Lewis Gregory, the Somerset allrounder, retains hope of being selected for England's T20 World Cup squad despite an underwhelming start to his international career in New Zealand.

Gregory, who will captain England Lions on their upcoming tour of Australia in both four-day and 50-over cricket, played every game of the five-match T20I series in New Zealand in November, having impressed the selectors in the 2018 Vitality Blast when he scored 328 runs at a strike rate of 202.46.

But he bowled only four overs and faced just 19 balls across three innings when he made it to the crease, and as a result found himself left out of the white-ball legs of the ongoing South Africa tour.

ALSO READ: Moeen to assist with Lions camp ahead of Australia tour

"The England white-ball team is a very difficult one to break into," he said, "but there's no reason why I can't do that. It's about putting in performances, keeping knocking on the door, and hopefully that call comes.

"It's something I can't control - all I can do is control the performances that I keep putting, and we go from there."

Gregory found himself batting at No. 7 in New Zealand, having impressed in that role in the Blast, and admitted that he had failed to perform to the best of his abilities.

"It's a hard place to feel like you can affect a game," he said. "It's a hard place to win games from. Equally, guys who bat at No. 7 - it'a a hard skillset, to basically go out from ball one and clear the ropes, especially against the best bowlers in the world in my case.

"I don't feel like I did it to the best of my abilities when I had those opportunities. I feel like from that experience I'll be able to go back and learn, and do things differently if I get another opportunity."

Gregory's chances of making an impression were hit by injury, too. He managed only four appearances in the Blast last year due to a foot injury, meaning he came into the tour off the back of relatively little short-form cricket.

"I don't think it was more of a step up than I thought," he said, "but I hadn't played much T20 cricket leading into that, missing [almost] the whole Blast due to injury. If you've got the confidence behind you, it's easier leading in and executing what you've been doing.

"T20 cricket is a volatile game where you can easily go four or five games in that position where you don't get a score, and that's the nature of the beast.

"There were times when I went a little bit too gung-ho. But it's about learning from mistakes and opportunities - it's about recognising what has happened before."

English cricketers remain hot property on the T20 franchise circuit, meaning that Gregory has not had the opportunity to rest on his laurels. Instead, he spent five weeks over Christmas in Bangladesh, playing for Rangpur Rangers in the Bangladesh Premier League.

While his side made an early exit from the competition, he impressed with both bat and ball, making 262 runs at a strike rate of 140.10 in an unfamiliar middle-order role as a No. 4, and adding 15 wickets at parsimonious economy rate of 7.64. England's selectors have made no secret of the fact they keep close tabs on players' performances in short-form leagues worldwide, so Gregory's feats are unlikely to have gone unnoticed.

"It was really good," he said of his involvement in the competition. "Five weeks in Bangladesh is quite long, but the cricket side of things was really good.

"There were some quite different surfaces that I bowled on, compared to what you'd get in England - it was good to get some experience of playing on some low, slow spinning wickets, which is very different to what I'm used to at Taunton."

That exposure to different conditions necessitated certain changes in Gregory's game, including an increase in the number of slower balls he bowled - he claimed "95 percent" of his wickets in the competition were with change-ups - and he said he hopes to prove his ability to adapt again on the Lions tour in the coming weeks.

"You have to try and adapt as quickly as possible to what's in front of you, judge the surface each day and go with what you think will work. The majority of wickets [in Bangladesh] spun a bit, so it was a case of taking some pace off and getting them to put some energy back on the ball.

"We had a lot of experienced guys on our team who were brilliant to chat to and learn from, and I think I came back a better cricketer. Wherever you go you are going to come up against different opposition and different styles of play.

"I'm a big believer that the guys who do well consistently are the ones who can adapt the quickest. There are things I want to work on in my game every time I play. In white-ball cricket especially, the best ones are the ones who do it consistently."

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- The Hollywood (Florida) Police Department announced that their athletic league has severed ties with wide receiver Antonio Brown and returned a donation given by Brown following an obscene outburst toward the police and the mother of his children on Monday.

