Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - Auckland's stage of the World Rally Championship will be held on the waterfront with the service park utilising Silo Park and the bases on Wynyard Point in Wynyard Quarter.

Rally New Zealandwill be part of the FIA World Rally Championship for the 32nd time from 29 September to 2 October 2022.

The world's best rally drivers will be returning to race on what many consider the best rallying roads in the world. They are led by some emerging drivers who will face off against New Zealand's best including Hayden Paddon and Emma Gilmour.

Rally New Zealand organisers will make further announcements in the coming weeks in relation to the rally route.

Phoenix sign Wootton to new deal

The Wellington Phoenix have signed defender Scott Wootton to a new three-year deal.

Wooton has impressed in his first seven games in the A-League after joining them in January.

The Nix were unbeaten in the first five matches Wootton played in and, with the talkative Englishman at the heart of Wellington's back four, they have recorded their first clean sheets of the A-League season.

"I think we can all see Scott's impact since he's come into the squad," Talay said. "He's been a leader in our backline which has helped us get the results that we didn't get previously.

"He's got a wealth of experience from playing overseas and I think that's what we were lacking at the start of the season.

The 30-year-old has filled the void left by former captain Steven Taylor.

"When I came here obviously I didn't just want to come for the end of the season, I wanted to stay," said Wooton.

"I knew very, very quickly after being here with the squad, seeing the quality and how things are done over here that I wanted to stay for as long as possible, so for the club to commit to me for the next three years is something I'm chuffed to bits with."

Chelsea start selling tickets

Chelsea will be allowed to sell tickets to away games, cup matches and fixtures involving the women's team after the UK government made alterations to the Premier League club's special licence.

The club have been unable to sell tickets since owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the government as part of its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Under the changed licence, proceeds from ticket sales will go directly to the Premier League and then be distributed to the relevant party.

The move means Chelsea will be able to sell tickets for their home Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid on 6 April and the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium on the weekend of 16 April against Crystal Palace.

Away fans can buy tickets for Premier League games at Stamford Bridge, with revenue going to the Premier League.

Abramovich put the club up for sale on 2 March, five days after Russia invaded Ukraine.

-BBC

Teams playing for semi-final spots

Two decisive matches at the cricket World Cup today with South Africa playing the West Indies and England playing Pakistan.

A win for South Africa at the Basin Reserve will confirm their place in the semi-finals, while a West Indies win in their last round-robin game will enhance their chances, but still need some other games to go their way.

Defending champions England, who were teetering on the brink of elimination, have won their last two matches and need to keep winning in Christchurch to have any chance of making the top four.

Bottom of the table Pakistan will be bouyed after ending an 18-game World Cup losing streak, when they beat the Windies earlier this week.

Australia top the table with 12 points and have secured their place in the semi-finals, while South Africa has eight points, India and West Indies six and England and New Zealand four.

New Zealand, who are all but out of play-off contention, play Pakistan in their final game on Saturday in Christchurch.

Oceania qualifying format changed after Covid hit teams

FIFA have changed the format of the World Cup qualification tournament for the Oceania region after the Cook Islands and Vanuatu withdrew due to cases of COVID-19 that affected their national teams.

Both the Cook Islands and Vanuatu were in Group A but FIFA said all matches involving the two teams "shall be deemed to have not taken place".

That leaves the other two teams in the group, Solomon Islands and Tahiti, to play their group fixture tomorrow morning, which will be considered a single playoff match to determine the winner and runner-up of Group A.

If the match ends in a draw, they will play extra time and go to penalties if needed.

New Zealand have already advanced from Group B, with Papua New Guinea and Fiji -- level on three points each -- fighting for the second spot when they face each other.

Oceania, which does not have an automatic spot at the World Cup, is staging a mini-tournament in Doha to decide which team advances to an intercontinental playoff for a place at the finals.

The winners of the March 17-30 competition will face the fourth-placed team from the CONCACAF region, which features sides from North and Central America and the Caribbean.

