Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum has agreed to a three-year, $100 million contract extension, extending his current deal to five years and $157 million, his agent, Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports, told ESPN.

The new deal will start with the 2021-22 season.

McCollum became eligible for the extension on Saturday and joins All-NBA teammate Damian Lillard in landing summer deals that solidify the Blazers' backcourt into the mid-2020s.

Goldfeder and Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey completed the agreement on Tuesday.

McCollum, 27, has been one of the anchors of the Blazers' success in recent seasons, including two trips to the Western Conference semifinals and last season's berth in the conference finals.

McCollum was eligible to negotiate the extension beginning on July 27 -- the third anniversary of his signing a four-year, $106 million extension.

He averaged 21 points in each of the last two regular seasons and 25.3 and 24.7 points, respectively, in the playoffs. McCollum, the 10th overall pick in the 2013 draft, was voted the NBA's Most Improved Player in 2016.

The Blazers signed Lillard to a four-year, $196 million extension this summer, keeping him under contract through the 2025 season.

The Chicago Cubs are finalizing a trade for Toronto Blue Jays right-hander David Phelps, a source told ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

The source said Toronto will receive minor league pitcher Thomas Hatch in return.

Phelps, 32, has a 3.63 ERA with 18 strikeouts and seven walks in 17 1/3 innings over 17 appearances this season, his first in Toronto after signing a one-year deal in January that includes a club option.

Heptathletes will go head-to-head at Müller Grand Prix

Olympic, world and European heptathlon champion Nafissatou Thiam will face Commonwealth heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham long jump on August 18.

It will be the first time the pair have competed against each other since last summer’s European Championships in Berlin, where Johnson-Thompson secured silver behind Thiam.

The event, which takes place just six weeks before the start of the IAAF World Championships in Doha, will be the Belgian athlete’s first Diamond League meeting in the UK.

Thiam achieved a world-leading heptathlon performance of 6819 points, despite an elbow problem, on her return after injury in Talence at the end of June.

The 24-year-old cleared 2.02m for a world high jump best within a heptathlon, plus a Belgian long jump record of 6.67m, on her way to victory that day.

Johnson-Thompson’s long jump PB is 6.93m, which ranks her third on the UK all-time list.

Also announced for the field are world indoor champion Ivana Spanovic of Serbia and Britain’s world and European medallist Lorraine Ugen.

“I am really looking forward to competing at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham; it will be my first ever Diamond League meeting in the UK so there is a real mixture of intrigue and excitement for me,” said Thiam.

“I remember how amazing the British crowd were when I won at the world championships in London, so it is hugely exciting to be heading back to the UK to compete.

“Competing against what I know will be a very strong field, including Katarina who I am obviously familiar with, will be great preparation for the world championships in Doha, where I am aiming to defend my title, and I’m sure it will be an exciting competition for the fans there in Birmingham.”

Johnson-Thompson won her second European indoor pentathlon title in Glasgow in March and followed that up by winning the heptathlon in Götzis with a personal best and then-world-leading score of 6813 points.

Heading into Birmingham with a long jump season’s best of 6.68m, set in Götzis, Johnson-Thompson said: “I’m really excited to be competing in the long jump at the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham. I’m hoping to produce a good, consistent series of jumps in front of my home crowd as part of my preparations towards the World Championships in Doha.

“The athletes that compete in the UK Diamond Leagues are always so strong across all the events and this will be no different. With the talent we have in British long jumping and the likes of Ivana Spanovic and Nafi Thiam also competing, it will be a great competition to be a part of. Hopefully our performances can match the British crowd who are always amazing.”

Tickets for the Müller Grand Prix Birmingham and Müller British Athletics Championships are on sale at theticketfactory.com/british-athletics

Debut delight for Adam Aziz
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad International Correspondent

There were mixed fortunes for home players on the opening day of action in the 2019 CIMB Foundation WSF World Junior Squash Championships at the Bukit Jalil National Squash Centre in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

Adam Agan Bin Aziz, an 18-year-old from Malacca competing in his first major event, recovered from a horrible start – trailing 6-0 in the first game – to overcome Hong Kong’s Lap Au 11-8, 11-6, 11-8.

