I Dig Sports
Pep vows City turnaround despite Dias injury blow
Pep Guardiola has reaffirmed his belief in Manchester City's turnaround despite confirming a fresh injury blow, with defender Rúben Dias out for up to a month.
Last Sunday's dramatic 2-1 defeat to Manchester United compounded City's crisis, with the Premier League champions losing eight of their last 11 games and sitting nine points behind leaders Liverpool.
Guardiola claimed he was "not good enough" after the match at the Etihad Stadium but remains confident in a breakthrough in form, with City visiting Aston Villa on Saturday.
"We were close to winning and we lost the game," Guardiola said of the Manchester derby. "I was not happy and had to be honest with myself.
"You fall down six times, you have to stand up seven. "I am fine. I am a normal person with feelings like all of us.
"When a situation is going well we are better and when it is not going well professionally we are more [focused] on what we have to do.
"Sooner or later, we will turn it around. I don't know when."
But City could be facing a crisis in defence, despite Manuel Akanji and John Stones returning to training, with Dias picking up a muscular injury against United.
"He's [Dias] out for a long time. Three or four weeks. Muscular issue. After 75 minutes against United he felt something but he is so strong so stayed on the pitch.
"Ederson I don't know if he will be ready [for Villa].
"Manuel and John are back training with us. That is good for us."
Villa are seventh in the table, two points and two places behind City.
Glamorgan bring in Asitha Fernando for first Championship block
Asitha, 27, has taken 72 wickets 26.66 in Tests and impressed on Sri Lanka's tour of England earlier this year, when he finished as the leading wicket-taker on either side as well as winning a spot on the Lord's honours board for his first-innings five-for.
He has played county cricket previously for Nottinghamshire, and will become the first Sri Lankan to represent Glamorgan.
"I would like to thank Glamorgan Cricket so much for this opportunity," Fernando said. "I am extremely thrilled to be a part of Glamorgan and to return to the county cricket scene this year.
"My last stint helped me to improve my game a lot. I am looking forward to playing with Mason [Crane], Colin [Ingram] and all of the Glamorgan team, and am hoping to do my very best during the upcoming season."
Glamorgan's director of cricket, Mark Wallace, said: "We're delighted to be able to welcome a bowler of Asitha's quality to Sophia Gardens for the start of the 2025 season.
"Asitha has good experience of conditions in the UK having played county cricket previously and also while performing very well in Sri Lanka's series with England here last summer. We look forward to Asitha taking the field for Glamorgan as the first Sri Lankan player to represent the club."
Ian Botham elected as Durham honorary president as stint as chair comes to end
Botham, who was appointed in 2017 having played for Durham in the club's maiden seasons as a first-class county in 1992 and 1993, attracted controversy last year for his scathing response to the report into cricket's racism crisis by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC), which he described as "nonsense" and claimed he "threw down on the floor".
In response, ICEC chair Cindy Butts told MPs at a Culture, Media and Sport select committee hearing in February that the ECB lacked "a moral backbone" in failing to distance itself from Botham's comments, adding that Botham himself had been asked to give evidence to the inquiry, but had not responded.
Speaking after the end of Botham's Durham tenure was confirmed, ECB Chair Richard Thompson said: "Over 50 years, Lord Botham has made a huge contribution to English cricket and in particular to Durham, first as a player before returning as chair in 2017 at a very challenging time for the club."
Collins, who became vice-chair and a director of Durham in 2017, enters the role with over 35 years' of commercial and marketing experience in various industries, along with a lifelong passion for cricket.
He takes over with Durham restored to the top flight of the County Championship, having been relegated back in 2016 as punishment for a financial crisis that required the ECB to bail them out.
Botham took over as chair soon afterwards, and said in a press release from the club: "I am delighted with what has been achieved at the Club during my tenure both on and off the field.
"Our men's team have performed superbly in recent times and this was evident with our promotion to Division One and our performances last year in the topflight.
"Our successful Tier 1 bid is huge for the region and we are absolutely delighted to bring professional women's sport to the region.
"It's a huge endorsement of the pathway we already have at Durham and the potential of the region and our squad and coaching staff is coming together very nicely.
"I look forward to working with Phil to achieve our goals and build on our successes, as I wish him all the best as our new Club Chair."
Collins added: "I'm delighted to have taken on the role of chair in what is a very exciting time for Durham Cricket. Lord Ian and the board has laid strong foundations for many years and I am looking forward to building on the work which has been achieved.
