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Henry's onslaught, Harris and Goud's dream spells get Warriorz off the mark
UP Warriorz 177 for 9 (Henry 62, Jonassen 4-31, Kapp 2-18) beat Delhi Capitals 144 (Rodrigues 56, Harris 4-15, Goud 4-25) by 33 runs
Goud's dream spell
A player's first season of the WPL could easily make or break her confidence, with performances being put under the microscope. Goud, 21, bowled just four overs in the first two matches in her debut WPL season. Warriorz lost both games and she leaked 47 runs. But Deepti Sharma persisted with her over India seamer Saima Thakor, who had to miss out the second time.
Goud quickly found her feet and repaid the team's faith in the team's first game in Bengaluru this season. She was hit for a first-ball four by Meg Lanning but, two balls later, nipped one back sharply to disturb the stumps of Capitals' captain. She conceded just two off her next over, seventh overall, and dismissed Shafali Verma in her next over with a short delivery. Three overs, 16 runs and two wickets. When Goud finished her first spell, Capitals needed 126 runs from 66 balls.
When she came back for her final over, Capitals had to chase 76 off 36 with Rodrigues going strong after her fifty. But Goud had Jonassen caught and bowled and Rodrigues caught at extra cover in the same over to leave Capitals 111 for 6.
Warriorz's middle-over concern and Henry's rescue act
Deepti batted at No. 4 in the opening game, making a 27-ball 39. In the next two games, both against Capitals, she came in at No.3 and made a run-a-ball seven in Lucknow, and 13 off 19 balls in Bengaluru. Whether it's the ideal slot for her is something to keep an eye on especially when the middle order isn't firing.
In this WPL, the likes of Tahlia McGrath and Harris not stepping up in the middle order has been a concern for them. It has left Henry with a lot of rescue work to do late in the innings. In the last match, she blazed away an unbeaten 33 off 15 to power them to 166.
On Saturday, Henry came in at No.8 in the 14th over when Warriorz were 89 for 6 and straightaway dispatched two sixes off Reddy to ease some pressure. She then targeted Pandey, smashing a four and two sixes in the 17th over, and threw a few more big blows before eventually losing her wicket to Jonassen in the final ball of the innings.
Warriorz have been the worst team in the middle phase (from overs 7 to 16) this WPL, having lost 15 wickets in the three games including five on Saturday, but Henry's unbelievable innings helped them fight back.
Rodrigues fight but Capitals fail to adapt to conditions
The ball was swinging and nipping at the start of the second innings, troubling the likes of Shafali and Lanning. But Warriorz were sloppy in the field, Thakor dropped two catches and wicketkeeper Uma Chetry failed to hold onto chances; however Goud pulled them back. Barring Rodrigues, none in the Capitals top seven was able to adapt to the conditions in Bengaluru.
Even Rodrigues took 19 balls to score her first 23 runs and once she found her rhythm, she grew in confidence and smashed eye-pleasing boundaries to the cover region. She raced to her first fifty of this season off 30 balls. And her eight fours and a six gave Capitals some hope but the middle order let the game slip away from them in the end.
Harris bags a hat-trick
In her own words, Harris is a batting allrounder. But she has not set the stage on fire in this WPL yet, scoring just 18 runs in three games. However, with the ball, she had picked up two wickets in her first two matches and levelled that up on Saturday. She first dismissed Capitals' Player of the Match from last fixture, Annabel Sutherland, in the 14th over of the chase.
In the final over, with 34 needed for a win, Harris removed Prasad, Reddy and Minnu Manni off successive deliveries to become the third player in the WPL to bag a hat-trick after Deepti and Issy Wong.
Srinidhi Ramanujam is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
Inglis savours 'special' innings as Australia make winning start
None of this, Inglis understood, would be helpful to worry about. "We were in and around the run rate to start off with, so that was a big help," Inglis said after the game. "The partnership between Shorty [Matt Short] and Marnus [Labuschagne] was really important. They sort of set the platform there, got us off to a good start. And then me and [Alex] Carey, we didn't really say too much out there. Carey is pretty quiet when he's batting, so I think we were going pretty well. So, I just tried to not look at the scoreboard too much, [not] look at the run rate, just keep batting the way we were going."
Australia were in pursuit of what would be the highest chase in an ICC tournament, and despite his obvious talent, Inglis hasn't had an ODI career of particular note yet. In 28 matches, he had scored 543 runs, averaging under 22, a quickfire 65 against West Indies in February 2024 his most significant ODI contribution. If Australia were to get close, he had to produce an effort little in his career so far provided reason to expect.
