🗞 A tough decision

G'day sports fans, 

“I’m running past 21-year-olds, jumping higher than 23-year olds... I’m just so much more sharper now at year 20 than I was at year 10, or even year 15.” - LeBron James on playing at 38 yrs old. 

🇦🇺 Aussie Sport

🏏 Australia's hopes of getting off to a winning start in India have been dealt a further blow, with Cameron Green expected to miss the first Test. 

Green has been nursing an injured finger after fracturing it in the Boxing Day Test in December, and was dealt a setback when he jarred it while batting during Australia's training camp in Bengaluru.

"I don't think he is [going to play]," Smith said. 

Matt Renshaw replaced Green in Australia's middle order for the New Year's Test against South Africa, but Peter Handscomb is also in the frame. 

👀 Australia has gotten its first look at the first Test pitch - and it could see India playing three or even FOUR spinners.

📊 India have lost only two out of forty two Tests over the best part of a decade at home and are on a winning streak of 15 successive series wins.

🇦🇺 Nat Fyfe has stood down from his role as Fremantle captain after a six-year tenure in what he described as a "tough" decision.

The 31-year-old informed his teammates of the decision on Tuesday, admitting that it had been coming for the best part of a month.

"The decision was tough. It has been something I've known for the last three or four weeks," he said.

🏀 Australia's Josh Green and fellow young gun Jaden Hardy each scored career highs of 29 points and the short-handed Mavericks stunned the Utah Jazz 124-111 on Tuesday after completing a trade for Irving.

🏏 Aaron Finch wants a white-ball specialist to replace him as Australian T20 captain after confirming his retirement from international cricket. 

The 36-year-old has called time after a stunning career that yielded more than 8500 runs across all three forms of the game and two World Cup wins.

🏉 Brandon Smith has been named to make his club debut for the Roosters this week, and will go up against his former club on Sunday (All teams and fixtures here).

🏉 Latrell Mitchell and Jack Wighton have both been named for the Indigenous All Stars after they were arrested for an alleged altercation outside a Canberra nightclub. 

🏀 Sydney Kings’ superstar Xavier Cooks has won the Andrew Gaze Trophy as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2022/23 Hungry Jack’s NBL Season.

Cooks polled 120 votes, beating Perth’s Bryce Cotton (96 votes) and South East Melbourne’s Mitch Creek (80 votes).

Cooks becomes the third King to win the award in the past five seasons, joining Jaylen Adams (2022) and Andrew Bogut (2019).  

🌎 World Sport

⚽️ The Premier League has charged Manchester City with more than 100 breaches of its financial rules following a four-year investigation.

It has referred the club to an independent commission over alleged rule breaches between 2009 and 2018.

Punishments can include: docked points, and even relegation. 

City said they were "surprised" by the charges and are supported by a "body of irrefutable evidence".

⚽️ Liverpool will listen to offers this summer for 31-year-old former Cameroon centre-back Joel Matip, whose contract runs until 2024. (Football Insider)

🏈 Quarterback Tom Brady, who announced his retirement Feb. 1, said Monday that he won't begin his work as a sports broadcaster at Fox Sports until the fall of 2024. The deal is said to be worth $375m over 10 years. 

🐴 Irish trainer Gordon Elliott faces a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday over a positive drugs test for one of his horses at last year's Cheltenham Festival.

Zanahiyr finished third behind Honeysuckle in the Champion Hurdle.

⚽️ Footballer Christian Atsu has been pulled from the rubble of a building "with injuries" after the earthquakes in Turkey, his club's vice-president Mustafa Özat has told Turkish radio.

🏀 Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd brushed aside questions about newly acquired guard Kyrie Irving's past controversies and future contract negotiations, preferring to focus on his belief that pairing Irving with fellow All-Star starter Luka Doncic cracks open a championship window for the franchise.

⛳️ Justin Rose ended a four-year winless run on the PGA Tour with an impressive three-stroke victory in a Monday finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

📺 Sports TV Guide

TODAY

🏏 02:30 - SA20 - Pretoria Capitals v Paarl Royals (Fox Cricket)

⚽️ 06:00 - Club World Cup Semi-Final - Flamengo v Al Hilal (SBS)

⚽️ 06:45 - FA Cup Fourth Round - Burnley v Ipswich Town (Paramount+)

⚽️ 06:45 - FA Cup Fourth Round - Fleetwood Town v Sheffield Wednesday (Paramount+)

🏒 11:00 - NHL - Pittsburgh Penguins v Colorado Avalanche (ESPN 2)

🏀 11:30 - NBA - Brooklyn Nets v Phoenix Suns (ESPN)

🏀 14:00 - NBA - Los Angeles Lakers v Oklahoma City Thunder (ESPN)

THURSDAY

🏏 02:30 - SA20 League - SA20 Semi-Final (Fox Cricket)

⚽️ 06:00 - Club World Cup Semi-Final - Al Ahly v Real Madrid (SBS)

⚽️ 06:45 - FA Cup Fourth Round - Sunderland v Fulham (Paramount+)

⚽️ 07:00 - Premier League - Manchester United v Leeds United (Optus Sport 1)

⚽️ 07:10 - Coupe de France Round of 16 - Olympique de Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (beIN SPORTS 3)

🏀 11:00 - Men's NCAA - West Virginia Mountaineers v Iowa State Cyclones (ESPN 2)

🏀 11:30 - NBA - Boston Celtics v Philadelphia 76ers (ESPN)

🏀 13:00 - Men's NCAA - Alabama Crimson Tide v Florida Gators (ESPN 2)

🏀 14:00 - NBA - Los Angeles Clippers v Dallas Mavericks (ESPN)

🏏 15:00 - Test Match - India v Australia (Fox Cricket)

🏉 18:00 - Pre-Season Challenge - Warriors v Wests Tigers (Fox League)

🏀 18:30 - NBL Play In Qualifier - South East Melbourne Phoenix v Perth Wildcats (ESPN)

🏀 20:30 - NBL Seeding Qualifier - Cairns Taipans v Tasmania JackJumpers (ESPN)