WHY ZIMBABWE AND INDIA CRICKETERS ARE WEARING BLACK ARMBANDS FOR THE SECOND T20I

India and Zimbabwe players were seen wearing black armbands during the second T20I in Harare on Saturday - here’s why.

The two teams took on each other in the second game of the three-match T20I series on Saturday (July 25). At the toss, which was won by Zimbabwe, both skippers, Shreyas Iyer and Sikandar Raza, were seen wearing black armbands, the reason for which was later confirmed by the BCCI.

Why are India and Zimbabwe wearing black armbands for the 2nd T20I?

According to a statement by the Indian cricket board, both Team India and Zimbabwe players are paying their respects to the Zimbabwe Cricket vice-chairman Sylvester Matshaka, who passed away last night.

Zimbabwe Cricket mourned the loss of Matshaka, 76, who passed away following a short illness on Friday. He joined the ZC board in 2006 and served as the vice-chairman since 2015. He was also part of the leadership that oversaw Zimbabwe’s return to Test cricket in 2011, after a six-year absence.

Zimbabwe Cricket’s chairman, Tavengwa Mukuhlani, paid tribute to Matshaka: “Mr Matshaka was a steady hand during some of the most defining moments in our history and his wisdom, sound judgement and quiet strength helped shape the organisation we are today, while his passion for growing the game touched countless lives across Zimbabwe.”

India make one change, Ashok Sharma dropped

India made one change to their XI, bringing in debutant Yash Thakur for Ashok Sharma for the game. Ashok, who had also made his debut in the last game, conceded 0-29 in four overs on Thursday. Zimbabwe were unchanged, hoping to draw level in the series after India clinched the first game by seven wickets.

The third T20I will be played tomorrow, Sunday, July 26

- Wisden

ITALIAN OPEN: SINNER EQUALS DJOKOVIC WITH 31ST STRAIGHT MASTERS 1000 MATCH VICTORY

 

Italy's Jannik Sinner hits a shot against his compatriot Andrea Pellegrino in a men's singles round of 16 match at the Italian Open in Rome, Italy, May 12, 2026. /VCG

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner continued his dominant run at the Italian Open on Tuesday, defeating fellow home hope Andrea Pellegrino in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals and equal Novak Djokovic's record of 31 consecutive wins in Masters 1000 matches.

Sinner has now gone unbeaten in Masters 1000 events since retiring with cramps during a match against Tallon Griekspoor in Shanghai last October. Djokovic previously set the mark during his remarkable 2011 season.

"If you want to be a great player, you've got to play on all the surfaces and all the tournaments at your maximum," Sinner said. "It's the mind that makes the difference."

Backed by a capacity crowd at Campo Centrale in Foro Italico, with many fans dressed in Sinner's signature color orange, the top seed wasted little time asserting control. He broke his opponent's serve in the opening game and never let Pellegrino back into the contest, improving to 19-0 against Italian compatriots.

The victory also extended Sinner's overall winning streak to 26 matches. The 23-year-old has not lost since falling to Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open on February 19.

Sinner is now chasing more history in Rome. If he lifts the Italian Open trophy this week, he will become only the second man after Djokovic to win all nine Masters 1000 tournaments.

The 24-year-old has already claimed five consecutive Masters titles, and with Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by a right wrist injury, Sinner has emerged as the clear favorite both in Rome and heading into the French Open.

"It's time to take the title away from Adriano," read one fan's sign at Foro Italico, referencing Adriano Panatta, the last Italian man to win the singles crown in the nation's capital 50 years ago.

Panatta is scheduled to present the trophy following Sunday's final.

Sinner's next challenge will come against 12th-seeded Andrey Rublev, who rallied past Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 to book his place in the last eight.

- CGTN

FORMER RED BULL MECHANIC SAYS HANNA SCHMITZ COULD BE NEXT TO LEAVE AFTER GIANPIERO LAMBIASE

Photo by Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Ex-Red Bull mechanic Kenny Handkammer has claimed that Hannah Schmitz could be the next senior figure to leave the team.

In recent times, Red Bull have been hit with several high-profile exits, including the likes of Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay.

Last week, another senior departure was confirmed as Gianpiero Lambiase is set to leave Red Bull for McLaren in 2028.

Lambiase is set to become Chief Racing Officer at McLaren and will report to team principal Andrea Stella.

Less than a week after Lambiase’s departure was confirmed, it has been claimed that another senior figure could leave.

Hannah Schmitz could be next to leave Red Bull after Gianpiero Lambiase

Speaking on The Two Mechanics podcast, Handkammer claimed that the current Head of Strategy, Schmitz, could be next in line to leave the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

Handkammer said: “The decline of Red Bull is quite sad. If I were the CEO of Red Bull global, I’d be thinking. Look who he has lost, Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, Gianpiero Lambiase and Will Courtenay.

