COLUMBUS -- The cannon is a lie.

There's a hand-crafted replica of a 1857 Napoleon cannon, once called "the best gun for all round field service" in the Civil War, that rests on two large wheels in Section 111 of Nationwide Arena. It fires at the start of Columbus Blue Jackets home games. It fires after they score. It fires after their home victories. Only it doesn't fire. It flashes, and it smokes. The "BOOM" emanates from the rafters through a concussion charge. The cannon firing is merely perception.

David Baker predates the cannon by a decade, as it arrived in 2007 and he became a Blue Jackets season-ticket holder on day one in 1997. The president of the Jacket Backers, the official booster club of the team, he's had the unique experience of witnessing both the "everything" and the "nothing" in the franchise's previously ignominious history.

Until 2017, coach John Tortorella's first full season with Columbus, the Jackets made the playoffs twice in 15 years of existence: a meek sweep at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings in 2009 and a spirited but ultimately fruitless six-game loss in 2014 to the Pittsburgh Penguins, currently their only semblance of a rival.

There have been some moments of individual glory -- goalie Sergei Bobrovsky winning the Vezina Trophy twice, former goalie Steve Mason winning the Calder Trophy, Rick Nash's goal-scoring title in 2003-04, which he shared with two other players -- but not many. Despite their futility, the Jackets' draft history saw top-10 picks that were outright busts (Alexandre Picard, Nikita Filatov), eventual trade fodder (Jakub Voracek, Ryan Johansen) and Nash, the face of the franchise for nine laborious seasons until the pressure reached a boil in 2012 and a contentious trade to the New York Rangers ended his tenure in Columbus.

And that's not even getting into the off-ice stuff: The shadow of Ohio State blocking out attention. The infantilizing "Lumbus" nickname for the franchise on social media. Oh, and that time they attempted to introduce a new mascot that resembled that 1857 Napoleon, only to scuttle it quickly because everyone thought it resembled a phallus.

(The cannon, again, was a lie.)

Every season had a flicker of optimism for the fans, some smoke ahead of the fire. But the "boom" was never there.

"I think our fans have been tremendously loyal. And we have sucked some games. In certain situations, they wanted to get behind us and we have laid an egg," said Tortorella.

If Baker's being honest about it, he doubted if he'd ever see playoff success in Columbus.

"It has been a tough road. The excitement of having a NHL team lasted for the first five to seven years but it wore off quickly after that. To see the team not getting any better was hard. I did lose faith in the organization and thought at times they would never make the playoffs or be good. Then we make the playoffs and there is a glimmer of hope until the rug is pulled out from under us again," he said.

But not this time. This time, the Blue Jackets swept the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, shocking a team that tied the NHL record for most regular-season victories. The Jackets had never won three playoff games, let alone a series. They now return home for Game 3 of their series against the Boston Bruins, tied 1-1.

"It seems a little unreal doesn't it? Uncharted territory," said Sara Chapman, also a Jackets season-ticket holder since day one.

"When Game 4 [of the Lightning series] ended, the noise was deafening in Nationwide Arena. People were crying around me. It was a very emotional moment that seemed to last for days," said Baker.

To finally achieve the postseason victories that had eluded the franchise since the moment those first fans put their deposits down, honesty was the only policy. At least in the Columbus Blue Jackets dressing room.

"If you want to say those meetings helped, I think they did," said defenseman Seth Jones.

Someone's going to earn their doctorate in psychology one day for a case study on the 2018-19 Blue Jackets.

The season began with modest expectations. The Jackets had made the playoffs in two straight seasons, falling to Pittsburgh in five games and then Washington in six games, after taking a 2-0 series lead on the road last year. Both of those opponents would go on to win the Stanley Cup.

But everything about this Blue Jackets team was overshadowed by the fate of two players: Bobrovsky, the 30-year-old franchise goalie with an apparent allergy toward postseason success; and forward Artemi Panarin, 27, the dynamic scoring winger acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in June 2017. The worst kept secret in the NHL was that both were likely to leave the Jackets as unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2019. The season, then, was a countdown clock to the trade deadline to see what Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen decided to do with them.

So the Jackets decided to talk about that.

