LAS VEGAS — Utah Valley and the Western Athletic Conference have cleared up their $1 million dispute that threatened to leave the Wolverines out of the league’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

Utah Valley plans to leave the WAC for the Big West Conference at the end of this school year. The WAC said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that Utah Valley hadn’t complied with a judge’s order directing the school to put $1 million in escrow with the court, an amount equivalent to its exit fee for leaving the conference.

WAC officials said at the time they were planning for the possibility that Utah Valley wouldn’t play in either tournament if the fee wasn’t paid because “it would be a member not in good standing.” That would have left the men’s tournament without its top seed.

But the league issued another statement Tuesday night saying Utah Valley would be playing in both tournaments.

“The Western Athletic Conference has been assured by the Utah court that the $1 million payment from Utah Valley University is in process, in accordance with the court’s directive, and will be completed in the morning, before tipoff of the first game tomorrow,” the WAC said. “Relying on this assurance, the WAC board of directors will allow Utah Valley to compete in the WAC basketball tournaments.”

Utah Valley is the No. 4 seed in the women’s tournament. Both events start Wednesday in Las Vegas.

WAC officials had been planning to release new brackets without Utah Valley if the school hadn’t complied with the court’s directive.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Cricket’s governing body on Wednesday rejected suggestions of unequal treatment after the West Indies and South Africa squads were stranded in India for more than a week following the T20 World Cup.

Airlines have cancelled or rerouted flights because of the war in the Middle East, throwing international travel into chaos.

Cricket West Indies said on Tuesday its squad had waited nine days for a charter flight that was “repeatedly delayed”, calling the uncertainty “increasingly distressing”.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan also criticised the situation, noting on social media that England departed 36 hours after their semi-final exit last week while the West Indies and South Africa remained in Kolkata more than a week after being knocked out of the tournament.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it “rejects any suggestion that these decisions have been driven by anything other than safety, feasibility and welfare”.

“We understand that players, coaches, support staff and their families who have completed their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaigns are anxious to return home,” it said in a statement.

“That they have not yet been able to do so is a source of genuine frustration, and the International Cricket Council shares that frustration.”

It also said there was no comparison between arrangements for South Africa and the West Indies and those made for England, “which arose from separate circumstances, routing options and different travel conditions”.

All members of the South Africa contingent are expected to leave within 36 hours, the ICC said.

South Africa’s World Cup ended on March 4.

Nine West Indies players and staff were already travelling to the Caribbean, with the remaining 16 booked on flights departing India within 24 hours, the ICC said.

West Indies exited the competition on March 1.

Bangladesh national cricket team won the toss and elected to bowl first against Pakistan national cricket team in the opening match of the three-match ODI series at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Three-Match ODI Series

The remaining matches of the series will also be played at the same venue in Dhaka on:

March 13 – Second ODI

March 15 – Third ODI

All matches are scheduled to begin at 1:15 PM Pakistan time, with the toss taking place at 12:45 PM.

Three Debutants for Pakistan

Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi confirmed that three players will make their ODI debuts in the first match:

Sahibzada Farhan

Maaz Sadaqat

Shamyl Hussain

The trio will receive ODI caps 255, 256 and 257, respectively. Farhan and Sadaqat will open the batting, while Shamyl Hussain is expected to bat at number three.

Pakistan Confident Ahead of Series

Speaking before the series, Afridi acknowledged Bangladesh’s strong home record but expressed confidence in Pakistan’s preparation.

He said the team is well prepared and highlighted Pakistan’s recent ODI series victories against South Africa national cricket team and Sri Lanka national cricket team at home.

Head-to-Head Record

Pakistan have historically dominated the ODI rivalry between the two teams.

Total ODIs played: 39

Pakistan wins: 34

Bangladesh wins: 4

No result: 1

This marks the third white-ball bilateral series between Pakistan and Bangladesh since May 2025, following previous T20I series played in both countries.

Fans are eagerly watching the match as Pakistan introduces three new players in its top order, signaling a potential shift toward building a new generation of ODI talen