Even if it has struggled to command the attention it deserves in the busiest of British summers, the fourth and final instalment of the Kia Super League has been short on neither quality nor narrative.

Sunday's Finals Day at Hove will be the final chance to watch Western Storm, Loughborough Lightning and Southern Vipers in action, before the women's game's primary short-form competition in England and Wales is replaced by The Hundred next year.

There have, unsurprisingly, been plenty of reflective thoughts in recent weeks about the rationale behind disbanding six franchises that have found their footing and attracted genuinely passionate fanbases in their short lifespans, but perhaps the build-up to the competition's climax is not the time for that.

Instead, it is a chance to look forward at the two remaining games, with Western Storm strong favourites to lift the title thanks primarily to their all-star batting unit.

The competition's unique format means that by virtue of being group winners - only a Jemimah Rodrigues fifty in a dead rubber prevented them from going through with a perfect record - the Storm go straight into the final, watching on while Vipers and Lightning contest the lunchtime semi-final.

That game's most intriguing subplot involves England's T20I opening pair from this summer's Ashes, both of whom have enjoyed confidence-lifting returns to form after miserable runs against Australia.

Amy Jones made only 26 runs in six white-ball innings across the Ashes but has taken the lessons on board. "I feel like I'm starting a bit slower, but it's not really been a problem as long as I keep my head and don't throw it away," she told the CricketHER website.

"That's been one of the key learnings from the Ashes, is you have time - it's amazing what a bit of pressure can do to you, all of a sudden you feel like third ball you have to play a big shot. I feel a lot more in control and confident to build an innings throughout."

Danni Wyatt, meanwhile, will overtake Rodrigues as the tournament's leading scorer if she can make 40 more runs on Sunday, having herself contributed just 55 in five Ashes innings. Wyatt is as clean a hitter as anyone else in the country on her day, and proved as much against Surrey Stars when she struck a remarkable 60-ball 110, becoming the first English player to score a KSL century in the process - if the Vipers stand a chance, much of the burden will fall on her shoulders.

Jones has led the scoring charts for Loughborough, with 300 at 37.50 and three fifties, but their diminutive South African overseas player Mignon du Preez has been something of a revelation; with a T20I strike rate below 100, she had never previously been a free-scoring player, but has hit 246 runs at a rate of 144.7 in this competition.

Loughborough go into the semi as slight favourites, but will have to make do with only two overseas players. Shabnim Ismail, the South African seamer, was due to replace Hayley Matthews in the squad after the West Indies allrounder left for international duty, but visa issues prevented her playing in the final league game, and as such she is ineligible for Finals Day.

The Vipers, meanwhile will hope that Tash Farrant's flying form continues. Farrant first broke into the England team as a 17-year-old back in 2013, but despite a reasonable return in T20Is has not played international cricket for over a year; she will hope to be on the fringes of the T20 World Cup squad, after taking 12 cheap wickets in the KSL.

But there is a sense that the semi represents little more than a chance to become runners-up, so consistent have the Storm been this season. Unlike last year, they have their full array of stars available on Sunday, and in Rachel Priest, Heather Knight, Fran Wilson and Smriti Mandhana, they have four of the top seven run-getters in the tournament.

The blueprint has been fairly straightforward, with openers Priest and Mandhana flying out of the blocks, Knight knocking it around in the middle overs and Wilson finishing things off. Meanwhile, seamer Freya Davies has 18 wickets in the competition - six more than her nearest rivals.

If it would be fitting for Loughborough to become the KSL's fourth different winner in as many seasons, and testament to the tournament's competitive nature, it is hard to argue that the Storm would not be worthy champions. They have won 25 games across four summers of the KSL, six more than anyone else, and have been the standout team all season - there is a sense that the trophy is theirs to lose.

