Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - The All Whites will play Peru as a part of their preparation for their World Cup intercontinental play-off game against Costa Rica.

The All Whites will face Peru in Barcelona on June 5th, nine days before the World Cup qualifier.

The Peru game will be followed by a behind closed doors match against another yet to be announced national team, set to be played on June 9th in Qatar.

The All Whites will be without midfielder Ryan Thomas who has been ruled out through injury.

"These two fixtures are exactly the type of games we need to be playing ahead of the Intercontinental Play-Off," says Head Coach Danny Hay.

"Peru are a top side, ranked number 22 in the world, but we need these kind of challenges if we want to compete at this level.

Australia and the UAE meet in an Asian play-off game with the winner then meeting Peru in their Intercontinental play-off game.

The one-off World Cup qualifying game against Costa Rica will be played in Qatar on June 14th

Former Tall Blacks captain to bolster Basketball New Zealand board

Former Tall Blacks captain Glen Denham will join the Basketball New Zealand board in May.

Denham captained the Tall Blacks between 1984 and 1999 and his 169 national team appearances rank 5th all-time, while his 122 captaincies are 2nd all-time - behind only Pero Cameron.

He currently holds the record as the longest-standing captain in Tall Blacks history.

Denham also played 13 seasons in the NBL for the Waikato Pistons, Canterbury Rams and Otago Nuggets.

"I want to give something back to basketball in Aotearoa and I am here for the kids and the code - it's our job as leaders to focus on this," Denham said.

"We're the fastest growing sport amongst teenagers, so we've got a tiger by the tail - so for me it's about getting out and having small conversations often with our people in the regions; we need our associations and key players to come together as one for the greater good of the game."

Conway honoured by Wisden

Black Caps batsman Devon Conway has been named one of Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year.

England captain Joe Root was named Wisden's leading cricketer in the world for 2021.

Conway hit a double century on his Test debut against England in June, before making a crucial 80 in the second Test as New Zealand secured their first series win in England since 1999.

Root, who stepped down as England captain earlier this month, scored six test centuries and finished 2021 with the third-highest ever total of runs in a calendar year, behind the tallies of Mohammad Yousuf (1,788) and Viv Richards (1,710).

South Africa opener Lizelle Lee was named the leading women's player in the world after scoring 632 one-day international runs in 2021 at an average of 90.28, including a career-best unbeaten 132 against India.

The other cricketers of the year are Indian duo Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, England pacer Ollie Robinson and South Africa women's captain Dane van Niekerk.

-Reuters

Sharks bite Sea Eagles

Cronulla have beaten Manly 34-22 in their NRL game at Shark Park.

Cronulla wrecking ball Siosifa Talakai was virtually unstoppable in the first half as he scored two tries and laid on three others in arguably the best 40 minute display by any player this season as the Sharks raced to a 32-0 half-time lead.

The Sydney-born Talakai, who played for the junior Kiwis but has pledged his World Cup allegiances to Tonga, also produced three line breaks, two line-break assists, seven tackle breaks and three off-loads while carrying the ball 202 metres in 13 runs at left centre.

However, the Sea Eagles staged a spirited second half comeback after trailing 32-0 at the interval, despite an horrendous injury toll, which saw Des Hasler's men reduced to just one player on the bench.

The match was played in winds gusting up to 50kph and the only points scored by the team running into the southerly was a late Nicho Hynes penalty goal.

The Sharks are third on the table and Manly sixth.

Man U appoint ten Hag

Manchester United have named Ajax Amsterdam coach Erik ten Hag as their new manager to succeed interim boss Ralf Rangnick from the end of this season.

United said the Dutchman had signed a three-year deal, running until June 2025 with an option for a one-year extension. The deal is subject to work visa requirements.

Ten Hag is the fifth permanent manager to be appointed by United since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 following David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

"During the past four years at Ajax, Erik has proved himself to be one of the most exciting and successful coaches in Europe, renowned for his team's attractive, attacking football and commitment to youth," said United's football director John Murtough.

Rangnick took over as interim manager in November following the sacking of Solskjaer and a brief caretaker spell for former player Michael Carrick.

