Gloucestershire 41 for 3 (Abbas 3-10) trail Leicestershire 487 (Dexter 180, Azad 137, Ackermann 56*) by 446 runs

Mohammad Abbas took three quick wickets before rain ended play early in Gloucestershire's reply to a formidable Leicestershire first innings on the second day of the County Championship match at the Fischer County Ground.

Abbas, moving the ball prodigiously through the air and off the pitch, dismissed Miles Hammond caught behind, James Bracey leg before and Gareth Roderick caught behind before the weather closed in, leaving the Pakistan international with 3 for 10 from seven overs.

Resuming on 343 for 5, the Foxes had quickly lost nightwatchman Chris Wright, driving at a delivery from Chad Sayers and edging a straightforward catch to first slip.

Harry Dearden joined Colin Ackermann in compiling a partnership of 46 for the seventh wicket before Dearden was also caught off an edged drive, this time by Roderick off the bowling of Josh Shaw, a fifth catch in the innings for the Gloucestershire wicket-keeper.

Ackermann was joined at the crease by the busy Lewis Hill, and after enjoying one piece of good fortune when he edged Ryan Higgins at catchable height straight between the wicketkeeper and first slip - neither of whom moved a muscle towards the ball - Hill went for his shots, hitting seven boundaries before hooking a David Payne bouncer into the hands of Graeme van Buuren at deep backward square.

Dieter Klein saw Ackermann through to a half-century before being dismissed leg before by Shaw, and last man Abbas did not last long, bowled through the gate by the occasional off-spin of Chris Dent.

When Gloucestershire began their reply, however, Abbas responded in kind. Swinging the ball away from the visitors' left-handed opening pair, he repeatedly beat the bat before Hammond finally edged a catch through to Hill behind the stumps.

Bracey too was beaten on several occasions before being dismissed leg before, and Roderick went first ball to a delivery which bounced and took the edge.

Benny Howell survived a concerted leg before appeal, and he and Dent would have been relieved men when the occasional showers, which had already seen the players leave the field twice, settled into steady rain and prevented any further play for the day.

Sussex 185 for 6 (Brown 64*, Parnell 4-59) v Worcestershire

Kidderminster Cricket Club last staged County Championship cricket during the floods of 2008 and this time last week had no reason to suspect they would be hosting another match any time soon. Then came the deluge that left New Road under three feet of water.

They had only four days' notice that they were to be an accidental out ground yet organised themselves so well you could be mistaken for thinking they had been planning for months. The refurbishments to the charming 94-year-old pavilion carried out this spring might have been with this week in mind.

Almost inevitably, half the day fell victim to the weather, rain arriving on the stroke of three o'clock. Enough play, though, for it to be a day to remember for 19-year-old Adam Finch, given his chance by an injury to Josh Tongue, who claimed his maiden senior wicket in only his second appearance.

Finch shared the new ball with his clubmate Dillon Pennington in England's side in the Under-19 World Cup last winter and has been pushing for a step up for some little while, Pennington having stolen a march on him with a breakthrough last season. Skipper Joe Leach trusted him with the new ball here and he made an impressive start, striking in his third over to have Will Beer edging behind.

Beer had again opened in place of the injured Phil Salt, having made 97 in his makeshift role at Arundel last week. There was to be no such prosperity this time.

Indeed, there were but slim pickings for anyone in the top order. Ben Brown, the Sussex skipper, opted for a coin toss but ended up batting anyway when Leach won it and chose to field. It looked like Leach had made the right decision. There was clearly something in the pitch and on a relatively warm, humid morning, the home side had the best of things.

South African all-rounder Wayne Parnell drew the biggest benefit, dismissing Luke Wells, Harry Finch and Laurie Evans during an initial spell of 3 for 22 from six overs and returning after lunch to account for David Wiese. In between, Leach found a way past Stiaan Van Zyl's defensive push and Sussex were 102 for 6.

Wells had looked the most likely to establish himself, only to clip one of Parnell's least threatening deliveries straight to mid-wicket.

Sussex, third in the table going into this match, have aspirations to be back in Division One next season, yet this is not an unfamiliar scoreline. They were in similar trouble - somewhat worse, actually - at Northampton earlier in the season, where they crumbled to 68 for 6.