"Earlier in the year, it was something in our locker room that wasn't positive. It was kind of in the way of things. During camp there were a lot of media questions and everything. So we sat down as a team and had a meeting about it -- coaches and players. These guys ... it's their right to do what they want to do. I think it was an issue at the start of the season, but I don't think it is anymore," said Jones.

Behind locker room doors, the Jackets would joke about the players' next destinations. They'd laugh about the latest rumors. Comedy, with a pinch of nihilism, was the right formula.

"We had some truthful talks. Ever since training camp, it seems like," said Jones. "It's been an interesting year for all of us. We've all grown through a lot of it, because a lot of us have never been in this situation before. I'm not even talking about the playoffs. I'm talking about what happened throughout this season. I think it's great for how young we are."

What happened later in the season was that the countdown clock hit zero. Kekalainen had to decide whether to keep Panarin and Bobrovsky or deal them. On Feb. 25, the day of the NHL trade deadline, the Jackets were barely in playoff position, with their 73 points just two points away from being on the outside of the bubble.

"You discuss every scenario. We just came to the conclusion that we've got a Panarin. We've got a Bobrovsky. These are really good players. Why don't we just go for it here?" said John Davidson, the Blue Jackets' president of hockey operations.

And went for it they did, not only keeping their stars but acquiring four more players: forwards Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel, as well as defenseman Adam McQuaid and goalie Keith Kinkaid. None of these players is signed past this season.

"The reason we were able to do it was because we gave up picks for players. Some of these players might stay, some of them might not. We don't know yet. However, our young players we drafted and signed ... we have a good group. A really good group," said Davidson.

That's the managerial approach to "all-in." For the players in the dressing room, the reaction was different.

"I think our team felt a little pressure ... I don't know if it was pressure, but at the trade deadline there was so much attention on us being all-in. I think sometimes when players aren't used to being put into a position where you're supposed to win, it's a different kind of pressure," said Tortorella.

They didn't respond well to that pressure, going 5-7-1 in the 13 games after the trade deadline, culminating in a humbling 4-1 loss at the lowly Edmonton Oilers on March 21 during a Western Canadian swing. "We went into Edmonton, and we laid an egg. We lost again, and we were brutal. I mean, brutal," said Davidson.

Something had to change.

It was time for more honesty.

The Jackets had two days between their game at Edmonton and their next game at Vancouver. Management held meetings. Coaches held meetings. Players chatted with each other about how to change course.

The day before the game, at the University of British Columbia, the players and coaches held a closed-doors meeting. Whatever was said there, it's now become the stuff of legend.

"The players and the coaches had a meeting that was an all-out meeting. As raw as it can be. As honest as it can be. John Tortorella ... I don't care what people think of him, he's the most honest guy with everything. You want honest? He's your coach. This was a cleansing-type meeting," said Davidson.

"It was nice to hit the reset button as a team. We had some talks about what we thought we were. Put it all out there. And we came a little bit closer together in that road trip," said Jones, who said the meeting was uncomfortable in the best of ways. "That's a big part of leadership. A big part of the room taking over for itself. It's everyone holding each other accountable and to a certain standard."

Davidson and the other members of the management team weren't in that meeting, but they were in the stands watching the practice after that meeting.

"That was by far the best practice they had all year. Whatever was discussed in that room was weighing on these guys. How that got cleared is their business. Their department. They took care of it. In my opinion, at that moment, we were either going to go north or we were going to go south. We've gone north ever since. That was the turning point for us," he said.

The Jackets would beat Vancouver, and win seven of their next eight games to make the playoffs. They'd sweep the Lightning out of the postseason. They earned the split they needed in Boston.

Tortorella watched the team galvanize in front of him. It was during the Tampa series that he realized how locked in they were.

"I'm standing behind the bench, and I'm listening to the bench and I don't have to say a word, because it's coming from them. Hearing guys screaming at each other about back-checking. For a coach to see that is really cool," he said.

Jones said the "chemistry off the ice is the best I've been a part of" in the NHL, and credited his coach with the semi-annual airing of grievances that helped lead the Jackets to their best postseason in franchise history.

"I think Torts helps that. He's never going to bulls--- you. He's never going to tell you what you want to hear. And he encourages you to do the same. We should be able to do that with any other teammate, and not just with Torts," he said.

