Pakistan boosted their slim hopes of qualifying for the T20 World Cup Super 8s with a seven-wicket victory over Canada.
Muhammad Rizwan made an unbeaten half-century to give the Green Shirts a much-needed win in New York, having started their campaign with back-to-back defeats against the United States and India.
Aaron Johnson top-scored for Canada with an impressive 52 off 44 balls - including four sixes - as the Maple Leafers finished at 106-7.
Rizwan and Babar Azam led Pakistan's charge with a stand of 63.
Azam fell on 33 as he was caught off Dilon Heyliger, but Rizwan kept things ticking over before Usman Khan wrapped up the victory with 15 balls to spare.
Data Debrief: Ton up for Rauf
Pakistan are still in the hunt for a Super 8s spot, though they must comfortably beat Ireland in the final Group A game and hope for favourable results from elsewhere to secure a top-two finish.
On a brighter note, Haris Rauf's figure of 2-26 saw him notch up his 100th wicket in T20Is, becoming only the second player from his nation to hit triple figures after Shadab Khan.
England must "earn the right" to start thinking about T20 World Cup permutations, says Jos Buttler, whose side face a humiliating early exit in the group stage.
Matthew Mott's white-ball were defeated by Australia on Saturday, with their 36-run loss leaving them staring at a group-stage elimination in their T20I title defence.
That result was compounded by Scotland's thrashing of Oman with 41 balls to spare as England suffered another blow to their hopes of progressing via net run-rate.
Another must-win match against Oman looms on Thursday, where England have to triumph before any other calculations of permutations can begin, says captain Buttler.
"I don't think it's s**t or bust quite yet," Buttler told reporters in Antigua. "I think it's quite clear what we need to do and how we need to play.
"First and foremost, we need to win the game against Oman to have any chance going forward into the next one.
"So we have to earn the right to try and win the game. And if we can get ourselves in a position to affect our net run-rate, obviously that's what we need to do."
England then face Namibia on Saturday to round off their group-stage campaign, though two victories for Buttler's side may still not be enough.
Scotland could still knock them out by beating Australia in their final match after England meet Namibia, when the Scots will have an advantage of a clear picture of what is required.
"We've looked at a few little bits but it's going to be ever-changing throughout the game," Buttler added.
"I don't think we need to consume too much energy today and tomorrow saying 'we need to score 'X' amount of runs or win by this much'. I think those kinds of things will develop on the day.
"That's the situation we find ourselves in, so we have to be aware of that, but not be consumed by that.
"If we try and do that bit first and forget about trying to win the game and lose, then you've got no chance anyway.
"So I'd rather have some kind of chance going into the last game, and know exactly what we need to."
England's white-ball struggles at the tournament have raised questions about Buttler's captaincy and coach Mott's tenure.
Buttler has no interest in the speculation surrounding his stewardship, however.
"I care more about the team than the media and the outside noise," he added. "That's always there, it's part of international sport. If you get to this level, you have to be able to deal with it, the job you guys do, that's the job TV does.
"It's probably harder to completely ignore it in this day and age, but there's a level of acceptance. Our focus has to be on what we can do with our performance.
"I've played the game long enough now to know that it's very good at building people up and pretty good at criticising when it doesn't go right, especially in England.
"I do the same thing when I'm watching a game of football or rugby – 'how's he missed that from there?' 'How did he miss from one-yard out', or 'someone's dropped the ball over the line'. Simple things like that.
"People care. That's why we're able to do what we do because people care and they want to watch. We're a proud team, we want to perform really well for all the fans.
"But to be honest, all the focus is on us and how well we can play. If we play as well as we can, we'll make our fans happy."
Nicolo Barella has ended speculation surrounding his future by signing a new deal with Inter.
The Italy midfielder, whose existing contract was due to expire in June 2026, has put pen to paper on fresh terms, keeping him with the Nerazzurri until 2029.
Barella had been linked with a move away from San Siro, with Premier League sides Manchester United, Liverpool and Newcastle United reportedly interested in securing his services.
