The search for a weakness in Ben Stokes' considerable armour is keeping Tim Paine awake at night. Such an admission is rare in cricket's often sanitised press conferences in which captains talk of focussing on their processes, execution of plans and whatever other bland sportspeak is in vogue. So it was intriguing to hear Paine, asked if he could be another Australian captain who floundered on an England allrounder, concede that, while his own position is of no concern, the question of how to deal with Stokes is causing considerable insomnia.

"Nah I haven't lost a hell of a lot of sleep thinking about my captaincy," Paine said on the eve of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford. "But I have lost a bit of sleep thinking how we're going to get him out, that's for sure. He's a class player and he's really confident at the moment. He's going well."

It remains to be seen if Stokes' Headingley heroics become a series-winning contribution in the vein of Ian Botham or Andrew Flintoff, and Joe Root will undoubtedly be spending a similar portion of his waking hours pondering the best way to remove Steven Smith from the crease. But for Paine, at least, there were enough signs in the morning session on day four at Headingley that Nathan Lyon may provide the key to neutralising Stokes.

In the period before the new ball was introduced on the final day in Leeds, it seemed all but certain that Lyon would take Stokes' wicket, so often did he tease the outside edge of the bat with sharp turn and considerable bounce. It was only later, after Jonny Bairstow's arrival at the crease energised the run rate, that Stokes was able to dominate Lyon in brutal fashion.

"We've got some plans for him - but we've just got to execute them a bit better. As I said post [the Headingley] Test match, I think Nathan Lyon has actually bowled really well to him. He's created a number of chances each time he's bowled to him. We think as a fast bowling group, we can tweak things a little bit to him, but the other side of it is we hold our chances when Nathan is bowling to him. If we can do that, I think Gaz [Lyon] can open the game up for us through that middle order. The last two Tests in particular, we've let Nathan down a bit with our fielding."

Lyon's distress - he did miss the run-out that could have sealed it for Australia - at the conclusion of the third Test was painfully clear, as he dropped to the ground and had to be pulled up onto his feet by Paine before walking off, disconsolate, covering his face with his arm. In the aftermath of the match, Paine revealed he had encouraged the spinner to be an example to the other players and not allow the disappointment overwhelm him. At Old Trafford, Paine confirmed that Lyon has risen to the challenge.

"The instant disappointment was there for all of us to see after, on the field. But I think you go off the field for five minutes and sit down and put it all in perspective and realise that we are in the middle of an Ashes and he's a huge asset for us and I think he is ready to go. I would say he is really driven for these last two Test matches. He's found out a bit who his friends are in the last week and he's continued to prove people wrong, like he has his whole career."

A friendship that appears unlikely to form during this series is the one between Paine and Jofra Archer. The captain visibly bristled when Archer's recent comments about Australia panicking towards the end of the third Test were mentioned and the "choker" tag that has appeared in some media.

"No, and I've addressed it previously," said Paine, when asked if Australia had panicked or choked. "Jofra's entitled to his opinion, he's had plenty of those that's for sure. But we made some mistakes, it happens, we've addressed it as a team, we've spoken about it honestly. I was certainly one of those people who made mistakes, it happens in cricket, we've moved on and we're here ready for a great Test match."

The brusque manner of Paine's answer was sharp enough to invite further inquiries about whether or not Archer had touched a nerve or taken up residency under his skin.

"Not at all," said Paine. "Just that, as I said, I was told a few things when I was down in Derby - I haven't actually seen the quotes - but, yeah, talk is talk and we are here to play this Test match. What's happened in the past has happened and Jofra is entitled to his opinion. As I said, it doesn't faze us one way or another."

It was a dismissive deflection and one that suggests Paine won't be losing any sleep over Archer's chat, unlike Stokes' elusive wicket.

He probably isn't the player the crowds will be looking forward to watching, he probably isn't the bowler keeping Steve Smith awake at night and he probably isn't likely to feature on the front cover of Wisden, but Craig Overton's selection for this fourth Test makes some sense.

Overton is, in many ways, an archetypal English seamer. He is not especially quick - 85mph may be his peak speed - and doesn't gain the sharp movement of James Anderson. But he will hit a consistent line and length, he will gain more bounce than most, he bowls a decent bouncer and he will not wilt under pressure. He won't let England down.

