David Warner struck a 56-ball 89 after paceman Josh Hazlewood's four-wicket blitz to help Australia beat the West Indies by eight wickets and book their spot in the T20 World Cup semi-finals.
David Warner. Photo: Photosport
Chasing 158 for victory in Abu Dhabi, Australia rode home on Warner's unbeaten knock, which included nine boundaries and four sixes, and Mitchell Marsh's 53 to cruise home with 22 balls to spare.
Earlier, Australia paceman Pat Cummins struck a vital early blow by forcing Chris Gayle (15) to chop one on to his stumps in the third over after the 42-year-old Jamaican had issued an early warning of his prowess with two massive sixes.
Gayle walked off the pitch with his bat raised and a smile on his face prompting fans to speculate online over whether this may have been his final innings. But the West Indies were not in a celebratory mood as Hazlewood took two wickets in three balls.
Nicholas Pooran departed offering a simple catch to Mitchell Marsh before Roston Chase had his stumps shattered to leave the outgoing champions in trouble at 35-3 inside four overs.
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa then picked up his 11th wicket of the Super 12 stage by dismissing Lewis for 29 as the West Indies' slide continued, but a solid effort by skipper Kieron Pollard (44) took them to a respectable 157-7.
Hazlewood also dismissed Shimron Hetmyer and the retiring Dwayne Bravo to finish with figures of 4-39.
- Reuters
England finish group stage with defeat
England have reached the semifinals of the Twenty20 World Cup despite their 10-run loss to South Africa.
Eoin Morgan Photo: AFP
With Australia beating West Indies in the previous match of the day, South Africa needed a victory and a massive run-rate boost to be the second team from Group One to make the last four.
They showed some intent with the bat and Rassie van der Dussen blasted an unbeaten 94 off 60 balls to propel South Africa to 189-2, their highest score of the tournament.
Their total meant South Africa had to restrict England to 131 or fewer to make the semi-finals ahead of Australia, while scoring 87 was enough for Eoin Morgan's team.
Moeen Ali (37) and Dawid Malan (33) chipped in with breezy cameos to snuff out South Africa's semifinal hopes but Kagiso Rabada's final over hat-trick restricted England to 179-8 snapping their winning streak in the tournament.
- Reuters
Ireland warm-up for All Blacks with big win
Ireland tore Japan apart with a display of attacking rugby, particularly from their dynamic pack, to mark captain Johnny Sexton's 100th cap with an impressive 60-5 victory in Dublin.
Ireland suffered a shock loss to the Japanese at the World Cup two years ago and were pushed hard again by the visitors in July, but it was Andy Farrell's men who played with a blistering and unstoppable verve.
Ireland first-five Johnny Sexton. Photo: Photosport
Twenty-nine unanswered first half points put the game long out of sight before Sexton fittingly got one of the nine tries and Andrew Conway completed a hat-trick in a display that should give New Zealand something to think about before they visit next week.
The athleticism of the Irish pack was noted by the coaching staff ahead of the game and proved a massive advantage. From prop Tadhg Furlong marking his 50th cap with his usual array of soft hands to man of the match Jack Conan popping up everywhere, it was a masterclass.
That enabled Ireland to rip apart their opponents, with a powerful rolling maul opening up space for Conway's second and Gibson Park getting his first Ireland try after a lineout and some poor Japanese defending.
The shellshocked visitors - playing just their fourth test compared to Ireland's 17 in the coronavirus-impacted two years since they hosted the World Cup and reached the quarterfinals - had no answer.
- Reuters
Strong start for NZ in cycling Champions League
New Zealand's Corbin Strong has started cycling's new Track Champions League in style.
Corbin Strong Photo: UCI
The 2020 points race world champion has won both endurance events at round one of the event on the Spanish Island of Mallorca.
Strong took out the elimination and scratch races to go to the top of the standings, with countryman Aaron Gate fourth overall, ahead of round two of the five-round league in Lithuania at the end of the month.
