Sports
New Zealand defeat South Africa to reach T20 World Cup final
- Finn Allen smashes unbeaten 100 off 33 balls.
- Seifert adds 58 in 117-run opening stand.
- Allen declared Player of the Match
New Zealand secured their place in the T20 World Cup final after defeating South Africa by nine wickets in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Wednesday.
Set to chase 170, the Blackcaps comfortably struck the winning runs for the loss of just one wicket and 43 balls to spare, courtesy of a monumental opening partnership between centurion Finn Allen and Tim Seifert.
The opening pair laid a solid foundation for the pursuit by putting together 117 runs in nine overs before Kagiso Rabada cleaned up Seifert, who made a 33-ball 58 with the help of seven fours and two sixes.
Allen, on the other hand, stood his ground firm and eventually steered New Zealand over the line by smashing Marco Jansen for a four on the penultimate delivery of the 13th over, which also helped him bring up his third T20I century.
Allen remained the top-scorer for New Zealand with an unbeaten 100 off 33 deliveries, studded with 10 fours and eight sixes.
He also shared a one-sided 56-run partnership for the second wicket with Rachin Ravindra, who contributed with 13 not out from 11 deliveries.
Rabada remained the solitary wicket-taker for South Africa.
Put into bat first, South Africa accumulated 169/8 in their 20 overs, courtesy of a defiant sixth-wicket partnership between Jansen and Tristan Stubbs.
The Proteas, however, got off to a dismal start to their innings as they lost Quinton de Kock (10) and Ryan Rickelton (zero) in the second over with just 12 runs on the board.
Following the early stutter, captain Aiden Markram was joined by Dewald Brevis in the middle, and the duo batted cautiously to add 43 runs for the third wicket until the former fell victim to Rachin Ravindra in the eighth over after scoring a scratchy 18 off 20 deliveries.
Ravindra struck again in his next over, dismissing David Miller, who could score a run-a-ball six.
James Neesham inflicted another setback on South Africa in the next over as he dismissed set batter Brevis, who walked back after top-scoring with 34 off 27 deliveries with the help of three fours and two sixes, and brought the total down to 77/5.
Bowling all-rounder Marco Jansen and Tristan Stubbs then launched a spirited recovery for South Africa as they put together 73 runs for the sixth off just 46 deliveries until Lockie Ferguson cleaned up the latter on the first delivery of the penultimate over.
Stubbs scored an anchoring 29 off 24 deliveries with the help of two fours and a six.
Jansen, on the other hand, carried his onslaught until the end and returned after top-scoring with an unbeaten 55 off just 30 deliveries, studded with five sixes and two fours.
For New Zealand, Cole McConchie, Matt Henry and Ravindra bagged two wickets each, while Neesham and Ferguson made one scalp apiece.
The University of New Mexico promoted interim athletic director Ryan Berryman to the full-time job Wednesday.
Berryman, 32, will become one of the youngest athletic directors in the FBS. He took the interim job when his former boss, Fernando Lovo, left to become the Colorado AD in late December.
Berryman is a New Mexico graduate and a former student manager who worked his way up through the athletic department. He also worked at the University of Washington as the school’s CFO and senior associate athletic director before returning to UNM in 2025. He had been the deputy athletic director/COO before being promoted to interim athletic director.
Berryman’s promotion comes at a time of strong momentum for the school’s athletic department. Two New Mexico first-year coaches, hired by Lovo, have delivered strong debut seasons. Jason Eck won nine football games in his debut, with the program receiving its first bowl bid since 2016. Basketball coach Eric Olen has the Lobos on track for an NCAA tournament bid; they are 22-7 and project as an No. 11 seed.
Under Berryman’s interim watch, New Mexico inked a 10-year naming rights partnership with Nusenda Credit Union that averages nearly $1.75 million annually for its iconic basketball arena known as The Pit.
“I have watched this department grow through some hard years and some remarkable ones, and I believe with everything I have that the best days are ahead,” he said in a statement. “We are going to build something here that this entire state is proud of — in competition, in the classroom, and in this community.”
Per his bio, Berryman will be the second-youngest athletic director in the FBS.
Angel City FC forward Sydney Leroux teased a return to the field in a social media post on Tuesday after missing all of last year with an excused absence.
“This comeback is for you,” Leroux wrote on social media, referring to those who supported her over the past year. “I’ll see you soon.”
Last year, Leroux announced just one day before Angel City’s season-opener that she would “step away from soccer for my mental health.” She insisted at the time that she would be back.
Leroux, who turns 36 in May, has played in the NWSL since its inception in 2013, and for Angel City since the summer of 2022.
She was part of the United States’ 2015 World Cup-winning team and has made 77 appearances for the senior national team.
In her Instagram post on Tuesday, Leroux did not share specifics about why she sat out the 2025 NWSL season.
“The hardest year of my life,” Leroux wrote. “Heartbreaking, isolating and devastating. A year that will stay with me forever. A year that changed me.”
She continued: “I fought and I clawed my way through everything that should have broken me. For that, I am forever grateful to everyone who gave me love, grace, patience and support.”
When reached for comment, an Angel City spokesperson did not provide further details about Leroux’s comeback or status on the roster.
Leroux was still listed as an excused absence when Angel City announced its preseason roster in January. She is signed through 2027 with the club.
Angel City FC opens its 2026 season on March 15 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles against the Chicago Stars.
The team will be without retired veterans Christen Press and Ali Riley for the first time. Both players were some of the first Angel City signed ahead of its 2022 expansion season. They retired at the end of 2025.
Known for his clever quips and controversial political comments, he led the Fighting Irish to a national championship in 1989.
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