The 27-year-old has made 235 appearances for Inter since arriving from Cagliari on an initial loan deal in July 2019, helping the club win two Serie A and Coppa Italia titles, and the 2019-20 Europa League and 2022-23 Champions League finals.
"Today, I am extremely happy and moved to extend my contract with Inter for a number of years," he told the club's official website.
"I have never had any doubts. I believe in this project and, most of all, I wanted to sign before the European tournament. I am truly proud to be able to keep fighting for the colours of this great club for years to come.
"My wish is to continue on the successful journey that the squad and coach have experienced in recent years. We want to keep growing and bring more joy to our fans.
"We have had unforgettable moments with them, and I am sure there will be many more. I cannot wait to go again in front of the wonderful Nerazzurri fans, all of us together for Inter."
Barella is currently on international duty with Italy, and is in a race to be fit for the reigning champions' Euro 2024 opener against Albania in Group B on Saturday.
The midfielder, who missed the Azzurri's final warm-up matches against Turkiye and Bosnia-Herzegovina with a muscle injury, trained separately from the rest of his team-mates on Tuesday.
However, head coach Luciano Spalletti expects him to be fit for Italy's European Championship bow in Dortmund.
The New York Jets opened mandatory mini-camp on Tuesday, but neither quarterback Aaron Rodgers nor edge rusher Haason Reddick were present.
Coach Robert Saleh said neither player was excused, meaning both are subject to fines.
Players who miss camp without an excused absence can be fined $16,953 for missing the first day, and $33,908 for the second day for a total of $50,861.
Saleh told reporters Rodgers' absence for the first day of camp is because he's attending something that is "very important to him."
Reddick is seeking a new contract, but after he skipped last week's voluntary workouts, Saleh said he expected him to be present for the start of the team's mandatory camp.
Rodgers, however, attended last week's workouts, as well as organised team activities throughout the off-season.
"Aaron and I spoke before OTAs started," Saleh said. "He's been very good with communication. He's been here the entire time. It's inexcused, but he had an event that was very important to him - which he communicated."
The four-time league MVP also told Saleh he would not attend Wednesday's work-out.
Rodgers is returning from a torn left Achilles tendon that was sustained in the 2023 opener, ending his season just four snaps into his Jets tenure.
Reddick was acquired by the Jets in a March trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. A two-time Pro Bowler, he had 11 sacks last season and 58 in his seven-year pro career.
Andy Murray suffered a third successive first-round defeat, as he was beaten in straight sets by Marcos Giron at the BOSS Open.
The three-time major champion fell at the first hurdle for the seventh time this season, with Giron prevailing 6-3 6-4 after 75 minutes in Stuttgart.
Giron, who was runner-up to compatriot Tommy Paul in Dallas in February, broke in game six as he won nine out of 10 points, before going on to take the opening set.
Murray - a Stuttgart finalist in 2022 - looked to respond as he won eight of the opening nine points at the start of the second.
However, he saw two break points go begging as Giron held before breaking to 15 in game three.
It proved decisive for the American, who clinched victory with a love hold to set up a last-16 clash with Jack Draper.
Data Debrief: Murray set to drop out of world's top 100
Giron hit seven aces and won 80 per cent (33 out of 41) of his first-serve points on the way to claiming his first ATP win over a current or former world number one.
The 999th singles match of Murray's career ended in an 11th defeat of 2024. Having not won a completed match since beating Tomas Etcheverry at the Miami Open, the 37-year-old will drop out of the world's top 100 next week for the first time since January 2022.
Jon Rahm has admitted that he is unsure whether he will be fit enough to feature in this week's 124th US Open at Pinehurst.
The Spaniard, who won the title in 2021, turned up with an injured foot on Tuesday having withdrawn from the second round of LIV Houston last week with an infection.
Upon his arrival in North Carolina, Rahm revealed that his foot was a concern ahead of the competition.
"It is doing better, but the pain is high," said the 29-year-old, "I have a little hole between my pinky toe and next one and it got infected.
"I got a shot to numb the pain [before the second round in Houston] that was supposed to last all round and it lasted two holes."
The world number eight has not won since making the move to LIV Golf from the PGA Tour last December. He shared 45th at the Masters and missed the cut at last month's PGA Championship.
