The United States men's national team has announced its training and roster plans ahead of this summer's Gold Cup.

U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter will hold a combined preparation camp in Annapolis, Maryland from May 26 until June 2. The initial contingent of 21 players will be comprised of available senior team performers on the Gold Cup provisional roster, players eligible for the U.S. under-23 team, as well as other select players.

The goal of the initial camp is to get those players unfamiliar with Berhalter's system up to speed, as well as maintain fitness after long club seasons.

Among the Gold Cup-eligible players taking part are Tottenham Hotspur defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, Club Atlas defender Omar Gonzalez, Chelsea defender Matt Miazga, and Werder Bremen forward Josh Sargent.

- U.S. to host Cuba in first Nations League match
- Yedlin left off U.S.'s preliminary roster

The players eligible for the U23 camp include New York City FC midfielder Keaton Parks, Portland Timbers midfielder Eryk Williamson and Schalke forward Haji Wright. All told, 13 of the players named to the preparation camp roster are age-eligible for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, while 11 have been named to the Gold Cup provisional roster.

Following the slate of MLS matches on the weekend of June 1, those players based in Europe and Major League Soccer who are on the Gold Cup provisional roster will join up with the team. This second group will contain the likes of Chelsea midfielder Christian Pulisic, Schalke midfielder Weston McKennie and Toronto FC midfielder Michael Bradley.

The complete list of players taking part in the training camp's second phase -- which will total around 26 players -- will be finalized on May 31, ahead of the June 5 friendly against Jamaica at Washington, D.C.'s Audi Field.

"Bringing together senior team players with several of the under-23 internationals gives us a fantastic opportunity to continue to instill our culture and style of play across the national team programs," Berhalter said.

"We expect it to be a very productive week, and then we look forward to bringing in our full group before the game against Jamaica as we narrow in on the final selections for the Gold Cup roster."

Once the second group arrives for camp, those players not on the Gold Cup provisional roster will depart, with the U23s slated to participate in their own training camp from June 10-16 in Salt Lake City.

The U.S. team's final 23-player roster for the Gold Cup must be submitted by midnight on the night of June 5. The U.S will play a second friendly against Venezuela on June 9 at Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium.

The U.S. team's group at the Gold Cup includes Guyana, Panama and Trinidad & Tobago. It begins on June 18 at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.

U.S. COMBINED CAMP ROSTER

Players eligible for the Gold Cup roster are bolded.

GOALKEEPERS: JT Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes; 0/0), Andrew Thomas (Stanford; 0/0), Justin Vom Steeg (LA Galaxy; 0/0)

DEFENDERS: Kyle Duncan (New York Red Bulls; 0/0), Cameron Carter-Vickers (Tottenham Hotspur/ENG; 7/0), Marlon Fossey (Fulham/ENG; 0/0), Omar Gonzalez (Atlas/MEX; 49/3), Andrew Gutman (Charlotte independence; 0/0), Matt Miazga (Chelsea/ENG; 12/1), Tim Ream (Fulham; 28/1), Antonee Robinson (Everton/ENG; 6/0)

MIDFIELDERS: Duane Holmes (Derby County/ENG; 0/0), Emerson Hyndman (Bournemouth/ENG; 2/0), Keaton Parks(New York City FC; 1/0), Eryk Williamson (Portland Timbers; 0/0)

FORWARDS: Jonathan Amon (Nordsjælland/DEN; 1/0), Luca de la Torre (Fulham/ENG; 1/0), Joe Gyau (Duisburg/GER; 2/0), Josh Perez (LAFC; 0/0), Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen/GER; 6/2); Haji Wright (Schalke/GER; 0/0)

Manchester United will pursue alternative targets to bolster their attacking options this summer after ruling out an £80 million move for Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho, sources have told ESPN FC.

Former Manchester City youngster Sancho, 19, has been a long-term United target, with the club's scouting department identifying him as a potential signing prior to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's arrival as the replacement for the sacked Jose Mourinho in December 2018.

- Transfer Talk: Man United making Wan-Bissaka move?
- Sources: United set to make move for Newcastle's Longstaff
- When does the transfer window close?

But while Solskjaer and assistant manager Mike Phelan have encouraged the club's interest in the teenager, who made his England debut against Croatia in October 2018, United have been unable to engage Dortmund in constructive discussions about a deal for him.

