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South Africa decimate England to march into semi-finals
South Africa 181 for 3 (Van der Dussen 72*, Klaasen 64, Archer 2-55) beat England 179 (Root 37, Archer 25, Mulder 3-25, Jansen 3-39) by seven wickets
After choosing to bat first in Karachi, the most run-laden venue of the event, England played like a side who would rather not. They were bowled out for the lowest total of this Champions Trophy and gifted South Africa wickets in a display of carefree and sometimes reckless strokeplay. South Africa were hit by both illness and injury-enforced absences and were not always at their best, but they caught particularly well in the field, paced their chase perfectly, and have plenty of positives to take into the knockouts.
Ben Duckett picked up from where Salt left off and scored two boundaries in three balls off Lungi Ngidi but Jamie Smith repeated Salt's mistake and tamely pulled Jansen to Markam at mid-on. Duckett settled as he was fed balls on the pads but when he tried to clip Jansen fine, he got a leading edge back to South Africa's destroyer-in-chief. England were 37 for 3 in the seventh over.
That could have become 38 for 4 when Joe Root cut Kagiso Rabada to backward point and though Mulder got both hands to it, he could not hold on. Root went on to nail the drive and the pull and formed a 62-run stand with a confident-looking Harry Brook and England were building solidly. But they could not keep Jansen out of the game. When Brook belted Maharaj over midwicket, Jansen ran to his right from long-on and slid on his knees to take a wonder-catch. Four balls later, Root was bowled when he missed a leg-side flick off Mulder and the ball hit his back pad on its way onto the stumps.
At that stage, Buttler, playing his last innings as England captain, had only faced a ball and had a big job on his hands. He received little help from Liam Livingstone who charged down the track to meet a Maharaj ball but South Africa's left-arm spinner saw him coming, tossed it up and had him stumped. Livingstone has only made more than 20 runs once in his last seven innings.
By then, England's effort looked mostly a case of marking time while South Africa stayed focused on searching for wickets. Rabada was brought back at the halfway stage. He beat Jamie Overton first up, then kept him in check by forcing a defensive shot and then had him caught at mid-on as the batter tried to attack. He looked to whip Rabada over the leg side but chipped the ball towards mid-on where Ngidi ran back and took a one-handed stunner as he hit the ground.
South Africa continued to catch well: Jansen took a low catch at midwicket to see the end of Jofra Archer and Maharaj made a tumbling grab at mid-off to end Buttler's innings on 21 and give Ngidi his 100th ODI wicket. England were bowled out in the 39th over, and took South Africa's concerns about a slow over rate with them.
At that stage, South Africa's semi-final qualification was assured because even if they lost the match, their net run rate could not dip below Afghanistan's. That took pressure off the chase but not necessarily off South Africa's batters, who all wanted runs ahead of an important week. Tristan Stubbs, playing his ninth ODI and first in an ICC event, didn't get any as he tried to play an Archer ball late but deflected it onto his stumps.
Though his first over lasted ten balls as he struggled to find his line, Archer quickly improved and delivered the rest of his opening spell with good pace and better accuracy. He was rewarded with a second wicket, too, when Ryan Rickelton, who looked confident in his 25-ball 27, was bowled by a delivery that nipped back into him and smashed into middle stump.
From there, it was all South Africa. While van der Dussen appeared at times frustrated by his slower scoring rate than Klaasen's, the pair complemented each other well. Van der Dussen scored largely through the leg side while six of Klaasen's 11 fours came through the covers. Klaasen reached his fifty with one of those shots off the 41st ball he faced. It was his fifth successive half-century in the format, which is the joint-most for South Africa. Van der Dussen's came off 72 balls as he rocked back to send Adil Rashid through square leg and bring up a second fifty in the competition. Klaasen departed when he tried to smash Rashid over fine leg but outside-edged to short third. David Miller hit the winning runs off the second ball he faced when he smoked Livingstone over the sightscreen for six.
