■SOCCER
Rovers sign Robinson
Blackburn Rovers on Friday signed Tottenham Hotspur’s England goalkeeper Paul Robinson for £3.5 million (US$7 million), the Lancashire club announced. With the deal sealed, it is expected that Rovers’ long-serving keeper Brad Friedel will complete his £2 million move to fellow English Premier League side Aston Villa. The 28-year-old Robinson will be hoping for a fresh start at Ewood Park after a remarkable fall from grace at White Hart Lane that started when he was dropped as England’s No.1 and ended with his first-team spot under Juande Ramos threatened by Radek Cerny and summer signing Heurelho Gomes.
■CRICKET
Steyn ruled out of Test
South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn will miss the third Test against England after suffering a fractured thumb. X-rays showed Steyn has injured the base of his left thumb and the 24-year-old is likely to be in a plaster cast for two to three weeks. South Africa team manager Mohammed Moosajee confirmed Steyn will miss the Edgbaston Test, which starts on Wednesday, after having the plaster cast fitted at a hospital in Worcester, where his side are currently playing a tour match against Bangladesh A.
SOCCER
Mexes’ daughter stolen
AS Roma’s French defender Philippe Mexes suffered a terrifying ordeal when thieves stole his car, with his two-year-old daughter inside. Police sources said the robbers abandoned the vehicle just a quarter-of-an-hour later having discovered baby Eva inside the car. Italian police claimed Mexes was present at the time of the theft, which occurred on Thursday night, a version that was denied by Mexes’ agent Olivier Jouanneaux. “Thursday night, Philippe Mexes was at training at Roma’s training ground at Trigoria,” said Jouanneaux, claiming that Mexes’ wife Carla had been alone with their two children, Eva and four-year-old Enzo. “She took her son into the house and the two men came in behind her and stole the keys. She saw them leaving with the car, with her young daughter still inside.”
■CRICKET
Laxman move falls through
India batsman V.V.S. Laxman’s planned move to Nottinghamshire has fallen through after the deal was vetoed by the India Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI), the English county said. The 33-year-old had been expected to arrive at Trent Bridge next month after Nottinghamshire had received a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the BCCI two weeks ago. However, the BCCI have subsequently withdrawn the NOC by e-mail and Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell said the county would now search for a replacement player. “We followed correct procedures to complete the deal with the approval of the BCCI and it is extremely disappointing that they have reversed their stance,” Newell said. “We were very surprised to learn about the possibility of the deal collapsing in the media in the first instance.”
■SOCCER
Porto sign the ‘Hulk’
Portuguese champions FC Porto on Friday signed Brazilian striker Givanildo Vieira de Souza, nicknamed the “Hulk” for his muscular physique, for 5.5 million euros (US$8.6 million) from Tokyo Verdy in Japan. “The contract runs until June 30, 2012,” a Porto statement said. The 21-year-old began his career with Corinthians in the Brazilian top flight, before moving to Tokyo Verdy in 2005.
■BASEBALL
Olympics to use tie-breaker
The Olympic baseball tournament will institute a new tie-breaking procedure in Beijing, beginning each inning from the 11th with runners on first and second bases. Teams may also start the 11th at any point in their batting order under format changes announced on Friday by the International Baseball Federation and adopted in time for next month’s Beijing Games. For example, a team that opts to lead off with its No. 3 hitter would begin with its No. 1 batter on second base and its No. 2 hitter on first with no outs.
■BASKETBALL
Lakers acquire Vujacic
Slovenian guard Sasha Vujacic has agreed to a three-year, US$15 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after emerging last season as a key member of the NBA’s Western Conference champions. “We felt Sasha made great progress in this past year, and our coach showed great confidence in playing him the second half of the season,” Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said on Friday in confirming the agreement, first reported by the Riverside Press-Enterprise. The 24-year-old Vujacic, whose contract had expired, averaged a career-high 8.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1 assist in 72 games this season.
■BASEBALL
Yanks trade for Nady, Marte
The New York Yankees acquired outfielder Xavier Nady and southpaw reliever Damaso Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for four minor leaguers on Friday. The trade is pending medicals. With injuries to outfielders Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui along with catcher Jorge Posada, the Yankees were looking to add offensive depth for their late-season push. Nady, 29, gives New York another experienced right-handed bat in a lineup that has struggled to produce runs. Entering Friday’s game, Nady was batting .330 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs. Marte will provide the Yankees with a left-hander out of the bullpen. He is 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA in 46-and-two-third innings this season. Pittsburgh will receive right-field prospect Jose Tabata and pitchers Ross Ohlendorf, George Kontos and Phil Coke.
■FOOTBALL
Packers in talks with Jets
The Green Bay Packers have been in touch with the New York Jets, reportedly to give the Jets the go-ahead to pursue quarterback Brett Favre. Jets quarterback Chad Pennington on Friday said he was told by general manager Mike Tannenbaum that the Packers have been in contact with the Jets. With Pennington and Kellen Clemens expected to vie for the starting Jets job, any quarterback controversy at the Jets could be magnified by the arrival of Favre.
■BASKETBALL
Shock snub Lieberman
Nancy Lieberman, who made history on Thursday night by playing in a Women’s National Basketball Association game at age 50, was waived by the Detroit Shock on Friday. The guard was axed one day after signing a seven-day deal with the club and breaking her own mark as the oldest player in the history of the US women’s elite league. Lieberman missed her only shot and added two assists with turnovers in nine minutes on the court in a 79-61 Detroit loss to the Houston Comets on Thursday. The Shock were in need of players after five players were suspended for their roles in a brawl on Tuesday against Los Angeles. Lieberman was a rookie 11 years ago in the WNBA’s debut season when she set what had been the mark for the oldest WNBA player.
BUMRAH WATCH: Captain Jasprit Bumrah left the SCG for scans for back spasms and although he returned to the ground, there was no word on if he would play Rishabh Pant’s blistering counterattack yesterday capped a chaotic second day of the fifth and final Test between Australia and India, with 15 wickets falling and the star bowler of the series leaving the Sydney Cricket Ground with an ambulance escort. Yet the Border-Gavaskar trophy still remains very much in the balance as India reached 141-6, holding a 145-run lead over Australia with three days remaining. “Low-scoring games like this, it just heightens the pressure within it, so long way still to go,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said. “There’s gonna be plenty of cricket, so we’ll see what happens.” Australia were bowled out for
Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan yesterday dumped defending champions Germany out of the United Cup with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev sidelined by an arm injury barely a week away from the Australian Open. The upset in Perth sent the Kazakhs into the semi-finals of the 18-nation tournament. In Sydney, women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek led Poland into the last eight by winning a rematch of her 2023 French Open final against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Britain also progressed to the quarter-finals with Katie Boulter’s dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki enough to guarantee they won their group. The US and
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek yesterday beat Elena Rybakina in straight sets to take Poland into the final of the mixed-teams United Cup with victory over Kazakhstan. Last year’s runners-up face the US today for the title in Sydney after they beat the Czech Republic in the other semi-final. “This win makes me really proud,” Swiatek said after seeing off Rybakina 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to give Poland an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie. It was a statement of intent from the world number two with the first major of the year to start on Jan. 12. “It is perfect preparation for the
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