G'day sports fans,

Classic Quote: "I don't know how he's spying on me in the shower." - Steven Smith is amused by Australia coach Justin Langer's claim that he shadow-bats in the shower.

In today's edition of Sport Journal:

🤕 Opener queries

🏉 Team of the Decade announced

⚡️ Smith open

🏏 Cricket

Aussies withstand Indian onslaught to claim T20I thriller

Wade, Maxwell and spin twins Swepson and Zampa the heroes for the hosts, who repelled a devastating late charge from Kohli and Pandya to win the third T20I in Sydney.

Australia avoided an Indian clean sweep by winning the third Dettol T20 International in Sydney by 12 runs in front of a buzzing crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Matthew Wade's red-hot form continued with 80 and Glenn Maxwell was as entertaining as ever with 54 as the hosts posted 5-186 having been sent in to bat.

India captain Virat Kohli threatened to produce another run-chase masterclass with a typically brilliant 85 but the performance of leg-spinner Mitch Swepson, who took 3-23, nullified the champion batsman's impact to restrict the visitors to 7-173.

Match: Australia win by 12 runs

It means that over the six limited-overs matches the two sides couldn't be split, winning three games each with Australia taking out the ODIs and India the T20Is.

Pucovski's head knock casts cloud over Test hopes

Will Pucovski not playing in second tour game after retiring hurt on day three of match against India A.

The Australia A tour match against the Indians has been soured by a worrying blow to the helmet for Will Pucovski off the bowling of an Indian quick.

Cameron Green has a Test debut at his mercy after an unbeaten century against India A but the question of who will open the batting still hasn’t been answered.

Pucovski had reached 23 when he was hit a glancing blow on the front of his protective batting helmet by 20-year-old Indians quick Kartik Tyagi playing just his second first-class game.

The opener won't travel to Adelaide today with other members of the Australia Test squad.

Ged Stokes, the father of cricketer Ben and a former rugby league international, has died.

The 65-year-old revealed in August he had been diagnosed with brain cancer earlier this year, having spent five weeks seriously ill in hospital.

Stokes played for New Zealand and coached Whitehaven and Workington Town.

⚽️ Football

Six in Seven

After scoring her first hat-trick for Chelsea at the weekend, Sam Kerr is now third on the FA WSL Golden Boot ladder. The only bad news was she hobbled off after her celebration her 3rd.

🗓 Download your W-League 2020/2021 Calendar!

UEFA Champions League Matchday 6 — the last of the group stage — has arrived, with nine teams already through to the Round of 16, and 13 more still alive and fighting to join them. (Axios)

• Already through: Bayern, Manchester City, Porto, Liverpool, Chelsea, Sevilla, Dortmund, Barcelona and Juventus.

• Still alive: Atlético, RB Salzburg, Real Madrid, Mönchengladbach, Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk, Atalanta, Ajax, Lazio, Brugge, Manchester United, PSG, RB Leipzig.

Today

• Group E: Chelsea vs. Krasnodar (Rus); Stade Rennais (Fra) vs. Sevilla (Spa)

• Group F: Lazio (Italy) vs. Brugge (Bel); Zenit (Rus) vs. Dortmund (Ger)

• Group G: Barcelona (Spa) vs. Juventus (Italy); Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) vs. Ferencvárosi (Hun)

• Group H: PSG (Fra) vs. İstanbul Başakşehir (Tur); RB Leipzig (Ger) vs. Manchester United

Tomorrow

• Group A: Bayern (Ger) vs. Lokomotiv Moscow (Rus); RB Salzburg (Austria) vs. Atlético (Spa)

• Group B: Real Madrid (Spa) vs. Mönchengladbach (Ger); vs. Inter Milan (Italy) vs. Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)

• Group C: Manchester City vs. Marseille (Fra); Olympiacos (Gre) vs. Porto (Por)

• Group D: Midtjylland (Den) vs. Liverpool; Ajax (Hol) vs. Atalanta (Italy)

📈 Tim Melia, Sporting KC's 34-year-old keeper, is the most successful goalie in MLS history when it comes to stopping penalty kicks.

Just 14 of 26 penalties (53.8%) he's faced have scored — the lowest conversion rate against any keeper in MLS history (minimum 10 shots). (Axios)

🏉 Rugby

All Blacks dominate best XV of the decade

• Seven All Blacks named in best XV of last 10 years

• David Pocock is Australia’s sole representative in team

Everyone knows that composing player ratings, composite XVs and teams of the year/decade/millennium are a recipe for arguments – and the World Rugby team of the decade for men’s players has proved no different as rugby fans flocked to the web to give their views.

No Aaron Smith at 9 and Sergio Parisse seemed to be main contentious decisions. BOD only played 4 years of the decade.

The women’s team of the decade that the panel selected was dominated by England and New Zealand, with just powerpack French forward Safi N’Diaye able to break into the team from outside those two.

