The Milwaukee Bucks and star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo have agreed to a three-year, $186million extension, multiple media outlets reported Monday, keeping him under contract through the 2027-28 season.
The final year of the deal, when the seven-time All-Star is scheduled to make $66.8million, reportedly carries a player option.
Antetokounmpo, who had previously said that he planned on waiting until next offseason to sign an extension, hinted at the deal earlier Monday with a post on social media that included a picture of him holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy after the 2021 Finals. The caption read: “MILWAUKEEEEEEEEE!! Let’s get it!!!! #BucksInSix #Extended.”
Antetokounmpo’s max extension – along with the offseason acquisition of Damian Lillard – should quiet any rumours of the two-time MVP’s desire to leave Milwaukee.
Antetokounmpo made comments earlier this offseason that were generally supportive of the team’s direction but left open the possibility of future discontent.
“But at the end of the day, I want to be a Milwaukee Buck for the rest of my career, as long as we are winning. It’s as simple as that,” Antetokounmpo said on media day earlier this month. He later added that the Bucks were “definitely” committed to winning another championship.
Antetokounmpo also said during media day that he did not plan to sign a contract extension until next offseason, when he could have secured a larger deal.
“I said that it did not make sense to sign the contract right now because money’s not important – a lot of money is important. So I’m going to sign it next year,” Antetokounmpo said with a laugh. “But, no, at the end of the day, again, it doesn’t make sense. It does not make sense for me to sign it right now. I’ve got to always look at what’s best for me and my family, for my situation.”
Bobby Marks, ESPN front office insider and former assistant GM with the Brooklyn Nets, explained on social media that Antetokounmpo may make more in the long run by signing this extension.
Antetokounmpo, 28, set a career high last season by scoring 31.1 points per game. The Bucks finished first in the East with a 58-24 record but were eliminated by the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, beginning a crucial offseason for a team just two years removed from an NBA title.
Milwaukee fired coach Mike Budenholzer and hired Adrian Griffin as his replacement. The team was also able to sign Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez to long-term contracts before making the blockbuster trade that brought in Lillard and ended Jrue Holiday’s tenure with the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo has averaged 22.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 719 career games since the Bucks drafted him 15th overall in 2013.
Lillard will make his Bucks debut Thursday when Milwaukee kicks off their 2023-24 season by hosting reigning MVP Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou credited his side’s 2-0 win over Fulham to their “outstanding” pressing after they returned to the top of the Premier League.
Goals from Son Heung-min and James Maddison confirmed the three points for the hosts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Postecoglou also praised the contribution of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who started in place of the suspended Yves Bissouma.
“I thought our pressing was outstanding the whole game and maybe in the first half we could have got one or two more to put the game to bed,” Postecoglou said.
“I thought Pierre was good and he’s been good in every game he’s played for us and he’s been put in some difficult situations and handled them well, he’s very experienced.
“I thought in the first half in particular we stayed calm on the ball and had some good tempo. Like I said I thought our pressing was outstanding all game and I thought he was a big part of that.
“He made interceptions for both goals and yeah it was important to have him in there, his experience coming in because Bissouma has been very important for us and in such a crucial role but I thought he was excellent.”
Spurs took their foot off the gas after their second goal, which invited pressure from Fulham, who had their chances to score late on.
And the former Australia manager was “disappointed” with his side’s second-half efforts.
He added: “I’m really disappointed with the second half, we were nowhere near the levels we have been all year and we have got to make sure we stay disciplined in our approach because the keeper made a couple of great saves to keep the clean sheet and within the context we should have had a much better control of the game.
“I’m not trying to make a point, it’s just what I saw. I thought we were really wasteful with the ball in the second half. We took some liberties with taking extra touches.
“I’ve been around long enough to know if you try to take liberties, you’ll get dragged down pretty quickly.
“I’m not going to let the fact that we’ve won the game disguise the opportunity there for us to improve.
“In the second half, with the ball we weren’t anywhere near the levels we’ve already shown this year and there was no real reason for it. It wasn’t as if the opposition did anything different. It was more self-inflicted.
“My role in that was to give feedback to the players. That’s what they want. They want to get better, they want to improve, I’ve got some stuff there to show them.”