“It’s my first world juniors and I was feeling very nervous and I made a lot of mistakes which gave my opponent a 6-0 lead to start,” admitted Adam.

“But after that I grew calmer and I managed to execute my game plan to apply more pressure on him.

“I’m pleased to get off to a fine winning start because I really wanted to do well in my first major competition.

“Now I need to ensure that I do not start nervously in the second round. I need to stay calm and play a thinking game with better shot selections if I hope to go further. Hopefully, luck is on my side too.”

Adam’s next opponent will be a tough one in joint fifth-eighth seed Yehia Elnawasany of Egypt.

There was revenge for Hong Kong in another match against the hosts when To Wai Lok saved a match-ball in the fifth to topple Darryl Gan (both pictured below, Gan in red shirt) 11-5, 9-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-8.

The local boy was leading 2/1 and was 10-9 up in the fourth but crumbled under pressure to allow Wai Lok to take the game 12-10 and force a decider. The 17-year-old Lok duly went on to take the win after 65 minutes.

Other exciting men’s matches included another Hong Kong matchup with Wong King Yeung fighting back from 2-1 down to beat Colombia’s Nicolas Serna 11-7, 5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9.

Another five-setter saw South Korea’s Kim Seok-jin come from two games down to beat Switzerland’s Miguel Mathis 9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-5 while Australia’s Gregory Chan and New Zealand’s Willz Donnelly both came through in five-game battles as well – Donnelly fighting back from 2-1 down to overcome Trans-Tasman rival Sam Sergo (both pictured below) 11-6, 5-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-9.

There were also several gruelling matches in the women’s event with one of the best matches seeing South African Taryn Emslie save a match ball against New Zealand’s Sophie Hodges for a turnaround 9-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-9 win in 34 minutes.

Australia’s Erin Classen also came through in five, beating South Africa’s Faith Panashe Sithole 11-3, 12-10, 8-11, 6-11, 11-8 to set up a second round clash with England’s joint fifth-eighth seed Elise Lazarus.

In the longest girls’ match of the day, Czech Republic’s Tereza Siroka downed New Zealand’s Natalie Sayes 12-10, 11-6, 6-11, 7-11, 12-10 to set up a second round clash with Malaysia’s Ainaa Ampandi. 

