England’s cricket captain Joe Root is reportedly looking to cash in on a recent Ashes controversy by considering a new sponsorship deal with a local trampoline park. Root made headlines on the final day of the Lord’s Test for claiming a catch off Marnus Labuschagne in a tense finish to an enthralling match.

Opinion was split over whether Root had cleanly taken the catch, with the video replay suggesting that the ball had bounced before entering the grasp of Root. However, the eventual decision from the Third Umpire was to give it out, prompting an emboldened English captain to give the departing Labuschagne a curt little send-off for his troubles. The controversy surrounding the incident seems to have piqued the interest of BOUNCE, a trampoline park with multiple venues across Melbourne.

While both parties remain tight-lipped about any potential promotion, a sports marketing expert from a local university claimed that the partnership made sense. Leon Carbury said, “Professional athletes are always trying to make a quick buck on the side, and I’m sure Joe Root is no different. And the fact that he claimed that catch in the first place suggests that his moral compass is fairly fluid. A nice little link-up between the two entities, with a tongue-in-cheek advertising campaign could be quite beneficial for both parties.”

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