Enquiries by United about Sancho's availability have been rebuffed by Dortmund, who have made it clear that they have no desire to sell the player this summer, having already offloaded United States international forward Christian Pulisic to Chelsea.

Sources said United have been made aware that it would require an offer in the region of £80-90 million to even prompt Dortmund to consider selling Sancho, and with Solskjaer determined to press on with his summer recruitment plans, they have now chosen to look elsewhere due to what they perceive to be an overinflated valuation of a player who has just two full seasons of senior football under his belt.

Sancho remains a player of interest to United, but not at the level of outlay it would require to persuade Dortmund to sell, sources said.

Plans are already in place to make moves for Swansea City winger Daniel James and Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff. United are also interested in Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez.

A central defender is also high on Solskjaer's wanted list, with Leicester City's Harry Maguire and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly the preferred options with Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt expected to reject United's interest in order to move to Barcelona.

Little known fact: When Beyonce sang, "I'll have another you by tomorrow, so don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable," she wasn't talking about Lionel Messi or Virgil van Dijk or anyone else on this list for that matter.

With what promises to be a busy summer transfer window, we decided to take a look at the "Mr. Indispensable" at 12 of the best (or biggest) clubs in the world. Who are the guys that make the biggest impact for their sides when they're on the field?

Barcelona: Lionel Messi

He leads the team in chances created, shots, assists, goals, successful through balls and dribbles completed. None of the runners-up are particularly close. Also: He's Lionel Messi. Next.

Manchester City: Fernandinho

The year is 2550. The scarcity of water has made it three times as valuable as gold. Borders have disappeared. Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon and Microsoft are the only remaining global institutions, and pundits are still wondering how Manchester City will cope with Fernandinho's eventual retirement.

Since turning 30, he's played an average of 2,687 minutes -- of a possible 3,420 -- over the past four Premier League seasons. He is both City's anchor and their ignition; among regular starters this past season, he led the team in tackles and interceptions and led all non-defenders in forward passes per 90 minutes. His ability to win the ball and then get it to Man City's endless supply of playmakers all by himself is what allows Pep Guardiola to cram extra attackers into the midfielder under the guise of calling them "free eights."

The Brazilian struggled with injuries this year and played his fewest minutes in the league since 2014-15, but he still started 28 games and two of City's four league losses came without him on the field. He just turned 34.

This can't last forever ... right?

Liverpool: Virgil van Dijk

Paolo Maldini, the legendary Italian defender (and failed amateur tennis player), once said "if I have to make a tackle, then I have already made a mistake." If Maldini's cool-under-pressure has a modern, more athletic heir, it would be Liverpool's Dutch center-back.

In 49 games this year in the Premier and Champions Leagues, he's attempted just 49 tackles -- without losing a single one. What that means is no attacker -- not Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Eden Hazard or Lionel Messi -- has successfully dribbled by him this year. But perhaps this is even more representative of Van Dijk's team-wide effect in transforming Liverpool's defense from a source of chaos and anxiety to a source of strength.

In Jurgen Klopp's first two seasons with the club, they committed 21 errors that led directly to goals. Over the past two years: just eight. In Liverpool's last full Premier League season without VVD, they conceded 42 goals. In their first full year with him, that number dropped to 22.

Manchester United: Paul Pogba

Although his goal-scoring numbers were inflated by seven penalties and although he was benched at the tail end of Jose Mourinho's tenure, Paul Pogba still managed to be United's most impactful player in what was essentially a lost season for the club. Per Impect, the 26-year-old bypassed more defenders per game with his passes than any other United player, and the passes he received bypassed more opponents than any United player, too. Oh, and he also scored more goals, registered more assists and completed more dribbles per 90 minutes than anyone else on the team.

Despite managing to be the central figure in both the team's build-up play and their goal creation, Pogba doesn't have what you would call a, um, "100-percent approval rating" among the United faithful. If he leaves the club this summer, maybe his detractors will finally come to appreciate him next season... once they see what the team looks like without him.

Bayern Munich: Thiago

In the simplest of terms, the job of the modern midfielder is to move the ball up to the attackers and prevent the ball from going the other way. No one in the Bundesliga is better at either of those things than Thiago.

The German company Impect, which was founded by former Bundesliga players Stefan Reinartz and Jens Hegeler, collects data for a number of on-field actions and then quantifies how many players those actions remove from the flow of play. In other words: How many opposing players get bypassed with a pass or a dribble and how many get stranded behind the ball after an interception? Thiago leads all midfielders in Germany with an average of 66 opponents removed per game with his passes and 31 removed with his interceptions.

