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INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 10: Aryna Sabalenka returns a shot to Naomi Osaka of Japan during Day 7 of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 10, 2026 in
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Twenty20 was designed to favour batters, but few anticipated the bowlers’ bloodbath that unfolded across four weeks in India and Sri Lanka at the just-concluded Twenty20 World Cup. The 20-team tournament became a high-octane showcase of power-hitting, redefining the upper limits of scoring and rewriting what a “par” total looks like in this format. A staggering 780 sixes were hit in this year’s tournament, a 50.87% jump from the 517 hammered in the 2024 edition in West Indies and the United States. The 200-mark was breached a record 14 times and eventual champions India alone posted three of the four 250-plus totals in the tournament. Flat tracks across both host nations combined with fearless intent pushed the collective batting strike rate to 134, the highest in tournament history and a stark indicator of where white-ball batting is heading. As India muscled their way to a mammoth 255-5 in the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, former England captain Michael Vaughan took to X to say: “fantastic striking ... but let’s be honest this isn’t a fair balance between Bat & Ball.” New Zealand coach Rob Walter, however, saw little point in complaining about batting carnage if fans were enthralled. “I guess it comes down to what you view as entertainment, really,” Walter told reporters. “It seems to be the trend around the world that runs are the thing that people want to see. Of course, I believe you still want to have an even contest.” That appetite for fours and sixes was reflected off the field as well. The India-England semi-final in Mumbai shattered digital records, with ICC chairman Jay Shah noting on X a peak concurrency of 65.2 million viewers - the highest for any live event worldwide. “It is tough, the bats are very good,” Walter said. “The guys obviously practise hitting the ball far, and when the pitches give not much to the bowlers, it does make it very tough. But ultimately, if that’s the way the game’s going then the onus is obviously on the bowlers to develop their skills and develop them quickly.” India’s Jasprit Bumrah is probably the template. The seam-bowling genius, for the third time in a T20 World Cup, walked away with the best economy rate (6.21) of any player to have bowled 100-plus balls - a reminder that elite skill can still choke scoring even on highways. “Bumrah is a once-in-a-generation bowler. I can call him a national treasure,” India captain Suryakumar Yadav said of his pace spearhead. Related Story
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Tottenham Hotspur interim coach Igor Tudor has been criticised for his treatment of goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after substituting him after 17 minutes of his side’s 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday. Tudor sprung a surprise by dropping regular keeper Guglielmo Vicario for the last-16 first leg tie and handing Czech Kinsky his first start since October. But the move backfired in spectacular fashion as Tottenham conceded three goals in the opening 15 minutes - two of them resulting from glaring errors by the young keeper. Tudor immediately sent on Vicario, the Croat standing stony-faced as a stunned Kinsky headed for the sanctuary of the dressing room. “He’s (Tudor) made decisions that he maybe thinks is going to one, keep him in a job, or two, keep Tottenham in the Premier League and performances are going to turn around,” former Leeds United, Tottenham and England keeper Paul Robinson told the BBC. “It was a very selfish decision (to substitute him) as a manager. “I think he brought Kinsky in tonight thinking that if he does well I have got an excuse to keep him in now until the end of the season. He reverted on that decision very, very early on in the game. “It’s quite blatantly for self preservation by the manager because it was a decision that he thought was best for him and his team at the time, without consideration for the young goalkeeper.” Joe Hart said he was shocked by Tudor’s treatment of Kinsky. “The whole stadium is feeling sorry for him. He walks past Igor Tudor - and he doesn’t even acknowledge him. If that’s man-management, I am flabbergasted,” the former England keeper, who also had a spell at Tottenham, said. “He’s had a bad moment, a slip, and then another bad moment. But the fact he (Tudor) has taken him off, at 22, to just rip him off, how is that good for him?” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said he had never seen anything like it before and there was even sympathy from Atletico’s fans and players. “Mentally, it must be very tough for the goalkeeper. It wasn’t the best solution,” French striker Antoine Griezmann said. Support also came from former Manchester United keeper David de Gea. “No one who hasn’t been a goalkeeper can understand how difficult it is to play in this position. Keep your head up and you will go again,” the Spaniard said on X. The defeat set an unwanted record for Tottenham who suffered a sixth successive loss for the first time in the club’s history. It also raised serious questions about whether Tudor will remain in his post. He replaced Thomas Frank last month with a reputation for helping turn around clubs in trouble but he has lost all four of his games in charge and if anything relegated-threatened Tottenham’s performances have deteriorated. “I need to apologise to the fans, to everyone. It’s incredibly difficult to explain, at least for the first 20 minutes, I’ve never seen in my life, things like this. It’s very strange to explain,” Tudor said.
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India coach Gautam Gambhir on Sunday praised his team’s “bravery and courage” in racking up big totals to win a record third T20 World Cup title.Suryakumar Yadav’s India hammered New Zealand by 96 runs in
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Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen is taking on a “bucket list” challenge as he prepares to tackle his first 24-hour sportscar race at the historic Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit.Verstappen and his sportscar racing team said
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Eddie Howe has challenged Newcastle to produce the performance of a lifetime as they aim to win the “biggest game” in the club’s history against Barcelona on Tuesday.Howe’s side will make only their second appearance
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World number two Jannik Sinner took another step toward a first Indian Wells Masters title on Sunday, easing past Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-2 to reach the fourth round and a clash with exciting Brazilian teenager
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the Team of the Tournament for this year’s T20 World Cup, with Pakistani opener Sahibzada Farhaan making the list despite the Green Shirts’ dismal campaign, according to
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The Qatar Stars League (QSL) Foundation announced the resumption of the Qatari football league, the Doha Bank Stars League, on Thursday and Friday with matches of week 18.In a statement issued this evening, QSL said three matches will be played simultaneously on Thursday evening. Al Sailiya will face Al Duhail at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, while Al Wakrah will take on Al Shamal at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. In another match, Qatar SC will meet Al Gharafa at Al Thumama Stadium.Week 18 will conclude on Friday with three additional matches. Al Ahli will face Al Arabi at Al Thumama Stadium, while Al Rayyan will play Al Shahania at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. In the final match of the week, Al Sadd will take on Umm Salal at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.Al Sadd SC currently top the league standings after Round 17 with 38 points, followed by Al Gharafa SC in second place with 34 points, while Al Shamal SC occupy third place with 31 points.
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Mercedes’ George Russell won a thrilling season-opening Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, with teammate Kimi Antonelli following him home, after a double-stacked pit stop under the virtual safety car outmaneuvered a lightning-quick start by Ferrari.Mercedes