“It looks like Hannah Schmitz, Head of Strategy, is rumoured to go too, all these massive key people and talks are there’s going to be more. That’s a real head scratcher. How do you reconfigure the team?”

Who is Hannah Schmitz and what is her role at Red Bull?

Schmitz, 40, is regarded as one of the most talented figures in the Formula 1 paddock, having joined Red Bull back in 2009 as a Modelling and Strategy Engineer.

In 2011, Schmitz became Senior Strategy Engineer before being promoted to Principal Strategy Engineer in 2021. In 2026, she became Red Bull’s Head of Race Strategy following Courtenay’s move to McLaren.

Schmitz has previously been praised for playing a major role in a number of Red Bull victories.

Following the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen labelled Schmitz as ‘insanely calm’ after the Dutchman won the race from P10.

He said: “You can’t afford many mistakes. It’s of course very hard to always be on the good side, let’s say it like that. But I think we have a lot of good guys and girls in the team.

“Today, I think Hannah, our strategist, was insanely calm. Yeah, she’s very good.”

With several big names already out the door, Red Bull will have to keep the likes of Schmitz in the team if they want to prevent Verstappen from engineering his own exit.

AC MILAN SNUBBED ANDREA PIRLO YET HE PROVED THEM WRONG

 

AC Milan decided not to renew Andrea Pirlo’s contract in 2011, convinced he was past his prime at the age of 32.

He would go on to join Juventus on a free transfer, where he was voted Serie A Player of the Year three consecutive times — a record that remains unmatched to this day.

CHELSEA CHARGED WITH 74 BREACHES OF FA AGENT RULES FROM 2009 TO 2022 FROM 'SELF-REPORTED' TRANSFER PAYMENTS

The charges against Chelsea relate to payments to player agents between 2009 and 2022 [Isabel Infantes/Reuters]
 https://aje.io/ebr7sf

Chelsea have been charged with 74 breaches of the English Football Association's (FA) regulations on agents, intermediaries and third party ownership.

The FA said the charges relate to incidents between 2009 and 2022, when the club was owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, with the bulk of the alleged breaches taking place between the 2010-11 and 2015-16 seasons. In response Chelsea said they had been aware of "potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions and other potential breaches of FA rules" during due diligence for the Clearlake Capital-led consortium in the spring of 2022. This was then reported to the FA upon completion of the sale.

The Blues have until September 19 to formally respond to charges which include breaches of regulations around the disclosure of the identity of agents involved in transactions. The FA's statement said: "The Football Association has today charged Chelsea FC with breaches of Regulations J1 and C2 of The FA Football Agents Regulations, Regulations A2 and A3 of The FA Regulations on Working with Intermediaries, and Regulations A1 and B3 of The FA Third Party Investment in Players Regulations.

"In total, 74 charges have been brought against Chelsea FC. The conduct that is the subject of the charges ranges from 2009 to 2022 and primarily relates to events which occurred between the 2010-11 to 2015-16 playing seasons. Chelsea FC has until 19 September 2025 to respond."

Chelsea will hope that their self reporting and cooperation with the FA investigation eases any potential sanction they could face. That all the offenses took place prior to the involvement of the US owners could also come into consideration. The Blues described themselves as having "shown unprecedented transparency" and that they were "pleased to confirm that [their] engagement with The FA... is now reaching a conclusion."

Their statement said: "Chelsea FC is pleased to confirm that its engagement with The FA concerning matters that were self-reported by the club is now reaching a conclusion.

"The club's ownership group completed its purchase of the club on 30 May 2022. During a thorough due diligence process prior to completion of the purchase, the ownership group became aware of potentially incomplete financial reporting concerning historical transactions and other potential breaches of FA rules. Immediately upon the completion of the purchase, the club self-reported these matters to all relevant regulators, including The FA.

"The club has demonstrated unprecedented transparency during this process, including by giving comprehensive access to the club's files and historical data. We will continue working collaboratively with The FA to conclude this matter as swiftly as possible. We wish to place on record our gratitude to The FA for their engagement with the club on this complex case, the focus of which has been on matters that took place over a decade ago."

- James Benge

MAYA MORE | BASKETBALL 🏀 GOAT 🐐

Maya Moore is a retired American professional basketball player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time.

 • WNBA Career: She played her entire professional career for the Minnesota Lynx (2011–2018, 2020–2021) in the WNBA. During that time, she won four WNBA championships (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017) and was named WNBA Finals MVP in 2013.

