Lahore Qalandars were penalised for ball tampering during their Pakistan Super League defeat by Karachi Kings.

Prior to the final over, Kings, who needed 14 to win, were awarded five penalty runs after the umpires deemed a Qalandars player had broken rules by “unfairly changing the condition of the ball”.

It is understood the offence was initially seen by the TV umpire before the on-field umpires gave the punishment. The ball was also changed at the request of the batting side.

Kings, now needing only nine from six balls, completed victory with three balls to spare.

Asked afterwards about incident, Qalandars captain and Pakistan international Shaheen Afridi said: “I don’t know about this.

“We will see if it is that in the camera. We will discuss.”

Cricket’s laws do not allow players to alter the condition of the ball, other than when shining it.

Law 41.3.2 states “it is an offence for any player to take any action which changes the condition of the ball”.

The PSL’s playing conditions say the umpires will then report the matter to match referee who will take “action as is considered appropriate against the players concerned”.

David Warner, who was banned by Cricket Australia for 12 months for his part in the Australia ball-tampering scandal in 2018, was captaining Karachi during the match.

The PSL and the Pakistan Cricket Board have been approached for comment.

Terence Crawford hung up the gloves definitively, stating that no amount of money could bring him out of retirement. However, newly-crowned WBC welterweight ruler Ryan Garcia believes he can lure ‘Bud’ into one more fight.

Following a legacy-defining win against Canelo Alvarez, Crawford retired from the sport, content with an astonishing career that has him positioned amongst the all-time greats of boxing history.

Meanwhile, Garcia is threatening to dominate Crawford’s former division, having picked up the WBC welterweight world title from Mario Barrios last month and demanded unification fights against his fellow champions at 147lbs.

Although, another opponent that Garcia is eyeing up is down at super-lightweight, with pound-for-pound superstar Shakur Stevenson welcoming the opportunity to defend his WBO 140lb title against Garcia.

In an interview with Jon-Bernard Kairouz, Garcia believes that victory over Stevenson, a stablemate and good friend of Crawford’s, could be enough to bring about a clash with the undefeated 38-year-old.

“I think that he just knows that it’s his time to call it. I will say though, his competitive nature, that might bring him back.

“If he sees me running this up, he might try to challenge the young bull, I ain’t going to lie – and we are waiting for you [Crawford] too.

“After I take out Shakur, that might get him out of retirement.”

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However, after much back and forth, Garcia appears to have u-turned on his terms for a showdown with Stevenson, insisting that the Newark southpaw comes up to welterweight in order for the scrap to take place.

NFL free agency is largely in the Minnesota Vikings’ rearview, with the draft just 3.5 weeks away. The offseason is humming along, and if you hadn’t noticed, the club has some advantageous secrets.

A few subtle offseason developments have quietly strengthened Minnesota.

We used that term loosely because hardcore fans will be privvy, but let’s review the secrets so everyone is in the know.

The Quiet Advantages Fueling Minnesota’s Spring

The unsung stuff from Minnesota’s offseason.

Finally — a 2nd-Round Pick

A 2nd-Round draft pick shouldn’t be an overly big deal for an NFL team, but it is for the 2026 Vikings.

In 2023, Minnesota shipped its 2nd-Rounder to Detroit in the package that landed tight end T.J. Hockenson. In the last two years, the Vikings used them to get outside linebacker Dallas Turner. It’s been four years — insert the Titanic meme here — since Minnesota selected a rookie from Round 2.

Barring a trade, Minnesota will pick a 2nd-Rounder for the first time since Andrew Booth and Ed Ingram.

The Sam Darnold Compensatory Pick

Was it a scourage and a gaffe that the Vikings got rid of Sam Darnold? Absolutely. He won a Super Bowl in Seattle. Advantage: Seattle.

Yet, as a small consolation, Minnesota will get the 97th pick in April’s draft, a compensatory selection for Darnold’s 2024 free-agent absence. The Vikings had the same arrangement in 2025 because of Kirk Cousins’ free-agent departure and spent the pick on wide receiver Tai Felton, who barely played as a rookie.

Perhaps interim general manager Rob Brzezinski will strike gold this time. It’s the last shoe to drop on the Darnold debacle.

Ensuring 2027 Financial Flexibility

The Vikings could’ve signed about 3-6 more notable players in free agency and wiggled money around. The problem with that strategy? Well, do you know how Minnesota began this offseason underwater by about $40 million under the salary cap? That would’ve happened all over again if Brzezinski went on a spending spree in 2026.

