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Canada cruises to comfortable win over Bermuda at ICC Men's T20 World Cup qualifier

Canada cruises to comfortable win over Bermuda at ICC Men's T20 World Cup qualifier

KING CITY - Opener Yuvraj Samra scored 65 runs to help Canada defeat Bermuda by 110 runs in its opening match Sunday at the Americas Qualifier for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.
The Canadian men face the Bahamas, Bermuda and Cayman Islands in an eight-day double round-robin format that will see the group winner advance to next year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Canada made its T20 World Cup debut last year, failing to advance out of the group stage after beating Ireland and losing to Pakistan and the co-host U.S. A game against India was abandoned due to inclement weather.
'I would feel like half of the job is done,' Canada captain Nicolas Kirton said prior to Sunday's match. 'We went to our first T20 World Cup last year and played some good cricket and got a win against Ireland. The goal for this team is to improve on that.'
Bermuda won the toss at the Maple Leaf Cricket Ground and elected to bowl Sunday.
The Canadians finished at 205 for five in their allotted overs. In response, Bermuda was all out for 95 in 19.1 overs.
Opener Aaron Johnson was caught on five runs with Canada at 26 for one. But Samra and Pargat Singh steadied the ship with a 61-run partnership before Singh was caught on 28 runs. Samra hit five fours and four sixes in his 35-ball knock before he was caught with Canada at 117 for four.
No. 5 batsman Harsh Thaker finished at 49 not out.
Derrick Brangman was Bermuda's leading scorer at 42 not out. Pace bowler Kaleem Sana led Canada's bowlers with three wickets.
Canada faces the Cayman Islands on Monday, the Bahamas on Wednesday, the Cayman Islands on Thursday, the Bahamas on Saturday and Bermuda next Sunday.
The Cayman Islands and Bahamas were recently promoted from the Subregional Qualifier.
Canada is ranked 19th in T20 play by the International Cricket Council, compared to No. 28 for Bermuda, No. 41 for the Cayman Islands and No. 51 for the Bahamas.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2025.
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Déjà vu: England and Spain meet again in a final, this time at the Women's European Championship
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Déjà vu: England and Spain meet again in a final, this time at the Women's European Championship

ZURICH (AP) — Here we go again. There's a sense of déjà vu about the Women's European Championship final that pits defending champion England against World Cup winner Spain. The two nations faced off in the World Cup final two years ago with Spain edging an open match 1-0. 'I think obviously that was a massive disappointment and I feel like from a collective we probably feel like we didn't have our best performance that day, but I think … if you're trying to pull on that too much then you're going to be too emotional with too many things going on,' England midfielder Keira Walsh said on Thursday. 'Obviously you think about it a little bit but I think for us, put it to the side and focus on the game on Sunday. We've got so many new players in this team who are really confident and bring so many things to this team, so it's exciting and we can just focus on the positives.' Both teams needed 120 minutes to get through their gruelling semifinals. England's super-subs had their part to play again on Tuesday with late goals first taking the match to extra time and then securing a last-gasp 2-1 victory over Italy. Spain needed a moment of magic from two-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati to get past a resilient German side 1-0 on Wednesday. It will be a first Euros final for Spain but even before the tournament it had been the favorite to add the European title to its collection after winning the World Cup and Nations League in the past two years. Spain's triumph at the World Cup was marred by the Luis Rubiales scandal, after the-then head of the Spanish soccer federation kissed player Jenni Hermoso during the awards ceremony. Rubiales was subsequently charged with sexual assault and convicted a few months before the start of Euro 2025, bringing an end to one of the worst chapters in the history of Spanish soccer. Walsh, who made 100 appearances for Barcelona over two-and-a-half seasons, was playing in Spain at the time and witnessed the fallout first hand. 'I think the most important thing for them is that they can enjoy this final, there's not the controversy surrounding it,' she said. 'I think just for the girls this time and as a friend and another football player, for them just to go and enjoy it. 'They play incredible football and they deserve to be there, so as a human being I just want them to go out and enjoy the game of football.' Walsh doesn't feel Spain's star-packed squad received enough credit after the World Cup triumph. 'Obviously after the game there was a lot of controversy and I don't think for them there was enough spotlight on how incredible they played and how incredible some of their players were, it was all about the other stuff that had gone on,' she said. 'I think as a professional that was disappointing to see. Obviously I have a lot of friends in that team and I think they probably deserved a little bit more than what they got.'

Fox evolved its approach to women's soccer with Euros broadcast. Were the changes enough or too late?
Fox evolved its approach to women's soccer with Euros broadcast. Were the changes enough or too late?

Yahoo

timean hour ago

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Fox evolved its approach to women's soccer with Euros broadcast. Were the changes enough or too late?

