Defending champion Elina Svitolina reached the WTA Finals showpiece in Shenzhen when a tearful Belinda Bencic retired injured in their semi-final.

The Ukrainian, 25, had fought back to lead 5-7 6-3 4-1 when Swiss Bencic, 22, pulled out with cramp.

Bencic took the opening set - the first dropped by Svitolina in the tournament - minutes after taking a medical timeout for a leg injury at 6-5.

The Swiss, broken twice in the second set, battled on but could not finish.

Bencic is the fourth player to suffer an injury at the women's end-of-season event featuring the world's top eight players, following the withdrawals of Canada's Bianca Andreescu, Naomi Osaka and the Japanese two-time Grand Slam champion's replacement at the Finals, Kiki Bertens.

Svitolina, ranked eighth in the world, said she was "sad" for Bencic and hoped she would recover for next season.

The Ukrainian will play Australian Ashleigh Barty or Czech Karolina Pliskova, the top two players in the world, in Sunday's final.

"I will leave everything out on court in the final to lift that trophy again," Svitolina said.

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi hopes winning the World Cup in Japan will "inspire every kid" back home.

The Springboks won a record-equalling third world title after beating England 32-12 in a dominant performance in Yokohama.

Kolisi, who became the first black South African captain to lift the William Webb Ellis Trophy, says victory will "pull the country together".

"We had one goal and we have achieved it," said Kolisi.

"A lot of us in South Africa just need an opportunity and there are so many untold stories."

The 28-year-old flanker wears the iconic number six jersey for the Springboks, which was the same number worn by Nelson Mandela when he handed the same trophy in 1995 to South Africa captain Francois Pienaar - who also wore number six.

Kolisi, who grew up up in a poor township of Zwide, just outside Port Elizabeth on the Eastern Cape, flew his father abroad for the first time to watch him represent his country in Japan.

He added: "You can never forget where you come from or the people who have helped you get here so I just wanted to celebrate with him [his father].

"Growing up, I never dreamed of a day like this at all. When I was a kid all I was thinking about was getting my next meal."

The skipper said coach Rassie Erasmus told the players they were not just playing for themselves, but for all of South Africa. The country is suffering an economic crisis with unemployment at 29% and Kolisi said he has "never seen south Africa like this".

Springbok try scorers Makazole Mapimpi, who also comes from a poor township like Kolisi, and Cheslin Kolbe are both black and the skipper said his side's performance shows how "different races can come together".

"We have so many problems in our country but a team like this, from different backgrounds, achieved our goal," he added.

"Coach Rassie supported me when I was 18 years old and I've been working hard since then."

'Rugby brings hope'

South Africa coach Erasmus echoed his captain's comments, saying rugby is "privilege" after leading his country to glory in his first World Cup as coach.

"In South Africa pressure is not having a job, pressure is one of your friends being murdered," he said.

"Rugby shouldn't be something that creates pressure on you, it brings hope.

"Hope is when you play well and people watch you on Saturday, have a nice barbecue and watch the game and feel good after."

Erasmus took the decision to hand Kolisi the armband in May last year and the Springboks coach said it is "tough" for his captain to tell his story.

"It's easy to talk about going through hard times and struggling to get opportunities, but it's tough to tell people that there were days when I didn't have food or shoes to wear," he said.

"And when you sit down and think about it clearly, and think there was a stage when Siya went through stuff like that, then he sits here as captain holding this trophy.

"That should sum up what Siya is."

Analysis

South Africa's 2007 World Cup winning captain John Smit on BBC Radio 5 Live

Even as a guy who has won it, this is a far bigger occasion because of where we are as a country at the moment and where we are going. I always wondered if it was too much of a fairytale to see Siya win the trophy, but it could not have happened at a better time. To see a guy like Siya be able to lift the World Cup trophy, it will have a significant impact on our country.

In a team that used to represent segregation, but now represents unity, to be led by a black African man is more significant than anyone could ever imagine. This team has handled this emotional rollercoaster so well and they have acknowledged their responsibility. Today was magical.

Former Springboks captain Jean de Villiers

The significance is so much more than just a rugby game that's been won, it's for the whole country. We've been in the doldrums but they've been able to get themselves out of it and lift that beautiful trophy.

Schalk Burger, a member of the 2007 World Cup-winning team

We thought England's performance in the semi-final [against New Zealand] was the performance of the World Cup but this performance was just outstanding. The thing I enjoyed most about it was our attitude. We played rugby the way only the Springboks can and we dominated every facet of play.