When asked if there was a good chance he might not play this week, he replied: "I don’t know. The infection is now controlled, but there's still swelling and there's still pain.
"There's a reason I walked out here in a shoe and a flip-flop, trying to keep the area dry and trying to get that to heal as soon as possible. But I can only do what I can do. The human body can only work so fast."
Ons Jabeur eased past Camila Osorio in straight sets to progress to the next round of the Nottingham Open.
The three-time grand slam champion returned to the East Midlands for the first team since 2014, and got her grass court season off to a winning start with a 6-2 6-3 win over the Colombian.
It was the perfect start for the world number 10, who earned a break point in the opening game before going on to win the first set, but the Tunisian was made to work to secure her triumph.
Osorio matched Jabeur early on, but the top seed at the tournament showcased her class to come through the encounter, building on her quarter-final run at the French Open as her preparations for Wimbledon continue.
Jabeur will face Linda Fruhvirtova in the next round of the competition.
Data Debrief: Top seed Jabeur through to next round
The world number 10 was at her clinical best, winning 84 per cent of her first serve points.
Jabeur's win saw her unbeaten record continue against Osorio, having last prevailed at Roland-Garros in May.
Aston Villa owner Nassef Sawiris says he is considering legal action against the Premier League over its Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Sawiris, Egypt's richest man, claims the rules, which place a limit on the amount clubs are able to lose across a three-year period, "do not make sense".
At the Premier League's annual general meeting last Thursday, Villa had a proposal to raise the maximum permitted losses from £105million to £135million rejected.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Sawiris claimed he was seeking advice over the prospect of taking legal action against them.
He said: "Some of the rules have actually resulted in cementing the status quo more than creating upward mobility and fluidity in the sport.
"The rules do not make sense and are not good for football.
"Managing a sports team has become more like being a treasurer or a bean counter rather than looking at what your team needs.
"It's more about creating paper profits, not real profits. It becomes a financial game, not a sporting game."
Premier League clubs did, however, agree to trial new financial systems next season at the meeting, including a cap on spending which would replace PSR from the 2025-26 campaign.
Both Everton and Nottingham Forest received point deductions for breaching the PSR limit in the 2023-24 season. In March, Villa reported a loss of £119.6million up to May 31, 2023.
Meanwhile, a hearing began on Monday after Manchester City took legal action against the Premier League's Associated Party Transaction rules (APT), which are designed to regulate clubs signing sponsorship deals with companies linked to their owners.
Toni Kroos urged Germany to embrace the "special" pressure of hosting Euro 2024, as Julian Nagelsmann's side prepare to launch the tournament on Friday.
DFB will host their first major international tournament since the 2006 World Cup, where they finished third after losing to eventual champions Italy in the semi-finals.
Germany launch their campaign against Scotland at Munich Football Arena on Friday, while also facing Hungary and Switzerland in Group A.
And Kroos, who will retire from football after the tournament, wants his team-mates to enjoy the "great honour" of playing in their home event.
"At every tournament on home soil [there is pressure]. It is even more special," the midfielder told reporters during a press conference.
"We know the pressure is there, we don't want to brush it aside, but we have to enjoy this pressure. We want to influence the atmosphere positively, and we have to make amends for past tournaments.
"We know what this is about, but it is also a great honour and joy to play this tournament. How many players do get to play a home tournament?"
Germany are hoping for an upturn in fortunes in major tournaments after suffering back-to-back World Cup group-stage exits, while they were beaten by England in the round of 16 at Euro 2020.
Nagelsmann's side have also endured mixed form in the lead-up to this tournament. Their final warm-up matches brought a goalless draw with Ukraine, and a narrow 2-1 victory over Greece.
Kroos knows the hosts need to up their game, but feels they have the perfect stage on which to address their form.
"You know what is possible when you see the squad quality we have," he added. "But we also see that during some phases in matches, there is room for improvement.
"There is no better opportunity to show in a tournament that we can play well. That is the task.
"If we want to play a good role then it is inevitable that we must minimise these phases when we don't play well as a team. There are teams coming [in the tournament] that will punish us and then the tournament is over."