With England keen to ensure their strike bowlers are not worked into the ground and concerned that Chris Woakes is a little jaded after a tumultuous few months, Overton has been called up to offer reliability and control. They are not the most glamorous of attributes but, in a team blessed with more flamboyance than consistency, more champagne than bread-and-butter, such skills have their place.

ALSO READ: England replace Woakes with Overton

While his selection here may seem to come out of the blue, it doesn't really. He was put on unofficial standby as a concussion substitute earlier in the series and, in the last month, is said to have recovered that bit of nip and bounce that suggests he is at his best. He has claimed 32 wickets at 21.34 this Championship season and while his brother, Jamie (who has claimed 26 at 18.88 this season), is notably sharper, he is also less reliable.

Some, it seems, will never forgive Overton for an incident in 2015 when he was alleged to have abused - perhaps racially - Sussex's Ashar Zaidi. And it is true there were aspects of the case - not least that the comments were reported by two exemplary witnesses, non-striking batsman Michael Yardy and one of the umpires, Alex Wharf - which remain concerning.

Before rushing to condemn him, however, it is worth remembering he was found guilty of a Level One offence - using language that is obscene, offensive or insulting - and not a Level Two or Three offence - which would have encompassed racial abuse. In short, he wasn't found to have committed the more serious charge. As a result, it doesn't seem especially reasonable to continue to hold it against him.

The England management have long admired his tough character. This was demonstrated early in his Test career when he not only top-scored in the first innings of his debut Test in Adelaide - he made 41 from No. 9 - but also bowled the most overs and took the most wickets in Australia's first innings. His maiden wicket was Steve Smith.

Perhaps more persuasively, he shrugged off a cracked rib - sustained when Pat Cummins struck him with a short ball - to bowl 41 overs in Australia's first innings in the following Test in Perth. He was only forced to admit defeat when throwing himself into a diving boundary save. He heard a large crack as he landed - the little crack becoming something more substantial - and was ruled out for the rest of the series. Paul Farbrace used to say, were it up to him, he would include him in every England team.

Overton will have the role of workhorse here. He may be expected to bowl long, tight spells and ensure Jofra Archer, in particular, can be used more sparingly. England hope that his extra height will extract a bit more bounce from a surface that isn't expected to offer the same lateral movement as other tracks in this series. Indeed, in normal circumstances, it looks to be the sort of surface - a little cracked already and with little grass cover - on which two spinners might be played. But with Adil Rashid injured and Moeen Ali out of sorts, Jack Leach will be relied upon to carry that burden. At least one member of England's coaching staff thought it an oddly hospitable pitch which offered no home advantage.

Woakes can probably count himself unfortunate. Having suffered from a knee injury through the winter tours, he was obliged to play several games for Warwickshire in order to prove his fitness ahead of the World Cup. He then played in the series against Pakistan, the whole World Cup and every Test so far this summer. And, while England insist he was fit for selection here, there were times at Leeds, at least, when the miles in the legs started to show. He will hate to miss out on this game, but the break may do him good.

In the longer term, the England management are concerned at his effectiveness on flat surfaces, especially flat surfaces where there is no Duke's ball available to him. They point out he could still play at The Oval in the unlikely event that the pitch is green but his captain's use of him so far this series - lack of use, might be more accurate - does not augur especially well for him.

Sam Curran, too, could be forgiven for wondering why he is with the squad. But while he clearly has talent with bat and ball, he is a bit slower and a bit shorter than Overton. The concern is his batting is not quite strong enough - he hasn't scored a first-class century - to bat in the top six and his bowling not quite strong enough to be relied upon to ensure that Archer and co aren't over-bowled. His best chance of a place may be at No. 7 instead of Jos Buttler.

It is revealing that the only selection change has involved the bowlers. While there has been the odd day in recent years when England's bowlers have struggled for penetration or consistency, this team's primary problem remains their fragile batting. Shuffling that top-order seems unlikely to suddenly unearth a pair of aces. There are two of three batsmen in this side who really need to repay the faith shown in them.

