Shikhar Dhawan's World Cup has come to end midway through India's campaign. The opening batsman suffered a hairline fracture to his left thumb during his century against Australia on June 9 and hasn't recovered well enough to play the tournament.

Rishabh Pant, who was rushed in as a cover by the BCCI on June 11, two days after Dhawan suffered the blow, and trained with the Indian squad in Manchester ahead of the Pakistan match, will be Dhawan's replacement.

Dhawan was present in Southampton today during the Indian training session, with his left hand wrapped in bandage. According to the BCCI, Dhawan's hand is expected to be in cast beyond the World Cup, which ends on July 14.

Speaking at a media briefing, India team manager Sunil Subramaniam read from a note: "Shikhar has a fracture at the base of his first metacarpal on his left hand [thumb]. Following several specialist opinions, he will remain in a cast until July, mid-July, which rules him out of the ICC World Cup 2019.

"We've requested for a replacement, we've written to ICC and requested for Rishabh Pant as replacement."

"I feel emotional to announce that I will no longer be a part of #CWC19. Unfortunately, the thumb won't recover on time. But the show must go on," Dhawan tweeted a while after the announcement.

It was an unfortunate blow for Dhawan, and the team, considering it was only their second group match after winning the opening fixture against South Africa. The injury took place while Dhawan was hit in his gloves by a short Pat Cummins delivery. Dhawan carried on batting and scored a century, which earned him the Man of the Match award as India won by 36 runs. However, he did not field during the Australia innings.

I feel emotional to announce that I will no longer be a part of #CWC19. Unfortunately, the thumb won't recover on time. But the show must go on.. I'm grateful for all the love & support from my team mates, cricket lovers & our entire nation. Jai Hind!pic.twitter.com/zx8Ihm3051

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) June 19, 2019

He travelled to Leeds to meet a surgeon after that, where the fracture was diagnosed. The Indian selectors opted to take time on the matter and not name a replacement immediately following a positive appraisal from the team's medical staff led by physio Patrick Farhart.

Another significant factor behind the reluctance of the selectors and the team management to name a replacement in a hurry was Dhawan's record at various global tournaments. Dhawan was the highest scorer in each of the last five multi-team (five-plus teams) ODI tournaments for India: Champions Trophy 2013, Asia Cup 2014, World Cup 2015, Champions Trophy 2017 and Asia Cup 2018.

Against Australia, where he batted deep into the innings, the left-handed Dhawan had blunted the Australian slow bowlers, including legspinner Adam Zampa. After the washout against New Zealand in Nottingham in the third match, Indian captain Virat Kohli underlined Dhawan's importance to the team. "We want to hold him back, keep him here, because he wants to play. I think that kind of mindset will help in healing the injury as well as he really wants to play," Kohli had told the host broadcaster on June 14 while discussing the team's plans vis-à-vis Dhawan.

Pant's inclusion, meanwhile, didn't come as a surprise. A debate had erupted when Pant did not figure in the original 15-man World Cup squad. Eminent cricketing minds like Ricky Ponting, Pant's coach at Delhi Capitals in the IPL, felt the Indian selectors might have missed out on an X-factor player by ignoring the 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman. Instead, Vijay Shankar and Dinesh Karthik had been picked ahead of Pant and Ambati Rayudu, who was part of the squad in the last series India had played before the World Cup.

Pant, who has only played five ODIs (93 runs in four innings, at an average of 23.25 and strike rate of 130.08), was, however, named as one of the five stand-by players by the selectors. Being a left-hander, a very explosive one at that, the selectors felt Pant was a good replacement for Dhawan and could be fitted into the middle-order with KL Rahul now being pushed up as Rohit Sharma's opening partner.

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Lancashire 236 (Croft 53, Reece 6-58) and 4 for 0 beat Derbyshire 153 (Anderson 5-18) and 84 (Onions 5-38, Anderson 4-29) by 10 wickets

With the start of the Ashes six weeks away, the health of Jimmy Anderson is one of England's prime concerns. MI5 probably have surveillance officers monitoring his every movement, poised to warn of anything disturbing like a bit of a limp or, even worse, the merest sign of a smile.

