Tadej Pogacar is still the king of the Tour. The 27-year-old won stage six of the Tour de France by crushing his rivals on the Col du Tourmalet. He reclaimed the yellow jersey with a 2-minute, 42-second lead over Jonas Vingegaard.

In tennis, the Wimbledon women’s final will be an all-Czech affair between Linda Noskova and Karolína Muchova, a source of great pride for a country of just 10 million inhabitants.

Has India ever lost back-to-back T20I series? Check out the full history and records originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• England beat India 3-0 in a bilateral series, a first-ever such win.

• India suffer back-to-back bilateral T20I series losses for first time since 2019.

• Brook-Salt’s 146-run stand ranks among biggest chases against India ever.

When did India last lose consecutive T20I series? History repeats after the Bristol rout

England etched their name into the record books by claiming their maiden bilateral T20I series win over India in a contest spanning multiple matches, sealing an unassailable 3-0 lead courtesy of a dominant nine-wicket victory in the fourth match at Bristol’s County Ground.

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This defeat means India have now lost consecutive bilateral T20I series for the first time since February 2019, having earlier this year also suffered a 2-0 series loss in Ireland.

The last occasion India found themselves in a similar rut came when they were beaten 2-1 in New Zealand before facing a 2-0 whitewash at home against Australia, both in 2019. 

MORE: ‘Flat-track bullies of IPL’: Indian players face fan anger after England series loss

Brook and Salt power a record-breaking chase

England’s victory was built on an unbroken 146-run partnership between captain Harry Brook and opener Phil Salt, a stand that now ranks as the fourth-highest partnership recorded against India in T20I history and one of the largest ever seen in a successful run chase.

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Only a handful of partnerships sit above it, Quinton de Kock and David Miller’s unbeaten 174 for South Africa in Guwahati in 2022, Alex Hales and Jos Buttler’s 170 for England during the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final in Adelaide, and Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s 152 for Pakistan during the same year’s World Cup in Dubai.

Brook finished unbeaten on 79, while Salt remained not out on 59, as England completed the chase of 159 in just 13.5 overs, coasting home with 37 balls to spare.

MORE: ‘Not ready for international cricket’: Indian fans left frustrated with Sooryavanshi

A chase that rewrites England’s own history

Beyond troubling India’s record books, the win also holds special significance for England themselves.

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It stands as their joint second-best victory by wickets remaining in a successful chase above 150, matching an identical nine-wicket win over South Africa in Cape Town back in 2020.

The only chase that ranks higher remains England’s extraordinary ten-wicket win over India in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final, when they chased down 169 without losing a single wicket. 

Among cricket’s Full Member nations, this chase also stands as the joint fourth-fastest completion of a 150-plus target by balls remaining, sitting alongside similarly rapid chases such as India’s own win over New Zealand in Guwahati earlier this year.

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Public unrest began in parts of London late Thursday night, and it appears Morocco’s exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the hands of France is the reason.

France took down Morocco 2-0, eliminating the African country for the second consecutive tournament, this time in a quarterfinal match.

As a result, many feared Paris would erupt into riots, especially after the chaos that followed Paris Saint-Germain’s UEFA Champions League victory over Arsenal in May. 

Instead, images and videos from Edgware Road in northwest London showed police clashing with large crowds as smoke billowed through the streets and debris littered the roadway.

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A police vehicle is parked in a road as people from pro-Palestinian activist groups gather near the Edgware United Synagogue during a demonstration against the “Great Israeli Real Estate Event” organized by real-estate agency My Home in Israel, which markets property in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, in London, Britain, June 14, 2026. (Toby Shepheard)

Riot police, equipped with shields and body armor, tried to contain the crowds as they clashed with people launching fireworks and throwing debris. One video also appeared to show an officer down.

KYLIAN MBAPPÉ, OUSMANE DEMBÉLÉ FIRE FRANCE INTO WORLD CUP SEMIFINALS WITH WIN OVER MOROCCO

It’s unknown what happened to the officer who was down on the asphalt or how he was injured.

Fans waved Moroccan flags in the middle of the streets, which held up traffic. Some even jumped on top of vehicles trying to get through the area.

Moroccan fans in the stands before a FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal match between France and Morocco at Boston Stadium July 9, 2026, in Foxborough, Mass. (Richard Sellers/SportsphotoAllstar)

Similar scenes unfolded after Egypt’s World Cup exit, when Argentina rallied for a controversial 3-2 victory that featured several disputed officiating decisions.