This is the third successive tournament for which South Africa have qualified for the knockouts, after the 2023 ODI World Cup and 2024 T20 World Cup. Their semi-final opposition and venue will only be confirmed after the match between India and New Zealand on Sunday. They will play the loser of that match either in Dubai on Tuesday (if it's India) or Lahore on Wednesday (if it's New Zealand).
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's correspondent for South Africa and women's cricket
Klaasen scores fifth successive fifty, wants to be 'the best in the world'
Speaking to Sky Sports after Saturday's match, Klaasen revealed that, along with head coach Rob Walter, he had set himself a lofty ambition to prove himself as the world's best player over the course of the Champions Trophy. "I gave myself a challenge with Rob Walter this trip: I want to be the best in the world," Klaasen said.
"But I want to be the best in the world, and I know I can play situations well and for me, just to keep hitting it on the ground for as long as possible, like I did tonight [is important]. I'm quite pleased with my innings tonight. [I scored runs] by standing still and just trusting my technique. I know my swing is good, so as long as it clicks then I am quite happy."
As if to underline the point about hitting along the ground, Klaasen hit 11 fours and no sixes before he was caught at short third, trying to hit the winning runs off Adil Rashid with six runs required. "I want to jump off this building, the way I went out tonight," he joked, but said he was happy with his recent form, and explained that he has looked to keep things simple in training since his elbow injury.
"I think I'm very blessed at the moment where I'm with my game, and understanding my game quite well," he said. "I'm not a guy that faces all our seamers in the nets. I just do a couple of drills and face a little bit of spin. At the moment, I'm meeting the ball out of the middle of the bat. That's my piece that I go with, and as long as my technique is good, I'm quite happy."
Klaasen, 33, has been in career-best form since turning 30 and said that he has tried to keep things as simple as possible, reacting to each ball rather than premeditating. "It's about standing there still," he said. "It was about three years ago that I really worked hard on that, just standing there still, not premeditating the game too much."
Aiden Markram, who stood in as South Africa's captain for the unwell Temba Bavuma, said of Klaasen: "It's always great to see him out in the middle. He's been in a ridiculous patch of form over the last many months, and for him to walk out after having a little niggle on his elbow and for it to look like he'd never really left is a great sign for us."
Phillips confident NZ have the resources to find success in slower Dubai
Perhaps more vitally, however, a run in Dubai gives New Zealand a chance to become familiar with this set of Dubai conditions. Most of their players will have played at this venue previously, of course. But these are substantially used surfaces following the ILT20 and India's first two games, in which the surfaces were on the slower side.
Phillips feels New Zealand have the resources regardless.
"It comes down to the execution on pitches like this," Phillips said. "We've got two really good spinners [Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell], and then allrounders in myself and Rachin Ravindra to be able to offer overs if we're needed.
"And then we've got three high-quality pace bowlers. Matt Henry nips it on glass. And our two big tall boys [Kyle Jamieson and Will O'Rourke] that have got variable bounce and in Pakistan have been quite tough to play. I think that covers our bases quite nicely."
"I think the beauty of Pakistan is every pitch we've played on has been significantly different to the last and I think that's been great preparation for us coming over to Dubai, knowing that the pitch is going to be different again," Phillips said. We've had a lot of different situations, we've had balls that have spun, we've had surfaces that have been flat and fast, and boundaries that are small.
"This ground presents us with a different challenge of being potentially a little bit slower, more void of grass and maybe slightly slower outfields. So I think we pride ourselves on trying to be as adaptable as possible."
Phillips mistakenly initially thought there was no reserve day for the semi-final due to be held in Pakistan, which would have allowed the group-topper to progress to the semi-final more smoothly. But there is a reserve day for the semi-final in Lahore, and it is only after a no-result across two days that the topping of the group becomes relevant to progressing to the final.
