A devastating performance with bat and ball saw India seal a sensational series comeback with a record 168-run victory in their third and final T20I with New Zealand.
Shubman Gill's 126 not out powered the hosts to a freewheeling 234-4 in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, before they tore through their visitors at the crease for an emphatic win.
It is the biggest margin of victory India have ever recorded in the format, and marked something of an anticlimactic end to an otherwise close-fought series.
They are unlikely to care given the nature of their euphoric blowout, though the Black Caps will be concerned after failing to reach three figures in back-to-back games.
There were few signs at first glance Gill would turn in the sort of pyrotechnic performance that saw him star in the pair's ODI series last month.
After losing opening partner Ishan Kishan for just one, however, the opener carried the bat in a gangbuster turn, with a dozen fours and seven sixes off 63 balls.
Able support from Rahul Tripathi (44) and Hardik Pandya (30) helped him motor India to their fifth-best score in T20I history, and their highest against New Zealand.
Hopes of mounting any serious pursuit felt slim for the Black Caps even before they crumpled, with Pandya (4-16) and Arshdeep Singh (2-16) combining for a brutal opening three overs to reduce them to 7-4.
Daryl Mitchell (35) stubbornly held his ground as a succession of partners came and went, helping to drag New Zealand from 21-5 to 53-6.
But further work from Shivam Mavi and Umran Malik curtailed any resistance as the tourists were bowled all out for 66.
Gill maintains 2023 hot streak
After matching the world record for the most runs in a three-game ODI series last month against New Zealand, the batter turned on the power again when it mattered.
A quiet few matches, with scores of just seven and 11, are faded memories now after his supremely assured performance this week.
Black Caps continue to stutter
After failing to hit the 100 mark last time out, a second successive game where they petered out in double figures is a major concern for New Zealand.
Their score of 66 is the third-lowest they have recorded in T20I history, behind the twin totals of 60 they posted against Sri Lanka in 2014 and Bangladesh in 2021.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have paid tribute to quarterback Tom Brady following his retirement after 23 years in the NFL.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner announced his retirement from the sport on Wednesday, bringing an end to a three-year spell in Tampa Bay.
His first year with the franchise resulted in Brady's final Super Bowl triumph and only the team's second all-time, which came after years of dominance with the New England Patriots.
The Buccaneers' Glazer owners issued a statement thanking Brady for his contributions, which read: "Tom's impact on our franchise these past three years has been immense and we are appreciative of the time we had with him here in Tampa Bay.
"He set an exceptional standard that elevated our entire organisation to new heights and created some of the most iconic moments in our history.
"Tom's impact will be felt within our community for many years to come and we will forever be grateful for those unforgettable memories that he provided during these final seasons of his legendary career.
"We wish him the best in this next chapter of life and are confident he will find similar success in his future endeavours."
Head coach Todd Bowles, who was defensive coordinator for the first two years of Brady's time in Tampa Bay, said: "I have always had the utmost respect for Tom Brady as a football player, as a winner and as a person.
"It wasn't until he joined us three years ago that I was able to truly appreciate him as a team-mate. Even before I became head coach, we communicated often and had a strong relationship built on mutual respect and a desire to win.
"That connection only grew over this past season as we fought to get the most out of our football team. I greatly appreciate the leadership he provided and I'm thankful for our time together."
General Manager Jason Licht, who brought Brady to the Buccaneers and has held his role since 2014, feels that the 45-year-old's impact will continue to be felt over the course of the coming years.
"Tom's legacy is unmatched in the history of this game," Licht said. "All the Super Bowl titles and statistical records speak for themselves, but the impact he had on so many people through the years is what I appreciate the most.
"His imprint on this organisation helped take us to the mountaintop. We will certainly miss him as our quarterback, but I will also miss him as a leader and friend.
"Our entire organisation is indebted to him for what he provided us over the past three years. We won't ever forget the wins or the accolades and his influence will be felt for years to come."
Patrick Mahomes, Ryan Jensen and Conor McGregor are among those paying tribute to Tom Brady after the NFL veteran announced his retirement.
One year to the date after he first announced he was hanging up his cleats, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has confirmed he is quitting "for good" after previously walking back his decision.
Across a career stretching 23 years, two teams, seven Super Bowls and five MVP awards, the 45-year-old has earned a reputation as one of the sport's all-time greats.
His announcement has sparked an outpouring of affection and respect from his peers, with fellow quarterback Mahomes leading the tributes.
The Kansas City Chiefs man posted three goat emojis to Twitter, in reference to the acronym GOAT, which stands for greatest of all time.
Brady's Tampa Bay team-mate Jensen, who won Super Bowl LV alongside him, penned a heartfelt message after he helped him through injury last season.
"Thanks for pushing me every day this season, mentally and physically, to get back on the field," he wrote.
