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‘I make no apologies’: Brendon McCullum issues defiant message after England’s semi-final loss | Cricket News

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'I make no apologies': Brendon McCullum issues defiant message after England’s semi-final loss
England’s head coach Brendon McCullum, centre, with players (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra)

Following England’s exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, head coach Brendon McCullum has stood by his coaching philosophy, insisting the team’s white-ball setup still has the ingredients to achieve “special stuff” if their talent is nurtured correctly.England’s journey in the tournament ended in the semi-finals after a thrilling contest against India national cricket team at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday. The high-scoring clash saw England fall short by seven runs, bringing an end to a campaign that had earlier seen them advance through the Super 8 stage with a flawless record.

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The 44-year-old coach has recently been under scrutiny, with critics suggesting the environment within the team under his leadership places too much emphasis on relaxation and off-field enjoyment instead of strict high-performance standards. McCullum, however, dismissed that notion, saying the perception does not reflect how the team actually operates.“It’s never been about that. That’s a perception that is not necessarily reality. I think there’s a perception that we run a casual operation. It couldn’t be further from the truth. We run an informal operation, but the work is done, and the preparation is put in place,” McCullum said as quoted by the BBC.He explained that while the team environment may appear relaxed, it does not come at the cost of preparation or discipline.“There’s an environment that operates in a certain way, but because you are relaxed around that doesn’t mean the work is not being done. That’s just an attitude to try to allow guys to be as free as possible to implement the skills and tactics that you’re trying to achieve. Look, I make no apologies for running an informal, positive environment, but to call it a casual environment is not fair,” He added.McCullum also reserved special praise for England’s white-ball captain Harry Brook, who led the side in his first major tournament as skipper.“I’m incredibly proud of him. He’s grown immensely in the last couple of months under difficult circumstances,” McCullum said.“There’s a real identity to how Harry Brook’s England white-ball side is going to play. It’s hugely encouraging because a couple of months ago, you probably didn’t have that. He has done an amazing job,” he added.England’s semi-final against India ultimately became the highest-scoring fixture of the tournament, ending in a narrow seven-run defeat. Earlier in the competition, England had also lost to the West Indies cricket team and were pushed in challenging encounters against Scotland national cricket team, Italy national cricket team and Pakistan national cricket team.Despite the disappointment of the World Cup campaign and a recent 4-1 loss in The Ashes, McCullum is expected to continue in his position as England’s head coach.

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Man City FA Cup semi-final opponents confirmed after Liverpool win

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Manchester City will return to Wembley later this month for the FA Cup semi-final

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Manchester City will face Southampton in the FA Cup semi-final later this month. The Blues will take on the Saints at Wembley on either Saturday, April 25 or Sunday, April 26.

Southampton dramatically knocked out Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday night, beating Mikel Arteta’s side 2-1 in arguably one of the shocks of the competition so far.

Ross Stewart opened the scoring ten minutes before half-time with Viktor Gyokeres equalising for Arsenal with 22 minutes left to play. Former City youngster Shea Charles netted a dramatic winner five minutes from time, though, to deal Arsenal back-to-back cup blows after Pep Guardiola’s men beat them in the Carabao Cup final before the international break.

City, meanwhile, booked their place in the last four after a comfortable victory over Liverpool on Saturday. Erling Haaland opened the scoring from the spot after Nico O’Reilly was fouled by Virgil van Dijk.

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On the stroke of half-time City doubled their lead as Antoine Semenyo’s cross was headed in by Haaland. Semenyo added his name to the scoresheet shortly after the break to seal the victory, and there was still time for Haaland to complete his hat-trick as he tapped in O’Reilly’s low cross to make it 4-0.

The Blues are now favourites to win the FA Cup after Premier League leaders Arsenal were knocked out on Saturday night. City remain in the hunt for a domestic treble.

Having already won the Carabao Cup, the Blues need to eat up a nine-point gap to leaders Arsenal in the Premier League title race. City have a game in hand on the Gunners and will host them in a couple of weeks in a potentially title-deciding game.

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The lineup for the semi-finals of the FA Cup was confirmed after Leeds United’s dramatic penalty shootout win at West Ham United on Sunday Afternoon. After City dispatched of Liverpool on Saturday, Chelsea and Southampton beat Port Vale and Arsenal respectively.

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Terence Crawford asked if Canelo will beat Mbilli to win back world title

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Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez looks set to get an immediate opportunity to win back one of the world titles he lost to Terence Crawford in September last year.

Canelo, who held the undisputed super-middleweight title on two occasions, had not been beaten in the division until Crawford pulled it off. The American, who became a five-weight champion that night, retired shortly after, scattering the four belts.

