Today's sports news: what you need to know

Latest - British canoe sprint legend and former Olympic champion Tim Brabants is joining Canoe Racing New Zealand's coaching team.

Brabants will take up a coaching role in Cambridge, where he will primarily be working with the six-strong Canoe Racing NZ men's squad.

Brabants became the first British athlete to win an Olympic canoeing title when striking K1 1000m gold at the 2008 Beijing Games.

He also snared Olympic bronze medals in the K1 500m in Beijing and K1 1000m at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Since retiring from competitive paddling, Tim, a fully qualified doctor, has served for as British Canoeing's Chief Medical Officer before taking up a role working with elite paddlers as Technical Coach at British Canoeing.

Tim, who is a good friend of New Zealand's 2004 Olympic K1 1000m silver medallist Ben Fouhy, has a close affinity for New Zealand.

"New Zealand has a strong kayaking history with the likes of Ian Ferguson, Paul MacDonald, Alan Thompson and Ben Fouhy. More recently the women's squad has also achieved brilliant results, which means its people have the right attributes physically and mentally to achieve. You see Kiwis deliver great results in so many sports because of their passion and raw talent."

A pair of grand slam singes champions will pair up as doubles partners for next month's ASB Tennis Classic.

Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki have confirmed they'll play doubles together for the first time at the tournament in Auckland.

US star Williams has 23 grand slam titles, while Wozniacki of Denmark was the 2018 Australian Open champion and their friendship off court galvanised their decision to play together in New Zealand.

"We've been wanting to play doubles together for a long time, but it just hasn't worked out," Wozniacki said ahead of what will be one of the final tournaments she plays before she retires.

"I'm really excited that it's finally going to happen, especially at one of my favourite tournaments on tour."

Williams is widely considered one of the greatest athletes of all time, while Wozniacki was the first person from Scandinavia to secure the top world ranking.

Together the duo have 102 WTA singles titles, 24 grand slam titles and spent a combined 390 weeks at number one.

Allegations of abuse during EPL match

Chelsea's 2-nil Premier League football win over Tottenham was overshadowed by allegations of abuse hurled at Blues player Antonio Rudiger.

The German defender was involved in an incident that resulted in Tottenham's Son Heung-min red-carded just past the hour mark and shortly afterwards indicated that he had been the victim of a monkey

gesture from the home section.

Several announcements were made over Tottenham's public address system saying "racist behaviour from spectators is interfering with the game" while referee Anthony Taylor stopped the game to talk to the players.

- Reuters

Smith sees red in France

Former All Blacks fullback Ben Smith has had a debut to forget in the French Top 14 competition.

Turning out for new club Pau, Smith has been sent off for a dangerous fend early in the second half of their 21-18 loss to Stade Francais on Monday (NZ time).

The outside back, who played 84 matches for New Zealand before heading to France after this year's World Cup, led with his elbow as he tried to push off Stade hooker Lucas Da Silva, who was sent crashing backwards to the ground.

Pau coach Frederic Manca defended Smith's actions.

"We're a little sad for him.

"There was no intent to lift the elbow or plant it in the throat."

The match was the second for Smith since joining Pau on seven-month contract.

The 32-year-old World Cup winner made his club debut in their 34-29 win over Cardiff Blues in a European Challenge Cup match last week 10 days ago.

Wales' Kiwis won't face All Blacks

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has ruled Gareth Anscombe and Willis Halaholo out of next year's tour to New Zealand because of their long-standing knee injuries.

New Zealand-born flyhalf Anscombe missed the World Cup in Japan after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in a warm-up match against England in August.

Welsh club Ospreys said on Sunday (NZ time) Anscombe has been forced to undergo a second operation, and Pivac is not considering him to face the All Blacks.

Halaholo, also New Zealand-born, qualified to play for Wales this year through residency rules but suffered a season-ending knee injury before he could play against the Barbarians last month.

Wales will begin their test series against the All Blacks in Auckland on July 4, before the second test in Wellington seven days later.

- Reuters

Knights get first T20 win

A blistering knock from Tim Seifert has led Northern Districts to their first win of the season in the New Zealand domestic Twenty20 cricket competition.

After two losses and one no-result, the Knights secured a 28-run victory over the Auckland Aces in Hamilton on Sunday.

The incumbent wicketkeeper-batsman for the Black Caps in the shortest format, Seifert belted 75 off 49 as the home side posted 195-5 batting first.

Daryl Mitchell, Anton Devcich, Brett Hampton and Scott Kuggeleijn all chipped in with scores of 20 or more.

Black Caps openers Colin Munro and Martin Guptill got Auckland's chase off to a flying start, but were removed for 26 and 12, respectively.

Despite 45 from Sean Solia to No 7 and captain Craig Cachopa's 41, Auckland fell well short to finish at 167-8.

Kuggeleijn capped a good all-round day with match-best figures of 3-30 from his four overs.

Meanwhile an excellent all-round performance by Anna Peterson guided the Auckland Hearts to a 31-run win over the Northern Spirit in the national domestic women's T20 competition.

