ScorecardVarun Chopra helped lead a strong response•Getty Images

Varun Chopra was not the batsman the selectors had come to watch but, with his first Championship century for almost a year, he may have reminded them of his qualities as a potential opening partner to Alastair Cook.It will take more than one eye-catching innings for Chopra to regain lost ground. He has not represented England Lions since February 2014 and has seen the likes of Sam Robson, Adam Lyth, Nick Compton, Alex Hales and Daniel Bell-Drummond go past him in the competition for an England place.But to score a century of this class against an attack of this quality will have done him no harm. He is a wonderfully stylish player with a range of sweetly-timed drives, a gorgeous late cut and a strong pull. He has all the ingredients required to succeed at the top level and, aged 28, time enough to show it.His fault has, at times, been a tendency to fall over towards the off side and a habit of fencing at the ball off the back foot. But with greater balance and discipline, he helped his side avoid the potential pitfalls here and will have shown Mick Newell, the on-looking selector, that he is back to something approaching his best.Chopra’s career suffered for taking on the burden of captaincy at Warwickshire for two years. After being the only man at the club to record 1,000 Championship runs in each season between 2011 and 2013, he fell back in 2014 (though he was still the club’s top run-scorer in first-class cricket and led the side to one trophy and two runners-up positions) and managed only 658 at an average of 27.41 in 2015.Ian Bell’s greater availability may have been the catalyst to changing the captaincy of the club, but Chopra could see that his own England aspirations were not advancing as he had hoped and does not appear to have resisted.His previous record against Yorkshire was also poor. In nine first-class games against them, he had scored only 151 runs at an average of 8.88 without ever reaching 50. In 2015, he lasted five balls in all in suffering a pair at the hands of Ryan Sidebottom.He will, therefore, have been relieved to see Sidebottom limp out of the attack midway through his sixth over. Sidebottom, who had been gaining some dangerous swing, experienced discomfort in his left ankle as he landed earlier in the over – he let out a yelp of pain that could be heard around the ground – and it seems he is most unlikely to bowl again in this game. A Yorkshire debut for David Willey at Trent Bridge on Sunday appears probable.But Yorkshire still offered strong opposition. Jack Brooks produced a beauty to account for Ian Westwood – swinging in, it pitched and left the batsman a fraction to take the top of off stump – and hardly wasted a ball. He was well supported by Liam Plunkett, who looked slightly quicker than Chris Woakes, but offered less in terms of lateral movement, Steven Patterson and the especially impressive Adil Rashid.It was Rashid who accounted for Bell. After compiling an elegant half-century, Bell, perhaps beaten in the flight, failed to come sufficiently far forward to smother Rashid’s leg spin and edged his forward prod to first slip. Judging by the manner that Newell left before another ball was bowled, it was Bell he had come to see.What he will have learned is unclear. Bell looked in fine form, saw off a really good spell of bowling after lunch, but failed to go on to register the commanding score that would have made him hard to ignore. It may prove relevant that, for the second innings in succession, he paid for failing to get as far forward as he might have done on what remains a decent pitch.Jonathan Trott withstood the inevitable short-balls that greeted his arrival – Plunkett came round the pitch to him for a while – and continues to look in supreme form, while Chopra, on 99 at tea, scored the run he required to register his 19th first-class century from the first ball after the interval. Given a full four days, this match could have been a classic.Sadly, all has been ruined by poor weather. Play was first interrupted and then abandoned due to snow on day three with most agreeing it was the coldest day of first-class cricket they had experienced. At one stage, as the Yorkshire fielders took to wearing woolly hats, it was suggested that, instead of sending a 12th man out with drinks, a St Bernard should run out with a tot of brandy. A final day of bonus point accumulation looms.

