Sports
Pakistan wrap up T20 World Cup campaign with victory over Sri Lanka
- Dasun Shanaka top-scores for Sri Lanka with 76.
- Abrar Ahmed takes three wickets for Pakistan.
- Sahibzada Farhan declared Player of the Match.
Pakistan wrapped up their T20 World Cup campaign with a narrow five-run win over Sri Lanka in their final Super Eight clash at Pallekele Cricket Stadium, Kandy, on Saturday.
The 2009 champions needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 or less, but half-centuries from Pavan Rathnayake and skipper Dasun Shanaka helped the home side amass 207/6 in their 20 overs, which resulted in New Zealand qualifying for the semi-final alongside England from Group 2.
Shanaka remained the top-scorer for Sri Lanka with a quickfire 76 not out from 31 deliveries at the backend, but his efforts fell short as Shaheen Shah Afridi successfully defended 28 runs off the final over despite conceding three sixes.
The Sri Lankan captain also shared a brisk 61-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Rathnayake, who contributed with an anchoring 58 off 37 deliveries with the help of four fours and three sixes.
Besides them, only Kamil Mishara and Charith Asalanka, 26 and 25, respectively, managed to amass double figures against Pakistan’s bowling attack, led by Abrar Ahmed, who picked up three wickets for 23 runs in his four overs.
He was supported by Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah and Shaheen, who bagged one wicket apiece.
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka’s decision to field first backfired as his team’s bowling unit conceded a daunting 212/8 in 20 overs.
Pakistan’s new opening pair of Farhan and Fakhar gave them a flamboyant start as they raised a monumental 176-run partnership, which saw both openers scoring blistering half-centuries.
Dushmantha Chameera eventually broke the threatening partnership by cleaning up Fakhar, who walked back after scoring 84 off 42 deliveries, laced with nine fours and four sixes.
Pakistan then suffered another setback to their batting expedition in the next over when Dilshan Madushanka got Khawaja Nafay (two) caught at long-on and were thus slipped further to 179/2.
Farhan was then involved in a brief 21-run partnership for the third wicket with Shadab Khan, who contributed with a five-ball seven after getting run out in the 18th over.
Skipper Shanaka pulled things back for Sri Lanka in the penultimate over by dismissing all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz and Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha for ducks, and thus brought the total down to 199/5.
Farhan, on the other hand, eventually fell victim to Madushanka on the first delivery of the final over and walked back after top-scoring for Pakistan with 100 off 60 deliveries, studded with nine fours and five sixes.
Madushanka struck again in the pulsating final over, trapping Shaheen Shah Afridi lbw and thus halting the flow of runs for Pakistan at the backend.
Madushanka was the standout bowler for Sri Lanka, taking three wickets for 33 runs in his four overs, followed by Shanaka with two, while Chameera claimed one.
For the unversed, despite the narrow victory, Pakistan remained third in Group 2 standings of the T20 World Cup 2026 with three points in three games with a negative net run rate of 0.123, significantly lesser than New Zealand’s 1.390, who also finished with as many points.
Michigan guard L.J. Cason suffered a torn right ACL and will miss the rest of the season, the school announced Saturday.
The injury occurred in the Wolverines’ win over Illinois on Friday night.
“This isn’t how I wanted my season to end, but I trust God’s plan, and I’ll attack rehab the same way I approach everything — with focus and determination,” Cason said. “We’ve got many goals as a team, and I’ll be locked in supporting my brothers every step of the way.”
Cason, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, had emerged as one of the premier backup guards in college basketball this season, providing a consistent boost off the bench for No. 3 Michigan. He was averaging 8.4 points and 2.4 assists in 18.6 minutes, making more than 40% of his 3-point attempts. Cason had nine points and two assists in just 13 minutes against Illinois before suffering the injury.
He had scored in double-figures in four of his last six games entering Friday night, including an 18-point performance in the Wolverines’ comeback win against Northwestern earlier this month.
“First and foremost, our hearts hurt for L.J.,” coach Dusty May said. “You never want to see a young man who has poured so much into this program have something like this happen. However, if there’s anyone equipped to handle this and the rehab process, it’s L.J. He’s resilient, he’s disciplined, and he has an incredible support system around him.”