In the immediate term, Carey and Inglis minimised risks while keeping the asking rate under control. Like Australia, England had opted for the security of a deeper batting order, and would have to compensate for it with part-time bowling. In just the second over after the partnership came together, Carey struck two fours of Livingstone, before Inglis launched him for six the following over. It balanced out the respectful caution they treated Adil Rashid with without falling too far behind.
"We trained here at night for the last couple of days and it got really dewy around half past seven or eight o'clock," Inglis said. "So, we sort of knew that was in our favour during the run chase and if we could take it deep enough it would be tough for the bowlers at the back end. It made life easier for us, the wicket skidded on beautifully and it really helped our run chase.
"And we knew if we could get close enough with Maxi [Glenn Maxwell] still to come - we've just seen what Maxi can do and everyone's seen it for a while now. So, to get close enough for him to be able to explode like that at the back end was probably in the back of our thoughts."
Inglis and Carey worked the run chase so expertly they didn't necessarily need any explosions. They added 146 in just 116 deliveries, and by the time Carey holed out to mid-off, Australia just needed to stick with a similar rate of scoring.
That fireworks came via Maxwell's bat wasn't especially surprising; he took the sting out of England's two gun seamers in Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, scorching them for 31 in 11 balls. Inglis, however, wasn't far behind, his last 36 coming off just 14 balls. It included a huge six over midwicket off Archer to bring up his hundred, and another one in the same region off Wood to seal the win.
"Maybe under the circumstances [it's my best innings]. It's really special. I think in an ICC event, you want to have an impact and you want to help your team win a game, so maybe - I'll reflect on that in the future."
Inglis' personal history with England perhaps adds a further layer of intrigue to the story. He was born in Leeds and only moved to Australia as a teenager, and said as recently as 2022 that he still supported England at cricket. Those days, he said today, were "long gone now".
"It doesn't matter who it's against," he said. "It's a really tight, quick tournament. We knew how we started the World Cup in India last year and we weren't able to get a good start, we knew you can't work your way into this Champions Trophy. You've got to be right on it from the first game. So, I think that's probably the most pleasing thing, to get a win on the board in game one."
And if there's little doubt about Inglis' loyalties now, the same couldn't necessarily be said about the crowed. With 26,232 packed into the new Gaddafi Stadium, Australian and English flags were visible in roughly equal measure, and celebrations at each six or wicket, almost irrespective of who they came from. The quality and intensity of the game, without doubt the best of this tournament so far, meant the spectators' attention was held right through the end, with few leaving before Inglis had struck the final blow.
"I thought the atmosphere was amazing all day today. It's obviously the new stands. I think the ground and the stadium looks amazing. To play tonight in front of a packed crowd was unbelievable and the noise at times was deafening, especially with the Mexican wave. I saw that going around a few times and it was a really nice crowd and good atmosphere tonight."
Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000
Sources: Fresno State subject of betting inquiry
The Fresno State men's basketball program has drawn scrutiny for potential ties to sports gambling, sources confirmed to ESPN on Saturday.
The NCAA and university are both investigating, sources said. The school has removed one player from the team and suspended two others for at least Saturday's 72-69 loss to Air Force.
The investigation came about because of a tip to Fresno State, which then launched its internal investigation, a source told ESPN. The school subsequently involved the NCAA.
Fresno State said in a statement that guards Jalen Weaver and Zaon Collins were "being withheld from competition as the University reviews an eligibility matter."
Leading into the Air Force loss, Weaver and Collins were two of Fresno State's top three scorers, with averages of 12.5 and 12 points per game. Collins also led the team with 4.7 assists per game.
A third former Bulldogs player, Mykell Robinson, is also under investigation. Robinson, who was averaging 10.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, had not played for Fresno State since Jan. 11 and is no longer on the team.
The Fresno Bee first reported on the investigation into the program.
The Bulldogs have lost 10 straight games and sit at 5-23 (1-16 MWC). Prior to the Air Force loss, their defeat in their previous game, by 23 on Wednesday against San Diego State, set a program record for most losses in a season.
ESPN Senior College Sports Insider Pete Thamel contributed to this report.
Bivol gets revenge, edges Beterbiev by decision
Dmitry Bivol avenged his 2024 loss to Artur Beterbiev, defeating his rival by majority decision for the undisputed light heavyweight championship early Sunday morning at ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The rematch was set 133 days after Beterbiev won a narrow majority decision in October, and the second fight was every bit as good as the first. In the end, it was Bivol's activity that won over the judges with scores of 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114.