Durham and England fast bowler Mark Wood has undergone second surgery on his left ankle

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Apr-2016Durham and England fast bowler Mark Wood has undergone second surgery on his left ankle. The surgery was to address issues at the back of his left ankle, five months after a successful surgery to the front of the same ankle in November.Wood will now undergo a rehabilitation period and begin his programme to get back to bowling for his return to competitive cricket later this summer. He is expected to remain out of action for up to eight weeks of the 2016 season, and out of the three Tests against Sri Lanka starting next month.Wood had flown home early from England’s tour of the UAE in November and was later forced to pull out of his scheduled return for Durham’s second XI against Scotland earlier this week.

It seems as though referee Andy Madley and his VAR team may have made a big mistake after not awarding Wolves a late penalty for a Wout Faes handball.

What's the latest on Wolves and VAR?

Julen Lopetegui and co travelled away to face Leicester City in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon but came away from the game empty-handed.

The match had got off to a promising start for the visitors, however, with Matheus Cunha opening the scoring with just 13 minutes on the clock.

Before halftime, though, the Foxes were level after Jose Sa brought down Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho buried the resulting penalty kick.

Wolves were unable to cling on for even a point in the end as Leicester struck a winner in the 75th minute as Timothy Castagne's effort made it 2-1 to the home team.

In the remaining time after the goal, WWFC did put some pressure on the opposition goal and it seems as though they could have had a penalty.

Indeed, as this footage shared on Twitter shows when a late corner was swung in, Faes clears the ball with the use of his arm

Was it a handball by Faes?

On the TV commentary, it's claimed: "For me, it's outstretched, it's unnatural." However, after a brief check by VAR, referee Madly is told to play on.

This seems pretty fortunate for Faes as he misses the ball completely with his attempted header but then it flies to safety via his arm.

As per the official FA rules, it is a handball offence when a player "touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger".

Now the phrase "unnaturally" is always down to interpretation and seems quite problematic when trying to draw up some black-and-white rules. But with the ball hitting Faes' outstretched arm, it certainly can be argued that he has committed an offence here.

Despite this incident, however, manager Lopetegui wasn't looking for excuses after the full-time whistle and instead insisted that his team should have created more chances.

He told the club's media team: “I don’t think we did enough or created enough chances in the second-half. They had more and when they scored it was easier for them because they are a very good team on the counter-attack. It was more difficult for us, but we tried.

“Now it’s done and today we can’t do anything more. We have to be ready for the next challenge.”

Tottenham Hotspur are set to make a move for Birmingham City defender Rico Browne, who has turned down the opportunity to join the north London club in the past, according to a report from Football Insider.

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

Tottenham are running the rule over a number of defensive options for the summer, with it recently emerging they are "closely monitoring" the performances of Swansea City's Nathan Wood, who is also being eyed by rivals Arsenal.

Barcelona are keen on selling loanee Clement Lenglet to Spurs in a permanent deal, which could cost as much as €15m (£13.4m), however the report does not confirm whether the club are interested in keeping him at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Lilywhites are also interested in signing Frankfurt's Evan Ndicka, and the 23-year-old defender will be available on a free transfer at the end of the season, when his current contract is set to expire.

While Tottenham are mulling over moves for centre-backs who would immediately slot into the starting XI, they are also considering options for the future, and Football Insider report they are set to make a new bid for Browne.

It is detailed that Spurs failed in their previous attempt to sign the defender, as he instead opted to sign a new contract with Birmingham, however they have since rekindled their interest.

There may be stiff competition for the 19-year-old, as the report claims Manchester United are also considering a move, and the player himself would jump at the chance to move to Old Trafford.

Should Tottenham sign Rico Browne?

The Manchester-born centre-back is yet to make a first team appearance for Birmingham, which indicates he would be some way off competing for a starting spot at Tottenham, but there are signs he could go on to be a fantastic player.

Hailed as "highly-rated" by members of the media, the starlet has made his name as a ball-playing centre-back, cementing his place in the youth team and becoming captain, highlighting his leadership abilities.

