The best thing about Australia’s fightback win over India in Adelaide is that it was in just the second Test of five. There is still so much cricket to come, so many ways this could play out. Credit where credit is rarely given to those who pushed for five Tests between these teams. It’s a latter-day rarity, but it’s put the serious back into series. One Test is by definition not a series. Two usually feels unfinished, 1-1, or a win and a draw, crying out for another match. Three is a minimum. But even three can leave fans feeling short-changed. India’s Shubman Gill is bowled by Mitchell Starc in Adelaide. Credit: AP If this was a three-Test series, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli , for instance, would have only two more innings each. They’re both giants of these times, but at uncertain stages in their histories. Two more innings would prove little. Yes, Kohli made a hundred in Perth, but it was nearly the softest of his 30. Ditto Marnus Labuschagne: he’s made some runs, but needs more, which means more innings. There must be an allowance for accidents, like leg-side strangles, for instance. At the other end of the scale, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nittish Kumar Reddy have made eye-catching first impressions, but even with one more match they would constitute only glimpses. Don’t be misled by the Jaiswal’s ducks; they’re an opener’s occupational hazard. There may come a time when we’ve seen too much of him, but it’s not yet. A four-Test series presents the same problem as two. It’s an even number, so is liable to end up unresolved. Loading Five Tests, though, represent a gamut. A five-Test series in Australia means players have to negotiate a range of climates, circumstances and conditions, including a pink-ball game. A five-game series has – mostly – its own internal narrative of waxing and waning, thrust and parry, turns to follow twists. It poses questions and gives rise to intrigues. What will become of the Travis Head-Mohammed Siraj tete-a-tete ? They’ve patched it up for now, but there will be many more confrontations. Can Jasprit Bumrah keep it up for five Tests, and if not, what do India have in reserve?MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is urging its players to take additional precautions to secure their homes following reports of recent high-profile burglaries of dwellings owned by Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis , Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. and Kansas City Chiefs teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo the NBA sent to its team officials, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, the league revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Conley's home was broken into on Sept. 15 when he was at a Minnesota Vikings game and jewelry was taken, officials told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Portis said his home was broken into on Nov. 2 and has offered a $40,000 reward for information related to the incident. The homes of Mahomes and Kelce were broken into within days of each other last month, according to law enforcement reports, and the NFL issued a similar warning memo to its teams this week. The NBA memo, relaying information from the FBI, said the theft rings “are primarily focused on cash and items that can be resold on the black market, such as jewelry, watches, and luxury bags.” The NBA, which has also been giving guidance to team security personnel, recommended that players install updated alarm systems with cameras and utilize them whenever leaving the home, keeping valuables in locked and secured safes, remove online real estate listings that may show interior photos of a home, “utilize protective guard services” during extended trips from the home and even suggested having dogs assist with home protection. “Obviously, it’s frustrating, disappointing, but I can’t get into too many of the details because the investigation is still ongoing,” Mahomes recently said. “But, obviously, something you don’t want to happen to anybody, but obviously yourself.” One of the break-ins involving the Chiefs players happened on a game day — Oct. 7 — and Portis was also playing a game when his home was robbed. “They took most of my prized possessions,” Portis said. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBABrendan Rodgers: Celtic rewarded for sticking to principles in win at Aberdeen
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Penn State head coach James Franklin spoke to the media Monday afternoon just over a week before his team will take on Boise State in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. Here’s what Franklin said about the Broncos, and more ahead of the Fiesta Bowl matchup. On Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty and QB Maddux Madsen “It all starts and revolves around Jeanty. In any other year, I think the guy wins the Heisman, and you can make the argument that he should have won it this year. He is hard to tackle. He is compact, 5-10, has the ability to run away from you, has the ability to make you miss. They get him involved in the pass game. They get him involved in the run game. And then the quarterback is athletic as well. He reminds me a little bit of the quarterback that we faced from West Virginia (Garrett Greene). We had a ton of respect for on tape when we played them, but they’re a problem. But I think it starts and ends with the running back, and I think they do a really good job of not only getting him the ball in the run game, but also in the pass game, but then also using him in play action pass to create some opportunities to get some explosive plays down the field in the passing game. It’ll be a definite challenge for us, but they’re kind of a two headed monster, both athletic guys. Both of them aren’t the biggest guys in the world, but are really good, productive football players that have done it week in and week out against everybody.” On how DE Abdul Carter played against SMU “Very disruptive, like he’s been all year long. I also think if you went back and did a study, the amount of holding calls that have been called against him, I think, is probably up there as high as anywhere in the country. But also holding calls that could have been called. He is just a problem, and he’s an issue in the run game as well as the pass game, with tackles for loss, sacks, just like we’re spending time talking about their running back, they’re spending time talking about our defensive end and play maker, Abdul Carter. That’ll be an interesting matchup, and that’ll be an interesting chess game with both coaching staffs and how we use those guys so that they both can be as effective as possible in this game.” On how Jeanty compares to other running backs “Yeah, I’m not sure. When you look at his stature, you start thinking about certain backs, but I don’t know if I have somebody that jumps out in my mind that he reminds me of when I’m watching him on tape. Because really he does a lot of things really well. He can run away from you and score from a distance, breaks a ton of tackle. His yards after contact, I think I saw or read it somewhere, like 1300 yards of his rushing yards are after contact, which is like a ridiculous stat. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that before, but his ability to make people miss, break tackles, finish runs, is really impressive. But I don’t know if I got somebody that jumps out in my mind in terms of he reminds me of this guy. But the thing that jumps out the most to me is 1300 yards, or whatever that statistic is, after contact is a crazy stat in college football.” On what this week looks like “We practiced yesterday, kind of our normal Sunday practice, and then tried to help everybody get out of town. So we went early. I say normal, not normal because we went early in the morning so guys could get out of here. Coaches worked a full day, but tried to get the guys out of here so they could fly, drive wherever they were going, then they’ll have off until Christmas Day evening. I want to make sure I term that the right way. We’ll have a team meeting and practice that evening. So it’s a little bit of time off for everybody, the coaches we worked early this morning until this afternoon. Everybody’s heading out of the office now, get a couple hours of Christmas shopping, then be able to spend time with their family. And then after that, after Christmas Day around five o’clock, we’re getting in our normal game week. So for us, we always take whenever the game is, and count back seven days, and that’s our normal game week. And we try to stick to that routine as much as we possibly can. It’s been good to us, and our players and coaches believe in it. So after that, we’re kind of back to things as normal, except obviously we don’t have school and those things.” On RBs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen “They’re really good, complementary pieces. I know the expression is probably overused, but thunder and lightning, I think, is a good expression or a good description for those guys. Nick has the ability to go the distance with his speed and explosive ability. Kaytron, we call him Fatman, he is a violent, physical runner. I think they both have aspects of that as well, but Kaytron is extremely physical. They’re both smart, high football IQ guys. I think Nick is trying to kind of get on an edge and beat you with speed. Fatman, will try to run you over more times than not. But they’ve both been productive. We’ve been able to rotate both of them. There was some times during the season where both of them were banged up at certain points, but these last couple of weeks they’ve been as healthy as they’ve been all year long. And I think it’s showed up that way on on film and statistically the last two weeks. Both been great teammates and great students, and are thriving here.” On OC Andy Kotelnicki saying the team plays to win and not to not lose “We’ve talked about that a lot with the players. We’ve talked about that a lot with the staff, in terms of how we call the game, how we prepare for the game, how we game plan, players being aggressive, playing on their toes, not on their heels, making aggressive calls. Instead of going for the PBU, go for the interception. I think some of the calls that we have made going for it on fourth down, those types of things, we want to be as aggressive as we possibly can. That’s if we got a play action pass or a shot play or a trick play on offense, we want to use those. Whether it’s defensively, you saw us a bunch in Cover 0 and going after the offense. We want to be very aggressive. We don’t want to have any regrets. And playing to win, I think, is a mentality that everybody has to embrace and be on the same page with because there’s going to be times where the defense is going to have to have the offense’s back after making one of those decisions. There’s going to be times where the offense is going to have to have the defense’s back after making one of those decisions. And the same thing with special teams, and everybody’s got to buy into that philosophy and embrace that philosophy. So that’s kind of where we’re at. And I think the biggest thing is just no regrets.” This story was originally published December 23, 2024, 2:52 PM.
Fiji National Rugby League (FNRL) is in a discussion to have a Test in Fiji on October 10 , 2025. This is to warm-up for the Pacific Bowl Championship. Fiji Bati head coach Wise Kativerata confirmed the move. “That’s one thing we want to try and bring to Suva during the Fiji Day celebration,” he said. “We’re talking to two nations to see what we come up with.” Kativerata indicated some highlights for this year included the pre-season National Rugby League (NRL) match between Newcastle Knights and Melbourne Storm at Lautoka’s Churchill Park on February 24 which was a success for FNRL. “We also hosted the Pacific Bowl Championship in Suva two months ago which was a good boost for the game. “We have got to start working really hard for the next three years in building a pathway as we got Papua New Guinea coming in,” Kativerata added. 