Nick Foligno, the Jackets' captain and a Columbus mainstay since 2012, said it was all a matter of separating the "real issues" from the noise.

"We've addressed things that need to be addressed in this room, but all the other stuff is just noise. We've dealt with it. Throughout my time here, we've made deals throughout the season where we 'should have' won the Stanley Cup. And then you have years where no one's expecting anything out of you and you have a 100-something-point season. You go through things. And as the core group has gone on here, you realize that it's all just noise," he said. "You just have to have a belief in the room. That has to be manifested by everybody and bought into by everybody. It's a big part of our success."

Not just success, but an unprecedented amount of it for the franchise.

Honestly, who among us thought the "all-in" trade-deadline thing would work? Not could, but would?

Honestly, who among us thought that goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, previously a playoff pariah, would have a .930 save percentage and 2.01 goals-against average in six postseason games, five of them wins?

Honestly, who thought they'd get past Tampa Bay? Or claim a legitimate shot at winning the Stanley Cup this season if they advance past Boston?

"That's a burden that's been here. Not winning a round. I'm thrilled for the people that grinded through this," said Tortorella.

"I'm not a big touchy-feely guy, who starts talking about 'all the people.' The people have been fantastic. Since I've been here, they've just been fantastic. I'm thrilled that they get to taste this. We're hoping to keep on progressing here to make this into a full-fledged hockey town. I'm not going to look back to the past of the organization, but for us to gain respect in the league, we have to keep getting into the playoffs and find a way to be successful."

Isn't that the truth?

Mexico head coach Gerardo Martino is not surprised that Carlos Vela has hit some scintillating form with LAFC this season and admits that a decision is still pending on the 30-year-old's inclusion for El Tri at the Gold Cup.

Vela has netted 11 goals in 10 MLS games so far this season as LAFC has soared to lead the Western Conference, but Martino says he knew all about the Cancun native well before he took the Mexico job.

"Of course [Vela is under consideration], it's not for what he's doing now, but for what he's being doing for a long time," said Martino in a news conference in Atlanta.

- Guardado: Mexico's golden generation fell short

The Argentine went on to explain that he'd faced Vela's Real Sociedad as Barcelona coach and knew all about his quality, although Vela was left out of the March friendly wins by Martino.

"He's evidently having an extraordinary start to the season and we'll have to make a decision in the short term [on his Gold Cup inclusion]," added Martino.

The former Argentina manager also said that Jesus "Tecatito" Corona would be considered, following a fall out in March with Porto about the player's availability, while Hirving Lozano should be recovered following an injury scare.

"Lozano [has] got a knee injury," said Martino. "It wasn't as bad as it seemed ... I'm getting ahead of myself because the doctors are meeting, [but] I believe that [Lozano] shouldn't have any problem to play at the Gold Cup."

West Ham striker Javier Hernandez's inclusion depends on a pending conversation with Martino, with the player's wife expected to give birth around the time of the tournament.

Martino returned to Atlanta to promote El Tri's game on June 4 against Venezuela and the former Newell's Old Boys player said he only had good memories about his time at Atlanta United, where he won the 2018 MLS Cup.

"I always say that if Atlanta had taken me 10 years earlier, I'd have never left here," said Martino. "Saying that is saying that I liked everything that I experienced during two years in this city."

Martino also gave his backing to current Atlanta United manager Frank de Boer, who has started his spell in charge with just two wins from the team's first seven games of the season.

The president of the Tulsa Roughnecks cited the USL's "zero-tolerance policy" against hate speech as the reason for terminating the contract of midfielder Fabian Bastidas on Sunday, and added he wanted to send a message to the city and beyond that such behavior would not be tolerated.

The decision came in the wake of statements by Oklahoma City Energy FC defender/midfielder Atiba Harris that a Tulsa player, later identified as Bastidas, had racially abused him in Saturday's match between the two teams.

Harris later took to Twitter to report what he had experienced in the match. The Roughnecks conducted an investigation, and after Bastidas admitted to using a racial slur, the decision was made by president and part-owner Barry Williams, general manager Wayne Farmer, and head coach Michael Nsien to terminate the player's contract.

