India will be without Jasprit Bumrah for their ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Bumrah, who needs more time to recover from a back injury he suffered before the T20 World Cup last year, is also set to miss much of India's Test series against Australia, which starts on February 9.

The news of Bumrah's setback was confirmed on Monday, on the eve of Rohit Sharma's team taking on Sri Lanka in a three-match ODI series.

"It's an unfortunate incident with [Bumrah]," said India captain Rohit.

"The poor guy has been working very hard all this time. Just when he got back to full fitness, he started bowling and everything, the last two days I think this incident happened where he felt a little bit of stiffness in his back.

"It's nothing major, it's just stiffness. But when Bumrah says anything we have to be very cautious about it. I thought it was important for us to make that decision then to just pull him out.

"When we named him [in the squad], he was in the process of getting his workload done. We need to be very careful with him. He had a major injury before the [T20] World Cup. So we just need to be careful."

Brandon Staley defended his decision to play his starters in the Los Angeles Chargers' Week 18 game with the Denver Broncos, insisting they managed their roster "to the best of their ability" despite wide receiver Mike Williams suffering a back injury.

Following the Baltimore Ravens' loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Chargers were locked into the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs ahead of the meeting with the Broncos.

Yet Staley kept quarterback Justin Herbert in the game until the fourth quarter as the Chargers' starters played the majority of a meaningless contest, which they lost 31-28.

Williams left the game with back spasms, though initial X-rays were negative, offering hope the problem will not impact his participation in Saturday's Wild Card round game with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But Staley rejected criticism of how he managed the game, saying: "There's only 48 guys that you can choose from and these aren't easy decisions. 

"Hindsight is perfect for everybody on the outside, but these games are not easy to manage.

"They're not, because you don't have that many players. We did it to the best of our ability.

"We were trying to compete in the game and we only have 48 guys on the team that are active for the game.

"So we wanted to make sure that they went a good ways in this football game and competed at a high level and then when we felt like it was right for them to get out of the game, then that's what we were going to do, slowly phase them out so that we could get ready for next week."

Bill Belichick has confirmed he will continue as head coach of the New England Patriots for a 24th season in 2023.

Turning 71 in April, Belichick has been at the helm since 2000, guiding the Patriots to six Super Bowl rings and establishing the franchise as a dominant force in the NFL.

However, Belichick's Patriots have posted a losing record in two of three seasons since Tom Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, having previously not had a losing season since his first year in charge.

Defeat to the Buffalo Bills in Week 18 saw the Patriots miss out on a playoff spot for the second time in three years but work ahead of the 2023 season is set to begin, with Belichick set to remain in his post.

"Our record is around .500, which is what it has been right around this year. With that, there have been some good things and some not so good things," he told reporters.

"Nobody is satisfied with that, it's not our goal, and we need to improve on that. All of us, there is accountability everywhere, starting with me, the coaching staff, the players, each unit, there are things that we will all address, and that process will start later today.

"We'll begin to turn the page and move on, to start to do the things we need to do to improve our team, to be competitive, and get better results.

"We haven't started that yet, we're still in the wake of yesterday's game. I'm sure there will be different aspects to that, as we evaluate everything, to have a stronger team in the future."

Strasbourg have sacked coach Julien Stephan.

Stephan took charge in July 2021 and led Strasbourg to a sixth-placed finish in Ligue 1 in his first season at the helm.

That was the club's first top-six finish in the top-flight since the 1979-80 campaign, but Strasbourg begin 2023 with relegation a real possibility.

They are second bottom in Ligue 1 with just one win from their 17 games and sit four points adrift of safety.

Assistant Mathieu Le Scornet will take temporary charge, with Strasbourg's first game without Stephan a tough assignment against Lens, who are just four points shy of league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, on Wednesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo will still have the chance to represent Portugal after new head coach Roberto Martinez left the door open for him to compete for the national side.

A move to Al Nassr for Ronaldo after the World Cup came after a turbulent period for the 37-year-old saw him released by Manchester United and then dropped by Fernando Santos during Portugal's campaign in Qatar.

Now in Saudi Arabia, it has not been clear whether the 196-cap forward's time on the international stage would end at the start of a new era under Martinez.

However, speaking at his unveiling on Monday, the former Belgium boss confirmed he will talk to Ronaldo, and other players, before making decisions on the squad.

"Decisions have to be made on the pitch. I won't rush into decisions. I want to meet everyone, and from today I want to talk and meet all the players," he said at a press conference.

"Cristiano is part of that list. He's had 19 years in the national team and deserves respect, let's talk. From there, it's up to me to make the best list for the European Championships.