Social media reaction - 'What a story'

Eddie Jones says he cannot explain why England came up short after his side failed to achieve their goal of winning the World Cup in Japan.

England were beaten 32-12 by South Africa in the final in Yokohama.

It came a week after England knocked out three-time champions New Zealand in the semi-final in one of the best performances in Jones' tenure as coach.

"I'm not sure why we came up short today, sometimes you never know," said the England head coach.

"Sometimes you can investigate but you'll never know why it happened. We're going to be kicking stones now for four years, we're massively disappointed."

Captain Owen Farrell kicked four penalties for England, but Handre Pollard replied with six for South Africa before tries from Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe put the game beyond Jones' side.

The Australian has a contract with England until 2021 but said it was "not the time to discuss" his future after the defeat.

"We are the second best team in the world," added Jones, who lost the 2003 final to England while coaching the Wallabies but was a consultant to South Africa the last time the Springboks won the trophy in 2007.

"We didn't meet our goal to be the best team in the world, but we are the second best team in the world, so I think that's how we should be remembered.

"The players prepared tremendously well for this World Cup. I thought they played with a lot of pride and passion, and we got caught short today.

"These things happen, but we can't doubt the effort of the players. I thought they were extraordinary.

"The only thing I am worried about now is having a few beers, and that's the only thing we will worry about.

"And then after we have a few beers today, we will probably have a few more beers tomorrow and maybe Monday, and then maybe we will have to pull up stumps."

Defeat 'heartbreaking' for England

England scrum-half Ben Youngs says it will take a long time to get over the defeat.

"We're devastated," he said. "It's been an unbelievable effort, it hasn't just been this tournament, it's been a huge lead-up to this and it's heartbreaking.

"It will take a while to get over this."

Captain Farrell added: "[We're] proud to be a part of it, proud to have come as far as we've come.

"Today didn't go our way but we've enjoyed this tournament and a lot of people have put a lot of work into us.

"The squad has enjoyed its time here in Japan, the competition as a whole. It's been fantastically run and we've loved our time here."

Matt Dawson, World Cup-winning scrum-half in 2003, says it is important to "look after" England's players after the loss.

"The England players will have to be looked after here," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It's a while before they play again in an England jersey. Some will think about whether they'll take it on and go through that again."

'One of the most painful experiences'

Fly-half George Ford says England were "nowhere near good enough" to win Saturday's final, but insists Jones' side "will come back".

"Congratulations to South Africa, I thought they executed their plan brilliantly," Ford told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I couldn't be prouder of the lads, they've been brilliant all tournament up front, they just did a job on us today.

"It's obviously a huge disappointment for our side. We wanted to finish it off today but we were nowhere near good enough to do that.

"We've come a long way and it's probably the most together squad I've ever been a part of."

Lock Maro Itoje says his England team-mates "are trying to draw positives out of the journey" and is already looking towards the 2023 tournament in France.

"It is not exactly a disco in there," the 25-year-old said about the England dressing room. "But we are united, we are sticking together, we are talking to each other and consoling each other.

"We want to get better and most of this squad will be at the next one. It is a long way away to think about now but our goal is to do better next time around.

"Losing this game was one of the most painful experiences that I have had in life, not just my rugby career. It is not easy.

"It is a tough time and tough period to go through but if we stay together then I am sure all will be well in the long run.

"We are disappointed to lose. Our goal was to win the World Cup and we have fallen short."

'It is special to be a part of this'

Wing Jonny May says it will be "special" to reflect on England's tournament once the dust settles on their final defeat.

"I will keep that [silver] medal and I am sure that once everything calms down and you come back into your own body - it is special to be a part of this - an England player in a World Cup in Japan," he said.

"There have been some great moments. I couldn't have done any more and the team couldn't have done any more. It's just what happened. It has been special to represent our country."

Joe Marler says he was "really gutted" to see fellow prop Kyle Sinckler taken off with concussion in the third minute but believes he will continue to improve along with the rest of the England squad.

"This team, if they keep developing as they have, they will dominate for a long period and that is a joy to see," said Marler.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time over the last 10 weeks and seeing the growth of the youngsters. They have got a bright future."

FORT WORTH, Texas – Despite announcing a new technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing on Friday at Texas Motor Speedway, Go Fas Racing owner Archie St. Hilaire had a strong message for reporters.

Stewart-Haas’ most-promising young star won’t be driving for his race team, at least not in 2020.

St. Hilaire emphatically said Friday afternoon that NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff contender Cole Custer, currently driving SHR’s No. 00 Ford Mustang in that division, “is not coming to our team” when asked about his plans for the upcoming year.

