Reuters Sports News Summary

The former center played 18 seasons in the NBA with six teams, gaining a reputation as one of the league's greatest shot blockers which earned him the Defensive Player of the Year award four times in his career. Soccer-England's James to miss World Cup with injury layoff England's Reece James will miss the World Cup in Qatar starting next month after his Premier League club Chelsea said on Saturday that he will be sidelined for eight weeks due to a knee injury.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Motorcycling-Riders seek more safety at Australian race after wallaby near-miss

MotoGP riders have called for more safety from animals entering the track at Australia's Phillip Island circuit in a meeting with officials, after Spaniard Aleix Espargaro narrowly avoided a collision with a wallaby during free practice. A video posted on MotoGP's official Twitter handle on Friday showed the wallaby, which looks like a kangaroo but is smaller, hop across the track as Espargaro approached at speed and the Aprilia rider said after Saturday's qualifying that the matter was discussed in a safety commission meeting.

Cricket-Small talks to defuse big pressure around Indo-Pak game

General chit-chats about families and cars are how players from India and Pakistan defuse the hype that surrounds a contest between the bitter neighbours, rival captains Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam said on Saturday. Bilateral cricket between the arch-rivals remains suspended, thanks to their soured political relation, and emotions run high on both sides of the border whenever they clash in multi-team tournaments.

NBA-Hall of Famer Mutombo being treated for brain tumor

Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Dikembe Mutombo is having treatment for a brain tumor, the NBA said on Saturday. The former center played 18 seasons in the NBA with six teams, gaining a reputation as one of the league's greatest shot blockers which earned him the Defensive Player of the Year award four times in his career.

Soccer-England's James to miss World Cup with injury layoff

England's Reece James will miss the World Cup in Qatar starting next month after his Premier League club Chelsea said on Saturday that he will be sidelined for eight weeks due to a knee injury. James, 22, sustained the injury late in the second half of Tuesday's 2-0 victory at AC Milan in the Champions League and was withdrawn after receiving medical treatment on the pitch.

Soccer-Talented team mates will ease pressure on Neymar at World Cup, says Brazil great Ronaldo

Former Brazil and Real Madrid great Ronaldo thinks that although the pressure will be on Neymar to deliver for his country at next month's World Cup in Qatar, he will be supported by the best team mates of his international career so far. Ronaldo is no stranger to pressure on the global stage, having been a part of two World Cup winning squads with Brazil and most influential in their last triumph in Japan and Korea in 2002.

Soccer-Leicester fail to storm Palace in dour goalless draw

Leicester City's poor start to the Premier League season dragged on with a dour goalless draw at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday, although the point they earned moves them off the foot of the table for now. The lively James Maddison had the best two chances at the King Power Stadium but failed to hit the target on both occasions, while it took more than an hour for Palace to have a shot on target in a clash between two sides short on confidence.

Soccer-Man United's Greenwood charged with attempted rape, assault

British prosecutors said on Saturday Manchester United soccer player Mason Greenwood had been charged with attempted rape, controlling behaviour and assault. The 21-year-old was arrested in January after social media images and videos were posted by a woman reporting incidents of physical violence.

Cycling-Kouame gives France second title at track world championships

France picked up their second gold medal at the track cycling world championships on home soil when Marie-Divine Kouame claimed the 500 metres title on Saturday The 20-year-old Kouame clocked 32.835 seconds - the only rider under 33 seconds - to finish ahead of Germany's Emma Hinze, who had the best time in the qualifications.

Rugby-United States crush Japan 30-17 to keep quarter-finals hopes alive

The United States kept their women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final hopes alive with a 30-17 bonus point win over Japan in Whangarei on Saturday. Beaten by Italy in the opener, the United States shrugged off a slow start to run over four tries in the second half of the Pool B clash.

NHL roundup: Sebastian Aho scores late to lift Canes past Sharks

Sebastian Aho scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:58 remaining in regulation and the Carolina Hurricanes rallied for a 2-1 win over the host San Jose Sharks on Friday night. Positioned perfectly in front of the net, Aho redirected Brett Pesce's puck toward the goal and past Sharks netminder James Reimer, who delivered a strong performance with 33 saves.

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