He's missed four Bundesliga games this season; Bayern drew two and lost both of the others. His presence was the difference between another easy stroll to first and a down-to-the-final-weekend title race.

Real Madrid: Casemiro

The following statement sums up just how weird Real's first season post-Cristiano Ronaldo has been: Karim Benzema was probably Madrid's best player this term, as he led the team in goals and tied for the lead in assists. However, it feels like a stretch to call a 31-year-old striker who scored five goals a year ago "indispensable" so it's the underheralded 27-year-old Brazilian who gets the designation instead.

As the entire squad declined around him this season, Casemiro was left to put out fires left and right and above: He led the team in combined tackles plus interceptions per 90 minutes and aerial duels won per 90 minutes.

How did Real Madrid win three Champions League titles in a row with a team that barely got any defensive contributions from its three attackers, two-thirds of its midfield and one of its fullbacks? Casemiro did most of the work for them.

Paris Saint-Germain: Kylian Mbappe

Raw goals and assist totals can play tricks on you because they don't account for playing time and they don't discriminate against penalties. Would you rather have the striker with 10 goals (nine on penalties) in 1,500 minutes or the one with eight goals (all from open play) in 800 minutes?

Let's strip out penalties and take a look at the per-90-minute averages among all players in Europe's Big Five leagues who have played at least half of the available minutes. Within that subset, only two players averaged at least 1.0 non-penalty goal-plus-assist per 90. There's the 31-year-old Messi at 1.48, and there's the 20-year-old Mbappe at 1.50.

One of the faces has changed but the story remains the same: right now, there's a pair of soccer players who are way better than everyone else on the planet.

Chelsea: Eden Hazard

This is awkward. There might not be a single player in Europe who's more important to his team than Hazard. He reportedly wants to leave... and his team are, pending appeal, banned from signing new players until the summer of 2020. In 2018-19, Hazard basically did the job of four different players at once. He led the team with 16 goals; no-one else had more than eight. He led the team with 15 assists; no-one else had more than six. He completed 138 dribbles; no-one else had more than 45. And he took 240 touches in the opposition penalty area; no-one else had more than 113.

It's not just that Hazard was the team's leading scorer, creator, ball-mover and target man. No, it's that he was at least 100-percent more productive in all of those areas than any of his teammates. If Hazard skips town, Chelsea will likely need to sign multiple players to replace all of that. Unfortunately, they might not even be able to sign one.

Atletico Madrid: Jan Oblak

Atletico are the one elite modern team that have built their success around a ferocious, rock-solid defense and not controlling the ball. Among the Big Five European leagues, there are 50 teams who average more possession than Diego Simeone's side. A byproduct of that is that Atletico also concede a relatively high number of shots per game -- 11.2, 21st-fewest in Europe -- for a team with annual designs on making a deep run in the Champions League.

Despite all those attempts, though, Atletico have still allowed fewer goals per game this year than all but Manchester City and Liverpool. Why? They have the best goalkeeper in the world. According to research from the data company STATS, the 26-year-old Jan Oblak has saved a European-best 0.67 goals above average per game(!) this season. Without an elite shot-stopper, Simeone's style wouldn't be so successful. Fortunately, he might have the best one there is.

Juventus: Joao Cancelo

It's not Cristiano Ronaldo. Seriously. With Gonzalo Higuain leading the line last year, Juventus made the Champions League quarterfinals and averaged 2.5 points per game in Serie A. With Ronaldo in his place this season, Juventus made the Champions League quarterfinals and are averaging 2.47 points per game in Serie A. Ronaldo's per-90, non-penalty goals-plus-assist numbers are still very good (0.83), but he's 34 and a team with Juve's resources can find "very good" striker-production elsewhere.

Instead: yes, we're going with Joao Cancelo. Juventus really struggled to get in behind opposing defenses -- a downside of starting two strikers well into their 30s -- and the team as a whole has somehow completed just 13 through-balls all season. (For reference, Chelsea's Jorginho completed 13 by himself. Messi led all players with 40.) Cancelo led the team in take-ons completed per 90, and according to the site Football Whispers, he was the only Juventus player to complete more than one cut-back pass in the box all season.