Trinbago Knight Riders have called upon the services of overseas internationals like James Neesham and Seekkuge Prasanna, and local Trinidad and Tobago talent, for an exhibition game that the T20 franchise will host ahead of this year's CPL. Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard will captain the two sides that will lock horns in the one-off fixture, named the Selector Fan Cup, on September 1, in Port of Spain.

New Zealand allrounder Neesham and Sri Lanka's Prasanna will line up for Pollard's side, which will also feature Denesh Ramdin and Khary Pierre.

Brian Lara, the former West Indies captain who recently worked with the men's national team ahead of the ongoing Test series against India, will be part of Bravo's team. Lara, a Trinidad native, last appeared in a high-profile exhibition game in the Masters Champions League in the UAE in 2016 and the Cricket All-Stars Series in the USA the previous year.

Current West Indies internationals in the likes of Sunil Narine and Lendl Simmons will turn out for Bravo's side, with young players like Ali Khan, Tion Webster, Amir Jangoo and Akeal Hossein also featuring in the mix.

Defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders will kick off their CPL 2019 campaign on September 4, against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, in Port of Spain.

Bravo XI: Brian Lara, Lendl Simmons, Amir Jangoo (wk), Tion Webster, Dwayne Bravo (capt), Javon Searles, Yannic Cariah, Sunil Narine, Ali Khan, Akeal Hossain, Sheeno Berridge, Jayden Seales, Isiah Rajah, JP Barrie, Dexter Sween

Pollard XI: Denesh Ramdin (wk), Mark Deyal, Kieron Pollard (capt), Jimmy Neesham, Seekkuge Prasanna, Joshua De Silva, Khary Pierre, Terrance Hinds, Anderson Phillip, Jon Russ Jaggesar, Jalarnie Seales, Leonardo Julien, Nicholas Alexi, Kjorn Ottley, Yannick Ottley, Daron Cruickshank

Australia are pondering a radical change to their batting line-up for the Old Trafford Test, considering the inclusion of Mitchell Marsh at the expense of Matthew Wade to increase their complement of right-handers.

The around-the-wicket line from Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer in particular has been a source of considerable angst for the tourists, while the most productive Australian batsmen by far have been Steven Smith and his stand-in Marnus Labuschagne.

In order to fit both Smith and Labuschagne into the team there will likely be a change at the top of the order, but the selection chairman Trevor Hohns has hinted that Wade may be omitted to allow Marsh to play as a third right-hander in the top six - the allrounder made 74 batting at No. 3 in Derby.

ALSO READ: Starc polishes off Derbyshire to push case

"He played very well that innings he made a hundred," Hohns said of Wade. "Unfortunately things have not quite gone his way since then. That will certainly be an area we are having a look at.

"It has been difficult up top for both teams, the opening bowlers with that new ball, conditions that seem to have prevailed, it has been very, very difficult for any player who has batted in the top three. We are mindful of that. We are also mindful of the England bowlers have bowled very well to our guys, particularly our left-handers, so we will certainly look at that as well."

Labuschagne is certain of retaining his place thanks to a trio of half-centuries after substituting for Smith at Lord's and Headingley. Where he bats will be another conversation, though it appears most likely he will move up to No. 3 behind David Warner and Usman Khawaja.

"Absolutely, there's no doubt about that. He's been terrific with the opportunity he was given in Lord's, unfortunate opportunity of course," Hohns said of Labuschagne seizing his moment. "He's certainly made every post a winner and made the most of every opportunity he has been given. Adding that to the fact he can bowl some handy legspin as well, he's a prime contender.

"Very hard for me to say just where [Labuschagne will bat] but he's an option everywhere, as we have seen. He can bat at three, he can bat at four, he can bat in the middle and he can bowl handy legspinners, so he's a good option for us."

Mitchell Starc's impressive outing at Derby, where he combined an improved level of control with his customary speed and knack for hitting the stumps, underlined that he will be a genuine contender for Old Trafford. This is not only because it promises to be the fastest surface of the series, but also because releasing Starc would allow Australia the luxury of having two fresh fast bowlers available for the final Test of the series at the Oval.