He maintained, nevertheless, that there was incentive to finish at the top of the group by beating India.
"Finishing in the top spot goes with a great deal of confidence going into the semi-finals. At the end of the day we always, in a tournament like this, go out to win every game possible and momentum is a strange thing in cricket especially."
South Australia target rare double after finding winning 'belief'
McSweeney led SA to its first one-day title in 13 years with a comprehensive 64-run defeat of Victoria at Adelaide Oval on Saturday night. The double of a winning a one-day crown and the Shield in the same season has been achieved 11 times - but never by SA.
Western Australia (five times), NSW (four times) and Victoria (twice) have completed the double. But McSweeney knows his adopted state, for so long the proverbial whipping boys of the domestic scene, may never have a better chance than now.
"It's a little bit of a monkey off the back," McSweeney said after collecting the inaugural Dean Jones Trophy. "We'll enjoy it but there's a bigger picture - there's a Shield final to play. Everyone loves winning. And for us to get a taste of it, hopefully it kick-starts us - I don't think we'll get sick of it."
SA haven't won a Shield since 1995-96 but currently lead the four-day competition and are in prime position to host the final. With two games remaining, offering six points for each win, McSweeney's team hold an 11-point break from next-best NSW. And McSweeney believes SA's 50-over success will feed into the four-day format.
"It has obviously been a long time between titles," he said. "The players we've got in our stable now have shown over the last couple years that we can do it.
"It's just, unfortunately, we had a bad hour in a Shield game or we had a bad hour in a one-day game and it has taken us out of the competition. We're getting a little bit more consistent, as seen in the Shield table as well. So hopefully it's the start of some strong years and it's not just a one-off."
"Something Ryan Harris has brought in to us is the belief," he said. "We have defended 160 twice this year in the one-day comp. We got bowled out for 90 in the last Shield game and won. From positions that we shouldn't be winning, we are. It's a massive hats off to Ryano and the coaching staff."
St. John's secures first Big East title since '85
NEW YORK -- The final horn sounded and St. John's skipped cutting down the nets.
The players instead held the trophy after the No. 7 Red Storm clinched the program's first outright Big East title since 1985 and posed for pictures on the court while confetti fell from the ceiling at Madison Square Garden in front of a sellout crowd.
Toward the end of the celebration following a 71-61 victory over Seton Hall on Saturday, coach Rick Pitino declared to the excited fans: "We're just getting started."
The celebration was modest because the Red Storm are eyeing other celebrations -- such as their first Big East tournament title since 2000 and a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
"This is the answer to a prayer," St. John's president the Rev. Brian Shanley said. "This is what I hoped when we hired Rick that we would get back where we are right now -- contending for a national championship. This is just the beginning in my book."
The Red Storm are the outright regular-season champs for the first time since Chris Mullin led them to the Final Four, when the team was nicknamed the Redmen and coached by coach Lou Carnesecca. St. John's hadn't even won a share of the title since 1992 in the final season of Carnesecca's storied career on the sideline.
The drought was the longest in Big East history, though several schools exited without any conference titles before spending anywhere near 33 years in the league.
This year, St. John's achieved the title in the same season Carnesecca died just a few weeks short of his 100th birthday on Nov. 30.
"We're very proud of the fact that in the year that he passed because he led a great life, we can honor him with this championship," Pitino said.
The Red Storm won the regular-season title after being picked fifth in the Big East preseason poll. They added Kadary Richmond to go along with returnees RJ Luis Jr. and Zuby Ejiofor, who emerged as stars.
"I came here to challenge myself and try to take my game to the next level and obviously try to win at the highest level, which Coach Pitino knows how to do really well and trying to learn from him," Luis said. "I think it's just a surreal feeling."
After transferring from UMass, Luis averaged 10.9 points in 23 games last season while dealing with shin splints. Following offseason surgery, he's a leading candidate for Big East Player of the Year while averaging 17.7 points.
