Latest - Wellington have moved to a perfect nine-from-nine in the women's domestic T20 cricket competition.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Blaze chased down their modest target of just 90 to beat Auckland by five wickets in Auckland on Thursday.
White Ferns captain Sophie Devine led the way for Wellington, taking three wickets and hitting 36 off 22 balls.
Fellow internationals Jess and Amelia Kerr and Leigh Kasperek chipped in with two wickets each, while Maddy Green top-scored with 39 from No 5.
Meanwhile, the Wellington men made it a double for the visitors in the second game of the day.
The Firebirds leapfrogged Auckland into third on the table with an equally comprehensive eight-wicket victory over the Aces.
Hamish Bennett's 3-15 restricted the hosts to 121-9 batting first, before captain Michael Bracewell (54 not out from 44) and Tom Blundell (41 not out off 25) guided Wellington home with almost six overs to spare.
Another Covid postponement for Breakers
The Breakers basketballers have had another game postponed due to the NBL's Covid protocols.
After Wednesday night's game against Tasmania was postponed for the same reason, Sunday's game against Cairns in Cairns would also need to be scheduled.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
No specific details of the Covid situation were given but, in a statement on their website, Cairns said they were prepared to host the New Zealand side.
"While the Taipans have recently been impacted by positive COVID cases, the team returned to full training this week and were prepared to host the Breakers this Sunday."
Tasmania said on Tuesday their game against the Breakers was postponed after the Breakers "notified the league that they were unable to field a team for the game due to Covid-19 protocols."
Venus wins opening match at Australian Open
New Zealand's Michael Venus and his German partner Tim Puetz have made a strong start to the Australian Open in Melbourne.
The sixth seeds have beaten American's Nick Monroe and Frances Tiafoe 6-1 7-6 (3) in their opening match.
Tim Puetz (GER) and Michael VENUS (NZL) in action. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Venus and Puetz who finished last season by winning the Paris Masters in November, got off to a flying start, racing to a 5-0 first set lead before Tiafoe held for the first time in the match.
But Puetz served out the set.
New Zealand's Erin Routliffe and her Canadian doubles partner Leylah Fernandez were swept aside in straight sets by their Australian opponents in their first-round match.
Routliffe and Fernandez had high hopes of a god run after reaching the third round at the US Open together last September. But they were outclassed on the day by Australian wildcards Lizette Cabrera and Priscilla Hon who won 6-3 6-1 in 59 minutes.
Routliffe will now turn her attention to the mixed doubles where she will partner Michael Venus in the first round tomorrow against Cabrera again and her partner Aussie Alex Bolt.
New Zealand's Marcus Daniell and Artem Sitak square off against each other in the men's doubles with Daniell and his Danis partner Freddie Nielsen playing Sitak and his Russian partner Aslan Karatsev.
Melbourne looks at feasibility of hosting 2026 Commonwealth Games
Local government officials in Melbourne are looking at the feasibility of the city and surrounding region hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The 2022 edition of the multi-sport gathering for mostly former British colonies takes place in the English city of Birmingham in July and August, but the 2026 Games remain without a host.
Melbourne's Age newspaper quoted an unnamed senior official in the Victoria state government as saying that the city was looking at stepping into the breach.
"We've had discussions with the CGF (Commonwealth Games Federation) and we are doing some preliminary studies to see if it works," the official told the newspaper.
"We've got a short timeframe and we need to have the facilities up to speed. But it would have a regional focus."
Australia, by far the most successful of the competing nations and territories, has staged five of the previous 21 editions of the Games with Gold Coast hosting in 2018.
Melbourne hosted the 2006 Games and has many of the facilities already in place to welcome 5,000 athletes at reasonably short notice.
"The CGF remains in positive dialogue with a number of Commonwealth Games Associations that are interested in hosting future editions of the Commonwealth Games," said a CGF spokesperson.
"We are working hard to secure a host for the 2026 Games in advance of Birmingham 2022 and are confident this timeline will be achieved."
Birmingham was initially interested in staging the 2026 Games but stepped in to take on the 2022 edition when the South African city of Durban was stripped of hosting rights because of funding issues.
-Reuters
Date and venue set for Phoenix FFA Cup semi-final
Football Australia has announced the Wellington Phoenix's FFA Cup semi-final against Melbourne Victory will be played at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong on Saturday, January 29.
The Phoenix were originally scheduled to play the Victory in round 12 of the A-League on the same date.
That match was postponed earlier this evening to accommodate the FFA Cup semi-final.
The winner of the semi-final on Saturday week will meet the Central Coast Mariners in the final next month after the Mariners defeated Sydney FC 1-0 in the first semi-final in Sydney last night.
The second semi-final will kick-off at 6:30pm NZT.
Bavuma, Van der Dussen tons help S Africa beat India in first ODI
Captain Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen scored centuries and shared a partnership of 204 as hosts South Africa beat India by 31 runs in the first one-day international on Wednesday.
The home side elected to bat and posted 296 for four in their 50 overs, with Bavuma's 110 from 143 balls the anchor to go with an unbeaten 129 not out off 96 from Van der Dussen, who scored his maiden ODI ton.
India started well as opener Shikhar Dhawan scored 79 from 84 balls and former captain Virat Kohli 51 from 63, but when they were dismissed the touring side struggled to keep up with the required run-rate and finished on 265 for eight.
Shardul Thakur provided lone resistance with an unbeaten 50 from 43 balls, but many of the Indian batsmen struggled for fluency on the slow wicket.
Andile Phehlukwayo (2-26) was the pick of the home attack and claimed the key wicket of Rishabh Pant (16), but Tabraiz Shamsi (2-52) and Lungi Ngidi (2-64) also played their part.
South Africa's innings was shaped by Bavuma, who was patient from the start after the home side were in trouble at 68-3 in the 18th over.
His stunning partnership of 204 from 183 balls with Van der Dussen, who was the aggressor with nine fours and four sixes, laid the platform for their above-par score.
They were particularly impressive in negating the Indian spinners, with seamer Jasprit Bumrah (2-48) the pick of the tourists' attack.
The second match in the series will be played at the same venue on Saturday, with the third and final one in Cape Town on Monday. The results do not count towards the Cricket World Cup Super League.
-Reuters