CRICKET
Sharma retires from Tests
India captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday announced his retirement from Test cricket ahead of a tour of England. The 38-year-old Sharma said that he would continue to represent India in limited-overs cricket. “It’s been an absolute honor to represent my country in whites,” he wrote on Instagram. “Thank you for all the love and support over the years.” Sharma scored 4,301 runs in 67 Tests at an average of 40.57 with 12 centuries. He replaced Virat Kohli as captain in March 2022 and guided India to 12 wins, nine losses and three draws.
Photo: AFP
TENNIS
Taiwan’s Tseng exits
Taiwan’s Tseng Chun-hsin on Wednesday exited at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, beaten in the first round of the men’s singles by Francesco Passaro. The Italian won 6-0, 2-6, 6-3, sending Tseng out in the round of 128 after he had won two qualifiers — 6-2, 6-4 against Gabriele Pirain of Italy on Sunday and 6-2, 6-4 over Juan Manuel Cerundolo of Argentina on Monday — to reach the main draw at the Foro Italico in Rome.
RUGBY UNION
NZR reports loss
New Zealand Rugby (NZR) reported a loss in yearly accounts released yesterday, with NZR chief executive officer Mark Robinson saying the governing body’s commercial model was “not sustainable” despite a private equity cash injection. Robinson pointed to high fixed costs, which include player wages, as the governing body booked losses of NZ$19.5 million (US$11.6 million) in its report for last year. Robinson said that there was “much work to do to get the shape of our game right.” Sponsorship deals and broadcast rights helped to put US$170 million in the body’s coffers last year, the accounts showed, which was a “record level of income,” but foreign exchange turbulence and investment in other areas of the business turned this into a loss.
RUGBY LEAGUE
NRL to add Perth Bears
Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) is to expand westward in the 2027 season with the addition of an 18th club, the Perth Bears, the league and the Western Australian government announced yesterday. The state government said that it had agreed to fund the new team to the tune of A$65.6 million (US$42.36 million) over seven years, ensuring the return of professional rugby league to the state for the first time since the demise of the Western Reds in 1997. “Western Australians love sport and now they have the opportunity to get behind a Perth-based rugby league club that will capture the hearts and minds of fans across the country,” Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys said in a statement. The new team’s name honors the heritage of the North Sydney Bears, one of the nine clubs that founded Australia’s first league in 1908 and which played in the top flight until 1999.
Taiwanese women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei and Australian teenager Maya Joint on Tuesday eased into the Eastbourne Open quarter-finals in England as Hsieh prepares for the Wimbledon Championships next week. Four-time Wimbledon women’s doubles champion Hsieh and 19-year-old Joint fired two aces and converted five of eight break points to defeat Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Poland’s Katarzyna Piter 6-3, 6-3 in 58 minutes on the grass court. Hsieh and Joint are today to face fourth seeds Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, who advanced on Monday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Quinn Gleason of the US and
BEAT THE HEAT: A brutal heat wave in the US has made cooling breaks standard. Dortmund’s coach said the weather could shape the destiny of the tournament Chelsea on Tuesday beat Esperance of Tunisia 3-0 to set up a FIFA Club World Cup last-16 tie against SL Benfica, who earlier defeated Bayern Munich 1-0, as furnace-link heat and the threat of thunder and lightning wreak havoc at the tournament. Elsewhere, minnows Auckland City claimed a memorable draw against Boca Juniors, while Los Angeles bowed out of the tournament with a stalemate against Flamengo. In Charlotte, Andreas Schjelderup scored the only goal for Benfica in their Group C clash with Bayern in front of 33,287 fans, finishing first-time from a cutback by his fellow Norwegian Fredrik Aursnes in the 13th
REUNION: Former Barcelona players Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Miami coach Javier Mascherano are to face their former coach Luis Enrique Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi faces a tantalizing reunion with former club Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup last 16 after both sides on Monday progressed to the knockout phase. Miami drew 2-2 with Palmeiras to go through second in Group A, after the Brazilian side fought back from two goals down to seal top spot. They now face an all-Brazil clash against Botafogo, who lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid, but progressed from Group B in second at the expense of the Spaniards. Champions of Europe PSG won the group with a 2-0 victory over Seattle Sounders, paving the
The New Taipei Kings claimed the inaugural Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) championship on Sunday, defeating the Kaohsiung FamilyMart Aquas 108-89 in the final. Playing at home, the Kings pulled ahead with Jeremy Lin’s (林書豪) clutch three-pointers, securing their victory over the Aquas in the TPBL final. The Kings came out strong in the first quarter, dominating to build a 35-18 lead. By halftime, they had stretched their advantage to 61-38. In the third quarter, the Aquas narrowed the deficit to 12 points, but Lin stepped up, sinking several tough three- pointers to extend the lead. In the final quarter, the Kings pushed the
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