Emma Raducanu made a successful return from injury at the Nottingham Open with a straight-sets victory over Ena Shibahara.
The 21-year-old opted to miss Roland Garros and focus on her grass season, with the decision paying off as she earned a 6-1, 6-4 win on Tuesday.
Raducanu cruised through the first set and looked set to race through the second as well when she took a commanding 5-1 lead.
Shibahara upped her level and got a double break as errors crept into the Briton's game to force a nervy ending to the set, but Raducanu held out to get her first win on grass since Wimbledon in 2022.
She will now face Daria Snigur in the next round.
Data Debrief: Raducanu all smiles on injury return
Raducanu has been out of action since exiting the Madrid Open in April, but she impressed in her opener in Nottingham.
Despite the nervy end to the game when Shibahara showed some fight, Raducanu was in full control, winning seven games in a row, while also converting six of her eight break points.
Robert Lewandowski has been ruled out of Poland's opening match of Euro 2024 against the Netherlands with a hamstring injury.
The skipper limped off in the 32nd minute of the Poles' final warm-up game against Turkiye on Monday, and was later seen receiving treatment on his right thigh.
Head coach Michal Probierz had hoped Lewandowski's injury was nothing too serious, but the Polish FA confirmed the Barcelona striker is not fit to face the Dutch in Hamburg on Sunday.
Karol Swiderski and Pawel Dawidowicz were also injured for the Eagles, who have already seen Arkadiusz Milik ruled out of the tournament with a knee problem, but both should be fit for their first Group D encounter.
"We examined three players who suffered injuries in the match against Turkiye," a statement from the Polish FA read.
"Dawidowicz suffered a pulled quadriceps thigh muscle. In the case of Swiderski, an examination showed an ankle sprain without significant damage. Both players should return to full training within three to four days after the treatment.
"Lewandowski suffered a rupture of the biceps femoris muscle, which will exclude him from the first match of the tournament."
Lewandowski - who has made more appearances (150) and scored more goals (82) for Poland than any other player - will hope to feature in his country's remaining Group D fixtures against Austria on June 21, and France four days later.
England are "incredibly strong" and "definitely good enough to go all the way" at Euro 2024, insists former Three Lions goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Gareth Southgate's side, who were runners-up to Italy at the delayed Euro 2020, are among the favourites to go one better and lift the Henri Delaunay trophy in Germany this year, and there is envious quality within their ranks.
Jude Bellingham played a starring role during his debut season with Real Madrid, with Harry Kane following suit at Bayern Munich, while Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and John Stones are fresh from winning a record-breaking fourth successive Premier League title with Manchester City.
Hart, who recently announced his retirement from professional football, represented England at two European Championships in 2012 and 2016, playing alongside the likes of Kane, Walker and Stones at the latter.
The ex-Man City and Celtic stopper briefly featured for the Three Lions during the early stages of Southgate's tenure, which began in September 2016, and he talked up the nation's chances to BBC Sport.
"I know a lot of our players well from my time with the squad," said Hart, whose tally of 75 caps is only bettered by Peter Shilton (125) among England goalkeepers. "They are top-class players who will have a huge say in how we do this time.
"I feel like [Southgate's] confidence has increased a lot since my time with the squad. He's had success at the past two tournaments... and it also seems like everyone loves playing under him, which is so important.
"For everything that is talked about by people outside the squad, it is what happens in the camp that really matters, and Gareth has built an environment where they will feel safe and will be very focused.
"It looks like the manager and players understand each other and what it takes to go the distance, so they will be able to put themselves in the best position to execute all the planning and hard work that they have already put in.
"England are definitely good enough to go all the way in Germany. If you look at all the squads, then along with France, we are incredibly strong.
"But I know what goes into winning a tournament, and it is not quite as simple as just having the best players, so we will have to see how it plays out."
Cristiano Ronaldo believes Portugal have all the right ingredients to succeed at Euro 2024, but believes the current squad will be judged on the trophies they win as a group.
The 39-year-old will make history in Germany as he becomes the first player to feature in six editions of the competition, already holding the records of having the most games (25), most goals (14) and joint-most assists on record (6).