In the longer term, there seems to be a strong temptation to play Zak Crawley and Dominic Sibley in a top three that also includes Rory Burns. But for that, it seems, we will have to wait until they reach New Zealand. There is important business to be conducted first.

Sussex will go into their T20 Blast quarter-final against Worcestershire on Friday night with only one overseas player, after Jason Behrendorff was recalled by Western Australia following a back injury.

Behrendorff, who signed as a replacement overseas player due to Rashid Khan's Afghanistan commitments, played only two games in the tournament, going wicketless against both Essex and Glamorgan.

He was a more direct replacement for Tymal Mills, the left-arm seamer, who was ruled out of the tournament in August, also with a back injury.

Behrendorff's injury means that Sussex will go into Friday night's game with Alex Carey as their only overseas player.

It is unlikely that Carey would be available for Finals Day if Sussex were to make it. His state, South Australia, begin their 50-over season against Queensland three days later, and it is expected that they will recall him to train before that game.

Rashid would also be missing due to a clash with Afghanistan's T20I tri-series against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, meaning that if Sussex were to win on Friday night, they could well be without an overseas player.

Friday's game sold out within 48 hours of going on sale, giving Sussex a seventh full house in eight Blast home games, and captain Luke Wright paid tribute to the club's fans.

"The atmosphere at Hove this year has been the best I can remember for many seasons," Wright said. "Even in my 15th season playing T20 at the ground, the cheers of Sharks fans never fail to send a tingle down the spine when walking out to the middle."

India offspinner R Ashwin is likely to join Delhi Capitals for the 2020 IPL. ESPNcricinfo understands Ashwin is on the verge of moving out of Kings XI Punjab, who signed him at the 2018 auction for INR 7.6 crore (then USD 1.176 million approx) and appointed him captain. It is understood that although the move would be termed as a trade, technically, Capitals are buying out the player in an all-cash deal.

It is understood that, Capitals apart, even Sunrisers Hyderabad had expressed interest in Ashwin at one point, but talks did not go far.

The offer to procure Ashwin is believed to have come from Capitals, with both franchises engaged in talks for the past few months. If the deal goes through, Ashwin's procurement would further swell Capitals' rich collection of spinners.

Capitals' other Indian and overseas spinners include Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Rahul Tewatia, Mayank Markande, J Suchith and Sandeep Lamichhane.

Capitals would become the fourth IPL franchise for Ashwin, who has previously represented Chennai Super Kings, Rising Pune Supergiant and Kings XI. Ashwin, who will soon be 33, is one of the most versatile and successful spinners in the IPL.

Over the years, Ashwin has not been afraid to experiment both with his bowling action and his stock balls, and has utilised his variety to create doubt and dominate batsmen. With his experience and skillset, Ashwin has proved to be an asset as he can bowl in the Powerplay, dry up runs in the middle overs, or restrict batsmen at the death. Overall, Ashwin has taken 125 wickets in 139 IPL matches at an economy rate of 6.79, which is the best among all Indian bowlers with 50-plus wickets.

With Ashwin as captain, Kings XI won 12 games and lost 16 in the past two IPL seasons. Although they were a contender for the playoffs at the halfway stage in both seasons, they eventually failed to advance.

It is understood that Kings XI, who recently sacked their entire coaching staff led by the New Zealander Mike Hesson, are likely to appoint a new captain with India batsman KL Rahul being the favourite. One of the Kings XI owners said that the management was keen to have a new captain who would lead the franchise in the future.

With stats inputs from Bharath Seervi

The Auburn Tigers moved up to 10th in the Associated Press college football poll after defeating Oregon in a thriller Saturday.

The Tigers moved up six spaces after their 27-21 victory over Oregon on freshman quarterback Bo Nix's touchdown pass to Seth Williams with nine seconds remaining.

Oregon, which was the only Top 25 team to lose Saturday, dropped from 11th to 16th.

The Top 25 went 23-0 against unranked teams to open the season, leaving the rankings mostly unchanged: No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama are at the top of the first regular-season AP college football poll of 2019.

The Tigers received 54 first-place votes out of 62 in the media poll, up two from the preseason. The Crimson Tide received the remaining eight.