Centre-back Calvin Bassey gave the ball away in the 54th minute and Tottenham punished the mistake through Maddison, doubling his side’s lead.
And Marco Silva admitted he was disappointed with the manner in which Fulham conceded the second goal.
He said: “We were punished by the mistakes that we made.
“What disappointed me was the second goal. At half-time we spoke and we conceded a similar goal in the second half. We were punished again with the same type of goal.”
The reigning NFC champions may have just gotten even better.
The Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a trade Monday, acquiring two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard from the Tennessee Titans for safety Terrell Edmunds.
The Eagles are also sending a 2024 fifth- and a sixth-round round draft pick to the Titans in the deal.
Byard, who was selected to the AP All-Pro team after the 2017 and 2021 seasons, joins a top-10 Eagles defense that allows 290.3 yards per game.
Born in Philadelphia, Byard has 27 career interceptions in 120 games since being drafted in the third round by the Titans in 2016.
Reports of the trade surfaced during coach Nick Sirianni’s press conference, but he was unwilling to comment on the deal yet.
“I obviously want to get with everybody and talk before I say anything here,” Sirianni said.
Philadelphia is tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the league at 6-1 after the Eagles’ 31-17 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night.
Despite another fast start to the season, the Eagles felt they needed help in their secondary after the offseason departure of C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency.
Edmunds was a late first-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018 and has five career interceptions. He joined Eagles on a one-year deal last offseason after the Steelers opted not to re-sign him.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers wants his team to show they can take on the best in the world when they host Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
The Hoops are looking for their first points of the Champions League campaign after going down against Feyenoord with nine men and losing to a last-gasp goal against Lazio after being denied the lead for a second time by a marginal offside decision.
Rodgers said: “We are playing one of the top clubs in the world and one of the best teams.
“We want to be able to take on the best teams in the world. We don’t have to be the best in the world but we certainly want to be able to take them on.”
Celtic warmed up with a dominant display in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Hearts.
“The players will go into it with great confidence,” Rodgers said.
“It will be an amazing atmosphere, we will try to start with energy and quality and devise a plan.
“The players have been unfortunate they haven’t picked up something. In the two games the performance level has been good, considering we had nine men against Feyenoord and the last game was hugely frustrating.
“But a great chance to play against a really good team and see if we can get our first points on the board.”
In-form midfielder Matt O’Riley will go into the game with a positive mindset after hitting his sixth goal of the season in style at Tynecastle.
The 22-year-old said: “If we play well and take our chances, and we believe we can do it, then anything is possible.
“We have seen that before in previous Champions League games in the past, I think performance is definitely there, it’s just a matter of being ruthless in both boxes to be honest.”
Goals from key duo Son Heung-min and James Maddison sent Tottenham back to the Premier League summit with a professional 2-0 win over Fulham.
Spurs had claimed top spot before the international break, but watched rivals Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool all leapfrog them across the weekend to raise the stakes of Monday’s London derby.
Fulham proved no match for Ange Postecoglou’s resurgent team and after Son grabbed his seventh goal of an impressive season in the 36th minute, he turned provider after half-time with an assist for partner in crime Maddison.
It was the latest example of the pair combining and a further nod to the present with Son’s once-famed partnership with Harry Kane, now of Bayern Munich, fast becoming a distant memory.
Next up for Postecoglou’s pace-setters is a trip to Crystal Palace on Friday where they could extend their lead at the top to five points with another win.
This was Spurs’ first home match since the Israel-Hamas conflict started and a moment’s silence occurred before kick-off for the innocent civilians killed, during which several Israeli flags were held up by supporters in different areas of the stadium.
Tottenham were without the suspended Yves Bissouma, which meant Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg earned his second start of the season.
Hojbjerg’s other start was the Carabao Cup shoot-out defeat to Fulham in August, but the hosts quickly set about correcting the only blot on Postecoglou’s near-perfect copybook in N17.
Visiting goalkeeper Bernd Leno was alert in the second minute to deny Son after a trademark Maddison through ball before Micky van de Ven hooked over from a free-kick soon after.
While Spurs’ ascent to first had seen them score 18 times in eight matches, they had also tightened up defensively and summer recruit Guglielmo Vicario demonstrated his class with a crucial stop in the 11th minute.
