Houston Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni has ended talks with management on a contract extension, league sources told ESPN.

D'Antoni plans to complete the final season of his deal in 2019-20 -- which could become a pathway to his own free agency the next year.

D'Antoni's agent Warren LeGarie informed Rockets general manager Daryl Morey of the coach's decision on Thursday afternoon, sources said.

There had been conversations constructed around the Rockets idea of a performance-based extension, but those never gained traction with D'Antoni's camp, sources said.

The successes in D'Antoni's three years on the job -- four Western Conference series victories, a conference finals appearance and an NBA coach of the year award -- led D'Antoni to believe that a potential extension would follow the more traditional guaranteed framework of comparable coaching peers.

The Rockets are a franchise in flux, with an entire roster available in trade talks and two high-profile assistant coaches recently told by the organization that they wouldn't be brought back next season.

D'Antoni, 68, had told ESPN recently that he had hoped to coach at least three more years.

"I've let (GM) Daryl (Morey) and (owner) Tilman (Fertitta) know that I'm energized to keep coaching -- and believe that I can continue to do this at a high-level for at least another three years," D'Antoni told ESPN.

"I want be part of a championship here."

D'Antoni is entering the final year of his original four-year contract.

Fertitta called the Rockets loss in the Western Conference semifinals to the Golden State Warriors, "unacceptable." Top assistant Jeff Bzdelik -- who was talked out of retirement in November to address the team's defense -- and respected league assistant Roy Rogers weren't brought back for next season by management.

D'Antoni has averaged 58 victories a year in his three seasons with the Rockets, including four playoff series victories and a trip to Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals. The Golden State Warriors eliminated the Rockets in the past two seasons, including a six-game victory in the conference semifinals this month.

NEW YORK -- The Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins drew 12,653 Wednesday night -- combined.

Baltimore, Cincinnati, Minnesota and Tampa Bay set stadium lows this year. Kansas City had its smallest home crowd since 2011, and Toronto and San Francisco since 2010. The Marlins' average attendance is less than that of Triple-A Las Vegas.

Major League Baseball's overall average of 26,854 through Wednesday is 1.4 percent below the 27,242 through this similar point last season, which wound up below 30,000 for the first time since 2003.

Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred attributes this year's drop to fewer season tickets but emphasizes that day-of-game sales are up 6 percent.

"Given the explosion of entertainment alternatives and the growth of the secondary market, it is not surprising that season-ticket sales can be challenging," he said. "The clubs are responding to this challenge with creative and effective approaches. For example, sales of subscription tickets are double what they were a year ago. And the Twins recently had a $5 flash sale that produced crowds of over 30,000 in three of four games, and the largest single-game attendance since 2016."

Nineteen of the 30 teams have seen their average fall from a similar point last year, with the largest drops in Toronto (6,963), San Francisco (6,463), Baltimore (3,839) and Detroit (3,686).

Large rises have taken place for Philadelphia (10,383), Oakland (4,027), San Diego (3,465) and the Chicago White Sox (2,311). The Phillies signed Bryce Harper, and the Padres added Manny Machado.

"A lot of it comes down to competition. Fans want to know their teams are doing everything they can to compete for a championship every year," union head Tony Clark said. "I see every empty seat as a missed opportunity. Experiencing a game and seeing players perform in person creates a bond with baseball; our industry needs to find ways to convert those empty seats into lifelong fans."

MLB's average peaked at 32,785 in 2007 -- the last year before the Great Recession and the next-to-last season before the New York Yankees and Mets moved to smaller stadiums. The average was at 30,517 in 2015 before sliding for three straight years, and last season's final figure of 28,830 marked a 4 percent drop, the overall number hurt by unusually cold and wet weather early in the season.

Manfred points to other metrics that please MLB: Games top prime-time cable ratings in 24 of 25 markets, and MLB.tv streaming is up 8.5 percent. He views increases for the Phillies, Padres, Athletics and White Sox as tied to team performance.

Florida remains a problem on both coasts.

Despite a sparkling, eight-season-old ballpark with a retractable roof, Miami is averaging 9,554 in Derek Jeter's second season as chief executive -- below the 9,582 average for Triple-A Las Vegas in its first season at a new 10,000-capacity stadium.