Paris, on the other hand, looked more like a city celebrating than one on the brink of a riot. Supporters of both France and Morocco flooded the streets, slowing traffic in several parts of the city.

One video showed horns blasting from cars with French and Moroccan flags out the windows on the L’avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris. Supporters on the side of the road, waving their own flags, joined in on the celebration.

France’s Kylian Mbappé scored his eighth goal of this World Cup, which ties him for the most with Argentina’s Lionel Messi. Ousmane Dembélé also scored in the second half for France in the 2-0 win over Morocco.

It’s the third straight semifinal appearance for France, while Morocco still made World Cup history despite the loss. After becoming the first African country to reach the quarterfinals and semifinals in World Cup history in 2022, Morocco added to that by becoming the first-ever African nation to reach more than one quarterfinal.

Moroccan fans react while attending a watch party for the World Cup round of 8 match between France and Morocco in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 9, 2026. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP)

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Morocco’s exit means there are no more African nations alive in the World Cup. France will be taking on the winner of Spain and Belgium, while England and Norway and Argentina and Switzerland face off in the quarterfinals.

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Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Los Angeles Clippers on court against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half at Intuit Dome on April 02, 2026 in Inglewood, California. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images/AFP

LOS ANGELES–Kawhi Leonard’s return to Toronto is on hold pending conclusion of the NBA’s probe of whether the Los Angeles Clippers skirted salary cap rules by paying him through a phony endorsement deal.

“The NBA league office informed us that as a result of the ongoing investigation involving the Clippers, we would assume the risk of any potential outcome of the investigation impacting Kawhi,” the Raptors said in a statement on Thursday.

READ: NBA: Kawhi Leonard going back to Toronto after deal with Clippers

“In light of this, we will wait until the league’s investigation is complete.”

The Clippers and Raptors had agreed a trade on June 30 that would send Leonard, a two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, back to Toronto, where he won a title in 2019.

The Clippers would get All-star forward Brandon Ingram, backup guard Gradey Dick and first-round draft selections in 2031 and 2033 in the proposed deal.

Leonard, a seven-time All-Star who also won a title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, is coming off the highest-scoring season of his career, averaging 27.9 points per game.

But his season was clouded by the investigation, which was launched in September after allegations that Leonard’s $28 million endorsement contract with the now-bankrupt company Aspiration was merely a means of providing indirect payments to circumvent the salary cap.

The Clippers, their owner Steve Ballmer and Leonard have denied wrongdoing, and the NBA has given no timetable for an end to the probe.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in June that his instruction to the law firm handling the probe had been “we can’t be investigating forever.

“At some point we have to wrap it up. But at the same time, the most important thing is that we get it right,” Silver said.

The Clippers issued a statement on Thursday saying the team “did not funnel money to Kawhi Leonard through Aspiration.”

The Clippers said they remain confident they will be exonerated and the trade will go through, and the Raptors said they hoped to see that happen.

“The Raptors remain eager to bring Kawhi back to Toronto and look forward to a swift resolution for our players, our organization, and our fans,” the Raptors said.

Coco Gauff may have fallen just short of reaching her first Wimbledon final, but the American believes the painful defeat will only make her stronger.

Gauff lost a dramatic semifinal to Karolina Muchova 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(10) after holding a match point in the deciding-set tiebreak.

Rather than dwelling on the missed opportunity, the 22-year-old chose to put the defeat into perspective by looking at some of tennis’ greatest champions.

“I look at… Roger lost match points here. Jannik obviously at Roland Garros. So every great champion has this happen in their career. Maybe this is something I need to be on their level.”

Despite the disappointment, Gauff believes there were plenty of positives to take from her Wimbledon campaign.

“You know, you hate me or love me, you can’t deny the progress that’s been made this tournament. There’s a lot of positives that get me excited for the future.”

The American also revealed she had already received criticism online following the loss but insisted it would not affect her.

“I already got some hate comments and stuff, but it’s OK. It just makes you stronger. Bettors who are mad, the usual.”

She even joked about responding the next time she wins.

“Whatever, I’ll come on the winning end next time. I’ll be sure to tag ’em.”

Gauff also had nothing but praise for Muchova, describing the Czech star as one of the toughest opponents on tour.

“She’s someone that deserves more success with how talented she is. She’s not an opponent you want to face at any point in the tournament.”

Although the defeat ended her Wimbledon run, Gauff walked away encouraged by her progress and confident there are bigger moments still to come.

Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has revealed how the Reds laid on a private jet and food for Kylian Mbappe and his family in an attempt to sign the France striker before he opted to join Paris St-Germain in 2017.

The German said it was the “most expensive non-transfer” the club had invested in, as they courted the then-Monaco forward, now aged 27.

Speaking before France beat Morocco to reach the World Cup semi-finals, Klopp – who is working for Magenta TV as a pundit at the tournament – said the Real Madrid man had been wanted by Liverpool.

He went on to explain how a flight was taken from Blackpool to Nice in France, where “the entire Mbappe family boarded a private jet with five rooms or something”.

Mbappe is represented by his mother, who runs a consulting company for professional footballers.

“We really went all out. Then we flew around in a circle, talked with the family, ate good food,” Klopp said at pitchside.

He said they had not wanted to be seen having talks – but the meeting proved fruitless.

Mbappe later joined PSG on loan in a deal with an option for the move to become permanent for 180m euros (£153m). He went on to spend seven years in Paris, becaming the club’s record goal scorer before leaving for Real Madrid in 2024.

“We flew in a circle. It was fantastic. And then he went to Paris,” Klopp said.

Klopp, 59, spent nine years on Merseyside, delivering a Champions League and Premier League title before quitting in 2024.

He is widely expected to be named as the next head coach of the German national team.

Achraf Hakimi greets the all-Argentinian referee crew before the France-Morocco World Cup quarter-final. (AP Photo)

France added another remarkable chapter to an unlikely FIFA World Cup statistic by defeating Morocco 2-0 in the quarter-finals on Thursday, extending a record that has become increasingly ironic given the controversy surrounding the match’s officiating.Despite fierce debate before kick-off over FIFA’s decision to appoint an entirely Argentinian on-field refereeing team, France improved to six wins in FIFA World Cup matches officiated by Argentinian referees — the most victories by any nation under officials from Argentina in tournament history. The statistic gained extra significance because the appointment had sparked accusations of bias from some supporters, given the lingering rivalry between France and Argentina following the dramatic 2022 World Cup final. Instead of hurting Didier Deschamps’ side, however, another Argentinian-led officiating crew coincided with yet another French victory.France’s 2-0 triumph also repeated history on the pitch, eliminating Morocco by the same scoreline for the second consecutive World Cup after beating the Atlas Lions in the semi-finals of Qatar 2022.

All-Argentinian refereeing team sparks debate before kick-off

Days before the quarter-final, FIFA confirmed that Argentine referee Facundo Tello would oversee the contest, assisted by compatriots Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade, with Darío Herrera serving as fourth official and Christian Navarro as reserve assistant referee.It marked the first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to feature all five on-field officials from the same country.The announcement immediately generated criticism on social media, with many supporters questioning whether assigning an all-Argentinian crew to a France match was appropriate given the sporting rivalry between the two nations.Some fans accused FIFA of favouritism, while others described the appointment as controversial. However, FIFA’s selection was consistent with its refereeing policy throughout the tournament, where referees and assistant referees have regularly come from the same nation.Ironically, France had also benefited from French officials being involved in Argentina’s dramatic Round-of-16 victory over Egypt, another match that triggered significant refereeing debate.

Kylian Mbappe speaks with Referee Facundo Tello, right, and assistant referees Juan Pablo Belatti, left, and Gabriel Chade. (AP/PTI Photo)

France let football do the talking

Once the match began, France ensured the focus quickly shifted from the officials to their football.They controlled proceedings against a Morocco side that struggled to create opportunities, allowing the Atlas Lions just one shot on target, which arrived only in the 82nd minute after France had already established a two-goal advantage.The victory mirrored France’s 2-0 success over Morocco in the 2022 semi-finals, once again ending the North African nation’s World Cup dream.Beyond reaching another semi-final, France also quietly extended one of the tournament’s most unusual statistical streaks.Having now won six World Cup matches under Argentinian referees, Les Bleus have enjoyed more success with officials from Argentina than any other country in World Cup history — a remarkable twist considering the suspicion that surrounded Thursday’s appointment.

FIFA stands firm over refereeing independence

The controversy came against the backdrop of growing scrutiny over officiating during the tournament, particularly following Argentina’s controversial Round-of-16 victory against Egypt.FIFA’s chief refereeing officer Pierluigi Collina strongly defended the integrity of match officials, rejecting claims that referees could be influenced externally.“Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials,” Collina said, adding that such accusations can lead to threats against referees and their families.He also dismissed suggestions of political or institutional interference.“Nobody can claim that FIFA refereeing can be influenced by anyone, not even by the FIFA president,” Collina said, insisting officials make “honest decisions” while working with complete independence.