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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.”

Assistant coach says West Indies’ fast-bowling stocks are at their highest since the 1980s

Alan Gardner15-Jun-2020England have felt the heat from West Indies’ resurgent battery of quicks on more than one occasion in recent years, most notably during heavy defeats in Barbados and Antigua 18 months ago. The fires stoked by Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel and Jason Holder have drawn comparison with West Indies attacks of old, and the team’s assistant coach, Roddy Estwick agreed that Caribbean fast-bowling stocks were at their highest since the 1980s.Roach, notably, dismantled England with match figures of 8 for 82 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in 2019, having claimed 5 for 17 as the tourists were shot out for 77 the week before in Bridgetown, and has already indicated he is keen to “get stuck into them” again on this tour. While his regular new-ball partner Gabriel is currently working his way back from an ankle injury, young talents Alzarri Joseph and Chemar Holder – described by coach Phil Simmons as a potential “great of West Indies cricket” – are also in the squad to face England.Gabriel could still come into contention if he can prove his fitness, while alongside him in West Indies’ 11-man back-up group are the likes of Oshane Thomas, Anderson Phillip and Keon Harding. Even without Jofra Archer, who played for West Indies U19s but will line-up for England, such strength in depth suggests the Caribbean is once again “blessed” with pace options.ALSO READ: Simmons: WI will be ready and looking to defend our trophy”The fast bowling is very key to us,” Estwick said. “Shannon, Jason, Alzarri, Kemar. The four big fast bowlers, they’re here but what we’ve [also] got on this tour is a group of youngsters coming through: Chemar Holder, Oshane Thomas, Anderson Phillip. We’re beginning to get blessed with fast bowlers again in the West Indies, so that’s an exciting time for us. So we’re looking forward to this series and looking forward to seeing how the fast bowlers go.”Roach’s importance becomes clear when you look at the performances of West Indies’ quicks since he returned to the Test set-up in 2017, on their last tour of England. In that period, only a handful of fast bowlers have taken their wickets at a better strike rate than Roach’s 45.6. Not far behind are Holder (45.9) and Gabriel (47.6), while England’s most penetrative seamer over the same timeframe is 37-year-old James Anderson, who strikes every 53.4 balls.Estwick has worked regularly with Roach, Gabriel and Holder since he was first appointed bowling coach in 2016, and said that they now had the necessary combination of fitness and experience to challenge batting line-ups around the world.”So there’s six or seven around the age of 20, 22-23, so that’s really exciting. Once we can put programmes in place and get them up to a certain standard and get them fit, we should have that pyramid we’re looking for, and once Shannon and Roachy move on, we’ve got people to fill their boots.”West Indies have been training at Old Trafford since landing in England last week and Estwick suggested the bowlers were currently operating at around 80%, with players on both sides striving to get match fit after a long break due to Covid-19 lockdowns. Gabriel has not played at all since September but Estwick said he had regained some of his confidence after ankle surgery and would be trusted to tell the management if he felt he could make it through a Test match.After memorable encounters in 2017 and 2018-19, this series will mark the third time teams led by Holder and Joe Root have contested the Wisden Trophy. West Indies’ Headingley win three years ago was their first in Tests in England since 2000, and Estwick held out the hope they could go one further over the coming weeks.”We got beaten badly at Edgbaston and regrouped and had a famous win at Headingley. What that tells us is that we can compete,” he said. “If you look over the two series, for me you would say the series is three-all right now. England won two Test matches over here in 2017, and we won one; we won two in the Caribbean, and they won one. So the series for us is all square, so we need now to win this series just to get ahead. We won on home soil, they won on home soil, so it’s all up for grabs. We’ve got to make sure we find the extra motivation, and if we can we can spring a surprise.”

Football fans want more; it's an intrinsic part of supporting a team, enjoying the highs and enduring the lows. There is certainly a sense at West Ham United that the reigning Europa Conference League champions could go to another level.

Seventh in the Premier League and preparing for a quarter-final clash in the Europa League against high-flying Bayer Leverkusen, David Moyes' job, on the surface level, is secure and his squad is in a good place, improved after impressive summer recruitment to combat the mammoth sale of Declan Rice.

