■BASKETBALL
Angry fans threaten players
A group of hardcore Caserta fans have stormed a training session and threatened to hold the players hostage following a run of poor performances, the Italian team’s coach said on Thursday. Around 50 supporters invaded the court and said they would prevent the players from leaving the arena on Sunday if the top-flight strugglers lose against Benetton. “There was no physical contact but we came close to it because some of the players didn’t like having their work interrupted,” coach Fabrizio Frates said. “There were threats and they were clear and unequivocal.”
■CRICKET
Balaji back after four years
India’s cricket selectors yesterday picked Lakshmipathy Balaji for their New Zealand tour, after a four-year Test absence for the fit-again seamer. Balaji, 27, who last played a Test match in March, 2005 before suffering a career-threatening stress fracture to his back, was named in a 16-man squad for next month’s three-Test series against the Kiwis. The Tamil Nadu seamer claimed 27 wickets in eight Tests before being laid low by injury. Balaji joins a five-man seam attack that includes 20-year-old rookie Dhawal Kulkarni, who took 41 wickets in his maiden first-class season to help Mumbai win the Ranji Trophy last month. The selectors, who announced the team through a media release, retained the nucleus of the squad that beat Ricky Ponting’s Australia 2-1 and England 1-0 in home Test series late last year. But only six players — Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Venkatsai Laxman, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh — have played a Test on New Zealand soil before.
■CRICKET
Pakistan great to tour China
Former Pakistan great Javed Miandad will next month tour China as a cricket ambassador to promote the game in the Asian giant. “As part of Pakistan’s support plan to promote the game of cricket in China, we have decided to send Miandad to China so that he can explore ways to help lift the game in that country,” said a sports ministry official, Ashraf Khan. Miandad, 51, will tour China from March 9 to March 15. “I have high hopes of China competing at a top level very soon because the feedback I have is that they have potential and can excel in the field of cricket, like they did in other sports,” Miandad told reporters. Pakistan has previously provided assistance to China, such as training and coaching facilities, to prepare its national cricket team. Former Pakistan player Rashid Khan is China’s national cricket coach and guided their female team to the semi-final of the Asian Cricket Council women’s tournament in Malaysia last year.
■CRICKET
Rain has final say
There was no result in the final match of the one-day international series between Australia and New Zealand in Brisbane yesterday after rain forced its abandonment. Australia reached 168 for 4 off 22 overs in their rain-shortened innings, with Brad Haddin cracking an unbeaten 88 off 65 balls with five fours and three sixes. Callum Ferguson contributed an unbeaten 55 from 35 balls with seven fours. New Zealand reached 123 for 6 after 14 overs before the weather had the final say. Martin Guptill was unbeaten on 64 off only 34 balls with debutant Brendon Diamanti on 26 not out from 22 deliveries. The series finished 2-2, which meant that holders Australia retained the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was