Sporting briefs

Lehmann: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confirmed yesterday that goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is set to rejoin the club until the end of the season. Manuel Almunia is currently Arsenal’s only fit goalkeeper because of injuries to Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone. “Lehmann is training with us and will sign for the rest of the season,” said Wenger.

Inter: Argentine pair Javier Zanetti and Diego Milito were back in training yesterday to offer Italian champions Inter a welcome boost ahead of this weekend’s match against Lecce. Zanetti was back after missing Tuesday’s Champions League last 16 second-leg 3-2 win over Bayern Munich with flu. Milito took part in his second full training session as he recovers from the hamstring problem that has kept him out since February 6.

Earnshaw: Wales striker Robert Earnshaw has been ruled out of his country’s Euro 2012 qualifier against England due to a hamstring strain. The 29-year-old sustained the injury in Nottingham Forest’s goalless draw against Doncaster Rovers in the Championship last weekend.

Scotland: Scotland manager Craig Levein has called up St Johnstone’s promising midfielder Murray Davidson for the friendly against Brazil at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium on March 27. The 23-year-old has been in scintillating form in the Scottish top-flight this season.

Postponed: The Asian Football Confederation yesterday postponed Sydney FC’s AFC Champions League clash with Japan’s Kashima Antlers after the earthquake and explosions at the Fukushima plant. The Group H match was originally scheduled for Wednesday.

Special Olympics: Greece plans to issue one million two-euro coins to commemorate the Special Olympics for the intellectually disabled in Athens this summer. The project, which will cost 310,000 euros, will be carried out after the state council, the country’s highest admin-istrative authority, gives its approval. The Special Olympics – held every four years – are scheduled for June 25 to July 4 in the Greek capital and will see 7,500 intellectually disabled athletes compete in 30 events.

Boxing: Filipino boxing star Nonito Donaire, who stopped Fernando Montiel last month to take two world bantamweight titles, has signed a deal with Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. The Los Angeles firm announced its multi-year promotional contract with the 28-year-old “Filipino Flash”, a former world flyweight and super flyweight champion who collected the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organisation bantamweight titles last month.

Cricket: James Tredwell and Graeme Swann took seven wickets between them as England kept their World Cup quarter-final hopes alive with an 18-run win over the West Indies yesterday. West Indies, chasing 244 for victory, were 222-6 after a stand of 72 between Ramnaresh Sarwan (31) and Andre Russell (49) rescued them from the depths of 150 for six. But they lost their final four wickets for three runs to finish on 225 all out. England now need Bangladesh to lose to South Africa tomorrrow.

Rugby union: New Zealand’s All Blacks sealed an agreement with a Maori tribe yesterday to ensure the team can continue to perform its traditional war dance, or haka, before matches. The ritual has been performed by the All Blacks since 1905 but was composed by a leader of the Ngati Toa tribe, which was granted intellectual property rights to it in 2009. The North Island-based tribe had threatened to trademark parts of the dance but the NZRU said it had reached an agreement with the Ngati Toa that would allow the All Blacks to maintain the tradition.