"Tomorrow we will start working to meet all the players, and Cristiano is one of them.

"We will start a football process to try to get to know all the players who will be able to join this team. We will give a chance to all players and respect all who are already in the team.

"I'm delighted to have them by my side. It's a process that we have to face naturally, responsibly, and we're going to make important decisions for the team."

Portugal begin their qualification campaign for Euro 2024 in March against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg.

Petra Kvitova defeated Elena Rybakina in the pick of the first-round matches at the Adelaide International 2 on Monday.

Two-time Wimbledon winner Kvitova hit 21 winners to 12 unforced errors on her way to a 6-3 7-5 win against reigning SW19 champion Rybakina in a match lasting 87 minutes.

Belinda Bencic, a defeated finalist in this tournament in 2021, also advanced with a 6-3 6-4 win against former world number one Garbine Muguruza to maintain her positive form.

Fellow seeded players Beatriz Haddad Maia and Danielle Collins beat Sorana Cirstea and Karolina Pliskova respectively to book their places in the last 16.

At the Hobart International, favourite Marie Bouzkova saw off Jacqueline Cristian 7-6 (7-2) 6-3, while Lauren Davis defeated Sloane Stephens 6-2 6-2 in an all-American clash.

J.J. Watt feels he could not have had a better farewell from the NFL after his final game for the Arizona Cardinals.

The defensive end registered two sacks in his final career appearance, a 38-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, receiving a standing ovation when he was removed from the action in the final two minutes of the game.

An official stood between the 49ers center and quarterback Josh Johnson, holding off play to allow Watt to have his moment, which continued the tributes for the 33-year-old.

In a team meeting on Saturday, Arizona defensive line coach Matt Burke played a six-minute video tribute to the three-time Defensive Player of the Year – which included messages from his family, alongside the likes of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

J.J's youngest brother, T.J., was the first to appear in the video and sparked tears, before both he and Derek Watt made significant contributions in the Pittsburgh Steelers' season-ending win over the Cleveland Browns.

"I absolutely lost it. I was bawling like a baby, and I didn't stop until long into the night," he told reporters.

"I mean, the highlight videos are great, all the plays are cool, but when you hear from the people in your life that are important, from my family, from my friends, and then you hear from people you have the utmost respect for, team-mates, coaches, opponents, it hit me in a different way that I never expected.

"There's no way to explain what it feels like to anybody because the love that I have for them, the pride that I have for them.

"How much fun I have watching them, and then they walk in wearing my jerseys and T.J. gets whatever he had [a half-sack], Derek scores a touchdown.

"I mean, I wanted to win today, but for our family, I couldn't ask for a better send-off.

"I want to thank the 49ers, that was very classy, and their fans, they didn't have to do that. I appreciate them doing that, that was better than I could have expected certainly from that standpoint.

"[I] had my wife and son here and my parents here, I'm thankful and grateful, and I'll always remember it that's for sure."

David Goffin got off the mark with his first victory of 2023 with a straight-sets win over fifth seed Alexander Bublik in round one of the Auckland Open.

The Belgian lost both matches at the inaugural United Cup last week, but he saw off Bublik 6-3 6-4 in 74 minutes to reach the last 16 in New Zealand.

Another seeded player fell at the first hurdle on Monday as Adrian Mannarino lost 6-4 7-6 (7-4) to J.J. Wolf.

Richard Gasquet advanced with a 6-3 6-1 win over wild card Kiranpal Pannu, while Jenson Brooksby beat Fabio Fognini 6-7 (2-7) 6-1 6-3 and will now face Diego Schwartzman.

At the Adelaide International 2, fifth seed Dan Evans suffered a 7-5 7-5 defeat to Mackenzie McDonald.

Fellow seeds Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Miomir Kecmanovic overcame Brandon Nakashima and Kyle Edmund respectively.

Portugal have appointed Roberto Martinez as their new head coach.

Fernando Santos called time on his eight-year stint at the helm last month, a decision which followed Portugal's surprise World Cup defeat to Morocco.

Santos led Portugal to the quarter-finals in Qatar, where he benched Cristiano Ronaldo for the Selecao's two knockout games – a comprehensive 6-1 win over Switzerland and the 1-0 loss to the Atlas Lions.

Martinez, who was presented as Portugal's new coach on Monday and has reportedly signed a four-year deal, became a free agent shortly before Santos' exit, leaving his role as Belgium coach after the Red Devils slumped to a dismal group-stage exit in Qatar.

