"He's been doing the same thing for as long as I can remember, since the time he started playing cricket. This is what he's been doing, performing consistently. No matter what conditions, what wicket conditions, who the bowlers are, he always finds a way to get runs, always finds a way to put the bowlers under pressure."

That is KL Rahul offering his two-cent's worth on Virat Kohli. After India's win against West Indies in Manchester, where the India captain finished with the top score to grab his first man-of-the-match award in this World Cup, Rahul was asked why Kohli is so successful as a batsman.

As he expanded on how Kohli does what Kohli does, which it seemed was nothing out of the ordinary, it is possible a thought might have passed Rahul's mind: "Why can't I do the same?"

Yes, why can't you, Rahul?

It is by accident that Rahul became Rohit Sharma's opening partner at the World Cup, after Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out. Three times he has opened and all three times he has got a start. Yet, he has failed to make an impact. In his own words, he has "disappointed" himself.

In those three matches, Rahul's scores are 57 (78 balls), 30 (53) and 48 (64), against Pakistan, Afghanistan and West Indies respectively. His 136-run partnership with Rohit in the first match in which they walked out together, was the backbone of India's winning total against Pakistan. Rahul was then involved in two 50-plus stands with Kohli. So why is he disappointed? The job of the opener is to set a platform, and wherever possible convert the starts. It is at this conversion that Rahul has faltered.

Let us go through the numbers. In the first segment of his innings, the first 20 balls, Rahul has scored 30 runs at a strike rate of 50 with a dot-ball percentage of 70. In the next 20-ball segment (21-40), he has 45 runs from 60 balls at a strike rate of 75 and dot-ball percentage of 56.7. You would expect him to accelerate from there, but that is where Rahul has stuttered and stumbled, and got out. In the next segment (41-60) Rahul's scoring rate has dipped, with him scoring 36 runs from 53 balls at a strike rate of 67.92 and dot-ball percentage of 50.9. And, on the two occasions where he has managed to bat 60-plus balls, Rahul has flattered to deceive: 24 runs from 22 balls at a strike rate of 109.09 and dot-ball percentage of 54.5. Among openers that have, on average, stayed at the crease for more than 10 overs, Rahul's average (45) and strike rate (69.2) are the poorest.

For the sake of comparison, let us look at Rohit once he settles down. Rohit, by his own admission, has found comfort through slow beginnings. But once he is settled, Rohit accelerates so quickly that he ends up scoring big runs, massive hundreds.

In the 41-60-ball segment, Rohit has scored 49 runs from 60 balls at a strike rate of 81.67 with a dot-ball percentage of 45. That comes down to 40 once Rohit plays 60-plus deliveries, while his strike rate spikes to 112. 24 - he has scored 165 runs from 147 balls so far in this segment. Incidentally, Rahul's balls-per-boundary figure is 7.33, which is similar to Rohit's 7.34, yet he has got out just when he has started to score smoothly.

Take that reverse sweep that he attempted off Mohammad Nabi, which resulted in a wicket that was against the run of play. Rahul had worked hard to deny Afghanistan any advantage after Mujeeb Ur Rahman had sent Rohit back in the fifth over of India's innings. The Southampton pitch was slow and the Afghanistan bowlers were smart to slow down the pace, making batting difficult. Yet Rahul and Kohli were steadily taking strides towards a big partnership. And then Rahul suddenly reverse swept straight to the fielder at short third-man in the 15th over.

Rahul tried to explain the thought process behind the shot. "That is what is the most difficult thing about batting, isn't it. One, you might look like you're not in any trouble for 100-120 balls, or 50-60 balls, and then sometimes you end up making a mistake," he said in Manchester, after the win against West Indies. "Afghanistan was... I wouldn't say it was a bad shot. It was a shot I play all the time. And more often than not I hit it for four, so I get it away.

"But, unfortunately, I didn't execute it. But the planning and the timing of that shot maybe was questionable, because I needed to stitch up a partnership with Virat. And, like I said, again, bat 30-odd overs and then look to accelerate. So these are the things that maybe I've done wrong in the few games."

