Reuters sports schedule at 0001 GMT on Thursday:
MOTOR RACING
Formula One
Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne (26)
Hamilton talks up chances ahead of season-opener
MELBOURNE - Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton will talk up his hopes of a fourth world championship in the pre-race media conference for the season-opener at Albert Park along with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and other leading drivers.
Reuters sports schedule at 0001 GMT on Thursday:
MOTOR RACING
Formula One
Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne (26)
Hamilton talks up chances ahead of season-opener
MELBOURNE - Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton will talk up his hopes of a fourth world championship in the pre-race media conference for the season-opener at Albert Park along with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and other leading drivers. (MOTOR-F1-AUSTRALIA/ (PIX), expect by 0600 GMT / 1 AM ET, by Ian Ransom, 400 words)
SOCCER
World Cup 2018 qualifiers
Asian World Cup qualifying, round three
Group A
China v South Korea, Changsha (1125)
Syria v Uzbekistan, Malacca (1200)
Qatar v Iran, Doha (1600)
Group B
United Arab Emirates v Japan, Al Ain (1530)
Iraq v Australia, Tehran (1200)
Thailand v Saudi Arabia, Bangkok (1200)
BEIJING - China, who are currently bottom of Group A, host second placed South Korea in a 2018 World Cup qualifying match in Changsha, provincial capital of China's central Hunan province. (SOCCER-WORLDCUP-CHN-KOR/, PIX, expect by 1330 GMT/9.30 AM ET, 300 words)
SYDNEY - Japan, Australia and South Korea are all in action seeking the four automatic tickets to the 2018 World Cup finals up for grabs in the third round of Asian qualifying, while ambitious China, former Asian champions Iraq and 2022 hosts Qatar battle to keep their slim hopes alive. (SOCCER-WORLDCUP-ASIA/ (WRAPUP 1), expect by 1700 GMT/3 PM ET, by Michael Church, 500 words)
We'll have all the latest news ahead of this week's international friendlies and World Cup qualifiers (SOCCER-WORLDCUP/ and SOCCER-FRIENDLY/)
GOLF
PGA Tour: WGC-Dell Match Play, Austin (to 26)
Johnson rolls, McIlroy and Spieth stumble at Match Play
World number one Dustin Johnson rolled and Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth stumbled, while Jason Day walked off to be with his ailing mother in Wednesday's opening day of the WGC-Dell Match Play in Austin, Texas. (GOLF-MATCHPLAY/ (UPDATE 1, TV), moved, 410 words)
BASEBALL
World Baseball Classic (to 22)
Puerto Rico eyes maiden WBC crown
Undefeated Puerto Rico, runners-up in the last edition of the World Baseball Classic, face the United States in the championship final at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. (BASEBALL-CLASSIC/, expect by 0445 GMT/12:45 AM ET, 400 words)
NBA
Cavs visit Nuggets, Jazz battle Knicks
LeBron James and the champion Cleveland Cavaliers try to pad their lead atop the Eastern Conference when they visit the Denver Nuggets, while the Utah Jazz try to snap a three-game skid when they host the New York Knicks in two of eight games on the National Basketball Association schedule. (NBA-HIGHLIGHTS/, expect by 0530 GMT/1:30 AM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 800 words)
NHL
Streaking Blue Jackets host Maple Leafs
The Columbus Blue Jacketss seek a fifth straight victory when they host a Toronto Maple Leafs team trying to tighten their grip on a playoff spot, while Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers face the Anaheim Ducks in two of the three games on the National Hockey League schedule. (ICEHOCKEY-NHL-HIGHLIGHTS/, expect by 0530 GMT/1:30 AM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words)
NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (expect by 0000 GMT/8 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 500 words)
Super Rugby silence is frustrating but necessary - Tew
WELLINGTON - New Zealand Rugby chief executive Steve Tew has conceded that the silence surrounding the proposed changes to Super Rugby is frustrating but said discussion with a "large number" of affected parties was necessary before they could be finalised. (RUGBY UNION-SUPER/ (moved), by Greg Stutchbury, 472 words)
CYCLING
Tour of Catalonia
BARCELONA - Tejay van Garderen leads the Tour of Catalonia heading into stage four, a 194.3 kilometre race from Llivia to Igualada. (CYCLING-CATALONIA/, expect by 1700 GMT/1 PM ET, 200 words)
MOTORCYCLING
MotoGP preview
Maverick joins MotoGP top guns with Marquez in his sights
LONDON - Valentino Rossi's new Yamaha team mate Maverick Vinales was fastest in testing and aims to give triple champion Marc Marquez a run for his money when the MotoGP season fires up in Qatar this weekend. (MOTOR-MOTOGP/PREVIEW, expect by 1200 GMT/8 AM ET, by Alan Baldwin, 400 words) (Asia desk editor: Nick Mulvenney)
(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
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