Ejiofor backed up Joel Soriano last season and emerged as a force down low by averaging 14 points and eight rebounds as St. John's ascended to the top of the Big East. The Red Storm won 11 straight from Jan. 4 to Feb 7, a stretch that included consecutive wins over Marquette and UConn. They are 18-0 at home.
"It was a really proud moment," Ejiofor said. "It was a testament of the work that we put in the whole season from preseason until now we all believe that we could get to this moment."
Last season, the Red Storm reached the semifinals of the Big East tournament for the first time since 2000 and saw Pitino's first season end with a 95-90 loss to UConn, which dominated opponents en route to its second straight national title.
After guaranteeing St. John's would return to natural prominence at his introductory news conference in March 2023, Pitino's first season featured a viral rant during which he lamented the team's athleticism following a loss to Seton Hall in February 2024.
Since airing his frustration, St. John's is 32-5, with the losses coming by a combined 12 points.
"In my lifetime, I never looked at that until it was written and I said, 'I better get this thing going,'" Pitino said. "It is a little different than the other places I've been the second year because you have eight and nine players back and everybody understands everything you teach and the culture and the system are there."
The turnaround continued a trend in Pitino's long coaching career that also included two seasons with the New York Knicks in the early portion of Patrick Ewing's career.
At his first stop as a head coach, Boston University was 21-9 in his second season. Providence went from 17-14 to 25-9, Kentucky jumped from 14-14 to 22-6, Louisville from 19-13 to 25-7, and Iona improved from 12-6 during a pandemic-abbreviated season to 25-8.
Bond short of Worthy prediction, runs 4.39 in 40
INDIANAPOLIS -- It isn't often a player drops a blistering 40-yard dash time at the NFL scouting combine and it still isn't as fast as he expected.
But that was the case Saturday for Texas wide receiver Isaiah Bond.
Bond ran an officially timed 4.39 seconds in the 40 (his two runs were unofficially timed and initially shown to the crowd inside Lucas Oil Stadium as 4.40 and 4.41). A quality run, for sure, but just shy of what Bond predicted Friday, when he told reporters here that he would break Xavier Worthy's combine record of 4.21, set last year.
Worthy, also a former Texas wide receiver, was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 28th pick of the 2024 NFL draft last April.
"I'm going to break the record tomorrow, for sure,'' Bond had said Friday. "I anticipate running 4.20 or possibly, if I'm feeling great, I might run a 4.1.''
Asked later Friday what separated him from some of the other receivers in this draft class, Bond added: "What separates me from the rest of the draft class is the sheer speed. There's not a receiver that has the speed and capabilities that I have. It's not just speed; I'm a complete wide receiver. I have amazing routes. If you watch the tape, you'll see that.''
Bond, who had said his best 40 time in his training leading up to the combine was a 4.23, is the No. 10 wide receiver in Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest Big Board for ESPN.
His teammate at Texas, Matthew Golden, ran an official 4.29 seconds in the 40, the fastest time among wide receivers who were tested Saturday. Tennessee's Dont'e Thornton Jr. ran the second-fastest 40 with a 4.30, while Florida's Chimere Dike's and Virginia Tech's Jaylin Lane's tied for the third-fastest at 4.34.
Bond's time was tied for ninth-fastest with Iowa State's Jaylin Noel. Seven of the 10 receiver times were run by players out of the SEC.
Against UTSA this past season, Bond was clocked at faster than 22 mph. He finished the 2024 season with 34 catches for 540 yards and five touchdowns.
Ovechkin 'feeling it,' moves within 10 of Gretzky
WASHINGTON -- Alex Ovechkin scored the 884th goal of his NHL career late in the Washington Capitals' 3-1 loss to the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, moving 10 away from tying Wayne Gretzky's record.
Ovechkin beat fellow Russian Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning with four minutes left in the third period after getting stopped twice by him earlier.
