WILMETTE, Ill. — In this month’s edition of the Business of Speed, we examine the financial and operational performance of the largest public companies in the motorsports sector.

International Speedway Corp. (ISCA)

For 2018, International Speedway Corp. posted revenue of $673.2 million, an increase of .5 percent from the previous year. The company continued its revenue growth for the fourth straight year.

Broadcasting revenue was the largest driver of the motorsports and event-related income category. Admissions, food and beverage remained under pressure as ticket sales remained under pressure as attendance was stagnant at many events..

ISCA’s operating income was $97.4 million, or 14.5 percent of revenue. This is a slight decrease from 2017, due to rises in NASCAR event (sanctioning fees) and motorsports event-related expenses. The company recognized a benefit from the tax act, which raised its net income.

Overall, management placed emphasis on its disciplined approach to financial management, long-term broadcast partnerships and commitment to consumer-focused sales and marketing initiatives that provide good value to fans.

Speedway Motorsports Inc. (TRK)

Speedway Motorsports showed a revenue increase of $3.5 million to $461.9 million in 2018. The addition of a second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the reconfiguration of the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway were positive contributors to the bottom line. NASCAR broadcasting revenue was 47 percent of total revenue and exceeded admission revenue by almost 2.7 times.

The impact of changing demographics, evolving media content consumption and the lingering effects of lower consumer and corporate spending will continue to challenge the company going forward.

Dover Motorsports (DVD)

For 2018, Dover Motorsports had $47 million in revenue and an operating income of $7.2 million. The slight increase was from higher broadcasting revenue, partially offset by lower admissions revenue.  The company recognized a gain from the sale of land at Nashville Superspeedway, which closed in 2011.

The NASCAR broadcast contract is worth $32.9 million annually and the company’s annual purse and sanction fees are about $17.8 million.

Formula One (FWONK)

Liberty Media’s Formula One revenue was $1.83 billion, a 2 percent increase from the prior year. There were 21 races, one more than the previous year.

Formula One generates revenue in four different categories: race promotion fees — (33.8%); broadcasting fees — (33.1%); advertising and sponsorship fees — (14.6%); and other revenue (18.4%).

Formula One’s operating expenses were $1.27 billion or 70 percent of revenue.

Expenses included team payments of $913 million, which was an increase of $5 million compared to 2017.

Other expense increases were due to logistics and travel expenses, higher costs associated with providing the chassis and component parts to F2 and GP3 teams, digital media development and spending on fan engagement.

Executives noted that Formula One audience figures increased across television and digital platforms for the second year in a row. Social media followers and average attendance per race weekend also increased.

The announcement of the intentions of International Speedway Corp. and Speedway Motorsports to go private were unprecedented.

As a result, speculation began that NASCAR could acquire both entities. Times have definitely changed since the contention of antitrust violations over track and race date changes 15 years ago.

The industry continues to seek growth opportunities with sports betting, esports and additional fan engagement initiatives.

JOLIET, Ill. – Joey Logano raced to the pole position for the Camping World 300 during NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying on Saturday afternoon at Chicagoland Speedway.

Logano, the lone Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular in this week’s field, toured the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval in 30.413 seconds (177.556 mph) with his No. 12 Snap-On Ford Mustang for Team Penske.

The reigning Cup Series champion notched his 36th career Xfinity Series pole and is seeking his third career Xfinity win at Chicagoland. He previously won at the track in 2009 and 2013.

“I was actually a little surprised at that,” noted Logano. “I didn’t think it was that good of a lap, in all honesty. I was pretty sideways, but I guess everyone else was, too. It’s awesome to bring this No. 12 team to a pole, because we don’t run with them every week, so sometimes there’s little things that we have to figure out when we get to the race track that full-time teams have as old hat.

“We were pretty far off when we unloaded, but we keep getting closer, and I think we might have a car that can win this thing,” he added. “It’s good for one lap; hopefully it’s good for the rest of them.”

Cole Custer will join Logano on the front row after a lap of 30.424 seconds (177.491 mph) with the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang.

Ross Chastain and Justin Allgaier will share the second row of the grid in a pair of Chevrolet Camaros, with Christopher Bell slotting in fifth as the fastest Toyota driver.

Bell’s teammate Brandon Jones qualified sixth, followed by Austin Cindric, Riley Herbst, defending series champion Tyler Reddick and Noah Gragson.

With 41 cars on the grounds for 38 starting spots, Josh Bilicki, Joe Nemechek and Morgan Shepherd failed to qualify for Saturday’s race.

The Camping World 300 is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET start time, with live coverage on NBCSN, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

To view the full starting lineup, advance to the next page.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Terry Pegula assesses the disappointment of eight-plus years of owning the Buffalo Sabres and says it's time his team started winning.

