Spain's World Cup winning striker Fernando Torres announced his retirement from football on Friday, bringing an end to a glittering 18-year career.

I have something very important to announce. After 18 exciting years, the time has come to put an end to my football career. Next Sunday, the 23rd at 10:00AM, local time in Japan, I will have a press conference in Tokyo to explain all the details.See you there. pic.twitter.com/WrKnvRTUIu

— Fernando Torres (@Torres) June 21, 2019

Torres, who scored more than 100 goals across two spells at his boyhood club Atletico Madrid, also played for Premier League sides Liverpool and Chelsea and Italy's AC Milan.

He left Atletico to join Japan's Sagan Tosu in July last year but has struggled to hit the heights of his best days at Atletico and Liverpool at the J-League side.

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"After 18 exciting years, the time has come to put an end to my football career," the 35-year-old wrote on Twitter, adding that he would hold a news conference in Japan on Sunday to explain his decision.

Torres made his Spain debut in 2003 and scored the winning goal in the 2008 European Championship final against Germany before helping his country win their first World Cup in 2010.

He was the top scorer at Euro 2012 as Spain successfully defended their title and scored 38 goals in 110 appearances for his country in total, making him Spain's country's third-highest goalscorer behind David Villa (59) and Raul (44).

Torres' greatest moments

Torres enjoyed his the most prolific spell at Liverpool between 2007 and 2011, netting 81 goals in 142 games across all competitions.

He moved to Chelsea from Liverpool for a then British record fee of £50 million ($63.49m), and won the FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League with the London club.

Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka has had his head turned by interest from Manchester United, England under-21 manager Aidy Boothroyd has said.

United have had a £35 million initial bid plus £5m add-ons turned down by Palace and the defender would reportedly cost United between £50m and £60m, according to ESPN sources.

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And Wan-Bissaka, who scored an own goal in England's opening game of the European under-21 Championships, has been distracted by the proposed move, Boothroyd told reporters at the tournament.

"When that speculation is flying around it is bound to turn your head," Boothroyd said.

"For a young player, all he knows is Crystal Palace academy and Crystal Palace. It would be daft not to say that in some way he must think about it.

"What I will say is, because he doesn't say too much, you don't get to find out too much. He keeps things to himself and is a very private guy."

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Wan-Bissaka, 21, who has three years remaining on his Palace contract, started 35 Premier League games for the club last season, winning their player of the year award.

Manchester United have shown interest in young British players so far this window, having signed winger Daniel James from Swansea for £15m.

Chelsea expect to finalise the appointment of Frank Lampard as their new manager next week, sources have told ESPN FC.

Lampard has been identified by club owner Roman Abramovich as the preferred choice to take over from Maurizio Sarri, unveiled as the new Juventus coach on Thursday.

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Chelsea are prepared to pay the £4 million needed to release Lampard from his contract with Derby, but the Championship club's desire to secure a replacement before sanctioning his departure has slowed the process.

Lampard is expected to sign a three-year contract and be accompanied by former Chelsea academy coach Jody Morris and long-time fitness coach Chris Jones.

Derby had wanted to keep Lampard after a positive first season in which he led a vibrant young team to the Championship playoff final, and are reported to have offered him a contract extension.

Lampard will work closely with former Chelsea teammate Petr Cech, announced as the club's new technical and performance adviser on Friday.

Cech will provide advice on all football and performance matters, work to improve the pathway from the academy to the first-team squad and travel with the senior side home and away.

Another member of Chelsea's first Premier League title-winning team, Claude Makelele, has also been linked with a role helping to look after loan players, while academy coach Joe Edwards will be promoted.

Dennis Silk, the former chairman of the Test and County Cricket Board, has died at the age of 87.

Silk, who chaired the board between 1994 and 1996, was one of many outstanding batsmen to come out of Cambridge in the 1950s, and were it not for the demands of his career in teaching, would undoubtedly have had a longer career in the game.

He made his debut for Cambridge University in 1952, and also played for Somerset from 1956 to 1960 - although just 33 of his 83 first-class appearances came for his county. He toured four times with MCC, twice as captain (North America and New Zealand) and was subsequently president of the club between 1992 and 1994.

Between 1968 and 1991, Silk served as warden (headmaster) of Radley - the alma mater of the former England captain Andrew Strauss - and was regarded by his contemporaries as one of the outstanding headmasters of his generation.

Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman have been found to be in positions of conflict of interest for their roles as commentator and the positions they hold in Indian cricket. That is the ruling of the BCCI's ethics officer Justice (Retd) DK Jain, who has given them two weeks to choose between the two roles.

Justice Jain was reviewing complaints filed by members of the public against Ganguly and Laxman. Another complaint, against Sachin Tendulkar, alleged a conflict between his roles as mentor of Mumbai Indians in the IPL and as a member of the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee. However, during the hearing of the case, Tendulkar submitted that he had decided not to be part of any BCCI committee, and had informed the board about it. Following this disclosure, Justice Jain ruled there was no issue of conflict and no need to investigate further.

In the case of Ganguly and Laxman, having heard both the complainants as well as the former players in person, and upon studying the BCCI's constitution, Justice Jain concluded that the two men could hold only one post at any given point of time. "That is the spirit of the constitution, the concept of one man one post," Justice Jain told ESPNcricinfo. "And they are holding more than one post… therefore there is a conflict of interest as defined under the constitution."

"That is the spirit of the constitution, the concept of one man one post. And they are holding more than one post… therefore there is a conflict of interest as defined under the constitution." JUSTICE JAIN

Ganguly and Laxman were deemed to have breached Rule 38 (4) of the BCCI constitution, which states that a person cannot hold two positions at the same point out of 16 listed. The clause says: "It is clarified that no individual is allowed to occupy more than one of the following posts at a single point of time except where prescribed under these rules."

The 16 positions are: Player (current), selector/member of cricket committee, team official, commentator, match official, administrator/office bearer, electoral officer, ombudsman & ethics officer, auditor, any person who is governance, management or employee of a franchisee, member of a standing committee, CEO & managers, office Bearer of a Member (state association), service provider (legal, financial etc.), contractual entity (broadcast, security, contractor etc.) and owner of cricket academy.

Ganguly is the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, advisor at Delhi Capitals in the IPL, and also a TV commentator. Laxman is a mentor at Sunrisers Hyderabad and a TV commentator.

"I have only interpreted provisions of the rule which were framed pursuant to adoption of the constitution after the Lodha Commission's recommendations (were accepted by the court)," Justice Jain said.

He said that both Ganguly and Laxman can challenge the order and take it up with the BCCI. It is understood that the BCCI's legal team is studying the order.

If either or both Ganguly and Laxman carry on performing both roles, Justice Jain said it was for the BCCI to take a call on the path forward. "It is the job of the BCCI to first interpret and then enforce constitution and the rules. They are also bound. They are also the creature of the constitution," he said.

Big picture

Remember Bristol, May 28? Seems like a long time ago, doesn't it? In their final warm-up game before the World Cup, West Indies gave everyone a taste of what they could be at their best. A fast start, courtesy Chris Gayle. A hold-the-innings-together hundred from Shai Hope. Big hitting from almost everyone else, all the way down to No. 10, with Andre Russell in particularly unforgiving mood. A total well north of 400. Pace and bounce from a five-man seam attack, and eventually a 91-run win.

All this against one of the more fancied sides going into the World Cup, New Zealand.

Three weeks on, West Indies have one win from five matches in the tournament proper, and are falling behind in the race - if it can still be called that - for semi-final spots. Much like Afghanistan's Rashid Khan, Russell hasn't managed to make the switch from bossing a T20 league to doing likewise in a 50-overs tournament, with further complications thrown in by a pair of utterly wonky knees. His World Cup has been a microcosm of his team's tournament; too much hitting, too little batting, slow on the field, and no real Plan B beyond the short ball.

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If West Indies are to make any kind of push - even a heroic failed one - they'll need to show there's more to their game. Their last two round-robin fixtures are against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, but they could be out of top-four contention before that if they don't find a way past New Zealand and India.

New Zealand? They're still unbeaten, and they've come through a couple of cliffhangers to stay that way. They are more than likely to make the semi-finals, but they know they can't relax against West Indies - who remain a dangerous team for all their flaws - especially given that they are yet to meet two of their fellow top-four favourites, Australia and England.

Form guide

New Zealand WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LLLWL

In the spotlight

He made an unbeaten half-century in New Zealand's tournament-opener against Sri Lanka, and got off to a couple of starts thereafter, but Martin Guptill hasn't really lit up this World Cup. West Indies, however, will want to get rid of him as soon as possible. While they've undergone plenty of personnel changes since 2015, Gayle, Russell and their captain Jason Holder will remember all too well Guptill's 237 against them in the quarter-final in Wellington.