CIMB Foundation WSF World Junior Squash Championships, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Men’s 1st round:
Petr Nohel (CZE) bt Andres Villamizar (COL) 11-9, 11-7, 3-11, 12-10
Aaron Liang (SGP) bt Riley-Jack Vette-Blomquist (NZL) 11-5, 11-7, 11-6
To Wai Lok (HKG) bt Darryl Gan (MAS) 11-5, 9-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-8
Hamoud Aljenaidel (KUW) bt Tae Kyung Jung (KOR) 11-8, 11-4, 14-12
Tristen Worth (RSA) bt Fritiof Jacobsson (SWE) 10-12, 12-10, 13-11, 11-6
Campbell Wells (SUI) bt Dylan Molinaro (AUS) 11-7, 11-3, 11-8
Nicholas Spizzirri (USA) bt Nils Schwab (GER) 11-2, 11-7, 11-9
Hamza Khan (PAK) bt Sayeed Mavani (CAN) 11-5, 11-7, 14-12
Wong King Yeung (HKG) bt Nicolas Serna (COL) 11-7, 5-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9
Leo Fatialofa (NZL) bt Leonard Lee (SGP) 12-10, 11-5, 11-4
Ethan Eyles (AUS) bt Pan Shao-Yu (TPE) 11-5, 11-2, 11-1
Jeong-Min Yu (KOR) bt Abdulaziz Jasem (KUW) 11-1, 11-5, 12-10
Pedro Paulo Pedroso (BRA) bt Manuel Gassmann (MAC) 11-4, 11-6, 11-5
Rafael Gálvez (PER) bt Ching-Hsuan Chu (TPE) 11-4, 11-3, 11-1
Naveed Rehman (PAK) bt Joshua Penfold (AUS) 11-6, 11-7, 11-4
Darosham Khan (CAN) bt Zacheus Yeo (SGP) 11-3, 11-2, 11-2
Ethan Tang (HKG) bt Glenn Templeton (NZL) 6-11, 11-7, 14-12, 11-1
Mateo Restrepo (COL) bt Mohammad Karm (KUW) 13-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9
Abel Sheng Jin (AUS) bt Josiah Chong (SGP) 9-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-6
Kim Seokjin (KOR) bt Miguel Mathis (SUI) 9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-5
Muhammad Farhan Hashmi (PAK) bt Maaz Mufti (CAN) 11-6, 11-9, 11-7
Myles McIntyre (USA) bt Reece McLachlan (RSA) 11-6, 11-6, 11-4
Karim Farrag (CZE) bt Chen Wun-Lin (TPE) 11-4, 12-14, 11-4, 11-3
Hamza Sharif (PAK) bt Jan Wipperfürth (GER) 11-5, 11-5, 11-7
Bader Almoghrebi (KUW) bt Jerome Aw (SGP) 11-9, 13-11, 11-9
Gregory Chan (AUS) bt Kim Seung Hyeon (KOR) 6-11, 11-4, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7
Noor Zaman (PAK) bt Matt Bicknell (CAN) 11-3, 11-5, 9-11, 11-5
Adam Agan Bin Aziz (MAS) bt Lap Au (HKG) 11-8, 11-6, 11-8
Mohammad Ali (KUW) bt Raon Yi (KOR) 11-8, 11-3, 11-5
Ben Smith (ENG) bt Liang-Yu Huang (TPE) 11-5, 11-1, 11-4
Juan Jose Torres Lara (COL) bt Samuel Lavebrink (SWE) 11-8, 11-7, 11-7
Willz Donnelly (NZL) bt Sam Sergo (AUS) 11-6, 5-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-9
Rahul Baitha (IND) bt Ali Eshniaf Al Shammiry (KUW) 11-6, 11-2, 11-5
Minwoo Lee (KOR) bt Emilio Carrillo (CAN) 11-5, 19-17, 11-5

