Category: Sports

Tom Bruce has written his name into New Zealand cricket history by scoring the third-highest total in the country’s first-class cricket. The 33-year-old batsman scored an astonishing 345 runs for Central Stags versus Auckland in the Plunket Shield, smashing Roger Blunt’s 93-year-old record.

Bruce, who has represented New Zealand in 17 T20Is but has never reached the Test selection, had a lengthy knock, facing 401 deliveries. His innings featured 36 fours and six sixes. His score presently trails only Bert Sutcliffe’s 385 and 355-run knocks in 1949 and 1952.

After the day’s play, Bruce acknowledged he was still processing his accomplishment. “It’s clearly a significant occasion, and I’m quite proud. “I’ll look back on it after my career and realise how special it is,” he remarked.

He scored his first triple century off 379 balls, surpassing Blunt’s 338-run total. His knock also put him above Dean Brownlie (334*), Devon Conway (327*), Michael Papps, and Peter Fulton in New Zealand’s domestic records.

Central Stags declared at 700/5 as a result of Bruce’s outstanding performance. Auckland finished Day 2 at 143/3, still trailing by 557 runs.

FIFA has launched media rights auctions for the next three World Cups in Thailand, Malaysia, and Laos. The tenders cover the men’s tournaments in 2026 and 2030, as well as the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

The bidding procedure began Monday, with the submission deadline set for April 1 at 10 a.m. CET. Interested parties can acquire tender materials from FIFA’s official contact emails for each nation.

The 2026 tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will include 48 teams competing in 104 matches. A record eight Asian teams will participate. The 2030 World Cup will be mostly hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with commemorative matches in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay to honour the tournament’s 100th anniversary.

Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia did not qualify for the 2022 Men’s or 2023 Women’s World Cups. Thailand did, however, compete in the 2019 World Cup. In Thailand, a former requirement for free-to-air broadcasting was eliminated in 2023, allowing pay-TV networks to bid. Malaysia’s previous World Cup coverage was split between the pay-TV powerhouse Astro and the free-to-air network RTM.

Mudit Grover, representing Team Bad Boi Drifts and funded by Mr. Makhana, won the DC Play 2025 Round 1 at Pathumthani Speedway in Bangkok. Grover’s win in the New Gen Class is a significant milestone for Indian drifting, showing the country’s emerging talent in global racing.

Grover will become the first Indian driver to race in the famous D1 Grand Prix (D1GP) Thailand competition, adding to his already impressive resume. D1GP Thailand, regarded as one of Asia’s most elite drifting tournaments, draws top drivers from around the world. The first round will be held at the legendary Chang International Circuit, a facility known for staging world-class racing events. With widespread media attention and record-breaking attendance, D1GP Thailand has established itself as a prominent platform for the sport.

Team Bad Boi Drifts, a pioneering drifting academy, has helped to nurture motorsport talent in India. The academy’s innovative training methods and outstanding coaching continue to push the frontiers of Indian drifting. Grover and teammate Akshat Taneja are preparing for an action-packed 2025 season, which will include participation in several tournaments such as DC Play and DC Drift Competition.

Indian Grandmaster Pa Iniyan won the prestigious Cannes International Open Chess Tournament held in Cannes, France. He won the title by defeating fellow Indian player V Pranesh in the ninth and final round.

Iniyan finished the event with an amazing score of 7.5 points, keeping a half-point lead over Delhi-based International Master Aradhya Garg, who finished second. Kazybek Noderbek of Kazakhstan, the reigning World Junior Champion, matched Garg with seven points. However, due to a tiebreak, the Kazakh player could only finish third.

Iniyan maintained exceptional consistency throughout the contest, going unbeaten in nine rounds. He won six games and tied three others, exhibiting extraordinary talent and strategic mastery. His most significant win came against Aradhya Garg in the penultimate round, which cemented his place at the top of the standings.

This victory added 12 rating points to Iniyan’s total, putting him closer to the 2600 Elo rating milestone. His current rating of 2579 reflects his growing supremacy in world chess.

The 38th edition of the tournament, which ended on Sunday, attracted 147 players from 25 nations, including six Grandmasters and 21 International Masters, making it a very contested event.

Stefanos Tsitsipas ultimately won the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on his third attempt. The fourth seed performed strongly in the final, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 to win his 12th tour championship. Tsitsipas, who had previously lost in the Dubai finals to Roger Federer in 2019 and Novak Djokovic in 2020, demonstrated tenacity to win his first ATP 500 championship and his largest hard-court triumph since Los Cabos in 2023.

“This victory was not guaranteed; I had to fight for it,” Tsitsipas stated. “It’s a great relief after the past two finals. It was always in the back of my mind, and I’m pleased to have finally accomplished it.”

Tsitsipas began the tournament with a 3-4 record in 2025, but he regained his form. His one-hour and 28-minute victory also ended his poor ATP 500 finals record (1-11) and secured his return to the Top 10.

Auger-Aliassime, chasing his third title of the season, couldn’t match Tsitsipas’ precision. The Greek saved all seven breakpoints and dominated long rallies. Despite a good start, the Canadians failed to capitalise.

“I’ll keep pushing,” Auger-Aliassime remarked. “Stefanos played at an incredible level tonight.”

