Latest - Batsman Usman Khawaja has been recalled to Australia's test squad for the Ashes and will duel with Travis Head for the middle order spot vacated by Matthew Wade.
Usman Khawaja top scored for Australia with 85. Photo: Photosport
Khawaja, who has played 44 tests, had been ignored by selectors since being dropped during the 2019 Ashes but the Queensland captain has made a strong case for selection with back-to-back centuries in the Sheffield Shield last month.
Uncapped Michael Neser and Jhye Richardson are the back-up pacemen in the 15-man squad for the first two tests in Brisbane and Adelaide.
Neser had returned to training following a minor hamstring strain to retain his place in the squad, the team said in a statement.
Uncapped legspinner Mitchell Swepson has been included as the reserve slow bowler behind regular Nathan Lyon.
The first test starts on December 8 in Brisbane before the second pink ball test at Adelaide Oval from December 16.
Squad: Tim Paine (c), Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Steve Smith, David Warner.
- Reuters
Netherlands qualify for World Cup
The Netherlands have qualified for next year's FIFA World Cup following a 2-0 win over Norway in Rotterdam.
Memphis Depay Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Steven Bergwijn and Memphis Depay scored in the last six minutes to secure top spot in group G.
The Dutch return to the finals after missing out on the 2018 tournament in Russia but with little conviction after limping through their last two qualifiers.
Turkey finished second in the group after a 2-1 away win at Montenegro to secure a play-off spot.
Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe were on target again in a sharp second-half performance as already qualified France scored a 2-0 away win against Finland.
Finland, who were hoping to secure a playoff spot, ended up third behind Ukraine who beat Bosnia 2-0 away
Wales held Belgium to a 1-1 draw to guarantee themselves runners-up spot behind the world number ones in Group E in Cardiff.
Wales are trying to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1958.
Teams to have qualified so far from Europe are Germany, Denmark, France, Belgium, Croatia, Spain, Serbia, England, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Another 12 teams now go into a series of play-offs for a further three spots in Qatar.
-Reuters
Argentina draw with Brazil in World Cup qualifier
Argentina and Brazil drew a tense and end-to-end match 0-0, meaning both teams retained their unbeaten record in the South American World Cup qualifiers.
Brazil are the only side in the 10-team South American section to guarantee their place in next year's finals and Argentina, who sit in second place six points behind, look certain to join them.
Lionel Messi Photo: Daisuke Nakashima
The top four teams qualify automatically for Qatar, and the fifth-placed side go into an inter-regional playoff.
Neither side was able to impose themselves in an entertaining match with Fred's second half shot for Brazil that clipped the top of the bar the closest either team came to breaking the deadlock.
The goalless draw in San Juan means Argentina are now 27 matches unbeaten, a run stretching back more than two years.
- Reuters
New Zealand to co-host 2028 World Cup
The International Cricket Council has announced 14 host nations for the upcoming One-Day International World Cups, Twenty20 World Cups and Champions Trophy tournaments from 2024 to 2031.
Photo: David Gray/Photosport Ltd 2021
Australia, Bangladesh, England, Ireland, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe have all been named as hosts, while the United States and Namibia are set to stage an ICC event for the first time.
Pakistan will stage an ICC event for the first time since it co-hosted the 1996 ODI World Cup along with India and Sri Lanka.
Australia and New Zealand will jointly host the 2028 T20 World Cup.
The ICC added that a similar process would be in place next year to identify hosts for women's and Under-19s events for the next cycle.
T20 World Cup
2024: U.S. and West Indies
2026: India and Sri Lanka
2028: Australia and New Zealand
2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI World Cup
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia
2031: India and Bangladesh
Champions Trophy
2025: Pakistan
2029: India
-Reuters
Zhou to race in F1
Guanyu Zhou will race for Alfa Romeo next season as China's first Formula One driver, the Ferrari-powered Swiss team announced.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The 22-year-old is currently a test driver for Renault-owned Alpine and also competing in Formula Two, where he is second overall with two events still to come in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.