He cited new coach Ralph Krueger and a talented core of young players, led by captain Jack Eichel, as reasons to be optimistic during an interview with The Associated Press.

Though saying he follows a philosophy of never being content with where he is in life, Pegula, 68, stressed he is an optimist by nature and refuses to give in to frustration.

Acknowledging that mistakes were made, Pegula said he doesn't take the Sabres' "poor results" personally and believes "everything's pointing up."

Little has gone right for Pegula, who also owns the NFL's Buffalo Bills, since purchasing the Sabres in February 2011. The team has finished last in the overall standings three times in six years and have a franchise-worst eight-year playoff drought -- the NHL's longest active streak.

We are down to the final eight teams in the Gold Cup. Central American stalwarts Honduras and El Salvador have gone home, while surprises abound like Curacao and Haiti, plus the top teams in the region like Mexico and the United States.

Here is the lowdown on each of the four quarterfinal clashes:

HAITI vs. CANADA

WHERE: NRG Stadium, Houston WHEN: Saturday 7:00 PM ET

THE STORY SO FAR: For the first time in its history, Haiti finished atop their Gold Cup group and head into the knockout round after posting a perfect record in the group stage. As the youngest team in the tournament -- average age 24.33 -- Haiti have been a revelation and completely overwhelmed Costa Rica in the group finale to lock down first place.

Canada have also turned heads with their play. Never before had Canada even reached double digits in goals in a Gold Cup -- not even in their 2000 Gold Cup conquest and 2007 semifinal finish -- so to already have scored 12 goals is a sign of the budding attack force that Canada is growing. The forward line of Lucas Cavallini and Jonathan David have combined for nine goals.

HAITI WILL ADVANCE IF: They stay defensively sound and take advantage of their chances in front of goal. Canada will test them like no other team so far in this tournament, so discipline in the back will be crucial. Up front Haiti cannot afford to spoil the scoring chances it has created. The Canada back line had some nervy moments with Martinique and gave up three to Mexico. Haiti must make them pay.

CANADA WILL ADVANCE IF: The defense does not get stretched by Haiti's devastating counterattack and David and Cavallini keep their scorching-hot scoring boots on. Doneil Henry and Derek Cornelius are showing some chemistry as the center backs, while Milan Borjan is an unsung hero in goal and Sam Piette is calm as the holding midfielder. The versatility of the Canadian wingers also gives good versatility to head coach John Herdman's attack.

KEY MAN, HAITI: Steeven Saba

Saba is a workhorse in midfield for Les Grenadiers. He is efficient with his passing and seems to control any midfield in which he plays by winning every 50-50 ball. He can tilt the game in Haiti's favor.

KEY MAN, CANADA: Alphonso Davies

Davies has lurked in the shadows of this tournament while others have grabbed the spotlight. But now in the knockout round, this is the time for Davies to be a difference maker. He is capable of beating any defender in the Gold Cup 1v1. It's his moment.

PREDICTION: Haiti 1-2 Canada.This is the most even of all the quarterfinals, but Canada boast just a tad more quality and have the best player on the field in Davies. They should have enough to edge the Haitians.

MEXICO vs. COSTA RICA

WHERE: NRG Stadium, Houston WHEN: Saturday 9:30 PM ET

THE STORY SO FAR: Mexico marched to a perfect group stage record in the Gold Cup for the first time since 2011. That Gold Cup-winning side from eight years ago boasted all of Mexico's top players. This one does not, yet even without the likes of Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, Carlos Vela and Hirving Lozano, the Mexico attack has poured in 13 goals and allowed just three against Cuba, Canada and Martinique. They are flying under Gerardo "Tata" Martino.

Costa Rica have failed to convince thus far, but still had enough to take home second place in the group. Benefitting from an opening match at home, they throttled Nicaragua, but looked off in a narrow win over Bermuda and then were put to the sword in the second half by an impressive Haiti side.

MEXICO WILL ADVANCE IF: Mexico have scored at least three goals in every match during Martino's tenure, and there's no reason why that can't continue. Andres Guardado and Jonathan dos Santos pull the strings in midfield, while up top Uriel Antuna has been a revelation with four goals, and Raul Jimenez -- called Mexico's "most important striker" by Martino -- is arguably the best No. 9 in the tournament. There's little reason to think Los Ticos can toe-to-toe with the Mexico attack.

COSTA RICA WILL ADVANCE IF: It will be imperative for Costa Rica to slow the game down. Having a chippy, physical contest will benefit head coach Gustavo Matosas' men and could frustrate El Tri. The former Leon and Club America boss knows a thing or two about Mexican football, so he could use all his old tactics to keep Costa Rica in it and then try to steal a late winner.

KEY MAN, MEXICO: Raul Jimenez

This contest sets up perfectly for Jimenez, who was excellent against Martinique with a goal and an assist and now is poised to torment the Tico defense on Saturday night. Hold up play, set pieces, aerial game, Jimenez will be Mexico's main man.