Then came an extraordinary partnership of 309 between Brown and Chris Jordan. Ominously for Worcestershire, the same pair are at the wicket now and they had added 83 when the rain arrived. Jordan might have gone first ball, edging Parnell in the air perilously close to backward point, where Ed Barnard got half a hand on it but no more.

Jordan is unbeaten on 44 with Brown, who is in a rich vein of form. Since his 156 at Wantage Road, the wicketkeeper-batsman has two more hundreds to aggregate 551 in the space of half a dozen innings.

Worcestershire, who need to make up some ground if they are to claim one of the three promotion spots on offer this year, will need to shift him early on day two, although the weather prospects are not especially encouraging. Days three and four are better. Prospective spectators, though, should be mindful of the common outground drawback of very limited seating and maybe toss a couple of garden chairs in the boot.

Former Ireland batsman Ed Joyce has been appointed the interim head coach of the country's women's team, replacing Aaron Hamilton, who was in charge of the side for more than four years.

After retiring as a player in May 2018 following Ireland's Test debut, Joyce assumed a new role overseeing leadership development and acting as a batting coach in the Ireland performance system.

Hamilton's exit comes after Ireland women lost all of their last eight T20Is, including four in the World T20 in the Caribbean last year. Joyce takes over the role just two months before the World T20 qualifying tournament in Scotland.

"I'm excited by the talent and potential of this young squad - there were some extremely encouraging performances from several players during the West Indies series and this bodes well leading into potentially more important games later in the summer," Joyce said.

"It's a great opportunity for me to further my journey in coaching, albeit on an interim basis until the end of the T20 World Cup qualifier. I have been coaching some of the top order batters on a 1-on-1 basis, as well as joining squad sessions in the lead-up to the West Indies series that just finished. On a personal note, I enjoyed working with Aaron during the last few months and wish him and his family well with the next step."

Joyce's sisters Isobel and Cecelia were both a part of the Ireland squad at the World T20, but retired at the end of the disappointing campaign along with Clare Shillington and Ciara Metcalfe.

Even before a historic summer of free agency and Thursday's NBA draft, bettors can now wager on postseason awards for the 2019-20 NBA season.

Caesars Sportsbook has posted Duke star Zion Williamson (-450) as a significant favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award. The 18-year-old is widely expected to be selected with the top overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans. Murray State product Ja Morant (+450) is expected to be drafted second by the Memphis Grizzlies and RJ Barrett (+450) is likely to be chosen third overall by the New York Knicks.

"Zion is a giant favorite, but I don't know if it's big enough. It's one of those things if I take a max bet, then I might go [much higher]," Caesars head of risk Jeff Davis told ESPN while explaining his mindset for bookmaking in such an unsettled market. "If they're willing to put up that much and let it sit for a whole year, then the price is bad. That's the value of having sharper guests, if you're smart enough to know what to do with it."

The MVP betting board contains the usual superstars with Giannis Antetokounmpo (3-1) and James Harden (+350) as the favorites. Two-time MVP Stephen Curry (6-1) will play without teammates Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, who are both expected to miss the entire season with serious injuries. Four-time MVP LeBron James (7-1) and new Los Angeles Lakers teammate Anthony Davis (7-1) also are among the favorites.

However, the unusual nature of expected All-Star movement is what separates this summer from previous ones. Kawhi Leonard (6-1), Kyrie Irving (30-1), Jimmy Butler (75-1) and Kemba Walker (100-1) could all find new teams. Depending on their decisions, the odds for them or new teammates could noticeably change.

"Let's just say somehow or some way Kyrie signs in Sacramento. We all know that's not going to happen, but if you get something like that, you just turn the prop off for 10 minutes. You readjust the future market, you figure out where you are, you re-price it and you put it back up," Davis said.

All-Star center Al Horford of the Boston Celtics will decline to exercise his $30.1 million option for the 2019-20 season and become an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell ESPN.

While Horford, a five-time All-Star, will move into the free-agent marketplace on June 30, there's motivation for both Horford and the Celtics to work toward an agreement on a new long-term contract, league sources tell ESPN.

Horford could help Boston's salary-cap flexibility with a new deal that starts below that $30.1 million salary.

Horford, 33, is a key member of the Celtics core and a favorite of management, coaches and teammates. Horford averaged 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds for the Celtics this past season, his third with Boston since leaving Atlanta for a four-year, $113 million free-agent deal with the Celtics.

Horford has been to the Eastern Conference playoffs 11 times in his 12-year pro career. He won two national championships at the University of Florida.