But there's an unmissable ebb and flow to this team, and despite the success of forward-thinking players like Jarrod Bowen, Muhammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta, there's a lot to be desired in attacking play.

It's better than it once was. For. Sure. West Ham have suffered some testing times regarding forwards in recent years, with Albian Ajeti one of the biggest underperformers.

Why West Ham signed Albian Ajeti

West Ham completed the transfer of Switzerland international Ajeti for around £8m back in August 2019 in what looked to be a shrewd deal, the 22-year-old having scored 21 goals and supplied 11 assists in his homeland the previous campaign.

To say he fell by the wayside would be offensive to the term. Ajeti was awful, scoring and assisting nothing from 12 West Ham displays and being harangued for his "lazy" attitude by pundit Frank McAvennie.

He was signed during the same window as Sebastien Haller, who joined for a club-record £45m fee at the time, and while the Ivorian can only go down as a flop himself after scoring 14 goals and adding three assists across 54 matches, sold due to an unwillingness to adapt to Moyes' managerial style, Ajeti, who earned a pretty pay packet at £60k-per-week, is at the bottom of the barrel.

Matches played

9

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0

Minutes per game

17

Goals

0

Assists

0

Pass completion

80%

Touches per game

3.3

Shots per game

0.3

Key passes per game

0.2

Dribbles per game

0.0

Tackles per game

0.1

Duels won per game

0.2

Scottish Premiership giants Celtic swooped in to end Ajeti's Irons nightmare and secured his services for around £5m, saving West Ham from a severe loss, though the Swiss' £60k-per-week wages in England do underscore how abject an asset he was.

Ajeti's transfer valuation in 2024

Ajeti has not enjoyed much success since leaving West Ham, and while his football improved at Celtic, scoring nine goals from 48 appearances, the Basel-born player has never revived his goalscoring ability and has actually netted just 14 times since joining West Ham way back when.

As per Football Transfers' player valuation model, Ajeti is worth just £860k, which marks a staggering 89% depreciation. It's as if his short stay in London snipped the core of his talent, sent his career into a spin.

While Ajeti didn't cost the club too much during his short stint in east London, largely thanks to Celtic's ill-advised move, he dramatically failed to impress and joins a litany of misfires up front for West Ham, Haller very much included.

The fact that his market value has nosedived to its present lowly figure merely illustrates the fall of a once-promising prospect.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

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da dobrowin： O Corinthians sofreu mais uma derrota na Justiça do Trabalho, desta vez quem ganhou a causa foi o ex-zagueiro Marcus Vinícius, que atuou pelo clube entre 2003 e 2007, participando da campanha do título brasileiro de 2005. Foi ordenada a penhora de R$ 1.350.072,46, valor referente à ação do ex-atleta. A informação foi publicada pelo “Meu Timão” e confirmada pelo LANCE!.

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Encerrado na última segunda-feira, o processo estava em tramitação desde maio de 2009, ou seja, há quase 12 anos. Marcus cobra do clube valores relacionados ao Direito de Arena, já que recebia apenas 5% do clube, enquanto a lei exigia 20%. Além de direitos trabalhistas, como FGTS, férias, 13º salário, entre outros, todos acrescidos de juros e correção monetária.

O valor inicial da ação foi R$ 550 mil, no entanto, com o tempo que o processo se arrastou, o valor dos juros ultrapassou o principal, chegando a R$ 765,5 mil. Além de R$ 34,5 mil de FGTS, o que totaliza mais de R$ 1,350 milhão. A juízaGilia Costa Schmalb determinou a penhora online das contas do clube. Se não houver efeito, os valores do direito de transmissão pagos pela TV Globo é que serão penhorados. O Corinthians pode ainda tentar um parcelamento.

Marcus Vinícius disputou 55 jogos em sua trajetória pelo Corinthians, depois se aventurou no futebol europeu ao defender o Istanbul BB, da Turquia, por seis anos. Antes de encerrar a carreira, em 2020, ele ainda jogou pelo Guaratinguetá, pelo Marília, pelo Anápolis e pelo Atibaia, seu último clube.

Leeds United will go into Friday night's big clash away at Sheffield Wednesday pumped up to collect another victory in the Championship, with Daniel James' sublime solo strike enough for the Whites to beat a resilient Stoke City side 1-0 last match.

