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.
The 2025 International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Mr Universe Chinese Taipei competition began yesterday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, with more than 150 athletes showcasing their physiques. It is the first time in 16 years that the IFBB has held a competition in Taiwan, the last being the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung. The professional bodybuilding contest is bringing together athletes from Taiwan and 16 other countries, including Malaysia, Japan, the US, France and Mexico. IFBB Chinese Taipei president Hsu An-chin said in an interview yesterday that the event came to Taiwan thanks to his lobbying efforts at last
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Cycling great Marianne Vos won the opening stage of the women’s Tour de France with a brilliant late attack on Saturday. The 38-year-old Dutchwoman overtook her Visma–Lease a Bike teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prevot approaching the line, and then held off Mauritian rider Kim Le Court in the closing meters of a grueling uphill finish. Ferrand-Prevot looked set to win the stage, but the Frenchwoman attacked too early from 600m and could not withstand the late surge from Vos, who punched the air with her left fist as she crossed the line. Moments later, Vos hugged an exhausted-looking Ferrand-Prevot, the Paris-Roubaix winner. “I didn’t know if
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
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