The game just didn't seem as hard for Juve with Cancelo in the lineup; call him their "No-Stats All-Star." In Serie A matches he started at full-back, the team won 14 games and drew four. And in the disappointing second-leg loss against Ajax? He started on the bench.

Tottenham: Christian Eriksen

In Tottenham's dualist season from heaven/hell that saw them suffer a countless string of injuries to key players, win just 10 points from their final nine Premier League matches and still manage to finish top four while also reaching the Champions League finals, there have been two constants: Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld, the only outfield players to reach at least 2,500 minutes of domestic gametime. However, we've already seen Spurs tick along without Alderweireld, as he featured in just 14 games last season. Not so with Eriksen, who's played in 179 of the 190 Premier League games for the club since Mauricio Pochettino became manager.

The 27-year-old Dane led Spurs in chances created and assists this year, and his ability to function at the tip or the base of a midfield gave Pochettino some much needed tactical flexibility despite an increasingly limited number of players to start around him.

Arsenal: Aaron Ramsey

In October of last year, a group of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University published a paper in which they devised a method for determining basketball-like plus-minus ratings for Premier League players. The issue with devising a similar statistic for soccer is that there aren't many subs, so groups of players will spend the majority of their time on the field together, making it hard to divvy up credit for a team's performance. The authors of the paper devised a workaround: using ratings from the video game FIFA to roughly determine how much each player contributed.

Two of the researchers, Lee Richardson and Francesca Matano, ran the numbers for the 2018-19 season for me and the Arsenal player who had the largest positive effect on the team's performance was Aaron Ramsey. That was true whether or not they made the FIFA adjustment, too. Although he's a midfielder and only made 14 starts this year, Ramsey produced a better non-penalty-goals-plus-assists rate this season than Sadio Mane, who won a share of the Premier League Golden Boot.

Put another way: Ramsey is the exact kind of player you wouldn't want to lose to Juventus on a free transfer. Oh, right.

Somerset 209 (Hannon-Dalby 5-18) and 164 (Norwell 7-41) beat Warwickshire 135 (Overton 5-31) and 189 (Hain 92*) by 49 runs

Somerset's thoughts are firmly on the Royal London Cup final at Lord's on Saturday, and the prospect of their first limited-overs trophy for 14 years, but once their fate is known attention will turn again to what has become a perennial question: is this the year they can win the County Championship for the first time?

In fact, that's a conservative assessment. Tom Abell, Somerset's captain, was asked after victory over Warwickshire if they could win the treble. With the first trophy not even gathered in yet, Young Mr Abell treated the assembled media to his most bristly, firm-jawed expression he could muster and pronounced something ultra-responsible about not looking too far ahead. Quite.

Warwickshire took some chiselling out on the third morning with Somerset needing a delayed lunch to complete a 49-run victory. The chief obstacle was Sam Hain, who extended his overnight 43 to 92 not out. He registered the only half-century of the match and played with a sobriety while so many others were throwing back tequila slammers.

ALSO READ: Dawson, Willey in Warwickshire's sights as Farbrace looks to lift club

With Liam Norwell's seven-for on debut also in mind, Warwickshire's head coach Jim Troughton reflected: "We had the game's outstanding batsman and bowler, but still lost the game. But we went toe to toe with Somerset who are the in-form side in the country." Nevertheless, Somerset remain top, Warwickshire bottom, and they will be grateful that only one county goes down this season to accommodate a divisional restructuring.

Not too many conclusions can be drawn from such a fast-on-the-draw encounter on a skittish pitch, but Somerset's Championship challenge can last deep into the season, especially as an outstanding side has yet to announce itself. Jack Brookes' return to fitness will supplement their pace bowling stocks and the fact that they have loaned out players with as much ability as Jamie Overton and Dom Bess tells of the quality at their disposal. If they lack anything, it is one more batsmen with an old-fashioned desire to bat long, a Sam Hain in other words.

Victory just after one o'clock on the third day gives Somerset ample time to prepare for a Lord's final that is somewhat devalued by the absence of Hampshire's England do, but Abell knows that Somerset's weakest performance over 50 overs was against a below-strength Middlesex side so remains wary of over confidence.

Jason Kerr, Somerset's coach, played down suggestions that a green surface had been prepared with an early finish in mind. He was wise to say nothing to vex the pitch inspectors, and if Somerset pushed things a little, they remained within acceptable limits.