While the WBO and IBF still remain vacant, Jose Armando Resendiz now holds the WBA, and the WBC – who actually stripped Crawford days before his retirement – has upgraded Christian Mbilli to full champion.

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Mbilli is the man expected to face Canelo in his September comeback fight, currently booked for Saudi Arabia, though the location may change due to the war in the Middle East.

Responding to a fan on X, Crawford backed Alvarez to become champion once more if things play out that way.

“We gone see. I got Canelo though.”

Mbilli has said he wants the fight to happen. His trainer, Marc Ramsay, recently told Boxing News that they were awaiting instruction from the WBC on whether they could face Canelo – currently ranked number one – or would be ordered to face new interim champion Lester Martinez, a rematch following their draw on the Canelo-Crawford undercard last year.

With the WBC seemingly now ordering Guatemala’s Martinez to defend his interim belt, it appears Mbilli is free to push ahead and make the biggest fight available to him. Alvarez, at 35, could be back at the top of the division in no time at all.

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Ryan O’Hearn homers and drives in 4 to lift Pirates over Orioles 8-2 for 5th straight win

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn homered and matched a career high with four RBIs as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-2 on Sunday to sweep a three-game series and extend their winning streak to five.

O’Hearn hit a two-run shot to right-center in the first inning. In the second, his two-run double highlighted a four-run outburst as the Pirates pushed their lead to 6-0.

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Oneil Cruz made it 8-1 with a two-run homer to center field in the sixth. He also singled home a run in the second.

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Cruz’s homer came off left-hander Cade Povich. The center fielder is 7 for 10 with three homers against lefties after going 11 for 108 with one homer last season.

That was plenty of support for Braxton Ashcraft (1-1), who allowed one run and four hits in six innings. He had a career-high eight strikeouts and no walks.

Pirates starters have given up two earned runs or fewer in each of their eight games since 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes was tagged for five runs while only getting two outs against the New York Mets on opening day.

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Orioles starter Chris Bassitt (0-2) was roughed up for six runs in two innings. Signed to an $18.5 million, one-year contract as a free agent just before spring training, the right-hander has given up 10 runs over 6 1/3 innings in two starts.

Pete Alonso had an RBI double and Taylor Ward got three hits for the Orioles, who lost for the fifth time in six games.

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Orioles: Were undecided on a starter for Monday night when they open a three-game road series against the Chicago White Sox and Erick Fedde (0-1, 5.40 ERA).

Pirates: Begin a three-game home series with San Diego on Monday night as rookie RHP Bubba Chandler (0-0, 0.00) faces RHP Germán Márquez (0-1, 12.00).

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

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Astros ace Hunter Brown (shoulder) placed on 15-day IL

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MLB: Los Angeles Angels at Houston AstrosMar 26, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Hunter Brown (58) pitches against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros placed ace right-hander Hunter Brown on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a right shoulder strain.

The move was retroactive to Thursday.

Brown finished third in American League Cy Young Award balloting last season. He is 1-0 with an 0.84 ERA in two starts this season, striking out 17 in just 10 1/3 innings.

Brown, 27, last pitched Tuesday when he defeated the Boston Red Sox. He gave up one run and one hit and struck out eight against two walks in six innings.

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There was no immediate word on how long Brown might be sidelined. Houston announced the move before manager Joe Espada met with reporters prior to the club’s Sunday afternoon road game against the Athletics.

Brown made the AL All-Star team for the first time last season when he went 12-9 with a 2.43 ERA in 31 starts. He struck out a career-high 206 and posted a stellar 1.03 WHIP.

He is 37-31 with a 3.44 ERA in 102 appearances (94 starts) since reaching the majors in 2022.

The Astros promoted right-hander Christian Roa from Triple-A Sugar Land in a corresponding move. He had a 6.75 ERA in two relief appearances for Houston earlier this season.

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The 27-year-old pitched one scoreless inning of relief in his lone outing for Sugar Land this season.

–Field Level Media

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Harvey’s passed-in horses claim successive wins at 2026 The Championships

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Gerry Harvey, the owner-breeder and entrepreneur, offered a timely advisory to yearling buyers when two passed-in horses from his stock notched feature victories one after another at Randwick.

In a span of just 35 minutes, after his homebred mare Chidiac secured the Country Championships Final (1400m), colt Campione D’Italia dominated the Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).

Part of the ownership for Campione D’Italia involves Harvey with an elite partnership including Newgate Bloodstock owned by Henry Field, and the colt had also been passed in at sales.