Intelligence reports from Derby will be filed away with satisfaction. Another four wickets on the third morning for Anderson, and nine in the match at a cost of only 47 runs. Fitness and rhythm exceeding expectations at this stage. Grumpiness at a promising level when the ball kept passing the outside edge. Too many of those to count.

Recommendation: With Lancashire top of Division Two, and 10 days' inactivity until their next game, against Durham at Sedbergh School, surveillance can be called back. MI5 resources perhaps better employed taking a closer look at Stuart Broad.

The only concern surrounds the fact that the opening day of the Ashes is on Yorkshire Day. As a Lancastrian, Anderson's mood cannot be reliably predicted.

Twenty-eight Championship wickets at 8.64 runs apiece have massaged Anderson's mood and, if they have come disturbingly easily, his method looks as ingrained as ever. At 36, his fitness and suppleness remains exemplary. He bowls when he wants and comes off when he chooses.

Derbyshire resumed at 19 for 4, 64 runs away from making Lancashire bat again. It was a modest aim, but as helpful bowling conditions persisted into the third day it was an entirely realistic one. They managed to set Lancashire two runs to win, Keaton Jennings avoided a pair by thick edging the first ball for four and everything was wrapped up five minutes before lunch. As Derbyshire's director of cricket, Dave Houghton remarked: "It was our first drubbing of the season and we've been given a good hiding."

Derbyshire's fifth-wicket pair survived for 50 minutes more by luck than judgment against Anderson and Graham Onions. Frustration was welling up; the surveillance team by the sightscreen began to fret about possible overload.

Anderson, in solemn mood, applauded Alex Hughes with good humour for managing to leave a wide one after endless playing and missing. Four byes when a bouncer sailed over Harvey Hosein's head did not disturb him, nor did a hook shot from the same batsmen which fell close to Onions at long leg. At least it was Onions who suffered a bad drop at first slip by Jennings when Hughes managed to make contact.

Then three wickets in seven balls restored equilibrium and the pessimism of Derbyshire supporters was proved to be based on decades of evidence. Anderson claimed the first two. Hughes got bat on an outswinger and then Matt Critchley, seeking out the leg-side as is his habit, was lbw and left gesturing that he touched it.

The third fell to Onions, a simple catch at first slip to remove Luis Reece who had been demoted to No. 8 because of injury and didn't really look up for it. Logan van Beek drove Anderson to gully and Onions mopped up the last two, including Hosein, who resisted diligently until he was caught behind for 29.

Five to Anderson, four to Onions and the promise of a dry afternoon to return to Manchester. When it comes to fast bowlers, especially vintage ones, the fear is that something could go wrong at any moment. Nothing did. Quite the opposite.

Middlesex 410 (Stirling 138, Robson 107) and 125 for 4 (Gubbins 38) drew with Glamorgan 288 (Lloyd 59, Labuschagne 51, Cullen 50, Finn 5-75)

Rain washed away hopes of a final-day run chase at Radlett as Middlesex and Glamorgan were forced to settle for a draw.

Middlesex, who held a 247-run advantage when play was halted with 58 overs scheduled to be bowled, appeared to be toying with the idea of setting their visitors a target.

But the bad weather that had already disrupted days one and three returned to dispel any possibility of a positive outcome to the inaugural County Championship fixture at Cobden Hill.

The draw leaves Middlesex with just one victory from their first seven Championship games, while Glamorgan remain undefeated this season and will go into the second half of the campaign occupying a promotion spot.

The initial target for the Welshmen, resuming at 274 for 9 in the morning, was to try and snatch an additional batting bonus point by hitting the 300 mark.

They fell 12 runs short despite the efforts of Graham Wagg, who eventually perished for 48 as he heaved a Tom Helm bouncer into the hands of Nick Gubbins, running in from the boundary.

