CYCLING
Trofimov wins fourth stage
Russia’s Yury Trofimov made a solo break to win the fourth stage of the Criterium du Dauphine on Wednesday as Britain’s Chris Froome held the leader’s yellow jersey. The Katusha team rider launched his attack 18km from the line on the Col de Manse, pulling ahead of a breakaway group formed on the 21km mark. Swede Gustav Larsson crossed in second, ahead of Dutch rider Pim Ligthart after the 167.5km run from Montelimar and Gap. For 30-year-old Trofimov it was a second stage win in the Dauphine, six years after that on Morzine. Yesterday’s fifth stage was to cover 189.5km from Sisteron to La Mure and included six climbs, the final one near Laffrey, 20km from the line.
BASKETBALL
Blatche a Philippine citizen
Philippine officials say Brooklyn Nets player Andray Blatche has been granted Philippine citizenship so he can play for the national team in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup this year. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Philippine President Benigno Aquino III signed a law on Wednesday granting citizenship to the US-born Blatche. Senator Edgardo Angara, the main author of the law, says Filipinos are a “sports-loving nation with a distinct affection for basketball.” He says the 2.11m Blatche, a power forward and center, can make “significant contributions to Philippines basketball.” FIBA allows each team to have one naturalized player per tournament. The Philippines are competing at the World Cup for the first time in 35 years. Blatche averaged 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game this season for Brooklyn.
RUGBY UNION
England make five changes
England coach Stuart Lancaster made five changes to his team for the second Test against New Zealand in Dunedin tomorrow by restoring his first-choice centers pairing and bringing flyhalf Owen Farrell back into the side. Billy Twelvetrees and Luther Burrell, who were the first choice centers during the Six Nations, have replaced Kyle Eastmond and Manu Tuiliagi, who has shifted to right wing after an impressive performance in the first Test at Eden Park. Farrell replaces Freddie Burns at flyhalf, with Danny Care also being reinstated at scrumhalf after he was a late withdrawal from the first Test with a shoulder injury. Blindside flanker Tom Wood has also been reinstated in the place of James Haskell, in the only change to the pack that performed so well in the 20-15 loss in Auckland.
CRICKET
Sri Lanka bowlers strike
England captain Alistair Cook fell for 17 as Sri Lanka left the hosts at 98-3 at lunch on yesterday’s opening day of the first Test at Lord’s, after the tourists won the toss and elected to bowl on a green pitch. Debutant Sam Robson departed for only one run, caught by Prasanna Jayawardene off the bowling of Nuwan Pradeep in the fourth over. Cook went when he chopped the ball onto his stumps trying to cut a Nuwan Kulasekara delivery. Gary Ballance, up to third in the batting order, was caught behind for 23 for Pradeep’s second wicket of the day. At the interval, Ian Bell was unbeaten on 41, with Joe Root on six not out. Earlier England had named batsman Moeen Ali and paceman Chris Jordan to make their maiden Test appearances alongside Robson, the second consecutive Test they had named three new-comers in the Test XI.
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