India retain T20 World Cup with 96-run final win over New Zealand – as it happened

It might not have been the thriller neutrals wanted, but it was everything India desired. They became the first men’s team to defend the T20 World Cup and the first to win it at home after drowning New Zealand in a deluge of runs in Ahmedabad in front of 100,000 giddy and almost universally blue-clad supporters.New Zealand looked forlorn while conceding 255 and wretched when attempting to chase it, and after meandering through much of their innings with defeat already a certainty they were still 96 behind when it ended. They have now reached four World Cup finals of various hues since 2015 and lost them all, plus the Champions Trophy last year to boot.The player of the tournament is Sanju Samsondouble quotation markIt feels like a dream! I’m out of words, out of emotions

India retain T20 World Cup as Samson and Bumrah inspire rout of New Zealand

It might not have been the thriller neutrals wanted, but it was everything India desired. They became the first men’s team to defend the T20 World Cup and the first side to win it at home, after drowning New Zealand in a deluge of runs in front of 100,000 giddy and almost universally blue‑clad supporters.New Zealand looked forlorn while conceding 255 and wretched when attempting to chase it, and after meandering through much of their innings with defeat already a certainty they were still 96 behind when it ended. They have now reached four World Cup finals of various hues since 2015 and lost them all, plus the Champions Trophy last year to boot.You know it is absolutely, definitely going to be your day when a fielder drops a catch while blinded and still the ball refuses to come to earth

Tears and drama amid snowboard cross chaos at Winter Paralympics

From their vantage point to the south of the San Zan course, the first sight spectators see of the snowboard cross are figures punching through the horizon. Coming off the back of a left‑hand turn, racers come into view as they make the first of a series of jumps in what is also, perversely, a part of the course where you can pick up speed. The moment is over in a split second, as athletes disappear once again behind safety fences. The impact on the gathered crowds is undeniable though: they can’t help but let out a roar.Snowboard cross is a sport with high technical demands, as athletes negotiate a series of challenges from – to adopt the lexicon – jumps and berms to rollers and drops, all along a winding course

Team GB mixed doubles curlers must beat Italy after ‘psychology’ of China defeat

Great Britain must defeat the host nation, Italy, in their final round‑robin match of the mixed doubles curling to secure a place in the semi-finals, after being roundly beaten by China.Jo Butterfield and Jason Kean started well against the unbeaten pair of Wang Meng and Yang Jun and led at the halfway stage. Missed opportunities and a sharp improvement from their opponents, however, meant a 5-3 lead became a 10-5 defeat, with the eighth end left unplayed.Butterfield said the shift in the match was explained by China getting a better measure of the force needed to “draw”, or land a stone in or in front of the scoring house. “Unfortunately, in the second half they really dialled into what draw weight was

Scotland showcase potential to chase Six Nations title and end pain against Ireland

The feeling that Scotland might just have the hang of this winning thing continues to build. Playing dazzling rugby every now and then has never been a problem. Meaningful wins? Harder to come by.Perhaps the most entertaining part of the extraordinary win against France – and there were, how to put this, quite a few of those – was watching the resolutely unmoved disposition of Gregor Townsend. As if it was no big deal

RFU backs Steve Borthwick despite England’s historic Six Nations loss in Italy

The Rugby Football Union has backed Steve Borthwick to continue as England head coach into the summer and arrest their drastic decline but the chief executive, Bill Sweeney, stopped short of pledging his support through to the World Cup next year.Borthwick is under intense scrutiny after England’s first defeat by Italy on Saturday extended their losing run to three matches following miserable losses against Scotland and Ireland. Austin Healey is among the former players calling for Borthwick to be sacked with England on course for their worst Six Nations campaign, and Ben Youngs, the most-capped men’s player, believes that the side is “set up to just not lose”.England finish their Six Nations campaign against France in Paris on Saturday before they begin their Nations Championship fixtures in July with a daunting trip to South Africa.After the 23-18 defeat in Rome, Borthwick said he was still the man to lead England and expressed belief he had the RFU’s support