KEY MAN, COSTA RICA: Leonel Moreira

This one is going to be mainly one-way traffic, so the Costa Rica goalkeeper Leonel Moreira will have to do his best Keylor Navas impression and keep the Mexican attack at bay as much as possible.

PREDICTION: Mexico 3-0 Costa Rica. Mexico's goalscoring ways continue against an old, slow and out-of-sorts Costa Rica that won't be able to stop the attack for an entire 90 minutes.

JAMAICA vs. PANAMA

WHERE: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia WHEN: Sunday 5:30 PM ET

THE STORY SO FAR: In the most even group of all, Jamaica kept their cool the best, using a home opener in Kingston to earn three points against Honduras before relying on their defense to secure back-to-back draws against El Salvador and Curacao. Defense has carried the day for the Reggae Boyz.

A year after reaching their World Cup apex, Panama have started to instill some new blood with the return of Julio Dely Valdes as manager, and the Canaleros had no problems handling Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana before falling narrowly to the U.S. Panama are adopting the look of a team that will be a tough out, no matter the opponent.

JAMAICA WILL ADVANCE IF: Their dangermen Leon Bailey and Shamar Nicholson must win their one-on-one battles against the Panama defense. Bailey was a ballyhooed addition to the Jamaica squad before the tournament, but he has not broken out yet. If Bailey raises his level, Jamaica should take it.

PANAMA WILL ADVANCE IF: Panama can be a threat to Jamaica on dead balls. Jamaica are the most likely team to control the tempo, so it will be up to Panama to make good from those set pieces, and the likes of Edgar Barcenas can do just that.

KEY MAN, JAMAICA: Dever Orgill

Orgill had a brace in the first match and with much of the attention expected to be on Bailey and Nicholson, Orgill could once again be the beneficiary. He'll need to show the same cutting edge against Panama as he did against Honduras.

KEY MAN, PANAMA: Edgar Barcenas

The Panama No. 10 has to be the man that makes it happen for the Canaleros, whether via the counterattack or on set pieces. He is arguably Dely Valdes' most creative player and has the ice-in-his-veins edge of a striker when a chance needs to be finished.

PREDICTION: Jamaica 1-0 Panama, Another close affair in which chances will be few and far between, but Jamaica have the goods to see this one through. Damion Lowe and Kemar Lawrence are so good in defense and will keep Panama under wraps to allow the attack to score one.

UNITED STATES vs. CURACAO

WHERE: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia WHEN: Sunday 7:00 PM ET

THE STORY SO FAR: The U.S. endured a horrific run-up to the tournament with dreadful losses to Jamaica and Venezuela, but things have improved since the start of the tournament, as the U.S. is yet to give up a goal through three matches against Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Panama. Granted, it's not like they have been pushed, but it has to be a positive for a team looking to win back some fans.

Curacao hands down have been the surprise of the tournament. After a narrow, hard-fought 1-0 loss to El Salvador, they stunned Honduras 1-0 and then struck late to earn a draw with Jamaica. Whether it ends on Sunday or not, this has already been a wildly successful Gold Cup for Curacao.

UNITED STATES WILL ADVANCE IF: They strike early. Curacao have not faced the talent that the U.S. possesses up top and there is no reason to think that Christian Pulisic and Tyler Boyd won't do damage. Those two can open things up for the U.S.

CURACAO WILL ADVANCE IF: Goalkeeper Eloy Room shows the same form he had against Honduras when he saved a billion shots and if they can break down a still susceptible U.S. back line with a second half counter attack, Curacao can send more shockwaves through the region.

KEY MAN, UNITED STATES: Tyler Boyd

This match is set up for him to wreak havoc with his movement and speed against a Curacao defense that has holes. If Boyd gets an early goal, it could become a monster night for the national team's new arrival.

KEY MAN, CURACAO: Leandro Bacuna

Curacao will need a veteran with plenty of big-game experience to help manage the game and the former Premier League man fits the bill. Slowing down the game, drawing fouls and then striking on a counterattack is how Bacuna can make the U.S. uncomfortable and possibly pull off one of the greatest Gold Cup upsets ever.

PREDICTION: United States 2-0 Curacao. It won't be easy and there will be some anxious moments for the hosts, but the U.S. will eventually find a way past a valiant Curacao with a couple second half goals, as the U.S.'s depth and rested legs will win out in the final half hour.

Big picture

Three weeks ago, you might have well looked at June 30 and locked it down as a clash for the top two spots. India are right up there, one of the top two spots very much in their sight, but England have run into trouble.

