Cricket: As the clock ticks down on Brendon McCullum’s international career, the New Zealand captain will achieve one more milestone today in the first test against Australia at the Basin Reserve. The 34-year-old will become the third New Zealander to play 100 test matches for his country, behind Daniel Vettori (112), who played one for a World XI in 2005, and Stephen Fleming (111). McCullum, who is to retire from all international cricket after the second test at Hagley Oval in Christchurch that starts on February 20, has played all 100 of his tests in succession since debut, which is a world record.
Athletics: The head of the Kenyan athletics federation has dismissed claims by two banned athletes that he asked for money to reduce their doping suspensions, describing the allegation as a “fabrication”. Joy Sakari and Francisca Koki Manunga said that federation CEO Isaac Mwangi asked each athlete for $24,000 to reduce the four-year bans they were given after testing positive for a banned substance during last year’s world championships in Beijing.
Basketball, NBA: The Phoenix Suns’ season took another fractious turn on Wednesday when team-mates Markieff Morris and Archie Goodwin got into a shoving match during the team’s loss to the Golden State Warriors. A heated conversation turned physical between the two players during a first-quarter timeout as Morris stood over a seated Goodwin who then leapt up from the bench. The huddled Phoenix bench quickly broke up the dust-up, but they could do little to halt their freefall. The Suns (14-40) lost to the Warriors 112-104 for their ninth straight defeat.
2016 Olympics: The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is to recruit two infectious disease experts to advise potential members of their Rio 2016 Games team who are concerned about the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil. “We have been in close contact with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as infectious disease specialists with expertise regarding the Zika virus,” wrote USOC CEO Scott Blackmun in a letter sent to prospective Olympians.