"It is not an exact science what the surface is going to do," Kerr said. "We wanted a little bit more pace in the surface than the match against Surrey. There were only two days between the games and preparation time was limited. I don't think anybody anticipated the cricket to be as quick or as action packed as it has been.

"I encourage the cricketers to adapt themselves but there's no doubt we need to adapt as well. There is always a fine line. I am still not comfortable at the minute. There are too many soft dismissals. But the way we are operating as a bowling unit is arguably getting us out of a little bit of trouble with the bat."

Warwickshire began the morning on 103 for 6, needing a further 136 to win on a pitch that had assisted the seamers and, to a lesser degree the spinners, throughout the game. Three wickets fell in the first hour: Henry Brookes poking at Liam Gregory's wide outswinger; Jeetan Patel bowled leg stump by one that came back sharply; and Norwell, Warwickshire's hero with the ball, caught at the wicket against Tim Groenewald, trying to force off the back foot.

An early finish appeared to be on the cards. The Somerset members who had grumbled about free admission ("what do we get in return then?") were probably looking at the ne'er -do-wells and thinking it was a good thing too.

But Hain was dropped on 49 by Davies after getting an inside edge to a ball from Gregory and the resulting single brought up the game's only half-century, some reward for his technical excellence and determined mindset.

Norwell survived a tough caught and bowled chance to Groenewald in the same over before edging a back-foot force to the keeper in the bowler's next over. With 99 needed from the last pair, there was minimal tension, but Oliver Hannon-Dalby provided wholehearted support.

On 84, Hain was given another life when Groenewald misjudged a top-edged hook off Gregory at fine-leg and allowed the ball to drop over his head before bouncing over the rope. With lunch delayed, the last-wicket stand grew to 49 before Hannon-Dalby steered a wide ball from Gregory to Overton (who had an excellent all-round match) at gully. "We were getting a bit twitchy," Abell admitted. But victory had been logged and it was preparation time for the Lord's final to begin in earnest.

In a Scotland batting unit featuring the reigning ICC Associate Player of the Year, Calum MacLeod, and a captain who earlier in the month had became the fastest Associate cricketer to 2000 ODI runs, Kyle Coetzer (in 49 innings), the most menacing threat to opposition bowling attacks might actually sit a bit lower down the order. George Munsey's destructive batting has had him firmly entrenched in the opening slot in T20 cricket for Scotland, but in ODIs he slots in lower down as a finisher.

On Tuesday against Sri Lanka at the Grange, the scene was set for Munsey to showcase his rapidly growing reputation as a power-hitter. A flurry of sweeps and reverse sweeps had taken him to 23 off 24 balls before rain transformed Scotland's equation from 191 off 138 balls (8.30 per over), to 103 off 42 (14.71). Yet, Munsey says the situation was well within Scotland's grasp in a match that eventually ended in Sri Lanka winning by 35 runs.

"I was really positive actually," Munsey told ESPNcricinfo after the match, when asked about Scotland's chances as he walked out for the resumption of the chase. "I think with our firepower at the back end, these totals are not un-gettable.

"We've got quite a strong hitting line-up at the tail and the belief in the team was we really have a great chance of getting this, especially if we have a good start and really go hard from ball one. We almost did that. One more over early on with a good over would have really put us in a great place. We lost a few too many wickets in the end but we weren't far off chasing it down."

Scotland got that good over straight after the restart. Munsey struck Thisara Perera's first ball for six over the leg side before clipping two more boundaries in a 19-run 28th over to keep the equation in check. A six off Suranga Lakmal as part of an 18-run 31st over brought up a 37-ball half-century. Scotland needed 50 off 18 balls, gettable in 2019 as proven by the latter stages of T20 chases on flat wickets like the Grange.

But Nuwan Pradeep, bowling a match-winning spell of death bowling, yorked Munsey for 61 off 42 balls in the 32nd over. Even though he had passed his previous ODI best of 55, made last summer against England, Munsey was left despondent. More than 90 minutes after the final wicket had been taken by Sri Lanka, he still hadn't taken off his pads.

"I'm pretty gutted, to be honest," Munsey said. "I felt like it's one of my strengths, targeting bowlers. I started well and I felt like I could have seen the team over the line. So it was pretty gutting to be walking off knowing that I still had more to give out there and I felt like I could have steadied the ship home."

