■RUGBY UNION
Rules waived for McAlister
The New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) yesterday granted an exemption to its eligibility rules to allow the speedy return of inside back Luke McAlister to the All Blacks. McAlister is due to return to New Zealand next month after playing for English club Sale for the last two seasons. He would normally become eligible for the All Blacks only after playing a season of Super 14 or the domestic provincial championship, under rules aimed at keeping the top players in domestic competitions. But star flyhalf Daniel Carter — also exempted from eligibility rules this year — is unlikely to be fit for the Tri-Nations series after rupturing his Achilles tendon playing for his French club, Perpignan, in February. NZRU chairman Jock Hobbs said that, due to injuries in McAlister’s favored flyhalf and inside center positions, the union decided to exempt him from the regulations. It is intended that the 25-year-old will play only in the June home Tests against France and Italy if other contenders are injured, but he would be available for the later Tri-Nations series starting in July.
■CRICKET
Deccan charge ahead
Adam Gilchrist and Rohit Sharma hammered explosive half centuries to set up a comprehensive 24-run victory for the Deccan Chargers against the Bangalore Royal Challengers in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at Newlands in Cape Town, South Africa, on Wednesday. Unbeaten Deccan are top of the table after two matches. Their total of 184 for six was the highest of the competition so far and Bangalore never seriously threatened to match it before subsiding to 160-8.
■FOOTBALL
Player charged over drugs
Former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jimmy Smith was pulled over on Wednesday afternoon and found with crack cocaine and marijuana in his car, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Smith, who played 10 seasons for Jacksonville in the NFL, was pulled over on Interstate 95 in Jacksonville for excessive window tint on his 2009 Mercedes Benz, Florida Highway Patrol Lieutenant Bill Leeper said. The trooper reported that the inside of the car smelled like burnt marijuana. During a search, the trooper found crack cocaine, marijuana and a business card with powder cocaine residue in the car’s center console.
■SOCCER
Ransomed watch recovered
Germany defender Arne Friedrich has been involved in a police sting after a thief attempted to extort 5,000 euros (US$6,475) from him for his Euro 2008 watch, it was reported on Wednesday. The 29-year-old Hertha Berlin captain, who has won 62 caps for Germany and played in last June’s Euro final, had his special watch stolen two months ago while he was working out in a fitness center in Berlin’s up-market suburb Charlottenburg, the Bild tabloid reported. The watch, engraved with Friedrich’s name and shirt number, was a limited edition time-piece by Swiss firm IWC, presented to each member of the Euro 2008 squad by the German Football Federation (DFB), and was stolen from his locker. A few days after the theft, the thief rang Friedrich claiming to have found the watch and demanded 5,000 euros to return it. The Germany star called police and a meeting was organized between Friedrich and the thief where the man was arrested and charged with extortion.
The next generation of running talent takes center stage at today’s Berlin Marathon, in the absence of stars including Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian world record holder Tigist Assefa. With most of the major marathon stars skipping the event in the wake of the Paris Olympics just more than a month ago, the field is wide open in the men’s and women’s races. Since 2015, Kipchoge has won five times in Berlin, Kenenisa Bekele has won twice and Guye Adola once — with all three missing today. Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie and Ethiopian Tadese Takele are among the favourites for the men, while
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
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