So far in this World Cup, Sri Lanka have been following the English blueprint. Unfortunately, it is not the one that has made the host nation one of the favourites to lift the trophy; rather, they appear to have channelled the spirit of various England campaigns between 1996 and 2015, in which last-minute changes to captaincy and personnel paved the way for predictably underwhelming results.

At the last two tournaments, England's defeats to Sri Lanka were particularly symbolic. In 2011, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga raced each other to hundreds and, almost as a pleasing byproduct, knocked England out at the quarter-final stage. Four years later, Joe Root's first World Cup century was upstaged by one apiece from Kumar Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne delivering a similar punchlines in a nine-wicket win.

Sri Lanka have, in fact, won four of their last five World Cup encounters against England. At Faisalabad in 1996, Sanath Jayasuriya's 44-ball 82 signposted how the game had changed - but now it is England who are bending the white-ball game into new shapes, having just broken their own world record for the number of sixes in an ODI while crashing their way to 397 against Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Asked how his side planned to tackle England's ebullient batting line-up, Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne suggested they had come up with some plans that involved "thinking out of the box". He said the initial target was to try and limit England to less than 300, a score they have surpassed in eight of their last nine innings.

"England are a good side, they have a good batting line-up," he said. "We have to give them less than 300, so we have a couple of plans against the batters. Those are the things were are trying to do. In [our] batting line-up, the middle part have to take some responsibility, if they have scored more than 300 then we have to go for that. Those are the key things we discussed before the match.

"If we don't have pace, we have to think out of the box. That's what we did the last few days, [work on] what we have to do with England's batsmen. We played a home series before against them, so we have a couple of ideas."

Only six of the 16 players who took on England in October stand a chance of being involved at Headingley - a marker of how turbulent Sri Lanka's build-up to the World Cup has been - but the strength of their batting has become a common talking point. As well as describing each member of the England line-up as "dangerous… explosive batsmen", Karunaratne called them best players of spin in the world.

The precise nature of Sri Lanka's tactics to counter them - inventing a new kind of delivery? Moonwalking to the bowling crease? - remains under wraps, but the sight of Nuwan Pradeep practising his slower-ball variations during training may have been instructive. Lack of pace is one of Lasith Malinga's deadliest weapons, while Isuru Udana enjoyed some success by mixing things up at the death against Australia.

"If we don't have pace, we have to think out of the box. That's what we did the last few days, [work on] what we have to do with England's batsmen." Dimuth Karunaratne

With one win from five games (albeit two of them being washouts), Sri Lanka face a difficult route to the last four. Although they had a decent crack at chasing 335 in their last match, Karunaratne leading the way with an ODI-best 97, once again they struggled for contributions from the middle order. According to the captain, a change of mindset is what is required from the likes of Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews.

"We have to mentally prepare," he said. "They have lots of talent, they only do good things for Sri Lanka in the past. The only thing we need to come up with is a good mindset, that's a key area if you're playing against a good team. No point talking about the past matches, we know what happened and what are the key areas. There are four games left and we have to play positive cricket with a good mindset.

"The middle order has lots of experience, they have proven enough for Sri Lanka and did well. The only thing is unfortunately everyone couldn't get a start. If you take the middle order, they couldn't get a start in the matches we played. That's why they struggled and don't have confidence. So that's why I told them, forget about the last four games we have another four games to go so they have to put their hands up and play a big role here. Make sure they have a good mindset, go and enjoy the game, that's it."

Karunaratne also clarified the role of Dhananjaya de Silva, who has batted everywhere from No. 1 to No. 9 in Sri Lanka's ODI side. Against Australia, he dropped down to No. 8 and also delivered eight overs with the ball, while Milinda Siriwardana came in to provide greater firepower in the batting.

"Dhananjaya is playing as a bowler right now in the side," Karunaratne said. "Milinda is playing as an allrounder, he's a much harder hitter, that's why we brought him in. If someone can't bowl the ten overs, then he can cover [as well]. We were trying things, we want to make sure we give everyone a chance."

Women's T20 cricket is set to be part of the Commonwealth Games in 2022 after the bid for its inclusion was approved by the Commonwealth Games Federation. A final decision, however, depends on a vote by the 71 member associations and will be made public sometime in the next six weeks.