"He's certainly given us a good option there. We'll have a look at the pitch of course and we have heard that it is renowned for being possibly the quickest in the country. That will all be taken into account," Hohns said. "Right from the start of the tour it was made very clear what was expected of our bowlers and where we wanted them to bowl.

"Mitchell has taken all that on board and he was worked very very hard to improve his game in that area. We all know he is an aggressor, so we can't expect him to change the way he bowls too much. But he is doing everything he possibly can to bowl in the right areas and the right channels.

"With our bowling unit in particular, we have tried to manage our bowlers, so we will certainly be taking that in to account. In the past we have generally used the same ones but I think a lot of the Test matches in the past were spaced out a little more. In this instance right now we are very thankful to have five, six of our top fast bowlers all fit at the same time. We haven't had that for a long time. It's quite a luxury actually."

Big Picture

With the World Cup done and the Test Championship underway, both sides now switch focus to the next big limited-overs prize: the T20 World Cup, which is set to be contested at the end of next year. As with just about everything in these team's cricket at present, it is New Zealand who have the more stable platform upon which to build. They are resting regular captain Kane Williamson as well as pace spearhead Trent Boult for this series, and while Sri Lanka have lost eight of their last nine T20 games, the visitors have won three of their last four, including a series against India. They have in their ranks several well-heeled performers - Tim Southee, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor, yes, but also the likes of opener Colin Munro, who have had success against Sri Lanka in the past.

You suspect that right now, though, both teams are more interested in their fringe cricketers than the established ones, as they attempt to identify talent ahead of next year's big event. New Zealand want to find out whether players like fast bowler Scott Kuggeleijn, and wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert can sustain decent starts to their international careers. They want to know if top-order batsman Tom Bruce or allrounder Daryl Mitchell are worth investing in. Sri Lanka, similarly, will be keen to place several of their own young cricketers on trial - legspinning allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga, and seam bowler Lahiru Madushanka both named in the squad.

Form guide

New Zealand WLWWL (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri LankaLLLLL

In the spotlight

Avishka Fernando, the aggressive 21-year-old batsman, had a breakout World Cup, hitting one of Sri Lanka's two centuries at the tournament, before also making 82 in an ODI against Bangladesh late in July. He has played three T20Is, but so far has a high score of 16. Given the talent he obviously possesses, Sri Lanka will hope he becomes a bankable batsman - something they are in short supply of - over the next year.

Few players were more exciting to watch during the World Cup than fast bowler Lockie Ferguson whose wicket haul of 21 at the event was second only to that of Mitchell Starc. He has only played five T20Is so far; in these, he has taken 10 wickets and maintained a good economy rate of 7.1. Almost certain to be the quickest bowler on show through this series, it is Ferguson that Sri Lanka's batsmen will fear most, as the bowler prepares to play his first overseas matches in the format.

Team news

Sri Lanka may toss up whether to put Kusal Mendis - who has been inconsistent across formats lately - into the XI, or whether to give that chance to a batsman coming in fresh. They have a few decisions to make on the bowling front, where they will likely have to pick between wristspinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Lakshan Sandakan.

Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 3 Avishka Fernando, 4 Kusal Perera, 5 Shehan Jayasuriya, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Lasith Malinga (capt.), 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Lahiru Kumara

New Zealand are a little more settled, though they too have decisions to make regarding their attack. Which of the legspinners - Ish Sodhi or Todd Astle - will they pick?

New Zealand (possible): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Tim Seifert (wk), 4 Tom Bruce, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Todd Astle, 9 Tim Southee (capt.), 10 Seth Rance, 11 Lockie Ferguson

Pitch and conditions

The Pallekele surface generally has some pace and carry, and also has a reputation for being especially seamer-friendly under lights. At this time of year, you can never count out bad weather blowing through either.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have lost each of their three most-recent games against New Zealand, all of which had been in New Zealand. They have beaten New Zealand in their two previous games in Pallekele that yielded results, however.

