4 May 2021

Today's sports news: What you need to know

11:57 am on 4 May 2021

Black Caps batsman Ross Taylor will be out of action for the next week after a scan confirmed a calf injury.

Ross Taylor during the Blacks Caps training at Lincoln, 2021.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Taylor suffered the injury yesterday on the first day of the Black Caps camp at Lincoln.

The MRI scan confirmed a grade one muscle strain to his left calf.

The 37 year old will stay with the team over the next couple of days to get treatment.

It is hoped that he will return to batting and running next week before they head to England next weekend.

Another milestone for Chris Wood

All White Chris Wood scored his 150th goal in English football but he wasn't celebrating after his side Burnley was beaten 2-1 by West Ham in the English Premier League.

Burnley's New Zealand striker Chris Wood celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the English Premier League football match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton, central England on April 25, 2021.

Photo: AFP

Wood opened the scoring for Burnley with a first half penalty... but Michail Antonio scored twice for the Hammers to take the win.

West Ham move up to fifth, three points behind fourth placed Chelsea.

Burnley remain nine points above the relegation zone with four games remaining.

Meanwhile relegation-threatened West Bromwich Albion fought back to claim a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers but failure to win the match at The Hawthorns moved them closer to dropping out of the Premier League.

The point moved second-from-bottom West Brom to 26 points, still 10 away from the safety zone with only four games remaining.

Wolves remained in 12th spot with 42 points.

Selby wins Snooker world title in front of capacity crowd

English snooker player Mark Selby.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Mark Selby beat fellow Englishman Shaun Murphy to claim a fourth world snooker title as a capacity crowd was allowed at a British sporting event for the first time in more than a year.

Selby, nicknamed the Jester from Leicester, held his nerve in a tense evening session to triumph 18-15 and claim the title for the first time since 2017.

The Bank Holiday finale was a significant moment for British sport as a capacity crowd was allowed inside an arena for the first time in more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The tournament, part of the government's pilot scheme to ensure fans can safely return to sporting and cultural venues, was restricted to 33% capacity at the start with 75% allowed for the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

After today's win Selby now sits three Crucible crowns off Stephen Hendry's record of seven world titles.

- Reuters

Mystics hand Tactix another loss.

Last year's beaten finalists the Tactix remain winless after three rounds of the ANZ netball Premiership after going down 53-52 to the Northern Mystics in Auckland.

Grace Nweke of the Mystics.

Grace Nweke Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The Christchurch based Tactix were touted as one of the teams to beat this season, but have so far been unable to find a winning formula.

The Auckland crowd erupted as Mystics shooter Grace Nweke snatched a long lob from player of the match Peta Toeava between the arms of the two Tactix defenders, and slotted the ball in just before the clock ran out.

But the return of Tactix goal attack Te Paea Selby-Rickit from a pre-season ankle injury, entering the game in the second quarter, helped the Tactix attack. Although she was only expected to play 30 minutes, she lasted 45 and ensured the Tactix won their first quarter of the season, and notched up their first point.

Nweke shot 88% for the Mystics, while Ellie Bird shot 87% for the Tactix.

The Northern Stars are the only unbeaten team after three rounds and top the table from the Mystics, Steel, Pulse, Magic and Tactix.

Breakers run out of steam

The Breakers have been overrun in the last quarter, losing 75-67 to the Illawarra Hawks in their Australian NBL game in Launceston.

Tom Abercrombie of the New Zealand Breakers controls the ball. 
Melbourne Utd v NZ Breakers during round 16 of the NBL at John Cain Arena on Wednesday 28th April 2021 in Melbourne, Australia.

Photo: Photosport Ltd 2021

The Breakers led for most of the match and were behind by just one heading into the final quarter, but Illawarra finished stronger and all but ends the Breakers hopes of making the play-offs.

Tom Abercrombie (14 points, four rebounds) and Tai Webster (14 points, five assists) paced the Breakers while William McDowell-White was a strong contributor in the absence of a hamstrung Levi Randolph with 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.

It was not enough, though, and it just might have slammed the door shot on the Breakers hopes of storming into the #NBL21 finals.

Disappointed Breakers coach Dan Shamir admitted fatigue got the best of his side after playing five games in 10 days.

"We really struggled with our offence (in the second half) with turnovers and out shot making, maybe there was a little bit of fatigue.

"We tried to do the right things, and at the end of the game we didn't do them exceptionally great in the second half, but it was already a bit of a mess.

Shamir said Randolph has suffered a minor hamstring tear and would miss some games, although it is unknown exactly when he will return.

Black Caps number one

The Black Caps are now the number one ranked team in ODI cricket.

The Black Caps celebrate with the series trophy.
New Zealand Black Caps v Bangladesh International Twenty20 cricket match. Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand. Thursday 1 April 2021.

Photo: Photosport Ltd 2021

At the start of May each year, the rating period is recalibrated so only results from the past three years are taken into consideration.

New Zealand have replaced England who drop to number four behind Australia and India.

The Black Caps have won 20 of their 30 completed ODIs in the past three years, claiming series wins over Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh in that time, as well as a runners-up finish in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019.

New Zealand has also improved to number three in the T20 rankings behind England and India.

The Test rankings will be updated next week with New Zealand currently number two.

-Reuters

Apology from Gymnastics Australia

Gymnastics Australia has apologised to athletes under its care who experienced abuse and vowed to investigate all matters of misconduct after the Australian Human Rights Commission published an independent review on the culture and practices of gymnastics in the country.

Gymnastics

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Australia's human rights watchdog commissioned the review of the country's gymnastics program in August last year following complaints of physical and mental abuse.

Former Australian gymnasts shared their accounts of being assaulted by coaches and made to train and compete while injured.

Gymnastics Australia said it will adopt all 12 recommendations made in the report, which also included strengthening coach engagement and accountability, and broadening the sport's understanding of child abuse and neglect.

The review said Gymnastics Australia's current coaching practices created a risk of abuse and harm to athletes.

It added that the country's gymnastics federation was not adequately addressing complaints of abuse and harm and not effectively safeguarding children and young people.

-Reuters

Bobby Unser dies

Three-times Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Unser has died aged 87 at his home in New Mexico.

No cause of death was given.

Unser was one of six members of the famed motor racing family to race in the Indy 500.

While Bobby won the Indy 500 in 1968, 1975 and 1981, his brother Al went one better winning the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" four-times.

They remain the only brothers to win the race.

Unser retired with 35 career IndyCar victories and two championships.

-Reuters

Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh in second test

Sri Lanka have beaten Bangladesh by 209 runs in the second cricket Test in Pallekele.

Left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama claimed a match-haul of 11 wickets in a fairytale debut as the hosts took just over an hour to claim the last five Bangladesh wickets.

Sri Lanka declared their second innings on 194-9, setting the tourists a daunting victory target of 437 and Bangladesh meekly folded for 227.

Sri Lanka won the series 1-0 after the first Test was drawn.

-Reuters