Sports Highlights, June 2: Klaasen Retires From International Cricket; Russell Slams Verstappen For Spanish GP Collision

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Cruz Azul crushed Vancouver Whitecaps 5-0 at Estadio Olímpico Universitario to claim their seventh CONCACAF Champions Cup title. Goals from Ignacio Rivero, Lorenzo Faravelli, Angel Sepulveda’s brace, and Mateusz Bogusz gave Cruz Azul a commanding 4-0 halftime lead.

Sepulveda finished as the tournament’s top scorer with nine goals. Without suspended Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver struggled to respond. Cruz Azul’s manager Vicente Sanchez rotated players late on as celebrations erupted. Despite the loss, Vancouver remains strong in MLS, leading the Western Conference.

Get match highlights HERE.

George Russell slammed Max Verstappen for “letting himself down” after the Dutch driver appeared to deliberately collide with his Mercedes during the Spanish Grand Prix.

Verstappen, racing for Red Bull, was handed a 10-second penalty for the incident, which pushed him from fifth to 10th in the final standings. This setback leaves Verstappen 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri of McLaren, who claimed victory ahead of teammate Lando Norris.

Russell commented, “It was totally unnecessary and really lets him down. I honestly don’t know what he was thinking.”

James Anderson made a sensational return to the T20 Blast after nearly 11 years, claiming career-best figures of 3 for 17 and taking a catch to help Lancashire Lightning edge past Durham in a dramatic final-ball finish. Anderson’s spell was key in restricting Durham to 150 for 6, and with the scores tied, Jack Blatherwick calmly knocked the last ball for a single to seal a four-wicket win for Lancashire.

Former England pacer Stuart Broad will join South Africa for a one-day consultancy session on 9 June ahead of their World Test Championship final against Australia. It marks Broad’s first coaching role since retiring in 2023. The 38-year-old took 604 Test wickets, including a record 153 against Australia.

Australian allrounder Glenn Maxwell has announced his retirement from One-Day Internationals, drawing the curtain on a stellar 50-over career. The explosive batter and handy off-spinner made the call to concentrate on Australia’s push for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Maxwell also plans to focus on the Big Bash League and his various global franchise commitments.

Simon Yates sealed his maiden Giro d’Italia victory with a calm ride through Rome on the final stage. The 32-year-old Brit had taken the pink jersey after a brilliant attack on Saturday’s penultimate climb. He celebrated with his Visma-Lease a Bike teammates during a processional final stage, after meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican earlier in the day.

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has announced a ₹10 crore annual investment to strengthen grassroots development, increase prize money, and support state associations and coaches. Key decisions from its AGM include raising state grants from ₹7.5 lakh to ₹10 lakh, doubling prize money for national ranking tournaments across age groups, and boosting total national championships funding from ₹2.13 crore to ₹3.2 crore.

Olympian coaches at national camps will now earn ₹1 lakh/month, with others getting ₹50,000. Additionally, BAI introduced hefty rewards for international medal-winners, including ₹20 lakh for a world champion and ₹50 lakh for senior team gold.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll missed the Spanish Grand Prix after losing his temper in the team garage. Sources say Stroll damaged equipment and swore at team members following a poor qualifying session, where he trailed teammate Fernando Alonso by 0.535 seconds. An Aston Martin spokesperson confirmed, “Lance was upset.”

Los Angeles FC secured a spot in Chelsea’s group for this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup with a dramatic play-off win over Club América.

Trailing early on, LAFC fought back to level the match 1-1 in regulation time. Then, with just five minutes left in extra time, Gabon international Denis Bouanga fired in the decisive goal at the BMO Stadium, sealing the comeback and LAFC’s ticket to the global stage.

Maja Stark clinched her maiden major title with a commanding two-shot victory at the US Women’s Open, becoming only the third Swedish golfer to lift the prestigious trophy.

Stark, who followed in the footsteps of legend Annika Sörenstam, Sweden’s last winner back in 2006, held her nerve to finish seven under at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. A final-round 72 was enough to keep world number one Nelly Korda and Japan’s Rio Taneka at bay.

“This just feels huge,” Stark said after sealing the biggest win of her career.

Hard-hitting South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen on Monday shocked the cricketing world by announcing his international retirement with immediate effect.

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