• Lasith Malinga is three wickets away from becoming the first ever bowler to 100 T20 international dismissals.

• Colin Munro has averaged 39.66 and struck at 180 in four innings against Sri Lanka. One of those knocks was a 14-ball 50 at Eden Park - the second-fastest fifty ever.

Quotes

"There are about 19 T20 matches before 2020 T20 World Cup. Whoever is captaining the team, we need to have a good, strong squad, so that we can go into that tournament with confidence. Starting with this series, I'm hoping to build a good T20 squad for Sri Lanka."
Sri Lanka captain Lasith Malinga

"Whenever you come to another country, you've got to respect the opposition and their conditions. Sri Lanka's got some young, talented players."
New Zealand stand-in captain Tim Southee

Lunch India 336 for 7 (Vihari 84*, Ishant 11*, Holder 4-62) v West Indies

Jason Holder struck off the day's first ball before Hanuma Vihari's unbeaten half-century took India past 300 by lunch on day two. Starting on an overnight score of 42, Vihari went into the break in the company of No. 9 Ishant Sharma.

It was No. 8 Ravindra Jadeja who had taken India past 300 but he was dismissed by Rahkeem Cornwall for 16 in the 111th over. With Vihari, Jadeja added 38 runs for the seventh wicket, but couldn't resist a slog once spin was introduced. His top edge to mid-on was the session's second wicket.

Vihari displayed patience early in the morning, happy to see off a tight opening spell from Holder and the other two seamers. After Pant's dismissal in the first over, he carefully collected the runs up to his half century. After that, he took on Cornwall to smack two boundaries in one over after surviving a dropped chance. He whipped a tossed up delivery to the midwicket fence before topping it up with a cut off the back foot two balls later.

The day had begun with Pant looking to drive off his very first delivery, and was found wanting against Holder's delivery that swings into the left-hander. Trying to play through the covers, the ball went into the bat-body gap and dislodged his middle stump.

After that Jadeja and Vihari saw off a searing fast-bowling spell, consolidating India's score in a period of attritional cricket, and it looked like India would've gone into the break only six down had Jadeja reined himself in. But searching for the wicket, Holder introduced the debutant Cornwall, and he found the breakthrough.

Thereafter, Ishant blocked through till lunch with Vihari unafraid to give the tailender the strike. Ishant was nearly run-out in the 114th over, but a throw from cover did not have anyone backing up, handing the batsman five runs to start his innings. Against Cornwall, Ishant looked more secure, even slog-sweeping the offspinner for a cracking boundary. At lunch, India ended up adding 72 runs for the loss of only two wickets.

The UFC has its first Chinese champion and a brand-new star in a crucial market.

Performing in her home country, Zhang Weili destroyed Jessica Andrade with a barrage of blows at the very outset and Andrade was not able to recover. The TKO finish came at just 42 seconds of the first round in the main event of UFC Shenzhen. Zhang became the first UFC champion from China and only the second UFC titleholder ever born in Asia. It was the second-fastest stoppage in UFC strawweight history.

"My name is Zhang Weili!" Zhang said afterward in English. "I'm from China. Remember me!"

Andrade crowded Zhang early and got hit with several nasty combinations for her efforts. Zhang landed a big right elbow in the clinch, then a huge right cross that wobbled Andrade.

When she saw Andrade in trouble, Zhang poured it on. She landed more elbows and multiple hard knees to the body in the clinch. When Andrade separated, Zhang followed up with more punches and referee Leon Roberts had to step in to stop it.

Zhang came in ranked No. 6 in the UFC's official strawweight rankings. She is the second-lowest-ranked women's fighter to win a UFC title after Holly Holm (No. 7) when she beat Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 in 2015.

