13 Jul 2022

Today's sports news: What you need to know

9:08 am on 13 July 2022

Latest - Tadej Pogacar's Tour de France challenge was under a massive threat after two of the two-time defending champion's team mates, including New Zealand's George Bennett, tested positive for Covid-19 before the start of the 10th stage.

George Bennett at the 2022 Elite Road Cycling National Championships.

George Bennett Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Denmark's Magnus Cort Nielsen won the stage, a 148.5-km Alpine trek from Morzine amid a climate activists' interruption.

The race was stopped for about 10 minutes after half a dozen of climate activists tried to block the riders 36 kilometres from the finish.

They were pulled off the road by police and a senior race organiser before the race resumed.

Cort Nielsen prevailed in a nail-biting sprint finish from the day's breakaway to claim his second career stage win on the Tour after 2018.

Australian Nick Schultz took second and Spain's Luis Leon Sanchez was third.

Two-time defending champion Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.

Wednesday's 11th stage is a brutal 151.7-km mountain trek from Albertville to the Col du Granon.

-Reuters

India dominate England in ODI

India have thrashed England by 10 wickets in the first one day international at the Oval in London.

India's Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of West Indies' Carlos Brathwaite for one during the 2019 Cricket World Cup group stage match.

Jasprit Bumrah Photo: AFP

Captain Rohit Sharma notched up a sublime 50 as the tourists thrashed England by 10 wickets after a career-best performance of 6-19 by Jasprit Bumrah in the first one-day international of the three-match series.

Rohit (76 not out) and fellow opener Shikhar Dhawan (31 not out) made light work of England's 110, knocking off the victory target with 31.2 overs to spare.

Earlier, England had a horror start after being put in to bat when Jasprit Bumrah rattled Jason Roy's stumps with an in-swinger and then deceived Joe Root two balls later with a delivery that nipped away. Both players failed to get off the mark.

Ben Stokes also perished for a golden duck in the following over, edging behind off Mohammed Shami (3-31), before Bumrah accounted for Jonny Bairstow (7) and Liam Livingstone (0) to leave England reeling at 26-5 in overcast conditions.

The home side were eventually bowled out in 25.2 overs for their lowest total against India in 50-over cricket. Their previous lowest - 125 - came at Jaipur in 2006.

The second match of the series takes place at Lord's on Thursday.

-Reuters

Manchester United's new manager wins first game

Manchester United got their pre-season off to a flying start with a 4-0 rout of rivals Liverpool in Thailand, giving new manager Erik ten Hag a big boost in his first match in charge.

Liverpool looked jaded and on the back foot for much of the match against a United team with superior fitness who capitalised on a series of first-half errors in Bangkok with three goals in the space of 21 minutes.

Jadon Sancho, Fred, Martial and Facundo Pellistri all scored for United.

-Reuters

Smith to miss three games for swearing at ref

Kiwis hooker Brandon Smith will miss Melbourne Storms next three games after being referred directly to the NRL judiciary for referee dissent.

Brandon Smith.
Manly Sea Eagles v Melbourne Storm.
2021 NRL Finals.

Brandon Smith Photo: NRL Photos

Smith called referee Adam Gee a "cheating bastard" during the Storm's 28-6 loss to Cronulla and was sent to the sin bin.

Smith took issue with Gee's decision not to award his side a set restart midway through the second half after maintaining Cronulla's Aiden Tolman had made a second effort in a tackle.

A contrite and forlorn Smith appeared before the NRL judiciary via video link on Tuesday night.

"I said things that should never be said to an official. I will accept any consequence that [the judiciary] comes up with and I will accept it graciously," Smith said.

Lachlan Gyles SC, counsel for the NRL, said suggesting the referee had cheated carried "serious connotations" about the NRL's integrity.

Gyles mooted a suspension of at least four weeks, pointing to Smith's status as a senior player with significant popularity among impressionable young fans.

Representing Smith, Nicolaous Ghabar said a suspension of four weeks or more would not account for Smith's early guilty plea nor his contrition.

Ghabar submitted a character reference from New Zealand coach Michael Maguire, who said Smith was "an exceptionally passionate and committed player" but one who "has always shown he is very respectful of authority and match officials".

In his reference, Maguire said he found Smith's comment to have been "out of character".

The judiciary deliberated for roughly 10 minutes before imposing Smith's sanction and were satisfied Smith had been genuinely remorseful for his actions, which influenced its decision to impose a sanction less severe than that suggested by the NRL's counsel.

-ABC

Michael Masi leaves FIA

Former Formula One race director Michael Masi has decided to leave the governing FIA and relocate to Australia seven months after playing a part in one of the sport's biggest recent controversies.

The FIA confirmed in a statement that Masi, whose job is now shared by Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich, had gone.

Masi changed the safety car re-start procedure at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December, a move that handed the title to Red Bull's Max Verstappen and denied Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton a record eighth.

He was replaced in February but had remained within the governing body, who had talked about offering him a new role.

A subsequent report into the Abu Dhabi race found in March that Masi had made a "human error" but acted in "good faith".

-Reuters

Ukrainian Premier League prepares for air raid sirens

The Ukrainian Premier League will start again next week, but matches will be held without fans and the stadiums will be equipped with shelters for any air raid sirens.

Footballers don't all have fast cars and live in mansions according to a worldwide survey.

Footballers don't all have fast cars and live in mansions according to a worldwide survey. Photo: Photosport

No matches have been played since Russia invaded Ukraine in February in what Moscow calls a "special military operation".

The last round of fixtures was played in December before the league went on a three-month winter break.

Shakhtar Donetsk were top of the league table with 47 points from 18 games, two points ahead of Dynamo Kyiv.

In a Facebook post, Sports Minister Vadym Guttsait said matches will have a military presence for security, as well as the other safety provisions. The date of Aug. 23 coincides with Ukraine's National Flag Day.

Shakhtar are in the Champions League group stage next season, with sporting director Darijo Srna revealing last week that their matches will be played in the Polish capital Warsaw.

-Reuters