New Zealand and Auckland Aces opener Martin Guptill is hopeful of a late January return to cricket after an MRI scan confirmed a tear in his left calf.
Martin Guptill Photo: PhotoSport / Andrew Cornaga
Guptill sustained the injury in the Auckland Aces Ford Trophy fixture at the Basin Reserve on January 3.
New Zealand Cricket's medical staff described the tear as moderate; said his condition was improving and that the injury would continue to be monitored during a period of rehabilitation.
Guptill and NZC medical staff are tentatively targeting a return in the Auckland Aces January 22 Dream11 Super Smash match against the Central Stags.In
New Zealand head to Australia for three one-day internationals and one Twenty20 beginning on the 30th of January.
Breakers snap skid
Latest - The Breakers have ended their six game losing streak and claimed their first win of the ANBL season with an 88-83 victory over the Bullets last night in Brisbane.
Yanni Wetzell. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Yanni Wetzell top scored for the Breakers with 27 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
The visitors lost three of the four quarters but held on thanks to a strong start which gave them a 26-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Breakers were ahead by 17 lead in the third quarter before the Bullets started to mount a comeback.
However, the New Zealanders keep their cool and stayed ahead to snap their winless run to start the season.
Import Jeremiah Martin score ten points in the final quarter.
The Breakers remain last in the ANBL standings and next play Tasmania on January 14.
New Davis Cup captain appointed
Tennis New Zealand have appointed Kelly Evernden as their new Davis Cup captain.
Evernden is one of New Zealand's most accomplished professional players, reaching a career high ATP ranking of 31 and winning three ATP titles.
Kelly Evernden. Photo: Photosport
He represented New Zealand in Davis Cup for ten years between 1985 and 1994, playing in 20 ties during some of New Zealand's greatest years in the competition.
Alistair Hunt has stepped down from the role, after leading the side since 2013.
As well as leading the side for Davis Cup ties, the non-playing Captain's role has been expanded to include more regular mentoring and support for Davis Cup players and wider squad members outside of Davis Cup windows, with the ability to travel and support players at key times throughout the season.
Evernden will predominantly fulfil the role from his base in Seattle from 1 February.
New Zealand's next tie is scheduled for 4-5 March against Uruguay and are designated as the home nation, however border restrictions mean a neutral venue must be found, with Las Vegas a possible option.
Premier League sides win FA Cup matches but not all one-way traffic
Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur were given scares before eventually beating lower-league sides in the third round of the FA Cup, while West Ham United ousted Leeds United in an all-Premier League clash.
Liverpool came from a goal down to win 4-1 against third-tier Shrewsbury Town, while Tottenham left it late before fighting back and then pulling away to beat Morecambe 3-1, with a battling display in the second half.
David Moyes' West Ham won 2-0 against Leeds, who were without 10 first-team players including striker Patrick Bamford.
Wolverhamtopn Wanderers beat Championship side Sheffield United 3-nil.
-Reuters
Nadal and Barty win titles before year's first grand slam
World number one Ash Barty was in imperious form as the Australian handed Elena Rybakina a 6-3 6-2 defeat at Memorial Drive to win the Adelaide International and claim the 14th WTA title of her career.
Barty, who won the event in 2020, dominated against the 22-year-old seventh seed from Kazakhstan to win in just over an hour, as she hits form a little more than a week ahead of the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne.
"The work that I do with my team behind the scenes puts me in the best possible position to play good tennis time, and time again each and every time we're asked," Barty told reporters. "I certainly feel pretty good coming into the summer.
Meanwhile, top seed Rafael Nadal beat American qualifier Maxime Cressy 7-6(6) 6-3 to win the Melbourne Summer Set 1 ATP 250 event and build up momentum heading into the Australian Open.
The Spaniard, playing his first competitive tournament since August, was largely untroubled as he wrapped up the win in an hour 48 minutes.
"I'm coming back from some challenging moments and injuries, so it means a lot to be here," the 20-times Grand Slam champion said, before praising his opponent.
"Congratulations Maxime, it's a great start to the season. I wish you all the very best for the rest of the season and your career."
-Reuters