England vs New Zealand tips

England have already qualified for the T20 World Cup semi-finals but their final match, against New Zealand, looks likely to decide whether they go through as group winners or in second.

Cricket tipster Jonathan Doidge takes a look at the top bets for the match using the best odds from betting sites.

England vs New Zealand tips: Black Caps to edge out Brook’s side

This match will look winnable to both sides, given how they’ve played in the competition to date. New Zealand lost to South Africa in the group stages, while England were toppled by West Indies but both teams go into this on the back of wins and Harry Brook’s boys have the comfort of knowing that another defeat won’t stop them going through.

That’s a good thing because, although they have played well in parts, they’ve been inconsistent and you could argue that the Black Caps have been better in that respect. Mitch Santner’s team looks a well oiled unit, with Tim Seifert playing well up top, Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra providing the class among the batters and bowling options including Ravindra, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry and the skipper, all consistent performers with the ball.

England’s performances have largely been lukewarm, with the ball outperforming the bat in the main, think Nepal and Sri Lanka. Brook’s century against Pakistan will have given the squad a lift, as well as the captain himself. Having said that, here would be a perfect opportunity to trip out that sporting cliche that the sign of a good team is one that wins when it’s not playing well.

The thing is, can England raise the bar or is this just how it’s going to be in this tournament? Everyone, with the exception of Oman, has looked capable of beating anyone else if the stars align and we know that a red hot England could win this title. What we don’t know is whether those misfiring can hit form in the two, possibly three, matches that remain.

I never like to take England on but my head says that, pending Thursday’s result, if New Zealand go into this needing to win to make the semis, I think they will find a way as they have more players fully firing than those sporting the Three Lions.

England vs New Zealand tip 1: Match Result: New Zealand to win – 2pt wins @ 11/10 (Betfred)

England vs New Zealand betting: Look out for Seifert impact

I’ve covered most of New Zealand’s matches in this tournament and have been impressed with how Tim Seifert has gone about his business in the powerplay.

The positive with him is that he plays pace well but, if the opposition resorts to spin early, he looks a better player of that to me than his opening partner Finn Allen. If the Black Caps are to win this, I think Seifert is key.

England vs New Zealand tip 2: Top Batter: Tim Seifert – 1pt win @ 11/2 (Unibet)

England vs New Zealand betting: Santner to lead the way for Black Caps

England have always found the New Zealand captain Mitch Santner’s left arm spin very tough to score off.

His use of the crease and the very slow speed of numerous deliveries is not what most of Harry Brook’s line-up wants and I think Santner’s four overs could prove the real difference between the teams on the day.

England vs New Zealand tip 3: Top New Zealand Bowler: Mitch Santner – 9/2 (PricedUp)

England vs New Zealand prediction: Back NZ for most maximums

At the prices and given I’ve sided with them to win the match, I think the 11/8 on offer about New Zealand hitting more sixes than England looks worth taking, as they have several players who could use the pace of their opponents to clear the ropes.

England vs New Zealand tip 4: Team to hit most 6s: New Zealand – 1pt win @ 11/8 (Betway)

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Tim Bradley has revealed his prediction for Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Manny Pacquiao 2, giving one man no chance of beating the other.

Their Netflix event was officially announced on Monday, with the two pound-for-pound legends gearing up for a professional rematch at the Sphere, Las Vegas, on September 19.

Mayweather emerged from their first encounter, back in 2015, with a unanimous decision victory, before successfully defending his world welterweight title against Andre Berto later that year.

‘Money’ then ended his illustrious professional career in 2017, engineering a 10th-round finish over Conor McGregor, and has since been involved in a number of exhibition matches.

But now, the 49-year-old is returning to a professional ring, after it was also reported he is set for an exhibition with a 59-year-old Mike Tyson on April 25.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, has fought as recently as July, back when he boxed to a highly-contentious draw against then-WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios.

Before that, the eight-division world champion had lost a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021, which followed his points victory against Keith Thurman over two years earlier.

But despite the 47-year-old boasting a greater number of professional rounds than Mayweather, especially in recent years, Hall of Famer Bradley is nonetheless predicting a repeat of their first fight.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bradley admitted their rematch, much like their first encounter, has arrived far too late, but believes that Mayweather should once again have his hand raised.

“It’s too late. Will I be watching it? Yeah. I think the world going to be watching it, too. I think everybody going to be watching it.

“However, Manny Pacquiao can’t beat no damn Mayweather, man. Sorry to tell y’all; he can’t beat no Mayweather.”

Given the convincing nature of his first performance against Pacquiao, many others will likely be picking Mayweather to get the job done in their rematch.