Brown posted a live feed of the encounter, which also included his children, on Instagram, and it was later picked up by TMZ. In it, he can be heard using explicit language and calling the police officers explicit names.

The Hollywood Police Department released a statement following the video announcing the Police Athletic League's separation from Brown. According to the department, recent events that have necessitated police intervention have caused an "irreparable rift" between the department, the Police Athletic League and Brown.

"We made the decision to sever ties between Mr. Brown and the Hollywood Police Athletic League," public information officer Christian Lata wrote in the statement. "We did not want our youth to be subject to this type of behavior nor emulate the actions of Mr. Brown."

The police responded to a domestic disturbance at Brown's Hollywood residence on Monday, and Lata wrote in the department's statement that Brown used "very degrading language in front of his young children."

Brown previously donated to the athletic league's 7-on-7 football league, but the police department said it returned that donation on Jan. 9.

"We will not take money from a donor that we cannot have our youth be proud of or represent our organization," Lata wrote.

Brown was also given a trespass warning for the Police Athletic League property because the department "did not want him to continue to affect our youth nor influence them in a negative way."

Brown responded to the department's statement on Twitter.

Hollywood police and I need a meeting unless I'm going to show their track record of my injustice consistently

— AB (@AB84) January 13, 2020

Brown wasn't on an active roster for most of the 2019 season. He was released from the Oakland Raiders after the preseason following public demands. He was active for one game with the New England Patriots but was released shortly after amid sexual assault allegations. The former Pittsburgh Steelers star recently had a workout with the New Orleans Saints, which he later called a publicity stunt on social media.

Former Penn State football player Isaiah Humphries filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the university, coach James Franklin and former teammate Damion Barber.

The suit alleges that Humphries was subject to hazing brought on by Barber, linebacker Micah Parsons, defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos and linebacker Jesse Luketa and that the coaching staff was aware of the hazing and did not protect Humphries.

The allegations include instances when the named players collectively orchestrated, directed and facilitated a campaign to harass and haze underclassmen on the Penn State football team. The hazing alleged in the suit includes the participants stating that they intended to make the underclassmen "their b---- because this is a prison."

The participants allegedly referenced former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky -- who is serving a 30- to 60-year prison term for sexually abusing children -- by saying, "I am going to Sandusky you."

The actions included wrestling underclassmen to the ground while maintaining restraint, simulating a "humping" action; wrestling underclassmen to the ground while another participant placed his genitals on the face of underclassmen; and instances of the participants placing their genitals on the buttocks of the alleged victims and stroking their genitalia.

Penn State released a statement later Tuesday, making note of its own investigation into the matter and emphasizing that charges were not filed.

"The university has established processes in place for responding to claims of potential misconduct. In accordance with our processes, the Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response and the Office of Student Conduct carried out investigations of the plaintiff's claims independent from Intercollegiate Athletics," the school said. "In addition, Penn State police investigated related allegations and forwarded the results of that investigation to the Office of the Centre County District Attorney. The DA reviewed the case and decided that no charges would be pursued."

Humphries is being represented by Philadelphia attorney Steven Marino, who says the incident is not isolated to just his client.

"Isaiah attended the school during the calendar year of 2018. He leaves Penn State to another school where he's offered a scholarship in December 2018," Marino said. "The events that arise to an investigation conducted by Penn State's office of sexual misconduct and response, that doesn't arise until May 2019. That investigation was triggered by an anonymous tip and the source of that tip was not my client."

The results of the investigation were then submitted to the Penn State University office of student conduct, according to the lawsuit, and the office of student conduct prosecuted charges lodged against Barber. It is not clear, however, what specific student conduct rule violation he was charged with.

Barber was suspended for the first game of the season, against Idaho, for what was termed at the time of the suspension as a violation of team rules, but he played in the second game, against Buffalo.

Marino says the father of his client, Leonard Humphries, notified the Penn State coaches of the hazing and that no action was taken at the time of those complaints. Leonard Humphries is a former Penn State football player and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 1992.