The New York Knicks have declined a recent trade offer that would have sent the No. 3 overall draft pick to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for the eighth and 10th picks, a source told ESPN's Jonathan Givony.

The Hawks have been aggressively exploring trade scenarios where they would package the Nos. 8 and 10 picks to move up in Thursday's draft, the source told Givony.

But the Knicks were not interested in moving down to acquire Atlanta's picks, according to the source.

Although Duke star RJ Barrett has been projected as the No. 3 pick, New York plans to hold a workout Wednesday for Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland, according to Givony.

Garland recently told ESPN that he is the "best" guard in the draft and has been widely viewed as a top-five pick. He was projected to go No. 5 overall to Cleveland in ESPN's latest mock draft, but Caesars Sportsbook currently lists Garland as a minus-170 favorite to be selected at No. 4.

The Pelicans are considering the possibility of trading the No. 4 pick to Atlanta for Nos. 8 and 10, the source told Givony.

ESPN reported Saturday that New Orleans will acquire the fourth pick as part of the blockbuster trade that will send Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Timberwolves, Celtics and Bulls are three more teams that are looking at the possibility of trading up to the No. 4 pick, with Garland in mind, according to Givony.

With loads of cap space, dozens of high-quality free agents, a changing of the champion and lots of uncertainty, the next three weeks could reshape the face of the NBA.

With the draft coming up and free agency right behind it, here are some of the questions that are being discussed in league front offices:

How much will the Bucks, 76ers and Hornets spend?

The Milwaukee Bucks have spent into the luxury tax once in their history and not since the 2002-03 season.

Behind the scenes, the current ownership group has let it be known it's willing to go into the tax for the first time since buying the team. Honestly, that was clear when the Bucks signed Eric Bledsoe to an extension this spring that guarantees him $54 million over the next three years.

Coming off a 60-win season and a year away from Giannis Antetokounmpo's chance to sign an extension, the Bucks pretty much have to go into the tax. But how much can they afford? The team has four important free agents to handle: Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon, Brook Lopez and Nikola Mirotic.

With so much open cap space across the league, Middleton is likely to get four-year max offers elsewhere and apply pressure on the Bucks to match or even beat them with a five-year offer. Knowing the position the Bucks are in, rival teams might put them to the test with an offer sheet on restricted free agent Brodgon, who has shown to be a valuable player for them.

They have limited rights to Lopez, who is coming off a brilliant season, so they might lose him either way.

The Philadelphia 76ers haven't paid the tax since 2004.

This summer they face three starters in unrestricted free agency: Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and JJ Redick. With a handful of teams with max space and Redick's experience and shooting in high demand, keeping all three might cost the 76ers more than $400 million in salary commitments. And, by the way, Ben Simmons is in position to ask for a nine-figure extension this summer.

It's massive money, and while the group has promise, there's no assurance that mix works long term.

"We've said it repeatedly and we'll keep saying it," team owner Josh Harris said last month. "We're committed to do what it takes to bring a championship to Philly, including spending into the luxury tax. ... It's a system where if you make the wrong decisions financially, you hamstring your team. So there's a lot to consider."

A lot indeed. Teams have been eyeing Harris and Butler for months. There has been a feel recently that the 76ers are committed to keeping both, even on max deals, but executives from hopeful poachers are readying pitches to make sure that's the case.

The Charlotte Hornets are one of two teams that have never paid the tax. Owner Michael Jordan has made it a priority to avoid it during his tenure.

But with the remnants of a spending spree from 2016 still on the books, re-signing Kemba Walker almost certainly would push the Hornets there for at least the 2019-20 season.

For weeks, it hasn't just been a question of whether they'd offer Walker a five-year max -- but would they make it a supermax deal and pay $221 million after he made the All-NBA team? If Walker were to sign for a max elsewhere, it would mean leaving $80 million versus the supermax.

Everyone is saying the right things. Walker has said the Hornets are his priority and hinted he'd take less than the supermax to stay if it helped build the team. Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak left open the possibility of paying the luxury tax in comments last week and even hinted he wanted to move up from the No. 12 pick.

But teams aren't just watching whether the Hornets pay Walker -- they're also watching that draft pick. That asset is perhaps the most valuable and last option to attach to a player to offload salary before Walker hits free agency. If avoiding the tax is truly a mandate and keeping Walker truly a priority, the pick could be on the move on or before draft night.