The ICC, in collaboration with the England and Wales Cricket Board had submitted their bid a day after the 2018 Women's World T20 concluded, and received full support from the MCC World Cricket Committee during its annual meeting in Bengaluru in March, 2019. Australia legend Shane Warne, who was attending the meeting had urged the inclusion of cricket in multi-sport competitions, as had the likes of former New Zealand captain Suzie Bates and and committee chairman Mike Gatting.

ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney echoed the thoughts of his predecessor David Richardson - in position when the bid was submitted - welcoming the move. "We are absolutely delighted that women's cricket has been nominated for inclusion in Birmingham 2022," he said. "I'd like to thank everyone at the CGF and Birmingham 2022 for the nomination and it would be a real honour to become part of the Commonwealth Games family.

"We are committed to accelerating the growth of the women's game and breaking down barriers and gender stereotypes along the way. We share our ambition to deliver greater equality, fairness and opportunity in sport with the Commonwealth Games Federation.

"The platform of Birmingham 2022 will provide a springboard for women's cricket and will inspire and engage young girls around the world to be part of this wonderful and inclusive sport."

ECB Chief Executive Officer, Tom Harrison called it a landmark moment in the development of the women's game.

"The inclusion of women's cricket in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games would be a landmark moment in the development of the sport," he said. "It would present us with a wonderful opportunity to capitalise on the global reach of these Games to showcase the very best of women's cricket and in doing so inspire a new generation of women and girls from around the world to start playing the game.

If the nomination is passed by the member associations, it will be cricket's second appearance at the Commonwealth Games, and its first since 1998, when the men took part with South Africa pipping Australia for Gold.

The CGF also nominated beach volleyball and Para table-tennis to be part of the Games, while shooting and archery missed the cut.

Friendly competition to score the quickest centuries and hit the biggest sixes is driving England's batsmen during the World Cup, according to Moeen Ali.

Eoin Morgan set a new ODI record by hitting 17 sixes in his innings in Manchester last week. But while he may have hit the most, his team-mates left him in no doubt that theirs were bigger and that his 57-ball century was "a bit slow" by comparison to their own. Three men in England's top seven - Moeen, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler - have hit quicker ODI centuries.

And that competition - combined with plenty of hard work - is rendering England "almost unstoppable" according to Moeen.

"We were a bit surprised by the numbers the other day," Moeen, who once made a 53-ball century against West Indies, said. "We were like 'that's a lot of sixes'. But I told him I hit the biggest. The first one off Rashid Khan was the biggest.

"When players go past 53 balls then I can always say 'yeah, it's a great knock but still a bit slow for my liking.' I'm always hoping they don't push me further down the list.

"We always talk about stuff like that. Jos came back after scoring 120 and I told him I'd hit the shot of the day. We have a bit of banter about it.

"We're just having a lot of fun and ripping each other all the time. We get stuck into each other about everything: about the football or about Fifa. Anything. It's all part of team bonding. It's all very natural."

While the team may good-naturedly compete for such accolades there is, according to Moeen, an acceptance that one man stands out.

"Buttler is the biggest hitter," Moeen says. "With ease. Some guys - like Jonny Bairstow - are brutal. Jason Roy is absolutely about power and Morgan does hit big sixes.

"In the nets, Joe Root hits the most sixes. He tries to take us down all the time. I think everyone is capable of hitting big sixes and I think I'm the best of all of them. But Jos is the one guy that everyone knows is out front. Jos is power with timing.

"But the serious side is that we work hard on it. You can't just rock up and start hitting sixes for fun, you have to practice it and work on it.

"As a team, once we get going, I'm sure everybody thinks that we're almost unstoppable. When Jos, Morgs, Jason… we have some many players, almost everybody in the top eight. Who can do it. Once they get going, it's almost unstoppable. That's the great thing about the team."

Australia 381 for 5 (Warner 166, Khawaja 89, Finch 53, Soumya 3-58) beat Bangladesh 333 (Mushfiqur 102*, Mahmudullah 69, Tamim 62) by 48 runs

Crowds of people left Trent Bridge. They think it's all over, and it probably is now. Australia battered Bangladesh with the bat and then squeezed them slowly but surely with the ball to complete a victory that more or less settled the top four places for the World Cup semi-finals, with near enough to three more weeks of qualifying games remaining.

Alongside England, India and New Zealand, Australia are firmly ensconced in the semi-final placings, seeing off a Bangladesh team who, by dint of their sparkling displays against South Africa and the West Indies, had been the last of the genuine challengers from outside the top quartet.