So Rahul does understand how his impulsive decision-making can have a domino effect on the middle-order. It breaks the momentum and places undue pressure on Kohli, who then has to press the reset button with a new batsman, which means more overs are chewed up, thus placing a bigger burden on the lower order.

Although he admits to his shortcomins, Rahul has made it clear that he will not "break his head" thinking about what he did wrong or not. Fair enough. In fact, perhaps Rahul's biggest challenge is to free his mind.

Even when he answers a question, Rahul takes a moment to reflect. He seems to bring the same contemplation to his batting. If you observe him at training, you can sense Rahul is trying to find something elusive, chasing something that he feels has not yet clicked. Often he bats twice during training sessions. Often you see him getting words of motivation from head coach Ravi Shastri and assistant coach Sanjay Bangar.

Maybe Rahul needs to unshackle himself and play with a free mind. Opening is often the most difficult time to bat. Yet, Rahul has said he is happiest when he opens. He just needs to play more naturally once he is through with the opening act.

We're talking about the batsman who has smashed the IPL's fastest ever half-century. He has two T20I centuries to his name. Rahul can be an impact player in a short space of time, and he knows it.

So to go back to the question Rahul might have asked himself: what does he need to do to be consistent like Kohli? Just relax, believe, and free his mind, perhaps.

It's August 2013 and England have just lost an ODI to Ashes rivals Australia at Lord's. Tammy Beaumont is emotional. She thinks it's her fault. She made nine runs. She questions whether she's good enough to play international cricket.

"Yes you are," three words from then-assistant coach Carl Crowe set in motion a plan to find out what makes her tick, what's going to make her a better player.

Having made scores of 13 and 1 in the preceding Test match, Beaumont played no further part in that Ashes series - won by England who prevailed in the remaining two ODIs and two of the three T20s. Beaumont toured West Indies later that year and was part of the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh, where England finished runners-up to Australia but where Beaumont failed to reach double figures in four innings.

It's 2016 and England have hastily arranged an extra warm-up game before starting their World T20 campaign in India. Beaumont - who had so far been batting in the middle order, just as she had on that fateful day at Lord's - opens alongside then-captain Charlotte Edwards. Beaumont scores 50. She knows she can open the batting at international level.

"That was a bit of a turning point for me," Beaumont said. "Opening, I've always felt most natural there. For a long time at the beginning of my career I was not opening the batting and almost having to fit into positions that didn't suit me didn't' make me feel quite at home and there was a little period where I kept getting picked for England and completely under-performing to what I wanted to do and what the coach at the time wanted me to do, so I'd end up on the outside of the team again.

"It took me having that setback and realising I really wanted to open the batting for England and I could really set my stall out and be motivated to really work hard towards that. That was before I even got the chance to open, then when I did get that chance I made sure that I took it."

Playing as an opener, Beaumont made steady progress through that tournament, but in her first T20 afterwards, some three months later against Pakistan in Bristol, she hit 82 off 53 balls.

Two years later she smashed 116 off 52 in a T20 against South Africa - reaching her century from 47 balls in an England women's record - amid a hugely successful summer which also included back-to-back centuries in the accompanying ODI series against South Africa and ultimately led to her being named alongside the likes of Jos Buttler and Virat Kohli as one of the five Wisden 2019 Cricketers of the Year.

Beaumont's progress has not been without the odd hiccup. She scored just 54 runs in five innings at the World T20 at the end of 2018 but found form again during England's tours of India and Sri Lanka in March.

"I had a really good summer last year in England against South Africa and New Zealand and then had a bit of a blip in the World Cup in my own form, which I found really disappointing, but I came back in January and worked incredibly hard to try and move my game on again and that's how I feel at the moment," Beaumont said.