“I passed it in, and Henry Field and I had a talk. I said, ‘I want six hundred (thousand dollars) mate’, and he said, ‘I’ll give you five hundred’ and I said, ‘get lost’. Then I thought I better do it,” Harvey said.

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“It’s a very exciting day because we just had the country winner as well. We passed it in for $25,000. No-one wanted it.

So if you want to buy a horse from my horse studs, always buy the passed-in ones. Never buy in the ring. You’ll do much better buying a passed-in one.”

Campione D’Italia, by Snitzel, elevated his stallion value via the Group 1 conquest, extending from a powerful fourth in the Golden Slipper (1200m) closing from the rear.

The horse’s trainer, Chris Waller, highlighted the enhanced starting position and steady improvement as decisive.

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“Today was his fourth career start and each run has got a little bit better, a little bit better,” Waller said.

“His run in the Golden Slipper was amazing. He just got too far back. It was no-one’s fault, and the horse is just learning all the time.

He got a lovely draw today, and that was the difference between having him in the firing line or going back like he was last start.

It was good to see him knuckle down and get the job done.”

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A next step could be the Champagne Stakes (1600m) for Campione D’Italia, emulating stablemate Militarize who achieved it three years back after Sires’.

“Militarize, he won the Sires’ and then he won the Champagne, so I’ll have a talk to the team and see what they suggest,” Waller said.

“We’ve got to nurse him a little bit, so we’ll see how he comes through it.”

At $4.20, Campione D’Italia held off Miss Chanel ($15) by three-quarters of a length, followed identically by stablemate Fireball ($18) in third.

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The Champagne Stakes is on the table for Fireball subject to how he pulls up.

Follow Sires’ Produce Stakes developments with sports betting options at premier betting sites.

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How to unlock the Stranger Base in Be a Lucky Block

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Be a Lucky Block is a tycoon-based simulation game where you play as a block running on a treadmill. NPCs will chase and break you open, revealing a Brainrot. Your objective is to escape their plans and return to your base to store the Brainrot, allowing you to earn revenue. The new Be a Lucky Block update added a new plot skin called Stranger base to the game. You can acquire it once you have collected all Brainrots from the Ink and Alien Events.

This article covers everything about the Strange Base in Be a Lucky Block.


Everything about the Stranger Base skin

The Stranger Base skin (Image via Roblox)The Stranger Base skin (Image via Roblox)
The Stranger Base skin (Image via Roblox)

To get this alluring skin in the title, you will have to collect all 10 Brainrots from the Ink and Alien Events. The Luminous base skin featured a similar requirement to this. Since this Roblox experience now has four events that take place every four hours, it is going to be challenging to acquire specific Brainrots, as the run time of these events is very short. Hence, the only way to complete this feat is by joining the game at regular intervals and keeping note of the next event’s timer.

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To avoid confusion, it is worth mentioning that all base skins in Be a Lucky Block do not provide any perks or buffs to the game and are just mere cosmetics, meant to elevate the look of your plot. Here are the Brainrots you will need to get the Stranger Base in this title:

Alien Event units:

  • Spaceshipini Tortini: 50%
  • Astro Bandito: 40%
  • Chachelien: 9%
  • Aliensini Octosini: 0.95%
  • La Vacca Galactica: 0.05%

Ink Event units:

  • Glorbo Inkdrillo: 50%
  • Inknina Bombardino: 40%
  • Ink Din Din Dun: 9%
  • Cavallo Inkuoso: 0.95%
  • La Vacca Singolarita: 0.5%

How to get the Ink and Alien Brainrots?

To get the Ink and Alien Brainrots, you will need to venture into the treadmill, where there’s a 40% chance of getting caught by an NPC. After getting caught, you get caught, wait for the bosses to break the Block to reveal the Brainrot. Only then should you escape the plot through the portal to get back to the safe zone. Note that your chances of getting them increase during an Admin Abuse event.


FAQs on Be a Lucky Block

How do you unlock the Stranger Base in Be a Lucky Block?

To unlock the Stranger Base skin in Be a Lucky Block, players must collect all 10 Brainrots from the Ink and Alien Events.

Do base skins provide any gameplay advantages in Be a Lucky Block?

No, base skins in Be a Lucky Block are purely cosmetic, and they do not provide any boosts, perks, or gameplay advantages.

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How to get Ink and Alien Brainrots?

The best way to obtain Ink and Alien Brainrots is to participate in the treadmill while an event is active and let these NPCs capture your Lucky Block and break it to reveal a Brainrot. After the Brainrot appears, you must escape through the portal to safely return to your base to get it.