🗞 A five-set thriller

G’day Sports Fans,

📈 Wild Stat: Michael Jordan after losing the first 3 games in the 90-91 season proceeded to never lose 3 consecutive again in a Bulls jersey. 500 games.

📧 P.S. First time reading? Subscribe here for free.

🏏 Both Australia and West Indies have confirmed their teams for the NRMA Insurance Test series opener in Adelaide.

Captain Pat Cummins has confirmed Cameron Green will return to a side that has been rejigged after David Warner's retirement and which sees Steve Smith begin a new chapter of his career as a Test opener.

"It's a new challenge for him which I don’t think you can underestimate,"

"It's as happy and as energetic as I've seen him around the nets in the last couple of days… He can't wait to get out there.” - Cummins.

🎾 The 2024 Australian Open continued on Day 3 with a total of six Aussies in action, including Thanasi Kokkinakis, Max Purcell, and Ajla Tomljanovic competing their first matches.

Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) survived a five-set thriller, defeating Austria's Sebastian Ofner in an instant classic.

With the crowd behind him from the opening point until the dramatic end, Kokkinakis played inspired tennis to win 7-6(1), 2-6, 6-7(4), 6-1, 7-6(8) in over four hours of play.

Ajla Tomljanović never gave up, and came from 1-4 down in the third set to defeat Croatia's world number 40, Petra Martić 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 in just under three hours.

Max Purcell was made to work hard under the hot Melbourne sun, with Hungarian qualifier Valkusz making him earn a hard-fought four-set victory.

While, Kimberly Birrell, James McCabe, & Olivia Gadecki all went out.

🏏 The Sydney Sixers secured the double chance in the BBL|13 Finals thanks to an outstanding knock by their skipper Moises Henriques (47* off 20), stunning the Perth Scorchers, handing the hosts their first defeat at Optus Stadium this year by 3 wickets.

🏀 Scott Roth has agreed to a contract extension to remain head coach of the Tasmania JackJumpers through the 2026-27 NBL season.

The extension would see Roth, 60, remain at the helm of the NBL's newest franchise through what would be his sixth year in Tasmania.

⚽️ Australian football is entering a "truly dark" period, with almost half of the staff at the A-League governing body set to be axed amid financial concerns.

Reports from The Sydney Morning Herald have revealed that close to 50 per cent of the 80-odd workers at the Australian Professional Leagues will either lose their jobs or already have lost their jobs due to an ongoing restructure.

The latest decision from the APL has raised further concerns regarding the future of the A-Leagues, with two clubs - Perth Glory and Newcastle Jets - without an owner in the midst of the 2023/24 campaign. 

🏏 Jake Fraser-McGurk has committed to the Melbourne Renegades until at least the end of BBL|17 after a campaign in which he has lived up to his potential, and topped the club’s run-scorers list.

His 18 sixes this season is bettered only by the league’s most in-form player in Matt Short, who has cleared the rope 25 times.

⚽️ Sam Kerr missed out on the FIFA Women's Player of the Year award, with the Matildas superstar failing to even make the top-three shortlist [5th].

Kerr only helped the Aussies reach the semi-finals of the tournament on home soil, as well as leading her club side to a second-straight FA Women's Super League title.

To be fair; Aitana Bonmati (Spain) became the first player in history to win The FIFA Best, Ballon d’Or, UEFA Player of the Year and World Cup Golden Ball in the same year.

🇦🇺 GWS has reignited its desire to play a home and away game in the USA, with the club sending a staffer to scope out potential venues last year.

While the AFL is not yet directly involved with any plans, the Giants have long been keen on becoming the first club to play for premiership points in the USA.

The plans before COVID were for GWS to host Essendon in either San Francisco or Los Angeles, but they were put on the backburner.

Aiding their ambition is the AFL's split Round 1 fixture in 2024. Theoretically, GWS could play an opponent in 'Opening Round' and be home in time to play again in Round 2.

⚽️ Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says a date has been set for the hearing into Manchester City's alleged breaches of financial rules.

But, speaking in front of MPs, Masters said he could not reveal the date.

Everton, already appealing against a 10-point deduction for a previous charge, and Nottingham Forest were charged for breaching league profit and sustainability rules on Monday.

🏃🏽‍♀️ What’s going on in the world of Road Racing? Kenya's Agnes Ngetich became the first woman to run 10km in under 29 minutes when she won the Valencia Ibercaja road race in Spain, beating Ethiopian Yalemzerf Yehualaw's 2022 road world record by 28 seconds.

🏀 Draymond Green was booed on his return from suspension in the Golden State Warriors' defeat by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Green, 33, was banned last month after striking an opponent in the face and has missed the Warriors' past 16 games.

🎾 Sumit Nagal became the first Indian tennis player to knock off a seeded opponent at a Grand Slam since 1989 when he defeated Alexander Bublik in straight sets at the Australian Open on Tuesday.

🏈 Buffalo Bills 31-17 Steelers: There were no assigned seats at Highmark Stadium. Just find a place to stand and it is yours.

🏉 According to the All Blacks’ Instagram page, rising star Cam Roigard has drawn level with playmaker Beauden Barrett in the pre-season Bronco after taking just 4 minutes and 12 seconds to complete the 1.2km shuttle run without a break.

In what’s become an incredibly popular fitness test in sports around the world, athletes are tasked with running 20, 40 and 60 metres shuttle runs five times each.

⚽️ Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to a sign a top-class centre-forward, who is at a similar level to Bayern Munich's 30-year-old England forward Harry Kane, once his deal to buy 25% of Manchester United is ratified by the Premier League.

🎾 Rafael Nadal has become the latest high-profile sports star to accept a role in Saudi Arabia, as the gulf nation looks to increase its global influence through sport.

🏈 Six-time All-Pro and future Hall-of-Fame centre, and Taylor Swift’s future Brother-in-law Jason Kelce told his Eagles teammates in Monday night’s postgame locker room that he is retiring.

TODAY

10:30 - Test Match - Australia v West Indies - Channel 7, Fox Cricket

11:00 - T20 Series - New Zealand v Pakistan - Fox Sports

11:00 - Men's NCAA - Tennessee Volunteers v Florida Gators - ESPN 2

11:30 - NBA - Philadelphia 76ers v Denver Nuggets - ESPN

13:00 - NHL - Edmonton Oilers v Toronto Maple Leafs - ESPN 2

14:00 - NBA - Los Angeles Clippers v Oklahoma City Thunder - ESPN

19:15 - Big Bash League - Sydney Thunder v Melbourne Renegades - Fox Cricket or Channel 7

19:30 - NBL - South East Melbourne Phoenix v Adelaide 36ers - ESPN

THURSDAY

00:30 - T20 Series - India v Afghanistan - Fox Cricket

02:30 - SA20 - Paarl Royals v Joburg Super Kings - Fox Sports

10:30 - Test Match - Australia v West Indies - Channel 7, Fox Cricket

11:30 - NBA - Cleveland Cavaliers v Milwaukee Bucks - ESPN

12:30 - NBA - Los Angeles Lakers v Dallas Mavericks - ESPN 2

14:00 - Men's NCAA - Arizona Wildcats v USC Trojans - ESPN

15:30 - Men's Super Smash - Northern Brave v Canterbury Kings - Fox Sports

19:30 - NBL - Illawarra Hawks v Cairns Taipans - ESPN

19:45 - A-League Men - Brisbane Roar v Macarthur FC Bulls - Paramount+

22:30 - Asian Cup - Syria v Australia - Paramount+ or Channel 10