There was plenty to like about the day's cricket in Nottingham, from a powerful century by David Warner, nifty support from Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja, a brief but spectacular display by Glenn Maxwell, and plenty of doughtiness about the chase for a distant target, earning Mushfiqur Rahim an unbeaten century and Bangladesh their highest ever ODI total. But there was not quite the sting in the finish of this match, nor now the tournament entire, that any global event should have.

This is not to say that Australia should feel bad about putting on their most consistent batting display of the Cup so far. Granted a strong batting platform, they went another step further in mid and late innings acceleration than they had managed in successive games against Pakistan and then Sri Lanka, although still with enough room for improvement to occupy the coach Justin Langer and his assistant Ricky Ponting.

Australia's fielding, too, was not always their sharpest, although the return of Marcus Stoinis from injury added balance to the bowling attack and agility in the field even though there were occasional signs that he is still not exactly 100% fit after a side strain.

Bangladesh will bemoan a couple of injury enforced changes on match morning, and then the early drop of Warner by Sabbir Rahman in the gully, the same place West Indies had picked him up on this ground earlier in the competition. On a friendly pitch and fast outfield they were left looking defenseless at times, but resolved in the afternoon to fight the contest out - much to the credit of Mushfiqur's rearguard. A gap in sixes hit - 10 for Australia, four for Bangladesh - formed part of the wider picture.

WATCH - David Warner's scintillating 166 on Hotstar (India only)

Finch was overdue to win a toss and this was a good one to get, the sun shining over Nottingham and the pitch looking slow and dry without undue moisture. With Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Adam Zampa back in the side, balance looked a little more prevalent in Australia's combination, although Nathan Lyon must wonder whether it is time to start brandishing the red Dukes ball in training ahead of the Ashes.

Precious little seam or swing was on offer early for Bangladesh's seamers, and they were to rue spurning the only chance offered early, a Warner slice through the hands of gully. Anything dropping short or floating too full was pounced on by Finch and Warner - a lusty carve over cover by the captain and a hook shot by the left-hander reaping the first sixes of the morning.

If Warner was still struggling for his best timing, Finch did his best to dissuade his partner from too much frustration, an effort in terms of mid-pitch support that would reap handsome rewards later. Finch himself appeared eager to accelerate sooner rather than later, moving around on the crease and sizing up the shorter of Trent Bridge's boundaries, but just as he and Warner seemed ready to launch, Soumya got a shortish delivery to pop a fraction, causing Finch to bunt a catch to short third man.

His frustration at being dismissed was added to apparent confusion about who was to come in to bat next, as Khawaja rather than Smith or Maxwell walked to the middle. For a time, Khawaja and Warner left themselves open to criticism for hastening a little too slowly, but once Warner had his hundred and Khawaja his bearings, the runs grew from a stream to a flow and then a torrent. Warner mixed perseverance with brutality, while Khawaja's timing and placement were at times reminiscent of no less a left-hander than Brian Lara himself.

With 16 centuries, Warner is now level with Adam Gilchrist on Australia's all-time ODI list, and trailing only Mark Waugh (18) and Ponting (30). His role in this tournament has at times been difficult to decipher, given his evident struggles for timing and placement, but his determination to succeed cannot be doubted, nor the appreciation his run-making has drawn out of team-mates who had only recently been reacquainted with him.

The treatment was meted out evenly across the Bangladesh attack, leaving Mashrafe Mortaza with few safe options including himself. Warner's emulation of Finch in passing 150 at this tournament signalled further acceleration, and his exit after an innings that had been both platform and launch served only to bring Maxwell to the middle. Helped by a Rubel Hossain no-ball that allowed him a free-hit from which to unfurl an otherworldly back foot/front foot inside/outside drive over long off for six, Maxwell was rapidly in full destruction mode.

WATCH - Maxwell's blistering 32 on Hotstar (India only)

Momentarily anything looked possible, capping a seven-over stretch from 40 to 46 in which the Australians ransacked 109 runs. But Khawaja's acceptance then refusal of a quick single left Maxwell stranded in mid-pitch, and his evident anger at the manner of his run-out hastened a miniature collapse of 3 for 8 in seven balls, as Khawaja (caught behind, hooking) and Steven smith (lbw to a full toss) also exited. Rain delayed the final over for 23 minutes, but Stoinis found the boundary twice to lift Australia beyond 380.