However, Middlesex appeared reluctant to force the pace and build on their 122-run lead at the start of their second innings, with tight bowling by Marchant de Lange and Lukas Carey restricting them to only two boundaries in the first 15 overs.

Timm Van der Gugten made the breakthrough for the visitors, with Marnus Labuschagne snapping up Stevie Eskinazi at point, while opening partner Sam Robson hit 36 before he fell to Charlie Hemphrey's superbly-judged catch in the deep.

Gubbins did appear keen to accelerate proceedings, blazing four fours and a six in his breezy knock of 38 before he departed lbw, attempting to reverse-sweep Labuschagne, who took 2 for 25.

Dawid Malan followed that up with 18 from as many deliveries, but he was caught behind off de Lange for the second time in the match as the home side struggled to gain traction.

Paul Stirling and George Scott advanced the Middlesex total to 125 for 4 from 33 overs before light drizzle developed into heavier rain and the players left the field at 2.15pm.

Umpires Graham Lloyd and Neil Bainton eventually abandoned the contest at 4pm, with Middlesex taking 12 points to Glamorgan's nine.

Confidence, Mashrafe Mortaza stressed, was high in the Bangladesh camp after the win over West Indies, and key ahead of the upcoming game against Australia, on Thursday at Trent Bridge.

West Indies attacked Bangladesh with a short-ball plan, which didn't work at all. Bangladesh scored 78 in the 36 bouncers they faced without losing a wicket. Overall, in their four matches so far, they have a strike rate of 112.92 against anything short, which is higher than their scoring rate against all other bowling.

ALSO READ: Shakib's simplicity keeps Bangladesh's complex challenge alive

Admittedly, the West Indians overdid it, especially after it didn't have an effect on the Bangladesh batsmen. With Australia, there will likely be a lot of short balls, but there will also be the threat of yorkers from Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, not to mention the short-format guiles of the others like Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff and Kane Richardson. Then come the spinners - Glenn Maxwell has been their frontman there, but Adam Zampa and Nathan Lyon are lurking too.

"I think the Australian bowling attack has a lot of variation," Mashrafe said. "They have Pat Cummins, who can bowl quick and use the change of pace. I think they have a good wrist spinner. Nathan Lyon is there, [Adam] Zampa. So it won't be easy like the other match [against West Indies].

"[But] the confidence is the main thing, which the batsmen have at the moment. I think if we take that confidence into the ground and deliver to our best, and we can assess the wicket very well, you never know."

Of the Bangladeshis, Shakib Al Hasan has been the standout performer so far, but Mashrafe was impressed by the way Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar have batted at the top, and pointed out that others - specifically Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mehidy Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman and Mohammad Saifuddin - have also contributed to the team's cause.

"I won't say Bangladesh is a one-man army," Mashrafe said. "Shakib is scoring runs; that's a great thing for the team. But if you look at it, the other boys have stepped up too. Mustafiz, as I said, took two wickets in the last match. If Saifuddin didn't take that early wicket, everyone knows what Chris Gayle can do. We have had Tamim and Soumya starting well. Mushfiqur is batting well. Mehidy is bowling well.

"But Shakib is an exceptional cricketer. He's playing at his best at the moment. We really appreciate what Shakib is doing but it will be great to see the others continuing what they are also doing."

Australia, though, are a notch above West Indies and South Africa, the two teams Bangladesh have beaten so far, and have a 4-1 win-loss record in the tournament at the moment. But Mashrafe talked up "the confidence from the West Indies win", and the team's improved performance in the last few years, to say that Bangladesh don't always regard opponents, whoever they might be, as unbeatable. The trick might be to take the game as deep as possible.

The 2019 NBA draft is Thursday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN/WatchESPN), and there's little consensus after the top three picks. Last weekend's Anthony Davis trade between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers has also shaken up the proceedings, with New Orleans now holding two of the top four picks and open to trade discussions on No. 4.

Which prospects are the lottery teams likely to select? Who are the potential sleepers? What are the team needs heading into draft night?

Here's everything you need to know about the top players available and all 30 teams before NBA commissioner Adam Silver announces the No. 1 pick.