A corner from Andreas Pereira picked out Joao Palhinha, but his towering header was brilliantly tipped away by Vicario’s left glove.
One-time Tottenham loanee Carlos Vinicius sent a header wide not long after before Postecoglou’s men started to turn the screw.
Richarlison curled wide from 20 yards following a lightning-quick counter-attack, but the breakthrough did arrive in the 36th minute through Son’s seventh goal of the season.
Van de Ven was first to the loose ball after a poor Calvin Bassey pass and touched into Richarlison, who recycled into Son’s path and Spurs’ number seven turned away from Tim Ream before he produced a sumptuous finish into the top corner.
It was a deserved opener and it could have been 2-0 moments later with Bassey first heading away with Son ready to pounce before the Tottenham captain back-heeled to Destiny Udogie, but his shot was blocked.
There was still time for another opening when Cristian Romero played in Dejan Kulusevski, although the Swedish attacker tried to tee up Richarlison when the goal was at his mercy and Fulham survived.
Fulham boss Marco Silva made a double substitution at the break with Raul Jimenez and Alex Iwobi introduced, but the second for Spurs arrived in the 54th minute.
It was a carbon copy of the opener with Bassey’s pass out from the back intercepted by the excellent Hojbjerg and Son played through to Maddison, who coolly angled beyond Leno for his third goal of the term.
With the result almost already assured, Udogie and Pape Sarr did limp off in a concern for Postecoglou before Maddison almost made it 3-0.
Maddison led the press brilliantly and forced another error from Bassey by winning back possession, but Ream came across to block his effort.
And another strong stop by Vicario from Jimenez late on secured a fourth clean sheet this season for the early leaders.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti insists he does not have “freedom of expression” to talk about referees as he prepares his side for their Champions League Group C trip to Sporting Braga.
Ancelotti appeared to back referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea after the weekend draw in Sevilla but later conceded on his club’s official media channels that he used “irony” when questioned about officials.
In a pre-match press conference dominated by questions about the state of refereeing, Ancelotti refused the opportunity to echo Spanish referees’ chief Pedro Rocha and call officials from the country the best in the world.
Ancelotti said: “If you ask me who the best players in the world are, I say Real Madrid players. There are some very good referees with a lot of experience and there are others who need to improve.
“You know that I don’t have freedom of expression when it comes to talking about referees. If I say what I think, I get suspended and I want to work and make the most of the matches, which excite me. I can’t answer these kinds of questions.”
Ancelotti says his players will not be distracted by next week’s El Clasico against Barcelona as they look to make a statement by winning their second straight game in the group.
“We’ve never talked about the next game we have in the league, we’re focused and dedicated to the one we’re playing right now,” added Ancelotti.
“The players are making the most of it and recovering well to get to full strength for tomorrow’s game, which is the most important one at the moment.”
Real are once again without Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao but David Alaba is expected to feature after coming through against Sevilla, while Nacho is in the squad despite currently serving a domestic suspension.
Braga, bidding for a fifth straight win in all competitions, fought back from 2-0 down to beat Union Berlin 3-2 in Germany in their previous Group C match earlier this month.
Artur Jorge’s side finished third in the Portuguese top flight last season to secure Champions League football for the first time in 11 years and beat Serbia’s Backa Topla and Panathinaikos to reach the group stage.
Former Braga defender Jorge is relishing Braga’s first-ever meeting with the Spanish giants.
He told a press conference: “This game will be very special and will go down in Braga’s history.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, but we always seek to be competitive and fight in every match. We will have our opportunities and must try to be effective in the big moments.”
Jaden McDaniels played a big role in the success of the Minnesota Timberwolves last season and is being rewarded.
A day before the start of the NBA season, McDaniels and the Timberwolves agreed to a five-year, $136million extension.
The deal was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic on Monday.
McDaniels averaged a career-high 12.1 points on 51.7 per cent shooting to go with 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in starting all 79 games he played for Minnesota in 2022-23. Though he doesn't shoot a high volume of 3-pointers, he is a reliable shooter from beyond the arc, connecting on 39.8 per cent from 3-point range.
With averages of 0.96 blocks per game and 0.94 steals, McDaniels is also considered one of the NBA's top wing defenders.
Minnesota went 42-40 in 2022-23, and much of the team's success came down to McDaniels' scoring output.