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Evin Lewis hasn't featured in all of West Indies' matches, but after a quiet start he found some form with a 67-ball 70 against Bangladesh. West Indies' lower-order hitters become more dangerous the less time they're required to bat, and if Lewis clicks alongside either Gayle or Hope, he could set them up to do what they do best.

Team news

New Zealand seem unlikely to make any changes, unless they replace the out-of-sorts Colin Munro with Henry Nicholls at the top of the order.

New Zealand (probable): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 6 James Neesham, 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult

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West Indies could bring back the offspinner Ashley Nurse if the pitch looks a little dry, given the number of left-handers in New Zealand's top seven. With Andre Russell unlikely to play, according to captain Holder, Nurse could slot in at No. 8.

West Indies (probable): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Ashley Nurse, 9 Shannon Gabriel/Kemar Roach, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Oshane Thomas

Pitch and conditions

The two matches so far at Old Trafford have produced first-innings totals of 336 and 397, so plenty of runs can be expected once more. Cloudy skies are forecast for Saturday - though rain isn't expected - and there might, as a result, be some new-ball swing, particularly for Trent Boult and Matt Henry.

Strategy punt

• What should West Indies do if they win the toss? New Zealand have batted second in all of their matches at the World Cup so far, and their biggest target has been 245, against Bangladesh. They've shown a bit of vulnerability in a couple of these small chases, so West Indies have two options: back themselves to post a big total on what has been a flat pitch so far, and put New Zealand under scoreboard pressure; or bowl first and expose New Zealand to a challenge they haven't faced in a while.

• Since scoring an unbeaten 58 against Sri Lanka, Colin Munro has made 24, 22 and 9, and has twice fallen to the short ball, against Afghanistan and South Africa. Given West Indies' propensity to bowl fast and short, New Zealand could replace Munro with Henry Nicholls, a strong back-foot player who has been in excellent form, across formats, in the months leading up to the World Cup.

• West Indies' fast bowlers have pitched 52% of their deliveries at this World Cup either "short" or "short of good length", according to ESPNcricinfo's data. That's significantly higher than the overall figure (before the England-Sri Lanka match) of 43% for all fast bowlers at the tournament. Given the dimensions of Old Trafford, with long straight boundaries and short square ones, West Indies might need to find a Plan B.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have won four of their seven World Cup matches against West Indies, including the three most recent meetings.

• Trent Boult has an exceptional ODI record against West Indies: 17 wickets in seven matches at an average of 15.58, with a best of 7 for 34.

• Tom Latham averages 33.00 in ODIs, but that figure drops to 27.00 when he keeps wicket.

GMT 1520 The preview was updated to include news of Andre Russell's fitness.

The entire board of Zimbabwe Cricket has been suspended with immediate effect by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), a government parastatal and the governing organisation of all registered sporting associations in the country. ZC acting managing director Givemore Makoni has also been suspended from his position.

David Ellman-Brown, Ahmed Ibrahim, Charlie Robertson, Cyprian Mandenge, Robertson Chinyengetere, Sekesai Nhokwara and Duncan Frost have been announced as an interim committee to run cricket in the country.

The SRC's move came a week after it issued a directive that ZC's elective annual general meeting be suspended, alleging complaints about the nomination process and the violation of ZC's constitution, as well as "various other controversies". ZC ignored the directive, and Tavengwa Mukuhlani was re-elected for another four-year term following the meeting, leading the SRC to invoke its powers under the terms of the SRC Act.

More to follow…

If you're worried about Rashid Khan in the aftermath of the shellacking he got at the hands of England, don't be, says the Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib.

Rashid was the chief victim of Eoin Morgan's brutal, six-laden 148 on Tuesday, copping figures of 110 for no wickets from nine overs. Through the course of that innings, he conceded three fours and a whopping 11 sixes. One of the best performers on the franchise T20 circuit, though, Rashid will not let those figures torment him, said Naib. Against India, he will also be bowling to batsmen he is familiar with, having played three seasons of the IPL.

"It happens to every player - you face this kind of bad day," Naib said of Rashid's performance on Tuesday. "Rashid is not an easy bowler to face. Even we can't play him in the nets even though we know him, so he's very difficult. The credit goes to the England side who played really well, but I think Rashid is now one of the strongest players mentally, so he learns everything very quickly, and also learns from mistakes.

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"I saw him today and he's totally different. This is a good sign for me and the team. He's not thinking about what happened. He's just focusing on the present and future, which is the good thing about Rashid."