Munsey's wicket was the first in a sequence of three in five balls taken by Sri Lanka as Pradeep and Thisara submarined Scotland's chase. Munsey gave plaudits to Sri Lanka's bowlers for maintaining their death-bowling accuracy in spite of challenging conditions with a wet ball that needed to be replaced at one stage.

"When you lose a cluster of wickets, you're gonna struggle no matter what the situation is," Munsey said. "To be fair to the Sri Lankans, they bowled really well. They hit their wide yorkers, they hit the boot. They only bowled a few wides. That was real tough to put away. Any length they gave us, we put away. We didn't miss many length opportunities. But credit where credit is due, they smashed their yorkers."

Sent in to bat, Sri Lanka made a below-par 322 for 8, a total Munsey believes Scotland did well to hold them down to, given that they had been 203 for 1 after 33 overs. Scotland uncharacteristically dropped three chances, including one each off Dimuth Karunaratne on 13 and Avishka Fernando on 22; they went on to make 77 and 74 respectively. Munsey believes the missed chances cost Scotland in the end.

"We were a fair bit behind the rate as far as DL (Duckworth-Lewis) is concerned when we came off, but in the appearance of the game we were doing quite well," Munsey said. "So I think had the game gone the distance, I truly believe it would have been a different outcome. It's hard to play devil's advocate with DL because there's so many different aspects to it. We did a good job but we weren't quite on top of our game fielding and that's what cost us.

"We have a very good fielding team and that was slightly out of character for us today to drop so many catches in one game. From overs 0-20, we weren't that great as a unit in the field but then we turned it around and we stopped them getting a 350 score and brought them back closer to a 300-mark. That was down to the bowling and fielding, holding catches. We saw two different fairy-tales in one innings of fielding."

At the age of 34, and with more wickets since the 2015 World Cup than any other England fast bowler, Liam Plunkett probably knew deep down that he had both the experience and the statistics to justify his retention in England's 15-man squad for the tournament starting next week.

But nevertheless, Plunkett still found himself "pacing up and down" in anticipation of his confirmatory phone-call from the national selector, Ed Smith - with his wife Emeleah choosing to keep schtum about some good work-related news of her own - as the battle for England's final fast-bowling slots went right down to the wire.

In the end, England chose to back Plunkett's proven abilities as a deck-hitting middle-innings enforcer - a role in which he has claimed 85 wickets at 28.43 in 53 matches since 2015 - and instead it was the left-armer David Willey who missed the cut, a decision that Eoin Morgan, England's captain, said had been the toughest of his career.

"You always have that slight doubt in your mind," Plunkett said at the New Balance England kit launch in East London. "Are they going down this route or that route? I felt like I deserved to be in that squad, but you just don't know what they're thinking."

To pass the time and to alleviate his nerves, Plunkett went back to basics, hitting the gym with a vengeance and topping up the fitness levels that will be crucial in retaining his edge as a fast bowler, after a dip in his average speed in the early part of the year appeared to have undermined his status in the side.

"I think I did about 12 hill-sprints, and kettle bells, and bikes, pacing up and down," he said. And all the while, Plunkett's wife had been sitting on her own announcement - that, as a high-flying financial analyst in the USA, she had just been promoted to director at her company.

"She didn't tell me, she kept that quiet until I found out," Plunkett said. "[We had a] fairly quiet [celebration], she's worked just as hard to get there, so it was good to hear that news as well."

With that initial selection hurdle now out of the way, Plunkett can settle down to prepare for his role in what promises to be a gruelling six-week campaign. But with the average score in the recent England v Pakistan series pushing 350, he admitted it can be increasingly hard for a bowler in the modern one-day game to work out what exactly constitutes a good day at the office.

ALSO READ: Team culture stronger than it's ever been - Eoin Morgan

"Ideally you want to go for 20 [runs], but realistically, bowlers will take 2 for late-40s, 2 for 50 now, especially when there's a score like that, and people are going for 60, 70 [in their ten overs]," he said.

In fact, Plunkett found himself passing the time with Chris Woakes during their twelfth-man duties in the Pakistan series, trying to compare batting and bowling landmarks in the modern landscape.

"I was speaking to Woakesy on the bench the other day, trying to relate what a fifty would be like in bowling figures, and what a hundred is like," he said. "We couldn't work out what it would be. Ten overs, 2 for 20 would be like a double-hundred or something. It's tricky, a tricky period to bowl in."

