NEW YORK -- The traditional rivalry between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will take a radical twist when they meet in London next month: They will play on artificial turf for the first time in their rivalry, covering more than 2,200 games.

Major League Baseball has access to Olympic Stadium for 21 days before the games on June 29 and 30, the sport's first regular-season contests in Europe, and just five days after to clear out. The league concluded there was not enough time to install real grass.

Starting June 6, gravel will be placed over the covering protecting West Ham's grass soccer pitch and the running track that is a legacy from the 2012 Olympics. The artificial turf baseball field, similar to modern surfaces used by a few big league clubs, will be installed atop that.

"It's the first Yankees-Red Sox game out of the country, so why not a lot of firsts?" New York pitcher CC Sabathia said. "I think it will be fine."

Instead, 141,913 square feet of FieldTurf Vertex will be transported by truck starting June 4 from the company's plant in Auchel, France, a little over 150 miles (240 kilometers) to a storage facility outside London, according to Murray Cook, the sport's field consultant.

Clay for the pitcher's mound and home plate area comes from DuraEdge in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. Turface Athletics near Chicago provides the soil conditioner, while mound tamps, infield drags and nail drags are from Beacon Athletics in Middleton, Wisconsin. The U.S. materials, including 345 tons of dirt in 18 40-foot containers, left Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, during the third week of April and arrived on May 18 at Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk, about 95 miles (150 kilometers) from London. Fence padding was manufactured at Covermaster outside Toronto and shipped from Montreal.

"We looked really hard at doing a natural grass system," Cook said. "We're going with a synthetic system and it helps us a couple ways. It's a little more sustainable, because we're going back next year. If we went with a natural grass system, we'd have to bulldoze it all up, throw it away and then buy it again, build it all up, throw it away again."

Only three of the 30 major league teams play on artificial surfaces -- Toronto, Tampa Bay and Arizona. Rogers Centre in Toronto and Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, have never had grass. Arizona switched this season from grass to turf, as will Texas when its new ballpark opens next spring.

Olympic Stadium, like the regular ballparks, will have full dirt infields rather than the square dirt patches popular during artificial turf's height -- there was a high of 10 synthetic fields in the major leagues from 1977-78 and again from 1982-94.

"I'm assuming it's like Toronto's or Tampa's, so it shouldn't be an issue," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

Toronto has played on AstroTurf 3D Xtreme since 2016 and Tampa Bay on Shaw Sports Turf since 2017. Arizona switched from grass to Shaw Sports B1K this year, and Texas will use Shaw Sports Turf when it moves into new Globe Life Field next year.

"If we had never played on turf, it would be different, but we've played on turf," Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts said.

New York and Boston have played 2,196 times, with four more games at Yankee Stadium for May 30 to June 2. New York holds a 1,191-991 edge with 14 ties, plus a 12-11 advantage in postseason matchups.

Boston is the home team for both games in London, but the Yankees and Red Sox will both wear their white home uniforms. When the Yankees last played overseas in an opening-two game series at the Tokyo Dome in 2004, New York wore home pinstripes and the Devil Rays road grays, even though Tampa Bay was the home team and batted last.

Foul poles, a batter's eye, a backstop and fencing will be erected, along with two dugouts -- Red Sox on the first base side and the Yankees on third. Temporary clubhouses will be built on the warm-up track under the stands -- the soccer locker rooms are too small -- along with batting cages. Because holes cannot be made in the running track, weights will secure the fences, similar to what was installed when the Los Angeles Dodgers and Diamondbacks played in 2014 at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia.

Cook helped convert The Oval, a London cricket ground opened in 1845, for games between Boston and New York Mets minor leaguers in October 1993 -- the first of two was rained out.

Olympic Stadium also will be the site of major league games in 2020 -- a series between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals is the leading candidate.

"This way we've got a synthetic turf system that's got two games on this year, two games on it next year and then the commissioner can do what he wants to do with the system, whether he wants to have another event somewhere, sell it or donate it or whatever they want to do," Cook said.

Field dimensions will be 330 feet down each foul line, but just 385 feet to center with a 16-foot wall.

"We've done all the home run trajectory studies," Cook said. "We get comparable distances."

Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi figured the best way for Boston pitchers to keep the Yankees from hitting home runs.