Women’s 1st round:
Yuna Loaec (FRA) bt Hsiao Nai-Wen (TPE) 11-5, 11-5, 11-4
Ananya Dabke (IND) bt Ayumi Watanabe (JPN) 11-5, 9-11, 10-12, 11-4, 11-4
Brianna Jefferson (CAN) bt Monique Da Cruz (RSA) 14-12, 11-3, 11-8
Lucie Stefanoni (USA) bt Sze Yu Lee (AUS) 11-8, 11-8, 11-5
Lucie Mährle (GER) bt Kelly Byrne (IRL) 11-1, 11-6, 11-7
Shin Yu Jin (KOR) bt Paige Teresa Hill (SGP) 8-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-5
Cassandra Fitze (SUI) bt Alesya Aleshina (RUS) 11-2, 5-11, 5-11, 13-11, 12-10
Malin Frank (SWE) bt Megan Evans (ENG) 11-6, 11-8, 11-3
Molly Chadwick (CAN) bt Heylie Fung (HKG) 6-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-5
Mahe Asensi (FRA) bt Leng Lam Leong (MAC) 11-2, 11-4, 11-5
Amalia Rios (COL) bt Alouise Campher (RSA) w/o
Nathalie Malmstrom (SWE) bt Kurstyn Mather (AUS) 11-5, 11-9, 4-11, 1-11, 11-8
Lucia Bicknell (CAN) bt Erisa Sano Herring (JPN) 11-5, 11-7, 11-9
Tereza Siroka (CZE) bt Natalie Sayes (NZL) 12-10, 11-6, 6-11, 7-11, 12-10
Sonya Bajaj (IND) bt Alina Poessl (SUI) 6-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-8
Emma McGugan (IRL) bt Wang Yuan (TPE) 11-3, 11-5, 11-5
Erica McGillicuddy (CAN) bt Rafu Takahashi (JPN) 11-1, 11-8, 11-1
Lea Barbeau (FRA) bt Emma Lundy (IRL) 11-6, 12-10, 11-7
Wei Ting Lim (SGP) bt Chen Pin Yu (TPE) 11-6, 11-3, 11-2
Erin Classen (AUS) bt Faith Panashe Sithole (RSA) 11-3, 12-10, 8-11, 6-11, 11-8
Gigi Yeung (MAC) bt Sara Månberg (SWE) 13-11, 7-11, 11-1, 9-11, 11-7
Wong Po Yui Kirstie (HKG) bt Alexandra Kotkolik (GER) 11-9, 11-6, 11-1
Amira Singh (IND) bt Simona Frevel (SUI) 11-7, 11-8, 11-5
Madeleine Hylland (NOR) bt Ella Lash (NZL) 11-3, 11-6, 11-9
Helena Coetzee (RSA) bt Sarah Cao (CAN) 11-9, 11-7, 11-7
Ninon Lemarchand (FRA) bt Katie Davies (AUS) 11-8, 11-9, 11-7
Kurumi Takahashi (JPN) bt Wu Yi-Chen (TPE) 11-4, 10-12, 11-1, 11-2
Serena Daniel (USA) bt Anna Kaiding (SWE) 11-2, 11-2, 11-4
Katie Wells (ENG) bt Alessia Osborne (IRL) 11-6, 11-5, 11-1
Chae Won Song (KOR) bt Georgia Robcke (NZL) 11-9, 11-4, 11-4
Caroline Spahr (USA) bt Megha Bhatia (IND) 11-3, 11-9, 11-4
Remashree Muniandy (MAS) bt Teagan Roux (RSA) 11-9, 12-10, 14-12
Charlotte Orcutt (CAN) bt Jang Yea Won (KOR) 11-6, 11-3, 11-5
Ambre Allinckx (SUI) bt Moa Bönnemark (SWE) w/o
Taryn Emslie (RSA) bt Sophie Hodges (NZL) 9-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-9

Men’s 2nd round line-up:
[1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) v Petr Nohel (CZE)
Jared Carter (ENG) v Aaron Liang (SGP)
[13/16] Toufik Mekhalfi (FRA) v To Wai Lok (HKG)
Ayush Menon (USA) v Hamoud Aljenaidel (KUW)
[5/8] Siow Yee Xian (MAS) v Tristen Worth (RSA)
Tushar Shahani (IND) v Campbell Wells (SUI)
[9/12] Gabe Yam (NZL) v Nicholas Spizzirri (USA)
Dana Santry (USA) v Hamza Khan (PAK)
[3/4] Viktor Byrtus (CZE) v Wong King Yeung (HKG)
Lewis Anderson (ENG) v Leo Fatialofa (NZL)
[13/16] Karim Elbarbary (EGY) v Ethan Eyles (AUS)
Dillon Huang (USA) v Jeong-Min Yu (KOR)
[5/8] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) v Pedro Paulo Pedroso (BRA)
Yash Fadte (IND) v Rafael Gálvez (PER)
[9/12] Veer Chotrani (IND) v Naveed Rehman (PAK)
Elijah Thomas (NZL) v Darosham Khan (CAN)
Amir Amirul (MAS) v Ethan Tang (HKG)
[9/12] Ibrahim Mohamed (EGY) v Mateo Restrepo (COL)
Danial Nurhaqiem (MAS) v Abel Sheng Jin (AUS)
[5/8] Sam Todd (ENG) v Kim Seokjin (KOR)
Arnaav Sareen (IND) v Muhammad Farhan Hashmi (PAK)
[13/16] Thomas Rosini (USA) v Myles McIntyre (USA)
Max Forster (ENG) v Karim Farrag (CZE)
[3/4] Moustafa El Sirty (EGY) v Hamza Sharif (PAK)
Duncan Lee (MAS) v Bader Almoghrebi (KUW)
[9/12] James Flynn (CAN) v Gregory Chan (AUS)
David Maier (LIE) v Noor Zaman (PAK)
[5/8] Yehia Elnawasany (EGY) v Adam Agan Bin Aziz (MAS)
Ben Smith (ENG) v Mohammad Ali (KUW)
[13/16] Haris Qasim (PAK) v Juan Jose Torres Lara (COL)
Rahul Baitha (IND) v Willz Donnelly (NZL)
[2] Omar El Torkey (EGY) v Minwoo Lee (KOR)