"He's the best goal-scorer for a reason," Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. "You give him one little extra space there, he puts it home."
Ovechkin's 31st goal of the season is his 12th in 22 games against Vasilevskiy. He's now on pace to break the record in early April.
"He's obviously feeling it right now with the way he's been scoring," Tampa Bay captain Victor Hedman said. "Vasy did some unreal saves, but he's going to get his chances. He's arguably one of the best goal-scorers of all time, so he gets those chances in the slot, it's tough to save those."
Despite the 39-year-old scoring, the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals lost a third consecutive game for the first time this season.
"Finishing and getting on the board was huge, but I still think it's going to get better," coach Spencer Carbery said. "O is finishing at a real high rate coming out of the break. I think his play, chemistry and the whole product of our group - whether that's his line or the power play - will continue to improve. I'm hopeful of that."
With Ovechkin closing in on passing Gretzky but still double digits away, Lightning coach Jon Cooper said before the game, "If he breaks the record tonight, then we did something wrong."
Ovechkin did not quite do that, but he still took another step closer to making hockey history.
"That's why he's got 800-plus of them," Cooper said afterward. "He knows what to do when he's in that spot."
Sources: 49ers trade WR Samuel to Commanders
The San Francisco 49ers have agreed to send standout wide receiver Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a fifth-round pick, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Saturday night.
Like any trade agreed to now, this deal cannot be processed until the new league year begins March 12. As part of the deal, Washington is taking on the remainder of Samuel's contract and paying his full $17.55 million salary for the 2025 season, sources told Schefter.
Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was part of the trade discussion between the Commanders and 49ers this week as they executed the Samuel deal, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler later Saturday. Ultimately, Allen, who is due $16.4 million, was not included.
For the Commanders, they've added another weapon for quarterback Jayden Daniels, trading for a former All-Pro receiver. The move ended an often productive but at times tumultuous six-year run for Samuel with San Francisco.
San Francisco will absorb a $31,550,012 dead money hit on this year's salary cap. Samuel, who has one year remaining on his contract, will count $17.5 million on Washington's salary cap. It's possible the Commanders extend his deal.
Originally selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft, Samuel instantly became a favorite of coach Kyle Shanahan, who maximized Samuel's versatile skill set by lining him up all over the field and getting him the ball in a variety of ways. In his first six years, Samuel has 4,792 yards receiving and 1,143 yards rushing. In the past four years, he's rushed for 958 yards and 17 touchdowns while catching 244 passes for 3,599 yards and 18 touchdowns.
He had a dominant 2021 season, nearly carrying the 49ers' offense to the Super Bowl. He had 1,770 scrimmage yards and 14 total touchdowns as the Niners came up short in the NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Following that All-Pro season, Samuel made his first trade request as he and the Niners were embroiled in a contract dispute. San Francisco fielded offers for Samuel at the 2022 NFL draft but didn't get anything near what it wanted and signed Samuel to a three-year, $71.5 million extension.
Samuel has struggled to regain that form, averaging 56 receptions for 731.3 receiving yards and four touchdowns with 40 carries for 197.7 yards and three touchdowns over the past three seasons.
Samuel then made public his latest trade request, telling Schefter on Super Bowl Sunday of his desire to play elsewhere. 49ers general manager John Lynch said at the scouting combine they would honor that request.
Samuel joins a team that is aware of his talent. Commanders general manager Adam Peters was an assistant general manager in San Francisco when the team drafted Samuel. Peters left the organization after last season to join Washington.
Also, Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn was 49ers' assistant head coach/running backs in 2022-23.
Washington's offense ranked fifth in scoring and seventh in yards last season -- the first time it has finished top 10 in both categories since 2012 -- leading the team to the NFC Championship Game.
But four of the Commanders top six receivers from 2024 are pending free agents.
They also lacked a consistent second option alongside Pro Bowl receiver Terry McLaurin. Multiple players filled that role last season: Noah Brown, Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus. All three are potential free agents.