In 31 appearances at youth level, the Birmingham ace has occasionally been utilised in defensive midfield, also displaying his versatility, which is a very useful quality for any player to have.

It remains to be seen whether Browne is able to fulfill his vast potential, but he would be an excellent addition to the Tottenham youth setup, should they be able to win the race for his signature.

Mitchell Starc has admitted to feeling a little frustrated at having to sit out of matches in the ongoing tri-series in the West Indies, but said he understood that his workload management was important

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2016

Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has admitted to feeling a little frustrated at having to sit out of matches in the ongoing tri-series in the West Indies, but said he understood that his workload management was important with a busy season ahead.Starc, who made his international return in this series after a long injury lay-off, played only two of Australia’s four matches so far, taking five wickets. He is expected to play against South Africa on Sunday.Khawaja acknowledges team support during Ramadan

Australia batsman Usman Khawaja has acknowledged the support of the team management while he observes the Muslim fasting period of Ramadan. Khawaja told that he had been fasting whenever possible during the series, while managing playing and training.
“It’s been alright. It’s something that I really enjoy doing, but if it’s affecting my cricket or my training in too much of a negative way, then I probably won’t do it,” he said. “It just depends on the situation.
“They don’t force me to do anything. It’s a choice, it’s my personal choice. They know that at the end of the day I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise the team in any way.
“And what I’m doing now, I’ve said to them before that when I fast, I make sure I do everything as well as I can. And if I’m not doing it as well as I can, I will stop doing it and catch it up later on, which is always an option.”

“It’s part of the plan unfortunately,” Starc told . “Being fit this time around and watching from the side can be a little bit frustrating. But I’ve got to look at the bigger picture and there’s a lot to come in the next six months, so I’ll stick by the plan and stick by what the medicos tell me to do. I don’t have too much say in it. I want to play every game.”The bigger picture (is) we have three Tests against Sri Lanka, a one-day series that follows that, a one-day series in South Africa and then we’ve got the home summer. It’s feeling really good, but I’ve just got to manage that at this point in time. That’s for the medicos to do and me to sit back, unfortunately.”Starc said he was accustomed to having the team’s medical staff determine his playing schedule to keep him fit over the course of a season, particularly after his previous struggles with fitness. Starc battled long-term ankle problems and the injury flared up again during the Ashes Test in Cardiff last year. He then underwent surgery on the ankle in December while recovering from a fractured foot he suffered during the Adelaide Test against New Zealand.Australia also have a packed calendar in 2016-17. After the tri-series, they will tour Sri Lanka and then play an ODI series in South Africa. They will host four teams over the home summer – South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka – before ending their season with a tour of India in February-March 2017.”I’m getting used to being told what to do,” Starc said with a smile. “It’d be really nice to play every single game, but the sheer amount of cricket we play these days, if you play every game, you’re going to break down at some point, so you have to be a little bit smarter about it.”At the moment, I’m feeling really good. I’m feeling strong and ready to go at every point. It’s about me getting right for the next game, and if that involves playing, that’s lovely. But if it means I have to rest or sit out here and there, I’ll have to cop that on the chin as well.”It’s about finding that happy medium, where you’re not bowling yourself into the ground and you’re injured every 12 months. But at the same time, you want to keep that rhythm and be fresh enough to play as much as you can.”Starc, who has played 48 ODIs and taken 95 wickets, is within sight of a record. He needs five wickets to become the fastest bowler to 100 ODI wickets, a record currently held by former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who got to the landmark in 53 matches.Incidentally, Australia have lost both matches in which Starc was rested. With two wins in four matches, they are placed second on the points table, behind South Africa, who lead with 10 points after their two bonus-point victories.

Journalist Jonny McFarlane has suggested that Rangers could cash in youngster Leon King this summer.

What's the latest Rangers transfer exit news?

Thanks to rules put in place by Brexit, it's now harder for Premier League sides to sign youngsters from the EU.