Williams, speaking exclusively to ESPN FC, added that the organization wanted to make a statement to the city of Tulsa and beyond, especially with the 100-year anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot -- one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history -- approaching. The Roughnecks have also aimed to build a diverse coaching staff and roster. Nsien is one of the few minority managers in the second-tier USL Championship, and the roster is comprised of players from 13 different countries.

"We still have a fairly segregated city," Williams said about Tulsa. "And with the way that the news has attached itself to this story, and to the sensitivity to the sport and our core values, our core beliefs, not only for me as part-owner and president of the organization, but within our team, we feel zero tolerance is zero tolerance."

Bastidas later posted his version of events on Instagram and Facebook, insisting that his use of the term was meant as a term of endearment.

"Nothing malicious or racist was or will ever be intended by it," Bastidas wrote.

For that reason, it has been suggested on social media and elsewhere that the Roughnecks could have used the incident as a teachable moment, but Williams said the club opted not to take that approach.

"The educational moment can come with some other team, but with this club, we wanted to make sure it was well known in this city that racial comments, racial slurs, and racism in any form is not welcomed, appreciated, or accepted," Williams said.

Williams confirmed that an 11th-minute encounter between Bastidas and Harris was the catalyst for what took place during Saturday's match. Video of the incident shows OKC Energy goalkeeper Cody Laurendi claiming a through ball near the top of the box, with Bastidas running around Harris and making light contact with Laurendi. Harris is then seen pulling away Bastidas, who responds by pushing back. Harris is then later seen pointing his finger in Bastidas' direction.

Williams confirmed that Harris then informed referee Eric Tattersall of what Bastidas had said, and while Tattersall can be seen speaking with Bastidas, no card was given. Williams also added that Harris informed Tulsa captain and former teammate Cyprian Hedrick of what had happened, and that Hedrick later told Bastidas to stop using such language.

Nsien said he received a phone call from OKC manager Steve Cooke after the match, informing him of what happened between Harris and Bastidas. He vowed to investigate, though Harris soon made the allegations public. Williams and Farmer soon were consulting with their counterparts at OKC, Bob Funk and Jason Hawkins. Nsien, Williams and Farmer confronted Bastidas the next day.

After consulting with the league, Tulsa made the decision to terminate Bastidas' contract and informed the player later on Sunday afternoon.

"[Bastidas] understood. I think he was disappointed," said Williams. "I think he was still not grasping the overall gravity of the situation outside of what happened in his individual game with that individual player. But he was certainly sincere in his apology and sincere in that he wished he had made some better decisions."

Nsien said he supported the Roughnecks' decision.

"I think what we're trying to build here [is] there's an ownership group here who has been supportive of me as one of the few African-American coaches in the sport, and the diversity of the players that we brought here are intentional about trying to build something that shows diversity," he said.

"In context or out of context, we think it's important that we set the precedent in the USL and maybe in the world of the actions that we think should be taken if these things continue. We felt like termination of the contract is something that we would support because we feel like that's what [the situation] deserves."

Jozy Altidore and Sloane Stephens announced some exciting news on social media on Monday after the Toronto FC striker proposed to his professional tennis player girlfriend.

Altidore posted a picture of him and Stephens with a message saying "forever starts now"; Stephens posted a message right around the same time saying "forever yes."

Forever starts now. pic.twitter.com/cI8uumEScq

— Jozy Altidore (@JozyAltidore) April 29, 2019

Forever yes ♥️ @JozyAltidore pic.twitter.com/VVvUlrohtY

— Sloane Stephens (@SloaneStephens) April 29, 2019

Altidore has been a bit of a fixture at Stephens' tennis matches in recent years, with the two Florida natives reportedly having dated since 2016. The U.S. international soccer star was in the stands to watch Stephens in the semifinal of the 2017 US Open, but couldn't be there for the final because he was playing a game himself.

Altidore's mother informed him that Stephens had indeed won the US Open at halftime of his game in which he scored twice in a 4-0 win against San Jose.

In addition to winning a Grand Slam title in 2017, Stephens was the 2018 French Open runner-up and a member of the 2017 champion U.S. Fed Cup team.

The 26-year-old American currently is ranked No. 8 in the world.

The 29-year-old Altidore has scored 41 goals in 110 international appearances since his U.S. national team debut in 2007. Altidore has been with Toronto FC in Major League Soccer since 2015.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.

