Bangladesh have agreed to donate the gate receipts from their forthcoming series at home against Zimbabwe, estimated to be US$10,000
The Federation of International Cricketers' Associations has proposed a one-day match on 11 or 12 January to raise more funds. All teams have supported the proposal, although English, South African, Bangladeshi and Zimabwean players are likely to be unavailable because of ongoing tour commitments. The ICC is likely to endorse any such game. [1][2][3](Cricinfo)
Cricket: South Africa hold out in the final day of the second Test against England to secure a draw, bringing to an end England's eight-game winning streak. The final score: England 139 & 570–9 dec, South Africa 332 & 290–8; bad light stops play with 15 overs remaining. England are the only team to remain unbeaten at Test cricket throughout 2004 – winning 11 times, drawing twice. (BBC)
Manchester United's 19-year-old star Wayne Rooney has been given a three-match ban by the Football Association for violent behaviour after TV images showed him shoving Bolton defender Tal Ben Haim in the face. Haim has also been criticised for poor behaviour, as he was judged to exaggerate the episode. Alex Ferguson has criticised the FA for their handling of the case. (BBC)
Zimbabwe's arrival in Bangladesh has been postponed by two days as a result of disruption to flight schedules from India into Bangladesh caused by a tsunami striking the region. (Cricinfo)
Fox-hunting: Approximately 250 hunts are meeting in England and Wales for what could be the last-ever traditional Boxing Day meets. Hunting with hounds is set to become illegal in England and Wales in February. (BBC)
The Detroit Pistons defeat the New Jersey Nets in overtime, 100–90, in Detroit. Vince Carter plays 42 minutes off the bench in his first game since being traded to the Nets, but leaves the game in progress because of a leg cramp. (NBA)
Bangladesh (229 for 9) beat India (214 all out) by 15 runs in the second One Day International at Dhaka, Bangladesh to level the three match series 1–1. This is the first time Bangladesh have won a top-level international cricket game at home. (India Times)
Nick Saban, who coached the LSU Tigers to a national championship in 2003, announces he will become the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins effective in 2005. (Yahoo!)
In their first matchup since the Los Angeles Lakers traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat at least in part because of animosity with Kobe Bryant, O'Neal and the Heat defeated Bryant and the Lakers, 104–102 in overtime in Los Angeles. The Heat also extended their winning streak to 11 games, equaling a franchise record. (ESPN)
Football: Dutch public broadcasting sees its rights to all major league Dutch football sold to a still to be founded commercial channel, causing a minor uproar among fans. (NOS, in Dutch)
Glen Johnson, former IBF world Light-Heavyweight champion, causes a mild upset by defeating the former WBC world champion, Antonio Tarver, by a twelve-round split decision in Temecula, California. Both boxers had been stripped of their world titles by the respective organizations prior to the fight, for different reasons. The fight is HBO Boxing's last telecast of 2004 (AOL)
The Detroit Pistons rally from a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 81–69 at Detroit. Detroit allows a franchise-record low 6 points in the 3rd quarter, and Cleveland star LeBron James scores a season low of only 11 points in the game. Detroit's Larry Brown records his 945th win as an NBA coach, surpassing Bill Fitch for fourth-most in history. (NBA)
Carmelo Anthony makes a shot with 3.6 seconds left in the game, and Paul Pierce misses a subsequent three-point shot attempt, as the Denver Nuggets defeat the Boston Celtics, 100–99. Andre Miller of the Nuggets made a shot from the opponent's free throw line as time expired during the first quarter, but the shot was discounted because it was apparently taken after time had expired in that quarter.(NBA)
The defending-champion Detroit Pistons defeat the New York Knicks, 94–93, at New York, when Chauncey Billups makes two free throws with less than three seconds to go. The Pistons were down by 16 points, 56–40, at halftime. Pistons coach Larry Brown records his 944th win as a coach, tying Bill Fitch for 4th in NBA history. (NBA)
Dan Dickau makes a three-point shot as the third quarter is winding down and gets fouled, making the free throw for a four-point play in what would eventually be the New Orleans Hornets' first home victory of the season, a 98–89 defeat of the Golden State Warriors. The Hornets also snap an eleven-game losing streak. (NBA)
Jeff McInnis and Drew Gooden complete an unlikely five-point play with time running down in the third quarter (McInnis made a three-point shot, followed by a steal and a basket by Gooden) as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 112–88. The Cavaliers extend their home winning streak to nine games, their longest home winning streak since 1993. (NBA)
Boxing: Oscar De La Hoya announces plans to return to the Welterweight division, where he was the WBC world champion from 1997 to 1999 and in 2000. (AOL)
Biathlon: The men's 10 km Sprint at WC 3 in Östersund, Sweden, ends with Stian Eckhoff (NOR) getting his first World Cup race victory, and with the runner-up, teammate Frode Andresen, making his best result this season, using 10 seconds more than Eckhoff. Sergei Rozhkov (Сергей Рожков) of Russia gets the third place, 1 second after Andresen. (IBU/EBU results)
A bomb warning forces the evacuation of over 70,000 people from Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium two minutes before the end of the La Liga match with Real Sociedad. The two teams were drawing 1–1 at the time. (BBC). The Spanish Football Association have announced that the remaining 2 minutes 40 seconds, plus 4 minutes' stoppage time, will be played at 6 p.m. on 5 January 2005. (BBC)
Peyton's younger brother, Eli Manning, did not have as good a day as he threw for only 27 yards and completed just four of 18 passes as the New York Giants fell to the Baltimore Ravens 37–14. (ESPN)
Biathlon: The second day of WC 2 at Holmenkollen, Norway, starts with the women's 7.5 km Sprint race being won by Olga Zaitseva (Cyrillic: Ольга Зайцева) (RUS), with Olga Pyleva (Cyrillics: Ольга Пылева) (RUS) and Tadeja Brankovic (SLO) tying for the 2nd place. (IBU/EBU Results) After the men's 10 km Sprint, the podium is occupied by Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR) at the top, Raphaël Poirée (FRA) at the next place, and Bjørndalen's teammate Halvard Hanevold at third. (IBU/EBU Results) The Sprint races' results determine the time differenced starting order of tomorrow's Pursuits.