The top seven teams in the preseason rankings held their spots Tuesday. Clemson and Alabama were followed by No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 LSU and No. 7 Michigan Wolverines. Notre Dame moved up a spot to No. 8, and Texas was ninth. Florida slipped three spots to No. 11.

POLL POINTS

Another record for Alabama. The Crimson Tide are ranked in the top five for the 56th consecutive week, dating to Nov. 8, 2015. That breaks a tie with Miami, which went 55 straight weeks in the top five from Oct. 8, 2000-Oct. 26, 2003.

MOVING IN, BUT NOT OUT

No. 24 Boise State was the only team to move into the rankings this week, but in a quirk, no team fell out. There was a tie at No. 25 between Nebraska and Iowa State. The Broncos are ranked again after rallying from 18 points down to beat Florida State on the road Saturday. Boise State has been ranked for at least one week the last 18 seasons.

The last time there were 26 teams in the Top 25 with a tie for the final spot was Nov. 18, 2012. The last time a full schedule of college football was played and no teams fell out of the rankings was Nov. 6, 2016.

IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING

There have been three times since the AP poll expanded to 25 teams in 1989 that no ranked teams lost during a regular-season weekend schedule. In 1996, Top 25 teams went 11-0 leading into the second regular-season poll. The Top 25 had two undefeated weeks in September 2004, going 18-0 the opening weekend of the season and 19-0 a few weeks later.

CONFERENCE CALL

The Southeastern Conference has four teams in the top 10 and six in the top 12. The last conference to represent half of the first dozen teams in the rankings was the SEC on Sept. 7, 2013: No. 1 Alabama; No. 6 South Carolina; No. 7 Texas A&M; No. 9 LSU; No. 11 Georgia; No. 12 Florida.

Big Ten -- 7.

SEC -- 6.

Pac-12 -- 5.

Big 12 -- 3.

ACC -- 2.

American -- 1.

Mountain West -- 1.

Independent -- 1.

RANKED vs. RANKED

No. 12 Texas A&M at No. 1 Clemson. Rematch of last year's game in College Station, when the Tigers needed a late stop of a two-point conversion to hold on for the victory.

No. 6 LSU at No. 9 Texas. First regular-season meeting since 1954.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brazil overcame a double-digit deficit and beat Greece 79-78 in a thriller at the FIBA World Cup in Nanjing, China, on Tuesday.

NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 13 points but fouled out late in the fourth quarter for Greece.

Brazil's Alex Garcia, 39, seemed to stifle Antetokounmpo at every turn.

"Why this sport is wonderful," Brazil coach Aleksandar Petrovic said. "You have a guy who won MVP, he's 23 years old, and who stops him tonight? The guy who is 40 years old and kicks his ass."

Anderson Varejao, who last played in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors two years ago, led the way for Brazil with 22 points and nine rebounds, hitting seven of 10 shots in the second half.

Varejao hit a critical jumper for Brazil with 14 seconds left and Leandro Barbosa hit a final free throw for a three-point edge.

Greece's Kostas Sloukas had three free throws with two seconds left that would have tied the score, but he made only two. Bruno Caboclo took advantage of FIBA rules and batted the ball away to seal the win for Brazil.

"We showed that we have several players who can stop Antetokounmpo," Petrovic said. "But yesterday I was more occupied with Sloukas and [Georgios] Printezis, and that's what happened today. When I was preparing this game, a lot of people talked and joked about how to stop Antetokounmpo. I had for six months in my head, since the semifinals between Toronto and Milwaukee, how to stop Antetokounmpo. The problem tonight for us was Sloukas and Printezis."

Brazil improved to 2-0 and moved closer to the second round. Greece fell to 1-1 in Group F and will need a win in its final group game with New Zealand.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SHANGHAI -- Jayson Tatum sprained his left ankle in the closing seconds of overtime in Team USA's 93-92 victory over Turkey in the FIBA World Cup on Tuesday night.

Tatum rolled the ankle after delivering a pass to Khris Middleton, setting up the game-winning free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining. He had to be helped to the locker room and was off the floor when Middleton put the Americans ahead.

