General Sports 24-Hour Briefing
×Cricket
Pakistan made a "perfect start" to their T20 World Cup Super 8 clash with England, dismissing opener Phil Salt for a first-ball duck. Liam Dawson then took two wickets in two deliveries to push England into trouble at 146-7. Jamie Overton earlier claimed the key wicket of Salman Ali Agha with a "fabulous" catch, leaving Pakistan at 27-2. In a separate development, Italian cricket is in crisis following a sexual assault allegation against a senior official, days after the nation's World Cup debut.
Rugby Union
Cardiff coach Corniel van Zyl is in talks with Benetton about taking over as boss of the United Rugby Championship club next season. Sacked New Zealand coach Scott Robertson will return to the sport by taking charge of the invitational Barbarians side this summer. Wales have appointed former Scotland full-back Mike Murchie as their new defence coach ahead of the Nations Championship. Ireland centre Garry Ringrose praised the in-form Stuart Mc Closkey, saying he feels "lucky" to play alongside him during the Six Nations.
Basketball
Charles Bediako is asking the Alabama Supreme Court for "interim injunctive relief" to allow him to finish the college basketball season with the Crimson Tide, a key factor in the NCAA tournament selection process. No. 14 Kansas bounced back with a win over No. 5 Houston, handing the Cougars their third straight loss. Duke reclaimed the top spot in the AP men's poll following its victory over Michigan. Geno Auriemma broke a tie with Tara Van Derveer for most appearances by a coach in the AP Top 25 as UConn remained No. 1. The new poll saw Oklahoma, Iowa and TCU move up.
Combat Sports & WWE
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will meet in a rematch on Sept. 19 at the Sphere in Las Vegas, 11 years after their first bout. Welsh MMA star Mason Jones gave a glimpse into a fighter's training camp, while he targets UFC London redemption and a top-15 ranking. On WWE Raw, AJ Styles was announced as the newest Hall of Fame inductee, and Elimination Chamber matches were set for Wrestle Mania. A retrospective piece examined the origin of the Elimination Chamber match from the 2002 Survivor Series.
Paralympics & Winter Sports
Edinburgh's Davy Zyw, who has motor neurone disease, described the "tragic beauty" of becoming what is believed to be the first snowsport athlete with MND to compete at the Winter Paralympics. Britain's most decorated Winter Paralympian, Menna Fitzpatrick, will compete at Milan-Cortina just three months after a significant knee injury. Team GB's silver medal-winning curling team said they are "open" to targeting gold at the 2030 Winter Olympics in France but will decide in the summer.
Other Sports
Team GB curlers discussed their future after winning silver, with the 2030 Olympics a possibility. Jack Draper marked his return from injury with a straight-sets win at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Defending Welsh Open champion Mark Selby was knocked out in the first round by China's Jiang Jun. In snooker, Chang Bingyu produced an "utterly extraordinary" display by hitting four centuries in a row against Shaun Murphy. Alyssa Healy started her final series before retirement with a half-century as Australia beat India. Snoop Dogg attended his first Swansea City game, spotlighting his investment in the Welsh club. The U.S. women's hockey team declined an invitation from President Trump to attend the State of the Union. The WNBA told teams a new CBA must be agreed by March 10 to protect the 2026 schedule, and the players union claimed league revenue triggered sharing. Andy Roddick joined ESPN for Wimbledon and US Open coverage under a multiyear deal. Kansas's win over Houston was a key result in the college basketball landscape.