Tampa Bay plays in one of the most outmoded facilities in the major leagues and drew 5,786 against the Blue Jays on Tuesday, the smallest home crowd for the Rays, who started play at Tropicana Field in 1998.

"The more people there are, the more energy there's going to be," Tampa Bay outfielder Kevin Kiermaier said. "No matter what crowd you're playing in front of, you have to get motivated."

A quartet of last-place teams have seen swaths of empty seats.

Miami is on track to have the lowest home attendance in the National League for the seventh straight season. Tampa Bay is at the bottom of the AL for the fifth consecutive year.

"Anytime you're seeing less people show up to the ballpark, I think you're wondering why and you're wondering how you can change that," said Miami first baseman Neil Walker, accustomed to big crowds from his time in New York. "You've got to assume that it has a little bit to do with it being expensive to come to the ballpark."

Having traded many veterans, the Orioles are 28th in the majors at 16,263. Baltimore topped 2 million in 21 of its first 25 seasons at Camden Yards, exceeding 3 million nine times. But the Orioles drew 6,585 against Oakland on April 8, the lowest in the ballpark's 28-season history except for a 2015 game closed to the public at a time when the city was plagued by rioting.

"I wish fans were here. When we played in Wrigley, the energy level was off the charts," first-year Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. "I'm hoping that someday soon that will be the case here."

Cincinnati's crowd of 7,799 against Milwaukee on April 1 was the lowest for a Reds home game since 1984 at Riverfront Stadium. That same day, Toronto drew 10,460 against the Orioles, the smallest attendance at the Rogers Centre since 2010.

San Francisco drew 28,030 vs. Pittsburgh on April 10, the Giants' lowest home crowd since 2010.

Kansas City's crowd of 10,024 against the Twins on April 2 was the lowest at Kauffman Stadium since 2011. Minnesota drew 11,465 against Toronto on April 17, the lowest figure in Target Field's 10-season history.

"As a kid, I loved more than anything to go to the ballpark, and I loved nothing more than playing baseball," Walker said. "But I think a lot of people are just -- they want action now. They don't want to be totally consumed with a game maybe that's just not timed."

World number nine Elina Svitolina, who has won 13 singles titles on the WTA Tour, will be writing columns for the BBC Sport website during the French Open, which runs from 26 May to 9 June.

The 24-year-old Ukrainian, who was at a career-high ranking of three last year, plays 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza in a blockbuster of a third-round match on Friday.

The two-time Roland Garros quarter-finalist talks about the strength of the women's singles, facing Spanish 19th seed Muguruza and how practising with boyfriend - French world number 17 - Gael Monfils is improving her game.

There are many, many good players in a Grand Slam and I think these days the women's game is at its highest level.

Players like Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki have already gone out, while Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep didn't have it easy.

That shows the depth of the women's game and how strong the draw is.

It doesn't matter if you are playing the person ranked 80th in the world or 20th - they are equally dangerous.

It's impossible to predict how many players could possibly win Roland Garros because there are so many contenders.

But I don't think too much about what is happening in the other parts of the draw.

And when a big name goes out there is not much talk in the locker room about it.

I only think about my part and mostly just the next opponent. If you look too far it can make you a little distracted and unfocused. What comes, comes.

'I need to react quickly to Muguruza'

After beating Venus Williams in the first round I have another tough challenge against Garbine Muguruza - someone who has won the Roland Garros title recently.

I'm not sure how that affects her - whether that brings more pressure on her or helps because she knows she can win here.

I don't know because I have never been in this situation where I have won a Grand Slam and returned as the champion!

I imagine there are plusses and minuses but I try not to think about her situation - I try to think about myself.

Otherwise you have too many thoughts and it is useless to waste energy.

I have a good record against Garbine and have won six of our seven previous matches.

We have only played once on clay - in the 2017 Italian Open semi-finals - and she retired with a neck injury when I was leading 4-1.

But I don't expect her to play any different to any other surface.

Garbine plays very early, she tries to dictate the point. So it is important for me to react really quickly and expect that.

'Practising with Gael is fun and improves me'

I reached the third round in an unexpected way because my opponent Kateryna Kozlova - who I have known since we were children in Ukraine - had to withdraw from our match with illness.

An opponent pulling out doesn't really affect me mentally. It comes, you have to react and adjust yourself.