 • College Success: Before that, she was a superstar at the University of Connecticut (UConn), where she led the Huskies to two NCAA championships (2009, 2010) and finished as a two-time Naismith Player of the Year.

 • Accolades: She was a six-time WNBA All-Star, the 2014 WNBA MVP, and also won Olympic gold medals with Team USA in 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio).

 • Beyond Basketball: In 2019, Moore stepped away from the game at the peak of her career to focus on criminal justice reform. She was instrumental in helping secure the release of Jonathan Irons, a wrongfully convicted man, whom she later married.

Her legacy goes beyond basketball — she is celebrated both as a Hall of Fame-level athlete and as a social justice advocate who used her platform for impact.

MR. BEAN MADE $11.3 PROFIT ON HIS 1997 MCLAREN F1 AFTER CRASHING IT TWICE

 

British actor Rowan Atkinson, famously known as Mr. Bean, once owned a rare 1997 McLaren F1 — and his journey with the supercar was anything but ordinary. He bought the car in 1997 for around £640,000 (roughly $1M at the time), drove it regularly, and even racked up over 41,000 miles.

Surprisingly, Atkinson crashed the car twice — once in 1999 and again in 2011. The second crash was severe, leading to one of the UK’s highest car insurance payouts, reportedly around £910,000 (approximately $1.4 million).

Despite the accidents, the car was fully restored by McLaren’s Special Operations division. In 2015, Atkinson sold the F1 for a staggering £8 million (around $12.2 million), earning him an estimated profit of $11.3 million.

 #carsadvisor #mclaren #mclarenf1 #mrbean #rowanatkinson #mclarenauto

- Car Advisor

INSANE JOHN CENA STAT EMERGES IMMEDIATELY AFTER WWE SMACKDOWN

 

Jaw-Dropping John Cena record surfaces following WWE SmackDown.

One of the rivalries John Cena renewed in his Farewell Tour is his one with CM Punk. Shades of their previous 2011 feud are present in the current version. In a recent WWE SmackDown episode, history did not just repeat itself, but was reinvented when The Cenation Leader fought R-Truth, followed by the presence of The Best in the World.

In 2011, R-Truth and John Cena had a tables match, which resulted in the former winning after CM Punk interfered. This then led to the infamous Pipebomb promo with The Cenation Leader laid out in the ring on top of a table.

On this week’s WWE SmackDown, Truth won against Cena via disqualification after the champion attacked him with the title. Following this, John also fended off an attack from Punk before putting him through a table and delivering his own “Pipebomb.”

John Cena and CM Punk are set to face off at the upcoming Night of Champions premium live event on June 28, 2025, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

John Cena Mentions Former WWE Stars On His Pipebomb Promo Against CM Punk On SmackDown

John Cena didn’t hold back on his own version of his pipebomb promo against his Night of Champions rival. The Last Real Champion said that CM Punk wasn’t The Best in the World, but instead was the “biggest bullsh****er of all time.”

John added that Punk doesn’t have any friends in the Stamford-based promotion since he doesn’t get along well with people in the locker room, called Punk a capitalist and a millionaire despite referring to himself as The Voice of the Voiceless, and even called the challenger “Mr. TKO.”

However, what got fans going is when John Cena mentioned several former WWE Superstars, Claudio Castagnoli (FKA Cesaro), Nic Nemeth (FKA Dolph Ziggler), and Matt Cardona (FKA Zack Ryder).

- Hazel Pagador

MANCHESTER UNITED CHIEF MAKES BOLD CLAIM WITH ARSENA, CHELSEA AND TOTTENHAM WARNING

Manchester United chief Omar Berrada has sent a warning to the club's Premier League rivals with a bold claim about their future

Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada (Image: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada has claimed that the club can still win the Premier League title in the next three years, despite coming off the back of their worst domestic campaign since 1974.

Berrada arrived at United in 2024 after leaving Manchester City, where he was the chief football operations officer after working his way up since joining the club in 2011. In September last year, he revealed 'Project 150' - marking the club's 150-year anniversary by attempting to get the team back to the top of English football.

However, last season was particularly poor for United. Having lifted the FA Cup at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, the club stuck by Erik ten Hag before ultimately sacking him in October. He was replaced by Ruben Amorim, but if anything the club's results deteriorated further in the league.

Despite reaching the Europa League final, they ultimately fell to a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in Bilbao and it's fair to say things have scarcely been worse for Manchester United in recent memory.

However, in an interview with the United We Stand fanzine, Berrada insisted that he remained committed to usurping the club's rivals in England and lifting a Premier League trophy in the coming years.

