Today's sports news: what you need to know

Latest - Former Hurricanes lock Michael Fatialofa remains in an English hospital after being stretchered off during Worcester's Premiership rugby game against Saracens yesterday.

Fatialofa will spend a second night in hospital after he was carried off with his neck in a brace following a collison with another player.

Worcester gave no update on his condition.

Fatialofa had only just entered the game when the incident happened.

Play was held up for ten minutes while he was attended to.

-Worcester Warriors

Carter hits six sixes

Canterbury Kings batsman Leo Carter emulated the likes of Gary Sobers and Yuvraj Singh by smashing six sixes in an over during a Super Smash Twenty20 match in Christchurch.

The left-handed batsman scored 36 runs against spinner Anton Devcich, bowling for Northern Districts, in the 16th over with some powerful leg-side hitting.

"I basically just stepped across and swung as hard as I could," the 25-year-old told Sky Sport.

"I'm not so sure I got many off the middle, but pretty short boundary there, so they just carried over, I was pretty thankful for that."

Carter finished with an unbeaten 70 off 29 balls as Canterbury chased down an imposing target of 220 with seven balls to spare.

It is the first time a New Zealander has hit six sixes in an over, and just the seventh time in history at a top domestic level or higher.

The other players to achieve the feat include Sobers (1968) and Ravi Shastri (1985) doing so in first-class games, Herschelle Gibbs (2007) in a one-dayer, Yuvraj Singh (2007) in a T20I, and Ross Whiteley (2017) and Hazratullah Zazai (2018) in domestic T20 games.

-Reuters

New coach names White Sox team

New White Sox oach Roman Gabriel has named a 15-strong women's softball squad for the Australia Pacific Cup later this month in Sydney.

Gabriel has mixed some new faces into a collection of experienced campaigners for the tournament from January 30-February 2.

He said newcomers Brooke Whiteman, Nerissa McDowell and Otila Tavite earned their places after a solid performance at the recent under-23 nationals in Christchurch.

Bromhead sisters Rebecca and Kyla will provide the experience to help lead the youngsters alongside well-performed players such as Lara Andrews, Krysta Hoani and Mereana Makea.

The White Sox face a daunting challenge as they take on four of the six Olympic teams including Australia, Japan, Italy and Mexico. Chinese Taipei and New Zealand will make up the remaining two spots.

Gabriel will name a wider squad later this year aiming for the 2021 World Cup.

Pitchers: Tyla Morrison, Amy Begg, Loran Parker.

Catchers: Otila Tavite, Kyla Bromhead.

Infield: Lara Andrews, Ashley Johnston, Caitlyn Lewin, Brooke Whiteman.

Outfield: Krysta Hoani, Nerissa McDowell.

Utilities: Mereana Makea, Rebecca Bromhead, Lucy McIntyre, Erin Blackmore.

Spurs stay alive in FA Cup

Tottenham Hotspur needed a Lucas Moura equaliser to avoid an FA Cup third-round defeat against second tier Middlesbrough as Jose Mourinho's stuttering side emerged with a 1-1 draw.

The eight-times champions trailed to Ashley Fletcher's fine finish just after the break but Moura's header spared a Tottenham side who were without injured striker Harry Kane.

Chelsea made nine changes to their starting line-up, but beat Championship promotion hopefuls Nottingham Forest 2-0, with goals from Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ross Barkley.

A stunning strike from 18-year-old Curtis Jones gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Everton.

Former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney helped Championship side Derby County spring a surprise with a 1-0 victory at Premier League Crystal Palace.

Top-flight Sheffield United were made to work hard by minor league outfit AFC Fylde, winning 2-1.

In an all-Championship clash, West Bromwich Albion and Charlton Athletic made a combined 20 changes with Albion winning 1-0 thanks to Kenneth Zohore's goal.

-Reuters

England cricketers on top

Opener Dominic Sibley struck a career-best unbeaten 85 as England seized control of the second Test against South Africa at the close of the third day at Newlands, grinding down their hosts ahead of a fourth innings victory charge.

