🗞 Correct Decision

G’day Sports Fans,

🗣️ Classic Comms: - "A very small crowd here today. I can count the people on one hand. Can't be more than 30" - Michael Abrahamson

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🏏 Cricket Australia has chosen to postpone a scheduled three-match T20I series with Afghanistan due to "a marked deterioration in human rights for women and girls" in the country following consultation with the Australian government.

Australia were scheduled to play three matches against Afghanistan at a neutral venue in August as part of the current men's Future Tours Program. But CA opted to postpone the series due to human rights issues just as they had done for the first Test match between the two nations in 2021 and a proposed ODI series in March 2023.

CA released a statement on Tuesday stating it had consulted with the Australian government regarding the human rights conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan and had received information that there had been a "marked deterioration" in rights for women since they postponed the 2023 series.

🇦🇺 The Tasmania Devils will reportedly need to trade for established players from the outset — unlike Gold Coast and GWS — while it’ll have up to $1.5 million in sign-on bonuses outside the salary cap.

The Suns and Giants had a suite of first-round picks ahead of their AFL inception in the early 2010s, loading their lists with young talent and spending their first several years in the competition at the bottom of the ladder.

The AFL’s two most recent expansion sides were also allowed access to an uncontracted player from each other club.

🥊 Tim Tszyu is edging closer to a potential super-fight with Terence Crawford, with the undefeated Australian set to compete for a junior-middleweight title unification.

In a dramatic turn of events, Tszyu's planned fight against Keith Thurman was called off on Tuesday (AEDT), opening the door for 197cm freak Sebastian Fundora to step up on 12 days' notice for a unification bout.

Tszyu had no issue taking on the much taller fighter on short notice and will now have the opportunity to defend his WBO title and look to add the WBC strap to his resume.

🇦🇺 Port Adelaide’s Travis Boak says it’s “pretty special” to be just the 23rd VFL/AFL player to play 350 games ahead of reaching the huge milestone this weekend.

Appearing on Fox Footy’s AFL 360, the Power games record holder and former skipper acknowledged it’s “been an honour for me to represent the footy club for so long,” set to run out for the 350th time when Port faces Richmond at the MCG on Sunday.

A one-club player across 18 AFL seasons, Boak, 35, has remained fiercely loyal to Port Adelaide across his career including the Victorian turning down approaches from rival teams on multiple occasions – most famously rebuffing interest from Geelong in 2012.

⚽️ The future of the Newcastle Jets and Canberra United beyond this season lies in the hands of their current owners, with A-League chairman Stephen Conroy saying the competition is no longer in a position to prop up struggling clubs.

The Australian Professional Leagues (APL), the body that runs the A-League Men's and Women's competitions, recently oversaw the sale of Perth Glory to Melbourne property developer Ross Pelligra.

APL chairman Conroy, however, now says that the league - which laid off a significant portion of its workforce in January - is no longer in a financial position to support clubs.

🏀 One-time MVP Xavier Cooks has agreed to a new three-year NBL deal with the Sydney Kings, sources told ESPN.

The deal is rumoured to be the largest in NBL history, with Cooks returning to the team he led to back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023.

🇦🇺 Captain James Sicily will play against Melbourne after Hawthorn had his kicking charge downgraded from a ban to a fine at the AFL tribunal.

Sicily was facing a one-game suspension for kicking Essendon opponent Andrew McGrath, but the Hawks convinced the tribunal the impact should be low, rather than medium.

The All-Australian defender, who pleaded guilty to the charge, was fined $2500.

🏉 NRL Team Lists: Round 3 (NRL.com)

• Twenty one year-old Sandon Smith has been named in the No.6 jersey for the Roosters in place of Luke Keary (concussion).

• Broncos: Jock Madden steps in for the injured Adam Reynolds.

• Rabbitohs: Last year’s NSW Cup player of the year Dean Hawkins named at No.7.

• Eels: Morgan Harper moves to the wing to cover for Bailey Simonsson (head knock)

🏎️ The Australian Grand Prix returns to Albert Park this weekend, with two local stars on the grid for the first time in over a decade.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and RB’s Daniel Ricciardo will be vying for points when the motorsports world’s eyes descend on Melbourne for the highly-anticipated third round of the season.