Women’s 2nd round line-up:
[1] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v Yuna Loaec (FRA)
Yee Ying (MAS) v Ananya Dabke (IND)
[13/16] Kaitlyn Watts (NZL) v Brianna Jefferson (CAN)
Lee Sum Yuet (HKG) v Lucie Stefanoni (USA)
[5/8] Chan Sin Yuk (HKG) v Lucie Mährle (GER)
Yoshna Singh (IND) v Shin Yu Jin (KOR)
[9/12] Alice Green (ENG) v Cassandra Fitze (SUI)
Lucia Bautista (COL) v Malin Frank (SWE)
[3/4] Farida Mohamed (EGY) v Molly Chadwick (CAN)
Evie Coxon (ENG) v Mahe Asensi (FRA)
[13/16] Olivia Robinson (USA) v Amalia Rios (COL)
Aira Azman (MAS) v Nathalie Malmstrom (SWE)
[5/8] Chan Yiwen (MAS) v Lucia Bicknell (CAN)
Ainaa Ampandi (MAS) v Tereza Siroka (CZE)
[9/12] Sana Ibrahim (EGY) v Sonya Bajaj (IND)
Malak Mostafa (EGY) v Emma McGugan (IRL)
Alex Haydon (AUS) v Erica McGillicuddy (CAN)
[9/12] Ooi Kah Yan (MAS) v Lea Barbeau (FRA)
Michaela Cepova (CZE) v Wei Ting Lim (SGP)
[5/8] Elise Lazarus (ENG) v Erin Classen (AUS)
Anika Jackson (NZL) v Gigi Yeung (MAC)
[13/16] Elisabeth Ross (USA) v Wong Po Yui Kirstie (HKG)
Sanya Vats (IND) v Amira Singh (IND)
[3/4] Aifa Azman (MAS) v Madeleine Hylland (NOR)
Aishwarya Khubchandani (IND) v Helena Coetzee (RSA)
[9/12] Georgia Adderley (SCO) v Ninon Lemarchand (FRA)
Serena Daniel (USA) v Kurumi Takahashi (JPN)
[5/8] Marina Stefanoni (USA) v Katie Wells (ENG)
Caroline Spahr (USA) v Chae Won Song (KOR)
[13/16] Nour Khaled Aboulmakarim (EGY) v Remashree Muniandy (MAS)
Ambre Allinckx (SUI) v Charlotte Orcutt (CAN)
[2] Jana Shiha (EGY) v Taryn Emslie (RSA) 

Pictures courtesy of  

We’re back with the latest edition of the SPEED SPORT Power Rankings! Did Steve Torrence’s bad luck allow someone new to move to the top of the Rankings this week? Click below to find out!

The Ottawa Senators acquired forward Ryan Callahan in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the teams announced.

Goaltender Mike Condon is heading to Florida along with a 2020 sixth-round draft pick, while Ottawa also receives Tampa Bay's fifth-round pick for next year.

Callahan, 34, was placed on long-term injured reserve in June after he was diagnosed with a degenerative disk disease of his lumbar spine. Doctors recommended that he no longer play hockey.

Tampa Bay gets salary cap relief as they work on re-signing restricted free agent forward Brayden Point. The 23-year-old had career highs with 41 goals and 51 assist last season.