Offspinner Will Somerville will have the chance to face former team-mates after being added to the New Zealand squad for the three one-day matches against Australia in Brisbane next week which act as World Cup preparation.

Somerville played for New South Wales between 2014 and 2018 before returning across the Tasman to resume his career in New Zealand having been offered the prospect of international cricket. The opportunity came his way last year when he made his debut against Pakistan, taking seven wickets in Abu Dhabi to help clinch a famous series victory.

That remains his only Test to date with home conditions not requiring two spinners, but he will have the opportunity to show his one-day skills - a format in which he has only played six matches - in the three games which do not have ODI status.

New Zealand have named a shadow squad for the matches in Brisbane with the majority of their World Cup 15 currently at the IPL and Ross Taylor playing county cricket for Middlesex. The squad is captained by Tom Latham and includes Tom Blundell, Matt Henry, Jimmy Neesham and Henry Nicholls from the World Cup group.

Pace bowler Seth Rance, who has played two ODIs and five T20Is, has also been added to the squad which has expanded to 15 players.

Australia will have all their World Cup players available with them being recalled from the IPL for the training camp.

New Zealand XI squad Tom Latham (capt), Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell (wk), Doug Bracewell, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Seth Rance, Hamish Rutherford, Blair Tickner, George Worker, Will Young, Will Somerville

Australia's World Cup squad gets together for a pre-tournament camp in Brisbane this week while the Australia A tour also edges closer. An enormous number of Australians are playing in overseas competitions in the lead up to the World Cup, Australia A and Ashes tours of the UK. Here is the latest on how they are faring so far.

Who's in form and who's not

Another week brought another stack of runs for David Warner. He finished his IPL campaign with 81 from 56 balls against Kings XI last night. In 12 innings he made 692 runs at 69.20, striking at 143.86, with a century and eight fifties. He made half-centuries in six of his last seven innings including two in the last week. He is in red-hot form heading to the World Cup.

Marcus Stoinis has found some touch after getting to spend some time in the middle in the last two games for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was part of an outstanding unbeaten 121-run stand with AB de Villiers in a win over Kings XI. Stoinis took 20 off the last four balls of the innings to make 46 not out from 34. He then bowled frugally taking 1 for 13 from two overs including the key wicket of Mayank Agarwal. He bowled well again in the loss to Delhi conceding just 24 from three overs. He made 32 not out from 24 balls having walked to the crease with 77 runs needed from 42 balls in the chase, but Kagiso Rabada's yorkers proved mightily difficult to get away.

Steve Smith made 2 and 22 in his last two innings for Rajasthan but the 22 was important in a victorious run chase against the Sunrisers, coming off just 16 balls with three boundaries. He also took a spectacular catch running back with the flight of the ball to remove the in-form Warner in a significant moment in the match. He plays his last IPL match against RCB and hopes to finish with a flourish.

Glenn Maxwell was starved of opportunity in his last two 50-over matches in England before heading home, mainly due to Lancashire's dominance. He bowled 10 overs for 60 against Northants before the chase was reduced to 164 due to rain. He made 20 not out at No. 3 following an opening stand of 130. Against Leicestershire, he bowled five overs and took 1 for 9 and didn't get a bat as Leicestershire were all out for 80. He is being replaced in Lancashire's 50-over team by South Australian Jake Lehmann.

Jason Behrendorff has not played for the last fortnight for Mumbai Indians. Cricket Australia's medical staff will be pleased that he got enough cricket in the IPL without putting a strain on his lower back and he should be fresh for the training camp and warm-up games against New Zealand.

Chris Lynn made a blistering 54 from 29 balls in a high-scoring win over Mumbai. He has not been at his absolute best in this IPL. He failed to score against the Royals in his previous game but has posted four half-centuries in his last seven innings.

#Asheswatch

The Royal London One-Day Cup continued in England this week as the County Championship remains on hold as World Cup preparations ramp up. Although 50-over white-ball form may not carry as much weight towards Ashes selection there were some noteworthy performances for the Australian selectors to ponder.