When McDaniels scored at least 12 points, the Timberwolves went 26-13, but when he scored 11 or fewer, the team went 15-25.
A first-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, McDaniels is entering his fourth pro season - all with Minnesota.
With McDaniels firmly in the fold, the Timberwolves boast a talented core of Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert.
Minnesota has made the playoffs each of the last two seasons and opens this year Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors.
Mikel Arteta is hoping he will be left talking about football after his Arsenal side take on Sevilla in Spain on Tuesday.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr was allegedly racially abused during Saturday’s LaLiga clash at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
Vinicius later took to social media to praise staff in the ground for ejecting a fan and reporting him to the authorities.
The Brazilian then said he had also seen footage of abuse being aimed at him from a child, posting on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Congratulations to Sevilla for their quick positioning and punishment in yet another sad episode for Spanish football.
“Unfortunately, I had access to a video of another racist act in this Saturday’s match, this time carried out by a child.
“I am very sorry that there is no one to educate you. I invest, and I invest a lot, in education in Brazil to form citizens with attitudes different from these.”
Just three days later and Arsenal will be the visitors for their Champions League Group C clash.
Arteta echoed Vinicius’ sentiment and is hoping he is left discussing the result when he addresses the media after Tuesday’s game.
“What I can say is Sevilla reacted in a really strong and quick way,” he said.
“Great. Let’s enjoy a beautiful football atmosphere. It doesn’t get much better than the atmosphere here and I hope that we can just talk about the football and enjoy that atmosphere tomorrow.”
Arteta is once again expected to prefer David Raya over Aaron Ramsdale in goal, although the latter has travelled despite reports he would stay in England following the birth of his child on Saturday.
The goalkeeping position at the Emirates Stadium has dominated discussion in recent weeks, especially following a nervy performance from Raya in the 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Saturday.
Asked if Raya was suffering from the intensity of the attention at the moment, Arteta replied: “I haven’t seen that. If I am fair, I haven’t seen that at all.
“That’s the pressure of playing in big clubs where you have to win and you have to be at your best, and you have someone next to you who is pushing you every single day.
“If we go player by player, position by position, you will tell me what’s happening at left-back, what happens with the holding midfielder.
“That’s the debate. That’s the beauty of the game as well. The fact that you have other options as well is going to make those talks more frequent.”
Boss Rudi Garcia admits Napoli must beat Union Berlin to ensure they maintain a strong position in the Champions League.
Garcia’s men sit second in Group C, three points behind leaders Real Madrid, who won 3-2 in Naples earlier this month.
Napoli opened their campaign with a 2-1 win over Braga in Portugal and now go to Union Berlin on Tuesday.
“We know all about Union Berlin’s recent history, they reached the Champions League after an excellent season last year,” said Garcia.
“They have strong players like (Leonardo) Bonucci and (Lucas) Tousart. The Champions League is a great competition to play for both players and coaches.
“We started well, but then we didn’t take any points against Real Madrid and we have to win tomorrow.”
The Serie A champions ended a run of successive home defeats by Real in Europe and Fiorentina in the league with a 3-1 win at Verona on Saturday in which Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice.
However, they will once again be without star striker Victor Osimhen as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Berlin coach Urs Fischer has told his Champions League debutants to have “fun” as they attempt to end a dreadful run of eight successive defeats in all competitions.
Fischer told a press conference: “We have a difficult opponent ahead of us, the Italian champions, but we must remain optimistic and remember that football is fun.
“We will face Napoli in the right manner to try to take away points.”
That is something the Germans, who finished fourth in the Bundesliga last season, have failed to do in either of their games to date after losing 1-0 at Bernabeu Stadium courtesy of Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time strike before going down 3-2 to Braga at the Olympiastadion in a game in which they had led 2-0.
They have suffered on the domestic front too after going into the international break on the back of a 4-2 defeat at Borussia Dortmund and emerging from it to lose 3-0 at home to Stuttgart on Saturday.
However, midfielder Rani Khedira, who made his first league start of the season at the weekend after injury, insisted he and his team-mates had to remain optimistic.
Khedira said: “The key is to continue to have confidence and optimism. Tomorrow we will have to play with humility, and it will not be easy, but we must not get down about it and we must try to win.”