Motorsports Tribune first reported on St. Hilaire’s comments following an afternoon press briefing at the Go Fas Racing team hauler.

“Cole Custer’s not coming here,” St. Hilaire repeated. “Alright? It’s all over social media, so I wanted to get that one right out of the way. We really want Corey to come back. We’re negotiating with Corey. Of course, we had negotiations going to know where we were going (as a team), and we make an investment in that, so now we’re just trying to dot the I’s and cross the T’s to work the deal out with him (LaJoie) and finish that up.

“I think in a couple weeks we’ll know where we’re going, but we want Corey back.”

LaJoie, 28, has been solid in his first year driving for Go Fas Racing. He’s earned two top-10 finishes – at Daytona Int’l Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, respectively – and has the team 29th in owner points, tied for the team’s highest placing in the Cup Series.

“We worked well together this year,” noted St. Hilaire. “Our crew chief works well with him. For a small team I think we’ve had a decent year. And I think going forward if we just jump into … obviously at Daytona, anything can happen, but when we start going to Vegas, California and Phoenix with the same group, we’ve got a great group of people. I don’t think we want to change any person in this organization through the winter, and I’ve never said that before.

“Everybody that works here right now, we’re happy with, and we want to continue with the same driver and crew chief right through.”

Despite St. Hilaire’s confidence that he’ll get LaJoie back in the seat for 2020, he didn’t quite offer a sure thing, noting that all his agreements are traditionally one-year deals.

“I think that’s where it’s going to end up, but I don’t want to sit here and say he’s our driver yet, because nobody is signed,” he said. “We have one year deals. We have a one year deal with Stewart-Haas. In my businesses, I do one year at a time and I go by an old adage that probably is different in this business than most people, but if I have a good relationship with somebody for a year, we’ll go forward. If it’s not, then why go through the pain of not working, right? So we do one year at a time.”

“The Stewart-Haas deal is one year, but we’re really looking to establish something with them, so that when the new car comes out, hopefully we’ll stay along with it,” he noted. “But it’s a one year deal at this point. If it all works good, the cars are going better and the technology we’re learning from, I think you’ll see it continue. We’ve got one engineer; they probably have 200 over there, so it should do nothing but help us. But you never know.

“If we don’t trip over ourselves, and we get better, we’ll continue because it’s a lot of money too. So we’ve got to make sure we get return on investment. So that’s the plan.”

Abdur Razzak has climbed to a new height among Bangladeshi cricketers by becoming the first bowler to reach 600 first-class wickets. Razzak, the veteran left-arm spinner, completed the milestone during Khulna Division's NCL matchat the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

Razzak began the match on 594 wickets, and swept past the milestone while bagging figures of 7 for 69 in Rangpur's first innings. Six of Razzak's wickets came in an unbroken spell of 18.1 overs, during the course of which Rangpur collapsed from 139 for 3 to 224 all out. The 600th wicket was that of Robiul Haque, the No. 9 batsman out bowled.

Razzak, who had reached the landmark of 500 first-class wickets in January 2018, said the new milestone delighted him, and reckoned it would take a while before another Bangladeshi bowler reaches it.

"I am happy with my achievement," Razzak said. "Six hundred wickets is not a matter of joke. It is a big number in our context. There have been bigger milestones reached in other countries but nobody has done it here, and [the next bowler] will probably take time to reach this number.

"I have never imagined reaching this stage of 500 or 600 wickets. It is a big thing in a Bangladeshi context. We don't have a lot of people with 200 or 300 wickets. I am sure someone will go past me but I am glad that I am the first one."

The milestone is also a tribute to Razzak's fitness, particularly after the BCB called for higher fitness levels shortly before the 2019-20 season began in October. It had put the spotlight on Razzak and other senior players, but he managed to pull through.

The seven-wicket haul has put Razzak on top of the NCL's wicket charts for the season.

"I am fortunate these records are coming from me," Razzak said. "Someone would have achieved them. You need skills to reach this level and I don't know if I am that skillful. I try hard. I think not giving up is my skill. I am still passionate about playing when I am out in the middle. I can't think of anything else."

Razzak's first-class performances over the previous five years earned him a Test recall last year, after four years out of the side, but despite his performance against Sri Lanka in Dhaka - he took five wickets, including a first-innings four-for - he wasn't retained in the side for their next series. Still, he says, the fire continues to burn within.

"I can't really say where I see myself, or where I can reach," Razzak said. "I also don't know when I will finish. As long as my fitness and desire is there, I will keep playing."