"Just got to keep the ball on the ground, I guess," he said.

Andy Murray could play doubles at Wimbledon but has effectively ruled out competing in the singles this year.

The former world number one had a hip resurfacing operation in January and has since said he is "pain-free".

No player has competed in singles after that operation but American doubles player Bob Bryan has returned.

"It's not enough time," Murray, 32, told the Times. "I'd say there's very little chance I'd play singles during the grass [season].

"Potentially doubles, but I'm not trying to get ready for singles. I've only just started moving now," added the Scot.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray has returned to training and was hitting with Australian Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon on Monday.

Before the surgery, he had said he was planning to retire after Wimbledon, but he now seems more confident of a return to competitive tennis.

"I know from seeing what Bob Bryan has done that for doubles it will be absolutely fine. I'll need to see from there how it would work singles-wise," the twice Wimbledon champion added.

"If I continue to feel good then I will obviously give it a shot in singles and see what happens. In doubles I'm pretty certain I'll be able to play, just based on having an example to look at.

"The thing I said before was that, if I wasn't feeling good, there was more chance that I would play and then stop after Wimbledon. Whereas if it's feeling good, it makes a bit more sense to give it time to make sure that it's as good as possible before I try to play singles on it."

Sixteen-time Grand Slam doubles champion Bryan had the same surgery in 2018 and was back playing again, alongside twin brother Mike, five months later.

If Murray competes at Wimbledon in the doubles it is unlikely to be alongside brother Jamie, a six-time Grand Slam doubles champion.

Jamie said at the weekend: "For me, these are the peak years in my career and if I go to play Wimbledon with someone who hasn't hit a tennis ball in eight months, I'm kind of giving up one of those years, so that's a big decision for me to take.

"Circumstances might dictate otherwise, but I want to give myself the best chance of winning the tournament. Normally I would have a good chance with Andy, but probably right now he's not in his peak moment."

Former Australia captain George Smith has announced his retirement from professional rugby at the age of 38.

The flanker is the second most-capped Australian forward of all time, having played 111 times for the Wallabies.

Smith revealed his decision as his short-term contract with English Premiership side Bristol Bears ended.

"George belongs in that rare category of player that could turn a game in an instant," said Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle.

"He was universally respected by his team-mates and opponents and has been a huge presence in the clubs he has represented all over the world, as well as on the international stage with the Wallabies."

Smith spent most of his club career with the ACT Brumbies and was twice named Australia's player of the year.

He also played in Japan and France, and had two spells in England with Wasps (2015-16) and Bristol (2018-19).

He won two Super Rugby titles in 12 seasons with the Brumbies, making his Test debut against France in November 2000.

Current England coach Eddie Jones signed Smith for the Brumbies after spotting him playing for Sydney club Manly in 1999, and Smith was a regular during Jones' tenure as Australia coach.

"I'm grateful for his advice and friendship," Smith said in a statement.

"The day I rocked up to sign my first Brumbies contract with dreadlocked hair, board shorts and thongs [flip-flops], I think back and shake my head as to why he didn't just turn me away right there and then."

Former Wallabies and Brumbies team-mate Justin Harrison said Smith "inspired a whole generation of Australian rugby supporters" to play the game.

He added: "We are richer for having had the opportunity to witness George playing in a gold Wallaby jersey."

THOROLD, Ontario — Josh Hansen and veteran racer Ken Schrader shared top honors Monday night at Merrittville Speedway.

Schrader took the victory in the UMP modified feature, while Hansen topped the Action Sprint Tour feature.

The sophomore season of the Action Sprint Tour kicked off with Jesse McDonald showing the way from the drop of the green flag in their 20-lap feature event. Josh Hansen raced in third with Brad Herron and Ryan Hunsinger raced inside the top five.

The leaders would hit lap traffic on lap seven, just as Josh Hansen took second away from Dykstra. Hansen would take the lead away from McDonald in lap traffic on lap nine. Dave McKnight Jr flipped in turn two to bring the red flag out on lap 12.

Hansen would continue to show the way off the restart. Adrian Stahle slowed in turn two to bring out the caution on lap 14.