If this seemed a lot, Bangladesh had the knowledge they had been on course to run down a target even loftier in their beating of West Indies in Taunton, and for a time while Tamim and Shakib were together, anything looked possible. Soumya's stay had been ended by a Finch direct hit when Bangladesh's openers also became mixed up between the wickets, but the Australians were starting to look a little apprehensive when Stoinis' off-break slower ball coaxed a front edge from Shakib and a simple catch for Warner at mid off.

Sensing blood, Finch brought Starc back and was rewarded when Tamim dragged a 146kph projectile onto his stumps, before Liton Das was welcomed with a bouncer that struck his helmet and forced a replacement. Another promising union between Mushfiqur and Liton was scuppered when Zampa fizzed a quicker ball through to pin the latter lbw on the crease, and though Mushfiqur kept grinding out the runs with the hard-hitting aid of Mahmudullah, the asking rate grew evermore prohibitive, and ultimately impossible.

Mashrafe's late blow took his men to a bigger tally than any Bangladesh team before them, a fitting marker for the fight they had shown, but there could be only one winner.

The NFL's Competition Committee finalized its new rule Thursday for reviewing pass interference, opting against several suggested tweaks and upholding the wording owners originally approved in March.

As a result, coaches will be able to challenge pass interference calls or no-calls up until the two-minute warning of either half. In the final two minutes of each half and in overtime, on-site replay officials will be responsible for stopping the game to review pass interference, as they are for all other reviewable plays.

The rule will cover the 2019 season, after which owners will decide whether to extend, tweak or eliminate it for 2020.

Committee members, concerned about excessive stoppages during the final moments of games, floated the idea of prohibiting replay officials from stopping the game to review pass interference. Instead, that responsibility would have remained with coaches. But a number of coaches pushed back on that idea, worried that it would impact their timeout strategy. (Challenges can be made only if a team has a timeout remaining.)

To address the concerns about stoppages, the committee has instructed replay officials to use a "stricter criteria" for stopping the game to review pass interference. In a video released on Twitter, the NFL said there must be "clear and obvious evidence" that a pass interference foul may or may not have occurred in order to stop the game for a review.

The @NFL Competition Committee today unanimously recommended the rule approved in March for instant replay of pass interference remain in effect for the 2019 season only. pic.twitter.com/fM9XK2kuFk

— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) June 20, 2019

The committee will also allow Hail Mary plays to be reviewed, according to the video, as long as it is "consistent with the guidelines for officiating the play on the field." Such plays typically include heavy contact between receivers and defenders, but officials rarely penalize them for it. The expectation around the NFL is that replay officials will rarely, if ever, stop the game to review Hail Marys.

Oklahoma landed another top quarterback Thursday when Brock Vandagriff announced his commitment to the Sooners.

Vandagriff has not been ranked yet by ESPN, but is expected to be one of the top passers in the Class of 2021 and already held plenty of major scholarship offers. He chose Oklahoma over Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

A 6-foot-3, 200-pound pocket passer from Prince Avenue Christian School in Bogart, Georgia, Vandagriff is part of a long list of top quarterbacks coming out of the Peach State. He joins Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Florida quarterback Emory Jones and Ohio State's Justin Fields, among others.

After much time and prayer, the time has come... Thank you to all who made it happen. ?COMMITTED? (video courtesy of @TFB_Sooners) pic.twitter.com/bliUHM6Hw3

— brock ? (@BrockVandagriff) June 20, 2019

The commitment gives Oklahoma its third elite quarterback in four classes. The Sooners landed ESPN 300 quarterback Tanner Mordecai in 2018 and the No. 1 ranked dual-threat QB in 2019, Spencer Rattler. They have yet to land a quarterback in the 2020 class.

Adding a talented quarterback is nothing new for head coach Lincoln Riley, and top-ranked Georgia prospects are also becoming more prevalent at Oklahoma. The Sooners were able to land ESPN 300 wide receiver Jadon Haselwood, the No. 1 ranked receiver in the 2019 class, and now have Vandagriff on board as well.

Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has been released from the hospital as he continues to recover from a stroke suffered last month.

Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner said in a statement Thursday that Gilbert was discharged Wednesday and would continue his recovery at an in-patient rehabilitation center.

"Dan is looking forward to beginning an intensive rehabilitation program and is eager to continue the progress he has made over the last several weeks," Farner said.

Gilbert, 57, felt ill on May 26, and a friend took him to a Detroit-area hospital, where he suffered the stroke.

The Cavaliers have made five NBA Finals appearances since Gilbert purchased the team in 2005, winning the title in 2016.