"This is a family with a football pedigree," Marino said. "The father knows the coaches and told them what was happening to his son as it was reported to him by his son. No affirmative action was taken to protect this student-athlete at that time."

The lawsuit goes on to allege that the coaching staff knew about the hazing and on multiple occasions "observed the harassment and hazing which the plaintiff and other lower classmen were being subjected to in the football locker room."

Humphries is alleging that the coaching staff overly and unfairly scrutinized his athletic performance after he reported the harassment and that he was scorned and punished by the staff.

Humphries left Penn State in 2018 and enrolled at Cal, where he is now a part of the Bears football program.

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Antonio Gates, an eight-time Pro Bowler who last played in 2018, made his retirement official on Tuesday.

Gates, 39, is the Chargers' career leader in receptions (955), receiving yards (11,841) and touchdown catches (116).

He did not play last season after he went unsigned as a free agent. He finished the 2018 regular season with 28 receptions for 333 receiving yards and two scores.

"After 16 seasons in the NFL, 16 seasons as a Charger, eight Pro Bowl appearances and many records broken, I find it hard to officially put this statement out and retire from the game of football," Gates said in a statement.

"I never dreamed that I would play this game of football so long or how fortunate I would be to play it with just one organization. ... While today I am officially retiring as a Charger, I am grateful that I will still be lending my services to the Chargers organization -- just now in a completely different capacity through the team's community engagement initiatives and public facing events."

Philip Rivers and Gates have combined for 89 touchdowns, the most in NFL history by a tight end-quarterback tandem.

"I remember like it was yesterday, the very first touchdown pass I threw him in Oakland in 2006," Rivers said. "We only threw 11 passes that day, and he wasn't quite as happy as I was after that TD. Who would've thought that many years later we would have the most touchdowns ever between a quarterback and tight end? I could go on and on about the memories from practice, games, the huddle, the sideline, the subtle in-game glances, the 'Come on now' as we broke the huddle which meant, 'Throw me the ball!' He was so hard to cover that we had a 'Gates Rule' in the QB room. We would talk through the reads and the plays and they all had a 'Gates Rule.' It pretty much meant, if he is one-on-one, throw it there."

Gates, a former college basketball standout at Kent State, is the league's career touchdowns leader among tight ends with 116. He is only the 22nd player in NFL history to catch at least 900 passes. His 955 receptions ranks No. 17 all time and third among tight ends.

"Antonio is not only one of the greatest Chargers to ever play the game, he's one of the greatest players in NFL history," Chargers owner Dean Spanos said. "His contributions to our organization over the course of an unprecedented 16-year career, both on the field and in the community, cannot be overstated. What he's meant to our family, to his teammates and to Chargers fans everywhere over the years -- there are no words. He's the best to ever do it at his position, and all that's really left is to start planning his Hall of Fame induction celebration in Canton. But for right now I simply want to say thank you, Antonio, and congratulations on a career for the ages."

Gates has posted 10-plus receptions in four games -- one of 11 tight ends in league history with at least four 10-catch games.

The Chargers were 53-40 in games in which Gates scored a touchdown.

Gates will become eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.

ESPN's Eric D. Williams contributed to this report.

DEANDRE JORDAN NEEDS to fix Jarrett Allen's Afro.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" has played in Barclays Center, the opposing team's starters have been introduced and booed by fans, the Nets' player-introductions video has concluded, the team huddle has commenced and broken up and the buzzer has sounded. But before any NBA game can begin, Jordan has to finish.

In this moment, Jordan is a barber. He examines the front of Allen's coils and pretends to fluff up the sides of his hairdo. He nods curtly and moves on to Garrett Temple. Jordan transforms into a seamstress and eyes Temple's imaginary suit with the precision of an haute couture designer. He straightens Temple's fanciful tie and moves on to his next subject.

Jordan turns to Spencer Dinwiddie and becomes ... Professor Jordan -- who holds up a fictitious, invisible notepad in front of his face and jots down bullet points.

"You know, because he is so smart, he could've gone to Harvard," Jordan explains.