Fox-hunting: The Countryside Alliance announces that 250 hunts will meet legally on 19 February, the day after fox-hunting becomes illegal in England and Wales. (BBC)
The Worldstars team consisting of locked-out players from North American National Hockey League starts a 7-country, 10-game charity tour against European teams, with a 4–2 win over Riga 2000 team in Riga, Latvia. (CBC)
The National Hockey League labor negotiations restart, after the players union, NHLPA, making the first new offer in three months. The offer includes players accepting a 24% one-time salary cut. (CBC)
Ice hockey: At his own initiative and expense, player Brendan Shanahan convenes a summit of players, management, referees and broadcasters in Toronto to discuss the rules of the game. The participants recommends several changes, mainly designed to speed up the game and increase scoring. (TSN)
In a women's international friendly, the United States defeats Mexico 5–0 at the Home Depot Center near Los Angeles. This is the final game for USA legends Mia Hamm, who assisted on two of the goals, and Julie Foudy. Joy Fawcett, also retiring, appeared at the game, but is recovering from back surgery and thus did not play. (ESPN Soccernet)
Biathlon: At the last day of WC 1 at Beitostølen, Norway, the women's 4×6 km Relay is won by Russia, finishing 11 seconds before runner-up Germany, and one minute before France. (IBU/EBU Results) In the men's 4×7.5 km Relay, Norway wins by a large margin, almost one minute and a half before Germany's team, who in turn is followed 13 seconds later by Russia. (IBU/EBU Results)
Cross-country skiing: On the final day of the week's World Cup event in Bern, Switzerland, the Ladies' 6×1.1 km free technique Team Sprint race is won by Norway I, followed closely by Germany I, and with Italy I coming in 3rd, 2.5 seconds behind the Germans. (FIS-Ski Results) In the Men's race, Russia I finishes first, 0.3 seconds ahead of Norway I, who comes in a half-second before Italy I. (FIS-Ski Results)
NCAAfootball: The matchups for the four BCS bowls are announced:
The Cincinnati Bengals beat a winning team on the road for the first time in 14 years. Shayne Graham's last-second 24-yard field goal capped a 24-point fourth-quarter comeback as the Bengals defeat the Baltimore Ravens 27–26. (AP)
Boxing: The WBC announces it will organize tournaments around the world, to crown one world champion in each division, from each continent. According to the release sent by WBC president José Sulaimán, this will be done as an effort to honor every continent that has had a world boxing champion.(Boxing Central)
Kevin Garnett ties the game with a basket with 26 seconds left in regulation, and the Minnesota Timberwolves snap a winning streak for the second night in a row, stopping the Los Angeles Clippers streak at five wins and raising their own streak to five wins in a row, with a 107–100 overtime victory.(NBA)
Biathlon: In the WC 1 event Beitostølen, Norway, the women's 10 km Pursuit race is won by Uschi Disl (GER); her second victory at Beito in three days. Albina Akhatova (Албина Ахатова) (RUS) finishes 2nd, and Martina Glagow (GER) comes in 3rd. (IBU/EBU Results) In the men's 12.5 km Pursuit, 10 years+ BWC veteran Sven Fischer (GER) wins, followed by Nikolay Kruglov, Jr. (Николай Кругов) (RUS), who beats fellow Russian Sergei Rozhkov by a tenth of a second for the 2nd place. (IBU/EBU Results) The winner of Thursday's Sprint race for men, and thus start number one in the Pursuit, Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR), comes in no. 6, fronting a probably statistically unique cluster of five contestants from the same country placed contiguously on the result list. Bjørndalen loses his lead in the Biathlon World Cup to Kruglov (RUS), who has two 2nd places so far this BWC season.
Boxing: WBC world Lightweight champion José Luis Castillo retains his title by a split and controversial decision (scores of 116–112, 117–111 and 113–115) over former two time world Jr. Lightweight champion Joel Casamayor. (Boxing Central)