Germany international Robin Gosens is a doubt for the game, while much-decorated Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci will hope for a return after failing to make it off the bench at the weekend.
Track and field icon Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce has revealed that she is being patient with her recovery as she jump-starts her preparation for what will be her final Olympic Games in Paris next year.
The Jamaican superstar, who will be 37 years old in December, is attempting to win a third Olympic 100m gold medal to add to the ones she won in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. She will also be hoping to extend her incredible record of being the only woman to win a medal in the 100m at five consecutive Olympic Games.
It is a tall order, especially when one considers that she will be attempting these history-making feats against possibly the fastest women’s 100m field ever assembled, especially if the likes of world champion Sha’Carri Richardson (10.65), Shericka Jackson (10.65), Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.54), Marie Josee Ta Lou (10.72) and Julien Alfred (10.81) show up in their best form.
However, like the warrior she has been for more than a decade, the self-styled Pocket Rocket remains undaunted. But first, she has to heal her body that has been showing signs of wear and tear with knee, hamstring and other undisclosed injuries that significantly impacted her 2023 season.
“It’s not really my knee alone that has been giving me trouble but at this stage of my career I am trying to be patient in my recovery, making sure I give myself enough time to come back and not to rush coming back,” said the five-time world 100m champion.
“One of the beauties about me is the fact that I am really tough mentally and I know what the end goal is, what I want to achieve and what I need to do to get there. So, I really want to be patient with myself and trust in my doctors and my team to make sure that next year I am ready to stand on the line first at the national championships and then ultimately, in Paris.
“I know within my heart that there is so much more to come and once I have that belief and that God will give me the strength to get to that point.”
She expressed unwavering confidence that once she is healthy again, she will be capable of taking on all challengers who will likely line up in Paris.
“Without a doubt. It’s athletics, injuries happen,” she declared. “I have been blessed to not have many throughout my career and I think that is what I am relying on, the fact that I have been relatively good in terms of health; apart from my knee and whatever else is happening, I’ve been good. I am just looking forward to just getting healthy 100 per cent fit and sometimes you won’t be 100 per cent but 90 is good enough for me.”
Fraser-Pryce, who boasts a personal best of 10.60 which makes her the third fastest woman all time, said she will rely on her tried and proven method of success that has seen her win two individual 100m gold medals, five World 100m titles, a 200m title and a chest full of other medals during the course of her career that began 16 years ago as a relay substitute at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan.
“The depth of the sprinters has always been there, for female sprinting. There’s always a host of different athletes that are coming and preparing and for me the focus is staying focused on your own lane, on what you need to do to get to the top, “she said. “As far as I am concerned having competition is good. It pushes you, it makes you aware that you can’t just go to practice and think that’s enough. You have to work, you have to be committed to that work and you have to be willing to go the extra mile.
“I don’t think about the depth, really, it’s always been there, it’s not going to change. It is what it is. It’s the Olympics, everybody wants to win an Olympic medal. So I don’t want to spend my time focusing on what others are doing but instead I invest the time and effort in my own craft and make sure that when the Olympics come around I will be ready.”
Former Ireland international Jean Kleyn acknowledges being on the verge of becoming a world champion with his native South Africa was “outside the realm of thinking” just months ago.
Munster lock Kleyn represented Ireland under Joe Schmidt at the 2019 World Cup in Japan after qualifying on residency grounds.
But, having been repeatedly overlooked by Schmidt’s successor Andy Farrell, the 30-year-old was in June cleared to switch allegiance back to the Springboks before being included in Jacques Nienaber’s squad for France.
Reigning champions South Africa are on course to retain their crown going into Saturday’s final against fellow three-time winners New Zealand in Paris.
“I think I’ve caught myself thinking about it probably too often,” Kleyn said of his curious Test career.
“It’s a strange one because if you’d asked me six months ago if I at all thought I had any chance of being here at the World Cup final playing for the Springboks, I would have told you you are absolutely insane.
“I’ll probably wake up when it’s all said and done and think, ‘was that a dream or did it actually happen?’. It was outside the realm of thinking.
“It’s been a fantastic journey for me. It’s been an absolute pleasure being part of it.”