Some were left questioning why the fan-selected player of the decade, Trémoulière, couldn’t squeeze in at full-back.

• Women’s 15s Team of the Decade in association with Mastercard: Danielle Waterman (ENG); Lydia Thompson (ENG), Emily Scarratt (ENG), Kelly Brazier (NZL), Portia Woodman (NZL); Katy Daley-Mclean (ENG), Kendra Cocksedge (NZL); Rochelle Clark (ENG), Fiao’o Faamausili (NZL), Sophie Hemming (ENG), Eloise Blackwell (NZL), Tamara Taylor (ENG), Linda Itunu (NZL), Maggie Alphonsi (ENG), Safi N’Diaye (FRA).

More than 70 former rugby players are preparing a potentially seismic group litigation action over the effects of concussions they suffered during their careers.

• Players from all over the world have asked a British law firm to start legal action

• They have endured health problems linked to head injuries during their careers

• Legal action would be similar to huge class action by 4,500 former NFL players

While proceedings have not yet been officially launched, it is understood to be merely a matter of time.

'We believe we will be looking at an epidemic,' one insider told The Daily Telegraph. 'We imagine there will be hundreds if not thousands of players once we go public.

Players include England International Steve Thompson who states his World Cup memories 'have just gone'. Former All Black prop Carl Hayman and Michael Lipman - Now living in Australia, he estimates that he suffered 30 concussions during his career and told the Sydney Morning Herald last month: 'If I wasn't completely knocked out, I played on.'

The primary complaints are regarding early onset dementia and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

CTE is the disease discovered by Dr Bennet Omalu in American football player Mike Webster, and the subject of the film Concussion starring Will Smith. In 2011, a group of former American football players started a class action against the NFL and won a settlement worth about $1bn.

🐴 Racing

Ciaron Maher and David Eustace will unleash Acrobat in Sydney or Brisbane — www.racenet.com.au

Ciaron Maher and David Eustace

boast an enviable two-year-old hand again and the powerhouse stable will look to add another string to their bow with the debut of a promising $1 million colt this week.

🐕 Corgi Racing - Odds on Fav Rosie bringing home the spoils!

🌊 Surfing

Billabong Pipe Masters

The greatest and most dangerous arena in surfing

Pipe Masters is the first stop on the new 2021 Championship Tour kicking off the new tour format.

Statistically speaking, Pipeline is the most deadly wave in the world and considered the holy grails of surf competition.

With its shallow reef and massive Pacific swells, every year surfers are seriously injured surfing there. This is not a wave for amateurs.

The event takes place at Banzai Pipeline, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii. (8th - 20th December)

Brazilian Gabriel Madina and American John Florence are joint favourite for this years event at $5.50. While, Vet and 11 world surfing champ, Kelly Slater is $12.0.

🏉 League

The Melbourne Storm have confirmed they are prepared to release international hooker Brandon Smith for the 2022 season

The Daily Telegraph first reported an email from Smith’s manager Stan Martin was sent to 14 NRL clubs offering the Kiwi international provided the Storm secured “commensurate compensation” in return.

“Please note that after advising the Melbourne Storm that Brandon Smith would be looking for a release due to issues surrounding his desire to play exclusively at hooker."

According to Martin’s email any deal for Smith would need to include “commensurate compensation for Melbourne Storm, given Brandon’s contractual status, his playing ability and representative status.”

Smith is understood to be on about $425,000 a season at the Storm but could command more on the open market.

The one club notably left off the email chain was the Gold Coast.

The Titans remain in the hunt to snare veteran champion Cameron Smith for a 2021 swansong as the 37-year-old contemplates retirement or playing on. (NRL)

‘I was a dud buy’: Reynolds’ admission as transfer confirmed

Josh Reynolds has admitted to being “a dud buy” for Wests Tigers as a potential player swap deal emerges at Concord.

Reynolds has been released by the Tigers, freeing up about $800k on the club’s books as he heads to Super League club Hull FC.

Channel 9 now reports the Tigers may snap up Gareth Widdop, who wants to move back to Australia.

Widdop played with the Storm and Dragons before heading overseas two years ago, and recent reports suggest he is willing to accept only $300k to get another NRL contract.

Kevin Sinfield finishes seven marathons in seven days, in support of his former team-mate

The rugby league legend has raised over £1.4 million for the MND Association,for his former teammate, Rob Burrow. Burrow was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease last year.

🇺🇸 USA

🥊 Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul: Boxing great to come out of retirement to fight YouTube star

Undefeated boxing great Floyd Mayweather is to come out of retirement to fight YouTube star Logan Paul.

The event is being touted as an exhibition and will take place on 20 February next year.

It promises to be another lucrative deal for "Money" Mayweather - as well as for Paul, who has more than 22 million YouTube subscribers.

Both men tweeted an image for the pay-per-view fight, which will be broadcast exclusively on the FanMio site.