James Pattinson showed some great signs playing three games in five days for Nottinghamshire and contributing with bat and ball. He made 33 off 25 and then took 2 for 22 from sevwn overs against Warwickshire. He made 13 not out from seven balls including a four and a six against Leicestershire before taking 1 for 46 from eight over. He bagged 2 for 42 from 10 overs, with a maiden, in Notts' fifth straight win over Yorkshire.

Peter Siddle had a good week for Essex. He was the standout bowler in a heavy loss to Somerset. He took 4 for 60 in a lone hand as Somerset made 5 for 353 at Taunton. He was even better at Chelmsford on Sunday against an talent-laden Hampshire side, taking 2 for 18 from 10 overs as Essex won easily.

Cameron Bancroft's stunning form for Durham stalled with scores of 20 and 3 before making 45 from 65 balls in a successful run chase against Derbyshire. He is also keeping for Durham, on top of captaining the side, taking six catches in the last three games.

Matt Renshaw didn't get the chance to bat last week as his only game for Kent was washed out. Marnus Labuschagne was 27 not out for Glamorgan when rain ended the match without a result. Labuschagne had been sent back to Glamorgan's 2nd XI prior to that innings to find some form, but he only made 8 against Somerset's 2nd XI. He missed out again over the weekend against Surrey, trapped lbw for 5 by Morne Morkel. But he did bowl 10 overs for just 51 as Glamorgan comfortably defended 323.

Did you see?

Steve Smith's spectacular catch to get rid of Warner in their IPL meeting proved how valuable his agility in the field is ahead of the World Cup. Warner sliced a ball over cover and Smith ran back from the circle and took the chance diving at full stretch.

Ashton Turner finally broke his string of ducks in T20 cricket against Sunrisers. Again he walked out in a tough scenario but managed to survive to make 3 not out to help team-mate Sanju Samson guide the side home.

Injury list

There were some concerns about Smith's injured elbow in the aftermath as he landed on it while completing the catch. But he was able to bat later that night without issue and there were no concerns post-match.

Performance of the week

Warner had claims to this title every week but his ninth 50-plus score of the IPL on Monday was another exceptional display. He destroyed the spin of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and R Ashwin in making his third 80-plus score of the tournament. He struck seven boundaries and a six but once again his supreme running between the wickets was a feature post the Powerplay onslaught, running 11 twos and a three.

Cricket Australia has apologised for any "unintended offence" caused by James Faulkner's Instagram post on Monday night which was widely interpreted as the allrounder revealing he was in a same-sex relationship.

The initial post of Faulkner having dinner on his 29th birthday alongside his mother and friend Rob Jubb, who Faulkner captioned as "boyfriend", was reported by many major media outlets as being confirmation of a relationship. The post was later edited to include "best friend" but by then the story had gone around the world.

In a subsequent post on Tuesday morning, Faulkner clarified there had been a "misunderstanding", while thanking the support he had received, and Cricket Australia emphasised their support for the LGBQTI community.

View this post on Instagram

There seems to be a misunderstanding about my post from last night, I am not gay, however it has been fantastic to see the support from and for the LBGT community. Let's never forget love is love, however @robjubbsta is just a great friend. Last night marked five years of being house mates! Good on everyone for being so supportive.

A post shared by James Faulkner (@jfaulkner44) on Apr 29, 2019 at 5:07pm PDT

"Cricket Australia does not consider the social commentary this morning from James Faulkner to be a joke, nor does James," a statement said.

"His comment was made as a genuine reflection of his relationship with his business partner, best friend and house mate of five years. He was not contacted for clarification before some outlets reported his Instagram post as an announcement of a homosexual relationship.

"James and CA are supportive of the LGBQTI community and recognises coming out can be an incredibly emotional time. The post was not in any way meant to make light of this and, though the support from the community was overwhelming and positive. Cricket Australia apologises for any unintended offence."

The second season of the Global T20 Canada is set to begin on July 25, with defending champions Vancouver Knights facing hosts Toronto Nationals. The tournament includes 22 matches, including three playoffs, and the final will take place on August 11.

ALSO READ: Five takeaways from the first season of Global T20 Canada

The league ends a week before the ICC Americas regional T20 qualifier-final, which will feature Canada players. The Global T20 league has been scheduled earlier this season - it had started in June last year - to avoid clashing with the Euro T20 slam, which will kick off at the end of August. Incidentally, Mercuri Group, owners of the GLT20 league, are also involved with the Euro T20 slam.

