WORLD OF SPORT

Durham fear a points deduction after needing financial help from the ECB. The ECB said in a statement yesterday: ‘We are fully committed to supporting cricket in the North East and are working closely with the club to ensure a successful and sustainable future.’ hosting the may Sri Lanka Test is believed to have cost Durham almost £1m.

BRITISH No 1 Johanna Konta boosted her bid to reach the end-of-season WTA Finals by beating local girl Shuai Zhang 6-3, 6-3 in the Wuhan Open in China. Konta is 10th in the Road to Singapore — with only the top eight qualifying — but has a great chance to close the gap on Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro, who is 273 points ahead, as they meet in the next round.