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The two-Test series which is part of the World Test Championship is Bangladesh’s fourth postponement since March

Mohammad Isam23-Jun-2020New Zealand’s two-Test tour of Bangladesh, which was scheduled in August-September as part of the ICC World Test Championship, has been postponed for a later date amid the Covid-19 pandemic.Cricket has been suspended since mid-March in Bangladesh, with the Shere Bangla National Stadium, cricket’s headquarters in the country, well within a virus “red zone”. Bangladesh has crossed the 100,000 mark for total number of coronavirus cases, with over 1,500 deaths attributed to the pandemic so far.BCB’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said that the board considered the health and safety of the players when deciding on the postponement.”In the present Covid-19 pandemic scenario, hosting a full cricket series in August 2020 will be a challenge in terms of preparations and we cannot take chances with the safety and health of players, support staff and related stakeholders,” Chowdhury said.”Under these circumstances, the BCB and NZC have felt that the best way forward would be to defer the series. We realise that this will be hugely disappointing for the players and officials of both teams, not to mention the fans of the two nations but I must thank NZC for its understanding and for recognising the rationale behind such a decision.”This is Bangladesh’s fourth postponement since March, following the second Test against Pakistan in Karachi (April), Ireland and UK tour (May) and Australia’s tour of Bangladesh (June). Their tour to Sri Lanka, scheduled for July-August, is still in doubt.New Zealand have also had several deferrals including the cancellation of the Chappell-Hadlee series in March after one ODI. They have postponed their Europe tour (Netherlands, Ireland and Scotland) and a tour to the West Indies.

A survey reveals that only 28% of football fans in the UK wants Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as their club owners.

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• UK football fans disapprove of Reynolds and McElhenney's ownership
• 28% fans want the Hollywood duo at their club
• Wrexham face Birmingham on Monday in 'Hollywood derby'

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney changed the fortunes of Wrexham ever since they took over the Welsh club in 2020. Under their ownership, the Red Dragons achieved back-to-back promotions and are currently plying their trade in League One.

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  However, despite the actors' success as co-owners in English football, only 28 percent of football fans in the UK are willing to welcome the duo as their respective club owners as per a survey conducted by Betfair/YouGov. During the survey, they interacted with more than 2000 fans out of which a net 52 percent of the fans were satisfied with their current ownership.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The Wrexham co-owners' acceptance was maximum among Manchester United fans as 33 percent of Red Devils loyalists were ready to welcome the Hollywood stars.

  Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny owned my club	All fans	Arsenal	Chelsea	Liverpool	Man City	Man Utd	Newcastle	Spurs
  Net agree	28%	30%	30%	31%	30%	33%	27%	32%
  Net disagree	52%	52%	47%	51%	49%	46%	60%	50%

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Phil Parkinson's side, who are currently at the top of the League One table, are all set to lock horns against Birmingham City in the 'Hollywood derby' on Monday.

Leeds United may have just been handed a major boost in their transfer pursuit of one star this summer, with his club being urged to sell him for almost any decent fee.

Leeds eyeing up summer revamp

No matter how their impressive Championship campaign concludes, Daniel Farke's side are seemingly set for major change this summer.

The futures of plenty of loanees need to be decided, including Max Wober, Brenden Aaronson and Marc Roca. Meanwhile, there will almost certainly be interest in the likes of Archie Gray and Crysensio Summerville, both of whom have enjoyed memorable second-tier seasons.

"One day" – Leeds United star reveals La Liga dream

The Yorkshire side could lose a key man if they get promoted.

By
Ben Browning

Feb 9, 2024

Though promotion may encourage them to overhaul their squad, Farke is likely to want to keep the core of his squad together as best as he can, in order to try and hit the ground running in the top flight and hand the Yorkshire side the best chance of survival for another season.

One of those that they are thought to be most keen on keeping is Joe Rodon, who is currently on loan from Tottenham Hotspur but has been a vital part of Leeds' promotion push and has slotted perfectly into Farke's backline, helping Leeds boast the best defence in the division.

Tottenham told to accept 8-figure offer

Now the Elland Road outfit may have been dealt a major boost, with one club insider urging Spurs chairman Daniel Levy to "learn from his past mistakes" and "just accept any deal" over £10m for the Welshman.

Rodon has been impressive during his season in the Championship, showing signs of why Tottenham initially took him to north London across his 34 appearances for Leeds this campaign. But it is clear that his future lies away from the Tottenham Hotspur stadium after two successive loan spells away from the club, and plenty of defensive cover having been bought in in his absence.

Speaking to Tottenham News, Spurs insider Jon Wenham has revealed that he would accept any deal for Rodon over £10m, and has urged Levy to do the same.

“Tottenham’s decision to sell Rodon this summer will be down to whether or not Levy has learned from his past mistakes", he explained.