As Euro 2025 comes to a close, all signs point to the tournament finally enjoying its breakout moment in the United States. It culminates on Sunday in a 2023 World Cup final rematch between England and Spain — an ideal clash for attracting an American audience. While the international break still has a few more days to go, there's enough data to assess what's worked, what hasn't and where the growth of women's soccer in America goes from here. There's never been any doubt that this country watches the U.S. women's national team. The 2015 Women's World Cup win over Japan remains one of the most-watched soccer games in the country (26.7 million average viewers), only barely edged out by the 2022 men's World Cup final between Argentina and France (26.73 million). 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They've easily surpassed that number, averaging over 90 percent through the group stage with a 2025 average viewership of 306,000 compared to 2022's 161,000 viewers. France's 2-1 win over England provided the largest spike of the group stage, with 690,000 viewers, thanks to its placement on Fox and a favorable Saturday afternoon timeslot. The quarterfinals continued the trend, nearly reaching the one million viewership mark with Germany's thrilling 6-5 penalty shootout win over France (925,000 viewers). In 2022, quarterfinal viewership averaged 283,000 viewers; this summer, it has averaged out at 776,000 viewers. The number one driver is increased accessibility, but Fox has gotten other calls right, too, even as their overall strategy for soccer remains disappointingly on brand. Bringing former German international player Hingst back in as the primary expert voice has been the highlight of their studio work — with her well-researched analysis on all of the teams and her emotional connection to Germany (especially while watching Germany survive and advance into the semifinals). Fox has never gone for the banter the way CBS has leaned in on men's Champions League, but Hingst provided a blueprint that knowledge doesn't preclude fun behind a desk. Former Scotland international Beattie was a strong new addition to Fox's team, both at the desk and in the booth for color commentary alongside regular play-by-play analyst John Strong. The only flaw was her departure from Fox's studio in Los Angeles to watch the tournament in person in Switzerland (and that Fox had her pulling double duty with Copa America). Fox leaned not just on familiar voices but largely turned to established pairs for its match commentary. Jacqui Oatley and Lori Lindsey have been regular fixtures in the NWSL, as have JP Dellacamera and Lianne Sanderson. It's not surprising that Fox didn't fully invest in this area, keeping the teams in Los Angeles rather than having them in the stadium. It did, at points, cause issues, but understandable ones. It also wouldn't be a Fox Soccer broadcast without the heavy rotation of former U.S. players participating. Lloyd, who was a divisive presence during the 2023 World Cup broadcast, especially in her approach to covering the USWNT, has settled in following a couple of major tournaments' worth of reps behind the desk. Her trademark bluntness hasn't gone anywhere, but she has gotten better at pointing it in a productive direction. If Fox chose to rely solely on Lloyd for an American lens to these international tournaments, I'd find it a justifiable choice. A famous U.S. player helps bridge the gap to American fans, and using her own experience in major tournaments provides familiar reference points for the every-four-years World Cup viewer. It's not just Lloyd, though. Fox continues to stress these voices far too much, with the greatest example continuing to be former U.S. men's player Alexi Lalas. Lalas has always been the most divisive presence in Fox's coverage — the bombastic approach either works for you or it really, really doesn't. Every major tournament that Fox airs, I wonder what value Lalas adds to a broadcast to engage, entertain and inform new and returning viewers. Maybe there are still some women's soccer die-hards who still hate watch to see what Lalas will say next, but most social media commentary I see states time and time again that the existing women's soccer audience in this country is opting out of watching Fox's studio commentary. 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Fox has certainly improved on this front, but has yet to shed its worst impulses. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. International Football, Sports Business, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company

Hockey Canada sexual assault verdict: Live updates of judge's decision
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The end of a trial involving some hockey players in Canada is coming. Five players who were members of the Canadian world junior hockey squad were accused of sexual assault in 2018 in London, Ontario, and the trial has been going on for months, with the world waiting for a ruling from Judge Maria Carroccia. That ruling is expected on Thursday morning, so we'll do some live updates as we hear whether the verdict is in or not. As we get ready for that, let's fill you in on the trial and the accusations that made headlines for a year: Editor's note: This story contains mentions of sexual assault. Please proceed with caution. Here's the scene from outside the courthouse Who are the Hockey Canada players accused of sexual assault? Here's the list: What are the Hockey Canada sexual assault accusations? From our post from Mary Clarke about this trial in 2024: According to the lawsuit filed by the woman against Hockey Canada in April 2022, the woman allegedly met some of the players at a bar after the gala before going to a hotel room with one of the players, where they engaged in consensual sexual acts. Afterwards, the woman alleged that seven other hockey players entered the room, and she was sexually assaulted, despite her attempts to leave. What time is the Hockey Canada trial verdict expected? Reports say it's 10 a.m. ET.

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