Back-to-back losses to Sri Lanka and Australia have left England looking frantically for their wallet while the world is at their party, the one they promised to make a grand, big-scoring spectacle. Asking someone else to pay would be too embarrassing, even though Pakistan and Bangladesh would gladly do the needful. They need to find it - their mojo, really - soon, which means beating India and New Zealand in what is potentially a week that will be a real test of their 'new' England claims.

England might gamble on the not-yet-100% Jason Roy and Jofra Archer. There is the risk of losing them later in the tournament, but Eoin Morgan has clarified that they would be fielded only if the risk is short-term, and not long-term. Roy has missed three games because of a hamstring injury, while Archer has been slightly down on pace because of a side strain. The paceman was present at training briefly on Saturday, perhaps because the team management didn't want to exert him.

As for India, they may be unbeaten, but their batting, after Virat Kohli at No. 3, looks slightly unsettled. Vijay Shankar is under pressure to keep his place, but Kohli believes "he is close to playing a defining knock". Perhaps a sign that Vijay will get at least another game. Considering India play Bangladesh on the bounce, the coaching staff also spent considerable time with Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik, the back-up batsmen, in the nets in the lead-up to the England game.

Then there is the question of team balance. Mohammed Shami's rip-roaring form means he should be a shoo-in, which Kohli said without quite saying at the pre-match press conference. This leaves their lower order without the insurance of Bhuvneshwar Kumar at No. 8, leaving the tail beginning at that number. It will be interesting to see if they take the aggressive route by continuing to persist with the same five-bowler theory or try and find ways to bring in Ravindra Jadeja, which may possibly need them to separate the wrist-spinning duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, or leave out Kedar Jadhav. It's a tricky call better made now than in a knockout game.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)

England: LLWWW

India: WWDWW

in the spotlight

The "people are waiting for us to fail" response to Michael Vaughan (and others) on Twitter has brought attention on Jonny Bairstow. While he has received support from former captain Nasser Hussain, the only way to get out of the sticky wicket is by scoring runs. As such, Bairstow has had a decent tournament without getting to wow level. Scores of 27 and 0 in his last two outings, clubbed with the possible return of Roy after a two-week break, puts the onus on Bairstow to drive the innings against arguably the tournament's best attack.

Vijay Shankar hasn't had a shocker of a tournament as scores of 15*, 29 and 14, along with a couple of wickets against Pakistan, indicate. However, when you have Pant and Karthik waiting in the reserves, every opportunity matters. Vijay has exhibited good technique and maturity. The Kemar Roach delivery that got him may have troubled most others, while the lbw call against Afghanistan could have gone either way. All said and done, there's nothing like the backing of a solid hit and a score to present your case and with the firm backing of his captain, Vijay would be itching to do just that.

Team news

James Vince is set to make way if Roy plays.

England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Mark Wood

India are likely to remain unchanged, unless they want to tinker with the line-up to fit Jadeja in.

India: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

New Zealand rued leaving out legspinner Ish Sodhi on what what many experts likened to a fifth-day Edgbaston track against Pakistan. However, the surface for Sunday's game is a fresh one. England's director of cricket and former spinner Ashley Giles reckons this will be the "best batting pitch of the tournament".

Strategy punt

• Since July 2015, MS Dhoni's strike rate against legspin is a poor 58.05. This tournament, that number has come down to 39.29 over the 28 deliveries he has faced against them. And against offspin this tournament, he strikes at 33.33. There couldn't have been an easier memo for England: get Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid on while Dhoni is looking to get in.

• Jadhav's economy of 5.16 against left-handers is a tad better than the corresponding numbers against right-handers. England have three left-handers in the middle order - Ben Stokes, Morgan and Moeen. As such, Jadhav hasn't been needed much, but should India find themselves challenged, he may not be a bad option for Kohli.

Stats and trivia

• The chasing side has won each of the last five completed ODIs at Edgbaston.

• The only kind of bowling Morgan averages less than 40 and strikes at less than 100 against since 2017 is left-arm fast. India don't have one this tournament.

• Since 2017, 75% of Jos Buttler's 50-plus scores have resulted in England wins. For Morgan, that number stands at 90%.

• India have taken nine wickets per match on an average, the best among the ten teams in this World Cup. Their average of 24.7 is also right up there.

• Shami has eight wickets in two games, including a hat-trick, but his record against England is poor - 12 wickets in ten games with a wicket every 37 balls, his third-worst bowling record against an opposition.

Quotes

"I sort of recall the Champions Trophy final we played here against India. It was a complete away game. We had a number of fans in the ground, but the noise the Indian fans make with horns makes it that much louder. So yes, tomorrow will feel like an away game."
Eoin Morgan knows it'll feel more like Eden Gardens than Edgbaston on Sunday

"Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] is recovering very fast. When he gets fit, it's going to be a bit of a headache for us to see what we're going to do, but we'll take the best call for the team at that moment, and I'm sure everyone will understand."
Virat Kohli hints at a change of heart on their second fast bowler

"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.