What will happen to the Celtics if/when Kyrie leaves?

Outwardly, the Boston Celtics are keeping a stiff upper lip, but internally they've long since been planning in case Kyrie Irving signs with the Brooklyn Nets, as widely expected at this point, or elsewhere. The reality is, the Celtics are probably going to lose their best player and might have no functional way to replace him immediately.

The most important thing at the Celtics' doorstep right now might be Al Horford, who has chosen to opt out of his contract. Keeping him, perhaps on a new long-term deal, is vital and that is the scenario league executives are watching closer than Irving, to be honest.

As Horford hits the market, he is seen as an extremely desirable player for a contender. Teams might even be willing to part with players to clear a spot for him. But if Irving leaves and Horford is retained -- perhaps on a contract that lowers his $30 million salary scheduled for next season -- Boston would have some flexibility to go out and add some more talent.

Then they could exceed the cap to re-sign free agents Terry Rozier and Marcus Morris if deals could be worked out (neither seem eager to return, but Rozier is restricted and Irving's decision might change the whole environment).

You might have seen this number floating around this season: The Celtics were 12-3 when Irving didn't play. In raw data, it's true, the Celtics have won more over the past two seasons without Irving than with him. They were 26-11 when he didn't play, a .704 win percentage, and 78-49 with him, a .614 percentage. And, of course, they went to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals without him in 2018 and were knocked out in five games with four straight losses to the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round this year with him.

When Irving doesn't play, the Celtics are better on defense and Rozier's production blossoms. Some of the best games we've seen from Jayson Tatum are without Irving, too. So Irving bolts and everything should be just fine, right?

Eh. Despite all those numbers, Irving's value is unquestioned. They were way better on offense with Irving, and their net rating, which to some is the mother of all team stats, drops by more than half from plus-5.9 points per 100 possessions to just plus-2.7 points when he's not in the game.

Using Real Plus-Minus data, ESPN's Kevin Pelton estimates that if the Celtics brought back their entire roster minus Irving, they would have five fewer wins next season. That would mean a record of 44-38, which would've gotten them the No. 6 seed this past season. Not exciting.

But you can say this: They probably would be happier as a team without the Irving off-court drama and on-court ball domination. That reality doesn't always show up in the analytics but did show up in their record, and if you watched the Celtics when Irving was out, sometimes it felt like they were kids at recess.

Plenty of scouts believe Tatum and Jaylen Brown have a lot more to show. Plus president Danny Ainge has three first-round picks and other assets to use to help. It would be an interesting scenario to watch.

Will Kawhi take a short deal and run it back?

The location is most important, clearly. But the length of contract Kawhi Leonard might sign is something that's being discussed throughout the league.

We'll go over the numbers in a moment, but it isn't lost on anyone that Leonard could split the difference of his priorities by taking a one-year contract with a player option with the Toronto Raptors and try to run it back while not committing the rest of his prime. There's some financial incentive to this scenario as well.

Broad strokes are this: If Leonard stays with the Raptors, he could sign for up to five years and $190 million. If he goes elsewhere -- say, to the LA Clippers -- he could get $140 million over four years. But cap rules would mean he could make potentially tens of millions more if he signs a long-term deal in 2021, when he'd have 10 years' experience, than in 2019.

So why not consider a one-year deal for $33 million plus a player option for $36 million? Especially with Kyle Lowry, Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam under contract for next season. That group would include Marc Gasol as well if he picks up his player option, as expected.

The answer to why not? Kawhi just saw two free agents-to-be, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, go down with major injuries and Leonard already has had a major injury that cost him a season. But it is something that's on the board.

David Ortiz's condition has been upgraded as he continues to recover at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, his wife said in a statement Tuesday.

Tiffany Ortiz said that doctors have listed Ortiz's condition as "good."

"We remain grateful to everyone who has helped David through this ordeal, both in the Dominican Republic and here in Boston," Tiffany Ortiz said in a statement released through the Boston Red Sox. "David's journey to good health has been bolstered by the many expressions of love that have come to us from across the globe. Your support has lifted his spirits tremendously during this challenging time."

In the Dominican Republic, where Ortiz was shot on June 9, authorities on Monday identified the man they believe paid hitmen to try to kill the former baseball star.

The man was identified as Alberto Miguel Rodriguez Mota, who authorities say is a fugitive.