As a result, the youth talent from within Scottish clubs is suddenly quite an attractive prospect. Indeed, when the changes occurred in 2020, one Scottish Premiership chief executive told The Athletic: “We become their second-biggest market overnight behind other English clubs."

With that being the case, if Michael Beale and co are looking to raise some funds for the upcoming summer market, they could look to offload some unwanted youth options.

Indeed while speaking about this on the latest edition of The Rangers Review, McFarlane suggested that 19-year-old King could be sold to raise some unexpected cash.

He said: "We know that Brexit has really, really disrupted how Premier League teams recruit, and has made them much more focused on Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

"So with that in mind, does Leon King have a really, really strong market value – you know, could you turn him into three million quid? Well, if you could…

"I mean, I think there's a strong argument to say it doesn't really look like he's going to be Michael Beale’s cup of tea at this point.

"Perhaps that is the kind of transfer where Rangers can generate cash that you're not expecting."

Will Rangers want to sell Leon King?

Despite his age, the young centre-back still has plenty of experience in the Rangers senior setup. Indeed, he has 28 games under his belt in total.

However, as McFarlane suggests, he might not be too fancied by boss Beale. After all, King has played just one minute of football since the new manager arrived in November.

Before then, he'd been well-trusted by Giovanni van Bronckhorst – playing 25 times in total – so it's not as though he hasn't shown he can play at this level.

With that being the case and the fact he's still a teenager, perhaps an English Championship or even Premier League club could come in for King in the summer with a reasonable bid.

As referenced before, due to Brexit, it's harder for English clubs to snap up talent from overseas nowadays, but this could open the door to a summer transfer exit at Ibrox – which would be a bit of a shock seeing as the 19-year-old was trusted in six Champions League games earlier in the campaign.

If England succeed against Sri Lanka and Pakistan this summer they will complete a set that few would have contemplated possible two years ago

Melinda Farrell at Headingley18-May-2016Turn back a year, to the two-Test series against New Zealand, with low expectations of a team rising from the fiasco that was the World Cup, and few would have foreseen the bright summer that captured the public’s imagination and reinvigorated a young and exciting England side.Turn back another, and the knives were sharpening for whoever was left standing after an Ashes pasting that left the team in tatters and ended several careers.It seems astonishing, therefore, that England are just two series wins away from holding all nine bilateral Test series trophies. If they succeed against Sri Lanka and Pakistan this summer they will complete a set that few would have contemplated possible two years ago.”I think it would be a great achievement,” Alastair Cook, England’s captain, said. “People have spoken about it over the last couple of weeks and I don’t think there’s any harm in that if it inspires us to do it. But actually achieving that will be hard work. We know that and it’s not going to be given to us against two good sides.”In a testament to his durability, Cook has weathered the turmoil, led each new round of new eras and now stands on the cusp of becoming the first English player to reach 10,000 Test runs.That he will reach the milestone as England captain is, he acknowledges, down to his stubbornness and determination never to quit. It will be fitting, too, if he passes the mark against Sri Lanka at Headingley; it was during England’s loss in the corresponding Test two years ago – as Angelo Matthews and Rangana Herath frustrated England’s bowlers with a match-winning partnership – that Cook reached his nadir as captain and was on the verge of quitting, in his own words “close enough that you wouldn’t want to get any closer”.Cook on…

Reaching 10,000 Test runs: “It would mean a lot and hopefully I can get there sooner rather than later so we can talk about something else. It’s a big milestone in terms of the people who have done it previously so it would be great to try and score these 36 runs. I’ve just got to put that to bed and try and do what I’ve done in the previous 10 years, which is concentrate on that ball coming down and nothing else. If it’s your day, go big and get a big score.”
James Vince’s debut: “I haven’t seen him play for a couple of years but I did see him play a few years ago when I was standing at first slip for Essex and he’s one of those players who had a lot of time and he timed the ball really well. They are two things that made him stand out then and over the years I think he’s matured a lot and to watching him go about his business mentally he looks ready for Test cricket. Talking to people, the way he’s operated in the T20 and ODI squad, Trevor [Bayliss] and Paul [Farbrace] rate him very highly and he’s the kind of character you need.”