"It wasn't like I needed to develop a whole new shot, there wasn't a glaringly obvious weakness to my game. It was just a case of say, Id' hit a shot seven out of ten times, trying to take that to nine out of ten so overall I'd get a little bit better in each way and hopefully become a bit more of an all-round player."

In the recent rain-affected series in which England dominated West Indies in England, Beaumont was clearly seeing the ball beautifully but was unable to convert good starts to big scores, something she is determined to turn around come Tuesday's first Ashes ODI against Australia in Leicester.

"It's the biggest rivalry in women's cricket ... the battle of the heavyweights" England opener Tammy Beaumont on the Ashes

"Personally I think I would have liked to score a few more runs in a way," she said. "As a batter I think you never get bored of scoring runs but I'm pleased about how I'm playing. I just want to see a few more runs on the board next week.

"It's the biggest rivalry in women's cricket. It's the battle of the heavyweights, for want of a better term. They're really well supported and have been very successful in the past but we're playing really good cricket at the moment and got a really good feeling about this group so hopefully it's going to be a really good series."

England's 3-0 sweep of the ODIs against West Indies and victory in the only one of three T20Is not washed out took their winning streak to 14 matches across all formats. They freely speak about keeping that record intact.

"We really talk about it a lot," Beaumont said. "Particularly at the back end of that India - Sri Lanka trip, it was something we were really kind of desperate to hold onto and going into this West Indies series it was really driving us forward in that.

"But once the Ashes start it's all about that particular game that we're playing and just trying to get points on the board to try and win the Ashes back, which is kind of the main focus and has been for most of the summer really."

Fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who was sidelined from the World Cup with a fractured thumb, will have a chance to prove his fitness and form when he tours India from August 24 as part of the South Africa A one-day and four-day sides. Left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks, who was a late addition to South Africa's World Cup roster as Dale Steyn's replacement, also features in both the squads while the other Hendricks - Reeza - has been named in the one-day squad.

Temba Bavuma, who led the Lions to the CSA T20 challenge title last month, will captain the one-day side, while Aiden Markram will be in charge of the four-day side. This A tour might be a good prep for the international hopefuls to get a hang of Indian conditions before they tour the country again later this year with the senior squad.

South Africa will play three Tests in India in October this year, with all three games part of the ICC's new Test Championship.

"This is one of the most important South Africa A tours we have planned for some time as it will focus on several important strategic areas," selection convenor Linda Zondi said. "One of these is to broaden our leadership group and we see both Aiden and Temba playing an important role in this regard. We will be looking at other candidates during the course of the new season.

"Another is the opportunity to give some of our senior batsmen the chance to climatise for the Proteas Test match tour to India in October; and a third is to give opportunity to younger players who have earned their chance through outstanding performance at domestic level."

Lutho Sipamla, who made a splash in the inaugural Mzansi Super League with his rapid yorkers and bouncers, and subsequently broke into South Africa's T20I squad, will look to stake his claim for selection in the other two formats as well on this A tour.

All the five one-dayers will be played in Thiruvananthapuram before the action shifts to the four-dayers. Wayanad will host the first four-dayer and Mysuru the second - and last - game of the tour.

One-day squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), Matthew Breetzke, Gihahn Cloete, Junior Dala, Theunis de Bruyn, Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, George Linde, Janneman Malan, Wiaan Mulder, Anrich Nortje, Sinethemba Qeshile, Lutho Sipamla

Four-day squad: Aiden Markram (capt), Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Zubayr Hamza, Beuran Hendricks, George Linde, Pieter Malan, Eddie Moore, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Dane Piedt, Rudi Second, Lutho Sipamla, Khaya Zondo

LONDON -- Rafael Nadal has the utmost respect for Wimbledon's host All-England Club, but he also believes the club's unique rules, which elevated Roger Federer above him to the No. 2 seeding, are unfair.

"I respect the Wimbledon rules," Nadal said at his pre-tournament news conference Saturday. "... If I believe that is fair or not, that's another story. I really personally believe [it] is not. But I really respect the tournament so much. I really respect the history of this event. I really understand that they see the sport from another perspective. They want to do it by their own rules."

