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Today's sports news: What you need to know

13:17 pm on 6 March 2022

Latest - Defending Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen won Saturday night's season opening race in Sydney.

Shane Van Gisbergen Photo: EDGE

A three-stop strategy paid off for the New Zealand Red Bull Holden driver.

He led the bulk of the 300km race before claiming the 55th win of his career, bringing him within one of Scott McLaughlin and Garth Tander.

The victory also came on van Gisbergen's 450th career race start, some 15 years after his debut.

Cars will return to the track for Qualifying on Sunday ahead of the second race of the round.

Azhar hits 'daddy hundred', Pakistan declare on 476-4

"Daddy hundreds" of 185 from Azhar Ali and 157 from Imam-ul-Haq helped Pakistan score a commanding 476 for four before declaring their first innings on the second day of the opening test against Australia in Rawalpindi.

Australia, on their first tour of Pakistan in 24 years, were five for no loss in reply when bad light forced early stumps, with their Islamabad-born opener Usman Khawaja on five and David Warner yet to score at the other end.

The teams observed a moment's silence before play began for the day, in memory of Shane Warne and the victims of Friday's attack in a mosque in Peshawar.

Pat Cummins employed no fewer than eight bowlers to try and make inroads into the Pakistan top order, and he resorted to short deliveries when the home side resumed on 245 for one.

Imam was on 143 when Australia made a timid caught-behind appeal against him, which was turned down.

Australia chose not to review the decision but UltraEdge showed a spike as the Nathan Lyon delivery passed the bat.

Cummins then wasted a review trying to get Azhar caught behind in the post-lunch session.

Three balls later, Imam wasted one of his own trying to overturn an lbw decision against him. The bespectacled opener had to go, however, as replays confirmed the Cummins delivery would have gone on to hit the middle stump.

Imam's 157 was studded with 16 boundaries and two sixes.

Marnus Labuschagne ran out Babar Azam, who made 36, with a direct throw and ended Azhar's marathon innings of 185 when he induced a reverse sweep from the batsman.

Azhar hit 15 boundaries and three sixes during his 361-ball stay at the crease.

"I wanted a double hundred but we were close to declaration and we had to try and score faster," the number three batsman said of his dismissal.

"The ball was reversing and it was not easy to score against the pacers. So I had to take chances against the spinners and unfortunately I got out in the process."

Babar declared the innings 45 minutes before the scheduled close of play, but the gathering gloom robbed Pakistan of the chance to unleash their fast bowlers with the new ball.

Instead, off-spinner Sajid Khan sneaked in an over before play was called off due to deteriorating light at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.

"Our plan was to give ourselves an hour and try and take two, three wickets tonight but unfortunately, due to bad light, we could not do that," Azhar said.

Labuschagne said Australia must take it "over by over" to claw their way back into the contest.

"It's just patience, being disciplined in the game and making sure we stay focused for a long period of time," the batsman said.

-Reuters

Jadeja shines with bat & ball as India dominate Sri Lanka

India's bowlers picked up four Sri Lankan wickets after all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja's unbeaten 175 helped the hosts post a massive first innings total on the second day of the opening test at Mohali.

The left-handed Jadeja combined in two century stands with Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami on Saturday to put the touring side on the mat as India declared their first innings closed on 574 for eight at the tea interval.

Jadeja added 130 for the seventh wicket with Ashwin, who made 61, and a further 103 for the unbroken ninth with Shami to effectively bat Sri Lanka out of the contest. Shami remained unbeaten on 20.

-Reuters

In Gee Chun leads World Championship after bogey-free 66

In Gee Chun leads by one stroke over fellow South Koreans Jin Young Ko and Jeongeun Lee6 heading into the final round at the HSBC Women's World Championship in Singapore.

Moving into position to win her first title in more than three years, Chun carded a bogey-free 66 in Saturday's third round to move to 12 under.

New Zealand's Lydia Ko is tied for 33rd, 10 shots behind Chun, after carding a third round even par 72 to move to two under for the tournament.

Chun, who tweaked a muscle in her neck on Thursday, had considered withdrawing from the event. The three-time LPGA Tour winner's last victory came at the 2018 KEB Hana Bank Championship.

Chun had three birdies on the front nine and three more on the back, the last one at the par-3 15th to help her stay one shot ahead of Ko and Lee6 at -11.

Ko's third-round 69 was her 14th straight round in the 60s, tying the record she already shares with So Yeon Ryu and Annika Sorenstam.

Lee6 shot the low round with a 7-under 65 that included a chip-in eagle at No. 13 and six birdies in her first seven holes.

-Reuters