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• Salt confirmed as England wicketkeeper despite Buttler return for West Indies T20Is

  Phil Salt will be wicketkeeper in England’s upcoming T20I series against West Indies as white-ball captain Jos Buttler looks to improve his captaincy.

  Buttler has been ruled out with a calf strain but will return to England's squad for the five-match T20I series that begins on Saturday.

  Until now, Salt has kept in just 13 of his 59 England appearances across all formats but has taken up the mantle for the ongoing ODI series against West Indies.

  Buttler, on the other hand, has donned the gloves in 106 of his 108 T20Is.

  Salt, though, is enjoying his new role.

  "It's not something I've done a lot for England recently, but I enjoy keeping. I feel like that's where I offer most to the side," Salt said, as reported by ESPN.

  "We've not had a chat about anything going forward. I'm just glad to be doing it at the moment."

  While Salt is not guaranteed the gloves after this series, he will find comfort in Buttler's intent to optimise his captaincy by experimenting with a role in the field.

  "I was going to give up the gloves and commit to being at mid-off and see how that felt. If it will help me with my captaincy it is something I am open to," Buttler told Sky Sports in September after being ruled out of the T20 series against Australia.

  England are tied 1-1 in their ODI series against the West Indies with the decider to be played on Wednesday.

• Fitness athlete Deidre Lewis thrilled with third-place finish at Mr. and Miss Argentina Pro, eyes further improvements for Chile

  Jamaican fitness athlete Deidre Lewis is celebrating a well-earned third-place finish at the IFBB Pro Mr. and Miss Argentina competition, where she competed in the Bikini Fitness Professional category. Lewis stood proudly on the podium behind Brazilian competitors Larissa Dick, who claimed the title, and Flavia Carneiro, who placed second. Rounding out the top five were Franziska Lohberger of Germany in fourth and Anna Wozniakowska of Poland in fifth, completing a competitive lineup of elite pros.

   

  Competing against a field of nine accomplished athletes, Lewis expressed her satisfaction with her performance, crediting her success to adjustments she made based on judges’ feedback from previous competitions. Earlier this year, she competed in the Roger Boyce Classic in Barbados, where judges advised her to work on tightening her glutes. Taking this feedback to heart, Lewis dedicated herself to refining her physique, increasing both muscle definition and overall balance.

  

   "I am pleased, elated, and satisfied," Lewis said. "I made major improvements based on the judges' feedback and where I want to be in the sport, and it paid off. It was a tough lineup with nine competitive pros, and I am happy I represented my country well."

   For her Argentina showing, Lewis maintained her size from the Barbados competition and focused on making her legs slightly bigger to enhance her shape and symmetry. Her efforts paid off, and she left a strong impression on the judges and audience alike. Still, she remains determined to push her performance to even greater heights.

   Reflecting on feedback from Argentina, Lewis shared that the judges suggested she could benefit from presenting a more shredded look. With her next competition, the Mr. Universe Chile Pro on November 23-24, just weeks away, Lewis plans to dial in her conditioning to meet this goal and present an even more refined physique on stage.

   With her dedication to continuous improvement, Deidre Lewis is proving herself to be a force in the Bikini Fitness Professional category. Her podium finish in Argentina highlights her growth in the sport, and her sights are now firmly set on achieving even greater success in Chile.

   

   

   

• Smith not pinning blame on Ford for England loss

  Marcus Smith does not blame England's narrow defeat to New Zealand on Saturday on George Ford, despite his late missed kicks.

  Ford replaced Smith, who had scored 17 points and set up England's only try in their 24-22 loss, hitting a potential match-winning penalty against the post before narrowly missing a drop goal.

  England had held an eight-point advantage when Smith left the field, but Mark Tele'a's 76th-minute try before Damian McKenzie added five late points proved enough to get the All Blacks over the line.

  The hosts' autumn series got off to a losing start as Ford struggled to find his clinical edge in the dying moments, but Smith does not lay any blame at his team-mate's feet.

  "Sometimes that's the life of a kicker, we've all experienced that. It's part and parcel of the job," said Smith.

  "I've learned so much off George. He's an unbelievable kicker, both off the tee and out of hand. It was one of those days.

  "It's nothing to do with him why we didn't win the game. It's a team effort. Every kicker in the world has experienced that.

  "We practise [drop-goals] as kickers every single day, but sometimes it doesn't go for you. We're all human and people miss."

  Saturday marked a third consecutive narrow loss to New Zealand for England, with their last win an emphatic victory over Japan in June.

  Despite that run, Smith remains confident that England can take lessons from these defeats to set themselves up for success in the future.

  "International rugby is very different to the Premiership and the experiences we're experiencing now are very painful, but we'll be better for them," Smith added.

  "Keep the faith. We've fallen again on the wrong side of the result, but we'll learn from it 100%.

  "These experiences will tighten us as a group, and it will be worth it in the long run. We will be better for it."