With Cason out, the point guard duties will fall almost solely on Elliot Cadeau. Cadeau has made major strides since transferring from North Carolina last spring, but Cason’s consistent play has limited Cadeau. He has played more than 30 minutes just twice since January. The junior guard is averaging 10.1 points and 5.5 assists, shooting a career-best 38.4% from 3.
Michigan, which clinched the outright Big Ten regular-season title Friday, wraps up the regular season with games against Iowa and Michigan State next week.
ITHACA, N.Y. — Jake Fiegen hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with one second left as Cornell upset first-place Yale 72-69 on Friday night to keep pace in the Ivy League postseason chase.
Cornell entered the day having lost five straight games against Yale, its last win coming Feb. 23, 2024. That included a 34-point loss to the Bulldogs earlier this season.
With the win, Cornell (13-12) improved to 6-6 in Ivy League play and moved into sole possession of fourth place in the regular-season standings with two games remaining. The top four teams advance to the Ivy Madness tournament, with the winner securing the league’s automatic NCAA bid.
Fiegen scored 17 points to lead five double-figure scorers for the Big Red and also contributed eight rebounds and four assists. He shot 7-of-12 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc
Cooper Noard added 16 points on 6-for-16 shooting to go along with six rebounds. Josh Baldwin was 4-of-5 from the field (3-for-4 from 3) en route to finishing with 13 points.
As a team, Cornell shot 14-of-35 from 3-point range, with nine of those coming in the first half. The Big Red led by as many as 14 before the Bulldogs battled back to tie the score at 69 on a Nick Townsend layup with seven seconds remaining.
“We started out lousy in three of our last four games and put ourselves in a hole that we had to dig out of,” Yale coach James Jones said. “It’s great that the guys were able to fight back and get back into it, but we’ve got to do a better job of starting each half.”
Cornell won the rebounding battle 31-28 and outscored Yale 12-3 on second-chance points.
Casey Simmons, Isaac Celiscar and Townsend led the way for the Bulldogs (21-5, 9-3) with 14 points apiece. The loss snapped Yale’s five-game winning streak.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Stony Brook men’s basketball star Erik Pratt was suspended by the school for spitting on a fan during the team’s 82-69 loss to Monmouth Thursday.
Pratt was being heckled by fans with 2:30 left in the game with Stony Brook down 79-63. Instead of ignoring the fans, Pratt turned and spit at them and walked away.
“In light of his actions in last night’s game at Monmouth, I have made the decision in consultation with the CAA to suspend Erik Pratt for Saturday’s game at Hofstra,” Stony Brook Director of Athletics Shawn Helibron said in a statement.
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UW-Milwaukee guard Erik Pratt (8), who now plays for Stony Brook, looks to drive to the basket against Northern Kentucky in the second half of their game at the UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Feb. 17, 2024. (Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK)
“I met with Erik earlier, and he acknowledged his mistake while accepting full responsibility for his actions. While emotions were high in the moment, he understands that his behavior was inappropriate and did not meet the standards we expect of our student-athletes, nor those set forth by our department, institution and the CAA. Erik has expressed his commitment to learning from this experience and moving forward in a positive manner.”
At the time of his ejection, Pratt led the team with 14 points and had eight assists. Pratt is Stony Brook’s leading scorer, averaging 19.4 points per game, and his absence for the team’s game against Hofstra on Saturday is a big one.
Milwaukee Panthers guard Erik Pratt (8), who now plays for Stony Brook, dribbles during the Horizon League championship basketball game between the Oakland Golden Grizzlies and the Milwaukee Panthers at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 12, 2024. (Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Stony Brook is currently tied for the No. 5 seed in the CAA tournament, and a loss to Hofstra could drop them in the seedings.
Pratt previously played at Milwaukee and Texas A&M before joining Stony Brook.
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Texas A&M Aggies guard Erik Pratt (3), who now plays for Stony Brook, leads a fast break during a basketball game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas. College Station, Texas, on Feb. 4, 2023. (Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Pratt is not the only athlete to be embroiled in a spitting controversy over the last year, as Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Carter spit on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the first game of the NFL season.
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