MotoGP: World champion Marc Marquez seized pole position for this morning’s Australian MotoGP Grand Prix as intermittent rain and high winds play-ed havoc with qualifying at Phillip Island yesterday. The Honda rider, who sealed his third world title in Japan last weekend, took a gamble on slick tyres despite rain clouds looming overhead and was rewarded with a time of one minute, 30.189 seconds.
Formula One: Formula One teams have agreed a compromise to switch next year’s first in-season test from Barcelona to Bahrain following a failed attempt to move winter testing to the warmer climes of the Middle East. Red Bull principal Christian Horner told reporters that all the teams had met the sport’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone at the US Grand Prix on Friday to discuss the situation. Testing outside of Europe requires the unanimous agreement of all the teams and Horner said a vote conducted earlier in the week by FIA did not achieve that.
Tennis: Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova raced to a 6-2 6-1 victory over Daria Gavrilova to defend her Kremlin Cup title in Moscow yesterday and secure a place at the season-ending WTA Finals. Kuznetsova was broken in her first service game to fall 2-0 behind but the 31-year-old broke back immediately to claim the first of 10 straight games as she roared to victory in 73 minutes. The Russian had to win to qualify for Singapore and her victory represents heartbreak for Johanna Konta, who held the final spot for the Singapore event.
Cricket: Ben Stokes revived England with ball and bat on the third day against Bangladesh yesterday to put the visitors in control of the opening test in Chittagong. Stokes produced a brilliant effort to complete figures of 4-26 on a pitch largely unresponsive to pace bowling, triggering a batting collapse as Bangladesh were dismissed for 248 to give England a first-innings lead of 45. Stokes then walked in to bat with England tottering on 46 for four in the second innings and propped up his team with a fighting 85. At stumps, England had reached 228 for eight for an overall lead of 273.
Rugby Union: World champions New Zealand were challenged for 50 minutes but still ran in six tries to beat Australia 37-10 in Auckland yesterday and become the first top tier nation to win 18 consecutive test matches. Julian Savea scored two tries and Israel Dagg, Anton Lienert-Brown, TJ Perenara and Dane Coles also crossed to help the 2015-16 All Blacks better the record held by the 2013-14 and 1965-69 New Zealanders, and the 1997-1998 Springboks.