Instead, the purple team has about $67 million in available cap space on tap for 2027. When January, February, and March roll around next year, the Vikings won’t be labeled as one of those “cap hell” organizations. They were fiscally responsible in the last few weeks.

A to Z Sports‘ Tyler Forness recently noted on Brzezinski’s cap magic, explaining how new teams will foot the bill of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave’s contracts next offseason.

He wrote, “The contract details for Allen are in on Over The Cap on his two-year deal worth $25 million, and the key was going to be him getting at least $8 million in cash to offset the guarantees the Vikings owed him. Luckily, that is going to be the case, as he will be getting $13.5 million in cash this year from the Bengals.”

“That will give the Vikings a much-needed salary cap credit in 2027, while also voiding out the cash the Vikings have to pay. They are also getting $4 million in salary cap credits from Hargrave signing with the Green Bay Packers. Getting those credits will offset the $11.2 million in dead salary cap that Allen will carry in 2027. Brzezinski is playing chess, not checkers, and it’s going to pay off in 2027.”

James Pierre

Minnesota did, though, onboard a few new players, and Pierre was the cornerback addition.

He tabulated a luscious 86.8 Pro Football Focus grade last season while playing just under 400 defensive snaps. Pierre has been trusted on Mike Tomlin’s roster for the last six years. He’s now on the menu to serve as Minnesota’s CB3 in 2026.

PFF’s Mason Cameron recently called Pierre the second-best cornerback in football last year and explained, “Despite logging fewer than 1,000 snaps across his first five NFL seasons, Pierre was called upon to play an increased role in 2025, to which he answered with a career year.”

“Exceptional coverage instincts landed Pierre atop the NFL in numerous key categories, including yards allowed per coverage target (4.7, tied) and forced incompletion rate (28.6%). As a result, he produced the top PFF coverage grade at outside cornerback (88.7).”

Pierre played so damn well in 2026 that if Byron Murphy Jr. or Isaiah Rogers get hurt this autumn, you don’t need to panic one bit.

Frank Smith in the House to Help Fix the Rushing Offense

Down in Miami, Mike McDaniel ran the show for four years, with Frank Smith as his close lieutenant and offensive coordinator. Together, they coordinated an efficient Dolphins rushing offense, sparked by newcomer De’Von Achane in 2023.

Now, in Minnesota, the Vikings need the same juice — Smith’s help to identify the best running back from the upcoming rookie class to accompany Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones this autumn.

Smith’s rushing offense ranked 11th in 2025 per DVOA. That’s what the Vikings need — on top of a firm commitment to run the ball.

The trainer Matthew Smith is confident that greater achievements await talented mare Idle Flyer post her dominant display in the Group 2 $300,000 Emancipation Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens this Saturday.

“Idel Flyer is a big mare and was only second-up today,” Smith said.

“She had a little setback earlier in his preparation which just held us up a bit but she is fine now.”There’s more improvement come from her and she will be at her peak in two weeks.”

Idle Flyer has been entered by Smith into the Group 1 $1 million Queen of the Turf Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick during Day Two of The Championships on April 11, and her Rosehill run positions her as a leading mare for the prestigious contest.

Backed in to $1.90 favourite status, Idle Flyer prolonged Zac Lloyd’s hot streak in the Golden Slipper carnival with a explosive finishing burst that reeled in Blindedbythelight ($26) by three-quarters of a length, while Firestorm ($19) was a further length adrift in third.

Lloyd, who claimed a treble the week before encompassing the Golden Slipper victory on Guest House, rode three winners at Rosehill on Saturday, notably the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes on Belle Cheval. He was at his peak aboard Idle Flyer.

“I was worried at the 500m, she just dropped the bit,” Lloyd said.”But she was in a very tight position the whole race, horses aren’t the happiest in that position.

“I knew had a lapful of horse and she was just starting to go through her gears. I just needed the horse in front of me to quicken another 25 metres and just allow that horse on the outside to drop off.

“For her to still quicken through there, find a gap and be strong late is a real credit to her.”

On Idle Flyer, Lloyd again left Billy Egan, Blindedbythelight’s jockey, in the runner-up position for consecutive races.

In the race immediately before, Lloyd withstood a protest to secure the Vinery Stakes on Belle Cheval from Egan on After Summer.

“When I got outside Billy I said ‘you must hate me today,’” Lloyd said after his win on Idle Flyer.

Bred from Arrowfield Stud’s premier sire Dundeel, Idle Flyer fetched $70,000 when acquired by Smith at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. The Emancipation Stakes provided her seventh career win in 14 attempts, elevating her earnings above $570,000.

