Cricket: Graeme Hick played a match-winning role for England in his native Zimbabwe yesterday. Hick, playing his first innings for England in his native country, hammered an unbeaten 87 and hit a mighty six off Henry Olonga to clinch a five-wicket win in the first one-day international in Bulawayo.
Hick and Mark Ealham saw England home with nine balls to spare after England had been set a victory target of 199.
England captain Nasser Hussain was delighted that Hick and Ealham had steered his side to victory from a perilous 109 for five.
"I'm really pleased for Graeme and Mark," said Hussain. "We've been lacking some partnerships lately and it shows what one partnership can do. This one won us the game here."
Meanwhile, former England off-spinner Geoff Miller was confirmed as the team's fourth selector by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The 47-year-old, who earned the nickname of Dusty during his playing career, joins a panel which includes chairman of selectors David Graveney, England coach Duncan Fletcher and captain Hussain, with whom Miller played at Essex.
Motor Sport: Britain's Jenson Button has satisfied the criteria for racing in Formula One and his application for a super-licence is being prepared, his BMW-Williams team said yesterday.
Boxing: Northern Ireland's Commonwealth light-welterweight champion Eamonn Magee will make his first defence against Kenyan Joseph Miyumo on March 4th at the Werrington Centre, Peterborough. Magee is pencilled in for a prime-time slot on the Lennox Lewis-Michael Grant bill at Madison Square Garden on April 29th but coach John Breen is adamant that he must focus on next month's all important defence.
Tennis: Belgian teenager Kim Clijsters caused the upset of the day when knocking out number five seed Anke Huber in the first round of the $535,000 Hannover WTA Tour event yesterday. Clijsters (16), whose father Leo is an ex-international footballer, defeated her 25-year-old German rival 6-1, 6-7, 6-2 to earn a second round date with France's Anne-Gaelle Sidot.
