality in their third season, though, as they finished 12th in the 14-team Western Conference and failed to make the playoffs.
With 2023's results more accurately reflecting things like their expected goals, it seemed Wolff's side would need changes to recalibrate, but the offseason has not seen the major roster movements of a team restocking for a rebound. That said, Austin's newly installed sporting director Rodolfo Borrell told ESPN that he has faith in Wolff, who he describes as a young manager with more potential, with an outlook that aligns with what he hopes to build in Austin.
"Very passionate, very dedicated, very much identified with what we're trying to do at the club," Borrell said of his coach.
That may be true, and could lend longevity to Wolff's tenure as the Verde seek better results with a familiar roster in the new season, but it's hard to imagine that outlook remains for too long if results prove dismal and pressure from supporters climbs higher.
Austin will open its season against Minnesota on Feb. 24, then face a tough run of opponents in its next four matches as it meets some of last season's top contenders in Seattle, St. Louis City SC, Philadelphia and Orlando. Things calm down after that, though, and without international competition on deck, Wolff will have time (and Borrell's early support) to focus on results and improvement.
Tata Martino | Inter Miami
It may be surprising to see Martino make this list given he's only been in the role since Phil Neville's firing last June, in addition to the slew of stars in his South Florida squad that you may have heard about. With the headline-grabbing Herons running controversial international tours with the game's G.O.A.T., though, the world's eyes will be on David Beckham's MLS project when the season sets off. The corresponding pressure to get results will surely follow.
Now entering its fifth season in Major League Soccer, Miami failed to make last season's playoffs after finishing second to last in the Eastern Conference. That said, the Herons did win the inaugural 2023 Leagues Cup trophy on the back of Lionel Messi's heroics.
That accomplishment adds some brass to the Martino era, but it also brings with it a complication. His esteemed-but-aging side of stars (Messi has since been joined by Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, among others) will participate in the Concacaf Champions Cup, too.
An already injury-worn and travel-weary squad will face a hectic early-season schedule, as they traverse surmountable opponents in MLS but must contend with continental competition in between. Should they falter in the early days, potentially injuring a star player or sitting them to prevent that, Miami could see a good bit of pressure from fans and media and 2024 gets going.
Bedingham century and O'Rourke five-for leave contest in the balance
Stumps New Zealand 211 and 40 for 1 (Latham 21*, Conway 17, Piedt 1-3) trail South Africa 242 and 235 (Bedingham 110, Petersen 43, O'Rourke 5-34, Philips 2-50) by 227 runs
At stumps, New Zealand were 40 for 1, having lost Devon Conway off what turned out to be the last ball of the day, from Dane Piedt. With New Zealand needing a further 227 runs and South Africa nine wickets to win, the contest is evenly poised heading into day four.
Though this is only Bedingham's fourth Test, the clarity in his thinking and approach - perhaps the experience of playing close to 90 first-class matches helped - stood out. He played aggressively when necessary and scored at a good pace. In his 141-ball stay, he hit 12 fours and two sixes, playing almost a faultless innings.
Petersen, at the other end, was good against spin and pace and ticked along nicely in the middle session. They put on 98 runs together for the fifth wicket, putting South Africa in a strong position at tea.
Not long after, Phillips, with his offspin, cleaned up Ruan de Swardt when he exposed his stumps attempting a sweep. But it was O'Rourke who delivered the key wicket once again when he dismissed Bedingham for 110, Phillips figuring in the script again. It was a back-of-a-length delivery that Bedingham cut but Phillips was waiting at gully for just that shot.
The extra bounce on offer and O'Rourke's pace and accuracy meant New Zealand wiped out South Africa one hour into the final session.
ICC bans UK-based club cricketer Rizwan Javed for 17-and-a-half years for corruption
The ICC has banned Rizwan Javed, a UK-based club cricketer, for 17-and-a-half years - the second-longest sentence handed out by the ICC to date - after he was found guilty of five different breaches of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) anti-corruption code.
Javed, as laid out by the ICC in a legal document, participated in matches for Cheadle Hulme Cricket Club in the Cheshire Cricket League until August 24, 2019, but in this case was under the scanner for his attempts to corrupt players in the T10 league, in particular within the Pune Devils franchise during the 2020-21 season.
Javed was found guilty of:
"Rizwan Javed has received a lengthy ban from cricket for his repeated and serious attempts to corrupt professional cricketers," Alex Marshall, ICC general manager - integrity, said. "He has shown no remorse and no respect for the rules that are in place to protect our sport. The sanction imposed should send a strong message to other corrupters trying to target cricket at any level and demonstrates that any attempt to corrupt cricket will be strongly dealt with."
