Latest- Archer returns, "Drive to Survive" set to continue, Fox on form again, Spain deny knowledge of passport saga.
England speedster Jofra Archer feared he might not play again after undergoing two bouts of surgery on his troublesome elbow, the 27-year-old said.
Archer has not played international cricket since March last year and had a second round of elbow surgery in December.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The time he spent on the sidelines filled him with doubts about his career, said the Barbados-born player.
"In a situation like this, when you are forced to have operations, you do think about whether you are going to play cricket again, whether you're going to play all formats even," Archer wrote in his Daily Mail column.
"But the ECB (English board) gave me the assurance and peace of mind that they wanted me around for a long time.
"At one point I thought I was going to lose my contract when things weren't going well."
Archer is targeting a return in the T20 Blast later this month though he is doubtful for the home series against New Zealand next month under new test captain Ben Stokes.
Archer said playing under Stokes would not feel hugely different to the experience he had when Joe Root led the side.
"If and when I do return, it will be under a new captain in Ben Stokes, not that I think playing will feel much different.
"Him and Joe Root have been so tight working together that we might not notice the transition and that was certainly the case on the one occasion I played under Stokes's captaincy against West Indies in Southampton two years ago."
Like most others, Archer felt that all-rounder Stokes, who served as Root's deputy, was the obvious choice for the job.
"He is the best role model we have in English cricket because he always gives his best for the team and it encourages others to try to do that too.
-Reuters
Popular F1 show renewed
Formula One and Netflix confirmed on Thursday two more seasons of the "Drive to Survive" docu-drama credited with taking the sport to new and younger audiences and boosting popularity in the United States.
Season four, which aired this year, has featured in Netflix's weekly top 10 in 56 countries, Formula One said in a statement.
Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing reacts to a car failure during the Australian Grand Prix Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Filming for season five, to air next year, is underway with the fifth round of the season taking place in Miami this weekend.
"The new season will once again take fans behind the scenes, to witness first-hand how the drivers and teams prepare to battle it out for the 2022 and 2023 championships," Formula One said.
"The series will offer never-before-seen footage and interviews from the sport's biggest names."
The race, making its debut, is one of two U.S. rounds on the 2022 calendar with a night race in Las Vegas scheduled for next year.
While the series had proved popular viewing, Red Bull's world champion Max Verstappen is not a fan and did not take part in its fourth season.
Critics say rivalries are manufactured while conversations and radio comments have been placed out of context to liven up the show.
Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali said in March that he would talk to Netflix about keeping the narrative rooted in reality and would also open a dialogue with drivers.
-Reuters
Covid disrupts trans-Tasman hockey series
The New Zealand men's hockey team's tests against Australia next week have been postponed due to COVID-19 in the Black Sticks side.
The women's four tests against the Hockeyroos will still go ahead.
The men's games will be re-scheduled for May 31st and June 2nd, 4th and 5th.
-RNZ
Player passport forgery took place without Spain's knowledge, says independent ruling
Members of Alcobendas Rugby Club apparently tampered with travel stamps in an ineligible player's passport, without the knowledge of Spain or the player, an independent judicial committee said on Thursday after Spain's team were disqualified from the World Cup.
Spain secured a World Cup berth for the first time since 1999 after finishing second in the Rugby Europe Championship but were disqualified for fielding Gavin van den Berg, who is of South African origin, in two matches in the qualifiers.
World Rugby launched an investigation after a complaint about Van den Berg's eligibility was filed by Romania, who had missed out on automatic qualification after finishing behind Spain.
The judicial committee said Van den Berg had not been a resident of Spain for the necessary 36-month period before he played for Spain on Dec. 18, 2021 and Feb. 5, 2022.
It said members of Alcobendas had tampered with his passport to make it seem that Van den Berg had not been out of Spain for more than two months in that first year, to facilitate his reclassification as a domestic player and benefit the club.
The committee imposed a 10-point deduction and a fixed fine of 25,000 pounds ($30,990.00) on Spain.
"Spain has a right of appeal within 14 days of the full written decision and no further comment will be made until the completion of the process," the statement added.
Spain's disqualification means Romania qualify automatically for the World Cup and Portugal go into a playoff for a place at the tournament.
-Reuters