Former Wigan Athletic and Everton boss Martinez led Belgium to their best World Cup campaign when they clinched third place at Russia 2018, though his failure to deliver silverware with a crop of players said to be the country's "golden generation" has attracted criticism.

Martinez oversaw 61 games during his six-year spell in charge of Belgium, winning 47 (77 per cent).

Belgium beat Canada in their opening match in Qatar but a defeat to Morocco and draw with Croatia saw them slump eliminated from a World Cup group for the first time since 1998.

They entered the World Cup second in FIFA's world rankings, but dropped to fourth after their failure to reach the knockout round.

Upon taking the job, one of Martinez's foremost challenges will be to make a decision on the international future of Ronaldo, who has joined Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia following the termination of his contract with Manchester United.

Though Ronaldo recognised his "most ambitious dream" was over after failing to inspire Portugal to glory at his fifth World Cup, the 37-year-old is yet to retire from international football.

Portugal will begin their qualification campaign for Euro 2024 at home to Liechtenstein on March 23, having been drawn into a group also containing Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Slovakia and Luxembourg.

Rafael Nadal will return to the Dubai Tennis Championships next month, 15 years after he last competed in the competition.

Victorious in 2006, Nadal has not played at the event since 2008 but will make his return when the competition begins on February 27.

Ranked second in the world, Nadal's campaign in the United Arab Emirates will take place after the first grand slam of the year in Melbourne, where he is bidding to retain the Australian Open title he won 12 months ago.

Since he last featured at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Nadal has established himself as one of the sport's greatest players, something Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman and chief executive of the tournament's sponsor Dubai Duty Free, was keen to highlight.

"As one of the most instantly recognisable personalities in global sport, and one of the most decorated players to ever grace the game, we are absolutely thrilled to welcome Rafa back to the Dubai Tennis Championships after 15 years," he said.

"The last time Rafa played in Dubai, he had won three grand slams. He returns having amassed more grand slam titles than any other male player in history."

The 36-year-old followed last year's triumph in Australia with victory in the French Open for a record 22nd grand slam title.

Andrey Rublev won last year's Dubai Tennis Championships title, beating Jiri Vesely 6-3 6-4 in the final.

Jalen Hurts knows the "job isn't finished" for the Philadelphia Eagles after he pushed through the pain barrier to play against the New York Giants.

Quarterback Hurts suffered a shoulder injury during the Eagles' win over the Chicago Bears in Week 15, and Philadelphia subsequently lost their following two games.

That left them in danger of missing out on the NFC top seed, but a 22-16 victory over the Giants on Sunday ensured a bye to the second round of the playoffs, and home-field advantage.

Hurts returned for the crucial game, throwing 229 yards at a pass-completion rate of 57.1 per cent (20/35), with one interception.

"I feel like coming into this game, I've been really pushing myself beyond measures to try and be available," Hurts told the media.

"The risk-reward of playing, whatever that was, we did what we had to do. We're the one seed and we're NFC East champs and that's the goal we set out to do.

"Now I can continue to recover and be ready for the playoffs.

"It's been tough, but I don't really want to make it about me. We just accomplished a great goal of ours.

"My whole thing moving forward is, let's prepare to play our best ball. It's been a great ride this year but the job isn't finished.

"I had some things I had to battle within myself. I knew I wanted to be available for my team. It's really tough being out, let alone taking some losses when you’re out. I want to be available for my team. I really feel like if you want something you have to do what you have to do to go get it."

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said: "We didn't feel like there was more risk [of further injury] but I know [Jalen] was hurting, and he was hurting bad.

"But that's the kind of competitor he is, that's the kind of person he is, and kind of team-mate and leader he is that he was able to go out there and tough through it."

The Eagles joined the Kansas City Chiefs, who topped the AFC, on 14 wins this season. Indeed, Philadelphia set a franchise record for regular-season victories.

Receiver A.J. Brown, meanwhile, broke the Eagles' record - set by Mick Quick in 1983 - for the total number of receiving yards across the regular season, and Sirianni has confidence heading into the postseason.

"This team has done some special things," Sirianni added. "Some of the records that this team has had, as far as A.J. and DeVonta [Smith], to have two receivers do that, the most points, the most wins most importantly, right, the most sacks.  

"Just a lot of great things that happened in the regular season. We understand that. We talked about that a lot this week. We talked a lot this week about [how] we should be confident.  

"Again, do we feel like we played a great game today? No, not by any means. But this team should be confident, right? That doesn't mean cocky, it means confident with all the things that we have been able to accomplish this year."

Doc Rivers compared James Harden's showing against the Detroit Pistons to something akin to prime Magic Johnson.

