New Zealand won the fifth and final T20I match against Pakistan on Monday to end the five-match series 2-2. The Kiwis relied on Mark Chapman’s unbeaten first hundred to win by six wickets in Rawalpindi.

Defending champion Ons Jabeur pulled out from the Madrid Open due to a calf injury.

Premier League side Tottenham Hotspurs sacked interim manager Cristian Stellini after a humiliating 6-1 loss to Newcastle United on Sunday.

Here’s a look at the key stories from international sporting events through the day for 25 April, 2023:

Chapman ton helps Kiwis win 5th T20I

Mark Chapman hit a maiden unbeaten hundred to anchor New Zealand’s six-wicket win over Pakistan in the fifth and final Twenty20 in Rawalpindi on Monday, ending the five-match series level at 2-2.

The 28-year-old smashed a 57-ball 104 in a rearguard action to lift New Zealand from a precarious 73-4 to chase down a stiff target of 194 with four balls to spare.

Mohammad Rizwan missed a century by two runs, but still guided Pakistan to a solid 193-5 in their 20 overs.

Chapman led the fightback with a match-turning unbroken fifth wicket stand of 121 off 58 balls with James Neesham, who scored a punishing 25-ball 45 not out as the duo toyed with Pakistan’s much-vaunted bowling attack.

In all Chapman hit 11 fours and four sixes while Neesham’s knock was studded with two sixes and four fours as the pair combined to help give New Zealand their 100th T20I win in 192 matches.

Shaheen had given Pakistan a superb start with the wicket of Tim Latham off the first ball on the innings and Will Young (four) off the fifth.

Chad Bowes (19) and Daryl Mitchell (15) also fell cheaply before Chapman took charge, also benefitting from a dropped catch off Shaheen on 67 by Shadab Khan at long-on.

Pakistan won the first T20 by 88 runs and the second by 38 while New Zealand took the third by four, all in Lahore.

The fourth match was abandoned due to a hailstorm in Rawalpindi.

The victory and a 2-2 result is welcoming for New Zealand who were missing their top eight players including regular skipper Kane Williamson due to the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Jabeur to miss Madrid Open

Tunisian Ons Jabeur will not defend her title at the WTA Madrid Open after withdrawing Monday with a calf injury.

“Further to many medical exams done, it shows that I have a small tear in my calf and I will need more time to recover,” Jabeur announced.

“I am sad to announce that I won’t be able to compete and defend my title this year.”

Jabeur, fourth in the WTA rankings, pulled out of her semi-final against reigning French and US Open champion Iga Swiatek at the Stuttgart Open on Saturday with a calf problem.

Spurs sack interim coach Stellini

Tottenham sacked interim manager Cristian Stellini on Monday after chairman Daniel Levy branded Sunday’s 6-1 defeat at Newcastle “wholly unacceptable”.

Stellini, who was only put in charge last month after his former boss Antonio Conte left the club, will be replaced by Ryan Mason with immediate effect.

Conte’s long-term assistant won only one of his four games in charge, dealing what appears a fatal blow to Spurs’ chances of Champions League football next season.

Tottenham still sit fifth in the Premier League but are six points adrift of the top four and have played at least one game more than the sides directly above them.

A difficult season hit a new low at St James’ Park as Spurs were 5-0 down after just 21 minutes.

“Sunday’s performance against Newcastle was wholly unacceptable,” said Levy in a club statement.

“Cristian will leave his current role along with his coaching staff. Cristian stepped in at a difficult point in our season and I want to thank him for the professional manner in which he and his coaching staff have conducted themselves during such a challenging time.”

However, the decision to replace Conte with a member of his backroom staff in the first place has opened Levy up to more criticism from fans.

Mason, who also took charge towards the end of the 2020/21 season, will be in the dugout for Thursday’s clash at home to Manchester United.

Tottenham’s malaise has raised questions over the future of star striker Harry Kane.

The England captain has just one year left on his contract and is attracting interest from Bayern Munich and Manchester United.

Barcelona raise funds for Camp Nou rebuild

Barcelona said on Monday they had secured 1.45 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in funding for a redevelopment plan and would start the renovation of the Camp Nou stadium on June 1.

The club said in a statement that the money had come from deals with 20 investors who would receive repayment over periods of between five and 24 years. Barcelona said they would start paying back the loans when the work was completed.

In addition to the football stadium the plan, called ‘Espai Barca’, includes spending on other club facilities. It includes 420m euros earmarked for the Palau Blaugrana, home of the club’s basketball and handball teams, and 20m euros for the Johan Cruyff stadium where the men’s reserve and women’s football teams play.

The club said they expected the work on the Camp Nou to be completed by 2026. The men’s first team will play at the Olympic stadium on Montjuic before returning in the 2024-25 season to a Camp Nou not yet at full capacity.

With text inputs from AFP

Updated through the day