After spending 36 minutes in the ring together in the first fight, both fighters were familiar with what the other had to offer. It would be Bivol (24-1, 12 KOs) who made the first adjustment by standing flat-footed in front of Beterbiev (21-1, 20 KOs) rather than staying on his toes and moving around the ring. The slight alteration in strategy yielded early results as Bivol was sharp behind the jab and prevented Beterbiev from unloading his power shots.
But Beterbiev, 40, continued to push forward and force Bivol to fight at a hectic pace. Bivol found success putting together combinations with several punches piercing through Beterbiev's guard. Although Bivol was more active, Beterbiev's body punching began to wear on the challenger. Beterbiev placed his foot firmly on the gas in the fifth round and slammed punches into the body and head of Bivol, moving him around the ring with every punch.
Bivol, 34, would steady himself in the seventh round and put combinations behind the jab. A short-left hook in the eighth round forced Beterbiev to reset and think twice about pushing forward. With his punch output diminishing, Bivol would take advantage of his tiring opponent and pelt him with clean combination punching in the center of the ring.
With Bivol looking fresher in the championship rounds, Beterbiev needed to find something to alter the course of the fight. The skill and precision punching of Bivol halted Beterbiev's advances. Unlike the first fight, where Bivol released his grip on the fight, the Russian bit down on his mouthpiece and was busier to close the show.
In a last-ditch effort, Beterbiev stunned Bivol with a right hand late in the 12th round and opened up a cut over his left eye. But Bivol stymied Beterbiev's final salvo by clinching and avoiding further damage.
Lanier's season-high 30 leads Vols past Aggies
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Chaz Lanier had a season-high 30 points, including eight 3-pointers, and No. 6 Tennessee defeated No. 7 Texas A&M 77-69 on Saturday.
Lanier, a senior transfer from North Florida, went 8-of-13 from beyond the arc and 10-of-18 overall in game that featured 11 lead changes and eight ties. Lanier's eight 3s were the most by a Tennessee player since Jordan McRae in 2013, who made eight in a loss to Georgia, according to ESPN Research.
"Really proud of our guys today where, again, I thought they were very resilient," said Tennessee coach Rick Barnes, who won his 50th career game over an AP Top-10 team, the 11th coach to reach the mark. "We didn't get off to the start we wanted, but again, that happens. But we kept our poise."
Jordan Gainey made a 3-pointer with 3:33 to left to give Tennessee (22-5, 9-5 Southeastern Conference) a 63-59 lead. Zakai Zeigler hit a 3 in front of the Vols' bench on an inbound pass with 21 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
"We've seen him do it," Barnes said. "It seems like the bigger the moment, he thrives on that."
The Aggies (20-7, 9-5) started the game with three consecutive dunks before the Vols finally scored a little more than three minutes into the raucous setting at Reed Arena.
A&M led 17-8 early before the Vols scored the next seven points to climb back in the game.
Wade Taylor IV led the Aggies with 18 points, despite missing all nine of his 3-point attempts.
Texas A&M: The Aggies were coming off a 16-point loss at No. 21 Mississippi State that snapped a five-game winning streak, and they've lost two straight games for the first time since mid-January (at home against Alabama and at Kentucky). A&M, despite failing to collect its first home victory against a top-10 opponent in program history, likely won't be affected much in the NCAA Tournament seedings.
Tennessee: The Volunteers hadn't played since an 81-76 home victory over Vanderbilt a week earlier, and the rested crew appeared to have more energy and spirit from the start against the Aggies.
"I thought Jahmai Mashack's two tips were huge," Barnes said. "They were huge and a lot of people wouldn't notice that, but maybe the two biggest plays of the game."
Both teams made 90% of their free throws, each hitting 18 of 20.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Source: Rams let Stafford's agent gauge value
LOS ANGELES -- The Rams have given quarterback Matthew Stafford's agent permission to speak to other teams about his market value, a source confirmed to ESPN.
The news was first reported by NFL Network. The sides have been discussing a reworked contract with the goal of reaching a new agreement, a source told ESPN.
After the Rams won Super Bowl LVI, the team and Stafford agreed to a contract extension in March 2022. Stafford has two seasons left on the extension, with $4 million guaranteed in 2025 and none in 2026.
Last offseason, Stafford and the Rams agreed to a reworked contract, an adjustment that took until the day Los Angeles reported to training camp. Rams coach Sean McVay said after the season that he hoped the team and Stafford, 37, would have clarity on the situation "sooner than later."
"I'm sure proud of the body of work and really proud of the way that he's played," McVay said during his end-of-season news conference. "I think the coolest thing you can say about Matthew is he shines the brightest on the biggest stages. When you look at the seven playoff games that he's played in since he's been a Ram, he certainly gives you a chance every time you step out on the field, and for that I'm sure appreciative."