Washington averaged 5.1 yards after the catch last season, ranking 21st. Samuel has excelled on underneath routes and averages 9.0 yards after the catch for his career.
That should only help Daniels, who was the runaway Offensive Rookie of the Year. He threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Samuel finished 2024 with 806 scrimmages yards and four touchdowns, both of which were career lows (save for a 2020 season in which he played just seven games). He dealt with calf, wrist, oblique and rib injuries and had an illness that cost him two games and parts of others.
Perhaps most alarming for the Niners was Samuel's rushing production dropped dramatically. After averaging 6.2 yards per carry when he emerged as the Niners' "wide back" in 2021, he managed just 3.2 yards in 2024.
Samuel's frustration with his and the team's struggles boiled over a couple of times in 2024. In a November win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Samuel confronted kicker Jake Moody after his third missed field goal of the game. When long snapper Taybor Pepper stepped in to defend Moody, it led to a back and forth with some minor shoves before the sides were separated.
After that game, Samuel said he was "just frustrated in the heat of battle" and "kind of got out of character a little bit."
In December, Samuel tweeted that he was "not struggling at all just not getting the ball!" as complaints about his lack of production began to accumulate.
Speaking to media the day after the season ended in January, Samuel said he "had no questions at all" about his future in San Francisco. As it turned out, Samuel would again request a trade in his season-ending meeting with Shanahan.
"It was a hard conversation to have with Kyle because of the relationship that we have," Samuel told Schefter. "But I have to do what's best. I'm more than thankful for the Niners giving me the opportunity of a lifetime but now I think it's best that we find another team."
Now that Samuel has moved on, the 49ers again find themselves in need of more help in a wide receiver room full of questions.
Brandon Aiyuk is coming off a torn right ACL and MCL and it's unclear when he will be cleared to return to practice. Jauan Jennings emerged as the team's most productive wideout in 2023 but is entering the final year of his contract, and rookie Ricky Pearsall flashed late-season promise but is still largely unproven.
Despite those questions, Lynch made it clear that the Samuel-49ers relationship had run its course and the time for a divorce was near. On Saturday, it arrived.
"He is a great player," Lynch said. "I think often one of my favorite draft picks of my time. He makes plays, and he makes game-changing plays. Everything is good. But I think at some point, time happens, and he asked for that."
Sources: Miller, Clips agree to 4-year, $8.3M deal
The LA Clippers and two-way guard Jordan Miller have agreed to a four-year, $8.3 million contract, sources told ESPN.
The Clippers announced the signing on Saturday but didn't reveal deal terms.
Miller, the Clippers' 2023 second-rounder, has starred for the franchise's San Diego NBA G League affiliate and now earns a standard deal, including over $1 million for the last 6 weeks of season.
Miller has averaged 4.7 points in 30 games this season.
To make room for Miller, the Clippers were waiving forward MarJon Beauchamp to create roster space, sources told ESPN. Beauchamp averaged 2.2 points in 29 games.
Butler sitting out vs. 76ers due to back spasms
PHILADELPHIA -- The Golden State Warriors will play their first game without Jimmy Butler, who will miss Saturday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers because of back spasms.
Head coach Steve Kerr said Butler began experiencing back issues when he took a hit from Orlando's Wendell Carter Jr. during the Warriors' 121-115 win over the Magic on Thursday.
With Butler in the lineup, the Warriors were 7-1 since acquiring him before the trade deadline. Butler sat out Golden State's first game immediately after the trade, which the team lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
But the Warriors have played their best basketball since with Butler on the floor, winning five straight heading into Saturday.
The Warriors have said their goal is to secure the sixth seed in the playoffs and avoid the play-in. They went into Saturday's game tied with the Clippers with a 32-27 record.
In addition to Butler, the Warriors were missing Jonathan Kuminga, who remains out with an ankle injury but continues to work his way back.
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