"The response to my election has been magnificent and everyone has been very supportive. "I can't wait for the season to start and for our men's and women's teams to get competing on the field, while we work on some exciting projects off it too."
Lloyd Pope and D'Arcy Short give Strikers first win of the season
Adelaide Strikers 165 for 6 (Short 60, Ross 35, Siddle 2-21, Milne 2-32) beat Melbourne Stars 150 for 9 (Harper 48, Pope 3-21, Short 2-23, Overton 2-44) by 15 runs
Short (60 off 42 balls) wasn't scheduled to play but was called up on Friday after a calf niggle sidelined Chris Lynn.
Strikers' spin trio took four of the first five wickets and six all up, with Pope (3 for 21) spearheading their attack. Pope showed great resilience after suffering the indignity of leaking 31 runs in a match-tilting over in Strikers' first-game loss to Sydney Thunder in Canberra on Tuesday.
Maxwell, who played his first BBL game of the season, threatened to take control of the match after reverse-sweeps for six off his second and third balls off Boyce. But paceman Henry Thornton (1 for 16) trapped the big-hitter lbw, backing up his spin trio superbly.
All bar two of D'Arcy Short's first 28 runs came from boundaries, with a six and five fours.
Ollie Pope made just eight off ten balls before being caught behind off a poor attempted ramp.
Baartman out of third ODI against Pakistan with right knee problem
Corbin Bosch, who earned his maiden call-up to the Test squad, will replace Baartman in the ODI squad and is also in line for a debut Test against Pakistan on Boxing Day.
His injury should not affect South Africa's Test plans even as they wait on Mulder's fitness. Mulder broke his right middle finger in the first Test against Sri Lanka last month but has started hitting balls again and was due to have a scan on Thursday. Test coach Shukri Conrad said South Africa will be conservative when looking at Mulder's return, which suggests he may not play in the first Test at SuperSport Park. That is a venue where South Africa could go all pace, and play Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Bosch and Dane Paterson or look to 18-year tearaway Kwena Maphaka, who made his ODI debut on Thursday. He took 4 for 72 in the match, which South Africa lost by 81 runs.
Pakistan have already won the series, but South Africa will look to salvage some pride on Pink Day at the Wanderers on Sunday. It will be their last ODI with their strongest available squad before the Champions Trophy next year.
Hewitt, Borg and others following their tennis parents
There could well be more youngsters with tennis-star parents coming through.
Serbian former world number one Novak Djokovic's 10-year-old son Stefan has been playing for a while. He won a club tournament a couple of years ago and has been seen hitting with his dad on Wimbledon's practice courts.
American 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams' eldest daughter Olympia is a natural at the sport, according to her mum - but she prefers playing golf.
Meanwhile, tennis legends Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf made a conscious decision not to try to force their children into picking up the sport.
Graf - a 22-time major singles champion - said the pair had "never really introduced tennis so much in their lives".
Agassi wrote in his autobiography Open about how strict his own father was and said in 2024, external: "The idea that a parent would attach a child's right to be loved in this world based on their performance is a tragedy.
"What somebody needs to do to be pro at 16 years old is crazy, right?"
Historic World Championships Light Up 2024
Busan Makes History
When the worlds elite players gathered at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Centre (BEXCO) for the ITTF World Championships 2024, they werent just competing for titles they were part of history. For the first time ever, Korea Republic hosted our sports flagship event, delivering a championship that exceeded all expectations. The combination of impeccable organisation and the nations passionate table tennis culture created an electric atmosphere, whilst the added pressure of Olympic qualification spots pushed competition to new heights.
Team China ultimately retained their crowns in both mens and womens events, though not without fierce resistance the French mens and Korea Republics mens team pushed them to the limit, whilst Japans women provided one of the tournaments most memorable battles before China secured their title defence.
Next Generation Shines in Helsingborg
The future of table tennis took centre stage at the ITTF World Youth Championships in Sweden this November, where history was written multiple times over. Germanys Annett Kaufmann broke Asias dominance by becoming the first non-Asian champion in Under-19 Girls Singles, whilst Hana Goda secured Africas first-ever U19 Singles medal with bronze, and Leonardo Izuka claimed a historic first Singles medal for the Pan-American region.
Korea Republic continued the years theme of breaking barriers, becoming the first non-Chinese or Japanese team to claim the Under-19 Girls Team title. Meanwhile, Chinas Li Hechen achieved the remarkable feat of securing all four gold medals in the Under-15 categories, and Iran celebrated its first-ever Youth Championships medal through Benyamin Farajis bronze in Under-15 Boys Singles.