“Do Spurs want to actually continue with this rebuild or do they want to dig their heels in and try and get more money for Rodon?

“I think they would be doing well to receive a fee of anywhere between £10-13million, and should just accept any deal in this range.

“It is a far higher fee than they would have got last summer after Rodon’s unsuccessful loan spell in France with Stade Rennais F.C.”

With Spurs keen to continue to splash the cash this summer and looking to build on an impressive first season under Ange Postecoglou, preparation for a return to the Champions League is likely to take centre stage, which could leave Leeds free to grab a bargain and make Rodon's loan move permanent at a cut-price fee.

Deputy could step up to lead during West Indies series due to impending birth of Root’s child

Andrew Miller02-Jun-2020Ben Stokes would make a “fantastic” Test captain if he was required to step up to lead the side during the forthcoming series against West Indies, according to the man he would replace, Joe Root, who says he will attend the birth of his second child in July, even if it means stepping out of England’s bio-secure “bubble”.Although Root admitted that the exact protocols for the birth would be determined by the latest government advice, the likelihood is that he would be required to miss at least one, and maybe two Tests of England’s condensed schedule, given that all three West Indies Tests are set to take place in a three-week block between July 8 and July 28 at the Ageas Bowl and Old Trafford. And if that was the case, then Stokes, who was last year reinstalled as Root’s official vice-captain, would be the frontrunner to lead the side in his absence – quite the turnaround for a player who had been left fearing for his future following the events in Bristol in September 2017, the last occasion that West Indies visited for a bilateral tour.”I think if Ben was captain he would be fantastic,” said Root. “One of his great qualities as vice-captain, and as a leader, is he sets the example. The way he goes about his training, how he wants to bowl in difficult circumstances, the way he stands up in different scenarios with the bat … he drags people with him and gets the best out of the players around him.”I think that’s a great quality to have as a leader and something he can take into captaincy if he was to get the opportunity. I could see him doing a very good job.”England have had a mixed record with allrounders at the helm. Ian Botham was famously sacked midway through the 1981 Ashes after 12 winless matches, while Andrew Flintoff’s initial success as Michael Vaughan’s stand-in on the 2006 tour of India gave way to ignominy the following winter when England’s hold on the Ashes was ended in a 5-0 whitewash.The general consensus with both of those players was that the responsibility of the England captaincy eroded the spontaneity of their best performances. However, while Root agreed that Stokes would rise to the occasion in a one-off capacity, he was also happy to talk up his credentials as a potential long-term successor.”I think those qualities will serve him well,” Root said. “People will always look up to him and want to play for him, whether [he’s] captain or not. But especially as captain, he’ll have people wanting to play for him and, short-term, he’d be a huge success.ALSO READ: England-West Indies Test schedule confirmed“Until you get the opportunity to do it longer, you just never know, it might be a huge success … I wouldn’t put it past him. Throughout his career he’s always responded well and Test captaincy is more than just a bit of added responsibility.”Over time it does take a lot out of you, but he’s a very impressive player and man in our dressing room. I’d never say Ben Stokes can’t do anything, he’s pretty much proved that.”After 39 Tests as captain, however, Root insisted he was not yet ready to contemplate the end of his three-year tenure, adding that the enforced break from action had been a welcome opportunity to take stock of a career that – had it not been for the postponement of the recent tour of Sri Lanka – would have been closing in on 100 Tests and 8000 runs this summer.”I’ve enjoyed it and benefited from it, having a bit of time to think about the game as a batter and as a captain,” Root said. “Take a bit of stock [about] the best way to take the team forward and how I will get the best out of myself for the next couple of years. I could see that having a big impact on my longevity.”Hopefully that has a positive impact on both sides of my cricket, and we can start seeing a few more converted scores and England winning plenty of games.”Ben Stokes is set to deputise for Joe Root at some point this summer•Getty Images

Root’s official return to training began on Monday at Trent Bridge, rather than his county home of Headingley, a decision he said had been made for the sake of his daily commute, as well as for the opportunity to be reunited with his former England coach, Peter Moores, with whom he underwent a one-on-one session.”I obviously spent a good couple of years working with Pete on my batting and you could argue that some of my best years batting-wise were whilst he was in charge,” said Root, who made four unbeaten hundreds in ten Tests under Moores in 2014-15, including a best of 200 not out against Sri Lanka at Lord’s.”It has been nice to touch base with him again,” he said. “There wasn’t much coaching done yesterday. It was more about getting back into it, hitting some balls, and feeling good. It would be nice to get his input on things as the week progresses, leading into the next phase.”To start with everything seems a million miles an hour,” Root added. “Slowly, as a few hours went on, it seemed to come back to me. By the end of it I felt really good. It was really nice to enjoy batting again. I think a lot of players will have found positives from having a period of time away from cricket, and feel really refreshed and energised coming back into it.”For me, having played almost consistently for such a long period of time and some quite high-pressured cricket in the last couple of years in particular, to get a chance to get away, I definitely feel that will benefit me moving forward into this next phase.”