The unfair "rules" Nadal was referring to is the special formula Wimbledon uses to develop seedings that sometimes depart from the standard ATP rankings, which serve as the seedings at all the other sanctioned tournaments, including the other three majors.

Wimbledon's formula is a mathematically based calculation that gives extra weight to a player's ATP record on grass then seeds in accordance with the adjusted results, elevating some players at the expense of those who don't often play, or play poorly, on grass.

Lifting Federer to No. 2 has conspicuous negative consequences for Nadal this year. The No. 3 seed always faces the task of beating both men seeded above him -- one in the semifinals, the other in the final. In addition, the draw also set up a potential second-round clash between Nadal and the always dangerous -- and unpredictable -- Nick Kyrgios, who has beaten Nadal at Wimbledon before.

"The system is the way it is," Federer said Saturday. "It used to be different. ... There's not much we the players can add to the story, other than we just deal with it.

"At the end of the day, if you want to win the tournament, you got to go through all the players that are in front of you. And now that the draw is out, we move on."

The formula used by Wimbledon was launched in 2001, following a few years during which the tournament committee's seemingly arbitrary elevation of grass-court experts over higher-ranked clay-court specialists led to, among other things, a boycott of Wimbledon by some top Spanish players. While the new formula guaranteed transparency, Wimbledon is the only sanctioned tournament to take surface -- rather than simple ranking -- into account in seedings.

The main complaint about the formula now is that significant changes have created grass courts that play much more like hard courts these days than the sui generis, low-bounce, slippery grass courts of the past. Thus, making allowances for grass-court expertise is no longer necessary.

"We knew that the system was in place," Federer said. "I guess the system is, you know, it rewards you for playing a lot on the grass, well on grass. I guess I benefited from that. That was not part of my plan the last few years. Just happens that this year I get bumped up. Kevin Anderson got bumped up."

Defending Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic seems to support Nadal.

"It's their rules, and you have to respect it, " Djokovic said of this year's seedings at an exhibition last week. "It's a little bit surprising, to be honest."

Nadal also appeared to send a message of protest to his own player association, the ATP.

"We [the ATP] are an organization that we give 2,000 [ranking] points to this event," Nadal said. "[We're] supposed to have something to say about [these] Wimbledon rules when we are giving them the maximum points possible in one event."

Wimbledon has always insisted on retaining its autonomy as a Grand Slam event, while cooperating with the ATP and the other slams. The ATP did not protest when Wimbledon adopted its seeding formula.

The Milwaukee Bucks plan to waive veteran guard George Hill, who was part of the team's "Bench Mob" during its run to the Eastern Conference finals this season, a source confirmed to ESPN.

Hill joined the Bucks in December when the Cleveland Cavaliers dealt him in a three-team trade. He averaged 6.8 points and 2.6 rebounds in 47 regular-season games for Milwaukee.

The 33-year-old upped his production to 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in the playoffs. Hill was often the first player off the bench for the Bucks, and he coined the rallying "Bench Mob" phrase.

Hill had one year and $18 million remaining on his contract, but only $1 million of that is guaranteed before July 2.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported that Hill is expected to be waived.

ESPN's Malika Andrews contributed to this report.

The Denver Nuggets have exercised a $30 million option on forward Paul Millsap's contract for next season, bringing back a key player for the franchise's pursuit of a Western Conference title, league sources told ESPN on Saturday.

Denver can keep Millsap, hold onto its $9.2M mid-level exception and still stay out of the luxury tax next season.

Millsap, a four-time All-Star, averaged 12.6 points and 7.2 rebounds a game for the Nuggets. Denver (54-28) had the second-best record in the West and reached Game 7 of the conference semifinals against the Portland Trail Blazers. 

Denver has 12 of its players set to return next season, including a young core of All-NBA center Nikola Jokic and guard Jamal Murray.