“I just thought about that what had gone on since January 30 that year to what had gone on there really. It was a tough three or four months off the field as much as on the field,” he said.”I’ve never really quit on anything. I probably had about two percent left in me saying if you walk out now you still have a bit more to offer that side really. So I suppose me being stubborn, probably, and not quitting… I don’t really want to be known as a quitter.”It was certainly a tough day, the fourth night was tougher than the fifth,” Cook said of England’s Headingley defeat, which was confirmed from the penultimate ball of the Test. “I was very proud of the way we battled on the fifth day but the damage had already been done. It’s an amazing game of fine margins, that series. Minus the last ball [that] didn’t quite carry [at Lord’s] and then Angelo Mathews nicked a ball which didn’t quite carry and then he went on to get a brilliant 160, which won them the game.”It was a game of fine margins and Sri Lanka came out on top and thoroughly deserved it. It was a real tough moment for me as a captain, there’s no doubt about that, but I’m glad I hung in there for what’s happened since.”While Cook leads a far more settled side into this series, questions surround those batting alongside him in the top order, despite a successful tour of South Africa. But while he admits the consistency has been missing from the top three, Cook is keen for Alex Hales and Nick Compton to tune out the dissenters and embrace their own, contrasting styles of play.”Until someone really grabs that opportunity and nails it then there’s always going to be questions asked,” Cook said. “Alex is the man in possession at the moment and the way he played, certainly the one-day series against South Africa, five scores above 50 – the way he played, certainly watching back home, showed everyone he’s not just a T20 specialist. He played proper cricket. He wasn’t just whacking the ball. I thought he played some excellent shots and he looked really controlled. He can certainly play at this level.”As always with these things you want to get a big score to try and prove that to people and do it consistently. That’s his challenge and it’s the same for Nick as well. He got a really good 80 at Durban and that was only four games ago and that helped set up in tricky conditions a score that we were able to push on and win. The guy’s a fighter and he’s just got to relax and play.”Cook can no doubt relate to Compton’s situation – that of being a more traditional top-order batsman who excels in blunting the new ball and accumulating, rather than accelerating, in a world where aggressive batting has become far more fashionable.But many of Cook’s 9,964 Test runs to date have come via nudges and nurdles, and many more will likely follow in the same manner. As he leads his side out for the first session of England’s summer campaign, the man who was 98% sure he would hand in his notice is now sure of his place.”It’s probably taken me three years to feel comfortable in the job and hopefully I can carry on for a bit. While I’m still enjoying it and while the guys are still responding I’m staying there.”

Aston Villa are planning to move on midfielder Leander Dendoncker this summer, according to Football Insider.

What’s the latest news on Dendoncker’s Villa future?

Unai Emery’s side recorded another Premier League win on Saturday afternoon, defeating Nottingham Forest 2-0 at Villa Park. Goals in the second half from Bertrand Traore and Ollie Watkins sealed the three points to take Villa up into sixth place.

It is now an impressive 11 wins from 17 for Emery in the Midlands, and it looks as if the Spaniard is already preparing for his first full season in charge.

Recent reports have claimed that Morgan Sanson will be allowed to leave on a permanent basis in the summer, and it looks as if Dendoncker could be given the same treatment despite signing from Wolves just last year.

Football Insider reporter Wayne Veysey shared a story in the last 48 hours regarding Villa and Dendoncker. He revealed that the club are willing to listen to offers and plan to accept a move away, with Dendoncker not viewed as a key part of Emery’s long-term plans.

Villa have already told Dendoncker that he is free to find a new club after the green light from Emery ahead of the summer window.

Will Villa need to replace Dendoncker?