"I'm glad I was able to take the field with you one last time! Enjoy retirement, don't dog me too much in the booth. Love ya man!"
Praise for Brady was not limited to American football, with MMA veteran McGregor praising the player's Irish roots.
Former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter also offered his congratulations on "an unbelievable career", adding: "It was fun to watch!"
Brady spent the majority of his career with the New England Patriots, taking the team to six Super Bowl successes between 2000 and 2019.
He moved to the Buccaneers for the 2020 season, and inspired them to a surprise championship in his first campaign in Florida.
At the end of his career, Brady ranks first for a host of statistical categories.including most passing yards (89,214), regular season touchdowns (649) and playoff touchdowns (88).
J.J. Watt says there is "no question" that Tom Brady is the "greatest of all time".
Brady retired for a second time on Wednesday at the age of 45.
A year on from announcing a retirement that lasted only 40 days, Brady said he has now called time on his playing days "for good".
Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, announced his own retirement in December, having spent two seasons at the Arizona Cardinals and 10 years with the Houston Texans.
And he welcomed seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady to the "newly retired group".
"Greatest of All Time. No question, no debate," Watt tweeted.
"It's been an honour and a privilege.
"PS – The newly retired group meets on the golf course every morning at 10am. Drinks are on the new guy, so bring your wallet."
A good Six Nations run is not imperative for England and Steve Borthwick, with Chris Robshaw suggesting it will have no bearing on their World Cup fortunes.
Former Leicester boss Borthwick will take charge of the national team for the first time since succeeding Eddie Jones in this weekend's opener with Scotland.
It marks the start of a five-match run that will serve as England's only competitive preparation ahead of September's showpiece tournament in France.
But former captain Robshaw does not feel the team need to ace their Six Nations campaign in order to bolster their prospects later this year.
"It is important, but it is not the be all and end all," Robshaw told Stats Perform. "The World Cup is a separate tournament.
"Of course you want to win, and you want to play well now, but you've still got another four or five months before that.
"I think when South Africa won it back in 2007, they were pretty awful in their build-up.
"You want to be confident going in, but it's not everything."
England head into the Six Nations as underdogs, with France and Ireland the leading favourites to take the title in March.
Robshaw feels there is still a successful campaign to be had, however, pointing to the growth and experience they will develop alongside Borthwick.
"They need to hit the ground running against Scotland," he added. "First and foremost, they need to do that.
"From an output point of view, if they could win [against] Scotland and Italy, and then nick one of the Ireland or France games, I think that will be viewed as a very successful campaign.
"This is a growing squad. It is a new group, but I think it's a great combination of a team [with] huge excitement, experience and a well-balanced coaching staff."
Tom Brady has announced he is retiring from the NFL and says this time it is "for good".
Tom Brady has announced he is retiring from the NFL and says this time it is "for good".
Brady spent 23 seasons at the very top of the game but announced his retirement on Wednesday.
The 45-year-old previously called time on his illustrious career a year ago, on February 1 2022, only to announce 40 days later that he was making a comeback.
But after one final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the legendary quarterback has said his playing days are over.
"I'll get to the point right away. I'm retiring, for good," he said in a video shared on his official social media channels.
"I know the process was a pretty big deal last time, so when I woke up this morning, I figured I'd just press record [and] let you guys know first.
"I won't be long-winded. You only get one super emotional retirement essay and I used mine up last year.
"Thank you guys so much to every single one of you for supporting me.
"My family, my friends, my team-mates, my competitors, I could go on forever, there's too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn't change a thing. Love you all."
Brady bows out with seven Super Bowl wins to his name, while he was named Super Bowl MVP on five occasions and the NFL's MVP three times, in 2007, 2010 and 2017.
He spent the first 20 seasons of his career with the New England Patriots, before joining Tampa Bay for the 2020 season.
Brady's status as one of the greatest of all time was already assured, but he offered a reminder of his talents by guiding the Bucs to their first Super Bowl success since 2003 in 2021.
Only two QBs – Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes, who has taken the Kansas City Chiefs to another Super Bowl – threw for more yards than Brady (4,694) in the 2022 season, with the veteran tied eighth in the NFL for passing touchdowns (25).
Tampa Bay won the NFC South but lost to 31-14 to the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs on January 16.
Brady's 649 passing TDs is a league record, way clear of Drew Brees in second place with 571, while his yards total of 89,214 is also the best of any quarterback in history.
Only four QBs have racked up more games than Brady's 335; Morten Andersen (382), Adam Vinatieri (365), Gary Anderson (353) and Jeff Feagles (352).
Leicester City chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has relieved the club of nearly £200million of outstanding debts.
The Premier League club, which is owned by King Power International, had over £194m in loans and interest that they were due to pay back to Srivaddhanaprabha's company.