On the restart, Hansen and McDonald pulled away from Dykstra. McDonald closed to the rear tailpipe of Hansen for the lead and the top two battled for the win. Hansen would hold off McDonald to score the win. McDonald, Dykstra, Brad Herron, and Ryan Hunsinger completed the top five.

Schrader used the outside to power to the lead on the opening lap in the main event for the UMP Modifieds with Dennis Lunger Jr. running in second. With Schrader and Lunger battling for the lead, Jonah Mutton was holding off Brian Speelman and Kraig Handley for third place.

Handley would move into third place after a lap-11 restart and would go after Lunger and Schrader. Schrader would hold off Lunger to score the feature win.

Third-generation driver James Michael Friesen won the main event for the David Chevrolet DIRTcar Sportsman. “The Merlin Magician” Steve Shaw won the feature event for the Hoosier Stocks. Kevin Conley picked up his second Dave’s Auto and Speed Centre V6 feature win of the season.

Even the most frigid of Juventus haters could not help but be moved. Juve president Andrea Agnelli and outgoing manager Max Allegri sat up on stage together following their Allianz Arena season finale -- a 1-1 draw with Atalanta. Just before the news conference, the entire Juventus squad trooped in and took their places around their outgoing coach. It was the polar opposite to how the previous boss left, when Antonio Conte, who had won three-straight Serie A titles, resigned abruptly on a torrid day in mid-July.

If you're going to part ways, this is the way to do it.

The pair appeared genuine. Agnelli, who can sometimes look wooden and scripted, seemed sincere when he talked about how, in addition to working with a great manager, he had gained "a friend." Allegri, for his part, seemed to choke up on more than one occasion, cloaking it by reaching for a sip of water.

There was even a moment of levity and self-deprecation. When asked if it was akin to the end of a romance, Agnelli -- who like his soon-to-be former manager is coming off a failed marriage -- quipped: "Neither Max nor I are qualified to talk about romantic relationships."

So, it ended about as well as it could, given the circumstances. But how did we get here? How was it that Agnelli went from saying that "the cycle continues with Allegri, this team, apart from Cristiano Ronaldo, is relatively young (on the night Ajax knocked them out of the Champions League) to Saturday's "conscious uncoupling?"

According to a source familiar with the situation, Agnelli was genuine in his belief that night in Turin that persisting with Allegri was the right decision. Allegri -- ranked No. 4 among the world's coaches in the ESPN FC 100 -- had reached two Champions League finals in his five seasons at the club, in addition to delivering five Serie A titles and four Italian Cups. What's more, he had been a "club man" throughout. Unlike his predecessor, Allegri rarely blamed players or referees when things did not go right. He was a players' coach, and that was important on a team filled with veterans, many of whom had enjoyed success elsewhere. Players liked him, he had an innate ability to defuse situations and, just as important, Ronaldo -- on whom the club had invested nearly $350 million in wages and fees -- liked him.

Despite what Agnelli said that night about Juventus being "relatively young," this was an ageing veteran-filled side. By the end of the 2019-20 season, Ronaldo and Giorgio Chiellini would be 35, Leonardo Bonucci, Mario Mandzukic, Blaise Matuidi and Sami Khedira would be 33, while Miralem Pjanic, Juan Cuadrado and Wojciech Szczesny would all be 30. Every club has a "window of opportunity," and Juventus' was beginning to close. Changing managers could be disruptive.

As for Allegri, he had reflected on went wrong against Ajax and in the previous round against Atletico Madrid. He had long been talking about the need for Juventus to learn how to impose themselves on opposing teams, particularly in Europe. Clearly, this had not happened. Some of it was his responsibility, of course, but some of it came down to the skill sets of the players and the mentality, particularly in midfield. He had a year remaining on his contract and was confident the club would extend it.

In his mind, continuing for another season with a deal winding down was unthinkable. He would take the opportunity to ask for a raise, as well, since he felt it would cement his authority -- plus, let's face it, he felt he deserved it. And he would ask for more input -- he was always consulted on transfers, but he wasn't the driving force -- in terms of reinforcing the squad.

Allegri also was annoyed at some of the criticism he received from some quarters. He blew up on television when challenged by former Italy international-turned-analyst Lele Adani, who asked him what he could do to get his team to be more attacking: "What can I do? I can work with the players individually and try to improve them. And if they improve as individuals, we'll play better as a group. It's obvious: The better players you have, the better you play.