"From how I want to do it, how I want my story to be told, [this is] definitely the group that can help me do it," Millsap told reporters after the season about wanting to stay with the Nuggets. "That's definitely a dream and a goal of mine. I think it's the goal for everybody, especially the younger guys."

Millsap ranked third among NBA power forwards -- trailing only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis -- in real plus-minus (4.24). 

Across 13 NBA seasons with the Jazz, Hawks and Nuggets, Millsap has averaged 14.1 points and 7.4 rebounds. He's shot 49% from the field.

Free-agent stars Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard have been discussing scenarios that could include a future with them playing together, league sources told ESPN.

For now, there are two clear possibilities for the All-NBA forwards to sign into the same franchise -- the LA Clippers and New York Knicks.

Durant and Leonard are planning to talk with each of those teams once free agency opens Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, league sources said.

Leonard and Durant are each planning discussions and meetings with several teams, but only the Clippers and Knicks are in alignment with salary-cap space and common interest to sign both players. Brooklyn could conceivably house both, but a more likely scenario would be Durant and point guard Kyrie Irving signing as free agents with the Nets. Brooklyn is firmly Irving's focus in free agency, league sources said.

Leonard is expected to meet with the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Knicks and Toronto Raptors upon the opening of free agency. Durant is planning conversations with the Clippers, Knicks, Nets and Warriors, league sources told ESPN.

LONDON -- Major League Baseball has scrapped plans to open its 2020 season in Asia and hopes to play more games in Europe.

MLB started its season in Tokyo for the fifth time in 2019, and its labor contract with the players' association called for a 2020 opener in Asia.

"We just decided it probably wasn't the right time to try to do it," Manfred said Saturday.

This season, in addition to Tokyo and London, MLB had two series in Monterrey, Mexico.

"We have a fairly small international staff," Manfred said. "This was a really aggressive play for us this year."

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox play MLB's first games in Europe this weekend at London's Olympic Stadium, the home of Premier League soccer club West Ham.

The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals are to play at the same venue next June.

"I would like to have sustained play in Europe," Manfred said. "I'm glad we're coming back next year. I'd like to be back after that. But I am interested in having play in other cities in Europe."

Manfred would not identify which cities interest him.

"We're really at a very preliminary point. They key thing with any city is the facility," he said. "A lot of people will tell you they can build a ballpark. Until you get on the ground and figure whether a particular facility can be configured for baseball, it's just premature to get into other cities."

Manfred said 70% of the tickets for the Yankees-Red Sox games were sold in Britain and 30% in the United States. Red Sox season-ticket holders purchased an average of 5,831 seats per game and Yankees buyers 4,752 during the presale.

"We're trying to bring baseball to the U.K., so that 70% is important to us," he said. "That 30% is our most loyal, devoted, interested fan base, and the fact that those people want to travel either from New York or Boston to see a Yankees-Red Sox game, it's not bad news for us either."

MLB hopes the games in London grow European fan engagement and player development.

"We have 20 people from Europe under contract with major league organizations," Manfred said. "We'd like to see that number grow. Obviously when you have a European player, a player from a particular country making his mark in the major leagues, it drives interest among the people in that country, and that's really important for us."

The NFL has played regular-season games annually in London since 2007, and the NBA since 2011. The NHL opened its 2007-08 season at London's O2 Arena but has not returned.

"Playing in Europe presents some challenges for us that the NFL doesn't have," Manfred said. "It's a lot easier for them to play in a soccer/football stadium, virtually impossible for us. So we do have additional challenges."

LONDON -- Have you ever felt like we're surrounded? Like there is something out there following us, wherever we go in the world? Something inescapable?

Well, there is. It's the New York Yankees hat.

I first realized this a few years ago. I was in Pazardzhik, which is a small town in rural Bulgaria. How rural? There were horses pulling carriages through parts of the village. Most of the buildings were blocks of concrete built in Soviet times. All the signs were written in Cyrillic. It is among the least American places I have ever visited.

