Today's sports news: What you need to know

The Breakers have snapped a four-game losing streak in basketball's Australian NBL.

The New Zealand side held their nerve for an 81-76 overtime win over the Bullets in Brisbane on Saturday night.

Finn Delany was the hero for the visitors in what was their first overtime victory since 2017, the Nelson forward hitting the game-winning three-pointer with 27 seconds left.

Tai Webster again led the way for the Breakers, the point guard hitting important late free throws and finishing with 27 points and 10 assists.

Colton Iverson was also a standout, racking up 10 points and 20 rebounds - an equal franchise record for most rebounds in a game, while Delany had 17 points and nine rebounds.

The Breakers game was in Perth against main rivals the Wildcats on Thursday.

Tendulkar gets Covid-19

India batting great Sachin Tendulkar has confirmed he has contracted Covid-19 and has mild symptoms as infections continued to surge in the world's second-most populated country.

Tendulkar, who will turn 48 next month, retired from the professional game in 2013 after notching a still unmatched 100 international centuries in a prolific 24-year career.

He returned to the crease recently as captain of the India Legends team in a promotional event called the Road Safety World Series in Raipur, in the state of Chhattisgarh.

"I have been testing myself and taking all the recommended precautions to ensure COVID is kept at bay. However, I have tested positive today following mild symptoms," Tendulkar said on his Twitter handle.

"All others at home have tested negative. I have quarantined myself at home and I am following all the necessary protocols as advised by my doctors."

Tendulkar lives in Mumbai, the capital of the Western Indian state of Maharashtra which has been the hardest hit by a resurgence in cases.

- Reuters

Plunket Shield hat-trick for Rae

Otago paceman Michael Rae has grabbed his maiden first-class hat-trick on day three of the Plunket Shield match against Central Districts in Dunedin.

Rae's hat-trick is just the eighth in Otago's first-class history - the first instance was in February 1885.

It also produced a hat-trick of sorts for fielder Dale Phillips who took the catch on each occasion, in the 92nd over of the CD innings. Phillips finished with four catches, all off Rae, to go with his maiden century in the Otago first innings.

Rae began his hat-trick by having wicketkeeper-batsman Dane Cleaver caught on 99 at 322-6. He then dismissed allrounder Josh Clarkson first ball before dispatching his third victim, Blair Tickner.

Rae capped his exciting afternoon with his second first-class five-wicket bag, adding a further tailender in Jayden Lennox to finish with figures 5-62 before CD captain Greg Hay declared at 353-9, trailing Otago by 40 runs.

Earlier this season - in late October - Kyle Jamieson took a Plunket Shield hat-trick at Eden Park Outer Oval, also against the Central Districts; and his Auckland teammate, spinner Louis Delport, achieved a hat-trick against Northern Districts at Whangarei's Cobham Oval just a fortnight ago.

Verstappen bags pole for F1 opener

Red Bull's Max Verstappen set himself up as favourite for the first race of the Formula One season after a perfect pole position in Bahrain.

The Dutch 23-year-old was fastest in every sector on his final lap as he denied champions Mercedes the top slot in the season-opener for the first time in the V6 turbo hybrid era that started in 2014.

Mercedes' seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton had to settle for second on the grid, qualifying a considerable 0.388 seconds slower, with team mate Valtteri Bottas lining up in third place.

The pole was the fourth of Verstappen's career and continued a perfect start to the year, with the Red Bull driver quickest in pre-season testing and all three free practice sessions in Bahrain.

Sunday's race will also be the first time he has lined up on pole with Hamilton alongside.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified fourth, but on softer tyres, with AlphaTauri's Pierre Gasly fifth and McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo lining up sixth for his first race with the team since moving from Renault.

- Reuters

Surgery for England quick

England's Jofra Archer is set to undergo surgery on his right hand, the country's cricket board said, after the fast bowler was sent home from the one-day international series in India due to a worsening elbow injury.

Archer, who returned to Britain on Tuesday, was also set to miss the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season on 9 April.

"(Archer) had a further injection for the right elbow injury that had seen him declared unfit for selection for the current ODI series versus India," the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement.

"The procedure on Jofra's hand will take place on Monday... so he can recover during the planned break following his elbow injection.

"Further investigation and a specialist opinion was sought upon his return to the UK and, in conjunction with the ECB medical panel, it has been decided that surgery is the best option to manage his injury in the longer term."

Archer, 25, missed the final test against India due to the elbow injury but returned for the five-match Twenty20 series, claiming a career-best 4-33 in the fourth match in Ahmedabad.

- Reuters

Reds romp to big win

Second half substitute Alex Mafi scored a hat-trick of tries as the Queensland Reds kept up their perfect start to this year's Super Rugby AU campaign with a 46-14 away win at the New South Wales Waratahs at Stadium Australia on Saturday.

The victory put the Reds back above the ACT Brumbies in the standings and condemned the hapless Waratahs to a fifth successive defeat.

The Reds ran in seven tries to register their biggest win in Sydney - and their first in the city for eight years - while the injury-hampered Waratahs have now conceded 201 points as their horror season continues, heightening concern over the impact on Australian rugby's heartland.

Tate McDermott, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Filipo Daugunu all went over in the first half to take the Reds to a 22-9 lead at the interval.

Any hopes of a home comeback after half-time were quickly smothered by a try from Reds prop Taniela Tupou although the Waratahs quickly responded with a try of their own when Lalakai Foketi's goose stepping evaded the Reds' defence and allowed Will Harris to dive off.

Hooker Mafi, who had come on at half-time, then scored two tries in the space of five minutes, both from rolling mauls, as the difference in forward strength between the two line-ups was cruelly exposed.

He completed his hattrick as he charged over from some five metres out with three minutes left to take his try tally for the season to six.

- Reuters