Reuters Sports Schedule at 0600 GMT on Friday, March 17

Reuters sports schedule at 0600 GMT on Friday: OLYMPICS IOC Executive Board Meeting in Pyeongchang PYEONGCHANG South Korea - IOC President Thomas Bach addresses the media at the conclusion of a two-day Executive Board meeting in Pyeongchang, the host of the 2018 Winter Games. (OLYMPICS-IOC/EB (TV), expect by 1000 GMT/6 AM ET, by Peter Rutherford, 400 words) CRICKET India v Australia, 3rd test (to 20) Maxwell hits maiden test ton as Australia pass 400 RANCHI - Glenn Maxwell scored his maiden test century and his captain Steve Smith an unbeaten 153 as Australia reached 401 for seven at lunch on the second day of the third test against India. (CRICKET-INDIA/ (PIX), moved with updates to follow, by Amlan Chakraborty, 450 words) New Zealand v South Africa, second test (to 20) De Kock, Bavuma give South Africa lead in second test WELLINGTON - Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma fell short of the centuries they probably deserved but drove South Africa to 349 for nine, a first innings lead of 81, at the close of play on the second day of the second test against New Zealand. (CRICKET-NEWZEALAND/, moved, 400 words) Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, 2nd test Bangladesh look to Shakib and Mushfiqur to erase deficit COLOMBO - Onus will be on veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and captain Mushfiqur Rahim to help Bangladesh erase the 124-run deficit when third day's play begins at the P Sara Oval. (CRICKET-SRI LANKA/, expect by 1230 GMT/8 AM ET, 250 words) RUGBY French rugby league meets amid players' strike PARIS - Players and club representatives meet with the French National Rugby League, which represents the country's rugby union league system, over a planned merger between Stade Francais and Racing 92 after the Stade players started an open-ended strike. (RUGBY UNION-FRANCE/STRIKE, meeting starts at 0730 GMT/3:30 AM ET, 400 words) Super Rugby - week four Crusaders v Blues, Christchurch (0635) Rebels v Chiefs, Melbourne (0845) Bulls v Sunwolves, Pretoria (1700) Crusaders look to continue perfect start against Blues WELLINGTON - The Crusaders will be looking to maintain their perfect start to the season against Tana Umaga's Blues in a North Island v South Island clash between New Zealand's two most successful Super Rugby franchises. (RUGBY UNION-SUPER/CRUSADERS, expect by 0830 AM GMT/4.30 AM ET, 300 words) We will also run a highlights take with brief summaries of all matches in week four (RUGBY UNION-SUPER/HIGHLIGHTS). MOTOR RACING Formula One season preview package We have moved the third and final part of our preview package for the Formula One season starting in Australia on March 26. The first part moved on Wednesday and the second on Thursday. LONDON - Last season was the one that got away for Lewis Hamilton and the triple Formula One world champion is not about to let that happen again. (MOTOR-F1-SEASON/PREVIEW (PIX, TV), by Alan Baldwin, 650 words) LONDON - While Formula One's new American owners seek to add races and razzmatazz in the United States, the boss of the sport's only U.S.-owned team is more focused on what the rest of the world can do for him. (MOTOR-F1-SEASON/HAAS, (PIX), by Alan Baldwin, 540 words) LONDON - Jolyon Palmer, by his own admission, did not make much of a mark on Formula One last season. But the 'other Brit' on the starting grid is hoping to leave a stronger impression second time around. (MOTOR-F1-SEASON/PALMER (INTERVIEW) (PIX), by Alan Baldwin, 570 words) We also look at the prospects for each team. (MOTOR-F1-PREVIEW/PROSPECTS, (PIX, GRAPHIC) TENNIS ATP/WTA: BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells (to 19) Vesnina ousts Venus to reach semi-finals at Indian Wells Elena Vesnina denied Venus Williams another comeback win, while Kristina Mladenovic roared back from a set and a break down to beat Caroline Wozniacki on Thursday to reach the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. (TENNIS-INDIANWELLS/WOMEN, moved, 400 words) Wawrinka battles Thiem in quarter-finals Swiss third seed Stan Wawrinka battles eighth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem with the winner advancing to a semi-final clash against Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. (TENNIS-INDIANWELLS/MEN, expect by 0700 GMT/3 AM ET, 400 words) SOCCER Spain squad announcement Chelsea's Pedro in line for Spain recall BARCELONA - Spain coach Julen Lopetegui names his squad for the World Cup qualifier against Israel and friendly versus France, with Chelsea forward Pedro among the players in line for a recall. (SOCCER-WORLDCUP-ESP/SQUAD, expect by 1030 GMT/6:30 AM ET, by Richard Martin, 400 words) Celta get another chance to reach a European semi BARCELONA - Celta Vigo, who put themselves on the map with three thrilling UEFA Cup campaigns in the late 1990s but never went beyond the quarter-finals, have another chance of reaching a European semi-final after seeing off Krasnodar in the Europa League on Thursday. (SOCCER-EUROPA-CLV/, expect by 1100 GMT/7 AM ET, by Richard Martin, 400 words) Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund v FC Ingolstadt 04 (1930) La Liga Las Palmas v Villarreal (1945) Ligue 1 Metz v Bastia (1800) Lille v Olympique Marseille (1945) Premier League We will have all the latest news ahead of this weekend's Premier League fixtures which include our showcase match Manchester City against Liverpool plus Middlesbrough v Manchester United. (SOCCER-ENGLAND/, expect throughout) GOLF Arnold Palmer Invitational Defending champion Jason Day coped with "brutally chilly" temperatures to finish three strokes behind early first-round leader Emiliano Grillo at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida. GOLF-PALMER/ (TV), moved, 400 words) BASEBALL World Baseball Classic (to 22) Venezuela face the Dominican Republic in a crunch Pool F matchup in San Diego. The winner will be in control of their second-round fate, while the losers will move to the brink of elimination. (BASEBALL-CLASSIC/, expect by 0700 GMT/3 AM ET, 400 words) (Asia editor: Sudipto Ganguly)