Jordan then faces Taurean Prince, curls each of his index fingers and thumbs in to meet each other and raises them to his temples (meant to be a 3-point symbol). Next up, Joe Harris -- another 3-point specialist. But because no two greetings can be the same, Jordan and Harris high-five with their hands curled into 3-point signs.

It goes on like this, player after player, each and every starter for the Nets. Jordan performs an individualized handshake that involves very little hand shaking. The entire ritual takes just 20 seconds.

The routine seems silly -- and in many ways it is. Jordan is the comic relief of Brooklyn's locker room. Before a game against the Miami Heat in November, he warmed up by doing pullups on the rim and catching football-style passes from Temple. At one point, when coach Kenny Atkinson called a timeout, Jordan jumped onto Theo Pinson's back piggyback-style and rode his teammate out onto the court to give Allen some pointers.

Jordan is the self-appointed locker room mediator, tension reliever and humorist. He has a unique ability to make people he talks to less guarded. He is the guy who stands behind reporters and heckles his teammates as they do postgame news conferences.

These are the intangibles that make DeAndre Jordan so valuable to the Brooklyn Nets -- and the league's highest-paid best friend.

TRAVEL AROUND THE NBA and you'll find a handful of players who are almost universally beloved -- by their teammates, coaches, fans, even arena security guards. Jordan tops that list. He was popular at Texas A&M. With the LA Clippers, he was the goofy guy who did impersonations of his teammates. He and teammate JJ Redick would listen to music and whack golf balls into the valley below Jordan's Pacific Palisades home.

"[The community] alerted us to the fact that there were cars, houses and horses down there," Redick says now. "He did slice a ball that hit Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's roof. It was across the canyon, and we watched it hit their roof."

Blake Griffin liked him so much that Jordan was "locked" in a house to prevent him from signing with the Dallas Mavericks in 2015. ("It was my own house, by the way," Jordan says, laughing.) And when Jordan returned to free agency three seasons later, he didn't believe his agent, Jeff Schwartz, when he told him the Mavs were interested again.

"I was like, 'Get the f--- out of here,'" Jordan says. "Very funny, but let's go through the teams. He's like, 'I'm serious. They are really adamant about you coming.' I was just like, 'Why? After that s---, they really want me to come?'"

They really did.

The Mavs would ultimately trade Jordan to the New York Knicks, where he would again become a locker room favorite -- the type of teammate who took it upon himself to bring rookie center Mitchell Robinson out of his shell.

"I was like, 'Man, you got a big-ass nose,'" Jordan says, laughing. "He was like, 'What?!' And I was like, 'Yeah, let me look at it from the side,' and then he started laughing. For the two months I was there, it was like, 'Mitch won't f---ing shut up!'"

That look-at-the-bright-side, give-hugs-freely, always-ready-to-crack-a-joke outlook has helped Jordan unlock friendships with some of the league's most notoriously prickly stars.

Jordan hears the criticism that he's too slow for the modern NBA. Too heavy-footed, too old. His best days, they say, are far behind him. When he signed with the Nets, he was branded as the expensive add-in -- a necessary price to get two superstars.

Nets general manager Sean Marks says Brooklyn liked Jordan as much for his constant wisecracking as his ability to swat shots. Jordan's experience, coupled with his defensive prowess and potential to guide Allen, made him attractive to the team.

And being close with the Nets' supermax duo didn't hurt.

"We knew we were wading through some uncharted waters where we've never been before -- where expectations are a little bit bigger," Marks says. "To have a guy like DJ, who can hopefully keep the mood light behind the scenes is -- it's really important."

In addition, both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant took less guaranteed money to make the deal possible.

Heading into 2019 free agency, ESPN insiders projected Jordan to command a starting salary of $6-8 million if he signed a short-term deal, based on conversations with league executives. Instead, Brooklyn exercised cap gymnastics to lock down Jordan for a total of $40 million over four years -- a contract that will run through his age-34 season.

"We're going to be a tax team," Marks says. "We are married to that. There's a limited amount of times and ways you can continue to add to your team. You better do it now. You're gearing up for a run."