Ireland 135 (Balbrinie 46, Stirling 25, Smit 3-19, Williams 3-34) beat Namibia 108 (Erasmus 51, Singh 3-25, Adair 2-9)

Spinners Gareth Delany and Simi Singh helped reduce Namibia to 20 for 3 in the Powerplay as Ireland defended 136 on a day when neither team batted 20 overs. Delany and Singh's early wickets made a dent to Namibia's scoring rate and subsequently put pressure on their batsmen, only three of whom got into double digits.

Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus made 51 off 34 and was the only batsman who struck at more than run-a-ball. Erasmus was the aggressor in all three partnerships that he was part of, but the partnerships themselves weren't substantial. By the time he was the sixth man out in the 15th over, Namibia needed 44 off 32 balls. Seamers Mark Adair and Boyd Rankin made that difficult work and Singh returned to add two wickets to his tally and finish as Man of the Match.

Earlier, Ireland's top order had set a reasonable base before Zhivago Groenewald took two quick wickets to rattle them either side of the 11th over. From 71 for 2, Ireland fell to 85 for 4. Set batsman Andy Balbirnie and captain Gary Wilson then tried to stage a recovery, but their stand of 21 off 21 ended with Balbirnie falling to Craig Williams. It was the start of a collapse.

In his next over, Williams bowled Wilson, and in the over after that, JJ Smit accounted for both Shaun Getkate and Simi Singh; 106 for 4 had turned to 120 for 8 with two overs left, and it took an Adair cameo - the No. 8 made 17 off 7 with two sixes - to put Ireland in sight of a score close to 150. But Williams and Smit combined again and split the last two wickets over three balls to end the innings on 135 with five balls to spare.

LeBron James outduels 'great young talent' Luka Doncic in OT thriller

LeBron James and Luka Doncic became the oldest and youngest players in NBA history, respectively, to record a 30-10-15 game with competing triple-doubles Friday night as the Lakers prevailed over the Mavs in overtime.

England were "beaten up" in their 32-12 World Cup final defeat by South Africa, says former England fly-half Paul Grayson.

The Springboks dominated the showpiece event in Yokohama as Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe scored the tries.

"From an England point of view, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong," said Grayson.

"Bus late to the ground, [Kyle] Sinckler forced off after two minutes, every cute play has gone wrong."

Siya Kolisi became the first black Springbok captain to lift the William Webb Ellis Trophy and Grayson said the flanker's side were "tactically brilliant".

"We said there was potentially a South Africa storm coming, and could England deal with the physicality of the Springboks at fever pitch? The answer is no," Grayson, who was part of England's World Cup-winning squad in 2003, said on BBC Radio 5 live.

"With the support of the country and what was at stake, South Africa had the emotional energy that England simply could not cope with.

"England gave them too many gifts, and South Africa played quick when they needed to. They have been brutally physical in the scrum and their defence has never been tested.

"They were not able to generate the quick ball they did against New Zealand."

Those comments were echoed by former England scrum-half Matt Dawson, who said his countrymen had been "done and dusted in the classroom".

"This is one of, if not the, greatest victory in a World Cup final," said Dawson, England's 2003 World Cup winning scrum-half.

"England gave it everything, but even if you'd said to me that was how South Africa were going to play, I would not honestly have thought they could survive that for 80 minutes, playing in that manner.

"They've just stuffed England with everything going against them. England were taken apart in many, many areas today.

"They looked, for the first time in long time, rattled from very early on when they tried to break the line. They made too many errors and they have been bereft of ideas."

Social media reaction - 'No complaints'

STOCKTON, Calif. — Cody Spencer scored his first win of the season capturing the 25-lap Joe Hunt Magneto Series wingless sprint car feature at the Stockton Dirt Track on Friday night.

Spencer drove his blue and white No. 2 Trocadero Club sponsored sprinter to an exciting finish on the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds dirt oval. His second ever Series win, the last being in 2017.

He first dueled with Nick Robfogel and took the lead from him on lap 17.  The caution would come out two laps later when a car went off track in the first turn.

Points leader Jake Morgan had moved into the second spot, but Morgan and Robfogel would get together in the third turn while on the heels of Spencer. The contact sent Robfogel airborne momentarily while Morgan would suffer a flat right-front tire.

The Finish:

Cody Spencer, D.J. Johnson, Terry Schank Jr., Jarrett Soares, Boy Moniz, Nick Robfogel, Jake Morgan, Angelique Bell, Dan Gonderman, Scott Chapeta, Tony Bernard, Kevin Box, Braidon Moniz, Cameron Martin, Josh Young, Kaimi Moniz-Costa, Tim Sherman Jr.,