🏀 NBA bailout 

The NBA will disburse $30 million to each of its 30 teams to help close the gap from last season's league-wide revenue reduction (a 16% drop year-over-year in game-day income per franchise).

📺 Live sport

TODAY

⚽️ 06:45 - English Championship - Millwall v Queens Park Rangers (BeIN Sports 2)

⚽️ 07:00 - UEFA Champions Lge Group Stage;

• RB Leipzig v Manchester United (Optus Sport 1)

• Paris Saint-Germain v Istanbul Basaksehir (Optus Sport 5)

• Barcelona v Juventus (Optus Sport 2)

• Dynamo Kyiv v Ferencvaros (Optus Sport 6)

• Chelsea v FC Krasnodar (Optus Sport 4)

• Stade Rennais v Sevilla (Optus Sport 3)

🏀 09:00 - NCAA Men's Regular Season - Miami Hurricanes v Purdue Boilermakers (ESPN 2)

🏀 09:00 - NCAA Men's Regular Season - Kansas Jayhawks v Creighton Bluejays (ESPN 1)

🏀 11:30 - NCAA Men's - Iowa Hawkeyes v North Carolina Tar Heels (ESPN 2)

⚽️ 11:30 - Copa Libertadores Quarter-Final - Club Libertad v Palmeiras (BeIN Sports 1)

⚽️ 11:30 - Copa Sudamericana Quarter-Final - Velez Sarsfield v CD Universidad Catolica (BeIN Sports 2)

🏈 12:05 - NFL Regular Season - Baltimore Ravens v Dallas Cowboys (ESPN 1)

🏀 13:30 - NCAA Men's - Duke Blue Devils v Illinois Fighting Illini (ESPN 2)

📺 19:00 - AFL Draft (Fox Footy)

⛹🏻‍♀️ 20:05 - WNBL Regular Season - Adelaide Lightning v Bendigo Spirit (Kayo Sports)

THURSDAY

⚽️ 01:00 - Indian Super League - Mumbai City v Chennaiyin FC (Fox Sports More)

⚽️ 04:55 - UEFA Champions Lge Group Stage - FC Midtjylland v Liverpool (Optus Sport 3)

⚽️ 04:55 - UEFA Champions Lge Group Stage - Ajax Amsterdam v Atalanta (Optus Sport 2)

🏄🏻‍♂️ 05:00 - Men's Championship Tour, Men's Billabong Pipe Masters, Day 2, Round 1 (Fox Sports or Kayo Sports)

🏄🏻‍♀️ 05:00 - Women's Championship Tour, Women's Maui Pro (Fox Sports or Kayo Sports)

⚽️ 06:45 - English Championship - Bristol City v Blackburn Rovers (BeIN Sports 2)

⚽️ 07:00 - UEFA Champions Lge Group Stage;

• Manchester City v Olympique de Marseille (Optus Sport 4)

• Olympiacos FC v Porto (Optus Sport 2)

• Real Madrid v Borussia Monchengladbach (Optus Sport 1)

• Inter Milan v Shakhtar Donetsk (Optus Sport 5)

• Red Bull Salzburg v Atletico Madrid (Optus Sport 3)

• Bayern Munich v Lokomotiv Moscow (Optus Sport 6)

🏀 09:00 - NCAA Men's - Clemson Tigers v Maryland Terrapins (ESPN 2)

⚽️ 09:15 - Copa Libertadores Quarter-Final - Gremio v Santos FC (BeIN Sports 1)

⚽️ 09:15 - Copa Sudamericana Quarter-Final - Esporte Clube Bahia v Defensa y Justicia (BeIN Sports 2)

🏀 11:15 - NCAA Men's Regular Season - Wisconsin Badgers v Louisville Cardinals (ESPN 1)

🏀 11:15 - NCAA Men's Regular Season - Michigan Wolverines v North Carolina State Wolfpack (ESPN 2)

⚽️ 11:30 - Copa Libertadores Round of 16 - Boca Juniors v SC Internacional (BeIN Sports 1)

🏀 13:15 - NCAA Men's Regular Season - Virginia Cavaliers v Michigan State Spartans (ESPN 1)

🏀 13:15 - NCAA Men's Regular Season - Florida State Seminoles v Indiana Hoosiers (ESPN 2)

⛳️ 18:00 - DP World Tour Championship, Round 1 (Fox Sports)

⛹🏻‍♀️ 19:05 - WNBL Regular Season - Perth Lynx v UC Capitals (Fox Sports More)

🏏 19:15 - Big Bash League Group Game - Hobart Hurricanes v Sydney Sixers (Fox Cricket or 7)

⚽️ 21:00 - AFC Champions League - AFC Champions League Quarter-Final (Fox Sports)

⛹🏻‍♀️ 21:05 - WNBL Regular Season - Sydney Uni. Flames v Southside Flyers (Kayo Sports)

🐕 21:22 - Group 1, The Megastar, 520m (Sky Racing 1)