Cricket: Australia captain Michael Clarke continued his push to prove his fitness ahead of the World Cup by bowling two overs and fielding in multiple positions in a warm-up match against Bangladesh yesterday. The 33-year-old has until Australia’s second match of the tournament, against Bangladesh on February 21, to prove his fitness after surgery on a torn hamstring. He played a club game in Sydney at the weekend and then turned out for the Cricket Australia XI against the Bangladeshis in Brisbane yesterday.

Rugby Union: Call them Les Rouges. Fifty years of rugby tradition was washed away yesterday when officials said France would start their Six Nations campaign against Scotland tomorrow wearing red shirts. France, whose usual blue shirt is one of the most iconic in rugby, had a brief flirtation with red shirts in 1958 and 1959 against Australia and Scotland respectively, winning both games, though their usual change strip is white. “It is one of the colours of our flag,” Emmanuelle Gaye, a spokesperson for Adidas told Le Figaro, who published a picture of centre Wesley Fofana wearing the shirt with blue shorts and red socks.

Cycling: Yorkshire hopes to capitalise on its success as Tour de France hosts by staging the UCI Road World Championships. The region will already host the Tour de Yorkshire, a three-day annual race, which first takes place in May this year, after hosting a Grand Depart widely regarded the best yet last July. “As part of our work to make Yorkshire the cycling heartland of Europe we hope to bid, along with British Cycling, for the Road World Championships,” a Welcome to Yorkshire spokesperson said.