Rome Hosts Record-Breaking Masters
The eternal city provided a fitting backdrop for the largest table tennis event in history, as Rome welcomed the ITTF World Masters Championships 2024. The numbers alone tell an extraordinary story: 6,100 athletes aged 40 to 99, 111 member associations represented, and nearly 10,000 members of the table tennis family gathered at the Nuova Fiera di Roma.
Yet beyond the record-breaking numbers, this years Masters Championships marked another significant milestone by welcoming Para table tennis players for the first time. Across eleven age categories, the event demonstrated that table tennis truly is a sport for all, transcending age, ability, and borders.
These three championships painted a vivid picture of table tenniss global appeal from promising youth talents and elite competitors to passionate veterans, the sport continues to evolve, inspire, and unite people across generations.
ITTF Maps Path to LA28 in Preliminary Visit
ITTF completed a comprehensive three-day visit to Los Angeles this week, marking a significant step in the preparation for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. ITTF President Petra Sörling and Secretary General Raul Calin took part in a series of strategic meetings and venue inspections with the LA28 Organising Committee.
During the visit, they were greeted by LA28 Chairman Casey Wasserman and IOC Olympic Games Operations Director Pierre Ducrey.
The visit included detailed tours of the Los Angeles Convention Centre and the Downtown LA precinct. The ITTF delegation engaged in extensive discussions with LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games Sports Director Niccolo Campriani and Sport Group Manager Jack Smith, focusing on venue planning and sport presentation strategies.
The level of preparation and attention to detail shown by the LA28 team throughout the visit was noted as remarkable. Of particular interest was the UCLA campus, which will serve as the Olympic and Paralympic Village. The facility, which previously hosted athletes in 1984, is expected to provide an exceptional experience for the athletes in 2028.
The ITTF delegation participated in comprehensive discussions about venue operations, sport manager recruitment, and competition scheduling. A significant portion of the meetings focused on strategies for enhancing the presentation of table tennis and increasing community engagement during both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Throughout the discussions, the LA28 team showed strong enthusiasm for maximising the impact of table tennis at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Their demonstrated commitment strongly aligns with ITTFs vision for the sports future growth in North America. The visit sets the foundation for continued collaboration between the ITTF and LA28 in the lead-up to the Games. Based on the comprehensive preparations observed during the visit, the ITTF leadership expressed confidence in LAs readiness and the potential for delivering outstanding Olympic and Paralympic table tennis competitions in 2028.
O'Toole took four days 'to get fully right' after concussion
O'Toole had been promoted to Ireland's matchday squad for the All Blacks game after Tadhg Furlong's injury meant Finlay Bealham started at tight-head prop.
It was a big game for O'Toole, who did not feature in the summer's two-Test series against the Springboks in South Africa after making just one appearance off the bench in this year's Six Nations.
While the Drogheda native says being concussed so soon after being introduced was "really tough", he insists he would not do anything differently were he to find himself in the same situation.
"When you're coming up against the All Blacks, especially at home and how big of a game it was, you come on and within two minutes you get a scrum, a carry and you feel like you're in the game and then all of a sudden you're out," said O'Toole.
"Unfortunately, I don't remember too much after it. Watching it back is obviously pretty disappointing.
"That's rugby, without being too cheesy or whatever. That's the game, that's what happens. [I've] probably watched it over 100 times to see if I could have done anything differently but unfortunately you can't really.
"I just got caught. As I said, I wish I could've done something differently but I don't think I would have done anything differently if I had it again."
England scrum-half Van Poortvliet signs Tigers deal
Van Poortvliet featured 19 times in the league when Tigers won the Premiership title in 2022, but was left out of the Grand Final side that beat Saracens.
While he missed out on the decider, he went on to earn his senior international debut for England a month later.
He has played 16 times for his country, with his latest appearances coming against South Africa and Japan in November.
Van Poortvliet had not featured for England for more than a year after an ankle injury forced him to miss last year's World Cup.
Tigers head coach Michael Cheika described the playmaker as "a quality player and a quality person".
"He knows what it means to play and win for Leicester," Cheika continued.
"He is already at international level, and I believe there's still lots of growth left in his game."
Van Poortvliet is the fifth Tigers player to renew his contract with the club this week, following fellow England international Ollie Hassell-Collins, Ollie Chessum, Tonga centre Solomone Kata and Scotland prop Will Hurd.
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