The ban is backdated to September 19, 2023, the date Javed was provisionally suspended on. The decision was handed out by Michael J Beloff KC, chair of the ICC code of conduct committee.
Rohit, Jadeja tons and Sarfaraz's 62 drag India out of trouble on day one
India 326 for 5 (Rohit 131, Jadeja 110*, Sarfaraz 62, Wood 3-69) vs England
A promotion to Jadeja made double sense: protect the debutant Sarfaraz and also introduce a left-hand batter. Coming back from possibly the first time he has missed a Test with a hamstring injury, and having to deal with a family dispute gone public, Jadeja would have been excused for having a lot on his mind when he joined Rohit, but he batted with the most unencumbered mind: just purely reacting to the next ball in an old-school fashion.
Rohit, who had got off to a smashing start, had to do unconventional things at the start of the partnership. Wood tried to bounce him with a fine leg, a deep backward square leg and a deep forward square leg. For once, looking at the score and the situation, he decided not to hook and had to wear one in his helmet grille. He charged at James Anderson to cut down the movement, on one occasion chipping one just out of mid-on's reach. With Hartley, he flicked in the air and against the turn. The first attempt brought four, the second an edge to slip, which Joe Root dropped.
Rohit will argue this was just the luck he needed after the lack of it in the first two Tests. By then, the early movement had begun to die down. Just after that miscued chip off Anderson, Rohit went back to punch him through extra cover for four, an emphatic sign that he was in.
Jadeja never looked less than in. The two took India to lunch without further bother. Just after lunch, Rohit became the 14th man in this series to hit a six. The added responsibility of being the leader of an inexperienced line-up had messed with his approach a little, but now though, we were seeing the usual Rohit. There were timely lofts, some paddle sweeps, and a lot of back-foot runs. His second six took him past MS Dhoni's 78, with Virender Sehwag as the only Indian ahead of him.
Once there was spin from both ends, Jadeja began to catch up too, hitting a six in the final over of the middle session, the first wicketless session of the series. Immediately after tea, Rohit brought up his 11th hundred with two easy couples off two short balls from Rehan Ahmed. For a long time, the team management would have hoped for the batters to not take risks and just benefit from the inevitable loose balls the inexperienced spin attack was bound to dish up. A little like how Rohit brought up his hundred.
It was happening now with ease, especially for Jadeja. England had to go back to Wood's pace. A top edge from Jadeja cleared long leg, who was 20 yards in off the fence. Rohit was getting freebies from Rehan. Fifty runs came in 11 overs after tea without having to break a sweat. Then Rohit pulled one off Wood that was probably not short enough to pull. It skidded on, got big on him, and was caught at midwicket.
Out came Sarfaraz with whispers already around his game against quick short-pitched bowling. That Wood began with a deep fine third, two men deep on the hook, a short leg and a catching forward square leg suggested it was not a mere whisper. Around the wicket he went and looked to bounce Sarfaraz. He ducked the first three nonchalantly. Towards the end of his spell, Wood insisted on one more over. Sarfaraz ducked again before bunting the surprise yorker down the ground.
With pace out of the way, Sarfaraz displayed remarkable skill against spin, helped no doubt by Ben Stokes' attacking fields. A series of one-twos followed: a loft over the infield followed by going deep into the crease to take a single off the seemingly inevitable shorter delivery. The feet moved perfectly according to the trajectory of the ball, the sweep was out early, and the lofts down the ground were executed perfectly. Before one realised, Sarfaraz had a fifty off 48, the joint second-quickest for an India debutant.
Another byplay had begun to develop. Jadeja had got stuck in the 80s and 90s. In the time that Sarfaraz scored 50, Jadeja had got only 12. He had three hundreds, but four dismissals between 80 and 99. He almost became passive. Had Hartley reviewed his lbw shout against Jadeja, he would have got him out lbw pad-first on 93.
Finally, on 99, Jadeja called Sarfaraz through for an impossible single and unsuccessfully sent him back. Looking at India still leaving the door ajar, Rohit threw his cap in disgust in the dressing room. Jadeja got to the hundred next ball, but the celebrations were subdued since Sarfaraz was gone just one delivery before. Jadeja knew there was more work to do on day two, walking back unbeaten on 110 with Kuldeep Yadav by his side.
Sidharth Monga is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo
Healy's 99 and Brown's five wickets headline Australia's dominance
Australia 251 for 5 (Healy 99, Mooney 78, Sutherland 54*, Klass 3-39) lead South Africa 76 (Brown 5-21, Sutherland 3-19) by 175 runs
A tiring Healy, who had been on the field for almost the entire day, was dismissed for 99 when she succumbed to the offspin of debutant Delmi Tucker and was caught and bowled.
But Australia are well on top in the historic first Test between the countries and lead by 175 runs at stumps.
