Commonwealth Games 2022 LIVE: Athletics and cricket latest updates from Birmingham today

In cricket, opener Danni Wyatt has just fallen for an entertaining 35 off 27 balls.

It has even been pretty far in this pursuit, but this could be a big step.

Sophia Dunkley and Alice Capsey have not benefited from positive starts at the top of the order which means you feel captain Nat Sciver arrives at the crease now that he needs to make a proper meaningful contribution if England are to do so.

They are 86-3 at the halfway mark.

They need 165 to reach the final against either Australia or New Zealand.

Lost in all that excitement was Ollie Hoare’s winning time was a Commonwealth Games record time of three minutes 30.12 seconds.

He is the first Australian Commonwealth Games 1500m champion since Herb Elliott in 1958.

Jake Wightman strikes first as they hit the bell and he looks to take it home like he did in Eugene.

The pack stays with him even as the two Kenyans follow him as they make their way home.

Wightman keeps pushing but he hasn’t got that last gear and it’s Australia’s Oliver Hoare who has the final push, passing him to cross the line first.

Timothy Cheruiyot comes home second for silver with Wightman taking bronze.

Kenya’s Abel Kipsang is the man looking to hit the gas pedal first with compatriot and Olympic silver medalist Timothy Cheruiyot behind him.

Jake Wightman right where he wants to be though over the shoulder.

Next on the track is Jake Wightman in the men’s 1500m final.

The 28-year-old won a shock gold medal at the World Championships in Eugene last month and hopes to add to that the Commonwealth title and 800m crown at next month’s European Championships.

Scotland team-mates Josh Kerr and Neil Gourley will follow Wightman, however, and have designs on the title themselves with England duo Elliot Giles and Matt Stonier also hoping to be in the medal mix.

They’ll hear the engine gun any second now.

In the men’s 4×100 relay, defending champions England secured their place in the final in a race that saw Australia fall at the final change.

The quartet of Jona Efoloko, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Ojie Edoborun took the baton in 38.48 to ease into first place with Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana joining them.

In the second match, the African trio of Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana made it.

Geraint Thomas expects the Commonwealth Games men’s road race to be a “battle of attrition” as rival teams work together to ensure Mark Cavendish doesn’t sprint.

Reigning British champion Cavendish has a strong Isle of Man team aiming to see the 160km race around Warwick and Leamington Spa finish in a sprint that he would be the runaway favorite to win.

Although the flat profile of the route may suggest a stacked finish, rival teams plan to mix things up to deny Cavendish his chance.

“Cavendish definitely has a strong team around him and it’s a good course for him,” Welshman Thomas said.

“But I think for us, the English, the South Africans and the Scots, I don’t think any of them want a sprint, so I think it will be like a National race, a lot of aggressive racing, a war of attrition.

“This is the race we want and this is the race we are waiting for.”

Cavendish’s Isle of Man squad includes former British champion Ben Swift, Mark Christian and Matt Bostock – who needed hospital treatment after being involved in Matt Walls’ horrific crash at the velodrome last week, but has been spotted in training since then.

If they can’t make it a sprint, 37-year-old Cavendish has shown he can mix it up in the breakaway, winning his second British title in June by being in a leading group for the whole day.

Back to athletics where the women have just completed the 4x100m relay.

There was no batting drama for England who comfortably qualified for the final.

The quartet of Asha Philip, Imani Lansiquot, Bianca Williams and Ashleigh Nelson clocked 42.72 seconds to finish second behind Nigeria.

Scotland also joins chasing home gold medal favorites Jamaica in the other half.

India will have got it when they won the toss and chose to bat first.

Smriti Mandhana (61) was well supported by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (20) as India roared from the traps.

A couple of wickets in the middle for Freya Kemp helped control the momentum before Jemimah Rodrigues (44*) and Deepti Sharma (22) stepped on the gas pedal again as India posted what looks to be a challenging total for England to chase down .

England will need 165 to reach the final against either Australia or New Zealand.

Back to the cricket where captain Harmanpreet Kaur has backed up Smriti Mandhana’s explosive start with an important contribution in the middle of the innings.

Mandhana eventually went for a powerful 61 before Kaur added 20 as England fought back.

Freya Kemp has taken two wickets to slow the Indian advance but they still look for a competitive total with Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma well placed at the crease.

They are 132-3 with three overs remaining.