So I had three hits on Wednesday instead.

Obviously I practised for my match and then when the match was cancelled I practised with Gael.

We were doing a doubles drill from the baseline where I'm attacking the ball and he's defending - he's obviously an amazing defender - so it was tough for me to make a winner.

He is too fit and too quick and too strong! So that's why for me it is good.

I'm approaching and doing volleys and he is always there. It is good practice for both of us and it's great fun.

Thankfully the loser doesn't have to pay for dinner - but whoever loses gets a hard shot hit at their body!

After that practice I then played a set with my hitting partner later on Wednesday. I played my last match on Sunday so I have to be ready and keep my head focused for the next one.

Playing a set obviously isn't the same as playing in the tournament match but that does help keep me a little in 'match mode'.

In a Grand Slam you have to be fresh and ready and straight into the first point because you have to compete at the highest level straight away.

'Relaxing and romantic dinners are important too'

Not playing because an opponent has pulled out means you definitely have time to be able to mentally relax a little as well.

We went for dinner with friends in the afternoon and then it was a quiet night because Gael played on Thursday.

We watch movies a lot but it is tough here in Paris to go shopping or whatever because Gael, as one of France's biggest tennis stars, is obviously very famous here.

People recognise him and it is very difficult to have a calm walk through the Champs-Elysees, for example.

That means we don't go out much, but on Wednesday we did go to our favourite restaurant near the Champs-Elysees - it is actually where we met!

We love that place. So it is a special place and brings back good memories.

Nowadays I would say I'm more relaxed when I'm on the practice court but still, of course, I'm very focused when I have to step on the tennis court.

It is important to do what makes you feel good on and off the court.

'Playing on Chatrier is always special'

I wouldn't say I have a favourite court in the world but I do love the show courts at Roland Garros - they are very special to me.

I always dreamed of playing at Roland Garros because I think it was the only one tournament they would show in Ukraine!

Whether I'm playing Chatrier, Lenglen or Simonne-Mathieu, it doesn't matter to me - I really enjoy playing in all of them.

I thrive on playing on bigger courts, it gives you extra motivation. All the support you get on these courts helps you get through the tough moments and go again and again.

I've been told there have been a lot of empty seats on Chatrier at times - but I didn't notice that when Gael played there on Tuesday.

It was not quite full, but it was a good crowd and he said afterwards the energy was amazing. It really fired him up.

I think the crowd size depends on the weather as well and also in the early afternoon, because in France lunch is almost like a holy thing!

If a stadium isn't very full I don't think about it too much, if it is a Grand Slam or a big tournament you have to push yourself.

Of course it is much better to play when the crowd is there, but playing on Chatrier is always special.

Elina Svitolina was speaking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko at Roland Garros.

JOLIET, Ill. – After winning on the 20th anniversary of his first Top Fuel start a year ago, things continue to come full circle for NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series star Clay Millican at Route 66 Raceway, the site of this weekend’s 22nd annual Route 66 NHRA Nationals.

Millican will pilot an 11,000-horsepower Chicago White Sox/Parts Plus dragster for this weekend’s race, 21 years after he sported a White Sox logo on the side of his dragster for his NHRA Top Fuel debut.

It’s an exciting time for the fan-favorite driver to reminisce, but also an opportunity for Millican to continue his impressive performances at Route 66 Raceway.

With three final round appearances to his credit this year, Millican hopes he can crack through this weekend in Chicago.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Millican said. “I started my Top Fuel career there and going to Chicago always makes me smile. We’re doing a lot of cool stuff for the race and I’m really looking forward to it. The entry list is at 21 Top Fuel cars, we’ll be making runs at night, so it’s going to be a lot of fun. Having the White Sox back with us on the Parts Plus dragster, it’s going to be a special weekend.”

Millican (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the event at Route 66 Raceway. It is the ninth of 24 events during the 2019 NHRA season, and the action includes Friday Night On Fire, with the second nitro qualifying session slated to being at 9 p.m. in Top Fuel and Funny Car.

That will give Millican a chance to perform under the lights in the Chicago White Sox/Parts Plus Dragster, an opportunity he is relishing with the way his team, led by crew chief Mike Kloeber, has performed this season. It was a complete overhaul of team members in the off-season as Millican also reunited with Kloeber, but things have worked incredibly well, especially considering the short timeline. Millican advanced to final rounds in Charlotte, Las Vegas and Gainesville, also picking up a No. 1 qualifier at the most recent race in Richmond.

