(Photo: Nathan Congleton/Flickr Commons)
Basketball
Istanbul will host the 2021 EuroLeague Women Final Four, from April 16-18, announced FIBA, basketball’s governing body, on March 26. Fenerbahçe Öznur Kablo is the sole Turkish club among the top four teams in this year’s final four, will play Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg on April 16.
Cricket
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on March 25 said that Asif Ali will replace Saud Shakeel in the ODI squad against South Africa after the latter suffered an injury during the practice match. ‘Uncapped middle-order batsman Saud Shakeel has been withdrawn from Pakistan’s ODI squad against South Africa after suffering a Grade-1 quadriceps tear in his left leg during Wednesday’s [March 24] 50-over-a-side practice match in Lahore,’ PCB said in a statement.
Football
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has no intention of leaving his position at the club ahead of the 2021/22 season. The former midfielder has been linked with a move back to France to replace Didier Deschamps as the French national team boss either before or after the 2022 World Cup. However, despite the speculation surrounding his long-term position in the Spanish capital, as per reports from Telefoot, via Diario Sport, he will be in charge of Los Blancos next season.
Rugby
Former All Blacks midfielder Sonny Bill Williams has confirmed his retirement from both rugby union and rugby league as he prepares to resurrect his boxing career.
The 35-year-old last played union for the All Blacks at the 2019 World Cup in Japan before crossing to the league for the second time in his career by signing a two-year deal with the Toronto Wolfpack in the English Super League.
Mixed Martial Arts
UFC 260: Abubakar Nurmagomedov secured his first UFC victory on March 27. Nurmagomedov dominated a fellow promotional sophomore, Jared Gooden, on the feet and the ground en route to a unanimous decision. After some fouls in round one, the Russian and Gooden each had their moments.
It was a close round, but Nurmagomedov found slightly more success in the striking department. In round two, Nurmagomedov found success in the striking including one big punch on a clinch break that hurt Gooden.
Nurmagomedov found his takedown in round 3 when he dragged Gooden to the canvas. From there, he remained in dominant top position. Gooden was unable to get up and the fight ended.
Squash
World number one Nour El Sherbini has finally got her hands on the women’s Black Ball Squash Open trophy after two previous runner-up finishes following her 3-1 win over USA’s Amanda Sobhy in Cairo, Egypt on March 18.
El Sherbini, 25, had suffered final defeats to compatriots Raneem El Welily and Hania El Hammamy at the Black Ball Sporting Club in the past, while Sobhy got the better of the four-time world champ in the quarter-final stage of December’s Black Ball Open.
However, the Egyptian has put a number of peerless displays at the PSA World Tour Platinum event and she continued that form into her final fixture with Sobhy to win 13-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-7 in 42 minutes.
Sobhy, bidding to become the first US player ever to win a major title, had opportunities and looked to have the edge physically in the latter stages. But El Sherbini’s racket skills saw her come up with winners at the crucial moments to collect the twenty-third title of her career as well as over $22,000 in prize money.