However, the Thai businessman, the son of former Leicester owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who died in a helicopter crash outside the King Power Stadium in 2018, has chosen to relieve these debts.
In a statement on Leicester's official website, the chairman said: "Maintaining long-term stability is vital for sustainable growth and a fundamental principle that has always guided our investments in the club's future.
"We want to make sure we continue on that path from the strongest, most secure financial footing.
"I believe with all my heart in Leicester City and what the Club can achieve for our fans, our people and our communities – in Leicester, Thailand and around the world.
"The faith they continue to place in us to run their club responsibly with ambition and integrity guides our decision making and remains vital to us building on one of the most successful eras in the club's history."
The decision will undoubtedly ease concerns over Leicester's finances after a lack of spending in the recent transfer windows.
The deadline-day acquisition of Stoke defender Harry Soutar for £15m was only the third cash signing this season after the acquisitions of Victor Kristiansen from FC Copenhagen and Wout Faes from Reims.
Leicester have lost four of their five league games since returning from the World Cup break and sit 14th, just three points above the bottom.Bobby Gray scored 45 points as Horizon successfully defended its title after thrashing Storm by 113-89 in the final of the Elite 1 Caribbean Basketball Winter League on Sunday at the National Arena in Kingston.
Meanwhile, Waves copped third place by delivering a similar thrashing to the Rivers who ended the competition without a victory from their eight games.
The final was competitive right up to two minutes before the end of the first quarter when Horizon went on a 10-2 run to open up a 12-point lead.
After that, it was basically one-way traffic as Horizon increased their lead in each subsequent quarter leading 59-47 and 83-68, before emphatically retaining their title.
Gray was named MVP but he was supported by Asaad Woods and Rasheed Maynard Woods who scored 18 and 17 points, respectively.
Da'Rell Dominek scored 30 points and Jayrn Johnson 22 for the Storm, but could have done with a big game from their best player Brandon BDot Armstrong, who scored only six points in what was his worst game of the tournament.
"(I) feel pretty elated tonight. We had done it in the summer and this is the winter league and we are able to pull off another championship again,” said Horizon head coach Cleon Morgan.
“We came out tonight looked a little bit smoother even though we started off a little sloppy but regardless of that we picked up back the pace and we maintained the lead all the way till the end of the game."
Storm’s head coach, Oneil Brown, said his team did not play to win.
"Actually, a lot of us struggled. I think the guard play; Horizon had better guard play than us tonight,” he said.
“Their guards outscored us and you can see the score at the end. I am disappointed in my team. If it wasn't for Da'Rell we'd by down by 40 and the game would be long over but it has been a good season, ups and down and we looking forward for next year."
In the playoff for third, Waves came prepared to close out the championship with a win after narrowly missing out on a place in the final.
They dominated Rivers in every quarter and category - three-pointers, blocks, free throws and defense. They led 30-12, 52-33, 82-67 before closing out the victory 110-86.
Lushane Wilson scored 27 points and Cameron Burhannon 26 points for Waves while Ricky Shuford had a game-high 35 points and the dependable Anthony Ottleym 14, for Rivers.
"It was a good game but it was one of the toughest games of the season for us mentally. I am really proud of the guys because I was worried,” said Waves coach Rohan Robinson afterwards.
“They said they wanted to finish it off strong, they’re not going out like losers. They are looking forward again to the next tournament in the summer."
After leading Rivers to yet another disappointing loss, Ludlow Barker hopes to get another chance at coaching in the league.
"I think if we going to have the rosters and we can select some more of the players then. If we can choose the kind of team we need then we will get a chance but if you have to play with those you are given then you have to work with it," he said.
League owner Wayne Dawkins was pleased with the tournament stating that the league was here to stay.
"The level of talent we were able to attract down here was extremely high,” he said.
“Our coaching staff did a phenomenal job, our table staff and everybody else, because we really have to get that down in order to be able to scale and grow this thing and so that I was very pleased with."
Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open despite playing with a three-centimetre hamstring tear, according to tournament chief Craig Tiley, who paid tribute to the Serbian's resolve and drive.
Having missed last year's opening grand slam due to being deported for breaching Australia's border rules relating to his COVID-19 vaccination status, Djokovic returned in January and beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final to claim a record-tying 22nd men's singles major on Sunday.
The feat, which drew him level with Rafael Nadal, was made all the more remarkable by an apparent hamstring problem that hampered the 35-year-old throughout the tournament.
Some critics suggested the extent of Djokovic's injury was exaggerated, but Tiley defended him.
"A lot of the challenges around Novak is that he gets a bad rap," he told SEN Sportsday. "But at the end of the day, I don't think anyone can question his athleticism.
"This guy, he had a three-centimetre tear. [The scans and] the doctors are going to tell you the truth. There was a lot of speculation about whether it was true or not.
