26 Mar 2022

Today's sports news: What you need to know

7:33 am on 26 March 2022

Latest - Rain in Napier prevented the Black Caps and Netherlands playing the only T20 game of the series on Friday at McLean Park.

Ground staff in action before the International T20 match between New Zealand Blackcaps and Netherlands at McLean Park, Napier.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The Black Caps are missing 12 players for the four match series against the Netherlands.

Regular captain Kane Williamson as well as Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert and Finn Allen are all part of the IPL which starts on Sunday in India.

The first of three ODIs between New Zealand and the Netherlands is on Tuesday at Bay Oval in Mt Maunganui.

Italy miss out on World Cup berth

Italy missed out on the World Cup finals again after losing 1-0 at home to North Macedonia in their playoff semi-final as Aleksandar Trajkovski's last-gasp strike earned the visitors a famous win.

Italy football manager Roberto Mancini.

Italy coach Roberto Mancini Photo: PHOTOSPORT

European champions Italy did not qualify for the World Cup four years ago, their first failure to reach football's global showpiece tournament since 1958, but they dominated from the off in Palermo and looked on course for victory.

The hosts became more desperate in their search for a winner after the break as chances continued to come and go before, in stoppage time, Trajkovski arrowed in a stunning winner to spark wild North Macedonian celebrations.

Roberto Mancini's Italy side had 32 efforts at goal in the match, but somehow fell short, with North Macedonia going on to play Portugal in the playoff final next week for a place in the Qatar World Cup which will not involve Italy.

Portugal beat Tukey 3-1.

Gareth Bale scored both goals as Wales edged Austria 2-1 and they'll next play Scotland or Ukraine.

Sweden beat Czech Republic 1-0 and will next play Poland.

-Reuters

Hooper cuts short second Phoenix stint

English striker Gary Hooper may have played his last game for the Wellington Phoenix.

Gary Hooper of the Phoenix 2020

Gary Hooper Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The 34-year-old is cutting short his second stint with the A-League club and will leave at season's end, having been granted a release from the second year of his contract so he can be with his family.

Hooper re-joined the Phoenix this season after a year away in the Indian Super League.

In his first stint with the club Hooper scored eight goals to help the Phoenix to an historic third place finish in 2020.

He has scored five goals in 11 appearances for the Phoenix so far this season.

Hooper tore his calf in last week's match against Newcastle Jets and will be side-lined for up to six weeks, meaning he may miss the remainder of the season.

Washout sends Proteas through

South Africa became the second team to reach the Women's World Cup semi-finals after their group match against West Indies was abandoned due to rain, while England are still in the hunt after thrashing Pakistan by nine wickets.

Covers back on at a wet Basin Reserve.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

South Africa were 61 for 4 after 10.5 overs at Basin Reserve in Wellington before the match was called off, with both teams receiving a point.

South Africa have nine points and will finish second in the round robin stage behind unbeaten Australia, who lead with 12 points. Both teams have one group match left.

West Indies are third on seven points, having played all seven of their matches, and will advance if South Africa beat India on Sunday. India are fifth on six points.

Defending champions England kept their hopes alive by defeating Pakistan at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

All-rounder Katherine Brunt and spinner Sophie Ecclestone took three wickets apiece as Pakistan were bundled out for 105. Danni Wyatt led England's chase as her 76 not out helped wrap up the win in 19.2 overs.

England are fourth on six points, above India due to a better net run rate. They face Bangladesh in their final group match on Sunday.

New Zealand have four points and play Pakistan in Christchurch tomorrow.

-Reuters

Breakers go down in OT again

The Breakers have lost another NBL game in overtime, going down 101-100 to the Brisbane Bullets in Cairns.

Peyton Siva of the Breakers talks to his team mates

Peyton Siva Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The game appeared to be going the Breakers way before Brisbane hit three three-pointers in the final 16 seconds to score a dramatic come from behind win.

The Breakers lost to Perth in overtime last week.

Yanni Wetzell finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for New Zealand with Chasson Randle adding 12 points and four assists, Peyton Siva 11 points and eight assists, and Ousmane Dieng 11 points and five rebounds.

It was an understandably shatters Breakers coach Dan Shamir afterwards.

"That's really a tough one. We've been playing better the last few games since we've had Tom back and Yanni back and Will back, and still not 100 per cent obviously but we kind of had a lot of good things going," Shamir said.

"Basketball is a game of decisions and we made two bad ones at the end and made a few other mistakes throughout the game, but obviously had the game in our hands. We just made two big mistakes to close it and there it goes."

The 5 and 16 Breakers remain in Cairns to take on the Taipans

Good start for Ko

New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko has made a good start to the latest LPGA event.