When pressed about the notion that he's valued for his friendships over his abilities, Jordan shrugs.

"As long as I'm respected by my peers and coaches, I'm cool," Jordan says.

JORDAN, WHO HAS spent the majority of this season backing up Allen, will often sit nestled between Durant and Irving on the bench during games. When Durant does exercises with bands to strengthen his surgically repaired Achilles, Jordan lies on a training table nearby to chat with his friend. When Irving visits specialist after specialist to try to solve the pain from an impinged nerve in his shoulder, Jordan sends the guard supportive -- and sometimes silly -- text messages.

The Nets' 2019 free agency "big three" solidified their friendship during the 2016 Olympics, a month that included late-night conversations ranging from basketball to family.

"We have the ultimate confidence in our ability to develop our relationship off the floor, to be able to protect each other as brothers and engage in family time and other things that we missed out during years we were other places," Irving told ESPN's Jackie MacMullan in October.

So when Durant and Irving declared their intent to sign with Brooklyn on June 30, Jordan's deal was solidified hours later. Marks said that while Durant and Irving lobbied to have Jordan on the roster, the Nets had already been targeting Jordan.

"We are going to benefit from having him around," Marks says. "So, it is not fair to call him a throw-in."

Ironically, the trio has been able to build rapport this season only off the court. Jordan is the only man healthy enough to see steady playing time this season.

"I definitely wish they were playing," Jordan says. "But I'll tease them like, 'Damn, I know y'all don't have any more suits left.' I just want to be able to make sure they're having fun, too. And Caris [LeVert], too, when he was out. Just keep it light and make sure that guys aren't too down and thinking about how long they're going to be out."

His happy-go-lucky attitude and open-mindedness, Jordan says, are why he gets along with a guy like Irving. The All-Star guard has infamously clashed with former teammates.

"I think he gets an unfair judgment before people even know him," Jordan says. "That's the thing, you have to get to know Ky. Ky is very complex, but he is also a very caring, loving guy. He talks to my son every day. He don't have to do that."

JARRETT ALLEN LEANS back in the chair in front of his locker in Barclays Center -- his hair has not yet had its pregame inspection. He is being asked about Jordan.

"Ah, the jokester," the 21-year-old center says. "What do you want to know?"

How has Jordan's presence helped or hindered you?

The usually reserved, soft-spoken Allen launches into a story: It was January, before a game against the Orlando Magic. Allen says he was going through his pregame warm-ups when Jordan appeared with some advice about guarding Nikola Vucevic.

With Jordan simulating Allen and Allen mimicking Vucevic, Jordan guided him through a few maneuvers, arms extended and fingers spread wide.

"I did exactly what he said in the game and got the steal off of it," Allen says. "The first thing I did was point to him on the bench, because he did help me out."

"On the bench." That's where Jordan spends most of his time on these Brooklyn Nets. Which could well be a hard position to assume for a three-time All-NBA player and a man who was an All-Star as recently as three seasons ago.

"It is tough as hell [to come off the bench]," Jordan says. "I battle with it daily. But I knew at some point in my career, at some point I was going to have to come off the bench. I didn't think it was going to be now. I still don't think it's now. But this is the hand I was dealt. I could be an a--hole, but then if Jarrett isn't playing well, then our team is not playing well."

"If he was thinking about being a d---, he hid it well," Allen says, laughing. "He has been nothing but helpful."

Figuring out how to help the team play well is front of mind for the 31-year-old center. For now, it's setting screens, grabbing rebounds and helping Allen improve his game.

And with Irving returning this past Sunday after a 26-game absence because of a right shoulder impingement, the move of Irving's locker from the corner of the locker room to the center -- to the left of Jordan's -- is conspicuous.

A best friend's work is never done.

The Houston Astros received unprecedented punishment from MLB and subsequently fired their manager and general manager, in addition to losing ace Gerrit Cole in free agency, yet oddsmakers still expect the team to flirt with 100 wins and contend for a World Series title.