By trading Condon, the Senators' goaltending situation is now focused on Craig Anderson and Anders Nilsson, who are expected to share the net this season.

"We believe we have the right mix of goaltenders both for the upcoming season and the future," Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion said. "We are pleased with how our young goaltenders have been developing in Belleville, so this trade allows us to focus on continuing their growth at a proper pace while keeping two established goaltenders here in Ottawa."

Callahan is under contract through next season and is a $5.8 million cap hit.

"Our cap flexibility allowed us to proceed with this trade, which will also benefit us as we continue making adjustments to create a hardworking, exciting team," Dorion said.

Callahan came up with the New York Rangers in 2006 and was traded to Tampa Bay in the 2013-14 season. In 13 seasons he scored 186 goals with 200 assists.

Condon, 29, joins the Lightning one day after they signed goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to an eight-year extension worth $76 million.

The extension begins with the 2020-21 season and keeps Vasilevskiy with the team through the 2027-28 season.

Condon has played in 129 games over four seasons with Pittsburgh, Montreal and Ottawa, with a 45-58-17 record and a 2.79 goals-against average.

The addition of Condon means Tampa Bay currently has six goalies on their roster. Besides Vasilevskiy, the Lightning also have Louis Domingue, Spencer Martin, Curtis McElhinney and Scott Wedgewood on their roster.

Big picture

With the series decided, the stakes may be lower, but both teams still have much to play for. For Bangladesh, after the first two games, more than the losses itself, it's the manner of the defeats that would leave them stewing.

They've been plagued by poor fielding, inconsistent bowling, and wasteful batting, and in the process, they have let a Sri Lankan side that had been relatively low on confidence grow in stature over the course of the series.

Mushfiqur Rahim didn't mince words in attributing the series defeat to Bangladesh's poor play rather than anything extraordinary on Sri Lanka's part, and while captain Tamim Iqbal downplayed those comments, he too noted that Sri Lanka may not have played as well as they have had Bangladesh pushed them harder.

ALSO READ: Tamim Iqbal needs patience, and a spot of luck - Jamie Siddons

As for Sri Lanka, a win here would undoubtedly grow their confidence levels ahead of what promises to be a trialling Test series against New Zealand next month.

That said, captain Dimuth Karunaratne was adamant that their desire to end the series on a high would not be to the detriment of blooding in younger players, so expect one or two new faces in the line-up.

Form guide

Bangladesh LLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Sri Lanka WWLWL

In the spotlight

In first two ODIs, Bangladesh's seamers had been profligate during the Powerplay, handing Sri Lanka's top order the initiative. Shafiul Islam, who received a rare call-up to the national side after a three-year lapse, has been the biggest perpetrator in this sense; he will not want to let another opportunity to seal a permanent place in the side slip by.

Sri Lankan cricket fans have had precious little to get excited about in the last few years, but in Avishka Fernando they seem to have found a player of genuine star power, capable of drawing in crowds all on his own. And with him still just 21, they'll be expecting to see more of him.

Team news

Having sealed the series, Sri Lanka are expected to take the opportunity to try out a few of their fringe players.

Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), 2 Kusal Perera (wk), 3 Avishka Fernando, 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dasun Shanaka 7 Shehan Jayasuriya, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Akila Dhananjaya, 10 Nuwan Pradeep, 11 Lahiru Kumara

With the pitch likely to favour pace, Rubel Hossain is likely to return to the line-up.

Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal (capt), 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Mohammad Mithun, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Sabbir Rahman, 7 Mossadek Hossain 8 Mehidy Hasan, 9 Shafiul Islam, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Rubel Hossain

Pitch and conditions

The Khettarama pitch on Sunday was slower than usual, offering extra turn and bounce. However with the curators having had two full days to prepare for the final ODI, there should be a more even contest between bat and ball, with pace and bounce, but minimal lateral movement.

