■CRICKET
Black Caps target coach
New Zealand’s cricket team want coach Andy Moles sacked, and claim captain Daniel Vettori has effectively been filling the role for the last six months, a report said yesterday. An unnamed source said senior players claimed Moles had not provided them with adequate tactical or technical support, a report by Dominion Post cricket writer and former New Zealand fast bowler Jonathan Millmow said. New Zealand Cricket responded to the report by confirming Moles’ position as coach. Moles would continue to prepare the team for a series of one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates starting early next month, chief executive Justin Vaughan said.
■BOXING
Kelly Pavlik scraps title bout
Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik called off a title defense against Paul Williams set for Dec. 5 because of an infected left hand. Pavlik was to fight Williams at Atlantic City in one of the year’s most anticipated bouts, but promoter Top Rank said on Wednesday that Pavlik was unable to make a fist or punch with the injured hand. Pavlik (35-1, 31 KOs) believes the infection could date to last October, when he was pounded by Bernard Hopkins.
■SOCCER
Houston out of CONCACAF
A surprise defeat for Houston Dynamo at the hands of group minnows Metapan on Wednesday cost the US club a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals, handing the berth to Panama’s Arabe Unido. El Salvador’s Metapan had lost all five of its previous group games, but Emerson Umana’s deflected freekick gave the hosts a 3-2 win over a stunned Houston, which would have reached the quarters with a win. That meant Arabe Unido clung onto second spot in Group A despite losing 2-0 to Mexico’s Pachuca, which topped the group and also progresses to the last eight. In the night’s other group game, Trinidad’s W Connection defeated Honduras’ Real Espana 3-2 in Group D. That result eliminated Real Espana from quarter-final contention.
■SOCCER
Match to be screened in 3D
The match between top Mexican sides America and Guadalajara on Sunday will be screened in 3D, with broadcasters Televisa claiming on Wednesday it will be the first broadcast of its kind in the world. The Clausura championship match at the Azteca in Mexico City will be screened in cinemas in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey.
■OLYMPICS
Torch made for bad weather
The torch that train, plane and motorized sled manufacturer Bombardier made for Canada’s upcoming Olympic Winter Games was to be lit at the birthplace of the Olympics in Greece yesterday. Inspired by the contours of Canada’s winter landscape, the torch is designed to withstand colder temperatures than any other torch in Olympic history and uses a dual burner system to guard against extreme weather conditions. It will be flown back to Canada at the end of the month for a 45,000km relay ahead of the February Games in Vancouver. The torches are made from anodized aluminum, stainless steel and a composite compound. Each weighs 1.6kg, including fuel, which is a mix of propane and isobutane. Its designers said the torch would remain lit through “rain, sleet, snow and wind” and in temperatures from minus 40˚C to 40˚C.
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Ninad Malwade was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
Taiwanese shortstop Cheng Tsung-che on Friday made history for the Boston Red Sox’s Triple A affiliate, hitting the Worcester Red Sox’s first cycle, while netting two runs, as they beat fellow Taiwan teammate Stuart Fairchild’s Columbus Clippers. The 24-year-old former Pittsburgh Pirates prospect went 4-4, completing a full cycle, starting with a triple in the second inning off Ryan Webb in the WooSox’s 9-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians’ Triple A affiliate. He scored in the same inning after teammate Vinny Capra, a fellow former Pirate, grounded out. The Pingtung County native followed that up with a walk in the third, an
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