General Sports 3d Briefing
×Cricket
Abhishek Sharma bbc.com rediscovered his form with a blistering 26-ball fifty as India defeated Zimbabwe in their T20 World Cup Super 8s match. Aiden Markram bbc.com then powered South Africa to a dominant nine-wicket win over the West Indies with an unbeaten 82 off 46 balls in Ahmedabad. The tournament took a dramatic turn in Colombo where Sri Lanka bbc.com was knocked out after a 61-run defeat to New Zealand, a collapse highlighted by Matt Henry dismissing Pathum Nissanka with the first ball bbc.com of the innings. England secured their semi-final spot through Harry Brook's majestic century bbc.com in a tense two-wicket victory over Pakistan, a chase aided by crucial wickets from Liam Dawson bbc.com and a spectacular catch by Jamie Overton bbc.com.
Rugby Union
A radical revamp bbc.com of English rugby's structure, including the Premiership separating from the pyramid and scrapping promotion and relegation, is set for RFU approval. Meanwhile, WRU chair Richard Collier-Keywood warned that dropping to three teams bbc.com is the only sustainable path for Welsh rugby. In team news, New Zealand's all-time leading try-scorer, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe bbc.com, announced her second international retirement. France flanker Thibaud Flament, who missed the Six Nations opener for fertility treatment bbc.com, later spoke about the surprising prevalence of the process among athletes bbc.com. England scrum-half Alex Mitchell bbc.com is ruled out of the remainder of the Six Nations with a hamstring injury, while Wales hopes for the return of fly-half Sam Costelow bbc.com but has lost flanker Taine Plumtree.
Basketball
No. 1 Duke espn.com continues to solidify its grip on the top overall seed, with Cameron Boozer posting 24 points and 13 rebounds in a 100-56 demolition espn.com of Notre Dame. The Blue Devils' ascension returned them to the top of the AP poll espn.com after a win over Michigan. UConn also made a statement, handing Rick Pitino's St. John's its worst loss espn.com under his tenure by a 72-40 score. The NCAA transfer portal and NIL landscape created turmoil, with Cincinnati suing former QB Brendan Sorsby espn.com over a $1 million exit fee and Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris espn.com filing a lawsuit seeking a seventh year of eligibility. Forward Charles Bediako asked an Alabama court espn.com for relief to play the remainder of the season.
Combat Sports & Boxing
Veteran promoter Frank Warren confirmed he is considering a $1 billion legal dispute bbc.com against Saudi-owned Sela and TKO over a planned Zuffa Boxing launch. The UFC's parent company, TKO, disclosed the league will spend up to $60 million bbc.com on its upcoming White House event. British heavyweight Daniel Dubois bbc.com branded his upcoming world title fight against Fabio Wardley the "biggest fight in the world for me," having refused a fist bump from the champion at a lively news conference bbc.com. A potential Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch is set for September at the Sphere in Las Vegas, though Pacquiao's team pumped the brakes espn.com on the announcement. The latest women's pound-for-pound rankingsREF