Stats and trivia

• Another loss here - their fifth in a row - would constitute Bangladesh's worst string of results since 2014, when they suffered 12 consecutive defeats

• Tamim Iqbal has been out bowled in each of his last six innings

Quotes

"Everyday I feel, today is the day, but it's just not happening for. The positive is that I am not facing this for the first time, I've been through similar patches before. I just have to keep faith in myself and I know I will be able to come back from this."
Tamim Iqbal is hopeful of bouncing back from his lean patch sooner or later.

"For the first few games of the World Cup everyone was panicking and you know, the World Cup was a huge thing, everyone was really under pressure, that's why some of the players couldn't perform well. But after a couple of games they got back on track, and they played good cricket. After that they brought that confidence here."
Dimuth Karunaratne credits the confidence gained from Sri Lanka's last few games for their batting resurgence.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone. Silence the pianos, and with muffled drum, Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

The inquest into England women's thrashing by Australia is in full swing, and the tone is predictably funereal. It would hardly be an Ashes drubbing without much weeping and gnashing of teeth by the defeated side, and this series has proved no different.

The facts are there for all to see. Australia retained the Ashes at the earliest possible opportunity; they lead 12-2 overall with one game to play, and England are only on the board thanks to the quirk of the points system giving the teams two each, rather than none, for a drawn Test.

Across the formats, Australia have four of the five leading run-scorers, and four of the leading six wicket-takers. Ellyse Perry has dismissed Amy Jones four times in the 25 balls she has bowled at her; Anya Shrubsole, the star of the 2017 World Cup final, has taken five wickets at 50.60. No matter where you look, the picture is bleak.

But perhaps the most surprising thing about this defeat is that it has come as a surprise at all.

Yes, England had won 14 white-ball games on the bounce, a record not to be sniffed at. But consider this: since 2018, Australia have lost two games in all formats - one of which was against India in a dead rubber at the World T20 - and won 29. They have five times the number of professional cricketers that England do. In Perry and Meg Lanning, they possess two of the game's modern greats.

Of course, losing five white-ball games on the spin is nobody's idea of fun - this is England's worst run since 2007 - and the manner of the defeats at Grace Road and Chelmsford bordered on embarrassing.

But heavy defeats do not spring about simply through a lack of application or talent: the simple truth is that England's domestic structure is miles behind Australia's.

Before its first season in 2016, the Kia Super League was sold as a silver bullet, but has hardly produced many stars. The only two English players in last season's top ten run-scorers were Heather Knight and Nat Sciver, both established internationals already; the best domestic bowlers were Sophie Ecclestone, who has been around the national squad for several years, and Kirstie Gordon, whose struggles in the Test at Taunton were there for all to see.

Meanwhile, the noise around a mooted domestic restructure has been a source of confusion. Plans to remove funding for county cricket were greeted with predictable dissatisfaction, and after a consultation process, the ECB will now run and fund a county T20 competition in 2020 and 2021.

The headline, though, is that around ten regional teams will play 50 and 20-over cricket from next year, in a bid to give 100 or so players the opportunity to make a living from the game, while contracts for The Hundred are expected to be substantial more lucrative than what is currently on offer in the KSL.

For now, there is no easy fix. The 21 players currently holding central contracts will continue to form the basis of the side for a few years yet, and England will continue to be dominant against most teams, and struggle against Australia.

"We're investing £20 million in the next two years into transforming the game for women and girls," Claire Connor, the managing director of women's cricket at the ECB, told Sky after the second T20I at Hove. "We've got six priorities within the new strategy, and transforming the game for women and girls is one of those six.

"We had a very important board meeting last week at which the full two-year plan as to how that £20 million of investment will all break down. That was all approved by the board last week so whilst this [Ashes series] was disappointing and there are huge lessons for us all to learn, we must be very optimistic about the opportunity that lies ahead for us.

"[Australia's] system over the last four or five years has put them in a really good position for this Ashes series, and whilst we've had the Kia Super League over the last four years, which has undoubtedly helped bridge the gap between our domestic game and the international game, there is a huge amount more we need to do.