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's Wrexham side are set to take on Tom Brady's Birmingham City in a huge clash in League One.

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• Wrexham face Birmingham next in League One
• Welsh side currently top the table
• Two clubs owned by superstars

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Wrexham travel to St Andrew's to take on Birmingham City on Monday, September 16 in a tie that's already been dubbed the 'Hollywood Derby.' The game sees the Welsh side, who are owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, come up against a club that counts NFL legend Brady as a minority owner.

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  The League One glamour tie will also have plenty riding on it as both teams have made strong starts to the season. Wrexham currently sit top of the pile after making an unbeaten start to the new campaign following their promotion last season. Birmingham are also flying high and sit just three points behind the Welsh side ahead of the game.

• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Former striker and Sky Sports' EFL expert Don Goodman is looking forward to the fixture. He told Betway: "It's the Hollywood derby! There's so much glitz and glamour about it, I'm covering the game for Sky Sports.  I don't think it's the biggest game in League One history when you've had the likes of Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland in the division. It brings eyes from around the world to the lower levels of the EFL and even non-league football. The exposure it brings is fantastic. It will be a sell-out and a fantastic atmosphere with two good teams. I'm interested to see who comes out on top. It's fantastic for the EFL.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM

  Birmingham have a free week to prepare for the game, while Wrexham host Salford City in the Football League Trophy on Tuesday before turning their attentions to the top-of-the-table clash.

Tottenham Hotspur will host Crystal Palace in the Premier League this afternoon after sitting out last weekend's action, with their contest against Chelsea postponed due to the Blues' involvement in the Carabao Cup final.

Ange Postecoglou will be eager to stifle the Eagles' 'manager bounce' after Oliver Glasner engineered a big win over Burnley in his first game in the dugout one week ago.

Spurs fell to a bleak home defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers during their previous fixture, and must now avoid any hiccups to continue their pursuit of Champions League qualification.

Spurs team news vs Crystal Palace

Richarlison has been ruled out of action for up to four weeks with a knee injury suffered in the previous encounter, with the Brazilian's ten goals from ten matches sure to be missed down at N17.

Moreover, Pedro Porro remains on the sidelines after missing the Old Gold loss, though fellow full-back Destiny Udogie is likely to start after overcoming the issue that prevented him from featuring two weeks ago.

Captain Heung-min Son is the likely candidate to serve up top in Richarlison's stead, which means Timo Werner must be unleashed on the wing, ahead of Brennan Johnson.

Why Timo Werner should replace Richarlison

Richarlison's absence is a big blow, there are no two ways about it, but Tottenham do have a wealth of attacking options and Son is hardly ineffective when fielded as the centre-forward.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Indeed, the South Korean star has posted nine goals and two assists across 12 top-flight fixtures up front this term and has been hailed for his "lethal" finishing by The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare.

Son's return to the striker's position allows Werner to slot back in on the left, and while the Germany international – who joined from RB Leipzig on loan in January – has yet to score he has impressed with his effort and energy.

Lauded for his "lightning quick" speed by pundit Paul Merson, Werner is the perfect type of player to stretch the Palace backline which shifted to a three-man centre under Glasner's management last weekend.

Joel Ward, on Werner's attacking left side, lost both of his ground duels while also being dribbled past, and if the Austrian chooses to field the same side then Werner could definitely inflict damage through his speed and dynamism.

To emphasise this, the 27-year-old ranks among the top 4% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries, the top 12% for progressive passes and the top 15% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref, highlighting both his pace and creative spark that will allow the shifted Son to thrive with a steady stream of support not just reliant on No. 10 James Maddison.

Tottenham must unleash Werner, and even if he doesn't find the back of the net himself, the whiz's qualities will be perfect to send the Lilywhites back into the win column.