Cleveland holds the No. 5 pick in Thursday's NBA draft.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Pelicans have picked up the 2019-20 team option on Jahlil Okafor, league sources told ESPN.

Okafor -- who was drafted third by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2015 and spent time playing with the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets -- signed with the Pelicans during the summer of 2018.

During his rookie season in Philadelphia, Okafor averaged 17.5 points and seven rebounds per game. His numbers steadily declined from there, and he began to see less and less playing time. By the time he came to the Pelicans, many around the league wondered if he would be able to make it in the NBA.

Since then, Okafor has transformed his body and worked to change his game.

The center has credited losing more than 20 pounds to his "mostly vegan diet." He has recently added meat back into his regimen to help him regain some of the strength he lost when he shed those pounds. Losing that weight helped reduce the stress he put on his knees. He said he also began working with a therapist to help him learn to cope with anxiety and depression.

View this post on Instagram

My summer of transformation: First off I want to thank @idanwan & @dzandertraining for getting after it with me the moment my season ended. Grateful to have two of the best in their respective fields work with me all summer. Although the physical changes in this photo are evident, their has been extreme growth unbenounced to the eye. I've learned how to identify and manage different stressors such as anxiety. Learning how to identify certain stressors has also allowed me to over come them. Often times because of my size and profession people may view me in a certain way, but in reality I deal with the same struggles as countless others. Mental health awareness is a cause I will fight for the rest of my life and if you're struggling today don't be afraid to speak with someone and seek help. I would like to thank @kevinlove and the @playerstribune for helping me identify my feelings and informing me what I was dealing with was in fact normal. 6 weeks left in the off season; with a lot more work to do!

A post shared by Jahlil Okafor (@jah8) on Aug 17, 2018 at 11:44am PDT

Okafor has also begun working on his 3-point shooting. He is still not consistent from beyond the arc -- shooting just 1-for-5 over the course of the season -- but has said he will continue to attempt to incorporate that into his game.

According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, Okafor is now guaranteed $54,000 of his contract. If he is not waived by Jan. 7, the full $1.7 million of his contract will become guaranteed.

Last season, Okafor averaged 8.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. The Pelicans see him as a logical fit next to Zion Williamson, who is expected to be drafted No. 1 overall by the team.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Drew Smyly struck out the last batter he faced for the Texas Rangers. That came right after the veteran left-hander, who already had lost his spot in the starting rotation, allowed three consecutive home runs in a five-pitch span.

Smyly was designated for assignment by the Rangers on Thursday, two days after his last appearance.

After not pitching in the majors the past two seasons because of Tommy John surgery, Smyly, 30, was 1-5 with an 8.42 ERA in 13 games (nine starts) with the Rangers.

"He's coming off injury, and I don't think the expectations were overly high, but I think, it honestly didn't work out,'' manager Chris Woodward said. "He was fighting to figure things out. I think it's just best for him, and honestly best for us, to just have him move on.''

The Rangers made the move before their series finale against Cleveland, when they also optioned left-hander Joe Palumbo to Triple-A Nashville after he was the loser Wednesday night. Texas brought up a pair of lefties, Kyle Bird and Locke St. John, for St. John's possible big league debut.

Texas also said Jesse Chavez would move from the bullpen to the starting rotation, and is the likely starter Tuesday at Detroit.

Chavez, 35, made his team-high 34th appearance Wednesday night, pitching five innings in relief for Palumbo after his second start since coming up from Double-A Frisco. Chavez is 2-2 with a 3.18 ERA.

Smyly allowed 19 homers in 51 1/3 innings. In his last appearance Tuesday, a 10-3 loss to the Indians, he took over in the fourth and needed 32 pitches to get through the inning. He was gone in the seventh after the first three Cleveland batters went deep before he struck out Mike Freeman.

"There were times that it looked like the work he was putting in was going to pay off,'' general manager Jon Daniels said. "We were just at a point in the season where we felt like we had given it a chance. ... He was putting work in, it just wasn't paying dividends at this point.''

The Cubs signed Smyly to a two-year deal when he was coming off surgery, and he pitched one minor league inning for Class-A South Bend at the end of last season.

Smyly is 32-32 with a 4.13 ERA in 169 major league games (94 starts) for the Detroit Tigers (2012-14), Tampa Bay (2014-16) and Texas. The Rays traded him to Seattle before the 2017 season, and he had Tommy John surgery that summer.