After spending his first 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions, the Rams traded for Stafford before the 2021 season then won the Super Bowl in their first season together.
In 16 games last season, Stafford completed 65.8% of his passes for 3,762 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Rockets' Smith (hand) has 15 off bench in return
Jabari Smith Jr., back after missing 22 games with a broken left hand, had 15 points to help the Houston Rockets win 121-115 in overtime Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Smith, normally a starter, entered the game off the bench early in the first quarter. He played 38 minutes and also had nine rebounds, two assists and a block.
Coach Ime Udoka said Smith's bench role was due in part to the possibility of not having some players Saturday night in Utah as the Rockets play back-to-back games.
"It was just a little bit of everything," Udoka said before the game. "Easing him back into it a little bit, not really conditioning wise, but we will see how he looks in this game and then everything is kind of open moving forward."
Smith broke a metacarpal bone in the hand during the team's shootaround Jan. 3. The Rockets went 12-10 with Smith out.
Amen Thompson started 20 of the 22 games during Smith's absence and was selected the Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month in January.
Smith started every game this season before the injury, averaging 11.9 points and 6.5 rebounds.
Fred VanVleet missed his eighth straight game Friday with a strained right ankle.
Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert missed his second straight game with lower back spasms. But Mike Conley returned after missing four games with a sprained right index finger. He had five points and five assists in 24 minutes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cavaliers' Allen injures hand, will undergo MRI
CLEVELAND -- The Cavaliers' latest blowout victory included an unexpected bump.
Center Jarrett Allen hurt his right hand at some point in the first half of Cleveland's 142-105 rout of the New York Knicks on Friday night, an injury that could leave the NBA's top team without one of its key players.
Allen is expected to undergo an MRI on Saturday, an off day for the team. The Cavs, who improved to a league-best 46-10 with their most-lopsided win ever over New York, host the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.
Allen played just a few minutes in the second half before the Cavs announced he would not return.
"X-rays were negative, so that's good," coach Kenny Atkinson said. "I do think he's going to get an MRI tomorrow. He came up to me during the game. He goes, 'It's really bothering me. I'm not going to be able to finish.' But good X-rays were negative."
Allen was reluctant to discuss his injury when he was approached in the locker room following the game. The affable Allen, who did not have a wrap on his hand, did offer that he may have gotten hurt while trying to block a shot in the first quarter.
"He's fine," chimed in All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who scored 27 points in 26 minutes.
Allen's injury comes just as the East-leading Cavs were getting back to full strength. Forward Dean Wade returned against the Knicks after missing several weeks with a bone bruise in his knee, and forward Isaac Okoro came back Thursday after being sidelined since Jan. 16 with a shoulder strain.
The 26-year-old Allen is a threat on both ends of the floor for Cleveland. He suffered a serious rib injury in the second round of the playoffs last season and was unable to play in the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston, which eliminated the Cavs in five games.
The Cavs have had their share of injuries this season, but nothing major to any of their top players.
They did get another scare in the first half when All-Star guard Darius Garland hit his face on the floor after taking an awkward fall in the lane. Garland was driving to the basket when he got fouled in the air by Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns.
Moments earlier, Garland took a blow to the face while guarding New York guard Jalen Brunson, who was called for an offensive foul. After his fall, Garland, who missed significant time last season with a broken jaw, laid on the court while being attended to by a trainer for several minutes.
He remained in the game and split a pair of free throws. Garland finished with nine points. The 25-year-old was not seen in the locker room following the game.
Kuzma daps up ex-Wiz teammate in 'weird' scene
WASHINGTON -- Kyle Kuzma's return to Washington led to a confusing moment with a couple of former teammates.
"One time in the first quarter, it might have been Alex [Sarr], he might have blocked a shot. Bilal [Coulibaly] came over to dap him up," Kuzma said. "Then I dapped up Bilal, just by instinct. It was weird."
Kuzma returned to Washington as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks and scored 19 points in their 104-101 victory over Sarr, Coulibaly and the Wizards on Friday night. Kuzma was traded from Washington to Milwaukee earlier this month, with Khris Middleton going to the Wizards in the deal.
Middleton missed a last-second 3-pointer that would have tied the score in his Wizards debut.
"Definitely a lot going on these last couple weeks," Middleton said. "It's a little strange and coincidental how this is my first game here with the Wizards -- against the Bucks."
Kuzma's departure from Washington was so recent he said the return this week gave him a chance to sleep in his own bed. He spent 3 seasons with the Wizards and looks back fondly on his tenure with them.
