Sports News June 27 Highlights: President Murmu Wishes Paris Olympic Athletes; South Africa Reach T20 World Cup Final

The ICC T20 World Cup semi-final saw South Africa beat Afghanistan to book a spot in the final. In Copa America, Ecuador triumphed over Jamaica in a Group B clash, while Venezuela beat Mexico 1-0. Over in Euro 2024, Georgia secured a spot in the Round of 16 with a stunning 2-0 victory over Portugal. In tennis, India's tennis ace Sumit Nagal started training at the All England Club in London for Wimbledon. Check out the highlights from the sports world from Thursday, June 27, 2024 right here

Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram led South Africa to a decisive nine-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad. This triumph secures South Africa's spot in their first-ever T20 World Cup final.

Salomon Rondon's penalty kick in the 57th minute secured a surprising 1-0 victory for Venezuela over Mexico in the Copa America on Thursday. This win propels Venezuela into the quarterfinals, while Mexico's fate hangs in the balance.

Australian swimming legend Cate Campbell hangs up her competitive suit after failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Campbell, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, announced her retirement on social media, reflecting on a career filled with achievements but acknowledging the bittersweet ending.

Sri Lanka's cricket team finds itself in a leadership rut after head coach Chris Silverwood resigned on Thursday. This follows the team's disappointing performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup, where they were knocked out in the first round.

The Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLC) confirmed the news, leaving a question mark over who will lead the team forward.

Elaine Thompson-Herah, the two-time Olympic champion, also known as sprint queen in the 100m and 200m, will miss the Paris Olympics with an Achilles injury.

Leicester Tigers have set their sights on a return to glory with the appointment of Michael Cheika as their new head coach. The former coach of both Australia and Argentina brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success to Welford Road.

More than 30 dope control officers from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) have arrived in Panchkula, Haryana for sample collection from the athletes taking part at the National Inter-State Championships, the final Paris Olympics qualifying event. They have been instructed to do target testing also, PTI reports.

On Thursday, President Draupadi Murmu conveyed her best wishes to Indian athletes competing in next month's Paris Olympics and expressed strong support for the country's bold bid to host the 2036 Games in her address to a joint session of Parliament.

A treat for the Athletics fans in India unfolds today as Avinash Sable and Parvej Khan are going to run in the the 1500m Inter State Senior track and field event.

The race begins at 6:10 PM IST

Live Streaming will be available on the YouTube channel of Athletics Federation of India, here.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia revealed he had been inspired by a pre-match chat with Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring in Georgia's historic Euro 2024 victory over Portugal on June 26, Wednesday. 

Major tournament debutants Georgia reached the last 16 as one of the best third-place finishers as Kvaratskhelia's second-minute strike and a Georges Mikautadze penalty handed them the biggest result in their history. (Stats Perform)

India's Shiven Agarwal, Aadya Budhia and Gowshika M moved into the semifinals of their respective age groups at the 31st Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships here on Thursday.

It was, however, a mixed day for the Indians.

Italy vs Switzerland

Germany vs Denmark

England vs Slovakia

Spain vs Georgia

France vs Belgium

Portugal vs Slovenia

Netherlands vs Romania

Austria vs Turkiye

England's Jos Buttler won the toss and has inserted India to bat first in Guyana.

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah

England: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w/c), Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley

The eighth season of the highly successful Tamil Nadu Premier League is all set to kick off on July 5.

The eight-team event will be played across five venues in the state -- Salem, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, Dindigul and Chennai -- with the Qualifier 2 and final set to be held at the MA Chidambaram (Chepauk) Stadium in the capital city on August 4. (PTI)

India's tennis ace Sumit Nagal has started training at the All England Club before Wimbledon. He has also qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Commonwealth Games champion triple jumper Eldhose Paul on Thursday pulled out of the race to qualify for next month's Paris Olympics due to a heel bone fracture.

The 27-year-old Paul, who was set to make a final attempt at the qualification at the ongoing National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Panchkula, announced his withdrawal on social media. (PTI)

And that's us for the day, everyone. Thank you for joining. Until next time, take care and goodbye.