Eight of Australia’s T20 World Cup-winning XI are now confirmed for the new competition

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2020Three more of Australia’s T20 World Cup-winning side have signed deals to play in the inaugural season of the Hundred, with Beth Mooney, Ash Gardner and Nicola Carey all confirmed to appear in the competition.That means eight of the Australia XI from the final have contracts in the tournament, with Georgia Wareham, Delissa Kimmince and Megan Schutt the only three yet to sign.Mooney will link up with international team-mates Jess Jonassen and Meg Lanning at Welsh Fire, with Australia coach Matthew Mott in charge of the side.Carey joins player-of-the-final Alyssa Healy at Northern Superchargers, while Gardner becomes Birmingham Phoenix’s second overseas signing in the women’s competition alongside New Zealand captain Sophie Devine.Two further signings have been announced, with Marizanne Kapp joining Oval Invincibles and Chloe Tryon heading to London Spirit.”I’m really excited to take part in the first season of The Hundred,” Mooney said. “It looks likes it is developing into a high-quality, world-class competition.”As head coach, Matthew Mott is building a really strong side at Welsh Fire and I can’t wait to get out there with my new team-mates.”Beth Barrett-Wild, head of the women’s competition, said: “It’s fantastic to see five more international stars signing up to play in The Hundred this summer. The competition is really building momentum, and it’s very exciting to see the growing list of world-class talent involved across the eight teams.”We’ve now confirmed the names of 18 overseas players who will compete in the women’s competition, including the likes of Meg Lanning, Suzie Bates, Stafanie Taylor and Lizelle Lee; with six still to go, the standard of cricket is set to be very high.”

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson believes his side are showing they can compete at the top end of League One after beating Peterborough 2-0 away from home.

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• Wrexham remain unbeaten in League One
• Have won three and drawn one of four games
• Currently sit second in the table

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Wrexham recorded an impressive away win on Saturday as they beat Peterborough 2-0, thanks to goals from Jack Marriott and Max Cleworth. The result leaves Parkinson's side second in the table, having won three and drawn one of their opening four games of the campaign, and the manager believes they are proving just how good they are.

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  Of course, the Welsh club, bankrolled by Hollywood A-listers Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have already won back-to-back promotions, going from the National League to League One without breaking much of a sweat. And Parkinson has once again set his sights on competing at the top end of the table as they aim for a third successive ascension, this time into the Championship.

• WHAT PARKINSON SAID

  Parkinson told reporters:  “We have to show we’re serious contenders at this level and we’ve done it in really good style. We knew what we had to do today against a very good Peterborough side, the shape of the team out of possession was outstanding.

  “The first goal typified our quality and all in all it was good win for the team and the subs who came on. It was the shape of the team and the structure was really good, Peterborough found it difficult to play through us.

  “We were reasonably comfortable and the lads are on a high because of that. This was another test for us today.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Wrexham welcome Shrewsbury Town next weekend as they aim to extend their unbeaten record. Shrewsbury are currently 20th in League One.

Celtic have been blessed in the striker department in recent years as they have enjoyed a number of impressively prolific goalscorers at Parkhead.

From Gary Hooper through to Kyogo Furuhashi, and hopefully Adam Idah, the Hoops have not been short of number nines with a penchant for finding the back of the net on a regular basis.

Current Hoops head coach Brendan Rodgers played a big role in the signing of one such talent back in 2017 as Odsonne Edouard joined from Paris Saint-Germain, initially on loan.

That move turned out to be a masterstroke from the club as the French marksman's value soared throughout his time with the Scottish giants.

Odsonne Edouard's market value when Celtic signed him

The 19-year-old dynamo was valued at €1.5m (£1.3m) by Transfermarkt at the time of his initial loan move to Parkhead ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.

He hit the ground running in his debut season in Scotland with a return of 11 goals and four assists in 29 appearances in all competitions for the club. This included nine goals in 22 Scottish Premiership matches for Rodgers.

That €1.5m (£1.3m) valuation on Transfermarkt remained the same during the summer of 2018 as Celtic decided to secure his services on a permanent basis.

They were richly rewarded for that decision, on and off the pitch, as Edouard went on to be a lethal scorer for the Hoops before making a big move to the Premier League in 2021.

How much Edouard was worth when he left Celtic in 2021

English side Crystal Palace swooped to secure his signature in the summer of 2021 and Transfermarkt valued him at a whopping €17m (£14.5m) at the time of that deal.

This means that his market value on Transfermarkt soared by a staggering 1,033% in three years from the €1.5m they valued him at in 2018 upon signing for Celtic on a permanent basis.

That soaring value also allowed the Hoops to make a big profit on the striker as Ange Postecoglou – who arrived as the manager that summer – sold him to the Eagles for a reported £18.5m, which was significantly more than the £9m Rodgers paid to sign him from PSG.

Edouard, who was once hailed as "prolific" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, earned that big move to Palace and helped his market value to skyrocket by performing on the pitch for Celtic.

The former France youth international, as you can see in the table above, the impressive marksman was a reliable goalscorer for the Scottish giants over a significant period of time.

He averaged a goal every other match, or better, across his three-and-a-bit seasons in the top-flight after joining on a permanent deal in the summer of 2018.

This shows that Rodgers hit the jackpot by snapping him up from PSG, both on loan initially and then permanently the following year, as Edouard was a huge player for the club on the pitch, with his outstanding goalscoring, and his market value soared ahead of a big-money switch to Palace.