New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Ko fired an opening round four under par 68 to be tied for fourth at the JTBC Classic in Carlsbad, California.

Her round was bogey free.

She is three shots behind the leader Jin Young Ko of South Korea.

Ko has just returned to play after a stint on the sidelines with Covid.

The first major of the year, the Chevron Championship, is in California next week.

Pakistan start their chase well

Pakistan openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique made a solid start to set up a thrilling final day in the deciding third test in Lahore, keeping the hosts in the hunt for a series-clinching win against Australia.

Australia captain Pat Cummins made a sporting declaration in the final session of the fourth day at the Gaddafi Stadium, calling his side's second innings closed on 227-3 and setting Pakistan a target of 351 to chase.

On a wicket offering turn for the spinners and some deliveries keeping low after pitching, Imam and Shafique denied Australia any success to take Pakistan to 73 without loss at stumps with the hosts needing 278 more for victory.

Imam was unbeaten on 42 with Shafique 27 not out.

Steve Smith, who has had a tough time in the series with his catching, dropped an edge from Shafique off part-time leg-spinner Marnus Labuschagne in the final over of the day's play.

The first two tests -- the first between the sides in Pakistan since 1998 -- were drawn.

Australia opener Usman Khawaja earlier continued his run-scoring spree against Pakistan, remaining unbeaten on 104 after completing his second hundred of the series.

-Reuters

Japan beat Australia to qualify for World Cup

Japan booked their place at this year's Word Cup in Qatar with a dramatic 2-0 victory against Australia that also confirmed Saudi Arabia's qualification for the tournament.

Two late goals from substitute Kaoru Mitoma in Sydney sealed Japan's place in Qatar with a game to spare... it will be their seventh successive appearance at the finals.

Victory lifted Japan top of Group B of Asian qualifying, above Saudi Arabia who are four points clear of Australia.

Australia now face a play-off campaign to reach a fifth successive World Cup.

The Socceroos next face Saudi Arabia in Jeddah in what is now a dead rubber on Tuesday, before going on to face the country that finishes third in Group A in a play-off game on 7 June.

With two group games to go, the United Arab Emirates are third in that group, three points ahead of Lebanon, while Iraq are a further point adrift.

The winner of that tie goes on to a play-off against the fifth-placed team from South America.

-BBC

Korda to miss major

Nelly Korda, the reigning Women's PGA Championship winner, will sit out the first major of the season as she continues her recovery from a blood clot in her arm

The 23-year-old Florida native, who isn't playing this week in the JTBC Classic at Carlsbad, Calif., will also skip the major next week in Rancho Mirage, Calif., the Chevron Championship.

Korda revealed March 13 on social media that her arm began swelling following a "typical morning workout." A doctor advised her to go to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with a blood clot.

Korda wrote at the time, "I am currently at home getting treatment to eliminate further risks."

Her return date is unknown.

Korda had registered four top-10 finishes in major tournaments before breaking through to win the Women's PGA last summer at Atlanta Athletic Club. She went on to win the Pelican Women's Championship at Belleair, Fla., last November for the most recent of her seven career LPGA titles.

-Reuters

British government wants cricket to do more to fight racism

The British government has supported a parliamentary committee's recommendation to limit public funding for cricket unless the sport can demonstrate continuous progress in getting rid of racism.

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport parliamentary committee issued its report in January, saying cricket must clean up its act or face cuts in funding.

Former Yorkshire spinner Azeem Rafiq, who is of Pakistani descent, appeared before the committee in November to detail the "inhuman" treatment he suffered at county level and said the sport in England was institutionally racist.

The committee had also called for quarterly reports and monitoring by indicators developed by the ECB, which the government has now endorsed.

"The Government will continue to call in the ECB quarterly and track their progress in tackling racism and increasing diversity, and will hold them to account for delivery against the joint 12-point action plan published in November 2021," it added.

-Reuters

Vettel may miss another race

Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel has yet to return a negative test for COVID-19 that will allow him to travel for this weekend's Saudi Arabian Formula One Grand Prix.

The four-times world champion missed the season opener in Bahrain last weekend after testing positive, with reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg replacing him.

Aston Martin said Hulkenberg would be on standby for the race in Jeddah.

"Sebastian Vettel has not yet returned the required negative COVID test to fly to the #SaudiArabiaGP," Aston Martin said on Twitter.

"Nico Hulkenberg will be in Jeddah to deputise for Seb if necessary. We will delay our final decision until Friday to provide Seb every opportunity to race."

Hulkenberg finished 17th in Bahrain, while Lance Stroll was 12th.

-Reuters