View this post on InstagramKleyn, who joined Munster from the Stormers in 2016, played five times under Schmidt in 2019, with his final cap coming in Ireland’s 47-5 pool-stage win over Samoa in Fukuoka.
His lengthy spell in the international wilderness allowed him to revert to the Springboks, a decision he feared may be met with a backlash.
But the response in his adopted nation has been overwhelmingly positive and grown since Ireland’s quarter-final exit at the hands of the All Blacks.
“I’ve been absolutely inundated with messages from Munster supporters – obviously only after Ireland fell out,” said Kleyn.
“Then they really came after us and said, ‘listen, you’re our second team now, guys’.
“The support was really heartfelt from a lot of Munster fans and it made it a lot easier for me because I thought it would be quite a negative reaction when I declared for the Springboks.
“From my history with Irish media, I figured there would be a few negative articles but it was resoundingly positive, so I was really happy about that.”
Kleyn may have to settle for a watching brief at Stade de France this weekend as he has been restricted to just one start during the tournament – South Africa’s 76–0 success over Romania.
His only other appearance was off the bench in his country’s 13-8 Pool B loss to Ireland.
While the Springboks lost that epic battle, they could still win the war.
“Obviously it was a pity for us the result didn’t go our way but here we are in the end still,” said Kleyn.
“No-one really looks back and says ‘you’ve lost a pool game’. They’re going to look if you win the World Cup.
“We were disappointed with the result back then but happy with where we are now. It was a fantastic game to be a part of. I enjoyed every minute.”
Ajax have announced that manager Maurice Steijn has left the Eredivisie club with immediate effect.
Steijn’s departure comes in the wake of a 4-3 defeat at Utrecht that left the Dutch giants sitting one point off the bottom of the table with just one win from their first seven games.
Steijn signed a three-year contract with the club this summer after moving from Sparta Rotterdam, whom he led to a shock sixth-placed finish last season.
Ajax chief executive Jan van Halst said: “We have worked intensely and professionally together over the last few months.
“But the sportive successes and the development of the team were lacking. That is why we decided to sit down together again today.
“This time, Maurice also expressed his concerns on whether he was the right man in the right place. Together, we decided that it would be best to part ways.”
Ajax have been hit by crowd trouble this season with their derby against Feyenoord forced to finish behind closed doors, while their loss at Utrecht was also temporarily suspended late on.
Hedwiges Maduro has been appointed in caretaker charge of the club, starting with Thursday’s trip to Brighton in the Europa League.
England’s Joe Root admits doubts over whether ODI cricket remains “relevant” have not gone unnoticed by players at the World Cup in India, with scrutiny increasing over the future of the format.
The defending champions have been in desperate form at the tournament, losing three of their four matches to leave their semi-final prospects dangling by a thread, but there are wider questions over the 50-over game as the T20 behemoth continues to grow unchecked.
Barring a few outliers, including a lively crowd for England’s loss to Afghanistan in Delhi, attendances have been well below expectations in a country renowned for its passionate support and the lack of close finishes has contributed to a lack of ‘buzz’ at the competition.
The PA news agency understands there are early signs of concern at host broadcaster Star Sports and The Cricketer has reported that the long-range prospects of the one-day game will be discussed at the International Cricket Council’s next board meeting in November.
ICC chair Greg Barclay has already said the success of the event can only be judged once it is complete and sources have rebuffed the idea that the format is under threat. They cite long-term rights deals that include 50-over World Cups in 2027 and 2031 and record streaming figures of 43million viewers during India’s victory over New Zealand on Sunday.
In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports has a direct agreement with the ICC running for the next eight years, including both of those World Cups.
But Root, speaking at England’s team hotel in Bengaluru, acknowledged the growing sense of uncertainty.
“There’s talk of whether this format is relevant any more anyway, in international cricket,” said Root, who helped England win their first World Cup title in 2019.
“Whether that gets changed…I don’t know. Who knows how things move in the future? Whether it’s domestically or internationally, I don’t think we play enough of it if we’re going to continue to look to compete in World Cups.
“I think it’s got a huge amount of history and it brings a lot to cricket. It will always hold a very special part of my heart for what it’s given me throughout my career, but I think it’s a question that should be posed to the next generation of players, and to everyone watching the game, really.