Authorities have detained 10 people in the case and are looking for at least two others mentioned in court documents, including the man accused of paying the alleged hitmen.

Police have said the coordinator of the attack was offered 400,000 Dominican pesos, or about $7,800, to orchestrate the shooting of Ortiz.

The attorney general's office in the Dominican Republic has scheduled a news conference for Wednesday, where it is expected that they will reveal new details in the case.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve could be activated as soon as Wednesday as he makes his return from a strained left hamstring that has kept him out for more than a month, manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday.

Hinch told MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that Altuve will join the team in Cincinnati ahead of the series finale against the Reds.

"We're gonna bring him to Cincinnati, assess him," Hinch said. "There's a chance he is activated as soon as tomorrow, which would be great for our team, both morale-wise and production-wise."

Altuve has not played for the Astros since May 10 because of his hamstring injury. He has played five games at Triple-A Round Rock in a rehab assignment.

Hinch also gave an update on outfielder George Springer, who has been on the injured list since May 25 with a left hamstring strain. The manager said Springer will run the bases in Cincinnati on Tuesday before they look to send him on a rehab assignment later this week with the hopes of his return coming next week.

Reliever Collin McHugh, who has been out since May 14 with an elbow injury, had a rehab appearance Monday and is set for another one later this week, Hinch said.

"Slowly but surely we're gonna get back to full strength," Hinch told SiriusXM. "Our young guys and our new guys have done a good job of holding the fort down, but we all know that when you can get some All-Stars back and you can get your normal team back, that improves the bench, which improves our Triple-A depth."

Altuve is hitting .243 with nine home runs and 21 RBIs this season, Springer had been the American League leader with 17 home runs prior to his injury and McHugh was 3-4 with a 6.04 ERA in 10 games (8 starts).

Governing body also announces that the recruitment process for a new permanent CEO of the organisation will commence this week

UK Athletics (UKA) has announced the appointment of Chris Clark as chair to the organisation.

His appointment follows Richard Bowker’s departure from the role in January.

As a former head of global marketing for HSBC, Clark gained experience of developing key relationships with rights holders, governing bodies and marketing agencies to expand the HSBC brand and become one of the dominant players in global sports sponsorship.

His early career was founded in advertising where he spent seven years at Saatchi & Saatchi. In recent years he has moved into a portfolio career and currently holds two non-executive positions with Aviva UK Digital and the Board of the Royal Marsden NHS Trust.

His interest in athletics ranges from that of a keen spectator in his youth, to that as a parent to a high standard middle-distance athlete. He has also completed four London Marathons, alongside multiple 10km and cross-country races.

“He strongly believes in the role athletics has to play in the sporting portfolio of the nation, with its easy access, social inclusiveness and proud history of societal impact and benefit,” said the national governing body when announcing Clark’s appointment.

Clark said: “I am thrilled to be taking on the chair role of UKA. As a nation we have a very proud heritage of performance on all levels of the world stage and the grassroots of this great sport are in great shape and thriving with ever increasing numbers of runners taking part in events and staying fit.

“I am very much looking forward to a strong partnership with my fellow chairs in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There will be much to get done with Tokyo 2020 just around the corner and I’m sure we will be managing a pretty busy ‘to do’ list.”

Clark joins as chair of the UK Athletics board from July 1 and will be working with interim chair Sarah Rowell, the board and the senior executive team on a managed transition over the summer.

The board also confirmed that Rowell, who has served on the UKA board since her appointment as a non-executive director in April 2012, will be extending her final term on the board by a year.

She said: “Having been closely involved in the recruitment process, I am delighted that Chris has accepted the position of chair and I am looking forward with absolute confidence to working closely with him over the summer months and beyond as we finalise the new UKA organisational strategy and move into the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic season.”

Meanwhile, UKA announced that the current senior independent director Peter Taylor, who joined the board in September 2016, will be stepping down in order to take up a new role in education. Penny Avis, who joined the board in November 2017 as a non-executive director and chair of the audit committee, will take up the role.

UKA also confirmed on Tuesday that the recruitment process for the role of chief executive officer will commence with the advert for the role going live on Thursday (June 20).

Former chief executive Niels de Vos left UKA in September.

Nigel Holl, UKA’s strategy and partnerships director, is undertaking the role of interim chief executive.

Further details on Rowell’s handover with Clark and UKA’s plans for the future will be outlined in the governing body’s regular column in the next edition of AW, out on Thursday.