South Africa's bid for an upset victory to square the multi-format series appears forlorn after a disastrous start to the four-day match.
Playing only their second Test match in a decade, fielding four debutants, South Africa were rocked when Kapp was ruled out due to illness.
A rattled South Africa were unable to cope with the discipline of Australia's quicks, who targeted a dangerous back of a length to devastating effect. South Africa's inexperience against the red-ball, with their XI combining for just seven Tests, was apparent as they fell tamely to loose strokes. Their batters were undone by minimal foot work and too often slashed at deliveries outside the off-stump.
The dominance of the quicks meant that Healy did not have to call upon Australia's trio of frontline spinners, including Sophie Molineux playing in her first international match in more than two years.
There had been intrigue over the surface, used for the first time this season, but fittingly, in the first men's or women's Test match played at the WACA since December 2017, pace-bowling dominated.
Having won back her spot after missing Australia's last Test in India, Brown steamed in and created a chance almost immediately when opener Anneke Bosch was dropped at third slip by Mooney.
But she was worked over by a fiery Brown as a Kapp-less South Africa desperately needed captain Laura Wolvaardt to overcome her sluggish form on the tour. She was unable to capitalise on a drop from a diving Healy to fall on the next delivery to Brown, who finished a spectacular opening spell with 2 for 5 from five overs.
South Africa appeared to be rallying when Sune Luus and Tazmin Brits dug in to defy Australia for 12 overs. Brits, however, was unable to turn over the strike and crawled to 5 off 48 balls before succumbing lbw to Sutherland in a decision that was overturned on DRS. Tucker had a horror debut when she chopped onto her stumps first ball as South Africa spiralled.
Luus had been the only batter seemingly not overawed by the situation and made a fluent 26, but was lured into a drive by Sutherland to provide more catching practice for the slips.
South Africa offered little resistance and were in jeopardy of being humiliatingly bowled out within a session. They trudged to lunch at 55 for 8, but were unable to get past their previous lowest Test score of 89 against New Zealand in Durban in 1972.
Klaas mounted a fightback with the ball and continued her stranglehold of Litchfield, who edged to third slip after being lured into driving a wide ball. Klass was on a roll and dismissed Ellyse Perry and McGrath cheaply as South Africa stormed back into the contest
But the experience of Mooney and Healy came to the fore as they lifted Australia out of trouble before putting the foot down. Healy was in a typically aggressive mood to race to a 59-ball half-century with a crunching blow through midwicket to race as Mooney shortly after also raised the bat.
South Africa toiled in the baking sun and were seemingly going through the motions until Nadine de Klerk produced a wicket out of nowhere when she had Mooney caught at a wide slip.
Healy looked understandably gassed and she succumbed minutes before stumps, but her team remain firmly in control.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth
PCB terminates Haris Rauf's central contract for not committing to Australia tour
Rauf will also not be granted an NOC to participate in any overseas league until June 30, 2024. ESPNcricinfo understands this punishment does not extend to Rauf being omitted from the national side; to the contrary, the PCB want him to be available for all international commitments during this time.
ESPNcricinfo understands Rauf viewed that exchange very differently, claiming he had never confirmed his availability, and stating he wanted to take care of his body and prioritise white-ball cricket. However, it would appear that that argument did not cut through with the board in the hearing that followed.
"The PCB management provided a chance for a personal hearing to Haris in compliance with the principles of natural justice on 30 January, 2024, and his response was found unsatisfactory," the PCB said. "Playing for Pakistan is the ultimate honour and privilege for any sportsperson. Refusal to be part of Pakistan's Test squad in the absence of any medical report or justifiable reason is a material violation of the central contract."
Pakistan did find themselves devoid of high pace during the series against Australia. Shaheen Afridi hasn't yet recovered to hit the speeds he did before his knee injury in the final of the T20 World Cup in 2022, while Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain were also out with long-term injuries over the winter. In the event, the difference between Pakistan and Australia's fast bowlers' pace was clear, and the visitors were clean swept 3-0.
The decision to refuse Rauf an NOC till the end of June is more a rhetorical expression of the PCB's dissatisfaction than a material disadvantage to the player. The PSL, which begins on February 17 - and which Rauf will play - extends till March 18, and Rauf would regardless not have been a part of the IPL, which follows the PSL.
The T20 Blast in England does start in May, but Rauf's commitments with the national side in England, where Pakistan will be playing a white-ball series, would have precluded his participation anyway. The T20 World Cup begins in June, and extends beyond the end of the month, when the restriction on Rauf's participation in overseas tournaments lapses.
It is not yet clear if Rauf has any avenues of appealing the decision. He has been approached by ESPNcricinfo for comment.