Full draft order | Trade tracker

Mock draft

How will the draft go down? This top three is looking likely, but anything could happen after that:

• No. 1: New Orleans Pelicans | Zion Williamson

• No. 2: Memphis Grizzlies | Ja Morant

• No. 3: New York Knicks | RJ Barrett

You can get the latest mock draft intel from ESPN's Jonathan Givony right here, updated with the latest movement until the draft officially starts.

Rankings and scouting reports

Here are the likely lottery picks from our top 100 draft rankings:

Get a deeper dive into all the top prospects here:

• Four questions about Ja Morant's star potential

• What is RJ Barrett's real ceiling?

• Who are the best prospects after the top three?

• Full scouting reports on the likely first-round picks

Team needs and assets

Teams don't always address offseason needs at the draft -- and there's a good case that they shouldn't -- but here's how Bobby Marks breaks down each team heading into the offseason.

What future picks can be combined in draft trades? We go team-by-team on all the assets.

Sleepers and steals

Plenty of longtime NBA players slip out of the first round. Our experts give names to watch:

Second-round standouts

• Chuma Okeke | SF/PF | Auburn

• Shamorie Ponds | G | St. John's

• DaQuan Jeffries | F | Tulsa

• Full list

Outliers by draft analytics

These players rank notably higher in Kevin Pelton's stats-only wins above replacement player (WARP) projections than our top-100 rankings.

Film room

Full strengths and weaknesses, scouting reports, highlights -- get it all here.

The education of Zion Williamson

Now that he's officially headed to the NBA, Zion Williamson will enter the draft as the most-talked-about prospect in recent history, but we really don't know very much about him. Mina Kimes explores his South Carolina roots.

NBA free agency: Latest buzz, news and reports

Draft night will set up a wild free agency period that could shake up the league. Get the latest updates here.

Vince Carter's guide for young ballers

Carter has lived through seismic shifts in pro athlete culture and league trends. The smartphone wouldn't land until halfway through his career, and much of the power claimed by players in today's NBA is relatively new. Carter has seen can't-miss talents bust and obscure prospects rise to fame. He has a pretty good sense of why many NBA players succeed or fail and agreed to discuss some of these beliefs with ESPN.

A virtual sports betting game featuring NBA highlights and footage will debut next season in U.S. and European gaming and lottery markets, the league and NBPA announced Wednesday.

"NBA Last 90" will drop contestants into the final 90 seconds of a simulated matchup between two NBA teams and offer wagering propositions on what transpires during the ending of a fictitious game.

NBA partner Highlight Games Limited, a specialist games supplier, stiches together highlights from recent seasons to tell a story of what plays out during the 90 seconds. Contestants will be able to wager on several outcomes, including which team will win, who will score on the first possession and the total points scored by both teams. A random number generator, similar to what's used in slot machines, will determine the outcomes.

Betting on virtual sports is new to the growing U.S. sports betting landscape, but it's already established in European markets. In the United Kingdom, £771.4 million was bet on virtual sports from April 2017 to May 2018, according to the U.K. Gambling Commission. That's three times as much as was wagered on golf during that time period in the U.K.

The interest in virtual betting in Europe caught the NBA's eye, said Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA's head of fantasy and gaming.

"We've been looking at this the past couple years and were really surprised to see how popular this was," Kaufman-Ross told ESPN. "In Europe, we're especially excited about using virtual as another way to engage with our fans with alternative content, especially given the time-zone challenges we have in the region."

The NBA will become the first major U.S. sports league to enter the virtual sports betting market, as it continues to look for ways to embrace and profit from the gaming industry.

"We are extremely excited about this partnership and the potential future opportunities for our players in the virtual gaming space," Josh Goodstadt, executive vice president of licensing for THINK450, the commercial arm of the NBPA, said in a release announcing the virtual betting game. "We look forward to working with the NBA and Highlight Games to create a unique gaming experience that will help to grow the popularity of the players and the league worldwide."