James' spot in the XI looks secure off the back of this vital goal, battling back from injury issues to remind everyone at Elland Road that he's the main starter down the right wing.

This could be bad news for Wilfried Gnonto, who had started to breathe life back into his up-and-down Whites career with James sidelined – the Italian attacker helping himself to four goals in February playing in the spot freed up by the Welshman being out.

Gnonto could even push to leave Elland Road once again if he tumbles down the pecking order, with Daniel Farke keeping an open mind to the possibility of reintroducing this fringe talent into the first-team set-up when he returns from his loan move if the 20-year-old does decide enough is enough.

The player to ease Leeds' Gnonto concerns

Ian Poveda has become an instant fan favourite since making the switch from West Yorkshire to South Yorkshire in January, joining Sheffield Wednesday amid a gargantuan attempt to stave off the Championship relegation zone.

Poveda might well only have one assist next to his name from seven Owls games so far, but he's got the hardened masses at Hillsborough purring nonetheless over his technical brilliance.

The skilful 24-year-old winger successfully completed three dribble attempts last match against Plymouth Argyle, twisting and turning defenders for fun with his side winning this big basement battle clash 1-0 courtesy of their new Colombian loanee's unpredictability on the ball.

Minutes played

76

Touches

50

Successful dribbles

3/6

Shots on goal

3

Duels won

7/14

Big chances created

1

Even having a goal dubiously ruled out in that clash due to a potential offside, Poveda could well fancy sticking it out permanently in his new surroundings when the loan stint is over.

The South American attacker's contract is up with Leeds at the climax of t he campaign with a high number of potential suitors – alongside the Owls – no doubt wanting to sign Poveda on a free transfer off the back of his bright spell with Wednesday to date.

Still, the door might well not shut completely on Poveda returning to Leeds and dazzling the Elland Road faithful if a new deal can be secured at the final hour. It must be said, however, that one final chance for the winger feels far likelier should the Yorkshire side not secure Premier League promotion.

What Farke thinks about Ian Poveda

Farke has admired Poveda's trickery when commenting on the 24-year-old winger before he made the short journey to South Yorkshire on loan, stating that 5 foot 6 forward possesses a "touch of magic."

Therefore, the German manager could still see him as a useful figure to have in and around his Whites camp to unlock opposition defences with a moment of sublime skill.

Leeds would also be able to breathe easier over the prospect of Gnonto finally upping and leaving the building, freeing up a space for Poveda to come back and feel wanted after being left on the Whites fringes for the majority of his Leeds career to date.

Poveda has shone in spurts for the Championship promotion chasers in the past – helping himself to an assist on just his fourth-ever Leeds appearance back in 2020 – but has never been given the time and patience to truly blossom as a dynamic talent at Elland Road.

For the time being, however, Leeds will just be overjoyed that Poveda is showing off his excellence at Hillsborough after feeling unwanted in Whites quarters.

Back in West Yorkshire, Gnonto will hope he can still have moments in the spotlight to shine himself away from James' reintroduction into Farke's XI.

Left-arm spinner was called during February’s ODI against Oman in Kathmandu

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2020Nisarg Patel, the USA allrounder, has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after an independent assessment found his action to be illegal.Patel, a left-arm spinner, was reported after his side’s ODI against Oman on February 11 in Kathmandu. He bowled seven overs in the game, returning figures of 0 for 37.An assessment was then carried out by an expert panel, as per clause 4.7 of the ICC’s illegal bowling regulations, which concluded that Patel’s bowling action was above the permitted 15-degree level. His suspension will remain in place until he undertakes a review of his action by the ICC’s expert panel, or is cleared by an ICC testing centre.It is possible that Patel will continue to be picked as a batsman alone. While he averages just 20.28 in ODIs, he made a maiden half-century in the game against Oman earlier in the month from only 32 balls, USA’s fastest ODI fifty.

Manchester United players are reportedly relieved that Andre Onana has left on loan, with a potential "problem" at Old Trafford being avoided.

