Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - England cricket captain says confidence is key going into final test

Captain Joe Root says England's batsmen "shouldn't be scared" of the pitch or India's bowlers in the final Test in Ahmedabad today.

England, 2-1 down after losing the previous two Tests, have not made a total higher than 178 in their past five innings.

"The most important thing is we go into it full of confidence," said Root.

"We should have no scars from the last two Tests and play in a controlled but fearless way."

England's two defeats - by 317 runs in the second Test in Chennai and 10 wickets in the third Test in Ahmedabad - have been engineered by India's spinners, who took 36 of the 40 wickets on pitches offering plenty of assistance.

Batting was especially difficult in Ahmedabad, with the third Test over in two days and only two players reaching 50.

India only need a draw to confirm their place in the Test Championship final against New Zealand in June.

- BBC

Cricket history in Antigua

Akila Dananjaya went from hero to zero in the space of two overs, claiming a hat-trick before being smashed for six sixes by Kieron Pollard as West Indies beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in their first Twenty20 international at Antigua.

Pollard strode out to the crease in the fourth over after Dananjaya had dismissed Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran off consecutive deliveries to leave West Indies reeling at 52-3 in pursuit of 132.

But the West Indies skipper tore into unconventional off-spinner Dananjaya in his next over, taking 36 runs and becoming only the third man to hit six sixes in an international match, emulating Herschelle Gibbs and Yuvraj Singh.

"I felt after hitting a couple of sixes, I understood how the pitch plays, it was important to be positive and play your shots," Pollard said. "Back yourselves to clear the boundary.

"That's how I have played my cricket all along, especially against the spinners."

Pollard was dismissed for 38 in the following over by Wanindu Hasaranga but Jason Holder and Dwayne Bravo completed the chase with more than six overs to spare.

- Reuters

United miss chance to close the gap on City

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer conceded his side were much more likely to face a scrap for a top-four Premier League finish than challenge Manchester City for the title after a frustrating 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace.

United lacked spark on a foggy evening at Selhurst Park and having missed several chances in the first half, they were on the back foot after the break and were fortunate to come away with a point.

Solskjaer criticised his team after a lacklustre performance left second-placed United 14 points behind runaway leaders City ahead of the Manchester derby on Sunday.

"It's not good as you know if you want to move up the table, you need to win," the Norwegian said.

"You have to earn the right, you have to win tackles, you have to fight you have to play passes better as we kept giving the ball away.

"We go into every game thinking we need to win and we want to win. We just have to concentrate on ourselves. We know we're in a fight to be in the top four so every game is important."

Leicester City missed their chance to leapfrog United into 2nd place after drawing 1-1 with Burnley at Turf Moor.

Meanwhile, bottom placed Sheffield United pulled off an upset 1-0 win against Aston Villa despite going down to ten men with 30 minutes remaining.

- Reuters

Porsche consider joining F1

Porsche and it's parent company Volkswagen Group would consider entering Formula One if the next engine regulations due to be introduced in 2025 promote sustainable fuels.

The BBC quoted Porsche Motorsport vice-president Fritz Enzinger as saying it would be "of great interest if aspects of sustainability -- for instance, the implementation of e-fuels" played a role.

E-fuels are carbon-neutral fuels that can power internal combustion engines without the environmental impact of traditional fossil fuels.

They come in a number of forms, including bio-fuels, which are made from bio-mass, and synthetic fuels, which are manufactured by an industrial process that captures carbon from the atmosphere.

F1 has committed to making e-fuels a central part of the sport from 2025.

Formula One's governing body, the FIA, last year delivered the first barrels of 100% sustainable fuel made from bio-waste to engine manufacturers for testing and validation.

If Volkswagen Group did commit to entering F1, it would be likely to be with either its Porsche or Audi brands, sources say.

- Reuters

Budge swaps tennis for sailing

The former tournament director of the ASB classic, Karl Budge is swapping the tennis court for the water.

Budge, who spent nine years transforming the Auckland tournament and stood down in February, has been appointed head of the New Zealand Sail GP event.

Budge will be responsible for SailGP's inaugural New Zealand Grand Prix in Ōtautahi Christchurch in Christchurch next year.

He will oversee all commercial partnerships for the New Zealand SailGP Team, led by Olympic gold medalists and defending America's Cup champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke.

In its second season, SailGP will feature eight national teams racing equal boats in eight events across three continents, kicking-off in Bermuda in less than two months.

-RNZ

Breakers get another win

The New Zealand Breakers have scored their second straight win in the Australian National Basketball League, beating the Brisbane Bullets 97-92.

It follows their 44 point win over Adelaide last weekend.

The Breakers again made a great start and were up by 15 after the first quarter and while Brisbane closed the gap through out the game, the Breakers held on for the victory.

Corey Webster top scored for the Breakers with 21 points, while his brother Tai had 19 points.

The result keeps the Auckland team in eighth spot with a 3 and 6 record.

They play top of the table Melbourne in their next game on Friday.

ND into one day title decider against Canterbury

Northern Districts won through to the final of the Ford Trophy one day men's cricket competition with a 138 run win over Wellington in a rain-affected elimination game in Hamilton.

They will meet Canterbury in the title decider on Saturday.

Northern scored 351 for eight in 42 overs with Henry Cooper scoring an unbeaten 146 off 94 balls.

It was Coopers maiden list A one day century, while Northern's total was their second highest ever.

In reply Wellington were set 284 in 26 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis scoring system and finished on 145 for seven with Tom Blundell unbeaten on 80.

Northern Districts last won the national one-day title in 2009/10.

National Athletics Champs rescheduled.

The National Athletics Championships will now be held in Hastings on March 26th and 27th.

The championships were meant to be held over three days this weekend, but were postponed because of the change in Covid 19 alert levels.

Athletics New Zealand says the modified version of the event will take place over two days, featuring under-20 and senior athletes but not under-18 athletes.

The national body says many logistical challenges needed to be taken into consideration, including limited accommodation in the region, flight availability and the need to limit numbers at the venue due to ongoing uncertainty around the Covid-19 alert levels and associated gathering restrictions.

"After lengthy discussions and taking all options into account, we are pleased to be able to host a national championships in these challenging times, albeit in a modified format," says Athletics NZ CEO Peter Pfitzinger.

Athletics NZ intends to instead hold a National under-18 Championships, most likely towards the end of the year, to allow athletes in that age-group to compete nationally and is currently looking at options for such an event.

French coach cleared

France head coach Fabien Galthie has been cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal investigation into the handling of a Covid-19 outbreak within the Six Nations squad, the head of the French federation's (FFR) medical committee said.

"In my report, I mention it at the start, it is perfectly clear that what he has done and whatever one might think, he had the right to do what he did, and there was no particular risk," committee head Roger Salamon told French radio RTL.

Galthie was one of five staff members to test positive for Covid-19 after France's second Six Nations game against Ireland, and the tournament organisers decided to postpone last weekend's match against Scotland as 12 players also tested positive.

FFR president Bernard Laporte admitted that Galthie had left the training camp's bubble to watch his son's rugby game in Paris, however insisting he was wearing a protective mask and that he had not broken any rules in the team's Covid-19 protocol.

French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu threatened to withdraw France's authorisation to play in the Six Nations if the investigation was not conducted thoroughly and FFR board of directors member Florian Grill last weekend called for an independent investigation.

Les Bleus, who won their first two Six Nations games, travel to England on March 13.

- Reuters