Axar Patel celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Zimbabwe’s Tadiwanashe Marumani during ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between India and Zimbabwe, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai. (PTI Photo)

TimesofIndia.com in Chennai: It took them five matches but India’s batting finally clicked and registered the second-highest total in T20 World Cup history. The Men in Blue fired on all cylinders to end their innings at 256/4 and later completed the formalities by restricting Zimbabwe to 184/6 in their must-win Super Eight clash of the multi-nation tournament in Chennai. From the strong powerplay to intent in the middle overs and a blockbuster finish—back-to-back sixes by Hardik Pandya—India checked the boxes they were yearning to in the fixtures preceding Thursday’s clash. Restoring the right-left combination at the top of the order worked wonders for the defending champions.

Sanju Samson’s return to the Playing XI forced the opposition to keep the off-spin—their nemesis in the last few games—away. When it was finally introduced, runs were already on the board and Abhishek Sharma was back to six-hitting ways.Chepauk was in for a treat as the Indian batters feasted on one of the tournament’s most batting-friendly surface, aided by some ordinary captaincy and bowling. The dot-ball percentage – just 26 — was significantly down in comparison to previous games and all of them operated at a strike-rate of over 150 with three of them hovering in the 200s. There were plenty of sixes, but what was heartening to see was the intent to sustain momentum throughout the innings.Samson was out after a breezy cameo but Ishan Kishan didn’t allow the innings to drop a gear. Suryakumar Yadav toyed with the bowlers and field positions. Hardik Pandya took his initial time but hit top gear when it mattered and the biggest positive was Tilak Varma’s return to fluent form. Batting at No.6, the left-hander, who had been facing criticism for lacking intent in the middle-overs came like a breath of fresh air by taking off from the word go. The left-hander perfected the finishing act, smashing a 16-ball 44 that included 3 boundaries and 4 sixes.India benefitted from their brightest opening stand in the tournament but unlike their best powerplay outing (86/1 vs Namibia), there was no middle-overs choke. Even when off-spinners Sikandar Raza and Brian Bennett bowled in tandem after the field restrictions were lifted, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma kept the scoring rate healthy and showed no desperation to slog their way out of trouble. The shot selection was good, the scoring areas were intelligent, and India negated the off-spin threat quite convincingly. Raza did pick the wicket of Kishan to break an ominous-looking 72-run stand, but five collective overs of off-spin went for 45, allowing the defending champions to seize control of the middle-overs.Abhishek is always the crucial piece in India’s batting puzzle and the Super 8 clash was another reminder of why life is comfortable when he gets going. It took the youngster a while to score his maiden T20I World Cup fifty but India wouldn’t be complaining as his return to form augurs well for the side in the business, and must-win end of the tournament. There is no room for another slip-up if they are to become the only side to first defend the title, and then win an edition at home. The afternoon assist from South Africa has put the Men in Blue nicely in a good scoring position and the finishing act is now upto them. The batters roared and the bowling unit’s collective might was again on exhibition in front of a capacity crowd. Arshdeep Singh and Hardik kept it tight with the new ball and when Jasprit Bumrah was introduced in the fifth over of the chase, Zimbabwe looked edgy about making a move. With little assistance for the bowlers, India bowled in tight channels. Vice-captain Axar Patel, returning to the XI after two games, drew first blood in his first over by dismissing Tadiwanashe Marumani. However, Zimbabwe threw some punches during a period of play with Brian Bennett.The right-handed opener enjoyed attacking the bowlers on and used the slog-sweep effectively to clear the ropes multiple times. Shivam Dube leaked runs – going for 46 runs in two overs – but the mountain was too high to climb, even after the giant strides in the middle-overs. India still had two overs from Arshdeep, one from Bumrah, and two from Hardik to seal the deal, and the experienced trio followed the expected script.The unchaseable 113 runs were needed off the last 24 deliveries and Arshdeep’s double-wicket over brought the hosts closer to sealing the formalities. Bennett put on a real show with the bat to test the bowlers but even his blinder could only push the total to 184/6. With this emphatic win, India not only kept their campaign alive but also regained their mojo before another must-win clash against the West Indies at Eden Gardens.Brief scores:India 256/4 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 55, Hardik Pandya 50 not out; Sikandar Raza 1-29, Tinotenda Maposa 1-40)Zimbabwe 164/6 in 20 overs (Brian Bennett 99; Arshdeep Singh 3-24)

Conor Benn‘s next fight has been officially announced.

Benn caused shockwaves last week when it was announced he had joined forces with Dana White and Zuffa Boxing, bringing his decade-long relationship with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing to an end.

Matchroom had promoted Benn since his debut in 2016, going through plenty of trials and tribulations together, notably a two-year battle after a failed drugs test, and a pair of memorable fights with bitter rival Chris Eubank Jr in 2025.