"Australia have capitalised on the investment and the plan that they've made over the last four or five years and they've played some outstanding cricket this summer."

Tammy Beaumont, one of the few England players to come out of this series with her reputation enhanced, is of the same view. "You see how Australia have gone about their things," she said. "The number of players that are coming into their squad - they're 20-year-old superstars.

"But it will take time, it's not a quick fix by any means. At the moment we've got a lot of belief in the group we've got, we've got to change a few things and work really hard and come back stronger, but looking to the future in maybe four years, five years' time, that's what's got to happen."

In the immediate term, the focus is on February's T20 World Cup in Australia. An international system with such clear disparities between sides means that England can already be confident of reaching the semi-finals. With Australia, India, and New Zealand all drawn in the other group, England's pool looks much the easier of the two, and a semi-final exit could hardly be considered an awful return.

Until that point, the ECB will be keen to ensure that as many of the squad as possible plays in the WBBL this winter, before moving into a tri-series with Australia and India at the start of 2020.

And the immediate focus is on winning Wednesday night's game at Bristol: it is a dead rubber in theory, but in practice, England are desperate to register a consolation victory. If they do, the dreary mood about the side might finally start to lift.

Does the Kapil Dev-led Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which will pick the head coach for the Indian men's team, suffer from conflict of interest? This question has been posed both internally within the BCCI as well as through an external complainant. Justice DK Jain, the ombudsman-cum-ethics officer of the board, has been asked to take the final call before the CAC sits down to shortlist the applicants and conduct the interviews to pick the coach.

ESPNcricinfo understands the conflict-of-interest issue was first flagged internally by former India women's captain Diana Edulji, one of the three members on the Committee of Administrators (CoA), which has been the supervisory authority of the BCCI since 2017. At a recent CoA meeting, held in Delhi on July 26, Edulji said that the CAC could not be convened until all three members - Kapil, Anshuman Gaekwad and Shanta Rangaswamy - submit a written undertaking about them suffering from no conflict.

The CoA was forced to discuss the issue after Sanjeev Gupta, a life member with the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), wrote to the CoA, pointing out that the Kapil-led CAC could not take seat because all three members fell foul of the conflict rule within the BCCI constitution, which states one person can hold just one post in Indian cricket.

The allegations of conflict against Kapil underscore he is part of the steering committee on the newly formed Indian Cricketers' Association (ICA) where he is also one of directors. Incidentally, the ICA is funded by the BCCI. Kapil also works as an expert for Indian television channels. As for Gaekwad, the former India head coach, it is alleged in addition to working as a pundit on television channels, he is also part of the BCCI's Member Affiliation Committee, a sub-committee, which grants membership to state associations. Gaekwad, too, is part of the ICA's steering group, as is Rangaswamy, who is also an ICA director.

It is understood that all three panelists on the CAC have not yet sent a no-conflict notice to the CoA. Once they come in, the CoA will send it to Justice Jain. It remains unclear whether the CoA will await the clearance from Justice Jain before asking the CAC to conduct the interviews and submit their final pick for the head coach, which is expected to be wrapped up by mid-August.

Although the CoA appointed the CAC to pick the new coaching staff, Gupta has said the panel did not have the powers as only an elected BCCI administration was qualified to do so. Although Gupta was not available for a comment, reportedly he has written to the board's ethics officer, stating it was unconstitutional for the CoA to appoint the CAC.

Incidentally, Gupta had filed a similar charge against two members of the previous CAC - Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman - which Justice Jain upheld.

While Tendulkar decided to not be part of any BCCI committee, including the CAC, Laxman was asked by Justice Jain to choose one of the different roles he was performing in Indian cricket, which included being a commentator, being part of the CAC as well as being a mentor with the IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad. Also asked to make a choice was Sourav Ganguly, who does commentary in addition to serving as the president of Cricket Association of Bengal and advisor to the Delhi Capitals franchise.