“For the most part, it’s been a total team effort by a group of people who were thrown together very quickly,” Millican said. “Essentially, we were starting from scratch. But these guys have been so dedicated and they’ve shown they want to do this. I’m having a blast and once we got over the first couple races, it’s been so much fun. It’s been a total blast working with Mike again. One thing we’ve not done is win a NHRA race together, so getting a win is taking top priority at the moment.”

It’s a major reason why Millican, who has three career NHRA Top Fuel wins, termed the 2019 season the “Unfinished Business” tour. He hopes to grab his first NHRA Top Fuel win with Kloeber this weekend, while also making a run for his first NHRA world championship after finishing third a year ago. To have success in Chicago, Millican will have to get past the likes of defending world champ and points leader Steve Torrence, who has three straight wins, 2017 world champ Brittany Force, Antron Brown, Leah Pritchett and veteran Doug Kalitta. But Millican likes what his team has shown this year and believes it will translate well to this upcoming stretch of four straight races.

“This car has been a home run hitter the last few years but we’ve been working on consistency,” Millican said. “What we’re trying to do is make the car go down the track as much as possible. The biggest thing for a small team with four races in a row is making sure we’re careful how we do things. We’re looking out for each other and we race smart because that’s what we have to do, but come race day all bets are off.”

INDIANAPOLIS – NetJets Inc. and Hulman Motorsports have reached a multi-year agreement in which NetJets has become the official private aviation partner of IndyCar and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

IndyCar and IMS will use NetJets for its private aviation needs for the NTT IndyCar Series and events at the Racing Capital of the World, including the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, IndyCar Grand Prix and Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard.

NetJets Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company, is the worldwide leader in private aviation and manages and operates the largest, most diverse private jet fleet in the world. It is known for pioneering shared aircraft ownership-offering individuals and businesses all the benefits of whole aircraft ownership at a fraction of the cost.

“Speed, safety and efficiency are shared hallmarks of NetJets, IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Mark Miles, president and CEO of Hulman & Company, the parent company of IndyCar and IMS. “The professionalism and industry-leading customer service of NetJets and its wide array of meticulously maintained aircraft will be a valuable asset for our company and its events.”

Based in Columbus, Ohio, NetJets features approximately 750 aircraft of varying cabin sizes worldwide. NetJets makes more than 300,000 annual flights to 3,000-plus airports in more than 180 countries.

NetJets’ highest priority is the safety of its Owners and crewmembers. NetJets hires the most experienced, best trained pilots in the industry. And while many of their pilots are adept at flying multiple types of aircraft, NetJets has them focus their expertise on one type of aircraft.

Annually, NetJets invests over $80 million in safety, which often exceeds what others spend on pilots’ salaries alone. NetJets is also the first, and only, private aviation company to reach the highest level of the FAA’s Safety Management System Voluntary Program. And for 17 consecutive years, NetJets has been recognized for the extensive training of its Maintenance Technicians with the FAA Employer Diamond Award of Excellence. An unwavering commitment to safety is truly what sets NetJets apart.

“We are absolutely thrilled about our exciting new partnership with INDYCAR and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” NetJets President of Sales & Marketing Patrick Gallagher said. “We look forward to offering our new Owners the very best in safety standards, personalized service and guaranteed reliability – all while getting them where they are needed most.”

WATERBURY, Vt. – The best of the American-Canadian Tour is ready to head north this weekend.

The Claude Leclerc 150 at Quebec’s Autodrome Chaudiere on Saturday and the Jean-Paul Cabana 125 at Circuit Riverside Speedway Ste-Croix on Sunday are shaping up as a triumphant return to la belle province for the region’s premier late model racing series.

The biggest U.S. stars of the ACT Tour will be at Autodrome Chaudiere this Saturday racing for the $5,000 (USD) top prize, including two-time defending champion Scott Payea, current point leader Rich Dubeau, previous Canada winner Jimmy Hebert and top rookie Stephen Donahue.