Zhou will partner experienced Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas, who is joining Alfa Romeo from Mercedes after five seasons as team mate to seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, in an all-new line-up.
Alpine have promoted Australian Oscar Piastri to the role of reserve driver for the 2022 season.
Piastri, who currently leads the F2 championship with Prema Racing, joined the Alpine academy in 2020 after winning the 2019 Renault Eurocup series and the F3 title at his first attempt in 2020.
The 20-year-old bagged three wins and seven podium finishes in F2 this season, which has two rounds left.
Alpine have Esteban Ocon under contract until 2024, while two-time champion Fernando Alonso has signed until the end of 2022.
The Renault-owned team are fifth in the constructors' standings this season.
-Reuters
Big ask for Canterbury
Canterbury are 170/8 needing another 58 runs to beat Northern Districts in their Plunkett Shield game in Mount Maunganui.
Cam Fletcher is unbeaten on 32 for the competition leaders heading into the third day.
Meanwhile Central are 285/6 in their first innings leading Wellington by 47 runs.
Ben Sears has taken 5-65 for Wellington.
Slipper to captain Wallabies
James Slipper will captain the Wallabies in their test against Wales this weekend after Michael Hooper was ruled out of the clash in Cardiff through injury.
Hooper and Slipper Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Hooper has been ruled out after suffering a "mid-foot" sprain in the defeat by England.
It is the second time that the front rower will take charge of the Wallabies after captaining the team in a test against the United States before the 2015 World Cup. He was then the first prop in almost 40 years to captain Australia.
Slipper made his test debut in 2010 and has since won 110 caps for Australia.
Hooper, among the nominees for World Rugby's player of the year, has barely missed a test since his 2012 debut and held a virtual monopoly over the Wallabies' starting openside position but his injury will force another forward pack reshuffle.
Pete Samu, who replaced Hooper after he limped off early in the first half against England, is likely the leading candidate to wear the number seven jersey against the Welsh at the Millennium Stadium.
-Reuters
More charges against Mendy
Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has been charged with two additional counts of rape in addition to earlier charges of rape and sexual assault.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Mendy has not yet formally entered a plea but his lawyer said the player has denied the allegations.
The 27-year-old, who was earlier charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, has been in custody since August.
The charges against Mendy are alleged to have taken place between October 2020 and August 2021. He last played for City against Tottenham Hotspur on Aug. 15 and was suspended later that month.
Another man, Louis Saha Matturie, 40, has been charged with two additional counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in relation to the alleged attacks.
-Reuters
Kyrgios backs down on comments
Tennis maverick Nick Kyrgios has rowed back on comments supporting unvaccinated athletes, saying it would not be "morally right" to let them play at the Australian Open.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The 26-year-old generated headlines in Australia yesterday after calling for his home Grand Slam to be cancelled and saying it was "morally wrong" to force athletes to get vaccinated.
Australian government officials have said unvaccinated players will be barred from the tournament in January, casting doubt on whether men's world number one and reigning champion Novak Djokovic will defend his title.
Later on Tuesday, Kyrgios said his comments had been taken out of context.
"It's more so for the people of Melbourne who have gone through hell and back.
"I don't think it's morally right to accept players from overseas that aren't vaccinated to come into our country," said Kyrgios.
Kyrgios, ranked world number 90, said on his podcast that he was "double-vaxxed" but didn't think it was right to force anyone, let alone athletes, to get vaccinated.
-Reuters
Cleveland Guardians set to play
The Cleveland Indians, which is changing its name to the Guardians, settled a trademark infringement lawsuit by a local roller derby team also named the Guardians.
The settlement permits both teams to use the name Guardians. It likely removes the final hurdle from the Major League Baseball team's plan to change its name from Indians, which it has used since 1915.
Terms were not disclosed. Intellectual property lawyers not involved in the case had said a resolution might involve a payment to the roller derby team.
In July, the Indians said it would change its name to Guardians following the recently completed 2021 season.
The American League team was responding to years of pressure from Native American groups and human rights activists that considered the Indians name racist and degrading.
-Reuters