And yet, as I stumbled around, looking for a spot to buy a bottled water, there it was, an oasis of familiarity in the traveler's desert of confusion, perched upon the head of a man reading a newspaper at a bus stop.

The interlocking N-Y.

The man and I met eyes. I said, "Yankees?" to him, and he looked confused. I went closer, gesturing toward his navy blue cap this time. He smiled. "USA!" he said. I suddenly felt at home.

Turns out, they are everywhere. I stumbled off a red-eye flight to Tbilisi, the capital of the Republic of Georgia, only to be picked up by a cab driver wearing one. In Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, it was the guy behind the counter at the gym. In Kazakhstan, I saw one on a young lady selling SIM cards in a street market. In Albania, it was the security guard in front of the soccer stadium. In London, where the New York Yankees play the Boston Red Sox in the two-game London Series this weekend, they're pretty much anywhere you look.

At the risk of sounding like Dr. Seuss, let me put it this way:

I have seen them worn in Russia and I've seen them in Dubai.

I have seen them in Korea on both ladies and on guys.

I'm also not the only one who has noticed this phenomenon. In conversations with friends and other travelers, stories came gushing in of sightings at the Sydney Opera House and the seaport in Senegal. Geneva, sure, but also Guinea. My friend Kevin told me he recently started counting Yankees hats while visiting Shanghai Disney Resort in China but stopped after he got to more than two dozen in the first 20 minutes. In fact, nearly everyone I spoke to who has done any kind of international traveling seems to have a story about the strangest place they encountered a Yankees hat, including the president of the New York Yankees.

Randy Levine, who has been with the team since 2000, said his weirdest moment came shortly after he arrived in Beijing on a business trip more than a decade ago. Racked by jet lag, he went to visit Tiananmen Square at 1 a.m. when he promptly came across a group of three young Chinese men and one woman wearing Yankees hats.

With his interpreter in tow, Levine walked up to the group and asked excitedly, "Do you like the Yankees?"

One of the men replied quickly, and the interpreter turned to Levine with a tinge of regret. "We don't know what the Yankees are," the interpreter whispered, "... but we like the hats.'"

That kind of reply is actually more common than you might think. While most team logos are almost inextricably linked to the team itself -- it's hard to imagine anyone outside the United States looking at, say, the Orioles' cartoonish bird logo and immediately thinking of Baltimore -- the Yankees hat is appealing to many simply because it smacks of New York.

Add in its long-running presence in films, television shows and music videos -- Jay-Z alone has made the Yankees hat a pop-culture fashion classic -- and even Major League Baseball officials are quick to admit that a large percentage of the people wearing Yankees hats abroad have little idea they're supporting anything other than New York City.

"Some of the research we've seen is that the Yankee logo is a sign of quality," said Jim Small, MLB's senior vice president for international. "There's a certain brand equity that the Yankees have ... that while maybe people don't know it's connected to a baseball team, they know that it is about quality. And that's powerful."

Part of that, obviously, comes from success -- winning 27 World Series titles doesn't hurt. But the Yankees have purposely worked to cultivate their brand internationally, too, signing a partnership agreement with the Chinese national baseball federation in 2007, even before MLB had a leaguewide one. They also did marketing deals with big-name global sports teams such as the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo, and Manchester United (first) and Manchester City (more recently) in England.

In recent years, more and more major league clubs have worked to grow their brand internationally, including the Boston Red Sox, who are led by an ownership group that also runs European soccer champions Liverpool.

Still, the Yankees remain the standard, if for no reason other than sheer tonnage. The next time you go to Cameroon or Cambodia, Swaziland or Switzerland, take a walk through a public park or city square and look around.

It almost surely won't be long before you realize what many already know:

Wherever you are, a Yankees hat is never that far away.

An incredible opening ceremonies to tonight's opener of the London Series at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The anthems of both countries were beautifully sung, and competitors from the Invictus Games threw out first pitches to Yankees starter CC Sabathia and Red Sox starter Chris Sale. Joining the competitors on the field were the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.