2025 plans He added they are planning to build an academy for the under-14 to 18 grade next year in all parts of Fiji. “The under 19 to 23 is the Resident squad. “We are going to focus more on schools and islands including Vanua Levu to bring them up to come to Viti Levu,” Kativerata said. “We’re going to Tailevu North and Naitasiri as well. Something we need to go after are the players because 2028 is just around the corner and we want to set up a pathway system.” Kativerata said they aim to change the young players’ mindset. “It takes years to get to the top and that’s why we need to educate our young Fijian kids,” he said. Kativerata was hopeful that the Melbourne Storm will play more games in Fiji next year. Wakeham cleared Kativerata said that former West Tigers halfback Brandon Wakeham can still be include in the Fiji Bati squad. This is after Fox Sports reported that the alleged drug charges were dropped against the 25-year-old on November 12. Wakeham was arrested in May 15 near Brookvale Oval and charged with taking part in the supply of a prohibited drug, greater than a large commercial quantity, taking part in the supply of a prohibited drug, greater than an indictable and less than a commercial quantity and participating in a criminal group. “If he’s (Wakeham) playing good football in high class environment like reserve grade or NRL system then we’re going to consider that looking at what Wakeham bring to the table,” he said. “Next year is important that we put a core player for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup so we’re going to work in a combination that stays leading towards the World Cup.” Feedback: ioane.asioli@fijisun.com.fjLiverpool boss Arne Slot talks up ‘special player’ Mohamed Salah
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Luke Kromenhoek threw for 209 yards and tossed three touchdown passes as Florida State halted a six-game losing streak and routed Charleston Southern 41-7 on Saturday. Kromenhoek completed 13 of 20 passes in his first college start, including a 71-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Khi Douglas, as the Seminoles (2-9) won for the first time since Sept. 21. The true freshman also connected with Amaree Williams for a 4-yard TD and Hykeem Williams for a 10-yard TD. “It was unbelievable, it was a dream come true,” Kromenhoek said. “The more snaps I get, the more reps that I get, it slows down little by little. I just try to take advantage of every one that I get.” The Seminoles (2-9) have started three quarterbacks and nine offensive line combinations this fall, and they came into Saturday with the nation’s worst scoring offense (13.3 points). Florida State hadn’t scored more than 21 points or surpassed the 300-yard mark in 2024. But Florida State overwhelmed FCS Charleston Southern (1-11), accumulating 415 offensive yards. Coach Mike Norvell made major changes following a 52-3 loss at Notre Dame on Nov. 9. He fired offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Alex Atkins, defensive coordinator Adam Fuller and wide receivers coach Ron Dugans. On Saturday, Norvell again called plays (as he has done throughout his five years at Florida State). Randy Shannon, the linebackers coach, was elevated to interim defensive coordinator. “It’s been a tough last couple weeks, tough season in general,” Norvell said. “But I was really proud of them for how they approached this week and the work that they poured in. From senior to freshman, there was a lot of investment to go push to be better.” After a scoreless first quarter, Florida State poured it on — scoring on six straight drives. This is the first time the Seminoles have scored 10 or more points in a quarter, tallying 17 in the second and 14 in the third. Kaleb Jackson completed 22 of 32 passes for 218 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown pass to Landon Sauers, and an interception for the Buccaneers. Next up: Randy Shannon Shannon stepped in to coordinate, guiding a first- and second-team defense that didn’t allow a point. Florida State led 31-0 after three quarters, allowing Charleston Southern to pick up just 124 offensive yards and holding the Buccaneers to 23 rushing yards. Once Miami’s head coach, Shannon has now been a defensive coordinator at all four of the state’s Power 4 schools. Shannon was the defensive coordinator at Miami (2001-06), Florida (2017), UCF (2018-20) and will now also be Florida State's interim coordinator next week against Florida. The takeaway Charleston Southern: While the Buccaneers found some success through the air, they couldn’t sustain drives and managed just 57 rushing yards on 29 carries. Florida State: The Seminoles picked up a season-best 176 rushing yards, scoring 17 points in the second quarter and 14 points in the third quarter to take control. Up next Charleston Southern’s season is over. Florida State plays host to Florida on Nov. 30. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25Liverpool boss Arne Slot talks up ‘special player’ Mohamed Salah
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The Galen Center’s crowd palpably buzzed as JuJu Watkins collected the opening tip-off. It was a sign of USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb ’s program-rebuilding success, turning the Trojans back into a national championship contender — a sign of growing support and interest. But No. 6 Notre Dame was able to dissipate the buzz, stifling No. 3 USC in a 74-61 win. The Trojans, who entered the game averaging 98.3 points per game on their home court, albeit against unranked squads, shot just 35.8% from the field. USC (4-1) committed eight turnovers in the first quarter — and 21 overall — to fall into an early 10-point deficit. Notre Dame sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo scored 24 points. Watkins scored 10 points in the third quarter on the way to finishing with 24. Watkins’ third-quarter surge brought the Trojans within three points, but Notre Dame capitalized on offensive rebounds from Cassandre Prosper and two three-pointers from Olivia Miles to stretch the Fighting Irish’s lead to 21 points as fans trickled toward the exit. USC freshman guard Kennedy Smith, who averaged 10.3 points as a starter, did not play after undergoing surgery for an undisclosed reason. Kayleigh Heckel replaced Smith in the starting lineup and made the most of her opportunity. Providing bursts of energy by chasing balls out of bounds and bullying her way into the paint for rebounds, the 5-foot-9 freshman guard provided versatility not in the box score. She finished with six points and four rebounds. USC will next play Seton Hall at the Women’s Acrisure Holiday Invitational in Palm Desert on Wednesday. Another big nonconference matchup looms, with the Trojans playing at No. 2 Connecticut on Dec. 21. Notre Dame (5-0) faces Texas Christian next on Friday.Why a five-match series is the perfect Test for Australia and IndiaWorld News Today Live Updates on December 24, 2024 : Investigator flags 26 OnlyFans accounts for suspected child exploitationFor the Chicago Blackhawks’ 6 former Boston Bruins, bragging rights are on the line tonight