Others such as former ACT Rookie of the Year Brandon Atkins, defending Seekonk Speedway champion Ryan Kuhn, and rising star Christopher Pelkey are making the trek for the first point-counting ACT Tour event in Canada since 2015.

While the Jean-Paul Cabana 125 the following day does not count for points, many U.S. drivers are expected to stay over and fire up the engines once again on Sunday. That event pays $5,000 (CAD) to win, meaning it could be a lucrative trip abroad for one or more racers.

“The doubleheader part of it is pretty cool,” Atkins said. “We’re looking forward to doing a two-race Saturday-Sunday deal. We’ve never done that in the same car. We did that a couple years ago with the Modified and Late Model at Airborne and Thunder Road, but we’ve never done two big races in the same weekend back-to-back. It’s an old-school sort of thing. I remember hearing about the Tour doing that back in the day, but it hasn’t happened for quite a while.”

For some, more than just money is on the line. The point battle is already looking like it will once again come down to the final laps. Dubeau and Hebert sit one-two in the standings as both chase their first touring championship. But Payea is just 26 points out of first after winning the Spring Green at White Mountain Motorsports Park. Donahue and Chip Grenier, Mathieu Kingsbury and Dylan Payea are among the others who could put themselves in title contention with a strong performance on Saturday.

In the end, winning is still the main thing. The doubleheader will be two of the biggest stock car racing events of the year in Quebec – and for ACT late models as a whole. For drivers such as Dubeau, Atkins, Donahue, Pelkey, Dylan Payea and Kuhn who are still seeking their first ACT-sanctioned win, capturing it on such a huge stage would be an even bigger deal.

“That would be awesome,” Atkins said. “We’ve had really good cars at both places. At Ste-Croix, we’ve never really had good luck – we’ve been caught up in some skirmishes, and sometimes, finishing is the first goal. But at Chaudiere, we had a really good car when we raced there (in 2015). We finished seventh, and we’d never even seen the place before that race. So we have some good notes to start with. To get our first ACT-sanctioned win anywhere would be really cool, but doing it up there would be excellent – especially if it was night number one. I can’t think of a better momentum-builder for a second race than a win on the first night.”

Of course, the U.S. racers must beat out some stout Canadian competition on their home turf. Patrick Laperle, one of the most accomplished late model racers in Quebec history, headlines their side of the entry list. Claude Leclerc will attempt to qualify for his namesake race as will Kingsbury and former Série ACT champion Jonathan Bouvrette. Jean-Francois Dery, another former ACT Quebec champion, will be at Sunday’s Jean-Paul Cabana 125.

Many of Autodrome Chaudiere’s weekly NASCAR late model runners, who run under ACT rules, have also entered the Claude Leclerc 150. They include defending track champion Samuel Charland, top runners Jeff Cote and Christophe Paquet, and youngster Alexendre Tardif. Add in former Série ACT racers like Marc-Andre Cliché who are dusting off their Late Models, and the two events could see some of the biggest car counts of the year for ACT.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic told reporters he eats criticism of him for "breakfast ... and then for lunch" following the LA Galaxy's 2-0 win over Sporting KC on Wednesday night.

Ibrahimovic, 37, scored and assisted in the win in his first match back since serving a two-game suspension for an altercation with goalkeeper Sean Johnson in the Galaxy's 2-0 loss to New York City FC on May 11.

The incident came on the heels of Ibrahimovic being fined for diving in a loss to the Columbus Crew, while he also was the subject of some negative press for alleged verbal threats and a post-match confrontation with Real Salt Lake defender Nedum Onuoha.

However, the former Sweden international said of his critics: "Criticism is everywhere. I like it. I eat it for breakfast ... and then for lunch."

The win was the Galaxy's second in a row, but it came on the back of a four game skid that saw them lose touch with local rivals LAFC atop Major League Soccer's Western Conference, though they remain in second place on 28 points following recent victories.

"We had a good run with the six games in a row and then we had a bad week and a half, losing four in a row," Ibrahimovic said. "That shouldn't have happened. Our target is not top four. Our target is No. 1. I don't care about seven [playoff places], I care about one. That's what we are playing for."

Ibrahimovic set up Favio Alvarez for the Galaxy's first goal against SKC and was on the receiving end of a pinpoint Uriel Antuna cross as he scored the second, a sign he's developing chemistry with the two new arrivals at StubHub Center.

