PERTH

Australia braced for the second powerful cyclone to strike in two weeks as a major storm bore down on the country’s mineral-rich west coast, forcing a halt to some mining and oil drilling operations in the region. Cyclone Glenda was upgraded to the highest category-five tropical storm overnight but later weakened slightly to a category-four.

The Canterbury Crusaders are making a sterling early-season defence of their southern hemisphere rugby title. The Christchurch, New Zealand-based Crusaders, winners of the final Super 12 title last season, are perfect after six matches in the expanded Super 14, beating South Africa’s Cats 43-15 on Friday to open the sixth round.

New Australian rugby franchise Western Force were rocked on Sunday by the news that flyhalf Lachlan MacKay was likely to miss the rest of the Super 14 season with a serious knee injury. A Force spokesperson said scans on Sunday had confirmed a torn medial ligament in MacKay’s right knee.

Sri Lankan offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan has asked Australian crowds to stop taunting him after his controversial bowling action was again declared legal following a new series of tests. Muralitharan said on Saturday he was again contemplating not returning to Australia due to the amount of abuse he receives, stating ”99%” of the taunts over his action occur in Australia.

Sri Lanka has the right ingredients to win next year’s World Cup but the senior players will need to step up to the plate to secure victory in the Caribbean, coach Tom Moody believes. Speaking after his team suffered a five-wicket loss to South Africa in their triangular series match in Perth on Tuesday, Moody remained upbeat about the Sri Lankans’ prospects.

Opener Sanath Jayasuriya set the table for a feast, but a stunning middle-order collapse saw Sri Lanka starved of runs as they stumbled to 222 in their triangular series limited-overs match against South Africa on Tuesday. South African skipper Graeme Smith claimed his best-ever one-day figures of 3-30 off 10 overs.

South Africa and Sri Lanka are bracing for a make-or-break encounter when they clash in Tuesday’s triangular series limited overs match in Perth with Australia already sewing-up one of the two finals berths. South African skipper Graeme Smith said Monday that his team were treating the match as their most important of the tour.

Lisa Raymond and Taylor Dent of the United States beat Serbia and Montenegro’s Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic 7-6 (3), 6-2 in their deciding mixed doubles match on Sunday at the Hopman Cup. At the mixed teams tennis tournament at the Burswood Dome, Ivanovic beat Raymond in women’s singles 6-2, 6-4 and Dent evened the match for the Americans with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Djokovic.

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting has condemned spectators who made racist taunts to South African players during the first Test match in Perth. ”There’s no room in sport for racism whatsoever,” Ponting said. ”The players are all very aware of that, the crowd needs to be aware of that and enjoy the game for what it is.”

Jacques Rudolph defied Australia’s attack with an unbeaten century to help South Africa salvage a draw in the opening cricket Test at the Waca ground in Perth on Tuesday. Rudolph batted throughout the day, glueing the Proteas’ second innings together with a masterful 102 not out from 283 balls in 431 minutes.

Jacques Rudolph drew a line in the sand and defied Australia’s much-vaunted attack on Tuesday as South Africa edged closer to what had seemed an unlikely draw in the first cricket Test at the Waca ground. At tea on the final day the tourists had lost just two wickets for the day to go into the break at 190-4, just 50 runs more than their lunch score of 140-2.

South Africa lost two morning wickets and was fighting to save the first cricket Test against Australia at the Waca, going to lunch on the final day’s play at 140-4 after being set 491 runs to win. Leg-spinner Shane Warne (2-29 from 20 overs) and paceman Brett Lee (1-49 from 17 overs) both made breakthroughs in the opening session.

Veteran Australian Test opener Justin Langer may miss the remainder of the Test series against South Africa after straining his hamstring during the opening match at the Waca ground. Australian physiotherapist Errol Alcott said on Monday that Langer had a severe strain in his left hamstring and would miss the second Test starting in Melbourne on December 26.

Middle-order batsman Brad Hodge’s maiden Test century lifted Australia to an overall lead of 363 runs at lunch on the fourth day of the first cricket Test against South Africa on Monday. Australia is 401 for six with Hodge unbeaten on 139 and Adam Gilchrist on 11 after Mike Hussey (58) and Andrew Symonds (25) were out in the opening session.

Australia were 185-4 in their second innings at tea on day three of the fiercely contested first Test match against South Africa. Captain Ricky Ponting hit his second half-century of the match before being caught behind off Makhaya Ntini. Brad Hodge was not out on 22 with Michael Hussey on one with Australia 147 runs ahead.

Australian paceman Brett Lee claimed the crucial wicket of Herschelle Gibbs just before lunch on Saturday as South Africa reached 128-2 on day two of the first Test. The South Africans, chasing Australia’s modest first-innings 258, were cruising until Gibbs dragged a delivery from outside off-stump onto his wicket.

Jacques Rudolph hit an unbeaten double century in a drawn match on Tuesday against Western Australia A in South Africa’s final warm-up match before Friday’s first of three cricket Tests against Australia. Jacques Kallis continues to struggle with an elbow injury, and is in doubt for the first Test.

Injury came calling on South Africa again in Perth on Monday when pace-bowler Makhaya Ntini split the webbing on his hand during the second day of a three-day tour match against a Western Australian XI at Perth’s James Oval. Ntini — who bowls with his right hand — had five stitches to close the wound on his left hand.