Cricket: Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi lent his support yesterday to millions of people suffering from consecutive years of flooding, promising to continue to raise funds and awareness for their plight. The 32-year-old former captain visited the Basic Human Rights (BHR) charity’s one-room shelter projects in various villages in southern Pakistan and pledged his support for housing millions of homeless people. “I am passionate about the relief work,” Afridi said. Pakistan has suffered devastating floods in the past three years, killing almost 1,800 people and affecting 21 million others.
Figure skating: Russia’s Julia Lipnitskaia will miss next week’s ISU Grand Prix figure skating series finals in 2014 Winter Olympics host city Sochi, after suffering slight concussion in a fall. The 14-year-old reportedly suffered slight concussion and a cut chin. The world junior champion made her debut in the senior ISU Grand Prix series this season clinching a place in the finals on her first attempt after finishing runner-up in the Cup of China and third at Trophee Eric Bompard in Paris.
Cycling: Triple Tour de France champion Greg LeMond backed a new campaign for a more robust anti-doping drive to rid cycling of drug cheats in the aftermath of the Lance Armstrong scandal. The group, which goes under the banner Change Cycling Now (CCN), includes the likes of fellow former competitors Jonathan Vaughters, an ex-team-mate of Armstrong who now heads up the Garmin team. It also includes German rider Jorg Jaksche, who served a doping ban in 2007, and Italian Gianni Bugno, head of the professional cyclists body. The CCN group will meet for the first time in London this weekend under the supervision of co-ordinator Jaimie Fuller, chief executive of Australian sports clothing firm SKINS.
Basket, NBA: A mixed bag of San Antonio Spurs benchwarmers almost handed champions Miami Heat their first home loss of the season in a match-up that had been billed as the preview of the final. The Heat appeared to be headed for a humiliating loss but they survived the mighty scare to beat the Spurs 105-100 behind a 20-8 closing run and 23 points from LeBron James at the AmericanAirlines Arena.
Boxing: Miguel Cotto (picture) says losing to Floyd Mayweather in his last fight helped “rejuvenate” his career after the Puerto Rican pugilist gave the undefeated American all he could handle. Now, the 32-year-old goes up against another undefeated US boxer tonight when he takes on WBA junior middleweight champ Austin Trout at Madison Square Garden. “Mayweather was an excellent fight,” Cotto said. “I didn’t win, but sometimes when you lose you win. That was my case in this fight. I felt rejuvenated after this fight. Everybody is going to see that.” Cotto will have the crowd at the MSG on his side. He has been fighting there since 2005.