In July 2016, bookmaker William Hill U.S. launched virtual horse racing in Nevada. New Jersey and Pennsylvania also allow betting on virtual events, but it has yet to catch on in the U.S. Virtual horse racing is available at 19 William Hill sportsbooks in Nevada.

Horse racing is believed to be the most popular sport for virtual betting in the U.K., although there are also multiple virtual games for soccer, including Highlight Games' SOCCERBET.

Now, the U.K. company hopes to find success with the NBA.

"Highlight Games has an ambitious strategy to enter the nascent US sports betting and virtual sports market, and this collaboration is the first important step on that journey," Highlight Games CEO Tim Green said in the release. "NBA Last 90 features real NBA stars and real NBA highlights, differentiating it from any other virtual sports product on the market. We're confident that players around the world will be instantly engaged with NBA Last 90."

Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Khris Middleton is declining his $13 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent, his agent told ESPN on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old Middleton is represented by Mike Lindeman of Excel Sports.

Middleton and the Bucks are planning to work together toward a new long-term deal, league sources said. Middleton is expected to command a max contract with Milwaukee or elsewhere. He is eligible to sign a five-year, $190 million deal to stay with the Bucks, or a four-year, $141 million contract with another team.

Middleton is the Bucks' top priority in a free-agent class that includes Malcolm Brogdon, Brook Lopez and Nikola Mirotic.

Middleton emerged as the co-star to MVP front-runner Giannis Antetokounmpo on a Bucks team that had the best record in the NBA and reached the Eastern Conference finals. Middleton averaged 18.3 points, six rebounds and four assists last season and made his first All-Star team.

He's a career 39% 3-point shooter, a self-made player who emerged from being a second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons out of Texas A&M into one of the NBA's elite wing players.

The Memphis Grizzlies have traded guard Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz for Grayson Allen, Kyle Korver and Jae Crowder, the 23rd pick in Thursday's draft and a future first-round pick, league sources told ESPN.

The Jazz will send a protected 2020 first-round pick to the Grizzlies, league sources told ESPN. That pick will convey as a late lottery pick in 2020 or 2021, or become a lightly protected pick from 2022 to '24. The deal will be complete on July 6.

Conley, 31, who has played all 12 seasons of his NBA career in Memphis, averaged 21.1 points, 6.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game this past season.

He finishes as the Grizzlies' career leader in points (11,733), assists (4,509), 3-pointers (1,086) and games played (788).

He is signed through the 2020-21 season with base salaries of $32.5 million and $34.5 million, respectively, the next two seasons, according to Spotrac.com.

The Tampa Bay Rays placed infielder Yandy Diaz on the 10-day injured list with an injury to his right hamstring.

Infielder Daniel Robertson was recalled from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move.

Diaz is hitting .286 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs in 56 games this season, making 31 starts at third base and 14 at first base. He also has started 11 games as the designated hitter.

He had been out of the lineup for the first two games of the second-place Rays' series against the first-place Yankees, both of which Tampa Bay lost. The Rays enter their game on Wednesday afternoon against the Yankees 2 1/2 games back in the AL East standings.

Robertson, who is hitting .205 with two home runs and 15 RBIs, had been demoted to Triple-A last weekend when the club recalled right-hander Jake Faria.

The Atlanta Braves placed left-hander Sean Newcomb on the seven-day concussion list Wednesday.

The team made the move retroactive to Tuesday for Newcomb, who was hit in the back of the head by a line drive on Saturday night.

The Braves said on Sunday that Newcomb had passed all concussion tests and was likely to avoid the injured list. Newcomb also said he felt fine. On Tuesday, however, manager Brian Snitker said that Newcomb wasn't available Tuesday and likely wouldn't be available to pitch Wednesday.

Right-hander Huascar Ynoa was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett in a corresponding move.

The ball hit by the Phillies' J.T. Realmuto on Saturday was clocked at 102 mph. It hit Newcomb's head so hard that it sailed into the netting behind the Phillies' dugout on the third-base side.

Newcomb is 1-0 with a save and a 2.38 ERA in 20 appearances this season.