The nature of Benn’s departure from Matchroom was met with criticism by a number of figures, who have sympathised with Hearn over the split, but ‘The Destroyer’ will now look to immediately put that behind him after his return to the ring was confirmed.

As reported by Netflix, Benn will fight former world champion Regis Prograis on the Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov card at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 11.

“OFFICIAL: Conor Benn will headline the co-main event of the Tyson Fury vs. Arslanbek Makhmudov card — taking on Regis Prograis #FuryMakhmudov FURY vs. MAKHMUDOV Saturday April 11 LIVE only on Netflix.”

Prograis was previously world champion at 140lbs, but has suffered defeats to Devin Haney and Jack Catterall in recent years, though did claim a win over Joseph Diaz last August.

The main event sees Fury return to action for the first time since his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in December 2024, as he looks to secure a win against Makhmudov and restart his quest to becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion.

The card at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will now be bolstered by the addition of Benn, who returns to the scene of his previous two fights against Eubank Jr, with it reported that he will be receiving a $15 million purse for the clash against Prograis.

In two months, Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr will meet in an unconventional exhibition bout in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Ahead of the clash, recently retired pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford has admitted he sees only one possible winner.

With Floyd Mayweather’s professional comeback on the horizon, many fans are intrigued to see how the undefeated 49-year-old will look in his ring return against the once ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’.

Whilst Mayweather has been officially inactive for almost 11 years as a professional, ‘TBE’ has kept himself in shape through the use of many lucrative exhibition contests, this being his ninth non-sanctioned appearance since hanging up the gloves.

Meanwhile, ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson retired from the sport after defeat to Kevin McBride in 2005, but he made a controversial return in November 2024, when he was outboxed by YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, suffering a seventh professional defeat.

Now, despite Mayweather having reigned as a super-featherweight world champion and Mike Tyson spending his entire career at heavyweight, the two are set to meet in Kinshasa — the site of the iconic “Rumble in the Jungle,” where Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman.

Speaking on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience‘ podcast ahead of the fight, five-division world champion Crawford revealed that, despite his physical disadvantages, he is expecting Mayweather to dominate proceedings, due to Tyson’s performance against Paul.

“He [Mike Tyson] is not going to land a fist on [Mayweather], not after his last performance.”

Mayweather-Tyson takes place on Saturday, April 25, with no official broadcaster or undercard confirmed for the event as of yet.

The South American swing remains one of the most passionate stops on the ATP calendar, but for Stefanos Tsitsipas, the decision to stay away has come down to finances.

Speaking in an interview with CLAY, Tsitsipas admitted that financial incentives have played a decisive role in shaping his February schedule.

“South America has never offered me a deal good enough to seriously consider it. The Middle East has always been much better in terms of appearance fees,” he said.

The two-time Grand Slam finalist explained that while he appreciates the energy and love for tennis in the region, the difference in financial backing between tournaments makes it difficult to prioritise those events.

“There’s that passion in South America that I sometimes set aside, but when the financial gap is large, you really have no choice but to go with what backs your career,” he added.

Meanwhile, Matteo Berrettini believes the region deserves greater recognition at the top level of the sport. Having competed in Buenos Aires, Rio and Santiago this season, Berrettini called for a premier ATP event in South America.

“Personally, I think South America deserves to have a top-level tournament on the tour,” he said. “People here are passionate about the sport, and there are top players as well.”

With the ATP planning a new Masters 1000 event in Saudi Arabia from 2028, concerns remain that financial power could shift player priorities even further away from traditional stops like South America.

Daniil Medvedev has suggested a major rethink of the ATP Tour structure, arguing that the current system pushes players to compete more than they should.

Medvedev proposed a streamlined calendar built around the biggest events.

“Make it four Grand Slams … 11 Masters. The others, maybe make them without points.”

He believes ranking points from smaller tournaments often force players into decisions that prioritise standings over health.

“That’s the only way to make the tour shorter. It’s never going to happen because there are licenses, and the ATP won’t have enough money to buy all of them.”

He pointed to the example of Holger Rune, who suffered an Achilles injury while competing in an ATP 250 event last year.

“Everybody was like ‘Yeah, but you don’t have to play it’, but if he wants to be in Turin, he has to, even if it’s not a mandatory tournament.”

Medvedev admitted he has felt the same pressure.

“Last year I played seven tournaments in a row. Did I have to? No. I played bad at the beginning of the year, maybe I can get 100 points here, 200 here. If there would be no points, it’s an easier decision.”

He acknowledged that such changes are unlikely.

“The other tournaments won’t say, ‘OK, we’re out’ because they would lose money. It’s business. Right now with how the ATP Tour is, it’s never going to change, at least while I’m playing.”

For Medvedev, the issue is not willingness to compete. It is the structure that makes rest difficult when rankings are always at stake.