“It shouldn’t be down to, ‘is it bringing the most money for the sport?’ It should be down to what people want to watch, and what’s going to engage the next generation of players. Because in the long term, I think that’s going to be most beneficial for cricket all-round.”
The issue is acute in England, where the legacy of becoming world champions in the format has been a downgrading of the domestic competition to developmental status.
The Metro Bank One-Day Cup is now contested largely by emerging players and second-teamers due to its clash with The Hundred, meaning the newest faces in Jos Buttler’s side – Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson – have barely played the format and are effectively learning it on a global platform.
Root is uneasy with that situation and believes if ODI cricket is to continue, radical steps may be necessary.
The Hundred has significant critics, as a form of the game that is not played anywhere other than England, but Root has put forward the T20 Blast – reliably popular among counties and county members – as a potential sacrifice.
“It doesn’t make me change my mind about The Hundred. It makes me question whether we should be playing more 50-over cricket instead of T20,” he said, before backing away slightly from what is a thorny conundrum with no easy solution.
“But I don’t want to get into a debate about this. I don’t want it to be seen as an excuse (for under performing) because that’s not what we’re about as a team. That’s not how I look at things, but I haven’t got any good argument for anything else.”
While matters of global infrastructure and international scheduling are sure to continue, England have more immediate problems after their unexpected run of adverse results which, thanks to Afghanistan’s shock win over Pakistan on Monday, have left them rock bottom of the table.
Thursday’s game against Sri Lanka is must-win to uphold any realistic hopes of reaching the knockouts and Root is hoping the do-or-die scenario can kickstart a revival.
“We’ll look at that as a World Cup final now, then do the same for the game after that and the game after that,” he said.
“I’ve played in a number of different England teams – good ones and bad ones. This is one of the very best; it’s a very together team and we know what we need to do.
“This white-ball team, over an eight-year period now, likes very simple messaging and has responded very well to it. We’ve got some very simple messaging in front of us right now: we have to go out and win. In some ways that unshackles us and frees us up to do what we do.”
James Doyle has been booked for the plum ride on Kameko Futurity Trophy favourite Diego Velazquez at Doncaster on Saturday.
His trainer Aidan O’Brien has an enviable record in the Town Moor Group One and is responsible for five of the 11 possibles.
The Ballydoyle handler has won the race a record 11 times already and is going for three in a row on the back of Luxembourg (2021) and Auguste Rodin last year and also has Battle Cry, Chief Little Rock, Capulet and Henry Adams engaged.
Doyle partnered O’Brien’s Warm Heart to a Group One double this season in the Yorkshire Oaks and Prix Vermeille.
“Diego Velazquez looks the main one for the Futurity Trophy on Saturday,” said O’Brien.
“We are very happy with him since his last run and James Doyle has been booked for him. We will probably run one other horse in the race and we are looking forward to it.”
Charlie Appleby and Godolphin supplemented impressive Autumn Stakes scorer Ancient Wisdom as expected having pleased in a weekend workout.
Appleby said: “He has come out of that piece of work in good shape so we were keen to supplement this morning. The ground is looking like it will be soft at Doncaster and I feel like he is going to be a very strong contender.”
Roger Teal is looking forward to taking on the big guns with Dancing Gemini, who followed up a Newbury maiden win by romping away with the Listed Flying Scotsman Stakes on Town Moor.
“Everything seems spot on with him and it’s all good at this stage,” said the Lambourn trainer. “He was very impressive at Doncaster last time and we’re looking forward to giving it a go.
“I think the mile will suit him, as he certainly wasn’t stopping there over seven furlongs – and when he won at Newbury, he was only just getting going in the closing stages.
“Soft ground obviously wouldn’t be a problem as it was pretty testing up there last month but, looking at the weather forecast, it could well end up heavy and that is always a bit of an unknown.
“But all we can do is roll our sleeves up and get on with it. It’s a good race and something like this is never going to be easy, but we’ll be giving it a real go.”
John and Thady Gosden could be represented by God’s Window, a course and distance maiden winner on soft ground when getting the better of Ben Brookhouse’s Redhot Whisper, who could reoppose.
David Menuisier will bid to follow up Sunway’s Group One success in France on Sunday by saddling Devil’s Point and outsider Deira Mile could make his debut for Owen Burrows after being switched from Charlie Johnston.
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