Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - Three-time World Champion and Commonwealth Champion Tom Walsh unleashed a winning throw of 21.63m to claim shot put victory at the Doha Diamond League.

The last time Walsh competed in Doha was at the 2019 World Athletics Championships, where he launched the shot put out to a New Zealand record of 22.90m, earning a bronze medal in a hotly contested final.

Having to struggled to find his very best form during the summer athletics season in New Zealand, the 29-year-old is starting to hit his stride, and securing the win at the second Diamond League meet of the 2021 season on Saturday morning is another step in the right direction.

Four out of six of Walsh's throws were close to or over the 21.50m, with his best throw of 21.63m coming in the last round of the competition to secure victory.

Breakers lose NBL series to Hawks

Breakers coach Dan Shamir said that a third quarter lapse was ultimately what cost them a shot at victory over the Illawarra Hawks in the Australian NBL.

The Hawks, lead by import Tyler Harvey who scored 30 points, coupled with eight rebounds, four assists and five steals, came from being two points down at halftime to win 84-73 in Pukekohe.

"We didn't start the [third] quarter very well, and then we lost our focus. They made a run, a quick run. They scored in bunches, and we weren't able to keep it under control," Shamir said.

Finn Delany had 24 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Breakers while Levi Randolph had 13 points and seven rebounds. Tai Webster had 14 points, but it was all in vain as the Breakers slumped to their fourth consecutive loss to the Hawks.

The Breakers next game is against the Brisbane Bullets in Auckland on Sunday.

Warriors' comeback thwarted by Cowboys kick

Warriors coach Nathan Brown says the way his team reacted to Jazz Tevaga's 30th-minute sin-binning cost them a win over the Cowboys in Townsville.

The Warriors looked set to overcome a 22-6 half-time deficit when they struck the lead with 15 minutes to go, but a late try to Cowboys flyer Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and a late Valentine Holmes field goal gave the hosts a 29-28 victory.

While Chanel Harris-Tavita skewed what would have been a match-clinching one-pointer for the New Zealand club, Brown traced their downfall back to the period in which Tevaga was off the park.

The Warriors have now gone down by a field goal twice this season having also lost 13-12 to the Sea Eagles in round five.

Eighteen-year-old Reece Walsh, starting for the first time at fullback had two try assists and a runaway try in the second term.

The youngster ran for 230 metres and had four tackle breaks in another classy display which ignited the Warriors' second-half revival.

- NRL

World Test Championship won't be decided on boundary countback

New Zealand and India would be crowned joint winners of the World Test Championship (WTC) should next month's final end in a draw or a tie.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has discontinued the use of the controversial boundary count rule, which saw New Zealand lose the 2019 World Cup to England after the final ended in a tie even after a Super Over.

"The playing conditions confirm that a draw or a tie will see both teams crowned as joint winners ...," the ICC said in a statement.

The ICC, which also confirmed Dukes balls would be used for the final in Southampton from 18 June, said there would be a reserve day factored in to ensure five full days of play.

The reserve day would only be used if lost playing time could not be made up each day.

"There will be no additional day's play if a positive result is not achieved after five full days of play and the match will be declared a draw in such a scenario," the ICC said.

- Reuters

Saints too strong for Huskies

The Wellington Saints have charged to a 6-0 start to the NBL season with a 107-76 win over the Auckland Huskies.

The Saints were led by captain Dion Prewster (34 points) and Kerwin Roach (15 points).

The Huskies trailed by two points at halftime, 53-51, and they stuck with the Saints through the first half of the third period.

With 4:33min to play in the third the Huskies were within 6-points but the Saints then took over.

With Prewster and Roach doing their thing, Tohi Smith-Milner (13 points), Taane Samuel (16 points) and Kenneth Tuffin (10 points) all joined in the fun as the Saints went on a dynamic 41-16 run to deliver another win.

The hunger of the Saints was also evident in a 50-23 rebound count and a 25-2 win on second chance points.

Yates closes in on Bernal in Giro d'Italia

Simon Yates of Team BikeExchange won stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia, reducing the gap in the general classification to leader Egan Bernal, who finished third in the penultimate mountain stage to protect his overall advantage.

Yates finished 11 seconds ahead of Joao Almeida (Deceuninck-QuickStep) in the 176-kilometre ride from Abbiategrasso to Alpe di Mera while INEOS Grenadiers' Bernal was 28 seconds behind to retain the Maglia Rosa.

Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) finished four seconds behind Bernal but retains second place on the general classification ahead of Yates in third.

Yates attacked with about 6.5 kilometres to go and left Almeida and Bernal behind to take victory on the climb, giving him an opportunity to finish second in the general classification over the weekend.

Bernal is 2:29 ahead of Caruso and 2:49 ahead of Yates heading into Saturday's stage 20, a 163-kilometre ride from Valle Spluga to Alpe Motta.

- Reuters

Sprinboks to name first squad since World Cup win

South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber has hinted the Springboks will look for continuity, of sorts, when they name their squad to face the British and Irish Lions next Saturday.

The Boks have not played a test since they lifted the Rugby World Cup in Japan in November 2019, missing out on the entire 2020 season because of South Africa's hard lockdown restrictions due to Covid-19.

But any notion that there may be a shake-up of personnel in the close to 18 months since the final in Yokohama was dispelled by Nienaber ahead of the announcement on 5 June of a squad of 45 players for the Lions series.

"Of the World Cup squad, bar the three that retired (prop Tendai Mtawarira, hooker Schalk Brits and loose-forward Francois Louw), all 30 of the other guys are still in the running. There will be a few touch-and-go players, but the others have a clean bill of health," Nienaber said.

Expanding on those in a race for fitness, Nienaber said they will also consider the fact that they have 14 tests to play this season.

"(Locks) Lood de Jager and RG Snyman, and (fullback) Warrick Gelant are touch-and-go in terms of finishing their rehab. They might miss out on the start of the Lions series, not because they aren't medically fit, but it might be confidence or their mindset.

"But we still have the Rugby Championship and the end of season tour (to Europe) and you have to look at it as a whole season you are working towards."

The first test against the Lions will be played in Cape Town on July 24, with the following two both in Johannesburg a week apart.

- Reuters