• Cameroonian keeper has headed to Turkey
• Slipped down the pecking order at Old Trafford
• Belgian shot-stopper Lammens pushing for debut

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Cameroon international goalkeeper Onana will spend the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign in Turkey with Trabzonspor. That deal includes no loan fee or purchase option, but 100 per cent of Onana’s wages will be covered by his new club.

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  United have moved their first-choice keeper from the last two seasons out after seeing him make a number of costly errors. They spent much of the summer searching for another No.1 – amid links to Emi Martinez and Gianluigi Donnarumma – and eventually acquired Belgian shot-stopper Senne Lammens.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  According to the , United players were eager to see Onana leave once that deal was done as having four senior goalkeepers on the club’s books would have presented a "problem".

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  Confidence is also said to have "dwindled" in the Old Trafford camp when it comes to Altay Bayindir, who started the current campaign between the sticks. Tom Heaton is not considered to be a contender for Premier League game time at 39 years of age.

The part-time offspinner was reported for a suspect action after the Jamaica Test against India, for the second time in his career

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2019West Indies opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite, who bowls part-time offspin, has been reported for a suspect bowling action after the second Test against India in Jamaica. This is the second time Brathwaite has been reported for a suspect action – the first instance was in August 2017, during West Indies’ tour of England, and Brathwaite was cleared to bowl a month later.Brathwaite will be required to submit to further testing by September 14, although he can continue to bowl in international cricket until the results of his tests are known. In the series against India, Brathwaite bowled only nine overs – two in Jamaica – taking the wicket of Ishant Sharma. Overall, Brathwaite has 18 Test wickets, including a six-for, after having bowled in 37 innings.West Indies’ next international assignment is a tour of India in December, where they will play matches against Afghanistan and the home side. West Indies are scheduled to play three T20Is, three ODIs and a Test against Afghanistan, before taking on India in ODI and T20I series.

Cristiano Ronaldo has joined Georgina Rodriguez on a luxury private yacht, with the Portuguese continuing to unwind during the Saudi off-season.

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• Disappointment at Euro 2024
• Questions asked of future
• All-time great enjoying the present

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had plenty to contend with when linking up with his country for Euro 2024 duty in Germany. That campaign came to an end at the quarter-final stage, with a few tears shed along the way, and with questions being asked of his ongoing presence on an international stage.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Despite being 39 years of age, Ronaldo has offered no indication that he is preparing to bring the curtain down on any part of his distinguished career. There has been talk of him continuing to the 2026 World Cup, with 130 goals already being recorded through 212 appearances for Portugal.

• THE GOSSIP

  For now, Ronaldo is making the most of an opportunity to relax alongside his family. He is back in the Middle East enjoying some sunshine, with time being spent onboard a luxurious sea cruiser. The Ronaldo clan, including Cristiano Jr, were all involved in that trip out on open water.

• WHAT NEXT?

  CR7 has also been unwinding in a sauna and spending time on the beach. Having found the target on 50 occasions for Al-Nassr last season, he will be hoping to hit the ground running in 2024-25 while moving ever closer to 1,000 total goals.

Liverpool have confirmed the sale of academy product Tyler Morton to French side Lyon for a deal worth £15 million (€17.2m).

Morton joins LyonReds to earn £15m from saleMore funds to boost Isak pursuitFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The 22-year-old Englishman has been with the Reds since he was seven but is starting the next chapter of his career by making the switch to France. Morton made 14 senior appearances for Liverpool, also spending time on loan at both Blackburn and Hull before deciding to depart Anfield.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Morton's departure to Lyon opens the door for 18-year-old Trey Nyoni to become a fully fledged member of Arne Slot's first team for the 2025-26 campaign. After helping England Under-21s lift back-to-back European Championships this summer, the former's exit raises £15m in sales for the Premier League champions.

DID YOU KNOW?

Liverpool are still keen to push through a deal for Alexander Isak this summer, despite already having a bid worth over £100m turned down. Morton's sale helps free up more funds for a final push to bring the Swedish striker to Anfield.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MORTON?

Morton will head to France full of optimism as he looks to make a name for himself alongside the other Brits abroad. Lyon finished sixth last term in Ligue 1 and have successfully been reinstated into the division despite sanctions from the league following financial issues. They get their campaign underway on 16 August against Lens.