He will be reevaluated Wednesday in Shanghai before the full extent of the injury can be determined, coach Gregg Popovich said. But Tatum was already feeling better after getting some treatment and left the Oriental Sports Center in shoes and with only a minor limp.

"I think I was slipping a little bit, I think I rolled my ankle, I think I just slipped and fell the wrong way," Tatum said. "It feels better than when it first happened. I can walk a little bit. Obviously it's sore, but just get some treatment and see how I feel."

Tatum is likely to miss some time if for no other reason than Team USA's escape from near-defeat at the end of regulation and then again in overtime assured them of advancing to the second round. The Americans will play their final pool game against Japan, who has already been eliminated, with no stakes on Thursday.

The team won't face a possible elimination game until next week.

In addition to the crucial pass to Middleton, Tatum made two free throws with 0.1 seconds left in regulation to force overtime after being fouled shooting a 3-pointer. He pulled down several big rebounds late in the game and finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

SHANGHAI -- Team USA needed a foul with 0.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter, four missed free throws in overtime that will go down in infamy in Turkish basketball history, and a few fortunate bounces to avoid a loss in the FIBA World Cup Tuesday.

But the U.S. also needed heroics, poise, togetherness and luck to put together a 93-92 win over Turkey to extend its winning streak to 44 games in major competitions and assure itself of advancing to the event's second round.

You'll have to choose whether you saw it as good news or bad news, but the Americans made up their minds quickly. Despite struggling with the No. 17 team in the world and very nearly losing after a zone defense brought their attack to a halt, Team USA was thrilled it was able to stay composed and pull the victory out, one it will remember for a long time.

"It was anybody's game; we will accept the win, but it was anybody's to win," coach Gregg Popovich said. "We have to get better than that, but playing a fine team like that gives us another example of how good it can be when everybody knows what they're supposed to be doing on the court."

Khris Middleton was a hero, making two free throws with 2.1 seconds left in OT to get the win. He was set up on the play by Jayson Tatum, who made 2-of-3 free throws at the end of regulation to extend the game, even as Tatum rolled and sprained his left ankle after making the vital pass that ended up with Middleton drawing a foul.

That the U.S. won on the foul line was bitter for Turkey as Cedi Osman, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Dogus Balbay each missed two free throws with nine seconds left in OT. The Americans looked like they were done after a turnover and intentional foul gave Turkey a golden chance to finish the game right now. Osman, who did make some big plays otherwise, also fouled Tatum at the end of regulation on a 3-pointer that gave the U.S. life.

"I'm very sad but I congratulate them," said Turkish coach Ufuk Sarica. "We could've won tonight two times, three times maybe ... It really hurts, you know. When the game goes to overtime I think it was in our hands, not their hands."

Middleton finished with a team-best 17 points. Tatum, who was able to leave the Shanghai Sports Arena under his own power and will be reevaluated Wednesday, had 11 points and 11 rebounds, some of them ripped from Turkey in brawl-like scrums.

Kemba Walker was also due much praise. Though he had an off shooting night, going 5-of-14, Walker was brilliant in overtime as he scored five of his 14 points and came up with a steal and took a charge to end a Turkey possession. He was credited with three steals, but the statisticians might have missed a couple.

Walker, who hasn't played in many high-pressure games like this since his college days at UConn, reveled in the victory. He and other U.S. players hugged, slapped backs and smiled off the floor. This was not an elimination game, and there are some glaring weaknesses showing. But unlike other Team USA groups that tended to focus on the pressure of constant domination, this group is continuing to enjoy the process.

"That was an incredible game to be a part of," Walker said. "At the same time, there is so much room for improvement. We have a bunch of young guys, we're a new team, we're still learning. We're still learning each other. But I think tonight, that win, it's going to help us, you know, take this team to another level."

Long-term, though, the worries that existed over the last few weeks are coming to fruition. In addition to losing Tatum for at least a short while, it was exactly the type of game the Americans feared.

