Basket, NBA: Anthony Mason, a former player with the National Basketball Association’s New York Knicks, has died at the age of 48, ESPN and other media reported yesterday. One of Mason’s sons said last week that his father’s health was improving after multiple heart surgeries, the US cable network reported. The 13-year NBA veteran had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure earlier this month. Mason was a forward from Tennessee State University, who played with the Knicks from 1991 to 1996, according to the club’s website. A fan favourite, he was a key player in the 1993-1994 Eastern Conference champion team.
Basketball: Fenerbahce moved a step closer to the Euroleague play-offs with a shock 81-75 win at CSKA Moscow, handing the six-time champions their first home loss this season and stalwart Andrei Kirilenko a sour return home. Former NBA All-Star forward Kirilenko, who rejoined CSKA on Tuesday for a third stint with the Russian giants, made a cameo appearance but scored only two points in five minutes on court. Roared on by several hundred noisy away fans, the Turkish side raced into a 10-0 lead and held the upper hand throughout a physical contest, which boiled over in the closing stages when CSKA’s Serbia playmaker Milos Teodosic was ejected for dissent.
Golf: World number one Rory McIlroy gave himself three tournaments to get in optimum form for the Masters in April but the first one ended in disappointment as he missed the cut at the Honda Classic in Florida. McIlroy shot 73 and 74 in his two rounds on the Champion Course leaving him seven over par, well outside the cut-line. A missed cut for the top player in the world is an embarrassment but given the conditions, particularly the tricky winds, McIlroy did not seem overly concerned with his form. “I guess I don’t feel like I controlled my ball flight well at all, which you need to in the wind,” said McIlroy, who had not played since his win in Dubai on February 1.
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Tennis: A stomach virus caused world no.2 Maria Sharapova (picture) to pull out of the Acapulco International in Mexico just hours before her semi-final on Friday. French Open champion Sharapova reached the last four of the hardcourt tournament with a 6-1 4-6 6-2 win over Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova. Sharapova was due to meet Caroline Garcia of France in the semi-finals.
Cricket: Kane Williamson coolly struck a straight six to give New Zealand a one wicket victory over Australia in a dramatic battle between the cricket World Cup hosts at Eden Park yesterday. Williamson lofted Pat Cummins over the boundary with last man Trent Boult at the wicket to finish on 45 not out in New Zealand’s 152 for nine off 23.1 overs. Mitchell Starc scythed through the New Zealand batting after Brendon McCullum had given the home side a flying start with 50 from 24 balls to take six for 28 from nine overs. New Zealand’s fast bowler Trent Boult recorded his best figures in a one-day international, capturing five wickets for one run during his second spell, to finish with five for 27 in Australia’s 151 all out from 32.2 overs.
Tennis: Rafael Nadal screamed with delight on reaching the Argentine Open semi-finals with a 6-1 6-1 rout of Federico Delbonis. Nadal, who went down to a first defeat in 53 consecutive semi-finals on clay at the Rio Open last weekend, pumped his fist after winning a superb rally in the fifth game of the second set and again when the Argentine hit the ball wide on second match point. Nadal, who dropped to world number four, meets Argentine Carlos Berlocq in the semi-final with a 65th title and Guillermo Vilas’s record of 46 claycourt crowns in his sights.