"It was good," Ibrahimovic said. "We played with two strikers in the first half and we created good chances. I think we should have scored one or two goals.

"In the second half we changed the system again and it helped because we could close the spaces more because Kansas plays good football. They have a good system.

"You need to have patience against them and then punish them when you steal the ball or they make a mistake."

The Galaxy return home to host the New England Revolution on June 2 (live at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+) in a match that could see former manager Bruce Arena in the opposing dugout after he took over as sporting director and coach of the struggling Eastern Conference team on May 14 following the sacking of Brad Friedel.

England 311 for 8 (Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51, Ngidi 3-66) beat South Africa 207 (de Kock 68, van der Dussen 50, Archer 3-27) by 104 runs
As it happened

Ambles in like Bambi. Hunts wickets like a zombie. Jofra Archer is a #BambiZombie. And the opening match of the 2019 World Cup was all the richer for it.

By the end of the game - which England won by 104 runs - the mood at The Oval was well beyond festive. They'd found a match-winner. Across formats. For years to come. And they'd seen their firestarter up to his old tricks.

Ben Stokes was the top scorer of the day. But that wasn't his most eye-catching contribution. Scroll down the scorecard to Andile Phehlukwayo's dismissal. Doesn't say much, does it? Caught Stokes bowled Rashid. Yawn.

WATCH (India only): Highlights of Ben Stokes' innings against South Africa

Now trawl through the internet - go into its darkest corners if necessary - and watch as the allrounder tracks a brutally hit slog-sweep on the midwicket boundary. Marvel as he never takes his eyes off it. And gasp as he times his jump perfectly. Then brace yourself for about half an hour's disbelief as he sticks his right hand up over his head, and behind him, to come away with a catch that will be talked about for ages. Just like the #OhMyBroad one.

South Africa, at that point, were 180 for 7. They'd given the chase of 312 a proper go, with Quinton de Kock announcing his claim to be part of the next generation's Fab Four with a half-century that was highlighted by his maturity in respecting the bowling when it was difficult and punishing it when it gave him the slightest chance. A lofted cover drive for six off Liam Plunkett was a particularly ringing endorsement of his monster talent.

WATCH (India only): Highlights of Eoin Morgan's half-century

But even he had to be shoved into the background as Archer burst onto the stage and demanded everyone's attention. Especially the other eight oppositions'.

As England's batting revolution was waving bye-bye to uncharted territory and bounding into the never-before-imagined, there has been fear that the bowling wouldn't keep up. Their seam attack felt samey. It needed something different; something radical. Archer is exactly that.

He generates pace out of nowhere; 90 mph of it. A bouncer in the fourth over of the chase hit Hashim Amla flush on the grille. It was too quick for him. Too quick for an all-time legend. And made him retire hurt. Then Archer sprung the same trap on the South African captain. A short ball surprised Faf du Plessis and had him caught at long leg. After decades of being decimated by raw pace - Allan Donald, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Holding - England now have their own bonafide speed demon.

Archer finished with 3 for 27 in seven overs, including a maiden.

Now, the other match-winner's work didn't particularly come to light until everything had ended. In fact, while Stokes was at the crease, it seemed like South Africa were on top. Having won the toss and decided to bowl, they went nearly 30 overs before realising that taking the pace off was the way to go.

Sure, they surprised England, opening the innings with Imran Tahir. At 10.30 am. In early summer. On a green pitch. In England. And they got Jonny Bairstow out. That's genius. That's maximum lolz. That's the bear you don't notice in that Youtube video.

But their fast bowlers took ages to realise that hitting the deck with offcutters was messing with the batsman's timing. Stokes spent much of the innings dinking the ball around the field. Fifty-three of his 89 runs came in ones and twos. At the time, it seemed like he was being stifled, that his power game had been taken out by South Africa's tactics.

And while that was true, it almost escaped notice that Stokes was getting into rhythm.

He got to his half-century with an audacious reverse-scoop off the bowling of Dwaine Pretorius, almost entirely because the wicketkeeper and third man had come up. There was a gap in the field and he exploited it. Batting 101. Four of England's batsmen made fifties on one of the biggest days of the 50-over cricket calendar: Jason Roy (a punchy 54), Joe Root (a smooth 51) and Eoin Morgan (a ridiculously fluent 57 in his 200th ODI) were the others. But Stokes was the only one able to push on. And that was essentially because he'd understood the pitch was offering a bit of grip to the slower balls. In those situations, you can aim lower. You can defend 300. South Africa were bowled out for 207.

