SPORTS

NFL owners have approved a plan that leaves open the possibility of a neutral-site AFC Championship Game and could determine home-field advantage for a wild-card game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens by a coin flip.

In the wake of the cancellation of Monday's Bills-Bengals game, the following scenarios based on Week 18 results were approved for holding the title game at a neutral site:

If Buffalo (12-3) and Kansas City (13-3) both win or tie, a Bills-Chiefs championship game would be at a neutral site.

Bowling no balls in any format is a crime, said India skipper Hardik Pandya, adding that it was not about blaming Arshdeep Singh but the young pacer needs to go back and rectify his basic errors. India slumped to a 16-run loss in the second T20I as Sri Lanka levelled the three-match series 1-1.

Returning to the side after missing the opener, Arshdeep looked rusty and bowled as many as five no balls in his two overs, giving away 37 runs. “You can have a good day, you can have a bad day, but you shouldn't be moving away from the basics. For Arshdeep, in this situation, it is very difficult. In past as well he's bowled no-balls,” Pandya said at the post-match presentation.

“It is not about blaming him or to be too hard on him, but we know no-balls in any format is a crime.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to airlift an injured Rishabh Pant from Derhadun. The decision was taken by the BCCI secretary Jay Shah in a review meeting on Wednesday (January 4) with the board's medical team over the health situation of Pant, who miraculously escaped from a car accident recently.

The decision was arrived at after it was certified by the BCCI and doctors of Max Hospital in Derhadun, where the 25-year-old is convalescing from different injuries sustained from the road accident on the Delhi-Derhadun Highway on December 30. Pant will be shifted to Mumbai on Wednesday itself.

India prevailed over Sri Lanka by two runs in their first T20 International to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series here on Tuesday. Sent in to bat, India scored 162 for five at the Wankhede Stadium, reaching the total after being in a spot of bother at one stage of their innings.

In reply, Sri Lanka were all out for 160 in 20 overs with debutant pacer Shivam Mavi (4/20) picking the first two wickets. Skipper Dasun Shanaka top-scored for the visitors with 45 off 27 balls For India, opener Ishan Kishan made 37 off 29 balls while new T20 captain Hardik Pandya chipped in with 29 in 27 deliveries. Deepak Hooda then blasted 41 off 23 balls while Axar Patel smashed a 20-ball 31.

India's upcoming series against Sri Lanka will be their first since wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s horrific car crash. Pant is currently undergoing treatment and was severely injured after his car crashed on the Delhi-Dehradun highway. The 25-year-old was considered an integral part of India's plans for the upcoming 2023 World Cup and in the T20I scheme of things as well.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya , who will captain the Indian team in the T20I matches against Sri Lanka, said that the team is hoping that Pant will make a speedy recovery. “What happened is very unfortunate. As a team we wish him all the best. Our love and prayers are always with him and we hope he manages a speedy recovery. He was very important but everyone knows where the situation stands,” said Pandya on the eve of the first T20I against Sri Lanka. The match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.