Zhang (20-1) has won 20 straight fights, including all four of her UFC bouts. She has not lost since her pro MMA debut in 2013. Zhang, 30, has finished two of those four UFC victories and 17 of her 20 wins overall.

China has been a focal point as the UFC continues to expand internationally. In June, the promotion opened up a $13 million, 93,000-square-foot Performance Institute in Shanghai, where it hopes to develop talent in the region. Now, the UFC has a champion in Zhang who can help it secure a foothold in the country.

Andrade (20-7) had a four-fight winning streak snapped. The Brazilian slugger won the title by beating Rose Namajunas via slam knockout at UFC 237 in April. This was her first title defense. Andrade, 27, is 7-2 in the UFC strawweight division after moving down from bantamweight and is tied for the most wins among women in UFC history.

"I wasn't able to perform as I wish, but hopefully I get a chance to fight her again somewhere else or here in China," Andrade said through an interpreter.

Talks between the Dallas Cowboys and running back Ezekiel Elliott are intensifying, with both sides aiming to wrap up a new deal this weekend, league sources tell ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The momentum marks a change in the talks between the Cowboys and their star running back. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones had said after his team's final preseason game on Thursday that he was "operating as though right now he's going to miss regular-season games."

Jones said he does not have a deadline for getting a deal done with Elliott, quarterback Dak Prescott or wide receiver Amari Cooper.

Near the start of training camp the Cowboys made Elliott an offer that would make him the second-highest-paid running back in the NFL behind Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams ($14.375 million average salary). The New York Jets' Le'Veon Bell has the second-highest average annual value at $13.125 million.

Elliott has held out of training camp in the contract dispute and has been training in Cabo with Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk, who told ESPN's Ed Werder that he is trying to get the running back in game shape.

Elliott has led the NFL in rushing in two of his first three seasons, including 1,434 yards last season. He missed six games in 2017 because of a suspension but still managed 983 rushing yards.

ESPN's Todd Archer contributed to this report.

The Buffalo Bills have released veteran running back LeSean McCoy.

McCoy, 31, ran for a career-low 514 yards in 2018, sparking outside conversation about whether the two-time All-Pro could still be productive. He has played 10 years in the league and his 10,606 yards rushing rank 25th on the career list and fourth among active players.

McCoy was entering the final year of a five-year contract he signed after his acquisition in a trade with Philadelphia, where he led the NFL in rushing yards in 2013.

McCoy had an inconsistent four seasons with the Bills. He struggled in his first year, finishing with 895 yards rushing. McCoy attributed that to being unfocused as a result of being traded. McCoy responded by topping 1,100 yards rushing in each of his next two seasons. But he struggled last year when he finished with a career-worst 752 yards from scrimmage.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane focused on bolstering the team's backfield this offseason, adding veterans Frank Gore and T.J. Yeldon via free agency and rookie Devin Singletary via the draft.

Gore, 36, was still effective in 2018, recording the fifth-highest yards-per-carry mark (4.6) of his 14-year career, albeit on his second-fewest attempts per game. He has been remarkably healthy, playing in 210 of 224 possible regular-season games.

Singletary, the team's 2019 third-round pick, was a prolific runner in three seasons at Florida Atlantic, rushing for 4,287 yards and 66 touchdowns. He also caught 51 passes, 26 of which came during his freshman season.

Beane said the decision to release McCoy came at "the last minute" but became a more realistic option as Singletary developed during the preseason.

Beane confirmed he explored the idea of trading McCoy once he made the decision to release him, but ultimately never received -- or sent -- an official offer.

"We did look around to see if there was a right fit but we didn't find one," Beane said. "This kind of gives him a chance to choose his destination, as well, and he's earned that."

Buffalo was prepared to operate with a "running back by committee" approach during the 2019 season and factored McCoy's potential response into the decision to part ways with him, according to a source.

