Feb 3, Top Sports News: Samson breaks finger, WPL replacements announced, Rashford moves to Villa
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Australian Cricket Awards: Travis Head wins Allan Border medal, Sutherland receives Belinda Clark honour
Travis Head won the prestigious Allan Border Medal as Australia’s top men’s cricketer, while young all-rounder Annabel Sutherland secured the Belinda Clark Medal at the Australian Cricket Awards on Monday.
Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood won his first Men’s Test Player of the Year award at the Australian Cricket Awards after claiming 30 wickets at 13.16 in Tests against West Indies, New Zealand, and India.
Teenager Sam Konstas was named Young Cricketer of the Year after an impressive debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring 113 runs, including a 60 on debut. His fearless batting against Jasprit Bumrah made headlines.
Other winners included Ashleigh Gardner (Women’s ODI Player), Beth Mooney (Women’s T20 Player), Adam Zampa (Men’s T20 Player), and Cameron Green (Community Impact Award).
Michael Clarke, Michael Bevan, and Christina Matthews were inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, highlighting a memorable night.
Michael Bevan set to be inducted in Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
Michael Bevan is set to be inducted as the 66th member of the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
Bevan is widely regarded as one of the greatest white-ball players of all time, a prolific run-scorer who was the world’s top-ranked ODI batter for 1,259 consecutive days between 1999 and 2002.
He played 232 ODIs, scoring 6,912 runs at an average of 53.58, including six centuries and 48 half-centuries. He was a member of Australia’s 1999 and 2003 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup-winning teams.
Sanju Samson fractures index finger, out of action for upto six weeks
Star wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has fractured his index finger after being hit by a Jofra Archer scorcher during the fifth Twenty20 International against England in Mumbai and will be out of action for more than a month, sidelining him from the upcoming Ranji Trophy quarterfinals.
It is learnt that Sanju has returned to his home in Thiruvananthapuram and will only start training after completing his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). He would need NCA’s green light before returning to competitive action.
SA20 formalises window for next three seasons of lucrative league
SA20 and Cricket South Africa on Monday formalised the window of the franchise-based tournament for the next three years in order to “bring certainty” to stakeholders and also help the national team plan its international calendar in advance.
As per the schedule, Season 4 will get underway on December 26, 2025 and run through to January 26, 2026. The season will lead up to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February next year. Season 5 will return to its original slot, running from January 9 to February 14, 2027, while Season 6 will be held from January 9 to February 13, 2028.
Sanjiv Goenka’s RPSG Group, owner of Lucknow Super Giants, buys stake in The Hundred side Manchester Originals
RPSG Group, owner of Indian Premier League side Lucknow Super Giants, acquired a minority stake in The Hundred side Manchester Originals, news reports stated on Monday.
The company has secured a 49% ownership in the Manchester-based team from Lancashire. It will enter into an eight-week period of exclusivity to finalise the deal.
Last week, another Indian company, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited, which owns the Mumbai Indians, had bought stake in Oval Invincibles.
WPL 2025: UP Warriorz, RCB announce replacements for Healy, Devine
UP Warriorz has signed Chinelle Henry as an injury replacement for Australia captain Alyssa Healy, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru has brought in Heather Graham to replace Sophie Devine, the Women’s Premier League organisers have announced.
Robin van Persie left enraged after substitution mixup leaves rival team playing with 12 men
Robin van Persie simply could not believe it.
The former Arsenal and Manchester United great, who now coaches Heerenveen in the Dutch league, was left furious this weekend after his side was held to a 2-2 draw by a rival that played with 12 men.
The mix-up happened with two minutes left and Heerenveen leading Fortuna Sittard 2-1. Following a double substitution, Jasper Dahlhaus remained on the pitch for a moment, creating the illegal extra-player situation.
Manchester United’s Rashford completes loan move to Aston Villa
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has joined Aston Villa on loan, both Premier League clubs announced on Sunday, bringing to an end a difficult few weeks for the England striker after he was frozen out at Old Trafford.
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Rashford, who has been capped 60 times by England, will join Villa until the end of the season.
Rashford has scored 138 goals in 426 appearances for Manchester United after coming through the club’s youth system and breaking into the senior side in 2016. He has lifted the Europa League, two FA Cups and two League Cups.
However, the striker had not featured for United since mid-December after admitting he was ready for a new challenge in his career.
Manager Ruben Amorim called into question the forward’s workrate and defended his decision to again omit him from his squad for the side’s win over Fulham last month, insisting he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford has also scored 17 goals for England. He has played in two World Cups and two European Championships for his country.
Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham announces plan for new stand to allow club to host international matches
Wrexham AFC has announced plan for a new 5,500-capacity Kop Stand at its Racecourse ground, a key stadium renovation project under celebrity owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The club said Monday that the stand will be compliant with UEFA requirements, enabling Wrexham to host matches in the European Under-19 Championship in 2026 and other international fixtures in the future.
The Racecourse is the world’s oldest football stadium hosting international matches that is still in use, staging its first in 1877.
The once-imposing Kop has been unused since 2007, though a temporary stand for more than 2,000 seats was erected midway through last season.
Kiss was not consensual, Spain’s Hermoso tells court including Rubiales
Spanish women’s World Cup winner Jenni Hermoso confronted former football federation boss Luis Rubiales at his trial on Monday, saying she did not agree to the kiss that triggered a national backlash against sexism in sport.
“I knew I was being kissed by my boss and that should not happen in any social or work environment,” she said of the encounter seen live by millions around the world at the 2023 World Cup awards ceremony in Australia.
Fixing at the National Games?
The National Games Technical Conduct Committee (GTCC) has replaced Taekwondo’s director of competition after some officials were accused of fixing results in “10 of the 16 weight categories long before the competition” actually started.
The GTCC has named S. Dinesh Kumar as the new director of competition, replacing T. Praveen Kumar after “strong recommendations” were made by a three-member prevention of manipulation of competition committee (PMCC).
Davis Cup: Chile’s Garin refuses to play on after changeover collision and loses match to Belgium
Belgium advanced to the second round of Davis Cup qualifying in bizarre circumstances Sunday after Chile tennis player Cristian Garin was accidentally knocked over by his opponent and refused to continue their match.
Belgium’s Zizou Bergs was celebrating as he sprinted toward his bench after winning a game in the third set that left him serving for the match. Garin was approaching the narrow space between the net and the umpire’s chair at the same time and the two collided, with Bergs catching Garin in the right eye with his right shoulder.
Bergs immediately apologized and Garin had to receive medical treatment.
Ex-Wimbledon champion Kvitova returns to tennis after giving birth
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova said Monday she was returning to the sport seven months after giving birth to a son.
“After fifteen months being away from tennis and having my baby boy Petr, I’m coming back to the tennis circuit,” Kvitova said in a video message on Instagram.
Sam Kerr racially abused policeman, says UK court
Australia women’s football captain Sam Kerr went on trial in a London court on Monday, accused of racially abusing a white police officer after a drunken dispute with a cab driver.
Kerr, who plays for Chelsea in the Women’s Super League, told the officer Stephen Lovell: “You guys are fucking stupid and white.”
Kerr, who has Indian ancestry, accepts saying those words
but has pleaded not guilty to one count of racially aggravated harassment. Her lawyer argued she was making a comment about power and privilege.
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