Plunkett has been around for so long, he can remember the days when feats that can seem common-place in the current climate still seemed extraordinary - such as England's thrashing by Sri Lanka at Headingley in 2006, when Sanath Jayasuriya led an assault on England's target of 322 inside 40 overs.

"I remember going for 50-odd off nine and I was devastated," he said (it was actually 46 off five, if the above game was the one he was recalling). "Worst day of my life, but it's changed a lot now. If you're picking up 2 or 3 for 50, I'll snap someone's hand off, especially in that middle part when you're breaking the game up, and getting two or three of their main batsmen out."

That middle period remains Plunkett's point-of-difference in the England set-up. His ability, alongside the legspin of Adil Rashid, to disrupt well-set batsmen and prise openings in an opposition innings, remains a valuable option for England to have in their armoury, even if the arrival of Jofra Archer could provide Morgan with an alternative go-to bowler.

"Jofra's an amazing talent," Plunkett said. "It's great to have him in the squad as someone who can rock up and bowl at 93mph consistently, and he can bowl in any part of the game also, so that just adds a bit more variation in the middle. If I'm not picking up, or Rash is not picking up, he can come in and I can work well with Jofra, or Rash can work well with Jofra. It's good to have that versatility in the middle.

"You get compared a lot," he said, when asked to weigh up the merits of England's various seam options. "I've been through a lot since the World Cup in 2007, and whatever squad you're in, there's someone chasing your tail. Whether it be Bally [Jake Ball], or the Overtons, or Lewis Gregory. Or whoever's in the county circuit. You always get compared to someone

"But I feel like I do a different role to the other guys. I think that's what I've done well, and been successful at, and I don't think they want me doing anything different.

"You're always working on your game, I've worked on my death bowling because every bowler has to be able to do all. Some people are better at stuff than other people, but if called upon, you want to be able to step up and do what you're asked to do."

Usman Khawaja has sent a scare through the Australia World Cup camp after being struck on the helmet while batting against West Indies in a warm-up match at Southampton.

Khawaja went to hospital for scans on his jaw after suffering a nasty blow from an Andre Russell bouncer during the unofficial warm-up match at Southampton's Nursery Ground.

The opener retired hurt and looked to be in some discomfort, indicating an area on the right side of his head as he walked off the field accompanied by Australian team doctor Richard Saw. He is not expected to take any further part in the match.

Khawaja's presence at the top of the order had meant David Warner moved down to No. 3, but if Khawaja is ruled out for any length of time as a result of the injury, it could pave the way for Warner to return to the opening spot he held before serving a year-long ban for his part in the ball tampering scandal in South Africa. Khawaja was on 5 when he retired hurt and Warner made 12 before he was out to Oshane Thomas.

West Indies were bowled out for 229 with Australia 103 for 2 after 18 overs in reply. Aaron Finch was the other batsman out, having scored 42 off 48 balls.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

South Africa 174 for 6 (Lee 60, Dar 1-21) beat Pakistan 172 for 5 (Dar 75, Ismail 2-22) by four wickets

Nida Dar's allround brilliance was not enough to secure victory for Pakistan as South Africa sealed a four-wicket win in the fourth T20I in Benoni. Dar stormed to the second fastest T20I fifty in women's cricket (where data is available) to boost Pakistan to 172 for 5 - their second-highest total in this format - and then registered a tidy 1 for 21 with the ball but Lizelle Lee's boundary-laden 60 set up South Africa's chase. Despite a middle-order wobble, the hosts overhauled the target with five balls to spare to level the series 2-2 with a match to play.

Pakistan's start with the bat gave no indication of the carnage that would follow, the visitors crawling to 19 for 2 in the Powerplay as Sidra Ameen and Javeria Khan departed early. But Dar was quickly into her groove thereafter, racing into the thirties with her second six.

The runs really started to flow when Nondumiso Shangase, playing in just her second T20I, was brought on in the 11th over. Dar collected another six and three fours, the third of which raised a 20-ball fifty. At the other end, Bismah Roof took her time to settle down, but she too opened up in Nadine de Klerk's final over, spanking four fours in a row to push Pakistan's score beyond 100.

When Dar zipped into the seventies with her eighth four in the 18th over she might have had an eye on a maiden T20I ton, but she was bowled swiping at Sune Luus's legspin to fall for 75, her strike rate a monumental 202.70. Aliya Riaz then capped Pakistan's innings with a rapid cameo, slamming 35 not out from 17 balls.