In the inaugural season, all games were played at at Maple Leaf cricket club in Toronto, and it is likely that all matches this season too will also be held at this venue.

The first season of the GL T20 Cananda included high-profile names like Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, David Warner, Steven Smith. The league also unearthed new stars like Rassie van der Dussen and Sherfane Rutherford, who have gone on to feature in various other T20 leagues.

Brian Lara, the brand ambassador of the league, welcomed the new season and said: "I was there to see the first edition of the league and was enormously impressed with the overall quality of cricket. Despite a few hiccups, Cricket Canada and GT20 team delivered an outstanding event.

"The hallmark of the event was a local boy Saad Bin Zafar winning the Man of the Match in the all-important finals in the presence of stars like Chris Gayle and Andre Russell. It proves that cricketers from these countries need these kinds of endeavours to prove their talent. I hope GT20 season two will take cricket to greater heights in the North America region."

Responding to the conflict-of-interest allegation against him, former India batsman VVS Laxman criticised the Committee of Administrators' handling of the Cricket Advisory Committee,and alleged complete lack of communication from the Vinod Rai-led panel.

Laxman said the COA has been using the CAC only for the selection of senior national coaches, despite having promised the CAC a broader role earlier.

Laxman, in his official response to the Ombudsman-cum-Ethics-Officer, Justice DK Jain, gave rebutted the allegations of 'Conflict of Interest', and stated that he is ready to "recuse" himself if he is found to be in a position of conflict.

"On December 7, 2018, we had written to the Committee of Administrators requesting them to clarify the scope of our role and responsibilities. To this date, there has been no reply. Since no tenure had been mentioned in the letter of intent issued in 2015, it was only reasonable to expect some communication on whether the CAC was still in existence. Unfortunately that hasn't been forthcoming," Laxman wrote in his affidavit filed through his lawyer.

Laxman, along with Tendulkar, replied to notices served by the Ombudsman, following a complaint by Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) life-member Sanjeev Gupta against their dual roles as mentors in IPL franchises (Sunrisers Hyderabad in Laxman's case) and CAC members.

"It will be worthwhile to note that the reason I agreed to be a member was because of the various inputs we were originally tasked with contributing towards the sustained growth of Indian cricket," he wrote in his reply.

"The opportunity to be involved meaningfully in India's climb towards becoming a cricketing superpower post retirement was privilege enough for me to turn down the offer of remuneration of being a part of CAC," Laxman said in his affidavit, point 3 (c).

"The allegation of the complainant are baseless as we are in no manner selectors of either players or coaches, and CAC is not a permanent body," he wrote.

The pertinent points of his affidavit were 3 (d) and (e), where he criticised the CoA, insisting that the body was never really forthcoming on the scope and role of the CAC.

Laxman said the roles of the CAC, as told to him in 2015, included focusing on improving performances of the national team overseas, creating a pathway to track a young cricketer's career from U-19 to India A to the international team, ODIs and Test cricket for the country's top players, managing workload for fast bowlers, means to improve the quality of Indian spinners, and education and life-skills for young cricketers.

He said no such input was ever sought by the BCCI.

"...none of the CAC members has (sic) been called on to give our opinion on any subjects except to be invited to be involved in the selection of national coaches and, once, the selection of junior national selectors. However, this is by no means a regular process and I am in no manner to be considered a selector."

Laxman also claimed that the COA did not even give the three-member committee - the third member being Sourav Ganguly - enough time to confirm availability to select the women's head coach.

"In December 2018, we were given a little over 24 hours to confirm our availability to be on the panel to select the India women's head coach. All three of us expressed our inability to participate in the process due to short notice and prior commitments," Laxman said.

An ad-hoc committee, comprising Kapil Dev, Shantha Rangaswamy and Anshuman Gaekwad, selected WV Raman as the head coach.

Laxman urged the Ombudsman to view the "Conflict of Interest clause from the perspective of whether in the performance of my duties as a CAC member, I am being influenced by external factors".

"It is my respectful submission that when I am barely required to discharge any duties as a member of the CAC, which I wasn't even sure existed due to the lack of communication until I received this notice, questions of any conflict of interest doesn't arise."