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was part of the Selecao das Quinas side that lifted the trophy back in 2016, and is hoping to add another international accolade to his collection.
"I'm proud to be the first player to play in six EURO tournaments. I'm thrilled about it as it shows the longevity of my career. However, it's merely a chapter in what Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved in football.
"I'm happy and I feel privileged to be here to help the national team achieve its goals and, of course, try to go on and win it, which is our primary goal."
Portugal won all 10 of their qualifiers, but their preparations for the tournament have not gone as planned, suffering defeats to Croatia and Slovenia in recent friendlies.
Roberto Martinez's side face the Republic of Ireland in their final game before they travel to Germany ahead of their Group F opener against the Czech Republic on June 18.
Despite recent results, Ronaldo believes that the current Portugal squad is full of talented individuals, but insisted that the success of the team will be measured by winning international honours.
"I firmly believe that this team will bring a lot of joy to the Portuguese fans, beginning with this EURO," said Ronaldo.
"However, in my opinion, the best generation of players are always those who win (trophies). I hope this national team will win because it's an incredibly talented squad.
"As we all know, though, talent alone is not enough to win. There are many things that go into winning a major tournament like this one. We have all the ingredients to win it, but we'll take it one step at a time, game by game, all the while believing that we can win it.
"What we achieved in 2016 was historic, both in Portuguese football and world football. Now we have our feet firmly on the ground but our mind up in the sky to look up and see that it is possible to win the EURO."
Having secured two positive results to get the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers going, Trinidad and Tobago’s Head coach Angus Eve welcomed the solid platform on which he hopes to build when the Soca Warriors next take the field as part of the campaign.
Eve’s side registered one of the biggest winning margins of the opening round of matches, as they thumped Bahamas 7-1 in Basseterre, St Kitts, on Saturday. That dominance performance followed a shaky showing against Grenada in which the Soca Warriors had to come from two goals down to secure a point in a 2-2 stalemate.
It is with that in mind why Eve expressed pleasure with his team’s character, as the performances ensured the twin island republic sits second in Group B on four points, two behind leaders and group favourites Costa Rica on six points. Grenada (one point) is third, while St Kitts and Nevis and Bahamas, who meet on Tuesday, are yet to get off the mark.
“The result was the most important thing for us. We wanted to win the game. We wanted to get three points and we did,” Eve said.
“I thought we were a little bit flat in the first game against Grenada, and we never got going until the second half. We wanted to right that wrong, and I think we did it. The passing...the fluency of the team was much better,” he added.
Trinidad and Tobago players celebrate a goal against Bahamas.
While critics argued that the 7-1 scoreline was due to the fact that Bahamas was a perceived lesser opponent, Eve rubbished the thought, as he reminded football enthusiasts that the Bahamians were responsible for Trinidad and Tobago’s demise during the last qualifying cycle.
“It doesn’t matter who we played. This team [Bahamas] threw us out of the World Cup last time around. I don’t think we could have scored on them back then. So it shows improvement, for us beating them by seven,” Eve declared.
“As the game went along, we believed we could have gotten more, we pushed for more, and it has taken us up to four points, which is most important,” he noted.
Obviously disappointed by the Grenada performance, the tactician made seven changes to his starting team, and the likes of Malcolm Shaw, Duane Muckette, Andre Rampersad, Alvin Jones, Steffen Yeates, Triston Hodge and Josiah Trimmingham repaid Eve’s faith in them. Shaw and Muckette both scored braces.
“I just wanted to freshen up the team. I have confidence in all of the guys that we brought here, so we believe that we could kind of change up the squad somewhat and get the desired result,” Eve said.
“I thought they did very well and we believe in all the players that we bring here, and we have no fear to change up the team,” he shared.
Meanwhile, having missed out on a Copa America berth, Eve will have to possible find a few friendly encounters to engage in to keep his Soca Warriors sharp ahead of the Nations League, which gets under way in September.
The World Cup qualifying campaign will resume next June. At that time, Trinidad and Tobago will host St Kitts and Nevis, before a possible top-of-the-table clash away to Costa Rica.
Only the top two teams from each group will progress to the final stage of the qualifiers.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
