Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - India completed a 3-0 series sweep against Sri Lanka after Shreyas Iyer's third successive half-century secured a six-wicket victory in the final Twenty20 International in Dharamsala.

Opting to bat, Sri Lanka posted 146-5 with skipper Dasun Shanaka scoring more than half the runs with his unbeaten 74 off 38 balls.

Iyer, who finished the series without being dismissed even once, smashed 73 not out as India returned to reach the victory target with 19 balls to spare.

With the series already in the bag, the hosts rested four frontline players, including wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan who was struck on the head while batting in the second match on Saturday.

Thanks to the depth in their squad, India joined Afghanistan and Romania as the countries to have won a record 12 consecutive Twenty20 Internationals.

India's victory follows their 6-0 limited-overs romp against West Indies in the previous home series earlier this month.

The neighbours will now clash in a two-test series beginning in Mohali on Mar. 4.

-Reuters

Finn wins in Sweden

Finland's Kalle Rovanpera took the overall world championship lead with a dominant win in Rally Sweden.

The Toyota driver finished 22 seconds clear of Hyundai rival Thierry Neuville, who inherited second place after Rovanpera's Toyota team mate Elfyn Evans crashed into a snowbank on the last day while trying to make up for a 10-second penalty.

Esapekka Lappi, also in a Toyota, was third.

The win was Rovanpera's third in the World Rally Championship and came 21 years after his father Harri took his sole victory at the same event.

But the 21-year-old, who took six stage wins, said he was not in the mood to celebrate after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The double podium moved Toyota into the lead of the manufacturers' standings, with the Japanese team 24 points clear of Ford.

The next round of the championship is in Croatia on April 21-24.

-Reuters

Tall Blacks hold off Philippines

The Tall Blacks have won their second game at the Asian World Cup qualifying tournament in Manila beating the Philippines 88-63.

Dion Prewster and Tom Vodanovich both scored 20 points.

New Zealand beat India in their opening game and play them again tonight.

Coach Pero Cameron was happy with the result.

"It was very big game. Anytime you play the home team in their country, it's always big but bigger here in the Philippines where the sport is very big.

"There was a pretty good turnout in the crowd tonight, which we loved to see. I felt both teams were in it, and I'm glad the way our team finished the game."

South Korea were also meant to be playing but they withdrew because of Covid cases.

Ireland thump 13-man Italy

Ireland kept the pressure on unbeaten Six Nations leaders France with a 57-6 thrashing of Italy in a game that descended into farce after the visitors were forced to play most of it with just 13 men.

Ireland were 7-3 up when replacement hooker Hame Faiva, on for the injured Gianmarco Lucchesi, was sent off and because Italy resorted to uncontested scrums, they had to nominate another player to leave the pitch for the final 61 minutes.

With gaps everywhere, the hosts followed up Joey Carbery's early try with eight more from Jamison Gibson-Park, Peter O'Mahony, Kieran Treadwell, Ryan Baird and two each for debutant Michael Lowry and James Lowe.

Ireland, who trail France by three points after taking a losing bonus point from Paris, need to beat England and Scotland to have a chance of winning the title.

-Reuters

Iron Gloves fighting for his life

Australian cricket legend Rod Marsh is in the "fight of his life" after being put into an induced coma following a major heart attack he suffered on Thursday.

The 74-year-old was taken to hospital after his heart stopped while he was in Bundaberg to attend a charity event.

In a statement released by his family, Marsh's son Paul said his father's condition was "critical".

"He is currently in the fight of his life and remains in an induced coma in critical condition," the statement read.

"At the moment this is a waiting game and we are unlikely to have any certainty for some time.

"We know there is a lot of interest in dad's condition and our family has been overwhelmed by the messages of love and support from all around the world.

"We have listened to and read every one of them, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone."

Marsh played 96 Tests for Australia between 1970 and 1984 and later served as a national selector until 2016.