A record 444,631 fans attended last year’s Australian GP, making it Melbourne’s highest attended weekend sporting event in history.

The 58-lap race gets underway on Sunday at 3pm AEDT.

⛳️ Jon Rahm’s Champions Dinner menu at the Masters has been set, including “Mama Rahm’s classic lentil stew.”

⚽️ Real Madrid and Paris St-Germain were watching Guimaraes in Saturday's FA Cup defeat at Manchester City, while PSG are also keeping a close eye on one of his Newcastle team-mates - Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 24.

🏀 Anthony Edwards threw down a monster slam over John Collins of the Utah Jazz, helping the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 114-104 victory but leaving both players banged up after the play.

Kyle Anderson’s face says it all. Anthony Edwards is not human.

❤️ Former Olympian Konstantin Koltsov, who was the boyfriend of tennis star and double Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, has died at the age of 42.

Belarusian Konstantin Koltsov was a former NHL player who competed for his national team at the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics.

At this stage, the cause of Konstantin Koltsov’s death has not been revealed.

⛳️ The PGA TOUR will stay in Florida this week for the 2024 Valspar Championship.

The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort is a par 71 measuring 7,340 yards and features Bermudagrass greens overseeded with POA. Infamous for its difficulty, the track will be a tough test for golfers as trouble lurks all over the place. Holes 16, 17 and 18 — also known as the “Snake Pit” — make up one of the toughest three-hole stretches in golf and should lead to a captivating finish on Sunday (local time).

The field is comprised of 156 golfers teeing it up. The field this week is solid (including Xander Schauffle, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas & Min Woo Lee) and is a major improvement over last year’s field that felt the impact of players skipping due to a handful of “signature events” in a short span of time. 

A tough taskmaster: Lucas Glover’s wife, Krista, 36, was arrested after allegedly attacking Glover and his mother for poor play, after he missed the 54-hole cut at The Players Championship, Saturday.

⚽️ The British government is planning to establish an independent football regulator to oversee the sport and encourage financial stability via a bill introduced in parliament

• ‘Independent Football Regulator’ to be enshrined in law that will give fans a greater voice in the running of their clubs

• Regulator will promote financial sustainability and will have the ability to fine clubs up to 10% of turnover for non-compliance 

• Breakaway closed-shop competitions such as the European Super League to be blocked under new legislation

• Regulator will implement strengthened owners’ and directors’ tests and be equipped with backstop powers to impose a ‘new deal’ on financial distributions

TODAY 

09:40 - NCAA Men's First Four - Howard Bison v Wagner Seahawks (ESPN 2)
11:00 - NBA - San Antonio Spurs v Dallas Mavericks (ESPN)
12:10 - NCAA Men's First Four - Virginia Cavaliers v Colorado State Rams (ESPN 2)
13:30 - Men's NIT First Round - Virginia Tech Hokies v Richmond Spiders (ESPN)
14:00 - Men's NIT First Round - Utah Utes v UC Irvine Anteaters (ESPN)
21:05 - MLB Regular Season - San Diego Padres v Los Angeles Dodgers (ESPN)

THURSDAY

09:40 - NCAA Men's First Four - Montana State Bobcats v Grambling State Tigers (ESPN 2)
10:30 - NBA - Boston Celtics v Milwaukee Bucks (ESPN)
12:10 - NCAA Men's First Four - Boise State Broncos v Colorado Buffaloes (ESPN 2)
13:00 - NBA - Golden State Warriors v Memphis Grizzlies (ESPN)
13:00 - Sheffield Shield Final - Western Australia v Tasmania Tigers (Fox Cricket)
17:55 - Melbourne SuperSprint Race 1, Round 2 (Channel 10)
19:30 - AFL - St. Kilda Saints v Collingwood Magpies (Fox Footy)
20:00 - AFC World Cup Qualifier - Australia v Lebanon (10 Bold)
20:00 - NRL - Penrith Panthers v Brisbane Broncos (Fox League)
21:05 - MLB - Los Angeles Dodgers v San Diego Padres (ESPN)