Although Rashid is the most high-profile example, he is not the only Afghanistan player having a poor World Cup. The team, in general, has performed worse than expected, and though never tipped to be one of the semi-finalists, they have now suffered three big defeats in succession.

In an interview with Mid-Day, Rashid put the team's performance down partly to inexperience.

"I don't think we prepared that well for a tournament like this," he said. "We should have won at least one or two games; we had the opportunity to do so, but we lacked experience. Hopefully, we will get that with time. All teams have come here with big preparations. We will utilise this experience when we play these teams again.

"For example, it was our first ODI against South Africa, we played New Zealand after four years. If we play against teams after four years, we will lack understanding. We have played against Pakistan before in the Asia Cup, so we had a fair idea. In the World Cup warm-up match, we won against them. So, the more you play against them, the better."

Rashid would not be drawn directly on the other controversies surrounding Afghanistan at present - particularly regarding the alleged board interference with the way the team is run. He had, however, been publicly critical of the decision to remove Asghar Afghan from the captaincy less than two months before the start of the World Cup.

"When the captain was changed, yes we made our anger public. I did not do that to support our previous captain or anybody else. I did it for Afghanistan cricket. If someone is trying to spoil my Afghanistan cricket, then it does not matter who it is," he said. "Cricket is the only thing that brings a smile on people's faces. I wanted to say that it was not the right time to take such a big decision - just before the World Cup.

"When I am on the field, I don't think I play for my captain or for my cricket board. I play only for Afghanistan. No one is important than my country."

Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith hasn't abandoned hope of playing football again after suffering a devastating leg injury in November -- even though he will have an external fixator on his right leg for at least another month.

In his first public comments since the injury, Smith told Fox 5 DC's Angie Goff that he still wants to play. Smith suffered a compound fracture in his right leg during a Nov. 18 loss to the Houston Texans. He endured multiple surgeries because of an infection, and amputation became an option at one point, sources have said.

But now Smith feels good enough to at least consider returning, even if multiple hurdles remain and the team views the possibility as a long shot.

"That's the plan," he told Goff on her Oh My Goff podcast, which was published Friday. "There are steps I've got to conquer before I get there. ... Learning to run again. That's a big one. I'm already throwing. Throwing isn't a problem, but dropping [back], moving around, change of direction."

Smith, 35, said he must wear the external fixator for at least another four to six weeks, which would put the total time in the contraption at around 7½ months. Smith remains realistic about his future.

"The steps I'm at now are lifestyle steps," he said. "I'm still working on playing basketball with my kids and running around after my daughter. Those are things I have to conquer anyway until I get to the point where I'm walking on the field. I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited about that challenge. The stronger I get every week, the more I do, the more hopeful I am that that's a real possibility."

The Redskins selected Dwayne Haskins in the first round of the draft, pegging him as their quarterback of the future. They did so knowing the long road Smith faced and that, even if he does return, he might not be the same quarterback he was before the injury. Smith's running ability was a big part of his game.

Washington also has Colt McCoy and Case Keenum under contract for this season, but neither is signed beyond 2019.

Smith signed a four-year contract worth up to $94 million, with $71 million guaranteed, in 2018. The Redskins never planned to cut him this offseason, uncertain about his playing future and also knowing they would take an approximate cap hit of $40 million, accounting for a $12 million insurance policy. They could cut him after this season but would still incur a hit of $20 million, once again getting some relief with insurance.

Smith told Goff he had played golf earlier that morning and then went through physical therapy. He called it his most active day since the injury. They later played a game of dodgeball, with Smith stationary, in a local mall.

He called the past three months "life-changing" because he could start driving again and was off crutches.

"The first four months were really, really hard," he said. "Just to be in a wheelchair as long as I was. When you have independence and lose it ... that was the hardest part."

He credited the effect the external fixator has had on his recovery.

"This thing is gonna save my leg, save my bone, allow me to heal and walk again and hopefully play football again," Smith said.

Smith told Goff that "every week or two weeks" he is doing something in physical therapy that he didn't think he could. It could be a physical or mental hurdle.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say mental obstacles, there are things with my leg I don't trust yet," Smith said. "I feel I'm quite a bit further along than I think."

That progress, and a desire to focus more on what he must do each day, has helped him stay positive.

"It's crazy looking and it sucks what happened, but at the same time, people out there have it way worse," he said. "Life happens, and for me, I feel like this is a time for me being tested and having a challenge in front of me, and how can I handle it?"