The visiting captain smashed 61 from 47 balls, with Katie Perkins hitting 35 off 25 and Lauren Down 33 off 24 as they posted 167-9 batting first at Seddon Park.

Northern were well-placed at 85-2 in the 13th over in reply, but the loss of skipper Felicity Leydon-Davis for 33 slowed their momentum.

The Spirit finished on 136-6, with Peterson completing her impressive display with figures of 3-32 from four overs.

The win moved the Hearts to four wins from four and took atop the competition ladder alongside the Wellington Blaze, who they meet at Eden Park Outer Oval on December 30.

Watford upset Man United

A terrible blunder from Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea helped English Premier League basement side Watford to a 2-0 victory for their first home win of the season and maiden victory under coach Nigel Pearson.

The Spain keeper, who had conceded a soft goal in last week's 1-1 draw with Everton, allowed the weakest of shots from Ismaila Sarr through his hands in the 50th minute on Monday (NZ time), putting Watford in front for the first time in a home game this season.

Senegalese winger Sarr was then tripped by United's usually reliable Aaron Wan-Bissaka and earned the penalty from which Troy Deeney doubled Watford's lead in the 54th minute, sending De Gea the wrong way and blasting into the net.

United, who have failed to build on the momentum from back-to-back wins over Tottenham Hotspur and champions Manchester City earlier this month, produced yet another limp display and failed to hit the target in the first half.

United's fifth Premier League defeat of the season leaves them eighth on 25 points after 18 games, while Watford are still bottom but level on 12 points with 19th-placed Norwich City.

- Reuters

Captain Kohli sets up series win

Skipper Virat Kohli's masterly 85 set up India's successful chase as the hosts pipped West Indies by four wickets in the third and final one-dayer to complete a 2-1 series win on Sunday.

Chasing 316 for victory, India got off to a strong start but lost Kohli at a crucial juncture before eventually prevailing with eight deliveries to spare at Cuttack's Barabati Stadium.

Earlier, West Indies posted an imposing 315-5 with skipper Kieron Pollard and Nicholas Pooran capitalising on a strong start hitting 10 sixes between them.

Pooran (89) and Pollard (74) then launched a spectacular onslaught, effortlessly clearing the boundary as the tourists plundered 118 off the last 10 overs to breach the 300-mark.

A strong start was imperative to pull off such a big chase and India got the same from KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma who raised 122 runs for the opening stand.

Rohit Sharma made a run-a-ball 63 and Rahul scored 77 but the onus was on Kohli to accomplish the chase once the openers departed.

- Reuters

Pakistan on brink in Karachi

Pakistan erected a run mountain and then hollowed out Sri Lanka's top and middle order to inch closer to an emotional series victory on the penultimate day of the second and final test on Sunday.

Following in the footsteps of openers Abid Ali and Shan Masood, Azhar Ali and Babar Azam smashed centuries before Pakistan declared their second innings on 555-3.

Chasing 476, Sri Lanka were 212-7 at stumps with Oshada Fernando waging a grim battle with his maiden test century after being let down by the top order.

Fernando was batting on 102, having studded the gutsy knock with 13 boundaries, with the tourists staring at a series defeat at Karachi's National Stadium.

Needing to bat out five sessions to save the test, Sri Lanka's top order meekly capitulated to be 97-5.

Fernando and Niroshan Dickwella, who made 65, resisted with their 104-run stand for the sixth wicket but it may not be enough to save the match.

- Reuters

England trio under the weather

England bowlers Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad and Jack Leach did not make use of a last opportunity for a bowl in their warm-up match, suggesting it could be a close call for their participation in the first Test against South Africa.

The trio have been battling with flu since arriving in South Africa last week, missing the opening two-day warm-up against an Invitation XI and now the second warm-up against South Africa A, which was downgraded from first class status to allow them to possibly play.

But they did not take up the chance and are now in a race against time to be fit for the first Test at Centurion, which starts on Boxing Day.

The three bowlers wee among several squad members bedridden for most of last week, kept apart from the rest of the squad for fear of the bug spreading, but did have a brief net session on Sunday (NZ time).

The return of James Anderson after injury tempers any blow and Root said he was pleased with bowling contribution from Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Matt Parkinson and Ben Stokes over the weekend.

- Reuters

Blind has heart operation

Dutch-born Ajax Amsterdam defender Daley Blind has undergone a successful heart operation, the Eredivisie club has said.

Blind who previously played for Manchester United between 2014 and 2018, suffered from dizziness in Ajax's Champions League match against Valencia this month, but continued playing.

The 29-year-old has been fitted with a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator, the club confirmed on Sunday (NZ time).

"The most important thing is that I'm feeling good at the moment and trying to come back as soon as possible," Blind said in a video posted on Twitter.

Blind, who was a regular starter in Ajax's incredible run to the Champions League semi-finals last season, will miss the club's January training camp in Qatar, and will continue his recovery in Amsterdam.

- Reuters