Twenty-four hours of UEFA Champions League play-off second legs can do strange things to a football fan’s nervous system. Across 24 and 25 February 2026, the new knockout phase play-offs delivered exactly what they promised: jeopardy for the giants, a platform for disruptors, and eight ties that ranged from serene to seismic.

Former finalists Borussia Dortmund and Juventus were among the biggest casualties. Meanwhile, heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Atlético de Madrid survived stern examinations. And then there was Bodø/Glimt, who did not just qualify, they announced themselves.

Here is how the chaos unfolded.

The Results at a Glance

Atlético Madrid 4-1 Club Brugge (7-4 agg)

Newcastle 3-2 Qarabağ (9-3 agg)

Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Olympiacos (2-0 agg)

Inter 1-2 Bodø/Glimt (2-5 agg)

Atalanta 4-1 Borussia Dortmund (4-3 agg)

Juventus 3-2 Galatasaray (5-7 agg, aet)

PSG 2-2 Monaco (5-4 agg)

Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica (3-1 agg) 

Newcastle’s Goal Avalanche

Newcastle United effectively ended their tie in the first leg, but even with a 6-1 cushion against Qarabağ FK, they kept attacking. Early goals from Sandro Tonali and Joelinton settled nerves before Sven Botman’s header restored calm after a brief Qarabağ rally.

Nine goals across two legs tells its own story. It was not flawless, but it was emphatic.

Leverkusen’s Professional Job

If Newcastle were fireworks, Bayer Leverkusen were cold efficiency. A 0-0 second leg against Olympiacos protected their 2-0 first-leg advantage.

Heavyweights Who Managed the Storm 

Atlético’s Firepower When It Mattered

After a wild 3-3 first leg, Atlético turned the return into an Alexander Sørloth showcase. His hat-trick powered a 4-1 win over Club Brugge, sealing a 7-4 aggregate triumph.

It was not entirely comfortable, but when Atlético needed authority, they found it.

Real Madrid’s Familiar Authority

Benfica briefly rattled the Bernabéu through Rafa Silva, but Madrid responded with composure. Aurélien Tchouaméni’s equaliser restored control before Vinícius Júnior finished the job in a 2-1 win on the night, 3-1 on aggregate.

Madrid did not dazzle. They imposed. There is a difference, and it is why they endure.

PSG survive the derby

A European derby against AS Monaco was never going to be routine. PSG advanced 5-4 on aggregate after a 2-2 draw in Paris, aided by another Monaco red card across the two legs.

It was tense, emotional, occasionally messy, but PSG’s title defence remains intact.

Teams That Struggled, and Fell 

Juventus: The Comeback That Wasn’t

Few nights capture football’s cruelty like Juventus’ 3-2 win over Galatasaray. Down 5-2 from the first leg, Juve forced extra time despite playing with 10 men for much of the match.

At 5-5 on aggregate, belief was roaring. Then extra time struck back. Victor Osimhen and Barış Yılmaz delivered the decisive blows, ending Juve’s campaign 7-5 on aggregate.

They won the night. They lost the tie.

Dortmund’s Collapse in Bergamo

Carrying a two-goal lead into Italy, Dortmund seemed safe. But Atalanta turned the tie into a storm. Gianluca Scamacca’s early strike ignited belief, and momentum never truly settled.

Karim Adeyemi’s equaliser appeared to force extra time, only for a stoppage-time penalty, converted by Lazar Samardžić after a red card to Ramy Bensebaini, to complete a 4-3 aggregate comeback.

The Outperformers 

Bodø/Glimt: No Fairy Tale, Just Quality

Every Champions League season has one result that demands a second look. Bodø/Glimt eliminating Inter Milan 5-2 on aggregate is that result.

After a 3-1 home win, they travelled to San Siro and won again, 2-1. Jens Petter Hauge and Håkon Evjen struck early; Inter never truly regained control.

This was not a smash-and-grab. It was sustained superiority. Over two legs, they scored five against last season’s finalists and looked tactically fearless doing it.

Who Crashed Out Unexpectedly?

Borussia Dortmund – surrendered a two-goal first-leg lead.

Juventus – forced extra time with 10 men, only to fall.

Inter – last year’s finalists, beaten convincingly.

Club Brugge and Olympiacos – competitive, but ultimately overpowered.

The format promised a trapdoor for complacency. It delivered.

What It All Sets Up

With the play-offs complete, eight more teams join the seeded top eight in the Round of 16. The draw takes place in Nyon on Friday, 27 February 2026 (12:00 CET), and each play-off winner already knows their two possible opponents.

If the play-offs were this volatile, the next phase promises something even more dangerous: familiarity mixed with unfinished business.

And in this competition, that combination rarely ends quietly.