Harden finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a 123-111 win for the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday.

In the process, Harden surpassed 24,000 career regular-season points, becoming the 27th player to hit that landmark.

And Rivers believes Harden deserves to be compared to the very best.

"I hate to you use this example, but when he's playing like this, it's like having a scoring Magic Johnson on the floor," Rivers told reporters. 

"When he runs our team with this kind of pace and he scores and gets assists, we're really good."

The Sixers needed others to step up in the absence of Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey also delivered alongside Harden, scoring 23 points.

"Our defense was pretty good, we took care of the ball and I think everyone competed hard," Maxey said.

"Even someone like Paul Reed comes in and gets nine points and eight offensive rebounds. He plays with so much energy that the other team can't keep up."

Philadelphia are 24-15 for the season and sit fifth in the Eastern Conference, which is propped up by the 11-32 Pistons.

"That's a team playing for a championship and we shot ourselves in the foot," said a frustrated Pistons coach Dwane Casey. 

"We had 22 turnovers – the same number we had in the last game against them. We can't give them points like that."

Manchester City have condemned homophobic chants from some of their own supporters during Sunday's FA Cup tie with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola's side eased to a 4-0 victory to eliminate Graham Potter's side and set up a fourth-round tie with Premier League leaders Arsenal, should Mikel Arteta's side defeat Oxford United on Monday.

A section of home fans could be heard chanting "Chelsea rent boys", which in January 2022 was defined as a hate crime by the Crown Prosecution Service.

City confirmed after the match they are looking into the matter along with the Football Association (FA).

"Manchester City strongly condemns the behaviour of a minority of fans who engaged in discriminatory chanting at today's match," a club statement read.

"We are proud to celebrate inclusivity in football and ask all fans to join us in creating a positive environment and atmosphere, where everyone is welcomed, accepted and has a fantastic matchday experience."

Sunday's incident is the third of its kind in the past week, with the FA also investigating chants used by Nottingham Forest fans during their 1-1 Premier League draw against Chelsea, and by Manchester United supporters during their FA Cup win against Everton.

An FA spokesperson said: "We strongly condemn the use of the term 'rent boy' and we are determined to drive it out of our game. We continue to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service, as well as the UK Football Policing Unit, in relation to the use of this term.

"Part of our work in this area has been to provide the relevant authorities with impact statements from LGBTQ+ supporters, detailing how chants of this nature affects their experience and feeling of inclusion at football matches, so that a clearer stance and understanding on the chant can be established.

"We stand firmly against all forms of discrimination and we are striving to ensure our game is a safe environment for all, which truly embraces diversity and challenges hateful conduct both on and off the pitch."

Roma head coach Jose Mourinho is set to take over as the next boss of Brazil, according to former Selecao international Carlos Alberto.

Brazil are on the lookout for a new head coach after Tite stepped down, as planned, following Brazil's disappointing defeat to Croatia in the World Cup quarter-finals last month.

Mourinho is one of a number of names reportedly in the frame, while the 59-year-old has also been touted as a possible target for Portugal following Fernando Santos' departure, though Roberto Martinez seems to be the frontrunner for that job.

Carlos Alberto, who won the Champions League under Mourinho at Porto, says he has been offered the chance to work alongside the Portuguese as part of Brazil's coaching staff.

"I was going to drop a bomb here, but I can't," he told the Mundo GV podcast. "Maybe [Mourinho] is the coach of the Brazilian team. I'm speaking first hand. It's information.

"It doesn't matter where the information comes from, I'm giving you the information... because he even invited me [to be his number two]."

Mourinho led Roma to the inaugural Europa Conference League title last season – the Italian side's first European trophy in more than 60 years.

That was Mourinho's fifth continental triumph, with the former Chelsea, Real Madrid, Inter, Manchester United and Tottenham boss having won both the UEFA Cup/Europa League and Champions League on two occasions.

Roma are sixth in Serie A after winning just one of their five matches either side of the World Cup break. They did fight back to draw 2-2 with Milan at San Siro on Sunday, however.

Speaking last week, Roma director Tiago Pinto insisted he expects Mourinho – under contract until the end of next season – to stay on at Stadio Olimpico.

"When you get a coach like Mourinho, you must be accustomed to rumours," Pinto told La Gazzetta dello Sport. 

"This was the first time in 18 months that a club or a federation were interested in him. We had no distractions at our training camp in the Algarve, we were only focused on work. 

"I am Portuguese and every time we change coach, Mourinho is mentioned, but we count on him for the future."

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