United, beaten 4-0 by Liverpool on Wednesday, are currently sixth in the Premier League and face the prospect of missing out on qualification to next season's Champions League.

The 52-year-old Ten Hag was appointed by Ajax during the 2017-18 campaign and led them to the Dutch league title in 2019 and 2021, as well as the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.

The Dutchman, who previously worked with the reserve team of Bayern Munich, had long been linked with a move to United.

-Reuters

Hockey openers split

The South and North Islands have split the opening games of the hockey series in Hamilton.

The South women edged the North in a closely run affair that ended 2-0, while the North men dominated in a 3-2 victory over the South.

It was the first top-flight hockey for the Black Sticks players since the Tokyo Olympics.

Sainz extends deal at Ferrari

Spaniard Carlos Sainz will race for Ferrari in Formula One until the end of the 2024 season at least, the team said.

The 27-year-old, who moved from McLaren to Ferrari in 2021 as a replacement for four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel, finished fifth in the overall standings and helped Ferrari secure third in the constructors' battle in his debut season.

He has enjoyed a strong start to the 2022 season, and is third in the drivers' standings after podium finishes in the first two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

He failed to finish at the Australian Grand Prix, crashing out shortly after the start.

Sainz's team mate Charles Leclerc has won two of the first three races, finishing second in the other, and has a 34-point lead in the championship.

Ferrari, which last won a title in 2008 and failed to win a race in 2020 and 2021, also lead the constructors' standings by 39 points from champions Mercedes.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola this weekend, round four of 23, is a home one for Ferrari at the Italian circuit named after company founder Enzo and son Dino.

-Reuters

Serena and Hamilton part of Chelsea bid

Former tennis world number one Serena Williams and seven-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton have joined Martin Broughton's bid to buy Premier League club Chelsea.

Former Liverpool chairman Broughton's consortium includes World Athletics President Sebastian Coe and wealthy investors from around the world, who the group says all want to maintain Chelsea's top status.

Private equity veterans Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who own sport teams including the National Basketball Association's Philadelphia 76ers, are also backing Broughton's bid.

Williams and Hamilton have pledged an estimated 10 million pounds each to the bid, Sky Sports reported.

Hamilton's representatives later confirmed that the 37-year-old had joined Broughton's bid, but said the financial figures quoted in the report were not accurate, without disclosing any details.

Williams is already an investor in Los Angeles' Angel City FC, which plays in the National Women's Soccer League.

Final bids for the club, which was put up for sale by owner Roman Abramovich following Russia's invasion of Ukraine before sanctions were imposed on the oligarch by the British government, were submitted earlier this month.

Others on the shortlist to buy the English premiership club are LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca.

-Reuters

Ronaldo thanks fans

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo thanked supporters of Liverpool for their display of support in this week's Premier League meeting between the teams, which the Portuguese player missed due to the death of his newborn son.

Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez had announced in October last year they were expecting twins, but said on Monday that one of the two babies had died.

Ronaldo was given a standing ovation by fans in the seventh minute of the meeting at Anfield, with Liverpool fans singing, "You'll Never Walk Alone" while their United counterparts applauded.

Both sets of players walked onto the pitch wearing black armbands and Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp later described the show of support from fans as the "moment of the game."

"One world... One sport... One global family... Thanks, Anfield. Me and my family will never forget this moment of respect and compassion," Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.

United went on to lose the game 4-0 and sit sixth in the table with 54 points from 33 games.

-Reuters

More players inducted into EPL hall of fame

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and ex Arsenal striker Ian Wright are among six ex-players who have been inducted into the Premier League's Hall of Fame.

Schmeichel and Wright join former Manchester City players Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany, as well as Chelsea's Didier Drogba and United's Paul Scholes.

The six inductees join Wayne Rooney and Patrick Vieira, who were inducted into the Hall of Fame last month.

The league said the Hall of Fame "celebrates the talent and achievements" of those who have featured in the division since its inception in 1992 and that players must have been retired as of Jan. 1, 2022 to be eligible.

-Reuters