Tsitsipas’s win solidifies his comeback, paving the way for a successful season ahead.

Lydia Ko won the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore for the first time after 11 attempts. The New Zealander won by four strokes over Ayaka Furue and Jeeno Thitikul in Sunday’s final round.

The 2024 Olympic gold medallist and Women’s British Open champion had a cautious start before gaining momentum with a key birdie on the par-5 sixth hole. She continued her assault with back-to-back birdies on the seventh and eighth holes, gaining command of the leaderboard.

Despite dropping two bogeys after the turn, Ko stayed calm. She shot a 69 in the final round at Sentosa Golf Club, finishing with a score of 13 under par.

Ko won her 23rd LPGA win and first since the Kroger Queen City Championship in September.

World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul fought well but fell short, finishing tied for second with Ayaka Furue on nine under. Charley Hull, who started just one shot behind Ko, battled with a 74 and dropped to fourth place.

The Singapore tournament is the second of three LPGA tournaments in Asia. The final event will be held next week in Hainan Island, China.

Virat Kohli has reached another milestone in his stellar career, becoming the fastest hitter to score 14,000 runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs). He reached this milestone in only 287 innings during the Champions Trophy match against Pakistan in Dubai. Before the game, Kohli needed another 15 runs to attain the milestone. The milestone was achieved without delay as he led India’s pursuit of 242 runs. He scored his 51st ODI century and finished undefeated, ensuring India’s resounding win. By hitting a cover-driven boundary off part-time spinner Kushdil Shah to complete the victory, he surpassed the three-figure mark in spectacular fashion.

Former India skipper Anil Kumble praised Kohli’s approach, saying he seemed more at ease than in his earlier innings against Bangladesh. Kumble observed that Kohli thrived under pressure, particularly against Pakistan, and that his body language conveyed confidence.

Kohli joins Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara as the only cricketers to reach 14,000 ODI runs. However, he achieved the milestone in 63 fewer innings than Tendulkar and 91 fewer than Sangakkara. Kohli is also the fastest to reach every 1000-run milestone since 2017, and he is on track to surpass Sangakkara’s total of 14,234 runs.

Shubman Gill, India’s vice-captain, has surpassed Pakistan’s Babar Azam to top in the ICC ODI batting rankings. The International Cricket Council (ICC) revealed the latest rankings immediately before the 2017 Champions Trophy in Karachi, which begins with a match between Pakistan and New Zealand.

Gill, who had a great run against England in the previous home series, surpassed Babar after scoring two half-centuries and a century in three matches. India overpowered England, claiming a 3-0 series win. Gill’s excellent form allowed him to amass 796 rating points, surpassing Babar, now 773 points. Rohit Sharma, India’s captain, is rated third with 761 points, followed by Heinrich Klaasen (SA) and Daryl Mitchell (NZ), who are fourth and fifth.

The ICC highlighted that Gill had previously held the No. 1 rating during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup before Babar recaptured the position. His recent century in Ahmedabad in the third ODI was enough to return him to the top rank.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana has surpassed Rashid Khan of Afghanistan to become the top ODI bowler. Theekshana’s superb four-wicket haul against Australia was vital in his ranking rise. Rashid is presently in second position, behind by only 11 points.

Out-of-favour Shardul Thakur, an Indian all-rounder, has signed with Essex for the forthcoming 2025 County Championship season in England. On Tuesday, February 18, while Shardul was playing for Mumbai versus Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy semi-final, Essex made the announcement.

Shardul’s debut season in County Cricket will see him play seven matches for Essex. The County Championship, England’s highest first-class tournament, will begin on April 4, exactly two weeks after the IPL 2025, which begins on March 22.

Despite not being sold in the IPL big auction, the 32-year-old all-rounder has been in outstanding form in the Ranji Trophy, delivering with both bat and ball for Mumbai.

“I’m excited to join Essex this summer,” Shardul stated.

The County spell comes at an important time for his career, as India prepares for a five-Test tour of England from June to August. His achievements could bolster his case for a return to the national squad.

Essex Director of Cricket Chris Silverwood hailed the deal, saying, “We wanted a quality fast bowler with batting skills, and Shardul fits in perfectly.”

Shardul, who last played a Test in December 2023, is determined to reclaim his place in the Indian team.

Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda has achieved history as the first half-marathon runner to breach the 57-minute mark. He accomplished this astounding achievement in a time of 56 minutes and 42 seconds at the World Athletics Gold Label road race in Barcelona on Sunday. This new world record is a significant achievement in long-distance running.

The 24-year-old Kiplimo, a two-time global cross-country champion, previously held the half-marathon mark from 2021-2024. With his remarkable effort, he recovered the record, shaving 48 seconds off the previous world record of 57:30 established by Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in Valencia in October.

Kiplimo’s feat is the most significant single improvement in the men’s world half-marathon record. The perfect weather conditions of 13°C (55°F) and little wind contributed significantly to his success. During the race, Kiplimo established a world record of 39:47 for the 15-kilometer mark, demonstrating his incredible endurance and speed.

“I am very excited about what I did today,” Kiplimo said. He started strong and maintained his focus throughout, never expecting to smash the world record. As he observed the pace, he realised he had to keep it till the end.