"I wouldn't trade this experience and being here and being a Wizard for anything," Kuzma said. "I think it was a great time for me, a time of growth, a time of figuring out who I am as a person."
Still, with Washington in the middle of a substantial rebuild, it wasn't a shock that he was traded, and he was ready.
"I think the writing was on the wall in a sense here. Not saying that was a good or a bad thing. I think everything in life really has an expiration date," Kuzma said. "It was my time to go, beneficial to all parties involved."
Kuzma hasn't been with Milwaukee for long, but the Bucks already need him to perform. Bobby Portis Jr. is unavailable because of a drug suspension, and Damian Lillard (hamstring) missed Friday's game. Giannis Antetokounmpo was in foul trouble throughout and fouled out after playing only 19 minutes.
"It was an odd game," Kuzma said. "I don't think I've ever seen Giannis have six fouls in 18 minutes. Don't know what that was about. Obviously, we're down bodies."
Cavs hand Knicks worst loss of Thibodeau era
Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points, Evan Mobley added 21, and the Cleveland Cavaliers bullied the New York Knicks from the start Friday night, winning 142-105 in a matchup of two of the Eastern Conference's top teams.
Only the Cavaliers looked elite, winning their sixth straight and improving the NBA's best record to 46-10. Cleveland has won 14 games by 20-plus points, matching its most in a season in franchise history. The Cavaliers also topped 140 points for the fourth time in 2024-25, their most in franchise history.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, when asked, said he didn't view it as a statement win, however.
"No, no, no. I think we played well, I thought we were focused, but I wouldn't call it a statement win," Atkinson said. "They're obviously a really good team, we were at home, but I think we got good feedback on what could work if you play this team in the playoffs. That's probably the most important thing."
The 37-point loss was the Knicks' largest under coach Tom Thibodeau and tied for the third largest in Thibodeau's head coaching career.
"Right from the start," Thibodeau said of where things went wrong. "We had the first couple minutes where ... we're up, I think, five and then missed a couple of lobs, and then if you jog back, there's going to be a problem. And then we got hit quick and didn't protect the basket, and they got a lot of confidence early from that and then it snowballed from there."
Jalen Brunson scored 26 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 23 for the Knicks, who beat the Chicago Bulls in overtime Thursday in their first game back from the All-Star break.
New York (37-19) couldn't use a back-to-back set as an excuse as Cleveland won in Brooklyn a night earlier. Friday marked Cleveland's second-largest win this season; the Cavaliers beat the Dallas Mavericks by 43 points Feb. 2.
"Just can't give in, and that's the biggest thing," Thibodeau said. "You can't allow anything to break you. You got to have the mental toughness to get through things. And so there's got to be a lot more resolve, particularly on the road against the team that is this good, you know?"
Cleveland got a scare in the first half when All-Star guard Darius Garland hit his head on the floor while taking an awkward fall. Garland, who missed significant time last season due to a broken jaw, stayed in the game.
The Cavaliers played most of the second half without center Jarrett Allen, who injured his right hand. X-rays were negative.
New York was without versatile swingman Josh Hart, who missed his second straight game because of a sore right knee. But the Knicks saw the return of OG Anunoby, who played for the first time since Feb. 1 after dealing with a toe injury.
Anunoby played 27 minutes, finishing with 5 points, 1 steal and 2 turnovers. He is one of three players with 100 3-pointers, 60 steals and 40 blocks this season.
"It's about what I thought it would be," Thibodeau said of Anunoby's return to action. "There was some good minutes early. ... There's some rust he's got to work through, but I thought he had good energy."
Mitchell went on a tear late in the first half, dropping a trio of 3-pointers in the final 1:43 as Cleveland opened a 27-point halftime lead. Mitchell loves facing the Knicks: He came in averaging 30.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in his previous nine regular-season games against New York.
"I don't have any stats to back this up, but it seems like Don does not like to have two bad shooting nights in a row, and when he does shoot bad, you're pretty sure that A) he's going to come out firing and B) he's probably going to make a lot of them," Atkinson said. "That's the competitor he is, and I felt he had a little more oomph today -- a little more juice.
"It's part of what we talked about before with having lost to this team in the playoffs and wanting to prove yourself."
The Knicks fell to 0-6 this season against the Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder, the only teams with better records than New York.
It's a big weekend for both teams as the Knicks are in Boston on Sunday and the Cavaliers host the top-scoring Memphis Grizzlies that night.
"That's part of this league, and you got to have the toughness to get through those things," Thibodeau said of the quick turnaround. "That's what the schedule says, just be ready to play."
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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