Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said on Friday it feared plans were already under way to rig elections set for March next year. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who was last week cleared of his first count of treason, alleged that Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF planned to shift constituency boundaries in favour of its rural strongholds.

Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori claimed six wickets to demolish the Bangladesh second innings and help New Zealand claim the first Test on Friday by an innings and 99 runs. New Zealand dismissed the hosts for 126 just after lunch on the fourth day to take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.

Despite a two-and-a-half-hour delay, the Border Bulldogs arrived in high spirits in Wellington for their first division Currie Cup final against the Boland Cavaliers on Friday afternoon. The Bulldogs team had boarded at 11am only to be told there was a problem with starting the aeroplane.

Gary Neville has warned Arsenal that their 49-match unbeaten run in the Premiership will count for nothing when they run out at Old Trafford on Sunday. The Manchester United full-back has been involved in enough encounters between the two biggest forces in English football over the last decade to know that form tends to have little impact on the outcome of the titanic tussles between them.

The great and the good of Africa gather in Sandton on Friday to blow out the three birthday candles on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) cake.
Behind the fanfare, the steering committee of the continental rescue plan has to ask what there is to celebrate. But before doing that, it will have to consider exactly who’s at the party.