Caesars Sportsbook has posted Houston with a win total of 97, behind only the New York Yankees (101) and Los Angeles Dodgers (99). The Astros also have the second-best championship odds at 6-1.

On Monday, the Astros dismissed manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow. That followed suspensions by MLB after it found evidence that the team had used technology to cheat during its 2017 World Series season. Yet Caesars director of trading Jeff Davis says he subtracted only half a win for the unusual winter.

"I just don't want to read too much into [perceived advantages of sign stealing]. I would rather take under bets against a really good roster than overreact to something that might be nothing," Davis told ESPN. "Hinch is very well-regarded as one of the best managers in baseball, so he's got to be worth something. However, the players still have to play and it's a pretty damn good roster."

Despite losing Cole, the defending American League champions return players who swept prestigious awards. Reigning Cy Young Justin Verlander, MVP Alex Bregman and Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez figure to lead a team that's favored to win the AL West for the fourth straight season.

On top of the rare suspensions, a sport synonymous with historical numbers is witnessing oddsmaking history. The Yankees have a season win total of 101.5 at FanDuel and William Hill, which is tied for the second-highest number ever offered. SportsOddsHistory.com ranks the 1999 Yankees (104.5) and 2005 Yankees (101.5) atop the list.

The Yankees are World Series favorites (+350) after signing arguably baseball's best pitcher, Cole, to a record $324 million deal in December.

"This team could win 100 games even without Cole," Davis said, after posting the Yanks with 101 wins. "If they stay healthy, I don't see why they couldn't reach the all-time mark [116 wins by the 1906 Chicago Cubs and 2001 Seattle Mariners]. They just don't have any holes."

The Detroit Tigers also made betting history with a total at William Hill of 54.5 wins, an all-time low. They managed just 47 wins last season and had the 15th-worst win percentage in the modern era (since 1900). Caesars has posted 55.5 for both the Tigers and Baltimore Orioles, who won 54 games last year.

"How much lower can you really go?" Davis said. "I think the Tigers' floor is lower than the Orioles' floor. This team has a couple of guys that can actually be good, but the Tigers' offense just doesn't have anyone whose ceiling is high."

The Dodgers top the National League with 99 wins and are favorites to win the NL West for the eighth straight year. But they did fail to land marquee free agents Cole and Anthony Rendon (Angels), while also losing Cy Young runner-up Hyun-Jin Ryu in free agency to the Toronto Blue Jays.

"They were a very good team last year that won 106 games with largely the same roster. They're just the class of the National League," Davis said.

The Nationals upset the Dodgers last year in the division series and eventually captured the World Series. Caesars posted their total at 89.5. In addition to losing Rendon, the Nationals also reside in what could be the most competitive division. The Nats (92), Atlanta Braves (92), New York Mets (86.5) and Philadelphia Phillies (85.5) are separated by just 6.5 wins, while the Miami Marlins are the NL East outlier (63.5).

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies have cut outfielder Odubel Herrera and claimed outfielder Nick Martini off waivers.

Herrera was designated for assignment on Tuesday to make room on the roster for Martini. Herrera was suspended last season under Major League Baseball's domestic violence policy after his arrest at a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on domestic assault charges.

The charges against Herrera were dismissed, but the 2016 All-Star remained on the suspended list.

The Phillies owe Herrera $19.5 million. The 28-year-old has a .276 career average, .333 on-base percentage and .423 slugging percentage.

Herrera hit .222 with one home run and 16 RBIs in 39 games and lost his starting job last year before his suspension.

Martini hit .226 with a .330 on-base percentage in 32 games last season for Oakland and San Diego. He's slashing .269/.372/.380 in 288 career plate appearances.

Herrera last played for the Phils on May 26. He was arrested May 27 and placed on administrative leave by MLB.

His suspension was announced July 5, and it was retroactive to June 24, covering the season's final 85 games.

Herrera lost $2,634,409 of his $5 million salary in 2019, the amount due over the final 98 days of the 186-day regular season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Former IAAF president attends court in Paris but case is put back due to new evidence

The trial of Lamine Diack, the former president of the IAAF (World Athletics), has been delayed until June.