"It's hard to believe what they can do with those kinds of injuries. He's remarkable, to deal with it extremely professionally."
Ten of Djokovic's 22 grand slam titles have come in Melbourne alone, outlining his impressive dominance at the event.
Tiley does not see the Serbian ever being overhauled when it comes to his impact there, adding: "He's so focused on everything he does, with every single minute of the day. That's what he eats, what he drinks, when he does it, how he does it.
"There's no breakdown or mental breakdown in anything that he does. He's been through a lot and to win 10 Australian Opens, I don't think that’s ever going to be repeated.
"Over the last 15 years – he tells me it's 14 years because he missed last year – it's such a remarkable achievement.
"He'll hold a significant place in the history of the Australian Open."
Australia batter Usman Khawaja is stranded in Sydney awaiting visa approval to join his team-mates for their Test tour in India this month.
The top-order batter was due to fly out with the rest of the squad across Tuesday and Wednesday amid a series of staggered flights.
But Khawaja remains in New South Wales amid issues with his visa in relation to his roots in Pakistan, the country of his birth.
The 36-year-old was born in Islamabad, and has had prior issues in attempting to enter India to play cricket.
In 2011, he was blocked from securing a visa for the T20 Champions League for New South Wales before the Indian high commission intervened.
Khawaja took to social media to poke fun at his situation shortly after his team-mates departed for India, where Australia are due to contest the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
He has played multiple times in the country in the past, including with IPL outfit Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016, and scored two centuries during an ODI tour in 2019.
Khawaja enjoyed a remarkable 2022, earning a recall to the red-ball squad where he top-scored with 496 runs during their first tour of Pakistan since 1998.
He was named in the ICC Test Team of the Year alongside team-mates Pat Cummins, Marnus Labuschagne and Nathan Lyon, as part of a leading four selections.
Australia begin their four-match Test series on February 9 at Nagpur's Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, with games in Delhi, Dharamshala and Ahmedabad to follow.
South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock was not considered for selection for the Proteas' final ODI against England on Wednesday following an injury to his right thumb.
De Kock suffered the injury in the 2nd ODI on Sunday while attempting to catch a ball off of an edge from England batsman Harry Brook.
The Proteas' wicketkeeper was cleared to bat in the second innings after a scan revealed no fracture and made 31 as a superb Temba Bavuma century saw his side chase down 342 to win by five wickets.
However, Cricket South Africa (CSA) decided De Kock will not be risked in the third ODI with Heinrich Klaasen his replacement.
South Africa are aiming for a series sweep after winning the first two matches in Bloemfontein and made three changes for the final ODI, with Anrich Nortje and Keshav Maharaj also missing out.
Should they win the final game today, South Africa would boost their chances of automatically qualifying for the World Cup in India later this year with a defeat meaning they may have to go through the qualifiers in Zimbabwe.
Khris Middleton is unconcerned by his bench role after his best game of 2023 during the Milwaukee Bucks' win over the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday.
The small forward posted 18 points, three rebounds and three assists to help his side pull away in the third quarter en route to a 124-115 victory.
Having struggled with soreness in his right knee that led him to missing 18 games, the three-time All-Star has worked his way back in recent weeks.
After delivering the best performance of his latest comeback spell, Middleton stressed he remains untroubled by performing a role that requires him to come off the sidelines.
"I started my career coming off the bench, so it doesn't really bother me at all," he said. "I've been on the bench before, not playing games.
"Sometimes, [I am] coming in [the] first quarter, [the] second quarter or not until the second half. I just know I have to stay ready and have to be loose.
"Right now, I'm trying to be as aggressive as I can. I know it sounds simple, but that's just the mindset I'm trying to come up with, especially with my limited minutes.
"Hopefully as my minutes keep going [up], I keep the same mindset, because it's been working."
Middleton featured for 20 minutes as team-mate Giannis Antetokounmpo guided the Bucks to victory with 34 points and 18 rebounds.
They next play the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday and then the Miami Heat two days later in a double home stand.
Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte is set for a brief absence from the club as he has surgery to remove his gallbladder.
Spurs announced on Wednesday that the Italian coach was recently diagnosed with cholecystitis after complaining of "severe abdominal pain".
He is set to go under the knife on the same day to have his gallbladder taken out, and this will be followed by a "period of recuperation".
Spurs did not outline how long they expect Conte to be away from first-team duties, but he will not be in the dugout for Sunday's visit of Manchester City.
According to the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS), such a procedure can require up to five days in hospital and then roughly a month to "return to your normal activities".
That period can be twice as long "if you have a more manual job".
Tottenham head to Leicester City six days after the City game and then face Milan at the San Siro on February 14 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Spurs are fifth in the Premier League ahead of the weekend, three points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester United, who have played a game less.
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