“It’s great to have a good horse like her in the stable,” Smith said. “She’s an outstanding mare, you just don’t get them like this very often.

Visit top betting sites to view betting markets for the race in the Queen of the Turf Stakes.

Joey Browner, a former NFL star defensive back who spent most of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, has died, the team announced on Sunday. He was 65.

The Vikings selected Browner in the first round of the 1983 NFL Draft out of USC. He worked his way up the depth chart to become a starter in his second season. By his third year with the Vikings, he was selected to his first Pro Bowl.

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Former Minnesota Vikings safety Joey Browner smiles as he was honored before the game with the Green Bay Packers at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome on Oct. 27, 2013. (Bruce Kluckhohn/USA Today Sports)

Browner was a six-time Pro Bowler and a three-time First Team All-Pro selection. He was also named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-1980s Team.

“We’ve lost a great friend and one of the best Vikings teammates,” former Vikings star Steve Jordan said, via the Vikings’ website. “God blessed Joey with phenomenal talent and a big heart to love people and be a beacon of positivity. Truly, he will be missed.”

FORMER RAIDERS ALL-PRO CENTER BARRET ROBBINS DEAD AT 52: ‘DEEPLY SADDENED’

Minnesota Vikings safety Joey Browner on the field against the Phoenix Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium on Oct. 27, 1991. (USA Today Sports)

Browner played nine years with the Vikings. He had 37 interceptions and 9.5 sacks in 138 games with the Vikings. Minnesota honored Browner by putting him into their Ring of Honor in 2013.

One of his best seasons came in 1990. He played all 16 games for the Vikings that year and had a career-high seven interceptions.

He appeared in six playoff games for the Vikings, but was never able to make it to the Super Bowl.

Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas leaps over Minnesota Vikings defensive end William Gay (78) and Joey Browner (47) at Rich Stadium in the Sept. 4, 1988, season opener. (Tony Tomsic/USA Today Network)

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He played seven games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992 before he retired from football.

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Tottenham Hotspur‘s hierarchy have finally addressed the mistake they made with the outlandish appointment of Igor Tudor as interim head coach – but the stakes are now so high they cannot afford another.

Tudor’s departure after only 44 days concludes a bizarre and potentially hugely expensive episode that leaves fingers pointing firmly in the direction of chief executive Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange.

If Venkatesham and Lange get the next big decision wrong it could conceivably end with Spurs in the Championship, leaving a scar on their record that would be impossible to recover from.

If there is merit in the argument that it is better to correct a mistake as quickly as possible, the counter argument is that appointing Tudor was a mistake that should never have been made in the first place.

Time will tell, but Tudor’s spell in charge may yet end up as the 44 days that sealed Spurs’ Premier League fate.

Tottenham fans, who carefully note Venkatesham’s links to Arsenal from his previous job, will be waiting to see what he can pull off now. The ominous spectre of relegation is even more of a possibility after Tudor’s seven games in charge, which brought one pyrrhic victory, while exiting the Champions League against Atletico Madrid, and none in the Premier League.

Venkatesham and Lange will know the stakes as Spurs stand one point and one place above the relegation spots, the end coming for Tudor after the humiliating 3-0 home defeat by fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest.

They were behind the decision to bring in Tudor, the combustible Croatian with a chequered coaching career and no Premier League experience, to succeed the sacked Thomas Frank.

Having delayed dismissing Frank, seemingly hoping for a revival that was never coming and a change in the toxic mood among fans that was too far gone to be rescued, turning to Tudor was left-field at best.

Reigning champions Bath showed their class to beat Sale 31-26 with a bonus-point victory in an entertaining Gallagher Premiership encounter at the CorpAcq Stadium.

Alex Sanderson’s hosts scored four tries through Tom O’Flaherty, Rob du Preez, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Tom Roebuck, with George Ford claiming three conversions.

But an under-strength Bath side ran in five tries from Dan Frost, Louie Hennessey, Ethan Staddon, Bernard van der Linde and Alfie Barbeary to edge the win, with Santi Carreras converting three of them.

Sale were missing twins Tom and Ben Curry through injury but Bevan Rodd, Ford, Roebuck and Cowan-Dickie returned after playing their part in England’s Six Nations campaign.

They were all named in the Sharks’ starting line-up while Nathan Jibulu was deployed in the unfamiliar openside flanker position and du Preez played outside centre after filling in at fly-half in Ford’s absence.

Bath produced a stunning performance in last Friday’s 62-15 win over Saracens at The Rec but rested Finn Russell and some of their other big names for the trip north.

