Sport Briefs

Cycling
 Australian sprinter Allan Davis won the Tour Down Under yesterday as American Lance Armstrong finished well in his much-anticipated return to professional cycling.

Cycling
Australian sprinter Allan Davis won the Tour Down Under yesterday as American Lance Armstrong finished well in his much-anticipated return to professional cycling.
Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner who used the race as his comeback after a three-and-a-half year hiatus from the sport, came in a respectable 29th overall, 49secs behind the winner Davis of Quick Step. But Davis – protected by a committed team – did enough throughout the 90km final stage, held on a 4.5km circuit, to protect his overnight lead of 25secs on former two-time champion Stuart O’Grady of Saxo Bank.
O’Grady, the winner in 1999 and 2001, finished second overall, with Spaniard Jose Rojas of Caisse d’Epargne third at 30sec.

Boxing
American Shane Mosley claimed the World Boxing Association’s welterweight championship on Saturday with a stunning ninth round demolition of Antonio Margarito. Five-time world champion Mosley backed Margarifto into his ownner early in the ninth round with a flurry of punches that caused Margarito’s trainer to throw in the towel.
Mosley landed a short right that sent Margarito reeling, and referee Raul Caiz stopped the fight 43 seconds into the round in front of a crowd of 20,820 at the Staples Center arena.

Cricket
Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene said his team were progressing well and he was looking forward to facing India after thumping Pakistan on Saturday to win the one-day series 2-1.
Jayawardene’s team beat the home side by a whopping 234 runs in the third and final day-night international – the heaviest one-day defeat suffered by Pakistan.
Sri Lanka piled up a mammoth 309-5 in their 50 overs thanks to a career-best 137 from opener Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara’s 50.
Pacemen Nuwan Kulasekara (3-17) and Thilan Thushara (3-33) then dismissed Pakistan for a mere 75 in 22.5 overs – the lowest total at home by Shoaib Malik’s team in all one-day cricket.

Cricket
The Indian cricket board will throw open two tournaments and its national academy to Zimbabwe to help revive the beleaguered African team.
Officials agreed to extend the helping hand after a meeting with Zimbabwe Cricket Union chairman Peter Chingoka on Friday, said a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) statement.
‘The meeting was to discuss the role the BCCI can play in the redevelopment of Zimbabwe cricket in the years to come,’ the Indian board said on Saturday.
A Zimbabwe President’s XI will now enter the Deodhar Trophy one-day series in March and next year’s Duleep Trophy first-class tournament.
The BCCI has also decided to extend the facilities at the academy for the training of players from Zimbabwe. – Reports by Nampa-Reuters and AFP