The 86-year-old, who is charged with corruption and money-laundering offences linked to the Russian doping scandal, appeared from his four-year period of house arrest in Paris for a brief hearing in the French capital before the case was postponed due to new evidence.

His request to be allowed to return to his native Senegal, which is where his son and co-defendant Papa Massata Diack remains, was denied.

Along with the Diacks, the co-defendants include former IAAF anti-doping chief Gabriel Dolle and Diack’s former aide Habib Cisse, former Russian athletics chief and IAAF treasurer Valentin Balakhnichev and Russian coach Alexei Melnikov.

They all deny the charges.

The BBC reports that World Athletics (formerly the IAAF) is seeking €41.2m (more than £35m) in compensation from the six defendants due to loss of sponsorship revenue and damage to reputation of the global governing body, which is now led by Seb Coe.

The Guardian, meanwhile, reported that French prosecutors are charging the Diacks with having “established a veritable organised criminal organisation – of formidable efficiency, specialising in corruption, money laundering and embezzlement”.

Further, it is alleged that Lamine Diack took money in exchange for allowing doped Russian athletes to compete at the London Olympics in 2012 and IAAF World Championships in Moscow in 2013.

The event’s 40th staging will be celebrated in September

Plans have been unveiled to celebrate the Great North Run’s 40th staging in 2020.

The iconic event was first held in 1981, when 12,000 took part, and has grown to be the world’s biggest half-marathon, with 57,000 people registered to take part in a race that has been graced by the presence of Sir Mo Farah, Paula Radcliffe, Mary Keitany, Vivian Cheruiyot, Brigid Kosgei, Kenenisa Bekele, Haile Gebrselassie and Liz McColgan in its history spanning four decades so far.

On Tuesday organisers officially launched the GNR40 celebrations with a bespoke logo hinting back to the event’s first staging, while some of the innovations for 2020 were also announced.

These will include moving the popular Great North 5K from the Saturday prior to Great North Run day back to a Friday night and inviting the business community of Tyneside to enter a team as part of the Business Challenge, which will allow the full Saturday to be dedicated to the Junior and Mini Great North Runs which have developed into the world’s biggest children’s running events.

Terry Deary, historian, author and 21-time Great North Run finisher, is writing the script for a feature length documentary charting the history of the iconic event, which will be produced with funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund. The 74-year old will also be taking part in the half-marathon on Sunday, September 13.

Brendan Foster, chairman of The Great Run Company and founder of the Great North Run, told an invited audience of media and stakeholders that it was his wish for the event to have the greatest amount of finishers in its history, with 43,127 crossing the line in 2018 the previous highest number.

“We can expect the biggest Great North Run ever,” said Foster. “The people taking part will make it the best Great North Run ever.

“We couldn’t imagine the success this has grown into being at the start, when we had 12,000 finishers in 1981. It was the biggest event then but we had no idea we’d break 50,000.

“The people make this event, not us as organisers. You don’t get people saying “oh, that’s a lovely gantry” – they see the mass of people taking part. That’s what makes the Great North Run great and we’re looking forward to even more this year.”

The event also reiterated the link-up between Great North Run and charity Made By Sport, who have become the official charity partner of the event in 2020.

Chile's Nicolas Jarry has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for two banned substances during last year's Davis Cup.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said the 24-year-old's sample contained anabolic agent ligandrol and anabolic steroid stanozolol.

World number 78 Jarry said he had not "intentionally" taken any banned substance during his career.

"It strongly looks like a cross-contamination case," he said.

Jarry said he had taken "multi-vitamins made in Brazil" that his doctor recommended because they were "guaranteed to be free from banned substances".

He added that he had undergone two urine tests during the Davis Cup in Madrid in November and that the first one was clean before the second detected "levels so low that neither substance could have provided me any performance-enhancing benefit".

Jarry, who was beaten in Australian Open qualifying on Sunday, said he and his legal team will be "working strongly" to prove his innocence and will fully cooperate with the ITF.