"Playing well is one thing, winning is another."

He then railed about TV pundits who didn't understand that coaching wasn't about tactics. That one thing is the sort of football theory you learn from books, quite another is the practice of what happens on the pitch. Those words didn't necessarily prompt Juventus' choice, but they did cement the decision facing them. Allegri was who he was and he wasn't going to pretend otherwise. Players are at the heart of his footballing vision, not schemes, not philosophies. The best way to win was to get better footballers or footballers who he could make better. And he wanted more of a role in picking them.

Agnelli prides himself in wanting to hear different views and not be surrounded by yes men. It's something he reiterated on Saturday. Within his inner sanctum -- a group that includes sporting director Fabio Paratici and vice-chairman Pavel Nedved, among others -- the possibility of making a 180-degree turn also was raised. This would involve a philosophical shift and pursuing a "system manager," somebody more in line with the high-press, attacking football that most top European clubs play. It also would fit with the club's efforts on the marketing front, with Juventus continuing their transition from a traditional club to an avant-garde lifestyle brand, as evidenced by the changes to the club's crest and the radical redesign of the striped jersey.

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Equally, though, it was felt that given the current squad's makeup and the Ronaldo window of opportunity, this only made sense if you could attract a top name -- someone like a Pep Guardiola, a Jurgen Klopp or a Mauricio Pochettino -- except none of them would be available this summer.

The inclination at that point was to continue with Allegri. Yet it became clear that if he was to continue, it would be on his terms. And the realization slowly dawned that the guarantees he was looking for in terms of influence on transfers in particular would be hard to meet. Maybe it was time to end this. If you have to make a change, obviously, it's best to do so at the right time, even though you can never be sure when that is. But if you get it wrong, it's less damaging to do it a year early than a year late.

Allegri said the realisation that he would no longer be the Juventus manager only hit him when he walked out of his final meeting with Agnelli on Thursday night. Agnelli said it was the "most difficult decision" he has had to make in his time at the club.

By Sunday night, as Juventus celebrated their title in front of their supporters, it likely felt like the right decision. Gauging public opinion is always tricky, but the sentiment among the majority of fans appeared to be gratitude toward Allegri, rather than anger toward the club at his departure.

Now comes an equally difficult -- though less painful -- decision for Agnelli: figuring out what sort of club he wants Juventus to be and what sort of manager can take them there.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is ready to offer Paul Pogba a captaincy role at Old Trafford in an effort to convince the midfielder to stay at the club, sources have told ESPN FC.

Solskjaer is looking for a new captain with Antonio Valencia set to leave on a free transfer at the end of the month.

Ashley Young, who signed a new one-year deal in February, is in line to take over from Valencia as club captain but with Solskjaer looking to sign a new right-back this summer, the 33-year-old is likely to have to settle for a reduced role next season meaning on-pitch captain duties are up for grabs.

Sources have told ESPN FC that Pogba, who was stripped of captaincy duties by Jose Mourinho, is one of the names in the frame and Solskjaer is hopeful that handing the 26-year-old more responsibility will help end speculation over his future.

The Frenchman is open to a move away from United this summer after Solskjaer's side finished sixth in the Premier League table, missing out on a place in next season's Champions League and condemning themselves to a campaign in the Europa League.

Real Madrid are leading the race should Pogba leave, although sources have told ESPN FC that United are adamant the World Cup winner, who has a contract until 2022, will not be sold.

Solskjaer is already looking to sign at least one midfielder this summer after Ander Herrera turned down the offer of a new contract to join Paris Saint-Germain.

The Norwegian is keen to keep the extent of his rebuild to a minimum and does not want to lose one of his best players.

Solskjaer's first signing as United boss is likely to be Swansea winger Daniel James.

The 21-year-old Wales international is nearing a £15 million move to Old Trafford just four months after coming close to joining Leeds United.

England's decision to leave David Willey out of the final World Cup squad was a "consensus" decision rather than a unanimous one, national selector Ed Smith has revealed.