Facing a lofty target, South Africa needed a good start - and they got one, thanks to Lee. She slapped the second ball she faced, from Rameen Shamim, to the boundary and continued in much the same vein.

She took a particular liking to Riaz's medium pace, cracking four fours in a row off her to raise a 26-ball fifty and complete the Powerplay with South Africa at a dominant 60 for 0. Lee was looking for a 12th boundary when she leaned into a thunderous drive at Kainat Imtiaz, but she failed to keep the shot down and it was Riaz who held a stinging catch at extra cover to give Pakistan an opening in the 8th over.

The runs dried up as Dar rattled through three overs giving away just 14 runs, and Fatima Sana then struck twice in her second over to get rid of both de Klerk and the dangerous Luus, who had struck two sixes to break the shackles.

With the required rate nearing nine, Mignon du Preez chipped the very first ball she faced, from Sana Mir, up and over the left-side field, but was fortunate to survive what appeared to be a dropped catch by wicketkeeper Sidra Nawaz in the same over. She couldn't make the second chance count, however, giving Pakistan's leg-side outfielders more catching practice in the deep to fall for 7.

Chloe Tryon was next to go, heaving Riaz to Shamim at wide long-on, but vitally she had struck four boundaries in a bellicose innings that left the lower order with a relatively simple task. South Africa needed 10 from the last two overs and Shabnim Ismail calmly got her team home, slog-sweeping Mir to midwicket and then stepping down the track to chip Shamim over mid-off for the winning runs.

The result set up the series decider at the same venue on Thursday afternoon.

Manchester United will pursue alternative targets to bolster their attacking options this summer after ruling out an £80 million move for Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho, sources have told ESPN FC.

Former Manchester City youngster Sancho, 19, has been a long-term United target, with the club's scouting department identifying him as a potential signing prior to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's arrival as the replacement for the sacked Jose Mourinho in December 2018.

- Transfer Talk: Man United making Wan-Bissaka move?
- Sources: United set to make move for Newcastle's Longstaff
- When does the transfer window close?

But while Solskjaer and assistant manager Mike Phelan have encouraged the club's interest in the teenager, who made his England debut against Croatia in October 2018, United have been unable to engage Dortmund in constructive discussions about a deal for him.

Enquiries by United about Sancho's availability have been rebuffed by Dortmund, who have made it clear that they have no desire to sell the player this summer, having already offloaded United States international forward Christian Pulisic to Chelsea.

Sources said United have been made aware that it would require an offer in the region of £80-90 million to even prompt Dortmund to consider selling Sancho, and with Solskjaer determined to press on with his summer recruitment plans, they have now chosen to look elsewhere due to what they perceive to be an overinflated valuation of a player who has just two full seasons of senior football under his belt.

Sancho remains a player of interest to United, but not at the level of outlay it would require to persuade Dortmund to sell, sources said.

Plans are already in place to make moves for Swansea City winger Daniel James and Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff. United are also interested in Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez.

A central defender is also high on Solskjaer's wanted list, with Leicester City's Harry Maguire and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly the preferred options with Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt expected to reject United's interest in order to move to Barcelona.

Kansas City Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu was the victim of a $5 million extortion attempt by a family member, according to federal court documents.

Geourvon Keinell Sears, 21, is accused of threatening to reveal personal information about Mathieu. According to the documents from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Sears allegedly ordered Mathieu in April to put $1.5 million in his bank account within a week before upping the demand to $5 million. Sears allegedly said he would contact TMZ if he did not receive the money.

Sears, who is described as a family member and close associate of Mathieu's, allegedly sent a message to Mathieu's friends that said, "I want 1.5 million by Friday or I am going to kill all you all." He also told Mathieu's agent that he planned to make a sexual misconduct allegation against Mathieu.

Mathieu is not directly identified in the court documents, but his lawyer, Denise White of EAG Sports, told KMBC 9 in Kansas City that references to "TM" in the filing are to the Chiefs safety.

White added that Mathieu is dealing with a "private and personal family issue."

Sears has been released on $25,000 bond, with the next court date set for June 21. His charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years and a $5,000 fine.

Mathieu played for the Houston Texans in 2018 after five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He signed a three-year deal with the Chiefs in March.

The Chiefs and the NFL have not commented on the case.