The tourists reached 218 for four at stumps, a lead of 264 that already looks substantial on a wearing wicket and with two full days remaining, providing an excellent chance to level the four-match series.

Sibley put on 116 for the third wicket with captain Joe Root (61), before the latter steered Dwaine Pretorius to Faf du Plessis at slip late on.

Nightwatchman Dominic Bess gloved a leg-side delivery from Anrich Nortje (2-36) to end the day.

Sibley will seek to take the game further away from South Africa with Ben Stokes on day four with England's travelling fans in full voice in Cape Town.

South Africa won the first test in Pretoria by 107 runs.

-Reuters

Brady not thinking retirement

Following what could be his last game with the New England Patriots, quarterback Tom Brady said it's "unlikely" he'll retire this offseason.

"I would say it's pretty unlikely," Brady said after his team fell 20-13 to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC wild-card game in Foxborough, Mass. "Hopefully unlikely."

The 42-year-old Brady, who is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career, otherwise declined to speculate about his future.

"I don't know what's going to happen, and I'm not going to predict it," Brady said. "No one needs to make choices at this point. I love playing football. I love playing for this team. I've loved playing for this team for two decades and winning a lot of games. Again, I don't know what it looks like moving forward, so we'll just take it day by day."

The 20-year veteran finished the regular season having completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 4,057 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His completion percentage was his lowest mark since 2004, and his yards per attempt average (6.6) was his lowest since 2002. He missed out on a Pro Bowl selection for the first time since 2008, when he tore his ACL in Week 1.

A sixth-round pick in 2000, Brady has 74,571 passing yards, 541 touchdown passes and 179 interceptions in 285 career games (283 starts). He ranks behind only Drew Brees on the all-time lists for yardage (77,416) and touchdowns (547).

-Reuters

Mini leads the way

Double Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso made a solid Dakar Rally debut in Saudi Arabia and was 11th after the first 752km coastal stage from the port city of Jeddah to Al Wajh.

Lithuanian Vaidotas Zala was surprise fastest in the car category, the Mini JCW Rally driver ending the day with an advantage of two minutes and 14 seconds over France's 13 times winner Stephane Peterhansel, in a Mini JCW Buggy.

Spaniard Carlos Sainz, the 2018 winner, completed a Mini 1-2-3 while defending champion Nasser al-Attiyah of Qatar was fourth for Toyota.

Al-Attiyah was quick from the start and led for 200km before he was slowed by three punctures in the closing part of the stage.

Spaniard Alonso, who left Formula One at the end of 2018 with his seat at McLaren taken by Sainz's son and namesake, was 15 minutes and 27 seconds off the pace in his Toyota Hilux pickup.

Australian Toby Price, the reigning motorcycle champion for KTM, started where he finished the 2019 event with a stage win but only a five second advantage over American Ricky Brabec on a Honda after a two minute penalty.

This year's Dakar is held for the first time in the Middle East, with the event moving from South America a decade after it had left Saharan Africa for security reasons.

-Reuters

Rain prevents play in Guwahati

The first of the three Twenty20 internationals between India and Sri Lanka at Guwahati was called off due to rain.

It started raining at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium after India captain Virat Kohli had won the toss and opted to field.

The umpires made three inspections before deciding that the outfield had not dried enough to commence the match.

The second T20 will be held at Indore on Tuesday.

-Reuters

Woman to umpire Oxford-Cambridge boat race for the first time

Former British rower Sarah Winckless will be the first woman to umpire the men's Oxford-Cambridge boat race in the event's 166-year history.

Winckless, who won an Olympic bronze medal in Athens in 2004 with doubles partner Elise Laverick, will take charge of the race on River Thames on March 29.

The 46-year-old Winckless, a former student at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, umpired the women's boat race in 2017 and the previous year officiated the men's reserve race.

Cambridge's men have recorded 84 race wins to Oxford's 80, while Cambridge's women have won 44 to Oxford's 30.

-Reuters