The new league incorporates sprint and keirin under revised formats, with a short 20-lap scratch race and the exciting elimination for endurance riders in the two-hour format.
Strong said the stamina of riders like Gate kept him on edge in the scratch race.
"I was worried about the endurance of some of the riders to go long in the scratch race but with the shorter distance I made sure I was in position for the sprint. Thankfully I had a good lead-out. I am pretty proud of that effort to be honest," Strong said.
"I went in with a relaxed attitude. Even the biggest races, I like to go in relaxed. The environment with the lights and the crowds really suits me - it is an awesome experience."
Gate leads the overall endurance classification on 40 points from Portugal's Iuri Leitao on 28, USA's Gavin Hooper on 27 and compatriot Gate on 20.
Taranaki continue unbeaten run
Championship leaders Taranaki completed the perfect dress rehearsal for next week's NPC championship semi-final with a 24-10 win over Southland in Inglewood on Sunday.
Stephen Perofeta Photo: Photosport
The visitors started strongly, leading 10-0 with a try to Charles Alaimalo after just six minutes.
Taranaki levelled the scores at 10-10 going into half-time, with Kini Nahol's try converted by Stephen Perofeta, who also added a penalty.
Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens and Vereniki Tikoisolomone crossed in the second spell to wrap up the win for Taranaki, who will again host Southland in next weekend's semi-finals, while Manawatu meet Otago.
France edge Argentina in Paris
Second-half tries by debutant lock Thibaud Flament and hooker Peato Mauvaka and superb goalkicking by Melvyn Jaminet helped France to a 29-20 victory over a battling Argentina in a typically intense clash in the Stade de France.
Flament was playing flyhalf in the fifth team of England's Loughborough University five years ago but on Saturday he was the toast of Paris after his excellent score broke through a determined Puma defence early in the second half.
Argentina were leading 10-9 at the time after a first-half Tomas Cubelli try but Flament's score was followed by a second try for Mauvaka to put the hosts clear.
Argentina showed terrific spirit to launch a series of attacks in the last 10 minutes and closed the gap with a Mateo Carreras try but France had the last word with another penalty for Jaminet.
- Reuters
England ease past Tonga
England coach Eddie Jones welcomed their commitment to attacking rugby as well their mentality to keep going to the final whistle in their 69-3 demolition of Tonga.
England scored 11 tries, including four in the last 10 minutes, as the man-down Tongans lost their shape to give the Twickenham fans, filling the stadium for the first time since March 2020, plenty to celebrate.
Eddie Jones. Photo: Photosport
Asked if he saw evidence of the ambitious rugby he had promised would be England's target after a year of sluggish performances, Jones said: "We saw the mindset of being aggressive in attacking the opportunities. The mechanics will be the fine tuning and we don't need to see the end of that until the seventh game of the World Cup."
The late withdrawal of Owen Farrell after a Covid-19 positive forced a late shuffle, with George Furbank starting as England flyhalf for the first time and Marcus Smith coming on for a crowd-pleasing half-hour, capped by a try.
Tonga failed to put England under any sustained pressure and after a red card for Viliami Fine in the 68th minute they completely fell apart, conceding four further tries.
England will face a far stiffer task next week against Australia, albeit seeking an eighth successive win against them, with Lawes likely to remain as captain as Farrell serves his time in isolation.
Venus and Puetz reach another ATP Final
New Zealand's Michael Venus and his German partner Tim Puetz are through to their third ATP doubles final of the year at the Masters 1000 tournament in Paris.
Michael Venus Photo: Photosport
Continuing their strong run of form, the pair have beaten the in-form Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares 7-5 6-3 in the semifinals.
It was a dominant performance from Venus and Puetz, who converted three of their 10 break point chances and never faced a break point on serve in the match.
The duo will chase their second title together after winning the ATP 500 title on clay in Hamburg in July.
Venus and Puetz will face either the Kiwi's former partner Australian John Peers and Slovak Filip Polasek, who are seeded fourth, or French third seeds Nicolas Mahut and Pierre Hugues-Hubert.