Dendoncker, hailed as a “top player” last year by former Wolve boss Bruno Lage, has started just three Premier League games for Villa this season, one of which came in Emery’s first game in charge against Manchester United.

However, the 27-year-old has seemingly fallen out of favour in recent months, playing less than 100 minutes of top-flight action since the turn of the year. Dendoncker did feature in yesterday’s win, coming on for Emiliano Buendia in the final 15 minutes.

Should the midfielder move on alongside Sanson as expected, Emery will be left with just one out-and-out defensive midfielder in Boubacar Kamara, as per Transfermarkt, so you’d expect that a replacement would be required to bolster the squad.

Villa also paid around €15m (£13m) for Dendoncker’s services, so it’ll be interesting to see how much of that figure the club can recoup ahead of what looks set to be a busy summer.

Tom Poynton, the Derbyshire wicketkeeper, has announced his retirement from the game aged 26

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2016
Tom Poynton, the Derbyshire wicketkeeper, has announced his retirement from the game aged 26. Poynton was involved in a car crash in 2014 – in which his father was killed – and the ankle injury he sustained has continued to cause problems, prompting his decision to quit.Until last month, Poynton had been involved in every game for Derbyshire this season. However, the ankle flared up again and is expected to require further surgery, with Poynton deciding it will no longer hold up to the rigours of playing professionally.”It’s been a really difficult decision to retire from the game I love, but the medical diagnosis and advice means I know that it’s the right decision,” Poynton said. “I’m grateful to everyone in the Derbyshire cricket family and further afield who have helped me during my career, both on and off the field.”I’ve loved playing for Derbyshire, a club I’ve been associated with for over 10 years, and I’m sad to leave. I now need to focus on the next stage of my life after cricket. There’s a few opportunities that I’m going to pursue and I’m excited about what lies ahead.”Poynton came through Derbyshire’s academy, representing England Under-19s and going on to play more than 100 matches for the county. He made his Derbyshire debut aged 17 and in 2012 was involved in the third-highest ninth-wicket partnership in first-class history, putting on 261 with Wayne Madsen and scoring his maiden hundred.In all, Poynton scored 1155 runs in first-class cricket, to go with 107 catches and 10 stumpings. While recovering from his injuries during the 2014 season, he worked in the club’s marketing department.Derbyshire’s chief executive, Simon Storey, said: “Tom is a model professional and leaves the club with a gap to fill on and off the field. He is a natural leader and fine cricketer who has overcome great personal tragedy in the process of representing his home county.”He has shown huge commitment and courage to get back playing first-class cricket at Derbyshire and on behalf of the whole club – members, sponsors, supporters and staff – we all wish Tom every success in the future.”

Billy Bowden may have stood in his last international match, after being dropped from New Zealand Cricket’s international panel of umpires.Bowden was demoted to NZC’s national panel, along with Derek Walker and Phil Jones, in a shake-up of New Zealand’s umpiring ranks that resulted in former first-class players Shaun Haig and Chris Brown being promoted to the international panel. Wayne Knights was the third man added to the international panel.Bowden stood in 84 Tests, 200 one-day internationals and 24 T20 internationals, his most recent appearance having been during the Chappell-Hadlee Series in Wellington in February.He made his international debut in an ODI in 1995 and his Test debut in 2000, and for many years was one of the most recognisable figures on the ICC’s elite panel due to his unusual mannerisms.However, Bowden was cut from the elite panel in 2013. He was reinstated in 2014 after the retirement of his countryman Tony Hill, but was axed once again in 2015.Since then, Bowden was on New Zealand’s international panel, meaning he was still able to stand in international matches. As a member of the national panel, he will now only be able to officiate in domestic games and women’s internationals.NZC international panel Chris Brown, Wayne Knights, Shaun Haig.

NZC national panel Billy Bowden, Chris Brown, Tony Gillies, Shaun Haig, Phil Jones, Wayne Knights, Ash Mehrotra, Tim Parlane, Derek Walker.