BASEBALL
Taipei Dome adds seating
An additional 4,700 seats would be available at the Taipei Dome for the Asian Baseball Championship finals on Sunday, Farglory, the builder and operator of the stadium, said yesterday. With the addition of the infield seats, the Taipei Dome will be able to accommodate 22,000 spectators for the championship game, Farglory said, adding that the opener between Taiwan and South Korea on Sunday last week drew nearly 17,000 fans. The 4,700 seats to be added will all be on the upper deck of the newly completed venue, which has a capacity of about 40,000, it said. The games on Sunday are to start at 12:30pm with the third-place game, followed by the final at 6:30pm. Taiwan face Japan today in the Super Round.
CRICKET
England level series
Sam Curran took three wickets and Jos Buttler scored a half-century on Wednesday to help England claim a six-wicket victory over the West Indies in the second ODI, leveling the three-match series at 1-1. Set a target of 203 for victory in North Sound, Antigua, England romped home in less than 33 overs to set up a series finale in Barbados tomorrow. Buttler made 58 not out in a 90-run partnership with Harry Brook (43) to get the tourists over the finish line. Gudakesh Motie was the pick of West Indies’ bowlers, picking up the wickets of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in back-to-back overs. Earlier, Curran (3-33) decimated the hosts’ top order in a devastating spell, claiming the wickets of Brandon King, Keacy Carty and Shimron Hetmyer.
TENNIS
Raducanu to play in NZ
Britain’s Emma Raducanu has accepted a wild card to play at the Auckland Classic in the New Year after missing out on one in the initial batch offered by the Australian Open. The former US Open winner has had a lengthy absence from the tour following operations on both wrists and an ankle this year, but hopes to be fit for the start of next season. The 21-year-old is set to return to Auckland with a protected ranking of 103 and a year on from exiting the tournament in tears after rolling her ankle during a second-round match moved indoors due to wet weather. “Despite the fact she had to retire this year, she was really happy to come back,” tournament director Nicolas Lamperin told New Zealand media yesterday. Raducanu joins a field featuring reigning champion and US Open holder Coco Gauff and former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki.
RUGBY LEAGUE
Nawaqanitawase switches
Wallabies star Mark Nawaqanitawase yesterday announced that he would jump codes and join rugby league team the Sydney Roosters, with beleaguered Rugby Australia voicing disappointment. Nawaqanitawase, 23, played 11 Tests and was a standout performer for Australia in their disastrous Rugby World Cup campaign in France this year. “We’re delighted to have secured Mark’s services and look forward to welcoming him to our club in 2025,” Roosters head of recruitment Daniel Anderson said in statement of the two-year deal. “We are disappointed — Mark has been a strong player over the last 12 months,” Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said of the NSW Waratahs player.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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