The FIFA Club World Cup will see 32 of the world's best club teams including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich play across 63 games from June 14-July 13.

Fans can watch every match live and for free by signing up to DAZN.

"It's establishing a series of targets within a timeframe so we can focus our efforts and energy on that goal," Berrada said.

- Joe Doyle

'HE HAS GIVEN A LOT OF YEARS TO RCB': CAPTAIN RAJAT PATIDAR SAYS TEAM WILL PUT BEST FOOT FORWARD TO WIN IPL TROPHY FOR VIRAT KOHLI

Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar of Royal Challengers Bengaluru warming up during an IPL match vs Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. (Sportzpics)

Kohli has played in three finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016 with RCB but has ended up on the losing side in each of the summit clashes.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar said that Virat Kohli had given a lot to the franchise over the years and they’ll try to play their best cricket in Tuesday’s IPL final against the Punjab Kings to help Kohli get his hands on the coveted trophy.

“Of course. I think he has given a lot of years to RCB and the international side also. We will try to do our best in the game,” Patidar told media on Monday during his pre-match press conference.

“We are not looking on the stage that we are in the finals. We will try to play our best cricket. We are not playing here for the stage. I always like to keep things simple,” he added.

Kohli has played in three finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016 with RCB but has ended up on the losing side in each of the summit clashes with his individual brilliance not being enough for them to end their title drought.

Patidar, meanwhile, will be captaining a franchise for the first time in an IPL final as opposed to his PBKS counterpart Shreyas Iyer who has led three different teams to the final of the cash rich league.

“Till now, I have enjoyed a lot to be honest. For me, I think it is a great opportunity to learn from the great leaders of the game, (some) great players, great foreign players of the game. It is a great opportunity for me to learn from them and their different ideas, which is helping me a lot in my leadership role,” he said.

“I have always tried to create a good environment off the field as much as I can so that every player, whether it is a domestic player or an international player, they both feel the same. They should feel relaxed and confident. I think this is my first point,” Patidar added.

- Sports Desk

CHINA'S DELEGATION CHIEF APPLAUDS ATHLETES' PERFORMANCE AT ASIAN WINTER GAMES

Zhou Jinqiang, vice president of the Chinese Olympic Committee and head of the Chinese delegation at the 9th Asian Winter Games that ended on Friday night in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, has praised the outstanding performance of Chinese athletes and highlighted their remarkable achievements as well as the significant strides made in the development of winter sports in China.

China sent their largest-ever Asian Winter Games delegation to Harbin, comprised of 170 athletes participating in all 64 events across 11 disciplines and six sports. With a total of 32 gold, 27 silver, and 26 bronze medals, the hosts topped both the golds and overall medals standings, setting new historical records.

"The 32 gold medals match the record for the most golds in a single edition, previously set by Kazakhstan at the 2011 Asian Winter Games, while the total medal count of 85 surpassed Kazakhstan's previous record of 70 medals in a single edition," Zhou said. He believes the performance of Chinese athletes at the Games signifies a new trend in the balanced development of winter sports in China.

"The 32 golds were distributed across four major sports and seven disciplines, with 13 golds in ice sports and 19 in snow sports," he explained. "Notably, snow sports surpassed ice sports in gold medals for the first time, with speed skating, freestyle skiing, and ski mountaineering emerging as dominant forces in Asia." He added, "This shift highlights the comprehensive development of China's winter sports since the successful bid for the Beijing Winter Olympics."

Zhou also stressed the emergence of several young winter sports talents at the Games. "Young gold medalists like Zhang Xiaonan (women's snowboard slopestyle, 18), Xiong Shirei (women's snowboard big air, 17), Li Xinpeng (men's freestyle skiing aerials, 20), and Liu Mengting (women's freeski slopestyle and big air, 20) demonstrated remarkable courage and resilience in their respective events," Zhou noted. "They not only gained confidence but also laid a strong foundation for the development of their disciplines in China."

Despite the outstanding performance in Harbin, Zhou emphasized the importance of staying grounded in preparation for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympic Games next year.

"While China's performance at the Asian Winter Games was impressive, it still lags behind global standards in winter sports, with notable gaps in training, talent development, and the establishment of robust coaching and youth systems," Zhou stated. He further noted that China's dominance remains largely confined to disciplines such as short track speed skating, freestyle skiing, and snowboarding, while other areas, like figure skating, face challenges in talent development and international competitiveness.

"As attention turns to Milan, China must address these gaps and continue striving for greater achievements on the global stage," Zhou concluded.