Announcing the make-up of the squad to contest the tournament starting on May 30, in which left-arm seamer Willey missed out in favour of newcomer Jofra Archer, Smith also said the decision to bring Liam Dawson in for Joe Denly was driven by concerns over a niggle suffered by spinner Adil Rashid.

Willey was outspoken earlier this year in his opposition to a bowler who had helped England become the No.1 one-day side in the world possibly missing out to Archer, who only recently qualified to represent the country. Smith, who told Willey of his omission when he contacted players on Monday, said he had been "honest" and "dignified" in receiving the news.

"That was a very difficult decision, I think the situation we were in as a selection panel, and in consultation with the captain, was we had more players we wanted to fit into the squad than we were allowed to, so it was a very tough call," Smith told Sky Sports.

"David Willey has been a big part of the one-day side, he has had such a good run, it was a really tough call but someone had to miss out. David was very unfortunate in missing out but he could easily have been in this World Cup squad, he deserves to be in the World Cup squad, but that's sport. Sometimes there are more deserving people than there are places in the squad.

"He's an outstanding man. He's very honest, very, very dignified, very clear to the conversation we had, a very impressive man. He's a very impressive cricketer, it is extremely unfortunate."

Smith was reluctant to give detail on the selection panel's discussions but indicated captain Eoin Morgan had an important role in the final decisions. Asked if leaving Willey out was a unanimous call, Smith said: "I wouldn't get into that, I'd say it was a consensus decision. I would say that everyone in the room was comfortable with the squad that the selection panel has come up with.

"It was very important for me as a selector, that the captain feels comfortable with the squad he takes into the World Cup, obviously. Eoin has been captain for over four years, the England one-day side has done extremely well, this is the culmination of a long campaign, a lot of planning, the culture of that team has been very strong under Eoin Morgan. He's very comfortable with the squad, as we all are."

Smith said that ultimately, Willey fell victim to the fact that England's pace bowling stocks are strong, and deep. And he did not expect Archer's inclusion to cause any unrest within the squad.

Meanwhile, it was Rashid's recent worries with a slight injury that sparked the selectors' decision to plump for a back-up spinner in Dawson rather than a back-up batsman in Denly. Dawson has taken 18 wickets for Hampshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup at 20.33 and scored 274 runs at 45.66, including a 90-ball century against Surrey last month. Denly only bowled a handful of overs as England experimented with him as a third spin option during the warm-up ODI series against Ireland and Pakistan and took one wicket - a stumping off a leg-side wide - while with the bat he managed 25 runs from two innings, plus an unbeaten 20 in a T20 against Pakistan.

"The first thing to say is with that position of the spinner or reserve batter, it's a very subtle balance issue," Smith said. "Do you tend towards someone who's mainly a batter who also is a very handy bowler in Joe Denly, or do you tend towards someone who's tilted more towards the bowling side of it but also as a handy batter?

"It could have gone either way. In actual fact, Liam Dawson was always in contention he was in the team in Sri Lanka and then a side injury forced him out of that, Joe Denly came in and has stayed in, limited opportunities even though he's had.

"Adil Rashid has a little niggle, hopefully he'll be fine, and it won't affect him having a full part in the competition. But that's slightly tilts things towards spin bowling cover as a priority rather than one of your batting reserves."

Dawson played the last of his three ODIs against Sri Lanka last October.

Toss Scotland chose to bowl v Sri Lanka

Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer has elected to send Sri Lanka in under sunny skies at the Grange as the hosts attempt to replicate their successful result two years ago to the day over Sri Lanka at Beckenham in a Champions Trophy warm-up fixture. Despite clear skies at the toss, Coetzer's decision may also be influenced by rain forecast for around 4 pm, meaning Duckworth-Lewis could come into play later in the day.

Allrounder Michael Leask comes in for vice-captain Richie Berrington, who is out with a broken finger, from Scotland's line-up for their two-run DLS loss to Afghanistan on May 10.

Sri Lanka have rung in a slew of changes headed by Dimuth Karunaratne coming back into the squad and making his captaincy debut. The deposed Lasith Malinga is not in Edinburgh and will rejoin the squad in England later in the week.

Besides Karunaratne, there are five other changes from their last ODI against South Africa in March, which capped a 5-0 series loss. Lahiru Thirimanne comes back to open with Karunaratne. Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep all return to the line-up as well as Sri Lanka seek a winning formula trying to snap an eight-match losing streak prior to their World Cup opener against New Zealand on June 1.

Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera are the only two players in the Sri Lanka XI to have played in both previous ODI meetings against Scotland, in 2011 & 2015. Coetzer and Calum Macleod are the only two from the Scotland side.

Scotland: 1 Matthew Cross (wk), 2 Kyle Coetzer (capt), 3 Calum Macleod, 4 Craig Wallace, 5 George Munsey, 6 Michael Leask, 7 Tom Sole, 8 Safyaan Sharif, 9 Alasdair Evans, 10 Mark Watt, 11 Brad Wheal

Sri Lanka: 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Avishka Fernando, 4 Kusal Mendis (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Jeevan Mendis, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Isuru Udana

Toss Scotland chose to bowl v Sri Lanka

Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer has elected to send Sri Lanka in under sunny skies at the Grange as the hosts attempt to replicate their successful result two years ago to the day over Sri Lanka at Beckenham in a Champions Trophy warm-up fixture. Despite clear skies at the toss, Coetzer's decision may also be influenced by rain forecast for around 4 pm, meaning Duckworth-Lewis could come into play later in the day.

Allrounder Michael Leask comes in for vice-captain Richie Berrington, who is out with a broken finger, from Scotland's line-up for their two-run DLS loss to Afghanistan on May 10.

Sri Lanka have rung in a slew of changes headed by Dimuth Karunaratne coming back into the squad and making his captaincy debut. The deposed Lasith Malinga is not in Edinburgh and will rejoin the squad in England later in the week.

Besides Karunaratne, there are five other changes from their last ODI against South Africa in March, which capped a 5-0 series loss. Lahiru Thirimanne comes back to open with Karunaratne. Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep all return to the line-up as well as Sri Lanka seek a winning formula trying to snap an eight-match losing streak prior to their World Cup opener against New Zealand on June 1.

Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera are the only two players in the Sri Lanka XI to have played in both previous ODI meetings against Scotland, in 2011 & 2015. Coetzer and Calum Macleod are the only two from the Scotland side.

Scotland: 1 Matthew Cross (wk), 2 Kyle Coetzer (capt), 3 Calum Macleod, 4 Craig Wallace, 5 George Munsey, 6 Michael Leask, 7 Tom Sole, 8 Safyaan Sharif, 9 Alasdair Evans, 10 Mark Watt, 11 Brad Wheal

Sri Lanka: 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Avishka Fernando, 4 Kusal Mendis (wk), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Jeevan Mendis, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Isuru Udana

There will be no changes to the 15-man provisional World Cup squad Bangladesh had announced over a month ago, with Minhajul Abedin, the chief selector, saying that the performances in the Ireland tri-series, which Bangladesh won, had convinced the selectors that the squad was the right one.

"There is much confidence on and within the 15-member squad currently in England," Abedin, who was also the team manager during the tri-series, told ESPNcricinfo. "Everyone in the squad has shown that they are capable of performing at the highest stage, which is why we selected them in the first place."

The question marks were mainly over Abu Jayed and Mosaddek Hossain, but both passed with flying colours. Mosaddek's quickfire half-century against West Indies in the final helped Bangladesh clinch their first multi-team ODI trophy, while Jayed took 5 for 58 against Ireland in an earlier game.

Liton Das and Rubel Hossain, also not considered automatic starters at the World Cup, also did enough in their limited opportunities during the tri-series to stay in the squad. Liton hit a 67-ball 76 against Ireland in his only outing, while Rubel picked up 1 for 41 in the same game.

Four reserve players - Taskin Ahmed, Farhad Reza, Nayeem Hasan and Yasir Ali - had travelled to Ireland for the tri-series, but will now continue training in Dhaka along with the two other standby players - Imrul Kayes and Taijul Islam - in preparation for the July series against Afghanistan A, who will play two four-day and five one-day games.

Most of Bangladesh's World Cup squad is now training in Leicester before the squad - including captain Mashrafe Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal, who were given a break - head to Cardiff for their two warm-up games against Pakistan and India on May 26 and 28 respectively.

Squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Liton Das, Mohammad Mithun, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Saifuddin, Abu Jayed, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain