Adil Rashid is set to miss England’s white-ball series against India after being given clearance by cricket chiefs to make a holy pilgrimage to Mecca. One of the five pillars of Islam, the hajj is meant to be undertaken by all Muslims who are able and have the means at least once in their lives.
8:47 PM ET A scheduled battle between a former Bellator champion and a defending PFL champ will have to wait. Former Bellator women’s featherweight champion Julia Budd is out of a planned July 1 bout against Kayla Harrison in PFL due to an undisclosed injury, sources told ESPN. In Budd’s place will step women’s MMA
8:00 AM ET Ian ParkerESPN The PFL’s lightweights and light heavyweights finalized their playoff positioning a week ago, and now it’s the turn of the heavyweights and featherweights on Friday at PFL 5 (ESPN and ESPN+, main card at 8 p.m. ET and prelims at 6 p.m.). The main event at Overtime Elite Arena in
3:04 PM ET More than half of the top college football recruits in the ESPN 300 remain undeclared, but several highly touted prospects are starting to come off the board and impact the class rankings. The No. 1 overall prospect Arch Manning gave coach Steve Sarkisian and Texas a huge boost with his commitment to
6:10 PM ET Associated Press The New York Racing Association suspended trainer Bob Baffert for one year Thursday for repeated medication violations, A panel credited Baffert for time served from an initial suspension that makes the two-time Triple Crown-winner eligible to saddle horses in New York again Jan. 26. The final decision marks the end
2:12 PM ET Tom VanHaaren Close ESPN Staff Writer ESPN staff writer Joined ESPN in 2011 Graduated from Central Michigan Tom Luginbill Close ESPN Analyst Senior National Recruiting Analyst for ESPN.com Coached in four professional football leagues Graduated from Eastern Kentucky and Marshall Arch Manning, the No. 1-ranked college football recruit in the 2023 class,
5:21 PM ET Mike CoppingerESPN Anthony Joshua acknowledged “change needs to happen” ahead of his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk for the unified heavyweight championship on Aug. 20 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The two-time champ was routed by Usyk via unanimous decision when they met in September in London. In the wake of the lopsided defeat,
3:42 PM ET Associated Press BAD HOMBURG, Germany — Bianca Andreescu reached her first semifinal in over a year, and first on grass, with a 6-4, 6-1 win over top-seeded Daria Kasatkina at the Bad Homburg Open on Thursday. The former U.S. Open winner broke Kasatkina’s serve five times in a dominant showing. It’s the
12:29 PM ET Associated Press FIFA has approved bigger 26-man squads for the World Cup in Qatar, deciding Thursday to extend football’s relaxation of rules that help coaches and players during the COVID-19 pandemic. The move was expected from the FIFA Bureau — comprising the presidents of FIFA and football’s six confederations — after 23-player
10:37 AM ET Jake Paul and WBC and WBO featherweight champion Amanda Serrano have their opponents set for their Aug. 6 dual main event card at Madison Square Garden. Paul will fight Tommy Fury and Serrano will have a mandatory title defense against Brenda Carabajal. Paul (5-0, 4 KO) was supposed to fight Fury for
1:53 PM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Jared Bednar said there was “nothing” to the controversy surrounding Nazem Kadri‘s game-winning goal in the Colorado Avalanche‘s 3-2 overtime victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday. Kadri scored midway through the extra frame to give the Avalanche a 3-1
Ethan Hayter defended his time trial title on the opening day of the British National Road Championships. The elite men’s category podium was the same as last year’s event, with Daniel Bigham and James Shaw finishing second and third respectively. Team Ineos Grenadiers rider Hayter completed the 44.2km course in Scotland in 50 minutes 38.53
2:08 PM ET Associated Press PALMA, Spain — Top-ranked Daniil Medvedev will remain without a title on grass this season after a straight-sets loss to Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarterfinals of the Mallorca Championships on Thursday. Medvedev lost 6-3, 6-2 after entering the match with an 8-2 record on the surface for the year,
2:06 PM ET Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has agreed to face Jim Miller at UFC 276 on July 2 in Las Vegas, according to UFC officials. The short-notice bout is the latest turn of events in a wild month for Cerrone (36-16), who is replacing Miller’s original opponent Bobby Green. The fight will take place at
1:27 AM ET Associated Press ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani struck out a career-high 13 over eight dominant innings of two-hit ball, and the AL MVP also reached base three times in the Los Angeles Angels‘ 5-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night. After giving up two singles to start the first,
12:20 PM ET Pete ThamelESPN The recruitment of blue-chip quarterback Arch Manning captivated college football for years, a rare collision of talent, pedigree and possibility. Manning ended the intrigue Thursday afternoon, committing to Texas over suitors that included Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Clemson and Virginia. While Manning has long been considered the top player in the
In-form Daryl Mitchell powered New Zealand’s revival after Stuart Broad struck early for England on the first day of the third Test at Headingley on Thursday. New Zealand were 225 for five at close of play, with Mitchell 78 not out following his hundreds at Lord’s and Trent Bridge. Those inspired efforts were insufficient to
8:00 AM ET HOUSTON — Christian Wood keeps swishing 3-pointers and smiling, the skilled big man showing off his shooting range and seemingly responding whenever the other team gets within striking distance. It’s June 13, and Game 5 of the NBA Finals tips off in eight hours, but metaphorically, this pickup game takes place as