-Reuters

Aussie pace pair run through Pakistan innings

Australian fast bowling pair of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc carved through the Pakistan batting late on day three, sharing nine wickets between them to hand the touring side a first-innings lead of 123 in the deciding third and final test in Lahore.

Captain Cummins bowled an impeccable line and length to pick up his seventh five-wicket haul in tests while Starc spewed fire with his pace and reverse swing to take four as Pakistan were all out for 268, replying to Australia's total of 391.

The hosts lost their last seven wickets for 20 runs in a dramatic collapse in the final session of the third day at Gaddafi Stadium.

Australia openers Usman Khawaja and David Warner managed to see through three overs before stumps to take their side to 11-0, extending the lead to 134 overall.

The first two tests of the series -- the first between the sides in Pakistan since 1998 -- were drawn.

-Reuters

Fans snap up tickets to pay respect to Warney

More than 42,000 people will pay their in-person respects to cricket legend Shane Warne at his state memorial service next week.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said 42,300 people have already snapped up a free ticket for the event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground next Wednesday.

It will be the wider public's first chance to say goodbye to Warne after his shock, sudden death from a suspected heart attack while staying at the Thai resort island of Koh Samui on March 4.

Patrons will need to be fully vaccinated to attend the service, which is expected to run for two hours.

Rather than flowers, Warne's family has asked people to donate to The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health.

Warne's state memorial follows a private funeral held on Sunday.

The MCG event will be livestreamed on the Victorian government's website.

The ground's Great Southern Stand will be renamed in Warne's honour.

-ABC

PGA not happy with throwing of bottles

The throwing of beer and water bottles at last month's Phoenix Open golf tournament was "unacceptable" and will be "addressed", says PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.

Carlos Ortiz was "nailed with a beer can" after making a hole-in-one on the par-three 16th at Scottsdale, which is framed by stadium-style seating.

Hundreds of cans and bottles were also thrown when Sam Ryder aced the hole.

"The health and safety of athletes and fans is our number one priority," Monahan told BBC Sport.

The Phoenix Open, held in February, has developed a reputation for having more of a 'party atmosphere' than other PGA Tour events.

Around 20,000 fans pack the stands around the hole, creating a largely good-natured but boisterous atmosphere with pantomime cheers and boos - while players, caddies and officials are showered with beer and water to reward good shots.

Some players revel in the chaos.

Harry Higgs lifted his shirt over his head to celebrate holing a 10-foot par putt and fans responded by throwing dozens of cans of beer towards the green.

His playing partner Joel Dahmen went one step further, taking his shirt off and waving it above his head before taking a gulp of beer from one of the cans.

-BBC

Russian swim star pulls out of world champs

Russian double Olympic champion Evgeny Rylov has pulled out of this year's swimming world championships in Budapest in support of athletes banned from competing under the Russian flag following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Rylov, who won gold in the 100- and 200-metre backstroke events at last year's Tokyo Olympics, lost his sponsorship deal with swimwear maker Speedo after attending a rally hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week.

"In support of Russian Paralympians, in support of all Russian athletes who have been removed from international competitions, I refuse to go to the world championship this summer," Rylov wrote on Instagram.

"I believe that losing competition is losing the development of sport. As sad as it may sound, sport cannot move without decent competitors."

Swimming's world governing body FINA said that Russian and Belarusian athletes can only compete as neutral athletes or neutral teams.

-Reuters

Fans to attend IPL

Fans will be allowed to attend matches during the Indian Premier League, which starts this weekend, with COVID-19 restrictions easing in the country.

The Chennai Super Kings will face the Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the popular Twenty20 league at the Wankhede Stadium with a 25% occupancy limit.

"This match will be a momentous occasion as the 15th edition of the IPL will welcome the fans back to the stadiums after a brief hiatus owing to the pandemic," the BCCI said in a statement.

Infections in India have fallen to their lowest in more than a year in recent days. The country has seen more than 43 million infections, with over 516,500 deaths.

Last year's tournament was split between India and the UAE.

-Reuters