8,000 MATCHES LATER, CARLOS BERNADES SAYS GOODBYE TO TENNIS 🎾

Brazilian ends 30-plus year career in Turin

For more than three decades, chair umpire Carlos Bernardes enjoyed the best seat in the house. One of the sport's most respected officials, the Brazilian has presided over some of the game’s most memorable showdowns in tennis’s grandest arenas.

From Sampras and Agassi to the unforgettable Federer-Nadal rivalries, Bernardes has been right there, courtside, keeping order. His storied journey came to a fitting close on the ATP Tour this week at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he officiated his final ATP Tour match in the title showdown.

Bernardes reminisced on his career to ATPTour.com in Turin.

"My first contact with tennis was as a kid in Brazil. We used to jump the fence to play at the local club until we finally registered there. Since then, I’ve been part of the game, and I feel so fortunate to have had these experiences,” Bernardes said.

In 1984, Bernardes began coaching and soon found his way into officiating as a line judge at a regional Billie Jean King Cup tie in Sao Paulo. Balancing coaching and officiating across South America, his breakthrough came in 1992 when he joined the ATP Tour as a chair umpire.

"I started with tournaments in South America, then got assigned to the United States. I remember an early event in San Jose in 1996," he said with a smile. "That tournament featured Sampras, Agassi, and Chang. Sampras was No. 1. It was incredible — to go from playing tennis on Brazilian streets to umpiring Sampras and Agassi."

Carlos Bernardes with ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi in Turin. Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Out of the 29 players to reach No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Bernardes had the privilege of officiating 24 of them. From Mats Wilander to Jannik Sinner, he’s witnessed historic moments and built lasting relationships with the game’s biggest stars.

“I’ve done matches with Sampras, Agassi, Chang, Edberg, Wilander, Becker. It was great to see Boris Becker here in Turin this week. He came up to talk to me, which was nice. Becker had such charisma on court. And the Sampras-Agassi matches were unforgettable.”

Bernardes recalls the ‘special’ era of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, and the thrill of umpiring Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro, and Stan Wawrinka.

“I think some of my longest matches were with Murray — four hours on court, and he’d still push through. I’d see him later and ask, ‘How did you do it?’ and he’d say, ‘I can’t walk now,’ but he’d be back on court the next day winning. That respect from players means a lot.”

One of Bernardes’ fondest memories is umpiring Rafael Nadal’s first ATP Tour match in Mallorca in 2002, followed by Nadal's first encounter with Federer in Miami (2004). He also officiated the 2011 Wimbledon final, where Novak Djokovic defeated Nadal to claim the title and ascend to No. 1.

“Wimbledon is magic,” Bernardes said. “I started playing tennis because of Wimbledon. Getting to umpire on Centre Court — it’s incomparable. That 2011 final was truly special.”

Bernardes has seen first-hand how the sport has grown, evolved and changed, making him a fountain of knowledge in regard to the history of the game. The 60-year-old became a key part of the travelling roadshow that is the ATP Tour, journeying countless miles and spending years of his life in hotels.

“I love Melbourne — I can walk back to the hotel at 2 a.m! Tokyo was always ahead of the game," Bernardes said when speaking about his favourite cities. "Monte-Carlo is beautiful, especially when it’s not raining. And New York, where I umpired at my first Grand Slam, is always unforgettable.

“Barcelona too. It is a proper tennis event. If you want to see a tennis event, that is the one to go with. There may be two guys who are lower ranked, but it will be packed in the stands.”

Today, Bernardes leaves a sport transformed by technology. Electronic line calling is already widespread and will be mandatory on the Tour by 2025, with limited trials of video review underway. Though Bernardes embraced the high-stakes pressure of making line calls, he understands the shift.

“It’s different now with electronic calls — you don’t talk to players as much. There’s no need to overrule or explain calls. Now, I just listen to the music in the stadium. It’s becoming more mechanical, and we need to be cautious. I enjoyed the pressure of making the right call. Now, even if I think a ball is out, I sit back and let technology decide.”

Seated in the officiating room at Turin's Inalpi Arena, Bernardes reflects warmly on his memories. His eyes light up most, though, when he speaks of the people he’s met.

“I have so many stories, and I’m lucky. I’ve done over 8,000 matches — just 1 percent of that leaves plenty of memories,” Bernardes said. “But it’s the people I’ve met that stand out. We’re away from home for half our lives, so you embrace the people and the places. This year, fans and people came up to me — that’s been wonderful. It’s a great environment to be part of.”

Bernardes will finish his career next week at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga but received warm words from Jannik Sinner following the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals, which the Brazilian umpired.

"Carlos, it's been an amazing career," Sinner said. "I feel privileged to be part of your last ATP journey."

Jannik Sinner shakes hands with Carlos Bernardes. Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

- Sam Jacot