Their offense tightened up and stagnated when Turkey dropped into zone, a thorn in American sides for decades and definitely a sign of lack of cohesion and trust for a new team. Instead of passing through it as their plan was, instead the U.S. players tried to drive into it. Turkey had good size inside and its effect on Team USA was jarring. Walker, Tatum and Donovan Mitchell -- Team USA's core scorers -- went just 8-of-32 shooting in regulation.

Over and over, various American players drove into traffic and were unable to finish over bodies in red uniforms. And it wasn't like they were getting swatted. Turkey didn't record its first block until late in the third quarter when Team USA was already a woeful 7-of-23 on 2-point shots, most of those coming in the paint. When it was over, they shot 13-of-37 inside the 3-point arc, which would typically be an unsurvivable number.

With the game in the balance in the final minute of the fourth quarter, Popovich was so unsure of his big men that he took them all off the floor and left undersized Tatum and Middleton to play center. Ersan Ilyasova, a power forward in the NBA but taller than any American, made back-to-back baskets, including a putback.

Regardless of the strategy to take out center Myles Turner, who had some positive moments, it was a sign of how insecure Popovich is about that area of his roster.

It was also telling that the U.S couldn't get a fifth foul on Ilyasova, Turkey's best player, even as he played the game's last nine minutes with four fouls. They just didn't have the ability to go at him as he finished with 23 points.

"I think tonight was a great lesson for us, just in terms of we got lucky," said Harrison Barnes, who finished with 10 points. "We keep playing like that, we're not going to get to where we want to be."

Turkey truly bothered the Americans with their interior size, challenging shots vigorously and walling off the rim. This was a known issue for this team coming in as their primary penetrators, Mitchell and Walker, lack size. But it wasn't expected that Turkey, which doesn't have rock star interior defenders, would be the team to grind the U.S. to a halt.

This is going to be an issue later in the tournament, especially if the U.S. ends up facing top challenger Serbia. That team is genuinely massive, with four talented players 6-10 or taller: Nikola Jokic, Boban Marjanovic, Nemanja Bjelica and Miroslav Raduljica. Serbia has outscored its opposition by 105 points in the first two games and is shooting a preposterous 70%.

Right now, though, thinking about Serbia is probably irresponsible, as the U.S. has to try to piece together some offensive rhythm. The Americans will mostly likely handle Japan, the weakest team in their pool, on Thursday. But starting in the second round it's more talented teams like Turkey, namely Brazil and Greece, who played a classic game themselves on Tuesday.

But the Americans weren't worrying about it as they went into the Shanghai night. They had decided this win was going to be a stepping stone. Plus they were still in awe they somehow pulled it off.

"It was one of the best damn basketball games I've ever been a part of," Turner said. "I think any team can see this game and know that this is a team that their licking their chops to play. We're Team USA, everybody wants to beat us. Every team is going to give us their best shot. More than anything, we have to just stay together."

CHICAGO -- Cubs catcher Willson Contreras will be activated from the injured list and in the starting lineup on Tuesday, manager Joe Maddon said.

Contreras, 27, has been out a month with a hamstring injury that occurred as the catcher was running to first base in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Aug. 3.

He played three games at Triple-A Iowa in a rehab stint, going 1-for-7.

Contreras has had a rebound season, compiling a .890 OPS as a fixture in the middle of the Cubs lineup. He'll be behind the plate when Jon Lester takes on the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night.

Maddon, speaking on the team's flagship radio station, WSCR, also indicated that Ben Zobrist would lead off in his first game action since May 6. Zobrist returned to the team over the weekend after taking a leave of absence stemming from marital issues.

Shortstop Javier Baez remains out of the lineup after jamming his left thumb on a slide on Sunday.

The Cubs began the day three games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central.

New York Yankees slugger Edwin Encarnacion has returned to the lineup after missing a month with a broken wrist.

Encarnacion will bat fifth in the lineup and serve as the Yankees' designated hitter Tuesday night against the Texas Rangers.

The 36-year-old Encarnacion told reporters that he has no lingering pain in his right wrist and that he's happy to be back with the Yankees. The three-time All-Star missed 30 games after suffering the injury Aug. 3 against the Boston Red Sox.

Encarnacion is batting .240 with 30 home runs and 76 RBIs this season. He is tied for 11th in the American League in homers despite playing in just 101 games this season.