England were billed as pre-tournament favourites because of their unrelenting batting line-up and that reputation should now grow because they have shown they can adapt to conditions when they aren't 500-ish.

Pakistan batsmen have scored nine centuries this year in 15 ODIs. That is the most by any team. Yet, stunningly, all those hundreds have come in defeats. And that might well be down to the pace at which those runs have come. The numbers suggest so. What might hurt Pakistan further is that they don't seem to have identified their slow scoring rate as an issue.

Since the 2015 World Cup, in terms of the combined strike rate for the top three, Pakistan are seventh among the ten teams taking part in the 2019 event. Imam-ul-Haq features among the top ten for batsmen with the lowest strike rates (with at least 1000 runs since the 2015 World Cup); Mohammad Hafeez is in there too.

Of those nine centuries, four were scored by the top-order trio of Imam (two), Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam. The three of them were integral to Pakistan scoring 300-plus totals consistently in the recent ODI series in England, but they lost that series 4-0.

One of the talking points in that series was around the Trent Bridge ODI, where England hunted down a target of 341 with three balls to spare. Babar scored 115 in that match, but at a strike rate of 102.67. In contrast, Jason Roy's match-winning 114 took 23 balls fewer (89), and came at a robust strike rate of 128.08.

In the previous ODI, in Bristol, Imam helped Pakistan to what seemed a formidable total of 358 for 9. He hit 151 at a brisk pace, off just 131 balls. But that seemed sluggish when England chased down the target with more than five overs to spare, with openers Jonny Bairstow and Roy blasting the Pakistan bowling to ransack 159 runs in the first 17.3 overs (105 balls).

As for Fakhar, in his first 18 ODIs, he had a strike rate of 101 and an average of 76. In his last 18 matches, the strike rate has dropped to 91 and the average to 32.

In the last three years, Babar and Imam have scored a number of centuries, but the average balls taken by the pair are 107 and 108 respectively. The top two in that list, Bairstow and Roy, have taken 75 and 83 balls on an average for their three-figure scores respectively.

In a World Cup where big hitting and big scores are expected to be the norm, this could be a problem, but do Pakistan even recognise it? Before leaving for England, Babar responded to a question on him chasing milestones by pointing to his No. 1 rank among T20I batsmen (he is also No. 7 in ODIs). "If I can be No. 1 in the world without power-hitting, then I don't need power-hitting," he said.

Even Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was reluctant to concede that there was an issue.

"As far as a strike rate is concerned, I don't think it matters a lot," Sarfaraz said on the eve of Pakistan's World Cup opener against West Indies at Trent Bridge. "If England played at 140 (in that ODI series), our batsmen played at a strike rate of 120. Both teams scored similar runs: If they made 370, we also made 360 and 340," he said. "Their playing style is different, ours is different. We will try and play as far as possible according to the situation.

"If we have to hit at a strike rate of 130, we will do that. We will play as per the requirements of the scoreboard."

To be fair to Pakistan, they batted first in all but one of those games against England, but 'situational awareness' is not just a fancy term that coaches like to spew. T20 cricket has forced think tanks to mine deep data on every player. The importance of instinct can never be undermined, but Pakistan would be foolish to ignore the fact that metrics have a place in modern cricket, and their opponents will be aware that Pakistan fail to up the ante as the game progresses.

In overs 11 to 40 since the last World Cup, Pakistan's run rate of 5.35 is a mid-table figure among the ten teams playing in this World Cup. Their batsmen take 13 balls per boundary, which is three more than England, who are perched at the top. Even in the last ten overs, Pakistan have struggled, hitting at 7.54 runs per over, which is sixth among the top ten teams.

Pakistan's first two opponents at the World Cup are West Indies and England, and both matches are at Trent Bridge, which is likely to be sunny and warm and, in any case, often makes batting look easy. Andre Russell has already warned that West Indies will target scores in the region of 400, and England are - unofficially - targeting 500 at some point in the tournament. Can Pakistan match them?