■ Cricket
Pollock to the rescue
Injury-hit South Africa were boosted yesterday by the news that veteran all-rounder Shaun Pollock will arrive in Sri Lanka later this week following the birth of his second child. The 33-year-old will reach here on Thursday, missing the first of the two Test matches which starts at the Sinhalese sports club the same day, team spokesman Gordon Templeton said. Pollock, however, will have enough time to acclimatize to the hot and humid weather in the Sri Lankan capital before he takes the field in the second Test at the Sara stadium from August 4. The tourists, led by their first non-white captain Ashwell Prince, need Pollock's experience to tackle the formidable hosts in the absence of regular captain Graeme Smith and leading all-rounder Jacques Kallis. Smith was ruled out of the six-week tour, which also includes a limited-overs tri-series with India, when he suffered an ankle injury earlier this month. Kallis is still recovering from a tennis elbow injury and remains uncertain for the ICC Champions Trophy one-day tournament to be held in India in October-November.
■ Soccer
Bayern sweetens Ruud offer
Bayern Munich have upped their offer for Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, the German club's general manager Uli Hoeness said on Sunday. "Ruud wants to come to Bayern," Hoeness said after his side drew 1-1 with Austrian second division team Linz in a friendly match. Hoeness did not reveal the size of Bayern's new offer but United are believed to be holding out for around £15 million (US$28 million) and Real Madrid are already believed to have had a bid of £12 million turned down. Earlier in the day, Bayern general director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said he was already negotiating terms with the Dutch striker, but said it would be Manchester United who would make the final decision. "Van Nistelrooy has told us he would like to play for us next season," Rummenigge told Sunday's Bild newspaper.
■ Rugby
Wallabies mull Blake recall
Australia are considering recalling giant prop Rodney Blake to their side for Saturday's Tri-Nations match against New Zealand in Brisbane. The 23-year-old made his international debut against England last month but missed Australia's last three tests due to an ankle injury. Blake played for Australia A against Fiji on Friday, however, and came through the match unscathed. "He got through it pretty well," Australia coach John Connolly said. "We'll definitely consider him." Connolly will be keen to restore Blake to his front row to counter the powerful New Zealand scrum and may also be tempted to call Cameron Shepherd into his squad after the fullback's impressive performances in both Australia A games against Fiji.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
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