McCoy was reportedly not expecting the news and Beane said the running back was "frustrated" by his release. A source told ESPN that the Bills value the relationship between Singletary and Gore and felt comfortable with the rookie learning from Gore without McCoy.

Information from ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques and The Associated Press was used in this report.

Jadeveon Clowney is in Seattle and about to sign his franchise tender, which will enable the Houston Texans to trade him to the Seattle Seahawks, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In exchange for Clowney, the Texans are receiving a 2020 third-round pick, DE/OLB Barkevious Mingo and LB Jacob Martin, ESPN has confirmed.

The Seahawks were still in need of pass-rush help after signing Ezekiel Ansah in May to help account for the loss of Frank Clark, who was traded to Kansas City. Defensive tackle Jarran Reed, who had a career-best 10.5 sacks last season, is suspended for the first six games. Ansah returned to practice last week and is on track to play in Seattle's opener.

The Seahawks were projected to have two third-round picks in 2020, including a compensatory selection for letting Earl Thomas walk in free agency, and 10 picks in all. They also got an extra second-rounder in the Clark trade, meaning they still have four picks in the first three rounds after sending one of their third-rounders to Houston.

Fox Sports first reported that a deal had been agreed to.

Clowney, 26, who was named to his third consecutive Pro Bowl last season, finished 2018 with 47 tackles, nine sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He also had 16 tackles for loss, which tied for ninth in the NFL last season, and he now has 53 tackles for loss over the past three seasons, which ranks third in the league.

Clowney, the first overall pick of the 2014 draft, struggled with knee injuries early in his career, missing 15 games in his first two seasons. In 2016, he played through wrist and elbow injuries, appearing in 14 games and making the Pro Bowl for the first time. Since then, he has missed just one game over two seasons.

Clowney chose not to sign his franchise tender this offseason, which is worth $15.967 million for the 2019 season. Clowney will have to sign the tender in order to complete the trade.

He is not eligible to sign a long-term contract with the Seahawks until after the 2019 season because the deadline to sign franchised players to long-term contracts passed on July 15.

The Texans tagged Clowney as a linebacker ($15.443 million) rather than as a defensive end ($17.128 million). However, because players receive the higher amount between the tag value or 120% of last year's salary, Clowney is poised to get an additional $524,000 this season. He made $13.306 million, including a $1 million bonus, while playing on his fifth-year option in 2018.

Despite being tagged as a linebacker, Clowney played most of his snaps at defensive end in 2018, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He logged 729 at defensive end, 101 at defensive tackle and 33 at linebacker last season.

It's the second major trade the Seahawks and Texans have pulled off in less than two years. Seattle acquired left tackle Duane Brown at the trade deadline in 2017 for what turned out to be a return of draft picks after cornerback Jeremy Lane failed his physical and went back to the Seahawks.

"It's a big move for us," Brown told ESPN's Josina Anderson. "He is a game-changer in my opinion. Just spending time with him in Houston, I know he is respected by offensive coordinators, guys that have to prepare for him. I think he will really thrive for us. I know Clowney has to get a physical, but he's excited. I've been telling him it's a reputable organization here. I'm not sure why it all fell apart in Houston. I know how he works. I'm looking forward to getting him out there with us now."

Mingo was seemingly on Seattle's roster bubble. He had been underwhelming in his move from strongside linebacker, where he started in 2018, to defensive end and carried a $5.2 million cap charge in the final year of his deal. Seattle will save $4.1 million against its cap by trading Mingo while incurring $1.1 million in dead money.

Martin was a sixth-round pick in 2018 who had three sacks as a rookie. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll had repeatedly talked up Martin as a player the Seahawks expected to take a significant jump in his second season, noting the strong pressure rates he had as a rotational pass-rusher. Martin played only 225 defensive snaps and was second in special-teams snaps behind Mingo with 279, according to Pro Football Reference.

Information from ESPN's Brady Henderson and Sarah Barshop was used in this report.