That decision by Johann van Graan was taken with next Saturday’s reunion with Sarries in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup in mind. However, the visitors were still able to name 11 internationals in their matchday 23, with their bench particularly strong.

Bath enjoyed the early territory on a rain-soaked pitch and led when Frost dived over from close range for a try which Carreras converted.

Visiting winger Joe Cokanasiga was sin-binned in the 26th minute for deliberately knocking on Joe Carpenter’s pass and Sale soon scored when Du Preez’s long pass sent O’Flaherty over in the corner.

Ford converted to level the scores at 7-7 and in the 32nd minute Sale had a second when Du Preez dived over from close range.

Ford’s second successful conversion edged Sanderson’s men 14-7 ahead and Bath lost Frost to a yellow card for his team being persistently offside.

Sale punished them again, with Cowan-Dickie forcing his way over for his 44th Premiership career try and, although Ford failed to convert, the hosts went in at half-time with a 19-7 advantage.

Five minutes after the interval, and with Frost still in the sin-bin, Bath scored their second when Hennessey went over from a line-out and Carreras converted.

In the 50th minute, Staddon had Bath’s third try when he went over from close range after good work from Hennessey in the right corner.

Carreras missed the conversion to leave the scores finely poised at 19-19 but as the hour mark approached, Roebuck crossed in the right corner and Ford converted.

Bath scored again in the 62nd minute when replacement hooker Kepu Tuipulotu hacked downfield for to race clear to score for a try which Carreras converted to make it 26-26.

With nine minutes remaining, Barbeary scored to edge Bath back in front and they held on for the win which lifted them to within a point of leaders Northampton.

The trainer Ciaron Maher highlighted the outstanding runs from his two competitors who produced a breathtaking battle to decide the Australian Cup at Flemington.

Maher orchestrated the first and second placings in that Group 1 2000m showdown, Light Infantry Man scraping home by a nose over beloved Pride Of Jenni last Saturday.

Pride Of Jenni grabbed the lead in her typical manner and appeared under threat as the $2.50 favourite joined her with 400m to travel.

Hardly had the shouts for the favourite subsided when Pride Of Jenni hit back to dominate proceedings before Light Infantry Man loomed large.

The closing 100m proved electric as $21 shot Light Infantry Man ridden by Harry Coffey thrust his nose first past Pride Of Jenni ($11), with Apulia ($13) a length back in third.

Birdman lost ground approaching the finish to run fifth, three lengths shy.

Light Infantry Man, according to trainer Ciaron Maher, is an individual who must be handled just so.

Maher revealed that suspended regular Ethan Brown comprehends the gelding thoroughly and imparted tips to Coffey.

“This horse, he’s a unique horse, in the way he has to be ridden,” Maher said.

“Browny understands him well and I asked him to pass on some of that information last start and Harry didn’t really get it until he had finished the race.

He rode him perfect today. The start is very important for him. He blasted him straight out of the gates.

I don’t know who I’m more proud of, the winner or the second horse.”

Maher mulled over entering Sydney’s Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Randwick on the weekend, but saw the Australian Cup with Pride Of Jenni ensuring a proper gallop.

Last year’s Australian Cup saw Pride Of Jenni set a lively pace suiting Light Infantry Man perfectly, the same outcome Saturday.

“Two of his best wins are when he’s raced her,” Maher said.

“It’s such a shame for Jenni to run second again.

I know for (owner) Tony (Ottobre), it’s a race he holds very dear to his heart. He strapped back in the day a horse for (Colin) Hayes.

It’s still a race that’s eluded her, but she’s racing in great heart, and you never know, we may be back here with her next year. She was phenomenal.

I thought it was going to be a spectacular race and to be fighting it out with two of your own, it’s pretty cool.”

From his fourth-placed ride on Light Infantry Man in Caulfield’s Peter Young Stakes (1800m), where insights were gathered, Harry Coffey benefited from Brown’s morning text.

“This is his horse and he’s been so open and transparent in how to ride him,” Coffey said.

“He sent me a text this morning saying ‘I see it is going to be pretty wet, make sure you give him a nice warm up to the gates to let him know how open that track is. He’s a smart horse, and he’ll come to the conditions, but you have to let him know’.

“So, thank you Browny.”

Partner Declan Bates praised Pride Of Jenni as a true warrior.

“I don’t think I have ever asked of a horse what I asked of her today,” Bates said.

“I really asked her to extend quite early and she responded so gallantly.

“Frustrating not to win, obviously, but I am delighted for Harry, and I’m really happy with my horse.”

Visit leading racing betting markets to wager on stars like Light Infantry Man and Pride Of Jenni in their next Australian Cup assignments.