-ABC

Hammers stay in hunt for top four

Tomas Soucek's second-half goal earned West Ham United a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers to revive their hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League.

It was no more than West Ham deserved as they created the better chances against a Wolves side who have also moved into the mix for European qualification.

Wolves, who conceded twice late on to lose 2-1 to Arsenal on Thursday, had plenty of possession but were unable to seriously test home keeper Lukasz Fabianski.

West Ham climbed into fifth place with 45 points from 27 games, above Arsenal on goal difference and two behind fourth-placed Manchester United.

However, sixth-placed Arsenal have three games in hand of the two sides immediately above them. Wolves are eighth with 40 points.

-Reuters

Call for Russian ban grows

Calls for a blanket ban of Russia in sport have grown louder with Germany's elite athletes' grouping demanding tougher sanctions and the International Paralympic Committee set to discuss Russia ahead of this week's Beijing Paralympics.

Germany's Athleten Deutschland said a complete ban of all Russian sports bodies, athletes and officials as well as events in the country was the necessary response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

It also said federations should also cut ties with any Russian donor and called on the IOC to soften the financial blow to them.

The IPC said it would be discussing Russia at a board meeting on Wednesday, two days before the start of the March 4-13 Paralympics.

Some 650 athletes from 49 national paralympic committees, including the Russian, will take part.

Scores of federations and teams have moved events from Russia or have refused to compete there or against Russian teams in the past four days.

The International Olympic Committee urged international sports federations to either move or cancel events planned in Russia or Belarus.

The Czech Republic national team joined Poland and Sweden in declaring its refusal to play Russia in upcoming World Cup qualifying matches, citing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

-Reuters

Leeds sack manager

Leeds United parted ways with Argentine manager Marcelo Bielsa after their 4-0 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur left the club hovering above the Premier League relegation zone.

Bielsa, appointed in 2018, took Leeds back into the top flight for the first time in 16 years and they finished ninth last season.

Defeat by Spurs was their fourth straight loss, however, and they conceded 17 goals in those matches, leaving them in 16th place, two points above the relegation zone.

Bielsa became a hugely popular figure at Leeds after ending their years outside of the Premier League and restoring them to the top flight with an entertaining brand of high-energy attacking football.

Leeds are planning to make an announcement about Bielsa's replacement today.

-Reuters

Nadal wins in Mexico

Australian Open champion Rafa Nadal captured his fourth title in Acapulco, continuing his good run with a 6-4 6-4 triumph over Cameron Norrie of Britain in the final of the ATP 500 event.

Nadal stormed through the Acapulco draw without dropping a set to claim his third straight title of 2022, adding to victories in an Australian Open tune-up event and the hardcourt major in Melbourne last month.

The Spanish world number five has won 15 straight matches since returning from a foot issue that sidelined him for nearly six months last year.

He looked in fine form as he fended off a determined Norrie to wrap up the win after an hour 54 minutes in hot, humid conditions.

Nadal, who won his first Acapulco title in 2005 and took it again in 2013 and 2020, is now level with compatriot David Ferrer and Austria's Thomas Muster for the most titles in the Mexican tournament.

-Reuters

John Landy dies

Legendary Australian athlete John Landy, renowned for his rivalry with Britain's Roger Bannister in the 1950s, has died aged 91.

Landy became the second athlete in history, after Bannister, to run a four-minute mile.

The former mile and 1500m world record holder won Olympic bronze in the 1500m at the Melbourne Games in 1956.

During his athletics career, Melbourne-born Landy sought to make history and battled with Bannister to become the first person to beat the four-minute mile barrier.

Bannister pipped the Australian to the historic achievement, clocking three minutes 59.4 seconds in Oxford in May 1954.

But Landy went better 46 days later in Finland with a time of 3:58.0 - a record that stood for the next three years.

Landy also served as the governor of his home state Victoria from 2001 to 2006.

-BBC