Atkinson misses Hundred final as ECB takes no risks

Gus Atkinson has taken 81 wickets in 22 first-class matches

England fast bowler Gus Atkinson will miss the final of The Hundred to ensure he is fresh for next week's first Test against Sri Lanka.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided to make the 26-year-old unavailable for Oval Invincibles, who won the group stage of the men's tournament to qualify for Sunday's showpiece match at Lord's.

Atkinson was named player of the series in England's recent 3-0 Test series win over West Indies with 22 wickets at 16.22 - including 7-45 on his debut in the first Test.

Earlier this week England captain Ben Stokes was ruled out for the remainder of the summer after tearing his hamstring playing in The Hundred for Northern Superchargers.

With England set to name a four-man bowling attack against Sri Lanka, the ECB elected not to take any risks with Atkinson in the lead-up to the match.

Atkinson bowled 88.5 overs in the series against West Indies - 10 more than Chris Woakes and over 30 more than Mark Wood, the next England bowler on the list.

Woakes, Wood, Matthew Potts and Olly Stone are the other fast bowlers in England's squad to face Sri Lanka, with spinner Shoaib Bashir also selected.

Surrey quick bowler Atkinson has played just once for the Invincibles in this year's edition of The Hundred.

He bowled 10 balls for 28 runs and went wicketless in a six-wicket defeat by Trent Rockets on Wednesday.

England host Sri Lanka in the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford from 21-25 August, followed by matches at Lord's and the Kia Oval.

Archer set to feature for Brave

England batters Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett, also in the squad to face Sri Lanka, are set to play for Birmingham Phoenix in the Eliminator at the Oval on Saturday.

Southern Brave's Jofra Archer is also on course to play in that match and Sunday's final if his team make it through.

Archer's fitness continues to be carefully managed by the ECB, who rested him for two of Brave's group games earlier in the tournament.

The 29-year-old has been hampered by back and elbow injuries over the last three years but hopes have been raised that such problems could finally be behind him.

Batter Jordan Cox, who is poised to make his Test debut in place of Stokes at Old Trafford, is expected to feature in Sunday's final for the Invincibles.

How can I watch and follow The Hundred final?

Both the men's and women's finals on Sunday are live on BBC Two and the BBC iPlayer. The coverage starts at 14:00 BST and runs until 21:30.

The women's Eliminator between two-time winners Oval Invincibles and London Spirit is also live on BBC Two and iPlayer on Saturday.

There will be ball-by-ball radio commentary on all four games on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website and app, so you can listen whether you're at home or on the move.

The website and app will also have live text commentary with in-play video clips of all the best moments.